Seeking a Master (Please Subscribe~)

Facing Li Yilin's gaze as though he were looking at a dead man, Manshang wiped away his sweat and said with some difficulty, "How about I go ask?"

What if he had merely seen wrong? What if the customer had not taken a liking to her yet?

Li Yilin said nothing, but the oppressive aura around him had already receded like a tide.

"Whew!" Manshang quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Not daring to think any further, he quickly headed over.

Damn legs, move faster. Once the deal was done, he was dead.

Qi Zhen was in the middle of completing the transaction with the burly man. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Manshang hurrying over, clearly headed his way, and frowned instinctively. He glanced at the burly man, saw that the man's eyes were filled only with the little slave he was about to acquire, and swiftly opened his auxiliary optical computer to send a message.

"What are you doing here? Stealing my business?"

"It's not some huge deal. What's there to steal?" Manshang replied quickly, his fingers tapping afterimages across the screen.

"Has the customer taken a liking to the goods in front of you?"

"Yes, he has. He's about to pay."

"Oh, that's bad news. The customer on my side likes her too."

"First come, first served. Do you understand?" Fang Zhen sneered. How could he possibly offend a customer over something like this?

"You don't understand." Manshang said, "My auxiliary optical computer can't detect my customer's strength." The moment he reached that conclusion, he broke out in a cold sweat.

Although his auxiliary optical computer could not compare to the legendary Smart Optical Computer, it could still detect the basic combat values of Fighters from Apprentice Level to Universe Level.

Anyone whose values the optical computer could not detect was definitely a legendary Domain Lord or an even higher-level powerhouse.

Forget about them—if even their boss came, he would not dare offend such a powerhouse.

"Hm?" Qi Zhen's heart skipped a beat.

Even the auxiliary optical computer could not detect his strength?

"Manshang, you're fucking trying to get me killed!" Qi Zhen rapidly finished typing those words, shut off his auxiliary optical computer, and turned toward the burly man with a perfectly measured, apologetic smile.

"Sir—"

Li Yilin did not care how Fang Zhen explained things to the customer. In any case, three minutes later, Manshang was standing before him with the person he wanted.

"Sir, here she is." Manshang respectfully pushed the girl toward him.

Pushed by him, the girl stumbled forward a few steps and stopped three paces away from Li Yilin.

Her little face was pale, and her eyes held unease and anxiety, but her expression was exceptionally obedient. Clearly, the Bio-Chip inside her body was controlling her.

"Remove the Bio-Chip from her body." Li Yilin glanced at her and spoke calmly.

Remove the Bio-Chip?

They were currently in the rest area of the shopping center's main hall. Not far away were many slaves awaiting sale. Upon hearing those words, they all turned to look over. Many gazes directed at the girl held envy, surprise, and shock—

Remove the Bio-Chip!

Could they ever have such a day?

The girl, whose entire being had been steeped in lifelessness, was also startled by Li Yilin's words and instinctively looked up, meeting his eyes.

Those calm black eyes carried not the slightest trace of emotion. Yet despite their calmness, they stirred an almost imperceptible warmth in her heart, making her silent heart beat once more.

Her heart jolted, and she lowered her head in panic.

Why? Why did the eyes of the person before her feel so familiar?

Where had she seen them before?

She desperately tried to remember, but the memory was too distant, and she had only caught a hurried glimpse back then. If the fright she had suffered at the time had not left such a deep shadow behind, she probably would have long forgotten those eyes.

Yet although she could not remember those eyes, the sense of security she had felt then had still left its mark in her heart.

"Remove the Bio-Chip?" Manshang was greatly startled. He looked at Li Yilin and was just about to offer some advice, but when he thought of Li Yilin's strength, he immediately found himself speechless.

A little Planetary Level kid, not even an adult yet—if she had not been so exceptionally pretty, she would never have been put up for sale.

What threat could such a little thing pose to this gentleman of unknown strength? Removing the Bio-Chip was probably just because he was in a good mood and did not want to make things difficult for a child.

Goods worth eight thousand Black Dragon Coins, discarded just like that—was this what it meant to be a powerhouse?

Such a small sum of money meant absolutely nothing to him.

Manshang was dying of envy inside, but the signature enthusiastic smile remained on his face. He called over two people to take the girl away for the procedure, then smiled at Li Yilin and said softly, "Sir, removing the Bio-Chip will take half an hour. Please wait patiently."

Li Yilin sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. Hearing this, he gave a faint nod.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the numerous slaves in the distance. The people coming and going to buy slaves would inspect them carefully and choose with great consideration. From time to time, slaves would release their auras and display their strength according to the customers' demands.

"Bring me some better-looking, younger ones to look at."

"They must be Star Level or above," he added.

Elsewhere.

As the girl was being led away, she could not help turning back for one last look.

--

Inside the shopping center, Li Yilin sat comfortably on a broad, luxurious sofa, without the slightest tension on his face. Clearly, he was accustomed to being attended by others. She could not help asking, "Who is that lord?"

The staff member gave her an envious glance and gently shook his head. "I don't know."

"You're truly lucky. Lord Manshang said that lord's strength has already surpassed Universe Level." The staff member's tone was full of envy, along with a faint trace of jealousy directed at the girl.

"Countless planets may go through untold ages before producing a Universe Level powerhouse, let alone someone even stronger.

"You caught that lord's eye, and he even had your Bio-Chip control removed. As long as you can make that lord happy, you'll prosper." Another staff member said the same, and the way he looked at the girl was no longer lofty and disdainful, but carried a hint of ingratiation.

The girl fell silent.

An existence beyond Universe Level?

Then could it be—

She touched her chest as if sensing something. Her expression seemed caught between laughter and tears.

Inside the shopping center.

Li Yilin sat with his legs crossed, holding a drink in his hand, looking completely relaxed.

Before him, twenty men and women dressed identically stood in two rows. If he liked one, he would select them. If not, they would be replaced by another batch.

He raised his eyes and chose a slight man standing in the second row.

"Him."

He raised his hand and pointed at the man. Manshang hurriedly pulled him out, then had the others taken away and replaced with another batch.

By the time the girl returned after having her Bio-Chip removed, more than a dozen Star Level slaves, both male and female, were already standing beside Li Yilin.

Manshang's smile was absolutely radiant.

Star Level Fighters were already expensive, and Spirit Readers cost three times as much as Fighters of the same level. He could earn quite a lot from every one he sold, not to mention that Li Yilin had already selected sixteen, six of whom were Spirit Readers.

There were not many customers this wealthy. As long as the transaction went through, he would make a fortune.

"My lord." The girl walked before Li Yilin and respectfully bowed, gratitude on her face.

Seeing that some vitality had finally returned to the girl's face, Li Yilin's lips curled slightly. At last, he felt a little more at ease.

He crooked a finger, beckoning her closer.

The girl obediently stepped forward, though the slight fluttering of the wings behind her showed that she was actually rather nervous.

Li Yilin did not mind. He leaned back against the sofa, resting both arms along its backrest. "What's your name? How old are you?"

"My name is Celestia Si Yao... I'm fifteen years old." Si Yao answered respectfully.

"Fifteen?" Li Yilin was quite surprised as he looked her over from head to toe.

She was not even 1.2 meters tall, and her face was still childish. No matter how he looked at her, she did not resemble a fifteen-year-old.

He had thought she was only seven or eight.

Si Yao pursed her lips and explained, "The Star Feather Race has a relatively long growth period. Normally, they remain in childhood until the age of twelve, and only after twelve do they begin growing slowly."

Before she turned twelve, she had not even been a meter tall. Those extra twenty-odd centimeters had only grown over the last three years.

Although the Star Feather Race's bloodline rank was only sixth class, its childhood period was extremely long, nearly comparable to races with first-class bloodlines.

As for why they had such a lengthy growth period, it was actually related to a hidden talent of the Star Feather Race.

However, not every member of the Star Feather Race could awaken this talent. Generally speaking, only one Star Feather Race member of any generation would awaken it.

As long as the previous person with this talent remained alive, the next person with this talent would not be born.

Unless—

Unless the person with this talent broke through to become Immortal, transforming their body into one of divine power and leaving the category of flesh-and-blood life.

At that thought, Si Yao clenched the hands at her sides so hard that her fingertips turned white.

"And your strength?" Li Yilin glanced at her clenched hands and asked.

She was still in her childhood stage, yet her strength had already reached Planetary Level.

Was the Star Feather Race really this outrageous?

It seemed there was a secret.

Si Yao lowered her eyes, her blue starry gaze blankly fixed on the floor before her. She said softly, "My strength was because my mother, she—" She bit her lip, tears gathering in her eyes, on the verge of falling. She looked as though she might shatter at any moment.

"Before my mother died, she passed all of her strength to me. That's why—"

After hearing her explanation, Li Yilin looked enlightened. No wonder she had ended up in the slave market—her mother was gone. As for the supposed revenge killing—

He looked at the little girl crying so hard that tears filled her eyes, unable to control herself, and did not believe it in the slightest.

In a revenge killing, one would want to split even earthworms in half. How could they possibly leave an enemy's descendant alive? If they truly wanted revenge, they should have kept her nearby to torment her rather than sending her to the slave market.

After all, even after entering the slave market, there was still a chance to defy fate and change one's destiny.

But it did not matter. Everyone had secrets.

Whatever secret she had, as long as it did not affect him, there was no problem.

Li Yilin chuckled and looked at her. "Would you be willing to follow me?"

He did not say she would become his slave, nor did he say she would become his subordinate. He merely asked her to follow him.

It was like a kind, benevolent elder finally finding a little cub who had lost her parents, wandered alone, gone hungry and cold, and lived a pitiful life. He would walk up to her, squat before her, smile warmly, and say, "Don't be afraid. You still have me."

Li Yilin had a similar thought.

He was willing to give the girl freedom and protection entirely because of her smile back then. That smile had given him a brief moment of happiness and a small sense of security. Just to let that smile continue to exist, he was willing to spend eight Ganwu Coins to buy her.

Perhaps some people would not understand. They might even think it absurd.

But in life, there were simply so many inexplicable thoughts.

There was no reason for it. It was simply because of one sentence—I like it, so I'm willing!

"Follow you?" Si Yao abruptly raised her head, her watery blue eyes staring blankly at him. As though she had thought of something, her eyes lit up. With a thud, she dropped to her knees. "Senior, can you accept me as your disciple?"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone in the shopping center, regardless of what they had been doing, stopped at the same time and looked over.

Good heavens!

Manshang and Fang Zhen could only admire Si Yao's boldness.