Immortality: Raising an Ant Queen to Cultivate by increasing stat points - Chapter 379

Chapter 379: Chapter 371 News of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly_1

“Stop playing dead, you worthless wretch!”

The stall owner kicked the little girl, cursing viciously as he did so.

The girl must have been hurt by the kick, her brow furrowed noticeably, yet she still curled up on the ground without moving.

“I’ll buy her for six silver money, consider it an act of charity. If she survives, great; if not, it’s my tough luck,” Qin Niu said to the stall owner.

There was no helping it, his wife was just too kind-hearted. After seeing the little girl kicked, she had to argue with the stall owner.

The black market had its own rules.

And such matters were beyond anyone’s control.

There were at least a thousand slaves confined within the market, and new ones were brought in every day.

Even in times of peace, not to mention in times of chaos, there were still many who suffered.

“You agreed on ten silver money, why have you suddenly dropped the price so much?” the stall owner grumbled.

“You nearly beat her to death and still expect ten silver money? I’m only willing to spend six because I see she’s still breathing. Wait until she’s gone, and you won’t be able to sell her for a single copper coin, plus you’ll have to pay for her burial,” Qin Niu argued, who was a powerhouse of the Innate Realm with a fortune well over a hundred thousand silver money.

Though young, his presence was incredibly imposing when he spoke.

The stall owner’s gaze flickered, glancing again at the little girl on the ground, and finally, clenching his teeth and with a long face, said, “Alright, alright, it’s yours! Take her away for six silver money quickly, this loss-maker is a nuisance.”

Qin Niu handed over the six silver money, took possession of the girl’s slave contract, and also had the stall owner draw up a sale certificate.

The paperwork had to be in order.

“Wanyan, hold on to this for me!” Qin Niu handed the slave contract and the sale certificate to Wang Wanyan, then bent down to pick up the little girl and walked out of the market.

It was said that at night the black market even held a Ghost Market, with even more thrilling goods for sale.

Occasionally, some powerful merchants would organize auctions.

Many truly valuable items were circulated out of the black market.

Qin Niu’s main purpose for coming to the city this time was to buy a couple of slaves for household chores and to check on land prices. If appropriate, he wouldn’t mind snapping up some properties.

Upon leaving the black market, he placed the beaten servant girl inside the carriage.

Her body kept trembling; he couldn’t tell if it was out of fear or pain.

“Little sister, where does it hurt?” Wang Wanyan asked, leaning in from outside the carriage.

The little girl didn’t speak, merely shrinking into herself and shivering nonstop.

“I checked her just now, she doesn’t seem to have any severe internal injuries. It’s probably hunger that has made her like this. I’ll go buy a bowl of hot noodles and feed her; that should help a great deal,” Qin Niu said as he emerged from the carriage.

“That’s good, that’s good!” Hearing this, Wang Wanyan patted her chest and heaved a sigh of relief.

Normally, a female master showing such good attitude towards household slaves was quite rare. Not beating or scolding them was already considered quite generous.

Wang Wanyan treated these female slaves as if they were family, which was definitely not proper.

Qin Niu was very kind to Xiao Qing, but that was because Xiao Qing had a very special status.

She was nominally Qin Niu’s maid, but in reality, she was free.

It was her grandfather who, on his deathbed, had entrusted her to Qin Niu, which is why he had taken her in.

For these ordinary female slaves, he certainly could not be too friendly.

A master must maintain the proper authority.

Only by balancing benevolence with authority could one truly master the art of governance.

In the future, Wang Wanyan was to manage vast wealth and hundreds of slaves and hired hands. She would need to grow into this role gradually. Qin Niu planned to find an opportunity to discuss this matter with her.

“Are the two of you hungry now?”

“Hungry!”

The older of the two maidservants answered.

The girl of about twelve just timidly glanced at Qin Niu before quickly lowering her head again.

In her eyes, one could see the longing for food.

“Wan Yan, let’s do this. We’ll go to the noodle shop over there, get something to eat, and buy a bowl of noodles for each of the three of them.”

“I’ll follow my husband’s lead in everything.”

Wang Wanyan said with a smile.

As they approached the noodle shop by carriage, the waiter beamed from afar, bending over to welcome them.

Anyone who drove such a luxurious carriage was either rich or noble.

For them to dine at their noodle shop was certainly a cause for celebration, as esteemed guests were a true highlight.

“Young Master, please come inside!”

The waiter readily took the horse’s reins.

“There are three maidservants recently bought inside the carriage, keep an eye on them for me.”

Qin Niu casually tossed a piece of silver over.

“Thank you for the generous reward, Young Master! Rest assured, I will definitely take good care of the carriage and the people for you!”

The waiter, overjoyed by the silver piece, couldn’t stop grinning.

Serving esteemed guests was always good, for even a trivial tip amounted to a half month’s wages.

“Go and bring three bowls of noodles to the carriage for them to eat! Make sure the portions are generous, add two eggs per person.”

Qin Niu understood their physical condition all too well.

All of them were thin, suffering from long-term malnutrition. Now that he had bought them, he naturally had to feed them nutritious food so they could recover sooner.

Only with good health would they have the strength to do housework and serve his large family.

“My, Young Master is really kind-hearted! Being your servant is truly a great fortune! I’ll go and take care of it immediately.”

The waiter tied up the horse and quickly ran into the hall.

Qin Niu then turned to the older maid in the carriage, “Yu Qiu, when the noodles are delivered, you feed the lying one and take good care of her.”

“Understood!”

Yu Qiu nodded respectfully in response.

She was seventeen, a year older than Qin Niu. Had she not been sold into servitude, she probably would’ve been married by now.

Being older, her mind was clearly much more mature.

She knew how to please her master.

Qin Niu didn’t concern himself further with the three maidservants, and, taking Wang Wanyan, entered the noodle shop. The couple ordered beef noodles, with Qin Niu requesting extra beef be added for her, encouraging her to eat more.

While eating their noodles, they overheard someone at the next table discussing that the Hundred-Tempering Immortal Sect’s Water and Land Dharma Assembly, which occurred once every ten years, was to be held in six months. At that time, all subjects within the territory of the Hundred-Tempering Immortal Sect, regardless of identity, gender, age, or socio-economic status, were allowed to attend the Assembly and seek the chance for immortality.”

This was an extremely uplifting piece of news.

Prior to this, Qin Niu had been but a commoner struggling even for subsistence, never paying attention to such news.

In the countryside where he was from, information was hard to come by, and it was difficult to hear about such significant events.

By the time he would hear of it, the Water and Land Dharma Assembly would likely have already taken place.

After having their noodles, he and Wang Wanyan left the noodle shop.

“Wan Yan, did you hear what was said just now? The diners at the next table mentioned that the Water and Land Dharma Assembly of the Hundred-Tempering Immortal Sect will be held in half a year. Let’s both work hard at our cultivation, aiming to seize the chance for immortality. As long as one of us gains admission into the Hundred-Tempering Immortal Sect, there’s the opportunity to bring the other along for immortal cultivation,” Qin Niu said to her.

“I’m currently at the Fivefold Innate Realm, not even having reached Sixfold. It’s impossible to cultivate to such heights in half a year. Cai Xian’s cultivation level is even weaker than mine. Our family’s hopes can only rest on you.”

For her, the prospect of attaining such an immortal fate was too daring to even contemplate.