People Traffickers' Market

"All right, you're right. But we can't rush them about this. We have to give them a little time!"

"When the time is right, I'll talk to them and tell them to hurry up and have children. Haha!"

Lu Wanyuan laughed happily, then looked at her again.

"For now, let's go buy those servants. That'll take some of the pressure off you!"

"Mm, all right. It's been a long time since the three of us went out together. Let's go take a look around the market!"

With that, Baili Qiuyue immediately took Lu Wanyuan's arm, and the three of them left the residence together.

"Eldest Brother, Sister-in-law, where are you going?"

They had only just left the residence when they ran into Third Brother, Lu Wanhe, coming toward them.

"Third Brother, you came at just the right time. Your sister-in-law, Lei'er, and I are planning to look around the market."

"The main thing is, we want to buy a few servants. There are chores around the house that need doing, and your rooms need looking after, too. Why don't you come with us and help pick out a few servants? What do you think?"

Lu Wanyuan asked cheerfully.

"Eldest Brother, why would a bachelor like me need servants?"

Lu Wanhe said with a look of disdain.

"What are you talking about? The residence is so big, and your rooms are so spacious. They need to be tidied and cleaned from time to time. You can't expect your sister-in-law to do everything."

At that, Lu Wanhe's face turned bright red. "Sister-in-law, that's not what I meant. I meant I don't need servants just for myself. But Eldest Brother is right—the Lu Family's grounds are so large, we definitely need servants to take care of them. It'll look much better that way!"

"Mm, I know what you mean. Your brother and I are going to the market now."

"If you don't have anything else to do, you can come along. If we get busy, you can keep an eye on Lei'er. Don't let him wander off—he's very mischievous!"

Baili Qiuyue said with a smile.

Lu Wanhe nodded.

"Come on in, come on over! You won't regret it, and you won't get cheated! For just a few Spirit Stones, you can take home the servant you've been dreaming of!"

"Freshly delivered to the market! Tall, short, fat, thin—we've got all kinds! The perfect helpers for any household. Come and take your pick!"

By the time Lu Wanyuan and the other three had spent two hours getting there, they still hadn't entered the Slave Market.

They heard a tall, thin, shrewd-looking broker inside loudly hawking his wares.

Then they saw crowds of people standing on the steps, shackles around their bodies, filthy and spattered with blood.

Their faces were numb with despair, like corpses, their eyes hollow!

The people on the steps were being watched like merchandise by those around them. Some even groped them, their behavior utterly lecherous.

Among the onlookers was a bald man, groping a young woman.

The woman being touched was terrified and overcome with indignation, but the traffickers had already restrained her so thoroughly that she couldn't move.

"Sir, please keep your hands to yourself. If you're not interested, don't go groping people!"

The broker stopped him on the spot!

"Haha! Hey, baldy, what were you thinking?"

At that, the crowd around them burst into laughter!

The broker had stopped him, and everyone was laughing. The bald man's face turned red with embarrassment. "Hmph! How am I supposed to know if this is what I want unless I touch it? What if there's something wrong with the merchandise?"

"Sir, you can rest assured. We've inspected them all. There's absolutely nothing wrong!"

"If you really want to give them a thorough feel, I suggest you buy one and take them home. Then you can touch them as much as you like, however you like. No one will stop you!"

"But until you've made your purchase, you can't go groping the merchandise. What will the next customer think?"

"If you keep doing this, don't blame me for not warning you. You'll be responsible for the consequences!"

The broker glared at him scornfully and issued a threat. There were always people like this, taking advantage of others while they were here. It was despicable!

"Husband, these people are so pitiful. I wonder where they came from," Baili Qiuyue whispered in Lu Wanyuan's ear.

"They were brought here from distant Huangzhou. They're all captives of the great powers."

"A war is raging over there right now. These poor people were caught up in it. Most of them have lost their homes and families. Some had their sects destroyed, others had their Lineages wiped out."

"Some were torn from their wives and children. People of every sort have suffered every kind of misfortune. If they don't find a master soon, their fate will be truly miserable."

"So, honored customers, please show some kindness and take them home."

The broker glanced at Baili Qiuyue, as though he'd heard what she said, then turned to the crowd and explained with tears in his voice.

At this, everyone looked troubled, feeling a little like foxes mourning the rabbit.

Their strength was nothing special, and they were probably not much better off than the people on the steps. If a war like that broke out here, what would they do?

"Mm, what kind of war was fought so brutally that it grew to such a scale? Even a small market like this has so many people up for sale. In a much larger city, wouldn't you have even more people to sell?"

Lu Wanyuan raised his voice and asked.

The broker looked at Lu Wanyuan and said coldly, "That's a rather profound question, sir. It's just as you said: a lot of people were swept into this war."

"Actually, it's nothing major. Two great sects are simply fighting over resources. Their affiliated sects and Cultivation Families were dragged in and used as cannon fodder!"

Hearing the other man's cold reply, Lu Wanyuan's heart turned cold, and his expression grew grave.

It seemed Cultivation Families couldn't escape the fate of being used as cannon fodder, either!

But that made sense. The world of cultivation was all about fighting for cultivation resources, and strength ruled above all!

He found himself yearning desperately for strength. He didn't want the Lu Family to become someone else's cannon fodder!

But the Lu Family wasn't even a Cultivation Family yet. They would have to attach themselves to a powerful backer first. Otherwise, at the first sign of trouble, they could die without even knowing why. They simply lacked the strength to resist or defend themselves.

The first step, of course, was to find a way to obtain a Clan Establishment Order. Then they could choose a Spirit Vein site and establish a Cultivation Family.

"All right, honored customers, have you had a good look? If you have, hurry up and buy someone to take home! Don't miss out—the opportunity won't last forever!"

"Look at this strapping young man! Take him home and he can start working right away. He can work the fields or mine, no problem. And if you're a lady of the house, he can help you plow your fields, too. He can till them nice and deep, if you know what I mean. He'll be sure to make you feel good..."

The broker started working up the crowd again.

"Haha!"

"Haha!"

At that, everyone burst into laughter once more, and the gloom from before vanished in an instant.

Before long, some people had picked out servants from the steps, and the captives were led away one after another.

"Husband, they look so pitiful. Why don't we buy them all?"

"Ah, all of them? We can't possibly use that many."

"At least, not right now. Once the Lineage develops and we need more people, we can always buy some then."

"This time, we should buy no more than five: two men and three women. The men can take turns guarding the front gate. Such a beautiful gate definitely needs someone on duty."

"Of the other three, one can be your personal maid, and the other two can take care of the housework."

"There are only a few people in the Lu Family right now, so we don't need that many servants. When the household grows, we can come back here and buy some more."