Chapter 965: The seventh slave (2/2)

“I…” After a moment of silence, he still decided to answer. “I’m just a slave, so I’ve only got a number, not a name.”

“A number?” Mu Linger was genuinely curious. She knew nothing about slaves.

“Slaves from slave markets never have names. There’s 10 to a cage, so the numbers go from one to ten. They’ll only get named once they’re sold to new masters,” Manager Jin explained.

“What was your number?” Mu Linger blurted out.

“Qi,” Manager Jin intoned.The number seven.

Because of Qi(Seven) gege, Mu Linger had a good impression of the number seven. She couldn’t help but mutter to herself, “Little Qi…”

Manager Jin had only heard of Gu Qishao’s full name and didn’t know much about him. For a second, he didn’t realize that Mu Linger’s “Little Qi” was Gu Qishao and not himself. Feeling a little awkward, he looked away. Mu Linger suddenly missed her Qi gege and grew sorrowful. She stopped asking him any questions, but Manager Jin spoke on his own.

“The day that Myriad Merchant Hall bought me, I ran into Ning Cheng by accident. He asked me what I wanted, and I said gold. Thus, he awarded me with the name ‘Jin Zi’ (金子), or ‘gold.’”

Jin Zi…

He wanted lots and lots of gold, enough to buy his own indenture agreement. His whole life had existed for that purpose. Mu Linger suddenly looked at Manager Jin with a stifled heart. Even she felt perplexed by the emotion. This fellow’s business had nothing to do with her! She wouldn’t pity him a bit. If she did, who was supposed to pity her?

“Jin Zi, I’ll ask you one last time: are you going to work with me? I swear on my life that my big sis will sell the indenture agreement to you as long as you bring me and Ning Jing back to Myriad Merchant Hall. We’ll even pay off your debts!” Mu Linger declared.

Manager Jin gave her a scrutinizing look before smiling coldly and walking away. It was as if they’d never chatted at all. After that face-off at Hundred Poisons Sect, Han Yunxi would face the Di Clan’s condemnation very soon. It was impossible for her to wield control over Myriad Merchant Hall anymore. He had already thought it over: meet Ning Cheng, deliver the hostages. He’d get the indenture agreement and pay off his debts, then immediately head for Wintercrow Country. He wasn’t a bit interested in the power struggles of Cloud Realm Continent. He only wanted to hide far, far away.

Mu Linger watched Manager Jin’s retreating back and only felt that he was so random! Why did he change moods at the drop of hat? That night, she found a chance to whisper with Ning Jing about everything she’d heard.

“Say, where do you think we’re going? This is by Skyriver City, will they be teaming up with Jun Yixie?” Mu Linger muttered.

But Ning Jing’s first reaction was, “Ning Cheng.”

Mu Linger almost cried out at the name. Fortunately, Ning Jing muffled her mouth in time.

“Jun Yixie has no money. My brother was kidnapped by Bai Yuqiao, so he must be in Jun Yixie’s hands! My big brother has money, or else that old man wouldn’t bring us here. Neither would Jin Zi come along!” Ning Jin declared.

“Your brother’s teaming up with Jun Yixie? He’s going to betray my big sis!” Mu Linger was more concerned about that.

“Impossible!” Ning Jing was serious. “Mu Linger, remember this: even if the entire Di Clan betrays the West Qin imperial clan, my brother never will! He must have been threatened.” As she spoke, she looked towards the sleeping old man on the pile of thatch and murmured, “I’m rather suspecting that this old man’s colluding with Jun Yixie instead. Remember, if we meet them in a few days, don’t say a word. Act according to discretion, understand?”

Mu Linger only murmured resentfully, “Ning Jing, why do you trust you big brother that much?”

“West Qin is his faith and responsibility. Do you understand?” Ning Jing answered.

Mu Linger didn’t, so she shook her head and asked, “Ning Jing, then do you trust Tang Li?”

Tang Li. It had been so long since anyone brought up his name to her face. But she still missed him everyday. In the past, she always want to run far, far away, but now that they were actually separated, she realized that she didn’t feel as carefree as she expected. Day by day, the child in her womb was growing bigger. She was almost at the five-month mark, but the baby’s father didn’t even know of its existence.

Without a word, Ning Jing shut her eyes. Mu Linger hesitated for a long, long while before she scooted over and muttered, “Ning Jing, can I tell you something else?”

“Mm,” Ning Jing seemed tired.

“I, I was thinking about this time, if we...we can’t go back, or ending up dying away from home. Well, if you never found out, you would have lived in vain,” Mu Linger grew serious.

Ning Jing immediately looked her way. “What is it?”

“A-actually, Tang Li likes you too,” Mu Linger was afraid that Ning Jing wouldn’t believe her, so she quickly told her about Tang Li’s situation in the prisons, and how Han Yunxi had hatched a plan to let him take her away.

Ning Jing abruptly sat up in disbelief. Nearby, Manager Jin sensed the movement and looked their way, causing Ning Jing to still her nerves and lie back down again.

In a low voice, Mu Linger coaxed, “Aiya, don’t get excited. Be careful of hurting the baby again!”

She had spent all that effort taking care of Ning Jing’s womb during this entire trip. If anything happened again, she’d definitely cry.