Second Time

Chapter 12 - Servant Girl

After resting for two weeks and gathering information, Shao Yue disguised herself as a man once more and ventured to the black market.

Every large city would have a black market. Many rare items and manuals would appear for sale where nobody would know who sold or purchased them. Things that couldn't be sold in broad daylight would also appear, such as poisons, human hearts and blood, or recreational drugs.

The black market had enough power to go against the local sects. Shao Yue could sense a Heavenly Realm Third Stage nearby. Even if they didn't, it was rare for sects to try to flush out the black markets. Many good things could be purchased that wouldn't otherwise show up. Turning a blind eye to the darker side was a small price to pay for the opportunities.

As such, the black markets were neutral grounds. They forbade fighting and all sorts of people could be seen. Righteous martial artists walked by devil's path practitioners without batting an eye. People with closed meridians were a rarity, generally servants sent by people with high status to avoid showing themselves.

Shao Yue had plenty of experience in black markets. She strolled around and found a few interesting things to purchase before heading over to the human traffickers. With divine sense, they were easy to find. She simply had to look for a large number of lifeforms with low cultivation packed into a small area.

She had to pay a thousand gold just to enter.

A man in a black hooded cloak approached her. "What are you looking for, sir?"

"A virgin woman with no open meridians," Shao Yue answered. "Preferably literate, preferably between fifteen and twenty-five."

"Certainly. One moment please."

Different people had different prices. Ones with high cultivation would be more expensive. Virgin women would also cost dramatically more than non-virgins, since devil's path cultivators could use the vital yin of a virgin to supplement their own power. Any other benefits or disadvantages would be considered.

Since Shao Yue only wanted a mortal, the price wouldn't be too high.

Shao Yue drank a provided cup of tea before the man returned with two dozen women that fit her criteria. They all wore simple, tight gray clothes that displayed their figures well. Each had a collar with a purple token hanging from it and had their hands bound. Some had resigned eyes, others empty, others angry.

"Can I check their vitals?"

"Certainly."

Shao Yue walked over to a random girl and took her wrist lightly. Shao Yue sent some qi through the girl's body and examined the state of it as well as the potential she had towards cultivation. The girl winced and bit her lip at the unpleasant sensation.

Shao Yue continued on, doing the same for each woman and making a mental note of their potentials. Everyone made the same pained expression as she did so.

Only after going through more than half of the women did one of them not react.

"Hm?"

The woman looked to be around seventeen years old and was a couple inches shorter than Shao Yue. Her straight black hair reached to her shoulders. She must have been captive for a while as she had very little fat on her body.

Shao Yue poured in a bit more qi, intentionally causing more pain. The woman clenched her jaw. Her phoenix eyes twitched. She refused to give in, staring at Shao Yue's covered face in defiance.

Shao Yue let go of the woman's wrist and lightly exerted her Authority on her. A crushing pressure descended on the woman. Her shoulders shook, but she refused to kneel. Shao Yue slowly increased the force. Once the woman's legs buckled, she released it.