Chapter 007: Provocation

As soon as the short, fat man finished speaking, someone from the crowd shouted, “What! A strong man is only worth eight gold coins, but this little girl costs fifty? That’s too expensive!”
The short, fat man chuckled and said, “Sir, it seems you don’t understand the value here. What can that strong man do? Other than doing hard labor, what use is he? But this little girl is different. After a few years of training, you can enjoy her however you wish. Even if you change your mind someday and don’t want her anymore, she’ll still fetch a good price in any slave market! Besides, she eats little and can’t run, making her much easier to keep than a strong man. I’m sure all the gentlemen and ladies here understand this—in slave trading, the most valuable are young and beautiful girls, followed by these delicate little girls, then strong men. As for little boys and old men, they’re a loss! I never cheat in business. Those fifty gold coins are non-negotiable. Sir, once you pass this village, you won’t find such a deal again. If you regret it now, you might never get another chance!”
Hearing this, the crowd began whispering among themselves. A few people seemed very interested, but fifty gold coins was indeed a large sum. It was just to buy a few girls, and they would need to be taken care of for years. If anything went wrong during that time, those fifty gold coins would be lost instantly!
The short, fat man was shrewd as well. Seeing the crowd’s hesitation, he sighed again and said, “How about this? Just like when selling strong men, if you buy one little girl, I’ll give you a little boy for free. What do you think? But I won’t lower the price at all. Otherwise, I’ll lose money on this deal. What do you all say? Makes sense, right?”
Immediately, someone from the crowd shouted, “If buying a strong man gets you a little boy for free, buying a little girl only gets you one without any discount—aren’t you losing out a bit?”

The short, fat man still knew how to do business. With a quick glint in his eyes, he grinned and gave a gesture to the soldiers behind him. Moments later, he brought in several young boys with delicate features. He pulled one over, twisted his face, and said, “Everyone, take a look. These boys are completely different from those we sent earlier. The ones before weren’t very good-looking, but these ones have handsome features. Raise them for a few years, and they’ll become clever servants. Even if that nobleman has special preferences, these should still be fine, right? At most, if any lord buys two girls, I’ll give three boys in return. That way, you won’t lose out, will you?”

Seeing that the girls on the stage were indeed pretty, plus the extra boys offered, the women could be used in many ways once raised, while the men, even if not useful otherwise, could still be used as laborers. Moreover, there were many men in the empire who favored young boys. Keeping a few pretty boys at home might come in handy if noble guests visited. Some of those in the audience, who were already in the flesh trade business, began calculating in their minds: these girls could be trained to serve after a couple of years, and their pure bodies could be sold to recoup their costs. As for the boys, there were already a few perverted uncles in the yard—maybe they could be useful tonight…

Du Fan felt disgusted. He simply couldn’t stand treating living people as goods. Seeing the short, fat man’s increasingly outrageous remarks, his expression darkened. Du Fan thought he had done many terrible things in his life, but compared to these slave traders, he was still inferior…

Although Ling Yin was strong-willed, she didn’t dare act too independently in front of Du Fan. Still, she cared deeply for those barbarian girls and couldn’t bear to see other girls sold away. She had pulled at Du Fan’s sleeve countless times, but since he was already annoyed, how would he pay her attention? After holding back again and again, she finally couldn’t resist and shouted, “Fifty gold coins! I want all these girls! As for those boys, just give them all to me!”

The crowd below was still hesitating, and Suzune’s loud call stood out especially. The short, chubby man on stage took one look and his eyes lit up. As a businessman, he had an excellent eye for such things. Although Du Fan and Suzune were dressed plainly, the burly men behind them exuded the aura of experts—clearly either noble youths out for fun or children of powerful merchants. The short, chubby man wanted to make friends with them and immediately praised, “This young lady truly has excellent taste. Given that you’re willing to pay a fixed price, I’ll give you one of them for free. As for these young boys, if you’re interested, you can take them all!”

As soon as the short, chubby man finished speaking, the others below became upset. They had already been somewhat tempted but hadn’t dared to buy because no one else had done so. Now that someone had purchased them, they felt as if they had accidentally suffered a great loss, and the crowd immediately started to clamor.

Though shrewd, the short, chubby man never expected such a reaction. He was stunned and didn’t know what to say on stage.

While he was still stunned, complaints erupted from the crowd. One cold, sarcastic voice stood out especially: “Young lady, there are so many of us waiting here. You’re planning to take all these goods for yourself—aren’t you afraid you’ll choke to death? Or do you think none of us deserve a chance to compete with you?”

With those words, several servants in white pushed their way through the crowd. A middle-aged man, thin and pale, dressed in fine clothes, slowly stepped forward. His eyes were slightly raised, giving him what is commonly called a slanted eye. His sharp face was covered in scars, and he had a carefully groomed mustache, though it was sparse and somewhat uneven.

Yet this middle-aged man stroked his mustache with great satisfaction as he slowly walked up to Du Fan and Suzune.

Upon seeing him, the others immediately changed their expressions and quickly walked away. Even those who appeared to be nobles, pushed aside by his men, were filled with anger but none dared say anything.

The man approached Du Fan and Suzune with a smirk. He tilted his head 45 degrees upward, his nostrils almost touching the sky.

Had Ling Yin ever had her words blocked like this in her life? Added to her already heavy frustration, seeing someone dare to question her only made her sneer coldly. “I’m buying my own things—what does it matter to you? Who do you think you are to interfere in my affairs? Go back and take off your pants to look in the mirror—see if you even deserve it!”
This middle-aged man was quite a powerful figure in Moduo, yet now he was being told by a young girl to go home, pee, and look in the mirror. He immediately flew into anger. He glanced down, and his anger instantly turned into a lecherous grin. Taking a deep breath, he scanned her from head to toe, almost drooling: Good heavens, such a bold little girl—hundred times better than all the women back home! When did Moduo get such a delicate girl? If I had known earlier, I, Lord Hai Xin, would have sent someone to snatch her away!
With that thought, Lord Hai Xin’s eyes gleamed as he said, “You’re right, miss. I don’t have the right to interfere with you now, but tell me where you come from. I’ll send someone to propose marriage right away. I guarantee I can take care of you tonight—indeed, all night long. Come on, if you like these girls, I, Lord Hai Xin, will buy them for you. But first, you’ll have to keep me entertained!”
Du Fan frowned slightly. He knew Ling Yin’s temper all too well. If he didn’t do something, this perverted guy named Hai Xin would probably burn her to ashes. While losing one life wasn’t a big deal, this wasn’t his territory, and trouble could arise if something went wrong. Moreover, this guy was so arrogant—his influence in Moduo must be significant. Killing him could bring serious trouble. Under these circumstances, the fewer problems the better.
Seeing Lord Hai Xin reach out greedily, Du Fan stepped forward and blocked Ling Yin, saying coldly, “Get lost!”
Lord Hai Xin’s expression changed. He might have some interest in women, but he showed no kindness toward men. Before he could react, several of his men drew their swords and pointed them at Du Fan. “You pretty boy, what kind of scumbag are you to speak in front of my lord, Lord Hai Xin? If you want to live, get out now while my lord hasn’t spoken! Otherwise, I’ll cut off your head and use it to make wine!”

The few Templars could hardly believe how rapidly the situation had changed in such a short time. Their task was to protect Du Fan, and without any orders needed, they immediately drew the Holy Cross swords at their waists. The two sides glared at each other, tension thick in the air, ready to clash at the slightest command!

Du Fan didn’t want trouble. He gave Hai Xin a cold glance and sneered before pulling Ling Yin aside and saying, “Let’s go!”

After that, he glanced at Taylor and said, “Arrange for someone to take care of the girl and the boy on stage and send them back to the capital later!”

With that, he turned and left.