The white-clad young woman's voice was clear and cold, like a chill pond in a mountain stream.
Hearing this reply, Ning Yue and Liu Song were both stunned.
"How dare you! You're just a lowly maidservant. My lord is kindly offering you a position, and you still dare to refuse? Do you know how many people are scrambling to get into my lord's manor?" Liu Song was the first to react, scolding loudly.
"Besides, in this slave market, how can you be picky? Don't you even look at your own status? It's your good fortune, accumulated over eight lifetimes, that my lord would even look at you."
The young woman was beautiful, but she couldn't yet be compared to his brilliant and mighty Brother Yue.
Hearing this, the white-clad young woman turned sideways, not answering, only a few bright yellow halos faintly flashing in her cold, starry eyes.
Ning Yue asked, "Even if you were sold to a brothel, you wouldn't be willing to work in my manor? Why is that?"
The young woman shook her head, "I naturally won't go to a brothel either."
Ning Yue smiled, while Liu Song was enraged.
"Unwilling to do this, unwilling to do that, is this Li Xiucai sending someone to make fun of us? My lord, please wait a moment, I will go and drag him out for questioning!" Liu Song finished speaking and started to leave.
A flicker of panic crossed the young woman's eyes, but she bit her silver teeth, refusing to say more.
"Don't be in such a hurry," Ning Yue mused, stopping him.
He turned his gaze back to the high platform, asking with interest, "Since you're unwilling to be a servant and unwilling to sell yourself to a brothel, then have you... considered the consequences?"
The white-clad young woman fell silent again, only staring ahead with resolute, hollow eyes.
Ahead was an empty, pitch-black void.
Ning Yue's gaze shifted, not rushing her, but changing the subject, asking, "Where do you live?"
"Longxi," the young woman was sparing with her words.
Ning Yue's heart stirred, and he asked again, "Do you have any relatives or friends at home?"
"Both parents are deceased, I only have a younger sister..." A layer of gloom seemed to shroud the young woman's night-star-like eyes, devoid of any light.
"Then which street and alley in Longxi do you live on? How far are the nearby taverns, pawnshops, and money changers? What kind of work did your parents do previously? How much silver could they earn in a month?"
Liu Song looked at his superior with confusion.
Sometimes, he really couldn't understand what important people were thinking.
When the constables searched homes for fugitives, they weren't seen asking such detailed questions.
In his opinion, this was purely a waste of time now.
Call Li Xiucai over, intimidate him with harsh words, and if that didn't work, use a whip.
A young woman under twenty, how much cunning could she possess? And with her delicate skin and tender flesh, how many times could she endure such torment?
As long as they applied pressure from both sides, he wasn't worried that this pretty girl wouldn't give in and compromise.
At this moment, the white-clad young woman was also stunned by this sudden string of questions.
"I... I—" She was about to answer, but was interrupted by the leisurely Ning Yue.
"Think carefully before you speak, okay? If you lie, and it doesn't match your deed of sale, or if the authorities find discrepancies, you could go to jail. You wouldn't want to spend the rest of your life in prison, would you?"
Liu Song understood immediately, and continued, "Oh, that's right, you also have a younger sister. If she's left alone and helpless in the future, she might end up being exploited by others."
"And even if someone abuses her, at least she'd have food to eat. If she gets lost in the wilderness, eaten by wild dogs, or starves to death, that would be truly tragic."
Ning Yue glanced at his subordinate, waited for a while, then asked again, "Have you thought it through?"
The white-clad young woman fell into hesitation.
Ning Yue sighed helplessly and gave a look.
So, Liu Song, with an air of disappointment, urged again, "What more do you have to hesitate about? My lord is kind and noble, a rare good man in our Great Yuan Dynasty, and he's not even married yet. He's never even touched a girl's hand, let alone been to a brothel in his life."
The young woman's gaze was dismissive.
Cough, cough, cough... Ning Yue suddenly started coughing.
But Liu Song ignored him and continued, "If you enter the manor, you'll naturally be well-fed and well-cared for. My lord is considerate of his subordinates and kind to his relatives and friends, and he certainly won't treat you poorly. Isn't that a hundred times better than a brothel?!"
The young woman still didn't speak, but instinctively straightened her body, causing her somewhat ill-fitting white dress to sway.
Ning Yue saw her gaze wander, half-believing, half-doubting, clearly showing some inclination, and added, "Next month, I will be taking up a post in Longxi. If you are willing then, you can come with me."
"Alright then, but I have a condition." The white-clad young woman's eyes brightened, as if a glimmer of hope had appeared, and she finally agreed.
Ning Yue smiled and asked, "Is it for your younger sister?"
"Liu Song, go call Li Xiucai and tell him to bring her over."
Liu Song acknowledged and left.
Before long, Li Xiucai rushed over with someone.
The younger sister also wore a white pleated dress, with delicate features like carved jade, looking innocently adorable, but her hair was messy, and her eyes were hazy as if she had just woken up.
She stood timidly beside her elder sister, her gaze curiously directed towards the darkness ahead.
She was said to be young and not yet of age, but Ning Yue looked at her and saw that she was indeed quite developed!
She could be described as having a baby face and a developed figure.
Her height only reached Ning Yue's chest, probably less than one and a half meters.
Both sisters were the same, which only goes to show that genetics are truly powerful.
Ning Yue waved his hand, "These few will do. Let's complete the procedures now."
After all this trouble, Ning Yue felt finding a few maidservants was more tiring than making three visits to a thatched cottage, but now everything was finally going smoothly.
Hearing this, Li Xiucai could no longer suppress the excitement at the corner of his mouth, "Congratulations, my lord, on finding suitable candidates! I will go arrange it now."
He went out and called the manager, instructing him to quickly replace the deeds of sale.
Gu City had an integrated military and administrative system, without even a yamen, so formal slave market business could only be conducted at the nearest Garrison.
Liu Song, who had rushed up from behind, stopped them and smiled slightly, "No need for so much trouble, Old Li. Just give me the deeds of sale, and the rest of the matters don't need to concern you all."
"Let me inform you, our lord's surname is Ning, and his given name is Yue. He is the new Deputy Centurion of Yongwang Garrison. It's just a matter of changing a deed of sale, and I don't think any of our brothers at the Garrison would dare to refuse."
These words were not empty boasts. Liu Song was already a local small-time figure in this Gu City, eloquent and good at socializing. Many people from the four major Garrisons—Yongwang, Dinghai, Panshi, and Weishan—were acquainted with him.
Now that Ning Yue had been promoted to Deputy Centurion, Liu Song, his favored subordinate, naturally also gained more confidence, making countless brothers around them green with envy. Invitations for drinks and meals had been continuous these past two days.
It could be said that when one person achieves success, all his dependents benefit.
Li Xiucai and the other person were both stunned by this sudden news.
Their master had only said that a distinguished guest would arrive today, but had not informed him of his true identity.
On ordinary days, when minor officials patrolling the city visited, they had to serve them carefully and respectfully, let alone a Deputy Centurion.
Li Xiucai's not-so-extensive knowledge made him unable to figure out how many ranks separated a low-ranking official in a black uniform from a Deputy Centurion, he could only realize that this was a very, very high official.
So high that he couldn't possibly curry favor, so high that the hand he had intended to use to swindle a large sum instantly trembled like a sieve.
He thought to himself, 'That was close, that was close!'.
