The journey to the headquarters of Bronze Bull Gang lasted for a full fifteen minutes, and during this time, Yang Ze kept on struggling. He even tried to kick Brother Hu in the face, but he couldn't even reach him. He was being carried ike a chicken, and everyone who saw him in this condition didn't dare to disturb Brother Hu.
"Goddamn it." Tired, Yang Ze could only sigh in defeat. He was still cursing that good-for-nothing system. Instead of giving him something that could improve his combat capabilities, it gave him a wasted physique that put him in even greater danger.
Shaking his head, he focused on the burly hand that was grabbing him by the neck when a translucent screen suddenly popped in front of him.
[Name: Hu Lang]
[Age: 36]
[Realm: Mid-stage Body Tempering]
[Physique: None]
[Talent: Mighty Strength(White), Robust Body(Green)]
[Evaluation: An ordinary cultivator who has just started his cultivation journey.]
"HUH!?" Yang Ze narrowed his eyes as he looked at the screen in front of him. Both his talents were glowing, inviting Yang Ze to sign in.
"Sign in to Mighty Strength." This was the first time Yang Ze tried the so-called sign-in. He still wasn't sure how this cheat worked. When he looked at Brother Hu's talent, he felt an intense urge to use his sign-in. Perhaps it was the system's way of telling him how it actually worked.
The moment he chose to sign in, a message flashed in front of his eyes.
[Congratulations on getting Mighty Vigour (Blue)]
Yang Ze didn't choose to accept it for the time being, but instead focused on Hu Lang's panel once again. This time, the talent Mighty Strength has stopped glowing, but the talent Robust Body was still glowing.
"Sign in to the Robust Body." Licking his lips, Yang Ze whispered softly, only for a message to pop up in his view.
[Daily Sign-in attempts exhausted. Please wait till tomorrow.]
Looking at the message, Yang Ze couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh. He now finally understood what his cheat was all about. It seems that he could copy and upgrade the opponent's talent.
"Why even call it a sign-in system then?" He couldn't help but complain inwardly. But before he could think further, he finally felt the grip on his neck loosen as he fell to the ground.
"Ugh!?" Taken by surprise, Yang Ze almost fell face down. Thankfully, he was able to balance himself, saving him the embarrassment of breaking his nose.
"We are here." Brother Hu let out a ferocious grin before taking Yang Ze inside. He didn't take him to the main hall; instead, he took him underground, where one could smell the dampness and the moisture in the air.
Yang Ze didn't need anyone to tell him about that place. After all, the iron bars and the small rooms where boys like him were kept have already told him everything about that place.
"You will be living in this cellar for the next few days." Before Yang Ze even had time to react, Brother Hu just pushed him into one of the cellars and closed the iron door before walking away with loud laughter.
"I am gonna twist this guy's head off." Looking at his departing back, Yang Ze silently made up his mind. If he somehow managed to become strong, he would definitely pay this bastard back.
With a heavy sigh, he began to observe his surroundings first.
Other than old stone walls and a patch of dried grass that could be used as a bed, there was nothing else.
After making sure that there were no guards, Yang Ze finally accepted the talent he received from his first sign-in.
The moment he chose to accept the talent, he felt the blood in his body building. His skin began to heat up at a rapid pace, and the temperature around him began to rise. It became so hot in his cellar that the moisture there turned into steam.
The other boys there only felt their surroundings getting hotter as they sat there in silence. Because of the darkness, it was impossible for them to see Yang Ze and the changes taking place in his body.
The process lasted for a good ten minutes before Yang Ze opened his eyes in satisfaction. Thankfully, the changes this time were about his strength. Feeling the extraordinary power in his body, Yang Ze was sure that he could instantly kill the previous him. He didn't know who was stronger between the current him and Brother Hu, but he believed that the difference wasn't far off.
"Should I just escape?" With such strength, it was easy for him to break out of this cellar, but thinking about how there were far more powerful people than Brother Hu in the Bronze Bull Gang, he shook his head. He had personally witnessed the mighty Brother Hu acting all fawn and smiles and even bowing to a few people on his way here.
"Let's just wait and see." Since it had come to this, Yang Ze decided to just go with the flow. Anyway, he was just being sold as a slave. Once he is sold, his previous loan with the Bronze Bull Gang will be nullified, and he won't have to worry about it anymore.
The only thing he needed to be worried about was the treatment he would receive there.
But thinking about how there will be far more powerful people and better sign-in rewards, he licked his lips in anticipation. If not for his cheat, he might have struggled a bit. But with such a cheat in hand, it would be a shame not to go to one of the strongest families of the city.
Making up his mind, Yang Ze finally felt a sense of ease as he closed his eyes and quietly fell onto the hay beside him. Due to the extreme heat, the hay was still emitting warmth, making it a rather comfortable place to sleep.
---------------
"Wake up, you little bastards."
Yang Ze didn't know how long he had slept, but he was woken by a rude shout.
Opening his eyes, he saw the familiar burly Brother Hu opening the doors of their cellar.
"Today is your lucky day. From today onwards, you all bastards would be the members of the Lin family."
He then went on to give a long speech about how wonderful their lives were going to be and how they were going to become a member of the mighty Lin family. But none of the boys there had any reaction to this. They all knew very well what their status was going to be.
In Yuyang City, slaves have no status. These are the people who have lost all their human rights and have innumerable restrictions upon them. They would be assigned all kinds of jobs without any payment. They can not marry or start a family, and they can not go anywhere without the permission of their masters. Even if they were beaten to death, no one would bat an eye.
Initially, Yang Ze felt some discomfort about the way he was going to be treated from now on. But thinking about his heaven-defying physique and how this was the perfect cover for him, he couldn't help but beam with joy.
No one would even bother to look at a slave like him. No one would bother to pay any attention to him, while he could easily sign in for better rewards.
The more Yang Ze thought about it, the more he felt that this was an opportunity in disguise. He even had an urge to give a kiss to the burly man in front of him.
"Forget it. I won't twist off your head." Thinking about how this guy not only solved his debt issue but also gave him such a huge opportunity, Yang Ze gave up his idea of killing him the next time. At most, he would just give him a beating in retaliation for this guy dragging him like a chicken.
"Sign in." Since this was Bronze Bull Gang's headquarters, Yang Ze wanted to see if he could sign in here or not. Unfortunately for him, just a simple [Conditions not met] message popped up in front of him.
As for using his talent sign in at Brother Hu... He gave up. Since he was being taken to the Lin family, he was sure that he would find much better talent to sign in there. There was no need to waste a precious opportunity here.
Taking Yang Ze and the other boys out of the cellar, Brother Hu put them all inside a carriage that had no windows and headed towards his destination.
Inside the carriage, the space was surprisingly large. Yang Ze finally checked the information about the other boys, but all of them were ordinary.
He could only close his eyes and wait to reach their destination.
------------
It took almost two hours for them to reach their destination. Yang Ze could have sworn that this was the most uncomfortable ride of his life.
Walking out of the carriage, he was forced to close his eyes due to the sudden sunlight. And when he finally managed to see the world around him, the first person he saw was an old woman standing there, quietly observing them.
"I hope these are to your liking." It was the first time for Yang Ze and the boys to see Brother Hu acting so humble. The burly man who usually threatened everyone in the town was now acting like a loyal dog in front of the old woman.
Without any hesitation, Yang Ze immediately looked at her Panel.
[Name: Lin Guizhen]
[Age: 81]
[Realm: Early Pulse Opening]
[Physique: None]
[Talent: Night travel (Green), Affinity For Water (Green)]
[Evaluation: A small fry.]
Yang Ze thought for a moment before choosing to sign in the 'Affinity For Water' talent.
[Congratulations on getting Affinity For Water (Blue)]
Yang Ze didn't choose to inherit the reward but waited patiently in silence.
After examining them for a while, the old woman nodded in satisfaction before throwing a small bag to Brother Hu, who immediately beamed with a smile and left the place.
"Follow me." Turning around, she made her way towards the servants' quarters. Although it was called the servant's quarter, it was just their way of showing the world that they treated their slaves humanely. After all, how could a mighty family like theirs buy slaves?
But this was all just for the show. Every major family in Yuyang city bought slaves for their personal use. Not only do they not need to worry about them betraying them, but they also don't need to worry about paying them wages. The moment someone is branded as a slave, they wouldn't have a family. And without the permission of their master, they couldn't even step outside the family grounds.
All of this was not just talk. To make sure these slaves know their place and follow their every command, every person who buys them would put some restrictions on them.
For the Lin family, it was called a blood oath.
Stepping in front of a mountain that was full of small courtyards, Yang Ze was stunned. Compared to the mountains on Earth, this one was twice the size of a normal mountain.
"This will be the place where you all will be living from now on." The old woman continued in a hoarse tone. "Every morning, when you hear the first bell, put on your uniform and then report here within twenty minutes. Failing to do so will result in being whipped twenty times."
"That's it." Without waiting for them to respond, she took out a small disk-shaped object from her robe and placed it in front of them.
"Drop your blood here."
No one there dared to refuse. One by one, every boy dropped their blood on the object. Soon it was Yang Ze's turn, and he did the same.
Stabbing his finger with the needle at the top of the strange object, he saw his blood drop falling onto the disk before disappearing completely.
At the same time, he felt there was something extra in his heart.
"Oh! I never told you what would happen if you dared to refuse or run away, right?" There was finally a smile on the old woman's face as she pressed the disk, and the moment she did, every single boy there felt an unimaginable pain coursing through their bodies.
"AAAH"
"STOP PLEASE."
"Forgive me... forgive me."
Within moments, the entire ground was enveloped in miserable screams. Yang Ze, too, wasn't any better. Feeling the intense pain in his body, he was barely able to resist it. But thinking about how it was necessary for his bright future, he endured it.
"The pain will be a million times more if any of you dare to refuse or run away." With a smile, the old woman signalled them to head to the mountains to pick their pavilion before walking away.
It took a long time for everyone there to come back to their senses.
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Yang Ze looked at the masterfully crafted stairs and a large number of pavilions on the mountain before making his way up.
Together with the rest of the boys, he slowly followed the path, but the pavilion at the lowest point was all already taken.
It wasn't until they were halfway that they were greeted by another group of slaves who seemed to be waiting for them.
"Heh... Fresh Meat." Sitting in the middle of the road, blocking their path, was a group of women. The oldest seemed to be in their thirties, while the youngest seemed to be twenty-one years old.
Sitting in the middle of the group was a woman wearing long grey robes who looked no more than twenty, yet her figure carried a graceful charm. Her waist was so slender that one could grab it with just one hand. The tight dress under her messy robes perfectly highlighted the curves of her chest and hips, making her appear both refined and mature. Her long black hair, which was glossy as ink, was bound with a jade hairpin, giving her a touch of elegance. Her skin was fair and smooth, her cheeks faintly rosy, and her lips were like red jade, soft and inviting. Sitting there with a lazy expression on her face, she stood like a crane amongst chickens.
But no one would have expected that such a well-refined woman would utter such vicious words upon their first meeting.
"So... Are you all going to take off your pants by yourself, or should we do the honour?"