Chapter 005: Slave Trade
As Ringo spoke these words, bursts of laughter filled the air immediately. These people had originally gathered to gossip for fun, and now that they saw a young and beautiful girl arguing with the gossiper, they became even more interested.
A few who had drunk a bit too much stood up unsteadily, took a few steps forward, and said with laughter, “This young lady makes some sense! Hey, buddy, why don’t you defend yourself? Could it be that all those things you said were just lies to amuse us?”
The gossiper suddenly stood up, his face turning red, and pointed at Ringo, saying, “Everyone here must know who Young Master Du Fan is. There’s nothing strange about such a person doing such things.”
A few people around laughed. One said, “Yes! Yes! This lady is right. It’s better not to speak carelessly in the future, or else you’ll get into trouble!”
After saying that, they all laughed loudly, their lecherous eyes scanning Ringo from top to bottom before they staggered back.
Ringo was naturally stubborn. How could she just give up after being mocked like this? She suddenly stood up, slammed the table, and said, “You say he’s so devoted and amazing—have you ever seen him?”
Hearing this, the gossiper’s face turned even redder. He grabbed a glass from the table and took a big gulp before stammering, “I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, but everyone says so. It must be true!”
Ringo sneered and said, “Rumors aren’t necessarily true. Maybe the so-called Young Master Du Fan is just a scoundrel who uses force to take advantage of women. As for his abilities, they’re probably very limited. He might just be a clown!”
Upon hearing this, everyone in the restaurant’s expression changed.
Du Fan’s face also changed slightly. He was on the verge of losing his temper. How dare this woman go this far? Could such things really be said in this place? If someone else heard it, he would surely be in trouble later!
As for the Templars, who had initially found it amusing, they had long guessed that Ringo was Du Fan’s woman—after all, it wasn’t a big deal for a noble young lord to get bored in the Holy See and flirt with a few nuns. So when they heard Ringo arguing loudly with others, they saw it as a joke, even thinking that Lord Du Fan might be a bit afraid of his wife; if it were another noble young lord, this talkative woman would have long been thrown into the dungeon!
But when they suddenly heard Ringo say those words, Du Fan’s expression changed again. Though devout, these Templars weren’t fools—they guessed that the nun must have suffered some wrong. They were stuck: ignoring her wasn’t an option, but hearing her was also problematic, leaving them truly frustrated.
The ones who had been gossiping were also momentarily stunned. After a while, one bolder one stood up and laughed, saying, “Miss, you speak so confidently. Could it be you’ve taken advantage of Young Lord Du Fan? Come on, uncle will check you out to see if that’s the case!”
Ringo’s face changed, and she was about to lash out. But Du Fan snorted, grabbed her hand, and said sternly, “Stop talking. Let’s go!” With that, he tossed a few gold coins on the table, took Ringo by the hand, and left. The few slightly drunk men who had wanted to chase after her to tease her hesitated when they saw Du Fan’s generous gesture and the cold expressions of the men surrounding him. Their drunkenness vanished almost completely, and no one dared to follow them.
Once on the street, Ringo suddenlyshook offed his hand away and snapped, “You don’t need to hold me. Did I say something inappropriate that upset you, Young Lord Du Fan?”
Du Fan sneered, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, “You useless woman who only causes trouble. Those Templars aren’t my men. They’ll report everything you say verbatim. If you want our Green Family and the Holy See to send troops to exterminate the barbarians in anger, go ahead and spread these words widely. Otherwise, don’t say another word to me. If I want to keep this incident hidden, but you insist on revealing it, don’t blame me if I don’t show mercy!”
Reinin’s expression changed. She had acted those ways out of anger earlier, and now that Du Fan had awakened her, she immediately understood: if it became known that she had tried to capture Du Fan back then, the Gavin Empire and the Holy Church would surely send troops against the barbarians to save face. In the past, she wouldn’t have worried so much, but now that she knew Gannon’s desires and ambitions, she understood that the High Priest would never do anything good for the barbarians. If war broke out, the Yueyue Tribe would likely be the first to send troops to attack Reinin. In that case, even if she wanted to return and deal with Gannon later, without her own tribe’s support, she would be at a loss. Yet this woman wasn’t completely foolish. Once she grasped the situation, her expression shifted—transforming from an icy beauty into a charming little fairy. She turned to Du Fan, her face full of tenderness, and said in a soft voice, “Du Fan, I called you an asshole and a clown just now. Are you angry?” Du Fan felt a chill in his heart. This woman’s ability to change expressions was truly astonishing. Though he was already on guard, he had no choice but to play along, forcing a wry smile and shaking his head slightly. Reinin glanced secretly at the temple knights behind them, seeing that they were all eavesdropping. She pulled Du Fan’s hand a few times, then stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek, sighing, “I… I just heard that you’re involved with that little fox from the Belinger family… So I got angry for a moment… Du Fan, please don’t be angry with me, okay? Please…” Du Fan felt numb from her pulling, but he could only offer a wry smile and say, “As long as you’re not angry, why should I be?” The temple knights behind them saw this and exchanged knowing smiles. They all thought that this young master Du Fan was far more than just pious—he was even skilled at dealing with women. They really didn’t know how to describe him… After walking a few more rounds, it grew dark. In front, in an area resembling a square, large bonfires had been lit. Although it was night, the square was bustling with noise, but it was unclear what was going on. Out of curiosity, and wanting to make the temple knights forget what Reinin had said earlier, Du Fan, regardless of their willingness, pulled Reinin and pushed his way through.
It was merely the complicated grudges between Du Fan and Ringo that made holding hands feel like gripping a burning stick—extremely uncomfortable. Du Fan was fine, clinging to the idea that it would be foolish not to take advantage of such a cheap deal, but Ringo, having been taken advantage of by Du Fan, remembered all the times she had been exploited before and couldn’t quite figure out how she felt. Still, despite the discomfort, surrounded by several Temple Knights, the two quickly reached the center of the square. At the center stood a large platform with huge torches lit at each corner. In the middle of the platform stood a short, fat man dressed in fine clothes, with several fully armed warriors behind him—likely his personal guard. Though these mercenaries were fully armed, their swords hung at their waists, and they each held a thick whip, occasionally swishing it lightly to produce a crisp sound. Seeing this, Du Fan became even more interested. He gave a slight gesture, and the Temple Knights immediately pushed through the crowd to let Du Fan and Ringo through. Although the people around them were dissatisfied, seeing their good looks and, though plain in clothing, an air of nobility, along with the fierce-looking guards surrounding them, they realized these two must be of high status. Though upset, they didn’t want to offend them over such a trivial matter, so they wisely stepped back and didn’t dare cause trouble. The short, fat man on the platform saw the growing crowd below and smiled satisfactorily, then gave a signal to his mercenaries. Immediately, two mercenaries went behind the platform, pulled out something that resembled a huge box, and then yanked back the cloth covering it, revealing what was inside. Du Fan took a closer look and realized it wasn’t a box at all but a wooden cage—somewhat worn but enormous. Inside the cage were about forty to fifty people, old and young, men and women. Most of them were covered in soot and had injuries; they appeared listless, with fear in their eyes.
Du Fan took only a glance but sighed inwardly. Although he had never seen a scene like this before, he could guess that it was most likely a trick orchestrated by slave traders within the empire. He had heard of such things in the imperial capital several times, but since it was the capital of a nation, such vile practices could not be openly displayed. It was truly surprising that Modo, the capital of this region, dared to carry out such acts so blatantly.