Chapter Forty-One: Purchasing Maidservants
He walked up to the first woman. She was still young, her body thin and frail, her appearance rather plain. If her innate constitution was outstanding, it would make no difference with the lights out. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Show me your hand!”
The woman’s eyes were lifeless, and she trembled slightly, as if she had never had her hand gripped so firmly by a man before. A flash of resistance appeared in her gaze.
[Constitution Appraisal]
The slave broker looked on in confusion but dared not interrupt.
Constitution Grade: E
Upon sensing the woman’s constitution, Su Yang shook his head helplessly and moved on to the next. This woman’s chest was high, but the rest of her was just as emaciated and weak. The slave traders ensured their wares didn’t starve to death, but only just.
Constitution Grade: E
Sighing, he approached the next girl and took her hand. She was a yellow-haired lass of fifteen or sixteen, looking up at the handsome young lord with hope, wishing he would buy her—even if she had to slave away like an ox, she’d bear it willingly.
Constitution Grade: E
“Master… Master, please buy me! Please take me with you!”
“Take her away, don’t disturb our esteemed guest!” the broker ordered, waving two thugs over. The yellow-haired girl was dragged off. Su Yang had come to buy a maid with an exceptional constitution; if he gave in to one, the next would do the same, perhaps with even more desperate demonstrations.
Constitution Grade: E
Constitution Grade: E
Constitution Grade: E
…
One after another, more than a dozen women, all with the same grade. It seemed that Peach Blossom, Plum Blossom, and Cherished Spring at home were above average; ordinary folks were all E grade.
Constitution Grade: D
Su Yang’s heart lifted. He looked up. The girl before him was about five foot one, thin and sallow, her features not bad, but so gaunt she was far from attractive—worlds apart from the plump, radiant maids in the Wang household.
Those maids were all as gentle and fair as jade, soft-skinned and delicate—so lovely you could squeeze water from their cheeks.
But that didn’t matter. After some time in his household, she’d fill out into a bright, lively girl, for her foundation was decent.
“This one!” Su Yang declared with a wave.
The broker was delighted to finally pass one off. Two thugs quickly brought her to the side. The chosen yellow-haired girl, whose eyes had been dull and lifeless, now shone with a glimmer of hope—her heart pounding with excitement.
“Thank you, young master, thank you!” she cried, then collapsed to her knees before Su Yang, overwhelmed with gratitude.
If no one bought her, she would be left with the broker, surviving on just enough thin gruel to keep alive, huddling with others in a broken, drafty dormitory, shivering through the cold nights.
Though the broker did provide some gruel, some girls still starved to death. The women had a better chance of being sold, but the men suffered even more.
Of course, every slave cost silver. The broker had no wish to see them die, but grain was so expensive now that even the gruel was boiled with wood shavings and tree roots—a step up from eating clay, which could kill by blocking the bowels.
Even if the young master was a fiend who delighted in tormenting maids, at least she would get a full meal. Many now wished for nothing more than a single hearty meal before death—a rare hope.
Most who entered wealthy households served as drudges, which, to the slaves on sale, was as good as ascending to heaven.
“Don’t thank me yet. We still have to discuss the price. If it’s too much, fate won’t allow it,” Su Yang said coolly.
“Yes, yes!” the yellow-haired girl nodded quickly, casting a cold glance at the broker as if ready to fight to the death should he raise the price. The broker could only shake his head—slaves were hard to sell these days.
Supply far outstripped demand.
Seeing that Su Yang had chosen one, the rest of the slaves looked at him with hopeful, eager eyes.
Constitution Grade: E
Constitution Grade: E
Constitution Grade: E
…
He tested dozens more, selecting only three with D grade. Two were quite young, still tender, and the third, older—about twenty-seven or twenty-eight—had once served as a sturdy maid in a wealthy household. After her master’s family fell, she had been passed to the broker. She was not as scrawny or sallow as the others.
Having screened all the female slaves at the Zhou Market, Su Yang went to the Yanggu County market, supported by the Feng and Wei families. There were fewer women for sale, and those with talent even rarer.
Two yellow-haired girls, both with D-grade talent.
The broker was eager to make a sale, so prices matched the current market—ten taels of silver each, or half a dan of grain. Grain in Yanggu County now cost twenty taels a dan, twenty times the old price.
In addition, Su Yang arranged with the Zhou Market for eight thousand taels’ worth of grain—four hundred dans in all. Though costly, soon no one would be willing to sell. The three great families had hoarded much, but even they were running low.
The Zhou family promised delivery the next day; all Su Yang needed was the silver.
He returned with five new maids in all—four young girls and one older maiden.
Su Yang’s residence was now next to Liu Wenxiang’s, also with a main room, two left-side chambers, and four to the right. Peach Blossom, Plum Blossom, and Cherished Spring each had a room, leaving one right-side chamber free.
The five new maids, along with Li Doukou, were to live in the two left-side chambers.
The older maid was named Autumn One.
The four yellow-haired girls were named Winter One, Winter Two, Winter Three, and Winter Four.
Should they one day become room attendants or concubines, he could grant new names. For now, numbering them was more convenient—otherwise, with too many girls, he would quickly lose track.
For an A-grade constitution, names would begin with Spring.
For B grade, Summer.
For C grade, Autumn.
For D grade, Winter.
As for the most common E grade, he wouldn’t waste silver on such maids—always choosing the best. The yellow-haired girls before him were all thin and weak, in need of time to regain their strength.
Above all, they needed to survive the wedding night—a frail girl could hardly endure it, and he would have little interest. Even the health of their future children would suffer from poor nourishment during pregnancy.
There was also the matter of cultivating their affections. If love could not blossom, he would not force the matter—they were not machines.
Peach Blossom, Plum Blossom, and Cherished Spring came over, their bodies as warm and lovely as jade, a stark contrast to the yellow-haired girls.
Yet the latter were like unopened boxes—after some care, they would blossom into beauties. They were young and would recover quickly.
From today, all of them had their eighteenth birthday—marking a new beginning. In truth, they were all about that age.
“Winter One, from now on you will be Peach Blossom’s personal maid. Tend to her daily needs and obey her orders at all times,” Su Yang instructed a petite, frail girl who resembled Peach Blossom.
The girl nodded solemnly and went to Peach Blossom, addressing her as mistress. Winter Two was assigned to Plum Blossom, Winter Three to Cherished Spring, while Winter Four and Autumn One would serve as general maids for now.
Name: Su Yang (Prospective Immortal)
Incense Merit: 413
Cultivation: Eighth Rank, Tempered Skin
Techniques: [Incense Manual+], [Qi Vision], [Heartworm Control], [Constitution Appraisal]
Manuals: [Wild Ox Long Fist]
Medical Texts: [Gynecological Sacred Book]
Lifespan: 80+
Descendants: 1
Long-term Progress: The family’s development proceeds smoothly. For the healthy growth of your descendants and better care, assign one maid to each pregnant woman. Each assignment earns 20 incense merit!
Family Progress: The family’s development proceeds smoothly. Have your third wife bear a child to earn 30 incense merit!
Daily Reminder: Too many concubines—don’t mix them up!
He opened his panel. The family progress task had become long-term: assign a personal maid to each pregnant wife for 20 incense merit each.
Don’t underestimate those 20 points—they could buy two hundred days of lifespan.
Another progress task required a pregnancy, but that wasn’t a matter to be rushed—he placed his hopes on Cherished Spring.
The [Incense Manual] now showed a plus sign, meaning he could use incense merit to break through. After letting the maids familiarize themselves with their mistresses, Su Yang returned to his room and spent incense merit to upgrade the [Incense Manual].
Incense power surged through him, greatly boosting his life force and refining his fascia. Where once it was a mere trickle, now it poured like a river—yet protected by the incense, he could withstand the force.
Seventh Rank: Tendons like taut bows!
In less than half an incense stick’s time, Su Yang felt his explosive power soar. One kick could now shatter the air with a sonic boom—truly formidable.
After reaching the seventh rank, he could aim for the sixth.
By refining his bones with life force until they shone like jade, he would reach the sixth rank and become a top-tier warrior in Yanggu County. For now, the seventh rank was enough to disguise himself as eighth in public.
So long as the rebels did not enter the city, his strength would suffice—unless he brought disaster upon himself.
…
The next day, Wang Chunxiao was annoyed about Su Yang buying more maids, but after Liu Wenxiang’s lecture, she could only accept it. Su Yang now had two households to support: both the Wang family’s son-in-law and the Su family’s master.
However, Wang Chunxiao insisted on sharing a room with Su Yang that night. After all, he had promised her mother to do so at least once every ten days. Su Yang did not refuse.
That morning, the Zhou family delivered four hundred dan of grain. Su Yang paid and stored it in the neighboring house as a temporary granary. In the past, any silver he earned would have belonged to the Wang family.
But this shipment attracted unwanted attention—a group of surviving rebels who had infiltrated the city.
Night fell.
The bright moon hung high, and a faint feminine scent filled the room. Wang Chunxiao wore a white, form-fitting undergarment that accentuated her full bosom and slender figure. Her bare feet pressed against the smooth stone floor, graceful and delicate.
Unfortunately, Su Yang felt nothing for her.
If a woman loved him passionately, even if plain, he would be moved. But if a beauty regarded him with contempt and ridicule—forget it. Why court suffering?
Moreover, Wang Chunxiao was the worst kind—so ugly and troublesome it was perverse.
Su Yang arrived as promised, carrying his bedding. He tossed it on the floor and said, “Whatever the reason, I know you’ve never thought much of me—perhaps because I am a live-in son-in-law. No matter. I don’t care what others think. I promised your mother, and I keep my word. She’s been kind to me. Tonight, I’ll sleep on the floor. If you want anything, come over yourself—I won’t resist.”
With that, he lay down fully clothed.
“You…!” Wang Chunxiao lost her good mood, bit her lip, snorted coldly, and buried herself under her covers.
All night, Su Yang kept one eye open, wary that this perverse woman might cause trouble. If she snapped and tried to harm him, it wouldn’t be worth it. Fortunately, they kept to themselves, and the night passed peacefully.
He considered telling his mother-in-law to revoke the arrangement, but her pitiful gaze, the way she cried so prettily, made his heart soften. She had always treated him well. Since Wang Chunxiao cared nothing for him, he might as well let it go for now.
That night, Wang Chunxiao also slept poorly, gnashing her teeth and plotting to reveal her true beauty, so this man would know what he was missing. From now on, if he wanted to share her bed, he’d have to beg like a dog for the privilege—perhaps then she’d show some mercy.
…
Not far from the Wang residence, a group of shadowy figures gathered in a small house.
“The Azure King told us to stay hidden and wait for the signal. When the time comes, we’ll open the city gate from within, and Yanggu County will fall. But we can’t keep hiding here—our food’s nearly gone. We need a plan,” said one ninth-rank warrior.
“If we split up, it’ll be easier to stay concealed.”
“If we stay together, we can support one another. If any small fry find us, we’ll just dispose of them—less risk that way.”
“The Wang family nearby just bought several hundred dan of grain. I hear they’ve only got a ninth-rank son-in-law. Why not take over their house?”
“Are you sure?”
“I am. I followed them myself.”
“I’ll scout the place tonight. If it’s true, we’ll act tomorrow night.”
A woman dressed in black spoke coldly. Her features were exquisite, her figure tall and slender, her eyes icy as frost—a veritable ice maiden. Yet even the coldest woman has her soft side.
“If there’s only a ninth-rank son-in-law, there’s no need to wait. Once I confirm it, we’ll strike tomorrow night.”
“Several hundred dan of grain—enough to last us until the Azure King gives the order!”