Chapter 4 is about your grandmother.
It's important to know that the Heaven Dou Auction House frequently auctions off "slaves" who can't be taken back due to mutated martial souls.
Although the two great empires have banned the slave trade, this law is merely a formality!
In the Heaven Dou Empire, slavery is an extremely thriving industry. Some families, unable to survive, sell their sons and daughters, or become slaves themselves .
Some come from criminals and their families; after trial, they are branded with slave marks, unable to escape their fate, destined only for slavery.
These are manageable, but there's a particularly despicable group: the slave-
hunting gangs. Their targets aren't soul beasts, but people. They prey on commoners, especially those who are attractive or have awakened powerful martial souls. They hunt these commoners and then openly sell them at auctions, letting nobles auction them off.
Every moment, countless commoners of the Heaven Dou Empire are enslaved by these slave-hunting gangs. This situation is impossible to stop; in fact, it could be said that the royal family is involved.
Otherwise, slave auctions wouldn't exist in the major auction houses; there's nothing they wouldn't dare sell.
Those like Siegwen, whose "spirit mutation" makes them irretrievable, are the most sought-after by the slave-hunting groups.
Yet, so far, no one has made a move, which is quite intriguing.
Do they really think that winning the favor of everyone in Tiandou City will prevent those unscrupulous nobles from acting?
Obviously not. The reason the slave-hunting groups and those nobles dare not act is either because Leosli and Siegwen have powerful backers, or because they are very strong.
Now their backers are known, but given the current situation, Leosli and Xue Qinghe's relationship isn't deep; it seems the latter is more likely.
"Hmm?" Xue Qinghe paused slightly, looking at Leosley. "Duke, you don't seem to want me to help."
Leosley glanced indifferently at the Crown Prince's guards, who remained unmoved, seemingly finding Xue Qinghe's words strange.
"Duke, you've misunderstood. We just happened to see you here; we didn't intentionally follow you."
Seeing Leosley's expression change, Xue Qinghe quickly explained.
Leosley's lips curled slightly as he glanced at Xue Qinghe and said, "Your Highness, there's no need to explain."
After experiencing so much, he had very few people he could trust, and he didn't want to owe anyone a favor!
If he were just an ordinary Soul Master, perhaps he would accept Xue Qinghe's kindness, but unfortunately, he wasn't!
"I know." Xue Qinghe's expression changed.
Xue Qinghe knew that Duke Leosley was probably not treating him very well, but he wasn't angry.
On the contrary, he became more interested in Leosley; a person with a unique personality always has something extraordinary about them.
Of course, Xue Qinghe wasn't one of those aristocratic young masters; he wouldn't risk trouble for a stranger.
Xue Qinghe was a smart man.
However, his relationship with Leosley was rather delicate.
After all, in Xue Qinghe's mind, Leosley had become a potential partner, so he naturally wouldn't easily offend him.
The two continued shopping, and Leosley didn't mind being followed; after all, he was just buying something.
"Your Highness, it's noon. Would you like to have lunch together?" Leosley glanced at the sun and asked casually.
Xue Qinghe initially wanted to refuse, but then he suddenly remembered something crucial.
"Alright, since His Excellency the Duke has spoken, I can't refuse," Xue Qinghe said with a smile.
"What's the head nurse's opinion?" Leosley glanced at Siegwen beside him.
Siegwen tilted her head, blinked, put her index finger to her lips, and after thinking for a moment, said, "I have no objection."
"Head nurse?"
This wasn't the first time Xue Qinghe had heard Leosley address Siegwen that way. After all, there was no nurse as a profession in Douluo Continent; there were only doctors, physicians, and healing-type Soul Masters.
Siegwen always addressed Leosley as "Duke." If he didn't know that there wasn't a Duke named Leosley in either of the two empires, he probably would have really thought these two were from somewhere else.
What intrigued Xue Qinghe was that while the two seemed to have a good relationship, the age gap between Leosley and Siegwen seemed rather large.
Was this what they called a friendship despite the age difference?
If Leosley knew what Xue Qinghe was thinking at this moment, he would probably find it both funny and exasperating. If
we're talking about age, Siegwen is older than your grandfather.
Although she looks as cute as a little girl, she's actually much older.
Some unofficial histories claim Siegwen is the descendant of Navilette and a Melusin, though Navilette, as the highest judge of Fontaine, denies this.
Indeed, unofficial histories are called unofficial for a reason; they're truly unofficial to the point of being just "history."
However, the Melusin race is generally known for its longevity, so this "unofficial history" still needs further investigation.
Furthermore, Siegwen had already been in Melo Petersburg for a long time before Leosley entered, and Melo Petersburg has been established for hundreds of years. Siegwen has been there for a very long time, so if we're really calculating her age, Siegwen might be very old, approaching or even exceeding 400 years old.
However, Siegwen's appearance is indeed that of a little girl; no one would believe that such a little one is already 400 years old.
The sunlight of Tiandou City pierced through layers of clouds, illuminating the streets and making every corner shimmer with golden light. The bustling streets were filled with people and a dazzling array of shops lining both sides of the road. However, none of this seemed up to Xue Qinghe's standards.
"Duke, Miss Sigwen, this hotel is owned by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Its service and food are second to none in Tiandou City." Xue Qinghe gazed at the magnificent building, which resembled a towering fortress, surrounded by lush greenery and exuding an air of luxury and elegance.
The hotel's exterior was primarily constructed of seven-colored glazed tiles, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight like a dazzling jewel set in the earth. On the marble steps at the entrance, two waiters in elegant uniforms bowed slightly, their faces beaming with smiles, seemingly ready to welcome their distinguished guests.
"Shall we eat here?" Xue Qinghe turned to Leosley and Sigwen with a smile, his tone exuding confidence and composure. He knew that choosing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was not only for the delicious food, but also to cultivate a positive image in the eyes of others in social situations.
"Isn't this a bit too expensive?" Although Siegwen provided medical care to the commoners of Tiandou City every day, it was all free, requiring no payment. Therefore, she was still a little cautious about spending money, so she asked Leosley for his opinion.
However, Leosley didn't seem to mind, calmly nodding and smiling, "It's fine." Why
not take advantage of someone willing to be a sucker?
"Please." Xue Qinghe gestured for them to proceed.
(End of Chapter)