Chapter 655: Law Emperor Seth
A slave who would cause slave traders to lose money? Xia Fei found this to be fairly interesting, so he headed off to the largest slave market south of the city; it was owned by the Liu family.
From afar, he saw a large enclosure split between two roads. There were more than thousands of slaves, no different from the slaves he had seen elsewhere, with each and everyone of them dressed in tattered clothing.
“They’re all normal slaves out here. The real stuff is inside that warehouse,” Rocko pointed to the distance and said.
Xia Fei saw that the end of the road led to a large metal warehouse which was over twenty meters high. A group of guardsmen was stationed outside the entrance, their arms slung over one another’s shoulders, laughing and chatting.
The moment the pair stopped by the entrance, some of these guardsmen noticed the knot on Xia Fei’s poncho and furtively rubbed their palms, treating him as a delicious fat lamb to be fleeced.
“Get away! This isn’t somewhere you’re allowed in; go wait over there!” A guardsman violently kicked Rocko on his b.u.t.t as he spoke to Xia Fei. “My lord, please wait inside. Those courtesans who arrived yesterday are truly beauties. You’ll surely be satisfied.”
Rocko angrily ma.s.saged his b.u.t.t as he stood by the door. He could not afford to offend these slave traders, so he walked over to the side with his head hanging low.
Xia Fei pointed to Rocko and said, “He’s accompanying me. I want to bring him in with me.”
“Look at him all dirty and filthy; how could a person of your stature be seen mixing around with such a rat?” said the guardsman with a big smile.
Xia Fei’s expression turned stern. “That’s my business. I don’t need you to tell me what I should do.”
He then waved his hand and brought the nervous Rocko with him, treating the guardsmen like air.
“This fat lamb is pretty unruly. Inform Old Liu so that he’ll give him a proper fleecing.” Among the guardsmen was one wearing his hat crookedly. He glared at Xia Fei’s back as the latter strolled away.
Very soon, an underling informed the person in charge that Young Lady Si’s fat lamb had arrived.
…
A lady merely glanced at Xia Fei once and led him up to the second floor with a beaming smile. Sitting on a s.p.a.cious sofa on the second floor afforded him with a full view of the warehouse. All he needed to do was say the word and any slave would be brought to him for a closer inspection.
Not many places in the city sold high-quality slaves, but this warehouse happened to be one; its interior was luxuriously decorated and well laid out.
Lowering his gaze, he saw that there were indeed quite a number of middle-aged women in the nude, posing and preening in their cages. The oldest among them was already in their fifties, while the youngest were in their early thirties.
Cabaret courtesans needed to be nurtured from young, taught to dance and play instruments, as well as the skills to tempt the men. Only then would they be sold to the wealthy to serve them as their masters. These women would then be resold to slave traders after they grew too old and be sent packing to distant deserted regions, where there would be less discerning clients.
Though these courtesans had aged, they had nevertheless been well taught, completely different from what those rural village women could offer. With soft bodies and varied interests, they were very popular among local tyrants. Out in the remote mountainous region, the amount of courtesans a tribe chieftain could collect was a matter of face.
Seeing a young, clean-cut young man in his twenties arriving upstairs, these courtesans all got excited. In their eyes, being bought by Xia Fei would be their good fortune; the tribal chieftains out in the wilds were often barbaric and uncouth, eating too much meat, so an unbearable stench would exude from their bodies. Serving them was basically a kind of torture, and as long as Xia Fei was willing, these courtesans would even be agreeable to being sold for less while still serving his needs to the best of their ability, all with the hope that Xia Fei would not sell them off again.
Xia Fei was not in the least bit tempted by the courtesans below. He had never been the kind to be t.i.tillated just from seeing an alluring woman. He had seen plenty of pretty women in his life, so how could these compare?
Instead, it was these slave traders beside Xia Fei who were slowly unable to hold it in as the cheeks of them slowly flushed with excitement and their pants tightened, nearly salivating at the sight.
As for the snacks and fruits on the table across them, Rocko had inhaled them all into his stomach.
“Where’s this strongest slave you were talking about?” Xia Fei asked.
“It’s the one all the way inside, in that solitary cell.” Rocko raised his head and looked out into the distance.
Xia Fei followed his gaze and saw a single cell in the furthest reach of the warehouse. Inside were a sofa, a tea set, a soft bed, and even an ensuite bathroom. It was grand and even more comfortable than the VIP lounge he was currently in.
A big, burly man was lying in bed, a mess of black hair on his chest, eating a large leg of lamb. How was this a slave? There might not even be any owner out in the slave market who was as carefree as him.
“Where’s the wine?! Bring some in now!” The burly man did not even turn his head when he shouted this right at the ceiling.
Several of the guardsmen stationed beside the cell trembled. The moment they heard him shout, someone ran out and returned with two bottles of red wine. Though they had brought it over, none of them was willing to send it in, ultimately deciding who would do the deed with a round of rock-paper-scissors.
A shortie wearing a bandana was the loser, and he opened the door to the cell with tear-filled eyes, gingerly stepping in. This was when Xia Fei realized that there was actually no lock to the cell. It was as if these men were not afraid of this burly man escaping, or to be precise, they wished that this man would leave of his own volition.
Grabbing the bottles of wine, the burly man with a mess of chest hair pulled off the cork and took a swig.
“Bleh! You call this swill wine?!”
*Crash*
This burly man instantly threw the bottle down on the ground and gave that short guardsman two tight slaps!
*Smack smack!*
*Smash*
Two slaps and another shattered bottle later, this burly man was still dissatisfied. He cursed to high heavens and claimed he would wreck the entire warehouse.
The guardsmen were really fl.u.s.tered now as they quickly fetched a middle-aged man dressed in a fur coat. This person entered the cell, bowed, and apologized. He treated this slave so respectfully as if he was treating his own father, ordering men to bring up an eighteen-course banquet, standing by the side, ready to pour tea and wine and also wipe the sweat off the burly man’s forehead.
“Forget it. Looks like none of you are worth anything. I’ll accept this poor imitation of an apology feast for now, but don’t let this happen again.” The burly man shook his head and spoke in a tone of mild annoyed helplessness.
The middle-aged man in the fur coat acted as if he had been tasked with some heavy responsibility, expressing great grat.i.tude toward his own slave.
Xia Fei found this scene to be hilarious. Were it not for the tattoo of a slave on that burly man’s face or the manacles on his feet, Xia Fei would really mistake him for some lord from elsewhere. For a slave to be the one doing all this, it was absolutely unprecedented.
“Rocko. Who’s that person? Is he very powerful?”
Rocko used his sleeve to wipe his mouth clean as he replied, “That man wearing the fur coat is the owner of this market, Liu Jinzhu,. Everyone calls him Old Liu. Not only is his family situated in this city, they also have a first-rate presence elsewhere, specializing in slave trade.
“As for that person inside the cell, he is even more powerful. That’s the famed master bounty hunter, Seth! He has several thousand men under his command, specializing in the capture of slaves and selling them to traders. The number of slaves that he captured or killed by his hands is already uncountable! He would bring his men and head out to the desolated mountains year round. If he chanced upon any weak village or tribe, he’d capture everyone, young or old, men or women, without leaving even a single soul behind. Through his ruthless methods, these people either ended up enslaved or killed.
“Seth was already become famous forty years ago, and he’s become an even more incredible individual here in the slave trade. He used to recapture all the slaves the others lost. Too bad that Seth is too black-hearted; after taking the money from others, the slaves sent back would either be crippled or dead.”
Rocko had heard plenty of stories regarding Seth. The man was clearly no saint. He was originally in cahoots with the slave traders. Not only were his methods cruel and brutal, he had a Law Emperor cultivation, too! Having been traversing the Exiled Grounds for forty years, he had made quite the name for himself!
However, for some reason, this famed Law Emperor Seth was now a slave.
A slave with a Law Emperor cultivation?!
Xia Fei felt his heart shake. A Law Emperor would be considered an unbeatable existence even in the territory of the two peak races. Out of the million in the Yu family, only three had ascended to become Law Emperors, so he could only be seen as a top expert here in the spa.r.s.ely populated Exiled Grounds!
How did the savage and powerful Seth become a slave?! This was simply an unimaginable development!
After Seth finished his meal, Liu Jinzhu left the cell with a tired expression on his face, not even daring to take a second glance at the burly man. Meanwhile, Seth, who was lying on the sofa, squinted his eyes as he scanned the warehouse. None of the guardsmen or courtesans dared to meet him in the eye, causing the entire situation to be somewhat tense.
Xia Fei smiled. “Interesting. Very interesting. A Law Emperor who became a slave, lodged in a slave trader’s property, not leaving at all. We’re too far away, so let’s get closer and take a good look.”
Rocko very nervously grabbed Xia Fei. “My lord! Let’s just stay here. Though Seth is a slave, he’s very powerful. No one in this entire city dares provoke him. The last time someone looked at him twice, the man actually tore his liver out!”
Xia Fei loosened himself from Rocko’s grip and casually replied, “It’s fine. I’m just going to take a look. You can stay here and wait for me.”
Rocko was hesitant. He hid behind Xia Fei and followed him downstairs, making their way toward Seth’s cell.
When Seth saw Xia Fei, they locked gazes. Seth’s eyes became filled with hostility, while Xia Fei looked completely calm and at ease.
Xia Fei noticed that Seth had a fairly heroic temperament about him. His triangular eyes were cold, filled with killing intent. He was glaring at Xia Fei with great displeasure.
“The courtesans are all over there; what are you doing here? Whatever you do, don’t provoke this man.” The guardsmen saw Xia Fei heading toward Seth, and they all tried to signal him with their eyes, all the while coaxing him away from getting anywhere near the cage. They almost seemed to be very afraid of what Seth might do.
Xia Fei ignored them and continued making his way to the cell.
These guardsmen now revealed gloating expressions, thinking that the fat lamb Xia Fei would be due for some serious trouble today.
“What are you looking at!” Seth growled at Xia Fei, his eyes sharpening, his breath wafting in the air.
“Looking at a slave,” Xia Fei gave a simple answer, even as he waved his hand before his nose to aerate.
Seth laughed out loud. “That’s right! Yours truly is indeed a slave! Purchase me if you’ve got the guts. Not only will you not spend a dime, the Liu fellow will even pay you a thousand grade 4 Origin Crystals! I’m just afraid that you won’t have the guts, brat.”
Xia Fei disliked Seth’s att.i.tude very much as he softly said, “With such a smelly breath, no wonder no one is willing to take you even if you pay them.”
Seth’s temper flared up when he heard this. He got up and stared at Xia Fei viciously as if he wanted to eat him up.
The courtesans grew very anxious. They considered Xia Fei as a potentially good owner, so in the event that Seth beat him up, it would be akin to severing their desire toward this end. As such, they fret over Xia Fei’s safety, hoping that nothing would happen to him.
“You’d better stay right there, brat!”
*Zing*
Seth had decent cultivation, so he dashed right out of the cell and appeared next to Xia Fei with a momentary movement.
“Say that again if you’ve got the guts!” Seth’s eyes gleamed with violent aggression as he snarled menacingly. “Yours truly is Seth, nicknamed the Master Bounty Hunter! As a Law Emperor who cultivates the Law of Defense, I’ve been traversing the Exiled Grounds for forty years!”
Seth loudly announced his nickname, a name well-known throughout the Exiled Grounds. Adults would use Seth’s name to scare small children who did not wish to go to bed. Just mentioning ‘Cry some more and Seth will come take you and turn you into a slave,’ was enough to send children obediently marching to bed. Seth felt that it was only right for Xia Fei to be afraid of him as well.
*Bang*
Just as he said those words, Xia Fei sent a punch right at Seth’s face, penetrating past his Crag Defense!
The Crag Defense special ability and the Law of Defense were unusual. It would automatically generate a barrier the moment the user was struck to protect them. However, Xia Fei successfully used his Law of Primal Chaos to land a blow square on Seth, someone famed for his Law of Defense, easily!
“Defense? What a sh*tty defense! I already told you not to speak with your bad breath, yet you persisted!
*Boom!*
Pinching his nose with his other hand, Xia Fei punched Seth again!