Chapter 158 World 7 (6)

Footsteps approached behind her, and Bao Shan timidly withdrew her hand. Her white fingertips slid across Wu Li's cheek, and the cool touch of her nails against her thin lips was like a stream in early spring, flowing with warmth after melting ice.

Wu Li looked up and saw Dong Yixiao standing in front of the cage, holding several water bags in his arms. Bao Shan called out softly, and Dong Yixiao stretched out his long arm and took the water bag that had fallen into the cage. Looking at the brown water marks on the wooden board, he asked, "Why did the water bag fall over?"

Bao Shan lowered his eyebrows and explained softly, "I accidentally knocked over the water bag."

Dong Yixiao understood and said a few words to comfort Baoshan. Then the group set out on the road back to the Central Plains.

As the horse traders entered the Central Plains, they began to bid farewell to each other and go their separate ways. Bao Shan's home was several miles outside the capital. There was a vast mansion there. Because Dong Yixiao and Bao Shan had both left home, the mansion was deserted; even the iron lock on the door was covered with a thin layer of dust.

Dong Yixiao blew at the iron lock, and dust immediately flew everywhere. The courtyard, planted with two or three fruit trees, seemed empty. Dong Yixiao led a few camels and set them up in shelter.

Since his wife passed away, Dong Yixiao has been dependent on his daughter Baoshan.

Bao Shan was born with a delicate and frail body, and Dong Yixiao was reluctant to let her do rough work, so he would usually hire two aunts, give them some money, and ask them to take care of the meals and laundry.

But in the past few days, Dong Yixiao went to the desert, and soon after, Baoshan followed him.

The aunt in the house was temporarily sent home, and there was no one to clean the house for a while.

Dong Yixiao opened the door of the house, settled the slaves he brought back from foreign lands, and then went out to find his aunt who could do some work.

Baoshan washed up quickly and changed back into the ruqun commonly worn by women in the Central Plains.

There was no other decoration in her crow-feather-like hair. She just picked a flower with yellow stamens and pink petals from the branch of a fruit tree in the courtyard and pinned it in her hair.

The lotus emerges from clear water, naturally without any decoration, nothing more than this.

Baoshan's figure was graceful. She took out half a bucket of water from the well, and then took a ladle and placed it in front of the slaves.

Tiny beads of sweat oozed out of Baoshan's forehead. She wanted these slaves to wash their faces to remove the stench from their bodies.

Unexpectedly, a ladle filled with clean water was just handed to the slave.

The slave raised his eyes, his dark pupils filled with malice, and stretched out his hand. However, instead of taking the ladle from Bao Shan's hand, he swung it vigorously, spilling the clear water.

For a moment, water droplets splashed, and the high-rising water almost soaked Baoshan's skirt.

The slave did not feel guilty at all. Instead, he laughed happily and chattered in words that Baoshan could not understand.

Wu Li heard it clearly and frowned - this slave was bullying Bao Shan because she was weak and deliberately humiliating her.

The slaves were transported to the Central Plains by Dong Yixiao, where they suffered from hunger and thirst, and they hated Dong Yixiao in their hearts.

However, the slaves were afraid of the long whip in Dong Yixiao's hand and did not dare to resist him.

During these days, the slaves saw through Bao Shan's nature and knew that she was weak and could be bullied, so they took advantage of Dong Yixiao's absence to vent their anger on Bao Shan.

It is their instinct to bully the weak and fear the strong.

The slaves thought that Baoshan did not know how to resist and could not resist, so they dared to act so boldly.

Baoshan looked at the water marks on her skirt, her eyes suddenly became misty with water, and there was a blush at the corners of her eyes.

Little did they know that this weak and innocent appearance would trigger a carnival among the slaves.

They bullied Bao Shan for not understanding the foreign language and said obscene words in front of her openly.

Wu Li, nestled in his cage, watched the scene unfold with a calm expression, not even the slightest thought of offering assistance. Wu Li thought: The strong prey on the weak; it's the natural order of things. The slaves were lowly, so they were treated so recklessly. And Bao Shan was weak, so what she endured was only natural.

But Wu Li's eyes always subconsciously fell on Bao Shan's slender and fragile body.

Unexpectedly, even though crystal tears were rolling in her eyes, Baoshan did not let them slide down her cheeks.

Baoshan wrinkled his nose, scooped up some more clean water, and brought it to the slave.

The slave's expression remained normal, but he was teasing, "...Women from the Central Plains are truly different. Their bodies are fragrant and soft. I wonder what they feel like to the touch?"

The slave thought so, and probably had already made plans in his mind, wanting to take the opportunity to have physical contact with the precious fan.

Baoshan was completely unaware of all this. Her soft hands gently lifted the water scoop, looking gentle and pure, with no idea of the impending malice.

"Stupid... idiot... so stupid..."

Wu Li spoke slowly, his pronunciation closer to the tone of people from the Central Plains than last time.

Wu Li had originally wanted to ignore Bao Shan, but he had never seen such a weak and pitiful woman. They were clearly slaves, and Bao Shan was the caretaker. With such a huge disparity in status, Bao Shan had actually allowed herself to be bullied by slaves. Wu Li thought to himself: She is so stupid that even I can't stand it.

Baoshan walked towards Wuli.

Wu Li saw clearly the disgrace that Bao Shan was in.

The spring clothes were thin and could not cover anything when blown by the breeze.

Wu Li turned his head to the side, pointed at the water scoop, and then pointed at himself.

Baoshan looked at the bloodstains on Wuli's body that had dried for a long time, and handed the wet handkerchief to Wuli.

Perhaps because he was restrained by shackles, Wu Li moved slowly and gently wiped the dirt off his body.

Baoshan stayed by the side, not in a hurry, waiting quietly for Wuli to wipe it clean, and then she would fetch water for the next slave.

The other slaves waited for a long time until Wu Li threw the handkerchief back into the water scoop. Only then did they feel relieved and thought to themselves that it was finally their turn.

But at this time, Dong Yixiao had already returned with two maids.

Dong Yixiao naturally would not let Baoshan deliver water to the slaves, but gave it to the old woman.

This old woman wasn't as easy to bully as Bao Shan, and Dong Yixiao had promised her that if she cleaned the slaves thoroughly, she would be rewarded with additional silver. With the exception of Wu Li, everyone else was covered in black. In the old woman's eyes, these slaves were no longer human beings, but rather filthy objects that needed to be scrubbed clean with brute force.

The meal was placed on the table. When Bao Shan heard that Dong Yixiao was going to take the slaves to the slave market, as fate would have it, she did not speak out to stop him. Instead, she spoke in a weak voice, "But these slaves are impatient. Will they hurt anyone?"

Dong Yixiao's expression was slightly serious. He knew that Baoshan had a gentle temperament and never wentssip.

Something must have happened that caused Baoshan to have these worries.

Dong Yixiao saw the blush still on Baoshan's nose and slammed the table to the ground, shaking it: "They bullied you!"

Bao Shan shook his head, but under Dong Yixiao's sharp gaze, he could only nod in acknowledgment.

"Or maybe they accidentally spilled the water. No wonder they..."

Dong Yixiao didn't believe it, thinking that these slaves were very bold. They dared to bully the precious fan just because he was away for a while.

Dong Yixiao casually took a few bites of food, then picked up the long whip at his waist and went out.

Seeing Bao Shan about to chase after them, Dong Yixiao stopped him, saying, "Before you go to the slave market, you must teach them the rules. As a girl, even if they are slaves, they are always dressed in tatters. You can't get too close to them, so just stay here."

Bao Shan could only respond softly, "I'll listen to Daddy."

The courtyard was filled with wailing sounds that were extremely shrill.

Baoshan ate his meal with a normal expression, thinking to himself: It turns out that the cries of pain after being whipped are not much different in the Central Plains and in foreign lands.

A slave market was a street market where wealthy families would often come to select slaves to keep at home.

This was Baoshan's first time back here. In the past, Dong Yixiao protected her and never let her come to these filthy places, for fear of scaring Baoshan.

But after yesterday, Dong Yixiao began to worry: he was getting older and would not be able to protect the treasured fan for his entire life.

When Baoshan gets married in the future, I wonder if her husband will love and pamper her.

Dong Yixiao drank a few more glasses of wine and finally hardened his heart and decided to take the treasured fan to the slave market to broaden his horizons.

Just looking at Baoshan following weakly behind him and the ferocious gazes scattering around him, Dong Yixiao began to regret his decision.

There are no good people in the slave market. The presence of a beauty as gentle as Bao Shan makes these people even more eager to make a move.

Dong Yixiao coldly rejected another person who came forward to get close to him.

In his eyes, those who tried to get close to the treasure fan were as annoying as flies.

Dong Yixiao brought the treasured fan and came to the largest gold and silver pavilion in the slave market.

This is a slave auction site, with towering pavilions built around a circular platform in the center.

Those who come to the Gold and Silver Pavilion are usually either rich or noble. They wear various masks to hide their true faces, sit on the top of the pavilion, and look down at the slaves who are being dragged onto the round platform.

If they came across a slave they liked, they would offer a price to buy it.

If multiple people were interested in the same slave, they would compete with each other and the highest bidder would win.

Those with status and power often choose higher pavilions, which are covered with sparsely woven bamboo curtains. Behind the curtains, they drink tea and eat, while on the round platform are the slaves who are pushed onto the stage.

Given Dong Yixiao and Baoshan's identities, they naturally cannot go up to high buildings.

They were guided by Nusi's men and sat down beside the round platform.

Baoshan looked at the high circular platform and realized that it was as tall as a two-story pavilion.

And the place where she sat was disliked by the rich and powerful because she would be looking directly at the ferocious slaves.

The slaves were dragged onto the circular platform and displayed to the public like a curious object.

The slaves that Dong Yixiao brought with him were also brought onto the round platform, and their prices varied.

The slave with the highest price was the one who deliberately overturned the water scoop in an attempt to humiliate Bao Shan.

When he was dragged to the circular platform, Baoshan saw the whip marks on his body.

Dong Yixiao used a lot of force, beating the slave until his skin and flesh were turned inside out. The people on the round platform called out the slave's name.

"Bada, ten taels of silver."

Bada's figure was like a black bear in the jungle, and his eyes seemed to be burning with flames, crackling.

Although he had whip marks on his body, Bada's might and strength could still be seen.

Therefore, the bidding for Bada was heard one after another, and the nobles seemed very satisfied with his strong physique.

Hearing the ever-increasing price, Dong Yixiao was so excited that he almost stood up. He seemed to hear the pleasant sound of silver falling into his pocket.

In the end, Bada's bidding ended with "one thousand taels".

Bada was led to the bottom of the circular platform. Before leaving, Bada paused slightly and showed a malicious smile in the direction of the treasure fan.

Baoshan's brows were tightly furrowed, and her body trembled slightly.