Chapter 244: The Auctioned Cat-Girl Slave, Tang San’s Opportunity
Chapter 244: The Auctioned Cat-Girl Slave, Tang San’s Opportunity
"A person?!"
Xiao Wu cried out in shock.
Inside the iron cage on the display stage was actually a person—a young girl!
Her clothes were tattered, and her exposed skin was covered in numerous small scars, both old and new.
Her wrists and ankles were bound by heavy iron chains that had rubbed deep, bloody welts into her skin; some spots were still seeping blood.
She was trembling all over, shaking like a leaf.
However, she was different from an ordinary person.
A pair of furry black cat ears stood atop her head, twitching nervously like a startled rabbit.
A tense black cat tail trailed behind her, clamped tightly between her legs with the tip curled into a ball.
The girl had large, amber-colored eyes, but they were filled with an indelible fear and despair.
That look was like a cornered kitten, huddled in the furthest corner of the cage, not daring to look at anyone below the stage.
The entire venue fell silent for a moment due to the appearance of this girl with cat-like features.
It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Then, a more intense burst of laughter and discussion erupted, like a boiling pot.
"So it’s a cat-girl! She’s quite beautiful!"
"A Mutated Cat Spirit? I want to buy her back to warm my bed!"
"Look at that little face, how pitiful. It’ll definitely be fun to play with her after buying her!"
Unbearable comments rose and fell like the buzzing of flies.
Countless greedy gazes fell upon the cat-girl—some lewd, some contemptuous, some playful.
It was as if she weren’t a living human being, but merely a commodity to be bought, sold, and toyed with at will.
The auctioneer was very satisfied with the reaction from the audience, her face blooming with a smile.
Holding the microphone, she began the introduction in a playful tone: "Distinguished guests, please look. This girl’s Spirit is a Mutated Cat Spirit; due to the unique mutation, her Spirit characteristics are permanently displayed on her body."
"She has a gentle temperament. Whether you buy her to be a personal maid or a companion pet, she is an excellent choice!"
"The starting price is 10,000 gold coins, with each bid increase no less than 5,000 gold coins!"
"Ten thousand!"
As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, someone in the audience immediately raised their paddle to bid, their voice full of impatience as if afraid someone else would snatch her first.
"Fifteen thousand!"
"Twenty thousand!"
...
"Fifty thousand!"
...
The bidding voices rose one after another, the price skyrocketing like a runaway horse.
The atmosphere of the entire venue was pushed to its peak by the appearance of the cat-girl.
Meanwhile, in the seating area.
Xiao Wu’s face was as white as paper.
Her whole body was trembling uncontrollably out of anger.
She herself was a 100,000 yearsSoft Bones Rabbit in human form.
She understood best the difficulty of a Spirit Beast taking human form, and understood even more the fear and despair of being treated as prey or a commodity.
The cat-girl before her, though human, was being bought and sold as a slave and treated as a plaything just because she had awakened a cat-type Spirit.
What was the difference between this and the treatment of a transformed Spirit Beast?
The cat-girl’s terrified expression made her feel the same pain.
She braced herself against the armrests of her seat to stand up, wanting to rush forward, smash that cage, and rescue the cat-girl.
But in the next second, Lin Qingmo’s palm pressed down on her shoulder.
"Don’t be impulsive."
Lin Qingmo’s voice was extremely low and steady, carrying a reassuring power.
"Making a scene now won’t just fail to save her; it will get us into trouble and might even harm her."
"A-Qing..."
Xiao Wu’s voice carried a sob, and tears finally fell uncontrollably, sliding down her cheeks and hitting the back of her hand with a "splat."
"How can they do this? She’s a person, not a commodity! How can they buy and sell her like an object!"
"The law of the jungle rules this World; it is just that unreasonable."
Lin Qingmo explained softly, his palm gently patting her back as if soothing a cat with bristled fur.
"With our current strength, we cannot withstand the consequences."
"Once a commotion starts, we won’t be able to save her and will instead be seized by the auction house guards."
"When that happens, this cat-girl will only meet an even worse fate, possibly disappearing directly into some unknown place."
He paused, increasing the pressure of his palm slightly to let her feel his presence.
"Wait for a moment and see how things develop first."
"I... I understand."
Xiao Wu was still very receptive to Lin Qingmo’s words.
She bit her lip and gripped Lin Qingmo’s sleeve tightly.
Her whole body was still shaking, but she didn’t impulsively stand up again.
Beside them, Zhu Zhuqing’s expression was equally unsightly. She was as cold as a block of ice, without a hint of warmth.
Her clenched fist turned white at the knuckles, and the veins on the back of her hand bulged out one by one.
Sharing a cat-type Spirit, her repulsion toward this scene was not a bit weaker than Xiao Wu’s.
The cat-girl’s plight reminded her of her days in the Star Luo Empire.
She understood better than anyone that despair of being swept away by fate and having no control over oneself.
In the power games of the Imperial family and the internal strife between sisters, she had been moved around like a chess piece.
She also wished she could rush up immediately, tear apart that cage, and shred those people who were eyeing the cat-girl with greedy gazes.
However, Zhu Zhuqing was more rational than Xiao Wu and recognized the current reality better.
Even without Lin Qingmo’s persuasion, Zhu Zhuqing restrained her radiating anger.
Ning Rongrong bit her lip, trembling with rage like a leaf.
She slammed a fist into the armrest with a dull "thud" and cursed through gritted teeth, "These scumbags simply have no bottom line!"
"Buying and selling living people as commodities—can the laws of the Heaven Dou Empire not control them?"
She had grown up in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School since childhood.
She was pampered in the palms of Ning Fengzhi and the two Titled Douluo, living in luxury and having whatever she wanted.
And she had also been protected too well by them.
She had never seen such a filthy and despicable scene.
She only felt the fire of anger rising in her heart, wishing she could immediately have Grandpa Sword come over and tear down this wretched auction house with one sword strike.
At this, Lin Qingmo shook his head and chuckled.
The laws of the Heaven Dou Empire?
Neither the Heaven Dou Empire nor the Star Luo Empire prohibited slave trading.
Even the Imperial nobles themselves owned slaves.
This era was one of feudal dynasties; the existence of such things was inevitable.
Lin Qingmo’s gaze swept across the venue.
Looking at those nobles and Spirit Masters with hideous faces and greedy eyes, a cold arc curled at the corner of his lips.
Plot details from the original work flashed through his mind.
The appearance of the cat-girl confirmed for him that this should be the auction where Tang San and Ning Fengzhi first met.
He hadn’t expected that after all the twists and turns, the plot would actually overlap with the original work at this juncture.
His gaze slowly scanned the venue like an eagle searching for prey.
Finally, Lin Qingmo’s eyes landed on the darkest corner of the hall.
Sitting there was a figure wearing a blue mask.
Even sitting in the shadows, they emitted a coldness that warned others not to approach, like a venomous snake.
After a brief observation, this person’s build was similar to Tang San’s.
A meaningful smile curled at the corner of Lin Qingmo’s lips.
Tang San, he really did come.
He thought that because he had changed so much of the plot—taking Xiao Wu and the others away from Shrek, and Xiao Wu having drawn a clear line with Tang San—Tang San shouldn’t have had the chance to appear here.
In the original work, it was because Xiao Wu wanted to come in and look around that Tang San later auctioned Hidden Weapons to gain the conditions for entry.
Unexpectedly, even though the plot was already so chaotic, Tang San still came.
In the original work, Tang San met Ning Fengzhi for the first time at this auction, reached a cooperation with him, and connected with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
"Interesting."
Lin Qingmo thought to himself, "I’d like to see if you can still connect with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
(End of Chapter)
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