Judging by their attire, these people must all have joined Dayan Mountain.
Yun Chen had not expected to run into members of the Yun family in Fuxue City.
"Brother Ziyue, Brother Zhongfei, Sister, Feiyang is a member of our Yun family after all. Isn't it a bit too much for you to talk about him like this?" Yun Mengchen said with some displeasure.
"Hmph, what do you know? Have you never heard the saying that dragons do not live with snakes? Besides, you are well aware of the massive losses the Yun family suffered because of Yun Feiyang's parents," Yun Shanshan said bitterly.
A battle had once occurred between the Tianyang Sect and the North Snow Manor. During that conflict, Yun Feiyang’s parents killed many from the North Snow Manor. Although both eventually perished, the Yun family suffered the consequences: all family disciples who had joined the North Snow Manor were executed, and every business they operated within the Manor's jurisdiction was confiscated.
Had it not been for the pressure exerted by the Daxia Nation, the North Snow Manor would likely have leveled the entire Yun family. Because of this, Yun Shanshan harbored deep hatred for Yun Feiyang and his family, especially since her own elder brother had been implicated in that incident and executed by the North Snow Manor. Now, with Yun Feiyang expelled from the Tianyang Sect, he only brought further shame upon the family.
"Mengchen, I am going to catch the beast carriage. We shall meet another day!" Ignoring the mockery from the trio, Yun Chen turned and prepared to leave.
"What a loser, he doesn't even care whether his own sister lives or dies!" seeing Yun Chen turn to walk away, Yun Ziyue taunted him once more.
"My sister?" Yun Chen froze for a second. An image flashed through his mind: a young girl with a ponytail who always followed him around, calling him "Brother Feiyang."
"Indeed, you are a cold-blooded wretch." Hearing Yun Feiyang’s silence, Yun Ziyue grew even more invigorated. "I suppose you don't even know. My father intended to marry her off to Xu Yan of the Xu family. Who would have thought your sister had such a fiery temperament? She snuck away from the family. Tsk, tsk... I assumed she would die out there, but to my surprise, that little brat appeared here in Fuxue City."
"You said Xiaoya is in Fuxue City? Where is she?" Yun Chen felt a surge of panic. If there was one person left in the entire Yun family he still cared about, it was Yun Xiaoya.
"Brother Ziyue!" Yun Shanshan and Yun Zhongfei looked at Yun Ziyue in astonishment. They hadn't encountered Yun Xiaoya before, so why was he saying he had?
***
**Chapter 17: The Slave Market**
"I saw her at the slave market earlier. Heh, if you go any later, she might already be bought and made into a slave!" Yun Ziyue laughed triumphantly. If it were any other Yun family disciple, he would naturally have stepped in to help. But for the siblings Yun Feiyang and Yun Xiaoya, he considered it a kindness just not to kick them while they were down.
Upon hearing this, Yun Chen was gripped by anxiety and hurriedly asked Yun Mengchen where the slave market was.
"Follow this road straight, turn left in about thirty miles, and you will see it."
Before Yun Mengchen had even finished speaking, Yun Chen had already squeezed into the crowd, moving at high speed toward the destination.
"Let's go, follow him and see. I want to see if my little cousin can actually save his sister," Yun Ziyue said with a wave of his hand, ready to watch the spectacle. Yun Shanshan and Yun Zhongfei smiled indifferently and followed. The group of four chased in the direction Yun Chen had taken.
In the Daxia Nation, slave trading was a common practice.
Yun Chen moved quickly, arriving at the slave market shortly after. The market was vast, with men and women alike wearing shackles on their wrists and ankles, standing in rows like merchandise on display. Scanning the slaves, Yun Chen noted that most were women, clearly commoners with no background. This was expected; those behind the market would never dare touch anyone with real status.
His gaze suddenly stopped when he saw a girl in a yellow dress. She appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, her clothes and pants tattered, barely covering her body. She stood there, eyes vacant, and on her exposed forearm was a prominent slave brand.
This was Yun Chen’s sister, Yun Xiaoya.
"Xiaoya!" Yun Chen’s eyes turned red instantly.
"I’ll take this little slave. How many gold coins?" A young man dressed like a dandy, waving a folding fan, walked up to Yun Xiaoya and spoke directly.
The slave merchant was a man of fat and muscle, with small eyes that disappeared into his face whenever he smiled, giving him the look of a Maitreya Buddha. His belly was round, and had his legs been any shorter, he would have looked like a ball of flesh. Upon hearing the offer, he chirped, "Young Master has a great eye! This is a top-tier piece of goods, she even has some cultivation. I won't overcharge you—ten thousand gold coins and you can take her away!"
Yun Xiaoya was, after all, a descendant of a prominent family; she had naturally undergone the Spirit-Awakening and was already at Spirit-Guiding Realm Layer 3.
Ten thousand gold coins. Yun Chen gasped. His total wealth did not exceed five thousand.
"Ten thousand gold coins? Don't you think that's a bit much?" The youth with the fan frowned. Ten thousand gold coins amounted to ten spirit stones—a lifetime of wealth for many commoners. For a mere slave, this merchant was surely out of his mind.
Yun Chen didn't step forward immediately, instead contemplating his next move. The fat merchant had the strength of Peak Qi Cyclone Realm—nothing to him—but he didn't believe the man operated here without someone powerful backing him.
"Young Master, she is a practitioner at the Mid Spirit-Guiding Realm. At her age, that is quite the talent. Ten thousand gold coins is not a loss!" the fat man smiled, showing no urgency. This attitude made Yun Chen’s teeth ache; he longed to walk up and slap that smug face into a pulp.
"Ten thousand gold coins!" Yun Ziyue, who had just arrived, spoke up. "Yun Feiyang, I never imagined your sister was worth so much!"
"Mengchen, do you have any spirit stones on you?" Yun Chen ignored him and looked at Yun Mengchen.
Yun Mengchen hesitated for a moment before saying, "I... I happen to have ten spirit stones!" These were the stones he had painstakingly saved to break through the Qi Condensation Realm, as he was already at the Peak Qi Cyclone Realm.
"Could you lend them to me? Don't worry, I will pay you back as soon as I can!" Yun Chen pleaded nervously. Although he had transmigrated into this body, he felt an instinctive, deep concern for Yun Xiaoya—as if she were his own flesh and blood.
"Alright!" Yun Mengchen began to reach for the stones.
"Are you insane? If you lend him those stones, do you really think you'll ever see them again?" Yun Shanshan scolded.
"Yun Mengchen, if you dare lend spirit stones to this loser today, don't ever call me brother again!" Yun Ziyue threatened.
"That's right, don't call me brother either!" Yun Zhongfei added.
None of the three wanted Yun Mengchen to help Yun Chen.
"We are all family," Yun Mengchen whispered, but seeing the desperate, longing look in Yun Chen’s eyes, he couldn't find the heart to refuse. He handed over the spirit stones.
***
**Chapter 18: I'll Take This Girl**
"I offer ten spirit stones and fifty thousand gold coins!" Once the stones were in his hand, Yun Chen spoke loudly, pointing at Yun Xiaoya. "I’ll take this girl."
Yun Xiaoya stared blankly at Yun Chen, and tears began to stream down her face. She never expected to find her elder brother here. *Brother is okay.* Heaven knew how much she had suffered while traveling to the Tianyang Sect to find him.
"Wait! I called dibs on this girl first! I’ll pay the ten thousand gold coins!" The young man with the fan panicked as he realized his slave was about to be taken away.
Yun Chen didn't speak, only giving him a look of disdain.
"I’m sorry, but this young master has offered ten spirit stones and fifty thousand gold coins, totaling fifteen thousand gold coins. If you want her, it goes to the highest bidder!" the fat merchant said with a grin.
The young man with the fan turned pale. He didn't have that much gold on him, or he wouldn't have hesitated earlier.
"Can you wait for me a moment? I..." The youth began to negotiate with the merchant, but Yun Chen cut him off. "Boss, anyone can see this guy doesn't have the money. Ten spirit stones and fifty thousand gold coins—are you selling or not? If not, I’m leaving!"
The fat merchant was a shrewd man. He understood Yun Chen’s meaning perfectly and replied, "But this young master hasn't officially bid yet. We must wait for him. In business, integrity is everything!"
*Integrity my foot!* Yun Chen cursed inwardly. If his strength allowed it, he would have slapped the man into a puddle of mush. But for now, he didn't dare cross the line unless absolutely necessary.
"I bid twenty thousand gold coins! I’ll send someone home to fetch them right now, as long as..." the youth started.
Seeing the merchant’s eyes light up, Yun Chen felt a sinking sensation. He glared at the merchant and said, "Boss, let me be clear: the slave you are selling is a member of my Yun family—my own sister. I am offering you this price to save face for whoever is backing you. I suggest you don't bite the hand that feeds you!"
Yun Chen had no choice but to play the Yun family card. The Yun family was one of the eight great aristocratic families of Daxia.
The merchant's expression shifted. However, he remained skeptical: "Heh, you say you’re from the Yun family, but what proof do you have?"
"Proof? Do you not see the people behind me? They are all Yun family members! This is our genius Yun Ziyue, an inner sect disciple of Dayan Mountain and a Peak Qi Condensation expert! This is Yun Shanshan, Mid Qi Condensation! Yun Zhongfei, Late Qi Condensation and outer sect disciple of Dayan Mountain! And this is Yun Mengchen, Peak Qi Cyclone Realm and outer sect disciple! The slave you are trying to sell is my sister, Yun Xiaoya! Boss, do you still doubt my word?" Yun Chen sneered.
Yun Ziyue and the others turned sour. Yun Chen was truly calculating, yet they couldn't deny it because they *were* indeed from the Yun family. Their attire, which clearly distinguished between inner and outer disciples, was recognizable even to the merchant. Seeing their silence, the merchant knew it was true.
"Young Master, you joke! How could I doubt your words? I am truly sorry; I had no idea this was your sister. Someone! Untie this young lady immediately! Are you blind? Don't you know this is a lady of the Yun family?" The merchant performed a grand charade.
Someone rushed forward to unlock Yun Xiaoya’s shackles. Yun Chen glared coldly at the merchant, showing no intention of handing over the spirit stones. Since he had played the Yun family card, why would he pay a cent?
The merchant’s face darkened. He had paid gold to acquire Yun Xiaoya, after all. "Uh, Young Master... Young Lady Yun was delivered to our market by someone else, and we spent a fair bit of gold... perhaps you could..."
He was clearly demanding the stones.
"Heh, my friend, are you confused about something? You kidnapped a member of the Yun family and sold her in the streets—we haven't even settled that score yet, and now you want gold coins? Do you think the Yun family has fallen? Or do you think the blade at my hip is no longer sharp enough to cut off your round head?" Yun Chen pulled Yun Xiaoya behind him, his tone chilling.
"But you previously said you would bid..."
"That was then, this is now!"
"You..." The merchant was left speechless with rage.
Yun Chen didn't bother with further talk. He turned and returned the spirit stones to Yun Mengchen. The young man who had originally tried to buy Yun Xiaoya broke into a cold sweat; realizing the people Yun Chen was with, he slipped into the crowd and vanished. The merchant glared at Yun Chen’s back, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes.
***
**Chapter 19: The Demon**
"Mengchen, thank you for this. I will remember today. By the way, I have changed my name; from now on, call me Yun Chen," Yun Chen said to Yun Mengchen.
"Brother Feiyang, why change your name?" Yun Mengchen asked instinctively.
*Brother Feiyang?* The fat merchant’s eyes flickered. There was only one Yun Feiyang in the Yun family, right? He looked at the young man, his mind turning.
"I’ll tell you later. Thank you for today. Here are your stones; my sister and I must leave. We will meet again!" Not wanting to stay with Yun Ziyue and his group, Yun Chen returned the stones and pulled Yun Xiaoya away.
"Brother!" Yun Xiaoya called out timidly, looking pitiful. "I... did I cause you trouble?"
"Silly girl, what trouble? Anything I do for you is my duty," Yun Chen said, instinctively patting her head.
"Brother, I’m not a little girl anymore, I’m fifteen!" Yun Xiaoya pouted.
"Right, Xiaoya, why did you suddenly come to Fuxue City?"
"You know what kind of person Brother Xu Yan is; the entire Tianyan City knows. I never expected that Uncle would try to marry me off to him as a concubine. I was terrified, so I snuck out of the Yun family..."
"I left the family to find you. On the way, I met Sister Manman. She brought me all the way to Fuxue City, but..." The girl’s eyes brimmed with tears. "We encountered a demon on the road. He killed Sister Manman and brought me to Fuxue City. Because I have cultivation, I could be sold for a high price, so he sold me to the slave market... Brother, if you have the chance, you must kill that man and avenge Sister Manman."
Yun Chen sighed inwardly. This was a man-eating world. Without strength, one had nothing.
"Don't worry. If I run into that demon, I will kill him and avenge Sister Manman for you," Yun Chen comforted her.
"Brother, where are we going now?"
"To Dayan Mountain. I’ll buy you two sets of clothes and get you something to eat first, then we’ll check if there are tickets for the beast carriage today."
"Ah, what are you going to do at Dayan Mountain? Also, Brother, I heard them say your cultivation was crippled. Is that true?"
"It was, but my Dantian has recovered. I am a Spirit-Guiding Realm warrior now. As for Dayan Mountain, I have some business to attend to." Yun Chen didn't want to explain too much; some things were too complicated.
"That's great! I knew you wouldn't give up!"
Though they hadn't seen each other for a long time, the siblings felt no distance. Most of the time, Yun Xiaoya did the talking, and Yun Chen listened.
"Huh? Isn't that the little girl I sold to the slave market? Looks like she’s been bought," a man with a sinister face murmured in a shop. He realized something, stepped out of the shop, and began to trail them.
Yun Chen was unaware of being followed amidst the bustling crowd of Fuxue City. After buying clothes and getting food for Xiaoya, they arrived at the beast station. It was crowded. A ticket for the large beast carriage to Dayan Mountain cost twenty thousand gold coins. Because he had to bring Xiaoya, he was forced to buy two.
After the purchase, he had less than a thousand gold coins left, leaving him speechless. He had only just started, and he was already running out of money. If he had known this, he wouldn't have been in such a rush to return the stones to Yun Mengchen.
The beast carriages ran once every half month, and there were three days left before the next departure. Yun Chen didn't want to waste that time. *Should I go back to the arena?* he wondered, rubbing his nose.
"Brother!" Yun Xiaoya suddenly cried out.
"What's wrong?" Yun Chen looked at her and realized she was pale and trembling with terror.
"Him... he is the demon who killed Sister Manman!" Yun Xiaoya pointed toward a man in a black robe in front of them. The man had distinct triangular eyes and looked incredibly cold.
The man was staring directly at Yun Chen and Xiaoya. Seeing them look back, he walked straight toward them. "Not bad, quite a bit of gold on you. Kid, this little girl is my personal servant. Now, I’m taking her back. You don't have any objections, do you?"
As he spoke, a wave of cold, murderous intent erupted from him. The powerful aura of a Peak Qi Condensation Realm cultivator surged toward Yun Chen. Faint white light rippled over his body—spirit energy manifesting externally, the hallmark of the Qi Condensation Realm.
"I paid fifty thousand gold coins at the slave market for this girl, and you call her your servant? Heh, do you have any proof?" Yun Chen asked calmly, his own killing intent rising. *This bastard really thinks he can treat us like soft persimmons?*
***
**Chapter 20: Who Said I Was Running?**
"What proof do I need? I say it is, so it is!" the man snorted.