Slavery

The town was beautiful; that's all Shen Yu could say. Buildings made of stones and covered with terracotta were the main attraction, lining up on both sides of the road.

People wearing different clothing walked on the road, making it bustle with noise. The voices of road vendors and street hawkers sounded as the fragrance of their products filled the air. 

It was a familiar yet unfamiliar scene for Shen Yu. But still, a smile appeared on his face. He stood still for a few seconds and then said. 

"Let's go; we need to first find the place to make the identity card for ourselves."

Ying Yue nodded and asked a passerby about the address where they could have their identity token made. Fortunately for the duo, the Heavenly Sect Federation also made the Identity token, so they didn't have to wander around too much.

After asking for the location of Heavenly Sect Federation, they made their way towards it. It wasn't hard to locate it since it was the second-tallest structure in the town. It was clearly visible from the top of a building.

Shen Yu and Ying Yue walked leisurely while enjoying the town and its delicious food. They weren't in a hurry and made the trip to the town a date for themselves. They wandered around the town, enjoying each other's company.

The food was delicious, and the people were also amiable, so they were in a happy mood—until a sight ruined it, disgusting both Shen Yu and Ying Yue.

They both stood at the side of the road as they looked at the girl caged in a steel cage being dragged towards a two-story building. She had bruises and scars all over her body and had a thick metal collar around her neck. The ring had many Runes on it, which made the purpose of the collar clear.

The girl was wearing a long, torn tunic with her head hung low. She didn't react to the occasional bumps on the road, which sent the cage trembling. She didn't react to anything, even the cursing of the man who was dragging the cage.

Her red eyes held a strange calmness and a fiery determination to turn everything to dust. However, no one saw that because she was looking down. It was intentional because she didn't want anyone to know of her strength yet. She couldn't afford that.

Shen Yu clicked his tongue in disgust and muttered.

"Slave traders...these guys really deserve to rot in the hellfire of hell."

Ying Yue nodded, sharing the same thoughts with Shen Yu. She also made some mental notes on Shen Yu that he hated slavery.

"Unfortunately, we can't do anything. It's the norm here. Unless we want to make the whole slave organization an enemy, it'll be impossible to stop this slave trading. But even that is tough because the Slave Organisation has ties with one of the Four Major Sects of the Qing Empire. They can do anything they want."

Shen Yu narrowed his eyes, wondering about something. Then, he shook his head and thought.

'I shouldn't use violence. It's not the solution every time. If I did, I'd be sending the wrong message to my disciples. Strength doesn't solve everything unless you're at the absolute top. Besides, it only makes things troublesome. Yue is right; I can't save every slave, and making an enemy of Four Major Sects, which sounds very powerful, isn't in my favor now.'

He sighed and approached the man who was dragging the helpless girl. He stopped him and asked, seeing him turn around.

"Hello, I would like to buy this girl."

The man snorted and replied in a hoarse voice.

"Get off, boy. If you want to buy this little piece of trash, then participate in the auction in which she will be sold."

Shen Yu raised an eyebrow and nodded, asking.

"So, when and where is the Auction?"

"This evening in the biggest Auction House of this province, Crystal Water Auction House."

Shen Yu nodded and thanked the man. The man snorted once again and continued to drag the girl towards the two-story building. Surroundings, people didn't react much because it was a usual sight for them. Slaves were way too common, after all. 

Shen Yu suppressed the raging anger, looking at the girl, and turned around. He needed to have control over himself. He didn't care what happened to others, but he couldn't just look over a sight in front of himself, especially since he didn't like the concept of slavery one bit.

Back on Earth, he had done a year of slavery to survive, so he knew how bad it was. He only survived that because he killed his so-called master. That was the life of a person surviving on the outskirts. So, from there, he developed a hatred towards everyone who did slavery.

But a slave couldn't rebel against their master in this world. Not to mention that Masters were usually powerful people, but there were also slave collars that prevented the slaves from going against their Masters.

Shen Yu calmed himself down and looked back at the cage. For the first time, he saw the girl's face properly. It made his heart tingle, especially those ruby-red eyes that held confusion.

He smiled reassuringly at the girl and said, "Don't Worry! We'll save you." He didn't know whether the girl would understand, but he at least wanted to give her hope. Hope could make people survive even the most horrifying things, so this was a small thing.

"Master, do you want to save that girl by buying her?" 

Ying Yue asked, a little confused, why Shen Yu didn't take the girl by force. But then she understood. 

'Master is definitely testing me. He wants to see how I will react to such things. Hmm, but he also doesn't want to use his strength and keep a low key, so he just sought the least troublesome option. He would just buy her. Hehe, Master, you can leave other things to this disciple of yours.'