Xiao Wanchang

"Husband, have you set your eyes on any of them?"

Baili Qiuyue looked at the few ragged slaves in front of them, then turned to Lu Wanyuan and asked.

"Hehe, sister-in-law, you definitely have to pick the strong ones. Since we're choosing servants, it won't do if they can't work!"

"I think the man standing on the far left looks perfect!"

Lu Wanhe, standing to the side, said impatiently.

Hearing this, both Lu Wanyuan and Baili Qiuyue turned their gazes toward the man on the far left. He looked to be in his thirties, his face pale as if he had suffered from severe blood loss.

His robust physique was barely covered by his tattered clothes, which could not hide the bulging muscles covering his body.

Like a bodybuilder, his explosive muscles stood out prominently!

However, there were many dark bruises on the surface of his muscles, a clear sign that he had been involved in fierce combat.

They then looked at the price tag on his waist plate and discovered that it was as high as 150 Spirit Stones.

Ordinary slaves usually cost only 10 to 20 Spirit Stones.

"Why is the one on the far left so expensive? Is there something special about him?"

Seeing this, Lu Wanyuan asked with immediate confusion.

"This customer, you certainly have a sharp eye!"

"You've seen his physique; he is a body-refining cultivator. Although he is currently at Qi Refining Layer 5, he possesses the strength equivalent to Qi Refining Layer 9!"

"It cost us several brothers just to capture him. This guy is incredibly tough, so of course, we have to make back our losses!"

"If you buy him, customer, he will certainly be able to do many things for you. You definitely won't be at a loss!"

"Is that true or false? You aren't trying to swindle me, are you?"

Hearing this, Lu Wanyuan asked with a hint of disbelief.

"Of course it's true. Our Good Hope Cape Slave Merchant Guild has an impeccable reputation."

"Just think about it, our guild has been in business for so many years; we wouldn't ruin our century-old reputation just for 50 Spirit Stones..."

"Alright, no need to say any more. We'll take this one!"

Lu Wanyuan immediately cut off the Slave Trader's nonsense and decided to buy him, tossing 150 Spirit Stones to the man.

As soon as the words fell, the man's eyes flashed with a glint as he stared at Lu Wanyuan. After all, this was his future Master, so he naturally wanted to get a good look at him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he died in the future. Following that, his gaze flickered, and he returned to an empty, hollow expression, as if he had never been there at all.

"Mm, you are truly straightforward, customer. Please take this Control Token. The incantation is on it; by activating the incantation, you can control this slave."

"The transaction is settled. If your Control Token is lost or damaged, we will not be held responsible."

The Slave Trader took the spirit stones after the other party handed them over.

He immediately took a palm-sized token from his bosom, handed it to Lu Wanyuan, and said coldly.

Thinking about it, it made sense; they were human traffickers, after all—where would they find any sympathy?

It was likely that not all of these people were prisoners; perhaps some had been specifically snatched from other places.

Thinking of this, Lu Wanyuan couldn't help but sigh. This world was truly chaotic. If one's strength didn't allow for it, one might easily be captured by such traffickers and sold off to some other place, where one's cries for help would go unanswered by heaven or earth. It was truly terrifying.

Lu Wanyuan took the Control Token handed over by the Slave Trader, familiarized himself with the incantation on it, and immediately activated it.

Then, he saw the man begin to move his limbs, and he signaled for the other party to come down and follow behind them.

Two hours later, Lu Wanyuan had purchased a few more slaves, and just as they were preparing to leave, they heard the Slave Trader shouting again.

"Clearance sale! The last 20 slaves! Customers who need them, hurry over! Don't miss out, or the next time won't be for another three months! A flat price of 150 spirit stones!"

Hearing the voice, everyone looked over, and Lu Wanyuan and his group were no exception.

But after just one glance, everyone lost interest. These 20-plus slaves before them were basically the leftovers that everyone else had picked through.

They were likely slaves that hadn't been chosen for a long time.

The people at the Tooth Agency weren't fools. If such slaves weren't sold, the maintenance costs would certainly skyrocket.

First, there was no turnover, and second, they required food every day to maintain their physiological functions. It was fine for a short time, but over a long period, the costs would definitely soar, making it a losing proposition. Naturally, they had to find a way to sell them off quickly.

That was the reason for this clearance price. Everyone knew this tactic, but no one wanted to pick up such defective goods.

Because there was a reason why these were the ones left over after everyone else had made their selections.

They were either too old and not young enough, or severely injured—requiring significant costs to recover—or they were missing arms or legs.

In short, there were so many problems; that was why no one chose them.

But Lu Wanyuan carefully inspected them, calculating in his mind!

Among these 20-plus slaves, there were a few who were quite old, nearly 60 years of age, some who were missing arms, and some who were blind.

Most importantly, there were a few young women with four or five-year-old children, which made it truly hard for him to watch.

"Fine, I'll take these as well!"

Lu Wanyuan said loudly, then took 150 spirit stones from his Storage Bag and handed them to the other party.

"Husband, what are you doing? Why did you buy so many all at once?"

Baili Qiuyue was completely bewildered by him. They had agreed that buying five slaves would be enough, but now, the total had reached thirty.

"Wife, stay calm. I will explain everything to you once we get back!"

"Eldest Brother, you really are something. Bringing so many back at once, will you even be able to manage them all?"

Lu Wanhe, standing nearby, chimed in with a tease.

"You brat, what are you thinking? Hurry up and go buy some daily necessities. Buy plenty of them. Your sister-in-law and I will head back first!"

Lu Wanyuan glared at Lu Wanhe, immediately shooing him away to go run the errand.

The people around them watched as Lu Wanyuan bought such a large number of slaves, especially noting that he looked young, only about twenty years old.

"This kid bought so many back; is he planning to change his profession?"

"I think so. Otherwise, why would he buy so many all at once?"

"Haha, exactly!"

"People usually only buy a few slaves at a time, but look at him—he bought a whole bunch. And if that wasn't enough, he actually bought the defective ones that nobody else wanted!"

"Maybe he just has a lot of Spirit Stones..."

"..."

The crowd whispered among themselves, mocking him incessantly.

Baili Qiuyue felt a bit embarrassed, her face turning bright red with mortification. She hadn't expected to be criticized like this in front of everyone.

Seeing this, Lu Wanyuan immediately retorted in a loud, sharp voice, firing off his words like a machine gun.

"Just because you don't have the Spirit Stones yourselves, you resort to these tactics to mock us!"

"You've got it all wrong. Do you really think I'd be fooled by such clumsy tricks? You're severely underestimating me!"

"So what if I have Spirit Stones? This is just sour grapes on your part. You're all so dirt poor that you can't even scrape together a few measly stones, yet you act like this."

"If you don't have the Spirit Stones, just watch quietly. Why are you here yapping away? Is this how you try to show off your sense of superiority?"

"I'm spending my own Spirit Stones to do something 'foolish,' and I'm happy to do it!"

"The problem is, you don't even have the Spirit Stones to do something foolish even if you wanted to. Yet here you are, gossiping and judging. I don't know where you get the nerve..."

Stung by Lu Wanyuan's retort, which had exposed their own insecurities, the crowd fell silent and began to disperse one by one.

Then, a youth of about eighteen years old, with a clean and fair appearance, took the initiative to step forward.

"Hmm, so this is Eldest Brother, as sharp-tongued as expected!"

"Who are you?"

Lu Wanyuan was a bit bewildered. Who was this guy, approaching him so brazenly as if to claim kinship?

"Hello, I am Xiao Wanchang! My mother is Ouyang Tingting from Green Bamboo Peak. You should know that, right?"

Xiao Wanchang spoke with an expression that suggested he had Lu Wanyuan right where he wanted him.

Hearing this, Lu Wanyuan immediately looked at Lu Wanhe beside him.

The mere mention of the name Ouyang Tingting caused his mind to explode. For over two years, he had never dared to forget the scene of being forced down the mountain back then.

However, the situation was unclear. Although his heart was racing like a stampede of ten thousand horses, he remained composed on the surface.

Seeing this, Lu Wanhe nodded, indicating that the situation was true.