Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 201 - 199 Among Men the Dragons and the

Chapter 201: Chapter 199: Among Men, the Dragons and the Phoenixes – Part 1

Chapter 201 -199: Among Men, the Dragons and the Phoenixes – Part 1

The next day, in the evening before nightfall, the vendors of Mengcheng Market hung up yellow lanterns high above their stands.

The entire city of Mengcheng was enveloped in warmth. The sounds of children playing and merchants calling out their wares filled the air with a chaotic yet cozy hustle and bustle.

Xiao Rongyan planned to leave for the capital city of Nanyan the following morning, so he came today to experience the lively night market.

Maybe it was because of the grand display and generous spending on his first visit, many eyeing merchants recognized Xiao Rongyan and eagerly pushed forward their goods.

The first day he came, Xiao Rongyan was distracted by a white horse and missed the slave market, so today he came specifically to check it out.

With his armed guards, he made his way to the slave market. The biggest slave trader in the market was standing on a high platform, pulling a disheveled young girl and calling out, “Don’t be fooled by this little girl’s messy appearance. Look at the fabric she’s wearing… definitely from a wealthy family in the Jin Kingdom! She’s tender and delicate, properly trained, and she’ll bring endless fortune!”

As soon as the robust voice of the slave trader fell, a man in the crowd shouted, “Wearing such thick clothes, how do we know if she’s tender and delicate? Strip her down so we can see… and touch, to know for sure!”

A woman in the crowd watching the commotion frowned and left in disgust.

The girl, whose arm was being pulled by the slave trader, trembled and clutched herself tightly, her face pale. If her clothes were stripped off in public and she was touched, she felt she’d have no face left to live. She struggled desperately, “Let go of me! A noble can be killed but not humiliated! I cannot endure such disgrace!”

The young girl’s voice trembled with tears. Knowing “a noble can be killed but not humiliated,” and speaking in an official dialect of Jin, she was indeed from a wealthy family.

The more fiercely the girl struggled and cried on the stage, the more excited the onlookers below became.

“Touching is not allowed! But you can certainly have a good look!” said the slave trader as he began to tear the girl’s clothes.

But before he could rip her clothes, his hand recoiled as if stung, and he looked around in shock. In his moment of distraction, the crying girl nearly broke free and almost knocked her head on a pillar, but was fortunately grabbed by two of the slave trader’s thugs.

He looked down at his swollen hand, baffled.

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“Hey! Are you going to let us see or not?!” a man jeered from below.

The slave trader, smiling, asked, “Will this gentleman buy if he sees?”

The man, hands crossed in his sleeves, blushed and shrank into the crowd. He just wanted to take advantage, not actually buy a slave. If he had the money, he’d have long gone to a brothel for pleasure.

The girl, held by the thugs, kept crying, begging the slave trader for a quick death.

Originally interested in the girl who spoke the soft dialect of the Jin government, the wealthy men lost interest seeing her desire to die. Who’d waste money on a girl set on suicide?

Xiao Rongyan watched from afar, noticing a pebble near the slave trader’s feet and beyond him, a cage.

In the dark corner of the cage sat a ragged boy, appearing no more than fifteen or sixteen, yet with the demeanor of an aristocratic family’s son.

Sensing someone watching, the boy raised his eyes.

Xiao Rongyan’s eyes narrowed slightly. The boy’s eyes looked familiar, deep and tranquil. If he could hit the slave trader with a pebble, he had some skills. So how did he get caught?

Or… perhaps his family was poor and he was sold?

The boy, calm and composed in the cage, didn’t avoid Xiao Rongyan’s gaze, unlike a child from a poor family. At fifteen or sixteen, he’d be in his prime, unlike a three- or four-year-old who just eats and drinks.

Xiao Rongyan thought for a while, then told Wang Jiuzhou beside him.

Wang Jiuzhou nodded, bypassed the crowd to the back, and pointed at the boy sitting cross-legged in the cage, saying he wanted to buy him.

The slave trader grinned, “You’ve got a good eye! That one’s a captured Jin soldier, strong and sturdy, good for any work! But he’s pricey!”

Wang Jiuzhou smiled, pulled out a pouch from his sleeve, and tossed it to the slave trader, saying, “This much… for the Jin soldier and that Jin girl from earlier! Is it enough?!”

The slave trader opened the pouch, his eyes squinting with joy, his demeanor more servile than before, “Plenty, plenty! More than enough! It’s too much, so how about I let you choose two more to take?”

The slave trader seemed ready to eagerly introduce more slaves, but Wang Jiuzhou declined, “No, just these two! Our master is waiting; we can’t delay!”

The slave trader nodded repeatedly, directing the girl and the boy to be handed over to Wang Jiuzhou.

Before leaving, the boy bowed deeply to the slave trader, thanking him for saving his life, regardless of his motive. In the freezing Jinghe River, without the slave trader’s rescue, he would’ve died.

The slave trader, stunned by the boy’s gratitude after being sold, watched as the steward walked away with the boy.

Wang Jiuzhou brought the two newly bought individuals back to the large mansion rented for Xiao Rongyan.

He ordered water to be brought for them to bathe and change into clean clothes, while he sipped tea, pondering their master’s motives for purchasing the boy and girl.

Soon, the boy emerged, bathed and dressed. Even Wang Jiuzhou, who had seen many people, was surprised.

The boy, in a long gown, stood tall and dignified, with strikingly handsome features, especially his sharp, hidden eyes. His demeanor was nothing like an ordinary family’s child; he was exceptional.

How did such a person end up in a slave trader’s hands?

Puzzled, Wang Jiuzhou admired his master’s keen eye, recognizing the boy’s extraordinary quality even in tatters and caged.

The boy’s noble demeanor made Wang Jiuzhou, used to being a servant, speak respectfully, inviting the boy to meet his master.