Upon hearing Huang Tianbao suggest that these people were going to kidnap them to be male escorts, Lu Ming stared at him in utter shock.
Holy crap, how does his brain work? That’s some truly novel thinking!
They had Big Yellow the dog with them, for heaven's sake! Big Yellow also stared at Huang Tianbao with wide eyes. Its Third Senior Brother was truly a special kind of genius!
However, Lu Ming was actually feeling a bit excited at this moment.
Even if his cultivation was suppressed, he wasn't someone these Foundation Establishment stage fellows could bully! He felt the need to immediately show off and put them in their place, letting them know that someone who looked like him wasn't to be trifled with.
It felt like, as a protagonist, he hadn't really had a chance to flex and humble anyone in a while. The thought of it made Lu Ming feel a little giddy!
Just as Lu Ming was about to strike, a few sentences from the other side made him instantly stow his killing intent and replace it with anticipation.
“Fatty, don't you go slandering people! It’s true I’m a cultivator trafficker, but I’m not blind!”
“I’m going to sell you to a black spirit stone mine to be mine slaves...”
The leader of the Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't stand the look Huang Tianbao was giving him—as if he were really going to sell him as a male escort. He immediately jumped up and defended himself.
He felt that if he didn't speak up now, he would never be able to clear his name. They were human traffickers, but their standards weren't that low!
With the way these two men and a dog looked, which one of them could possibly be a male escort?
“Exactly... you have to believe us. We only plan to sell you to a black spirit stone mine...”
“Don't you go slandering us!”
The other Foundation Establishment cultivators chimed in. Was this any way to talk? If their peers heard this, how could they continue to work in this industry?
Did he really think this profession didn't require any sense of aesthetics?
Their words made Lu Ming and the others' eyes widen in surprise.
What?
What did they say?
Sold to a black spirit stone mine?
Instantly, joy flashed in Lu Ming and the others' eyes. A spirit stone mine was a great place! Especially a black spirit stone mine! That way, they wouldn't feel any guilt when they stuffed their storage bags full!
Thinking of this, the expression on Lu Ming's face changed.
“Fellow Daoists, our apologies...”
Huang Tianbao and Big Yellow were also beaming with joy.
“Yes, yes... we were the ones who were blind. We didn't realize you fellow Daoists were people of great ambition...”
Hearing Lu Ming's words and seeing the smiles on their faces, the Foundation Establishment cultivators looked at each other in confusion.
These three couldn't be idiots, could they?
We’re going to sell you to a black spirit stone mine, not give you one. Why on earth are you so happy?
“Big brother, are they fools?”
The leader grit his teeth. “It’s fine. Even fools can dig for ore...”
“Yes, yes... we’re incredibly good at mining...”
Hearing the other party's words, Huang Tianbao quickly pulled a mining shovel out of his storage bag and brandished it a few times.
This scene left the Foundation Establishment cultivators even more speechless. It would be a disservice to them if they didn't sell them to the mine now!
Immediately, the leading cultivator shouted with a fierce gaze, “Hand over your storage bags...”
He planned to scour them clean before selling them.
“Here, take them...”
Lu Ming didn't hesitate at all and handed over the storage bags. When the leader opened them, he immediately frowned.
“What’s wrong, big brother?” the cultivator next to him couldn't help but ask.
“Take a look for yourselves...”
The subordinate took the storage bag and looked inside, his mouth twitching. How could people be this poor?
Inside Lu Ming and the others' storage bags, aside from a mining shovel, there were only a few pill bottles. The problem was that these bottles were all empty.
They even began to suspect that the reason Lu Ming and the others were so happy to be sold was that they had no money left for food. Being this poor, they probably wouldn't have fared well on the outside anyway.
Little did they know, Lu Ming had just transferred all their belongings into the Equality Secret Realm.
In the end, the leader just handed the storage bags back to them. They were so poor that the traffickers actually felt embarrassed to rob them.
Following that, the leading cultivator brought out a spirit boat and took Lu Ming and the others toward the south of East Sea County. They traveled until they reached a black spirit stone mine managed by the Yousha Sect.
“Zhao Sandao, how many?” a manager from the Yousha Sect inquired.
It wasn't Zhao Sandao’s first time selling cultivators here, so he was quite familiar with the manager.
“Two men and a dog...”
Before the leader could answer, Lu Ming hurriedly replied. The manager was stunned and a bit surprised. Had Zhao Sandao retired or something?
Zhao Sandao was also speechless. You’re being a bit too proactive here! You’re the one being sold!
However, he quickly spoke up. “Yes, yes... two men and a dog...”
Zhao Sandao then hurriedly pulled the manager aside. He was afraid that if they interacted too much, the manager would realize Lu Ming and the others weren't normal and try to lower the price.
The manager also noticed something was off, but seeing that Lu Ming didn't look injured and wouldn't require spending spirit stones on medical treatment, he didn't pay it much mind. As long as they could mine spirit stones, it was fine.
After paying Zhao Sandao the spirit stones, the manager took Lu Ming and the others directly to the mine entrance. He then pulled out a pill—this was a pill designed to prevent Lu Ming from hiding in the mine and secretly absorbing the spiritual energy of the stones.
Lu Ming and the others swallowed the pills without the slightest hesitation.
“Work hard at mining. If you do well, I’ll give you a chance to join the Yousha Sect.”
Lu Ming didn't care about any of that; he was only interested in the spirit stones inside the cave...
“Whoo-hoo! Spirit stones, here we come...”
“Boom...”
After Zhao Sandao and his men left, a concealment and trap formation immediately enveloped the entire spirit stone mine.
...
“Did you hear? The Yousha Sect's spirit stone mine was emptied out by some expert, and all the mine slaves escaped...”
“Is that true?”
“How could it be false? I went to deliver some slaves today and found the place in ruins...”
Zhao Sandao and his brothers didn't pay much attention to the news. After all, in this cultivation world, someone captured as a mine slave could very well be a disciple of some major sect. Once discovered, the sect would vent its anger on the buyers, since the sellers were harder to track down.
However, such cases weren't common. Kidnappers generally didn't dare touch disciples from major sects. Even if they did, they usually handled it so cleanly that the victims never had a chance to send word back.
Besides, a black spirit stone mine wasn't something just anyone could operate; without enough strength, it would be wiped out in an instant.
Later, Zhao Sandao and his brothers began searching for new targets in East Sea County.
“Big brother...”
Just then, a voice filled with pleasant surprise rang out. Zhao Sandao and his men turned their heads and immediately widened their eyes. They saw Lu Ming, his companion, and the dog looking at them with beaming smiles.
“Why are you guys here?”
Although Zhao Sandao knew the Yousha Sect's mine had been destroyed, he didn't know the details. Seeing Lu Ming and the others, he couldn't help but try to probe for information.
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