Chapter 379 - Chapter 379: Chapter 371 News of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly_1 (1/2)

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!”