Chapter 4: Blue Demon

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Blue Demon

Jade Capital, the capital of the Daqian Dynasty, was incredibly vast. The entire city was laid out in a Bagua formation with eight main streets and four ring roads. This divided the city into one hundred and twenty districts, housing a permanent population of over ten million.

The Lin Family and the Lu Family were located in Zhen Third Ring District Two, which wasn’t far from the market. It was only a ten-minute walk away.

Jade Capital was a melting pot where all rivers flowed into the sea. It had absolutely everything—humans, demons, devils, and spirits. The further out one went, the more bustling it became, and the more lower-class citizens there were.

Since Lu Yuan wanted to find someone to help his mother, his only option was the slave market.

"Young man, if you’re buying female slaves, come take a look at our selection!"

"Young man, do you want a male or female slave? From eight to thirty-eight years old, we have them all!"

"Young man, for premium slaves, you have to come to our shop..."

As soon as Lu Yuan stepped into the market, he was targeted by quite a few human traffickers. He was young and had an extraordinary temperament; at a glance, he looked like a capable person who could afford a few slaves.

His gaze swept across the area, noticing many "premium" slaves on display at the entrances of various shops. There were alluring female slaves and robust Martial Artists. There were even slaves of the Alien Race. Each one was washed clean and dressed neatly. He was certain they were all very expensive—far beyond what he could afford.

"I just want to buy a female slave with great strength who can wash clothes, cook, and clean," Lu Yuan said.

SWOOSH.

More than half of the traffickers quickly scattered. In the blink of an eye, only two remained.

"What other requirements do you have, young man? What’s your budget?" asked a slightly chubby middle-aged trafficker sporting a Handlebar Mustache.

"It’s best if she isn’t over twenty years old, and she should be relatively good-looking," Lu Yuan added.

"Heh." The other trafficker also walked away. He clearly felt that the young man had too many demands for someone who didn’t want to spend money.

Only Fat Eight was left.

"That might be a bit more expensive. It’ll cost at least fifty taels of silver," Fat Eight answered after a moment of thought.

"Fifty taels..." Lu Yuan paused slightly. He had only brought thirty taels of silver with him. This was a bit beyond his budget.

Fat Eight noticed his hesitation and immediately understood. "If you don’t require a virgin, it can be a bit cheaper."

"That..." Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered. He was just looking for a worker, so he didn’t care about that. However, loosening that requirement meant he could easily end up buying someone who had been traded multiple times. They might carry diseases, making it unsafe for them to handle food. "I want someone clean."

"Young man, that’s very hard to find." Fat Eight looked troubled as he thought, "He has so little money, but insists on premium goods..."

"Then I’ll just look around myself." Lu Yuan waved his hand. It didn’t really matter. If he couldn’t buy one, he would just hire someone; there were plenty of respectable women in the outer city. The system only told him to find a helper, not that he absolutely had to buy a slave.

"Do you want Demon Blood?" Fat Eight asked suddenly.

"Demon Blood?" Lu Yuan was taken aback.

Demon Blood referred to the descendants of humans and Transformed Great Demons. Naturally, the ones available for sale were from lineages that had reproduced for many generations, leaving their bloodlines extremely thin. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t transform into demons. They might have eccentric tempers and a few peculiar habits, but that was all.

"She has Blue Demon blood and a very good temper. The only thing is she eats a bit too much, and..." Fat Eight explained.

"And what?" Lu Yuan asked. A Blue Demon was a type of Demon Race similar to an Elf. They excelled at planting and cultivating flowers, and their temperaments were relatively mild.

"She stopped developing. She won’t grow any bigger," Fat Eight answered truthfully. "However, she has a lot of strength. Washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning definitely won’t be a problem for her."

"Oh?" Lu Yuan grew a bit interested. "Take me to see her."

"This way." Fat Eight led the way.

Before long, they arrived at a cage in a remote corner of a slave courtyard. It was filthy, and the surrounding air was filled with a pungent stench. Inside the cage was a little girl who looked no older than seven or eight. She was incredibly thin, seemingly reduced to nothing but skin and bones. She leaned against the bars with lifeless eyes, on the verge of death and looking extremely pitiful.

"Is she starving to death? Do you normally not feed her?" Lu Yuan couldn’t help but frown. For someone to be starved to this extent, it must have been a very long time since she had a full meal.

"We couldn’t sell her, and she wasn’t growing. We’ve raised her for several years and already taken a huge loss. If you don’t buy her, she’ll be disposed of in a few days—just thrown away." Fat Eight shrugged. They were in the slave trade, not running a charity.

"How much?" Lu Yuan asked. "Give me an honest price and I’ll buy her. Don’t try to rip me off."

Fat Eight thought for a moment before holding up two fingers. "Twenty taels."

"Alright, I’ll buy her." Lu Yuan took out twenty taels of silver.

"Great, it’s a deal! Young man, you definitely won’t lose out buying her for labor. Just give her a bit of food every day and she’ll be fine." Fat Eight happily took the silver, though his expression quickly shifted into a bitter smile. "But I’ve taken a massive loss. When I first bought her, I spent a full one hundred taels. I fed her for five years and lost at least another hundred taels..."

With her Blue Demon lineage, if she had grown up normally, she could have been sold for at least five hundred taels. If she had grown up beautiful enough, fetching thousands of taels or even tens of thousands would have been possible. Unfortunately, she stopped growing at the age of eight.

"Hurry up and let her out. Bring me the contract," Lu Yuan urged.

Keeping a person in a cage like an animal, especially a young child, was too pitiful. He couldn’t bear the sight of it.

"Right away!" Fat Eight quickly took out a key from his pocket, unlocked the cage door, and went to fetch the deed of indenture.

"Come out. Follow me from now on, and I’ll make sure you get enough to eat." Lu Yuan bent down and beckoned to her.

The little girl’s eyes flickered slightly. She looked at Lu Yuan timidly before shifting her weight, standing up, and walking out. Every step took immense effort, displaying a strong will to survive.

"What’s your name?" Lu Yuan asked.

"Yaoyao," the girl answered. Her voice was somewhat dry and hoarse, as if she hadn’t spoken in a long time and was suffering from dehydration.

"Yaoyao... Good. Follow me from now on. Let’s go." Lu Yuan turned and headed out.

Fat Eight was already waiting at the entrance with the contract. "Not bad, just nurse her back to health and she’ll have the strength to work," he said with a beaming smile. "Come to me next time you want to buy a slave. I guarantee I’ll find you the most suitable one."

"Mm. I might buy a Martial Artist in the future," Lu Yuan nodded. If he had the money, buying a loyal and reliable Martial Artist would definitely be a worthwhile investment.

"Then I will await your esteemed presence!" Fat Eight beamed with joy. The value of a single Martial Artist was at least several hundred taels...

[Congratulations on completing the mission. Atavistic Blue Demon bloodline detected. Five times reward triggered. Please prepare to receive two and a half years of cultivation.]

Lu Yuan was surprised and delighted. "Atavism? Five times the reward!"

Atavism meant that her bloodline talent would gradually manifest, allowing her to easily become an expert above the Seventh Grade. Reaching the Fifth Grade or even the Fourth Grade wasn’t impossible either. He had definitely struck gold.

Lu Yuan found a secluded spot to accept the two and a half years of cultivation.

A warm current appeared out of nowhere. Lu Yuan’s muscles and bones rapidly strengthened, and his True Qi multiplied and became much purer. With his Great Success Boxing Skill and Saber Technique, what level would two and a half years of cultivation push him to?

In just a short amount of time, his power surged, more than doubling. His vitality churned fiercely, leaving him itching to find someone to fight and test his blade against.

"Lu Yuan! What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy in luxurious clothes appeared. He had a fair complexion and was somewhat flabby as he walked over briskly. He was holding a large roasted goose leg, his mouth greasy from eating, and was trailed by a heavily armed guard.

It was Liuu Zhao, the son of a merchant who lived in Zhen Third Ring District Four. He used to attend the same academy as Lu Yuan, and the two had never gotten along.

His gaze quickly landed on Yaoyao beside Lu Yuan, and he couldn’t help but mock, "Yo, what is this thing? Such trash—a little slave who’s about to die. You bought this to take home as a servant? Why didn’t you pick a better one? Don’t have enough money?"