Chapter 244: The Catgirl Being Auctioned, An Opportunity Belonging to Tang San
"A person?!"
Xiao Wu cried out in shock.
Inside the iron cage on the stage was actually a person—a young girl!
The clothes on her body were ragged and torn, while the exposed skin bore numerous tiny wounds, some fresh and some old.
Her wrists and ankles were shackled with thick iron chains that had rubbed deep, bloody marks into her skin, with some areas still oozing blood.
Her entire body trembled violently, like a leaf in the wind.
However, unlike an ordinary person—
On top of her head stood a pair of fluffy black cat ears, twitching nervously like a frightened rabbit.
Behind her trailed a tense black cat tail, tightly tucked between her legs, the tip curled into a ball.
The girl's eyes were large, her pupils amber-colored, yet filled with fear and despair that could not be dispelled.
That expression resembled a hunted kitten curled into the deepest corner of a cage, too afraid to look at anyone below the stage.
The entire venue fell silent for an instant because of the girl with cat-like features.
It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Then suddenly, louder laughter and discussion erupted, like boiling oil exploding in a pan.
"So it's a catgirl! She's really beautiful!"
"A mutated cat martial soul? I'm buying her to warm my bed!"
"Look at that pitiful little appearance. It'll definitely be fun to buy her back and play with her!"
Filthy discussions rose and fell endlessly, like buzzing flies.
Countless greedy gazes landed on the catgirl, filled with lust, contempt, and amusement.
As though she weren't a living person at all, but merely merchandise to be bought, sold, and toyed with at will.
The auctioneer was extremely satisfied with the crowd's reaction, smiling so hard that flowers could bloom from her face.
Holding the microphone, she introduced the item with a teasing tone.
"Distinguished guests, please look carefully. This young lady possesses a mutated cat martial soul. Due to the special mutation, the martial soul characteristics are permanently displayed on her body."
"She has a gentle personality. Whether for household service or personal companionship, she is an excellent choice!"
"Starting price: ten thousand gold soul coins. Each increase must be no less than five thousand!"
"Ten thousand!"
The moment the auctioneer finished speaking, someone in the audience immediately raised a bid, their voice filled with impatience, as though afraid someone else would snatch her away first.
"Fifteen thousand!"
"Twenty thousand!"
...
"Fifty thousand!"
...
The bidding rose one after another, and the price skyrocketed like a runaway horse.
The atmosphere of the entire venue reached its peak because of the catgirl's appearance.
Meanwhile, at their seats—
Xiao Wu's face had turned pale as paper.
Her entire body trembled uncontrollably from anger.
She was a hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit transformed into a human.
No one understood the hardship of transformed soul beasts better than her, nor the fear and despair of being treated as prey or merchandise.
This catgirl, though human, was being sold as a slave and treated like a plaything simply because she had awakened a cat-type martial soul.
How was this any different from how transformed soul beasts were treated?
The terror in the catgirl's expression made Xiao Wu empathize completely.
She pushed against the armrest and was about to stand up, wanting to rush forward, smash the cage, and rescue her.
But in the next second, Lin Qingmo's hand pressed down onto her shoulder.
"Don't act impulsively."
Lin Qingmo's voice was extremely low, steady, and reassuring.
"If we cause trouble now, not only will we fail to save her, but we'll also drag ourselves down, and it might even harm her further."
"Ah Qing..."
Xiao Wu's voice carried a sobbing tone as tears finally spilled down her cheeks, falling onto the back of her hand with a soft patter.
"How can they do this? She's a person, not merchandise! How can they treat her like an object to buy and sell?!"
"This world is ruled by the strong devouring the weak. It's unreasonable by nature."
Lin Qingmo quietly explained while gently patting her back, as if soothing a cat whose fur had stood on end.
"With our current strength, we can't bear the consequences of this."
"If we stir things up, not only will we fail to save her, but we'll also be captured by the auction house guards instead."
"At that point, this catgirl will only end up worse off. She might disappear into some unknown place forever."
He paused briefly, increasing the pressure of his hand slightly so she could feel his presence.
"Wait for now and observe the situation first."
"I... I understand."
Xiao Wu still listened carefully to Lin Qingmo's words.
She bit her lip tightly while clutching his sleeve.
Her body still trembled, but she no longer impulsively tried to stand.
Beside them, Zhu Zhuqing's expression was equally ugly.
Cold as a block of ice, without the slightest warmth.
Her clenched fists had turned pale white at the knuckles, with veins bulging visibly across the back of her hands.
As someone with a cat-type martial soul herself, her disgust toward this scene was no weaker than Xiao Wu's.
The catgirl's situation reminded her of her own life within the Star Luo Empire.
That despair of being swept along by fate and unable to control one's own life—she understood it better than anyone.
The royal family's power struggles, the schemes, and open conflicts between sisters—she herself had been moved around like a chess piece.
She also wanted to immediately rush forward, tear apart the cage, and shred those greedy people staring at the catgirl.
However, Zhu Zhuqing was more rational than Xiao Wu and understood reality more clearly.
Without even needing Lin Qingmo's persuasion, Zhu Zhuqing restrained the anger radiating from her body.
Ning Rongrong bit her lip tightly, trembling with fury like a shaking sieve.
She smashed her fist heavily against the armrest with a dull boom, grinding her teeth as she cursed:
"These scumbags really have no bottom line at all!"
"Selling living people as merchandise—can't the laws of the Heaven Dou Empire control them?!"
She had grown up within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect since childhood.
Pampered by Ning Fengzhi and the two Titled Douluo like a precious jewel, surrounded by luxury and given everything she wanted.
And she had been protected far too well by them.
How could she have ever witnessed something this filthy and disgusting before?
She only felt the anger surging in her chest to the point where she wished Sword Grandpa could appear immediately and destroy the entire auction house with a single strike.
Lin Qingmo merely shook his head with a faint smile.
"The laws of the Heaven Dou Empire?"
Neither the Heaven Dou Empire nor the Star Luo Empire prohibited slave trading.
Even the royal families and nobles possessed slaves.
This era was a feudal dynasty. The existence of such things was inevitable.
Lin Qingmo's gaze swept across the entire venue.
Looking at those nobles and soul masters with twisted expressions and greedy eyes, a cold smile lifted at the corner of his lips.
Scenes from the original work flashed through his mind.
The catgirl's appearance confirmed that this was likely the same auction where Tang San first met Ning Fengzhi.
Unexpectedly, after all the twists and turns, the story had still overlapped with the original plot at this point.
His gaze slowly swept through the venue like an eagle searching for prey.
Finally, Lin Qingmo's eyes landed upon the darkest corner of the hall.
There sat a figure wearing a blue mask.
Even seated within the shadows, the person radiated a cold aura that warned strangers to stay away, like a venomous snake.
After a glance, the figure's build looked extremely similar to Tang San's.
A meaningful smile curled onto Lin Qingmo's lips.
Tang San had indeed come.
He originally thought that after changing so much of the plot—bringing Xiao Wu and the others away from Shrek and having Xiao Wu completely cut ties with Tang San—Tang San shouldn't have had any opportunity to appear here.
In the original work, it was because Xiao Wu wanted to come take a look that the later events involving Tang San auctioning hidden weapons to gain entry had happened.
Unexpectedly, even with the plot already this chaotic, Tang San still appeared.
In the original work, this auction was where Tang San first met Ning Fengzhi and established cooperation with him, forming ties with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Interesting."
Lin Qingmo silently thought to himself.
"I'd like to see whether you can still establish ties with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect this time."
End of Chapter
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