A Pawn's Passage

In this world, money could solve 99% of all problems.

Ziguang Society moved with remarkable speed. The day after Zhang Yuelu paid them, they had already mapped out all warehouse locations owned by the Nanyang United Trading Company.

There were a total of 28 warehouses. Seven of them were large warehouses, six of which were located in the port district, used for bulk cargo transfer, with constant traffic.

The remaining large warehouse sat near the Company’s headquarters, used to store valuable goods that were rarely put on the market.

There were also 12 medium warehouses and 9 small ones, scattered throughout the city. Though called “small,” each could easily hide a few hundred people, making these the most suspicious locations.

Ziguang Society had only planted one operative inside the company—the chief secretary of a senior executive. However, she knew little about the slave-trading operations. Thus, finding the exact location of the captives would still take time.

Zhang Yuelu’s logic was straightforward. Legitimate trade did not need investigation, but slave trading violated Daoist law. As long as she found the warehouse holding the slaves, that alone would be sufficient evidence. That way, she could openly station forces inside the Company and conduct a full investigation, eventually exposing their weaknesses and pulling up the entire network by the roots.

If there was a storm, it did not matter who fell into the water first or last. None of them would escape.

Aside from this, Lion City also had an underground auction house. It was obviously illegal, entirely different from the official auctions held by the Daoist Order.

This underground auction also sold humans. But its owner was not the Nanyang United Trading Company. It was the Heavenly Court. Although Heavenly Court was nominally the Taiping Sect’s private army, the latter could not fully control the former, just as Zhang Yuelu still had to pay the Ziguang Society for help.

The Heavenly Court acted as local warlords across Nanyang, doing whatever they pleased. If they dared kill, why wouldn’t they dare sell people? For profit, nothing was off-limits.

In truth, even the Li family was unwilling to police the Heavenly Court’s messes. After all, expecting a band of pirates to follow Daoist laws was nothing short of fantasy. As long as the Heavenly Court obeyed orders and cooperated when needed, the Li family turned a blind eye to their deeds.

Zhang Yuelu suspected that the Nanyang United Trading Company was one of the suppliers for this underground auction. Thus, she planned to inspect it personally.

However, such places only admitted familiar clients. Any entry required sponsorship from an existing member, and new faces would never get in quickly.

Fortunately, Star Lord Yuheng was a member—to be exact, a VIP—so she could escort them inside.

Star Lord Yuheng did not come to buy people. The auction house also sold other things besides humans, though the origins of those goods were rarely clean.

This was essentially one of the Heavenly Court’s grounds to fence their stolen goods. Star Lord Yuheng enjoyed purchasing rare and peculiar items here, which were usually 20 to 30% cheaper than through legitimate channels.

The reason that the Daoist Order did not eradicate this place was due to the chaotic mix of forces here. This was not the Central Plains with the Imperial Court’s backing, so the Daoists did not have enough manpower to govern everything.

After Zhang Yuelu made her request, Star Lord Yuheng did not object. She visited the auction every few days anyway. Having just pocketed 20,000 Taiping coins, she was not about to let them sit and gather dust.

Lion City was divided into five districts. The southeast port district was the busiest of all, with endless streams of ships and cargo each day. The central district was the most prosperous, home to the Nanting Protectorate, Taiping Bank, Taiping Inn, the Daoist Palace, the headquarters of the Nanyang United Trading Company, and the West Shakya Company branch. The southwest housed the naval port and military barracks, while the northeast was the residential area. The northwest was pure chaos—a den of thieves, cultists, swindlers, pirates, gamblers, and drunks. This was where the Heavenly Court congregated.

When Qi Xuansu had come to inspect the Lion City on his previous trip, all the local powerhouses in the northwest issued urgent orders, not allowing disturbances of any kind. Everyone was to behave. Anyone who accidentally offended or ran into Second Deputy Qi would find themselves with a guaranteed place at the bottom of the sea or become fertilizer for a rubber plantation.

Such was the charm of power.

Had Qi Xuansu been merely a Wuliang-stage cultivator, his arrival in Lion City would have been no more than tea-time gossip. But coming as the Second Deputy of the Daoist Mansion was enough to silence an entire city.

Who could possibly resist such influence?

The Heavenly Court’s underground auction house was located right within the northwest district.

If Zhang Yuelu went alone, she would not necessarily be in danger, since her cultivation was deterrent enough. However, she would certainly run into trouble. After all, the northwest district was filled with fools who did not know better.

Going with Star Lord Yuheng was different. After ruling Lion City for years, Star Lord Yuheng was one of its undisputed local powers. She was known as Lord Yu or Madam Yu, and no one dared provoke her.

A black, Western-style four-wheeled carriage entered the northwest district. The wind chimes hanging from each corner of the carriage rang as the carriage moved forward. Hearing the chimes, the pedestrians immediately recognized that it was Madam Yu’s carriage and hurriedly cleared the way.

Anyone foolish enough to obstruct Madam Yu would find themselves tossed into the sea, not by Madam Yu herself, but by the Heavenly Court. That was because Madam Yu was one of Heavenly Court’s biggest customers. Even pirates knew to keep their clients happy.

Inside the carriage sat only Star Lord Yuheng and Zhang Yuelu. Ke Qingqing had been left behind to handle paperwork.

Star Lord Yuheng was her usual self, sitting legs crossed with her body leaning lazily to one side, holding a glass of red wine. As she drank, she briefed Zhang Yuelu on the underground auction house. “From what I’ve observed, slave trading accounts for about 40% of this place’s total income. It’s quite a large share. But unlike the West Shakya Company, which deals in hundreds or thousands of slaves intended for hard labor, this place focuses on quality, or to put it plainly, appearance. Most of them are female, with a smaller number of males.”

Zhang Yuelu’s expression did not change. There was no anger or hatred, which left Star Lord Yuheng slightly disappointed.

Star Lord Yuheng continued, “There aren’t many slaves in the Central Plains since it’s Daoist territory. Oversight is strict, so the only way is to trick the ignorant. Slavers can’t open snatch them away. But with the Western nations constantly at war, Western slaves are plentiful. Some people like the novelty of it. If they’re lucky enough to find a fallen noble lady with a title, the price can double.”

Zhang Yuelu glanced at Star Lord Yuheng’s face. Her Western features were unmistakable.

Star Lord Yuheng did not mind. “Your guess is right. My birth mother was a slave—one such fallen, unlucky noble lady. My father paid around 3,000 Taiping coins to buy her. My status at home was barely above a servant’s. That’s why I’m truly grateful to the True Lord. Without her mercy, I can’t imagine what I would be today.”

Zhang Yuelu said softly, “Sorry to hear that.”

Star Lord Yuheng smiled. “It’s nothing. That was decades ago. Both my parents are long gone. I’ve turned into a crone myself, so I’ve long made peace with it.”

As the two spoke, the carriage stopped before a grand building. Though called an underground auction house, it was not subterranean. Instead, it was held in one of the most iconic structures in the northwest district.

The building was five stories tall and enormous. Its style was unmistakably that of the Heavenly Court, with a peculiar fusion of Chinese and Western aesthetics, much like their Grand Leader Wu Guangbi’s attire.

Central Plains eaves were paired with Western columns. Pixiu statues perched upon the eaves, while mermaids were carved into the pillars. It also had a traditional eight-panel door that was common in the Central Plains, as well as Western stained-glass windows above it. The threshold was high, and there were Western-style red carpets laid out.

Though Nanyang was always humid and scorching, especially in summer, Zhang Yuelu still wore a heavy cloak with the hood drawn low to conceal her face. She then followed Star Lord Yuheng off the carriage.

Star Lord Yuheng walked ahead, with Zhang Yuelu only half a step behind her, resembling an attendant.

The steward of the auction house had already come out to greet them. This was a privilege offered only to VIP members like Star Lord Yuheng. The steward bowed humbly and guided them forward.

Star Lord Yuheng asked with a smile, “I heard that the Grand Leader has returned. Is it true?”

The steward replied, “Madam, your information is as sharp as ever. The Grand Leader has indeed returned to Nanyang, though small figures like us have no chance of meeting him. But rumor has it a noble from the Li family travels with him.”

Star Lord Yuheng nodded without probing further, then enquired about the quality of slaves. “Anything good on offer today?”

The steward froze for a moment, then said, “Madam, why are you asking all of a sudden? You’ve never touched that category before.”

Star Lord Yuheng replied casually, “One of my maids ran off with some wild man. Even if I find her, I’ll beat her to death. So I’m looking for a young girl to replace her.”

The steward understood immediately. “Rest assured, Madam. A fresh batch arrived a few days ago. They’re of top quality. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

Led by the steward, Star Lord Yuheng and Zhang Yuelu entered a private room on the second floor. The first and second floors of the auction house were open to each other, constructed like a Western-style arena. Thus, from a second-floor box, one could see everything happening below.

Zhang Yuelu pulled back her hood and stepped up to the floor-to-ceiling window.