Chapter 213 Acquiring Slaves.
Reni smiled faintly and led the young man out of the courtyard. The two of them walked silently and Hao Ren was observing the city scape silently. He noticed a few big places and the crowd that was moving around the place. He smiled and asked, "These places are operated by the big families?"
Reni nodded and said, "Yes, the Zheng Family is an expert when it comes to clothing. They are known for their designs but if you ask me, they are just country bumpkins. The Tao Family owns the biggest restaurant in the city, Fragrant. The taste is sub-par but it\'s extremely costly. The rich people go there because they have very beautiful attendants."
Hao Ren asked, "What about the Cui?"
Reni replied, "They are the overseer of the Oriental Trading House. They operate from the Thousand Wonder Tower under Elder Kun, that guy is an early core formation realm old man. Tch, such arrogance he has."
Hao Ren frowned and asked, "Then, we might not be able to find any Nascent Realm slaves in this place, would we?"
Reni nodded and replied, "Lady Mei will be sending back Sister Jan, that would be enough for the time being."
Hao Ren thought for a second and asked, "What is the peak strength of the City Lord?"
Reni replied, "Peak Nascent Soul Realm. That is why his position in the city is unshaken."
The young man nodded, and soon they came to a place which appeared to be a slum. Reni said, "This is the slave market, the people who here are either criminals, or some unfortunate ones who could not afford to live and fell in the debt trap of some sick merchants."
Hao Ren frowned at this condition and waved his hand to drive away the smell around him. His eyes turned cold as he said, "Lead the way."
Reni was surprised but she nodded and then took Hao Ren inside the slum. They saw many people laying on the side of the road with torn clothes and dirty faces. The young man did not say much but he could sense the fear and the gloom they held in their eyes. After a few minutes, they came to a big tent, and Reni led him inside.
There weren\'t many people in this place who would be able to pay for a slave. Inside the tent a fat man was counting the gold coins on his table with a gleeful expression on his face. He sensed someone arrive and stood up with a big smile and said, "Are you here to buy slaves, Young Patrons? I apologize all the people you saw outside have already been bought out by Young Master Zheng Jiang."
Reni frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"
The fat man said, "Young Master Zheng is going on an expedition in the demon sea, he wanted to find a few people who could help him. So he bought all of them."
Hao Ren remarked, "Indeed, although I have not been here for long, but I did not expect anything less from the young master of a prominent family."
The fat man chuckled and nodded just when he was about to say something, Reni turned around and said in a soft voice, "Young Master, it looks like we wasted our time. We should go, there might be other merchants visiting the city soon, you will find the slaves then."
Hao Ren nodded, and sighed, "I did not expect that someone would even purchase so many mortal slaves as well. Let\'s go."
The fat man was surprised and he dashed over, just when he was about to touch Hao Ren\'s shoulder, Reni grabbed his fat hand and asked in a cold voice, "What do you think you are doing?"
The fat man sensed as if he had fallen in the cold hell. He shivered, and Hao Ren patted the young lady on her shoulder, indicating to release the man. He smiled at the slave trader and said, "Pardon me, my sister is a little upset."
The slave trader looked at Hao Ren and woke up from the fright as he shook his head like a rattle and said, "Young Sir, you can still take the mortal slaves. There is a batch of kids, they have yet to step onto the path of cultivation. They will fit your needs."
Hao Ren thought about it and asked, "Why didn\'t you sale them?"
The slave trader snorted and replied, "They consume food, but they don\'t have much strength. I almost beat a few of them to death when they cried for their parents a few nights ago. Bloody orphans, tch, I would be grateful if you could take them off my hands."
Reni was enraged by his comments, such people reminded her of her own childhood. Had it not been for sensing the slight pain coming from her shoulders, she might have lost the sense of reasoning. However, she was shocked, because she was clear that the Young master was not that strong of a cultivator, yet he was able to hurt her.
Hao Ren had not completely understood the extent of his new found power. The dragon titan physique had transformed his body into a superior spiritual artifact. He could kill people within the same realm with nothing more than a full power slap.
Reni groaned, and Hao Ren realized what was happening. He let go of her and said softly, "I am sorry, I did not realize."
The lady shook her head and Hao Ren said to the slave trader, "Show me the slaves first, then we will talk."
The fat man nodded and with an amicable smile he led them to a corner, where he behind a makeshift partition, some children were sitting, with their gazes staring at the void in a daze. The man said, "I fed them some opium in the morning to handle the transaction with some peace, do not worry, I am a professional and used only a small dose.
It was there first time, they will be coming around in a few hours."
Hao Ren nodded, and using his Yin and Yang eyes, he checked the condition of the children. The bunch was awfully malnourished. He asked, "Can I check their pulse?"
The fat man nodded and said, "You can, I will charge you five gold coin for each one, how about that?"
Reni shook her head and snorted. This shocked the trader and he shivered. The young lady said, "They are half dead, and you wish to make a fortune on it? We will pay you two gold coins each. Before you open your mouth, you should consider the condition of your goods or the people might call you a crook."
The fat man chuckled and then said, "Okay, two gold coins per head, I will take it."
Hao Ren on the other hand checked the pulses of the children and found them to be relatively weak than a normal child, however, given their condition, even the fact that they were breathing was a blessing. He looked at Reni and stood up as he turned to the fat man and said, "Twenty slave children, means forty gold coins."
The man nodded, and Hao Ren took out forty measly coins and handed them over to the man. Then the trader arranged for a few people to bring out the spiritual contracts which were called the blood bonds, and handed then to Hao Ren. The two of them left, as the trader will be sending the children over in a bit accompanied by his men.
...
In the market place, Hao Ren said, "Sister Reni, I think that fatty would be leaving the city soon."
The lady asked, "What do you mean, Young Master, how can he do that?"
Hao Ren shrugged and said, "That is what the strong and powerful do. However, what I want you to do is very satisfying as well."
Reni was confused, when Hao Ren said, "When he leaves the city, kill him and feed his corpse to the spirit beasts. Also, please loot everything he has."
Ignoring the shocked look on her face, Hao Ren gave her a few bottles as he said, "They have a scent removal liquid, spirit rejuvenation potion, and corpse melting liquid. It will help you erase your traces."
Reni woke up from her daze and nodded. Then the two entered a few stores to buy stuff, which again shocked the lady. She could not help but ask, "Why are you doing this?"
Hao Ren smiled and said, "You will see in the due time."