The weather was scorching, and the constant flow of pedestrians and livestock on the gravel road kicked up clouds of dust.
"Female slaves, top-quality sisters, take a look, sir!"
"Twins, genuine twins!"
"Married women, fresh out of the oven, don't miss out!"
"..."
As soon as Tang Wen entered the slave market, his eyes, hidden beneath his hood, were overwhelmed.
The most eye-catching figures in the market were the female slaves.
There was every type imaginable, from plump to slender.
And judging by the enthusiastic hawking of the attendants beside them, as well as the women's attire, figures, demeanor, and even expressions, it seemed as though they were the ones living the best lives in the slave market.
Whenever a man who caught their eye entered, the women would begin to flaunt themselves eagerly.
They struck various poses—some exposed their legs, others thrust out their chests, and some even squatted deeply...
With each movement, the already scant fabric covering their bodies threatened to tear apart at any moment.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Tang Wen continued further in.
The situation began to change.
The male and female slaves here were plain-looking, their expressions numb.
Their clothes were disheveled, and the skin exposed was riddled with wounds and whip marks.
These were the more typical slaves.
"Three men and three women, I want hardworking ones who can handle farm labor."
"Got it! One hundred taels of silver."
"One hundred taels? You might as well rob me! Thirty taels at most."
"Ah, sir, these three pairs of slaves can earn you a hundred taels in just five years!"
"Haha, who are you trying to fool? Look at them—do you think they'll even survive five years?"
"Fine, I'll lower it to ninety-nine taels. Hey, hey, sir, don't leave! Eighty taels, eighty! I'm taking a huge loss here. I haven't made a sale today, so let's just call it a friendly deal!"
"..."
Tang Wen silently rode past. He wasn't selling ordinary livestock; he was selling Mutated Beasts.
They were far more valuable than common slaves.
After passing through another gate, the air carried a faint, pungent odor.
He had arrived at the livestock section.
"Sir, would you like to take a look at our shop?"
"Sir, this way, please!"
"..."
Four or five attendants, dressed in neat black tunics despite the sweltering heat, approached Tang Wen.
He glanced at them and suddenly realized that these horse and cattle vendors were dressed even better than the human traffickers outside.
"Come along, I'm in a hurry."
With the eager assistance of one of the attendants, Tang Wen dismounted his horse.
He didn't need the help, but he appreciated the gesture.
It was like a leader stepping out of a car—they didn't need someone to open the door, but if you stepped forward to open it and shielded their head, you were showing your attitude.
"I'm a Beast Tamer, and I know this business well. Here's the deal."
Leading his horse and speaking, Tang Wen approached a tea stall.
He ordered two pots of cold tea and pulled out a few charcoal pencils and sheets of yellow paper.
"These ten horses are all trained by me, and I'm selling them all. Whoever is serious, write down your price. Here!"
As he spoke, Tang Wen placed the rough yellow paper on the table, securing it with a clean teacup.
The attendants exchanged glances.
They had only heard of this method before.
It was usually used by business representatives handling large deals, who wanted to avoid direct bidding to maintain harmony.
"Gentlemen, my boss is in need of a good stallion. How about you let me have this one? I'll make it up to you in the future!"
"Cut the crap!"
"Exactly! I haven't even had a sip of tea, and you're talking about future favors."
The other two also shook their heads and laughed.
It was evident that Zhang Lao San, the first to speak, was not particularly meticulous in his daily conduct.
The crowd exchanged polite bows with Tang Wen before sitting down, picking up charcoal pencils and paper, and discreetly observing him.
Tang Wen sipped his tea with a calm demeanor, the scar on his face glistening with a faint sheen.
He seemed quite accustomed to such business dealings.
The staff exchanged glances; none of them recognized Tang Wen, suggesting he might be from out of town.
They shifted their gaze: a lone Beast Tamer.
He appeared to be in his thirties, likely a Martial Master.
Among the staff, some were Martial Practitioners, while others were Martial Apprentices.
They didn't linger too long on a Martial Master.
Outside the tea shed, ten horses stood in a neat row, catching the eyes of passing merchants.
The staff nodded subtly; the man hadn't lied. These leopard-patterned horses were indeed well-tamed.
With Tang Wen's permission, they stepped out of the tea shed to observe the horses up close.
Tang Wen noticed that aside from their interest in the foals, they were particularly focused on the reproductive organs of the Mid-level Exotic Beast stallion.
Foals, when raised from a young age, would grow up to be fiercely loyal to their owners.
Meanwhile, a Mid-level Exotic Beast stallion could fetch a hefty price for a single breeding session.
The most common practice was to crossbreed them with female donkeys to produce sturdy, endurance-rich hybrid mules.
A well-trained hybrid mule could be considered a low-level exotic beast, yet with a temperament far more docile.
Thus, a Mid-level stallion was more than just a mount.
Especially a tamed Mid-level Exotic Beast—it was a steady stream of wealth.
As Tang Wen downed his third bowl of tea, three managers arrived from the store one after another.
The staff stepped forward to report:
"Tamed without castration? My! So you're a Beast Taming Master!"
An experienced manager's first action was to bend down and inspect the stallion's testicles.
Finding both intact, he was both shocked and delighted.
Tang Wen remained expressionless, giving a slight nod.
He had already suspected that an uncastrated horse would be more valuable.
Now, with the manager's words, he was even more certain.
It wasn't that the manager was foolish, revealing his hand so quickly.
Rather, he hadn't expected that someone capable of taming a Mid-level Exotic Beast would be new to the exotic beast trade!
Moreover, with all the major competitors present, everyone was an expert.
There was no need for deception.
Even if he had immediately pointed out flaws, who would have believed him?
The three managers began bidding.
As Tang Wen had anticipated, they were primarily interested in the stallion and the foals.
The Mid-level Exotic Beast mares were secondary.
After several rounds of bidding and much clamor, the manager from Sihai Beast Farm took the Mid-level stallion and mares, while the other two farms took the foals and the low-level horses, respectively.
An hour later, each farm conducted a thorough inspection of the horses in Tang Wen's presence.
Tang Wen walked away with 17,800 taels of silver.
Carrying such a large amount of silver was impractical, so the farms provided silver notes from Sihai Bank.
Tang Wen accompanied them to Sihai Bank to verify the authenticity of the notes.
Once the transaction was complete, Tang Wen prepared to leave.
One of the managers called out:
"Hehe, Master, please stay. Now that we've done business, we're acquainted. Since you've come from afar, why not stay for a meal before you go?"
With so much silver on him, Tang Wen couldn't help but view everyone as a potential threat.
Declining their kind offers, he made his way directly to the Four Seas Inn.
He booked a "C" class room.
To avoid being recognized, he left both the Sand Wolf and the Blood Raven in the wilderness.
It would be a waste to rent a house with a courtyard all by himself.
Besides, the "C" class room at the Four Seas Inn was quite decent.
It was about 40 to 50 square meters, with a living room in the outer area and a bedroom inside.
Twenty taels of silver per day, with only one maid to serve.
The maid's appearance was, well, quite suitable for her role.
Tang Wen didn't let her serve him. After washing up and having a meal,
he went to the lobby of the Four Seas Inn to find the manager on duty today.
"What can I do for you, sir?"
A voice that was hard to distinguish as male or female sounded.
Looking at the face, it was a delicate-looking man, but the male attire couldn't hide her original curves.
It was the beauty-loving Manager Li.
Tang Wen breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that it wasn't Shopkeeper Zhang.
Facing a Transcendent powerhouse, he had little confidence in his disguise.
After a few words explaining his purpose,
Manager Li asked, "Are you ready with the money to experience the ultimate darkness?"
Tang Wen carefully took out a stack of banknotes wrapped in kraft paper.
Manager Li, with neatly trimmed nails, took them and counted: "When do you want to experience it?"
"The sooner the better, even tonight."
"Tonight?" Manager Li narrowed her eyes, calculating with her fingers: "Then tonight it is. Come find me at 10 PM."
With that, Manager Li took off a black token from her waist and tossed it to Tang Wen.
As soon as he held it, Tang Wen keenly felt the words "Four Seas" and "Transcendent" on it.