Ten days later.
Chen Yun finally saw the appearance of the Xigou City.
This is a large city built with compacted earth walls and reinforced.
The city wall soared high, and the lookout tower was majestic.
The city gate stood open, with people hurrying in and out, the streets bustling and noisy.
This towering city, when viewed from afar, extends for over 112 miles in length and over 80 miles in width.
Chen Yun estimated that the city occupied an area of approximately 23.4 square kilometers.
According to Grandpa San's words, Xigou City is just one of the cities under the rule of the State of Qin, and it is home to roughly five hundred thousand people.
This surprised Chen Yun greatly.
Xigou City is only a city, not even a county, let alone a prefecture.
In the State of Qin, a "city" was equivalent to a county in modern society.
"County" roughly corresponds to a provincial city in modern society.
"Prefecture" refers to a province.
A ancient "county-level city" being as large as the capital of the State of Qin, Xianyang, from memory?
The population is almost identical?
Chen Yun was really getting more and more confused by this "magical world".
This was not even the most astonishing part for him.
What really surprised Chen Yun was that not far from Xigou City, there was a mountain range that might be even larger than the ancient Chinese mountains in his previous life.
This mountain range pierced through the clouds, as if it were over ten million meters high.
This mountain range is the Chongnan Mountain, which is said to be the place where immortals reside in legend.
There was another thing that puzzled him.
On the way, he had seen many villages.
No matter the size of those villages, they all had several temples.
It's not surprising to have temples.
What puzzled Chen Yun was that in every village, the largest temple was always the Laojun Temple, followed by other temples such as the Ba Xian Temple and the Jade Emperor Temple and so on.
Generally speaking, different religions often have different gods and temples for worship, let alone having a Laojun Temple in every place.
Move forward along the smooth paving stones.
The city was very bustling.
"Selling grass sandals! Top-quality grass sandals for only ten wen!"
"Don't miss out on this opportunity, try some crisp and delicious winter dates?"
"How much for that hat and comb?"
"Grandpa, two you bing."
Chen Yun could see both sides of the street were buzzing with vendors and customers of all sorts, the haggling and bargaining rang out, making the entire city full of vitality and vigor.
The dense array of shops and a myriad of goods on display were so overwhelming that they left one's eyes reeling.
A few teenagers on the carriage saw such a lively scene for the first time, they were all afraid and silent, staring wide-eyed at the street.
Afterwards, Chen Yun passed through the most bustling central area and saw the Laojun Temple, which looked like a palace.
Finally, after about half an hour of travel.
The donkey cart finally stopped at a relatively deserted "human market" in the west of the city.
This was a place similar to a small goods market.
Looking inside along the entrance passage.
There were countless shops with signs that read "Teeth Trade".
Chen Yun could clearly see many young men and women sitting outside the "Ginger family teeth trade" close to the entrance.
Next to each of the young men and women were boards with prices posted.
For example, the teenager with a tiger head and a strong appearance was priced at fifteen taels.
The other teenager with a thinner and dirtier body was priced at only ten taels.
On the other hand, the little girl with an egg-shaped face had a higher price, a full twenty taels.
There were also several well-dressed and attractive women sitting inside the teeth trade.
Beside these attractive women were also price tags, and one was even priced at eighty taels of silver.
But that's not the most expensive.
Chen Yun saw the most expensive was a middle-aged man with a disheveled appearance, priced at an amazing one thousand two taels of silver!
"Don't look anymore, those women inside are the female relatives of aristocratic families that have been confiscated and annihilated, not something you can just buy back with your money."
Grandpa San glanced at the young boys.
Immediately, he jumped down from the donkey cart and said, "Follow me inside."
Chen Yun "oh"ed and got off the donkey cart with three or four other young boys.
Walked straight in.
Walked to the innermost of the small shop.
Grandpa San took out the key and opened the door, "Come in."
A musty smell wafted in.
Chen Yun looked inside and found that the shop was only about 10 to 20 square meters in size.
At this moment, he finally understood why Grandpa San would go back and forth to a small village to trade in human beings, taking a round trip of about 20 days. It turned out that the scale was very small.
...
Three days passed in a flash.
During this period, the three or four boys who came together were all chosen and bought by someone.
The tall and thin boy was sold for fourteen taels.
The dark-skinned boy was sold for eleven taels.
The other two young men were thinner, one being sold for nine taels and the other for eight taels and five cents.
Only Chen Yun had a higher price, and no one was willing to pay a high price for him yet.
Alternatively, Grandpa San saw Chen Yun's ability to do accounts and didn't want to sell him.
This noon.
There were only Chen Yun and Grandpa San left in the shop.
Grandpa San looked at the account book and praised, "Your accounts are very good. It's worth spending 20 taels of silver to buy you back."
Chen Yun smiled and didn't speak.
Grandpa San said, "I'm thinking, should I cultivate you and have you serve as the manager of the store when I go to the countryside to collect children."
Chen Yun's intention was not to become a human trafficker, so he gave a vague answer.
While chatting, a youth dressed as a Taoist entered from the door.
As soon as Grandpa San saw the Taoist, he immediately stood up and walked out to bow, "Greetings, Master Wang."
The young Taoist, who was called Wang Dao Zang, appeared very courteous, bowing back in response to Grandpa San's greeting and saying, "Greetings, boss."
Hmm?
It's a Taoist.
It seems to be a high-status Taoist.
Chen Yun's heart stirred, and he recalled that some days ago, Grandpa San had told him that in the current world, Buddhist monks and Taoist priests were held in high esteem.
Grandpa San ingratiatingly invited Master Wang to sit down, saying, "Master, please wait a moment while I get some pastries for you."
"Thank you for your kindness, Master. I don't need the pastries," said Wang Xian Zang, declining politely. He explained his purpose, "I have seen that my junior brother's five-year term in the herb garden has expired and has been dismissed. Therefore, I want to rehire a long-term worker and have some tools that I previously bought from your teeth trade. That's why I came to see if there are any suitable candidates."
"Master Wang, you are truly benevolent. In other people's homes, bought children or servants work for a lifetime. However, at your Jinyang Cave Passing Daoist Temple, when people are bought back, no bond is signed. They are given monthly stipends and at the end of five years, more than ten taels of silver are given for release. It's truly a kind heart."
Grandpa San didn't know whether he was flattery or genuine praise, but he added one more compliment.
While saying this, he looked at Chen Yun and clearly didn't want to sell him, so he spoke in a polite way, "Unfortunately, I have only a weak and thin boy here temporarily. It might be difficult for him to serve as a long-term worker in the herb garden of your Jinyang Cave Passing Daoist Temple. Perhaps you can go elsewhere to look for a better candidate?"
Hearing this, Chen Yun's heart dropped, and he vaguely understood that Grandpa San didn't want to sell him to others.
A normal human trafficker seeks wealth, and essentially they are still merchants. Regardless of any flaws in the product, they will definitely promote it.
However, just now Grandpa San not only did not promote the product but also actively degraded it, which was clearly that he didn't want to sell it.
Chen Yun pondered carefully and understood the situation.
As expected, it must be that his exceptional ability in accounting over the past two days had caused Grandpa San to develop a fondness for talent, wanting him to inherit his legacy.
At the very least, like what he had initially said, they wanted to keep him by their side as an accountant or manager.
He never intended to be a human trafficker in ancient times, and naturally he was unwilling to stay here.
It's just that Grandpa San was unwilling to sell himself.
If this continues, he might really have to struggle to survive.
Chen Yun knew he couldn't compromise like this. He needed to find a way to escape as soon as possible.
Master Wang glanced at Chen Yun, then looked away, "Hm, he is a bit thin. Well, I'll look for someone else."
After saying this, Master Wang turned to leave.
Chen Yun learned that Buddhist monks and Taoist priests hold a high status in this world.
Moreover, just now, Grandpa San addressed the other party as "Master Wang."
Chen Yun estimated that the other party might really be good at some "mystical spells."
Perhaps Master Wang was the opportunity to help Chen Yun escape from this place.
He couldn't miss such a good opportunity.
"Master Wang, please wait a moment!"
Chen Yun called out in a hurry.
Grandpa San's face changed, and he yelled at Chen Yun for the first time, "Be quiet!"
"Oh, Master don't frighten the young friend."
Master Wang had a good temperament and turned around, also telling Grandpa San not to scold Chen Yun.
Grandpa San nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes."
Master Wang looked over and smiled, asking, "Young friend, what is it that you want to call for me?"
Chen Yun knew that there was only one chance to persuade Master Wang to buy him.
If he couldn't persuade him, he might be punished by Grandpa San tonight.
He thought quickly in his mind and soon knew what to say.
Chen Yun said, "Master, I can read and write."
Yes, he only said that he could read and write.
This point may seem quite ridiculous in the eyes of people in modern society.
After all, everyone has gone through nine years of compulsory education.
What's so special about being able to read and write?
But in ancient society, being able to read and write was something extraordinary.
Because not everyone could afford to go to school!
He had seen the characters in this world before and knew they were "Traditional Chinese characters." While he might not necessarily understand each individual character when looked at individually, he could understand the words when put together.
It was said that before the Qin Dynasty, the characters used were not "traditional Chinese characters."
The reason why "traditional Chinese characters" are used now is entirely due to the promotion of the dominant country. Other countries under its control, such as vassal states, had no choice but to adopt this form of writing.
Therefore, Chen Yun had to take a gamble. He gambled that Master Wang valued those who can read and write more than those who are physically strong and healthy.
Grandpa San's brow furrowed even more. From all the days of interaction, he certainly knew that Chen Yun could read and write.
A "master of arithmetic" who can also read and write.
This was also the main reason why he didn't want to sell Chen Yun.
Master Wang clearly paused for a moment, rather curious, and asked in disbelief, "You can read and write?"
Chen Yun nodded slightly and said, "Yes."
Master Wang showed interest, glanced at the counter, then picked up an account book and opened it, handing it over and saying, "Read me."
Grandpa San looked at Chen Yun with a stern expression.
It seems that he won the bet!
Chen Yun felt a secret joy in his heart, but his expression remained calm.
He reached out and took the account book, reading it in a low, respectful tone, "On December 9th, we hired a servant named Zhao Shouting, for a total of 7 taels. On December 20th, we sold him for 14 taels. On December 20th... Chen Yun, for 20 taels..."
Chen Yun breathed steadily and read the content of the page in one go.
Master Wang became increasingly satisfied as he looked.
Grandpa San's face looked even more unpleasant.
He seemed to have a premonition that he couldn't keep Chen Yun, the high-level talent.
At the end, after Chen Yun had finished reading, he glanced at Grandpa San and Master Wang, fearing that simply showing his ability to read and write might not be enough to make Master Wang willing to spend a lot of money on him.
He thought for a moment before deliberately showing off, "Master San, there's a mistake in the total."
Grandpa San looked puzzled and asked, "What's the mistake?"
Master Wang glanced over accordingly.
Chen Yun saw the curiosity on Master Wang's face and knew that he had to let him understand.
He organized his language and clearly stated, "You bought me, Zhao Shouting, and four others at prices of twenty taels, seven taels, five taels, eight taels five cents, and six taels respectively. The total cost was forty-six taels of silver. When you sold them off, the earnings were fourteen taels, eight taels five cents, eleven taels, and nine taels respectively. The total income was forty-two taels and five cents. After subtracting the costs, there should have been a loss of three taels and five cents. Instead, you wrote a profit of sixteen taels and five cents. You forgot to add the money you spent on buying me."
Grandpa San knew of course, because he had never intended to sell Chen Yun, so he hadn't calculated it.
Chen Yun knew that Grandpa San knew the truth as well, and he pointed it out solely to Master Wang.
Grandpa San noticed Chen Yun's determination to leave, and his brow furrowed even more deeply.
Chen Yun didn't pay attention to what Grandpa San was thinking; he just calmly looked to the left.
Master Wang seemed increasingly surprised, "Can you even do arithmetic?"
Chen Yun understood that Master Wang was not surprised that he could do arithmetic, but rather that he could instantly calculate these figures.
He remained calm and made a bow, "I have a little knowledge of it, Master. Does this meet your standards?"
Master Wang did not directly answer the question but chuckled and said, "Your appearance is identical to that of an old friend of mine."
Oh, my God.
Better be sure that you really have that old friend!
Chen Yun suspected that Master Wang might be a reincarnated person like himself and tested, "Master, have you remembered anyone?"
He wanted to hear if the answer was the one he remembered.
Master Wang looked to the east, his gaze gradually drifting away, "My elder brother, Lu Dongbin."
Right on!
Indeed, he gambled correctly!
Chen Yun couldn't help but feel his heart racing.
Chen Yun couldn't help but feel his heart pounding. He had heard Grandpa San mention that Lu Dongbin was already one of the Eight Immortals.
As Master Wang's apprentice, Lu Dongbin was likely to have profound knowledge of Daoist practices even if he wasn't an immortal himself.
As long as he could be bought by Master Wang, there was a possibility that Chen Yun could learn about the art of immortality.
Even, become an immortal!
Now, there's only one question left: Will Master Wang be willing to buy himself?
Chen Yun looked with expectation, eager to hear Master Wang's answer.
