CHAPTER 569: A FAMILIAR NAME

But beneath all that progress, one thread remained taut and unbroken... Han Yu’s vow to save his companions.

He had visited the Slave District at least twice every month since he first learned of it. Every visit had ended the same. He would receive the new list from the clerk, read through it page by page, and leave in silence.

The clerk had grown used to him by now.

The sleazy man, an Outer Court disciple with slicked hair and half-lidded eyes, barely even looked up when Han Yu entered anymore. Han Yu’s cold presence had once intimidated him, but repetition bred familiarity.

On this day, too, Han Yu approached the counter in his usual calm manner. The clerk recognized him immediately and wordlessly handed over a jade slip.

"The new list," the clerk said, his voice tired. "Prices are up again. You know the drill."

Han Yu nodded slightly.

The clerk leaned back, not bothering to ask if Han Yu intended to buy anything. It had been the same story for months. Dozens of disciples browsed and left without bidding. There were simply too many who looked but never bought.

After all, window shopping wasn’t against the rules.

Han Yu infused a sliver of his Spirit Qi into the jade slip, and rows of names and faces appeared in his mind.

Hundreds of listings scrolled past. Names, cultivation realms, ages, skill categories, and physical descriptions. Each entry was cold and precise.

Male, thirty two. Qi refining second stage. Labor.Female, One hundred and twenty five. Core Condensation early stage. Bed Slave.Male, nineteen. Mortal. Servant.

It was a parade of lost lives, each line more tragic than the last.

Han Yu’s gaze moved through them with practiced speed. He had long learned to steel his heart against the endless stream of faces. Each time he came, he hoped, and each time that hope eroded a little more.

But this time, his breath caught.

His hand trembled slightly. The glow of the jade slip reflected faintly in his widened eyes.

There, among the countless names, one entry stood out.

Name: Xuan QingAge: 127Cultivation: Core Condensation Realm, Mid StageSkill Category: Combat, Sword Techniques, Qi ReinforcementCurrent Status: Undergoing final conditioning. Available for purchase upon completion.Estimated Price Range: 950,000 to 1,200,000 Merit Points

Han Yu froze. His heart lurched violently.

He blinked once, twice, as if afraid the name would vanish if he stared too long. But it stayed there. The profile image beside the text was unmistakable. Even in the dull gray robe of a slave, even with her hair cut short and her expression hollow, it was her.

Senior Sister Xuan Qing.

His first secet mate. His protector. The woman who had once guided him through the Twin Leaf Peak sect’s gates the very first.

Han Yu’s grip on the jade slip tightened until his knuckles turned white. His chest rose and fell unevenly.

A thousand thoughts screamed through his mind at once.

She was alive.She was here.She was going to be sold.

His vision blurred for a second before he regained control. He slowly placed the jade slip back on the counter. His expression was calm, but his eyes burned.

The clerk glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "Did you find something interesting, Senior Brother Ju Fan?"

Han Yu took a quiet breath before answering, his voice steady but low.

"Something like that."

The clerk smirked faintly. "Well, don’t take too long thinking about it. The good ones never stay unsold for long."

Han Yu gave a cold nod and turned away.

He walked out of the building into the red light of the Blood Moon sky. The air was hot and dry, carrying the faint metallic scent of blood that always hung over the sect.

Inside, his mind was a storm.

Xuan Qing was alive, but she was on the edge of being lost forever. If he delayed, she would fall into the hands of some twisted elder or a depraved disciple.

He clenched his fists until faint trails of blood welled from his palms.

"I will not let it happen," he whispered, his voice a growl swallowed by the wind.

His calm mask returned as he descended the stairs toward the Blood Moon River, but his heart had already made its decision.

He could not buy her yet as she was still not available for purchase and would need to wait a while more until she was ’ready’. But he intended to come prepared for it.

Han Yu now had a target, and no matter what it took... merit, deception, or blood, he would buy her freedom.

Even if he had to bleed the entire sect dry to do it.

Han Yu barely slept that night.

He tried. He closed his eyes, slowed his breath, entered the calm state he usually relied upon. But every time his mind drifted, the same image rose before him again.

Xuan Qing.

Her hair was shorter, her face was paler, her expression hollow, yet the nobility in her bearing could not be erased. Even the slave robes could not hide the pride that had once made her one of the most beloved senior sister on Twin Leaf Peak.

The jade slip’s image replayed endlessly in his mind, twisting his stomach with a fury he could not completely suppress.

Han Yu kept imagining scenarios.

What if someone had already placed a bid?

What if an elder saw her first?

What if she was bought by someone depraved?

The very thought made him want to tear apart the Blood Moon River with his bare hands.

By dawn he had made up his mind.

There could be no hesitation. No waiting. No chance left to fate.

He was going to buy her. Today.

He spent the early morning preparing. It was not only merit points that he brought. Several small pouches of spirit stones, bundles of Moon Blood Crystals, and even the rare pills he had kept hidden over the months rested inside his robe.

The Slave District accepted merit points, but when commitments fell short, alternative wealth could be converted. He refused to be caught unprepared.