Chapter Twenty-Four: The Arena of Exchange (Part Two)

Li Sanjian was fourteen years old this year, neither tall nor short, with delicate features and a body that appeared somewhat slender. Standing in the wind, he shouted loudly, his robes fluttering gently in the breeze. His posture was elegant to the extreme, and most importantly, Li Sanjian was the sort who drew his sword to help when he saw injustice. Behind him, it seemed as if the righteous energy between heaven and earth manifested faintly.

“In broad daylight, how dare you bully this pitiful soul? You act as if there were no law, utterly audacious.” Li Sanjian shouted.

He rose and bellowed with anger, causing the crowd of slave traders to freeze, staring at him in stunned silence for a long moment, none daring to speak.

“Whose belt was left untied, allowing you to slip out?” After a while, the leader of the traders glared at Li Sanjian and cursed, “Filthy brat, do you even know who this man is? You want to play the hero? You ought to measure your own worth before meddling.”

“No matter who he is, you should not humiliate him so. A man may be killed, but not dishonored. You forcibly seize and sell people—has the law of the Song truly vanished?” The leader’s foul words had insulted Li Sanjian’s mother, and rage flared within him, but he remained calm, refusing to trade insults.

There was little else he could do. Alone and powerless, he could not hope to contend with all these traders—indeed, even a single one would be more than he could handle.

“Law?” The traders sneered at his words.

“Which law forbids us from doing this?” the leader said coldly.

The Song legal code prohibited the forceful seizure or coercion of people into slavery; to make someone a slave required both government approval and the person’s consent. But in the wilds of Lingnan, who cared? Who would ever heed the Song’s laws?

Qinzhou was close to Dali, Jiaozhi, and other lands—a remote region. Many of those seized as slaves here were from Dali or Jiaozhi, outsiders whom the government cared for even less, turning a blind eye.

In fact, many officials were slave traders themselves, personally participating in the buying and selling of people.

The market at Qinzhou was established by Song officials; as long as traders paid the required fees, they were free to conduct their business.

Most crucially, the traders had already bribed the officials at the market, so now, no one would interfere.

Not only did officials participate in the slave trade; from bureaucrats and scholars to commoners, temples, and Daoist shrines, all kept slaves and considered it an honor—even the emperor of Song kept slaves.

Though the Song legal code forbade kidnapping or coercion into slavery, the trade persisted, especially in remote regions like Sichuan and Lingnan, where it was even more rampant.

Driven by righteous indignation, Li Sanjian attempted to intervene, to stop the abuse and beating of slaves, hoping to draw the attention of the authorities.

But it seemed his efforts had failed. Not a single official from the market had come to investigate; all kept their distance.

“Take him away,” the leader said, glaring fiercely at Li Sanjian and ordering his men.

He noticed that Li Sanjian was not dressed as a Han, and so did not want to escalate matters—should Li Sanjian turn out to be the son of a tribal chieftain, it would spell trouble.

Better to avoid unnecessary complications; harmony meant profit, and the traders had no need to quarrel with Li Sanjian and risk their business.

At the leader’s command, the traders ordered a burly man to leave. He resisted fiercely, refusing to go, so they bound his limbs with iron chains, seven or eight men dragging him away.

His tattered clothing was soon reduced to shreds, his skin scraping against the ground and leaving trails of blood. He looked at Li Sanjian in despair, making choked sounds.

Li Sanjian’s earlier rebuke had kindled a spark of hope in the burly man’s heart, but now that hope was fading to despair.

He understood that those bought here were destined for human sacrifice.

Human sacrifice, also called killing to appease spirits, was widespread in the gorges of Sichuan, Lingnan, Yongguan, and both Guangnan routes. For such rituals, people from remote areas, outcasts, or those deemed monsters were selected, killed to honor the spirits in pursuit of some wish or purpose. The burly man was among these.

“Wait!” Li Sanjian could not bear to watch the burly man suffer, nor endure the helpless look in his eyes. Casting aside all other concerns, he called out loudly.

“Hm? What do you want now?” the leader demanded angrily. The traders were growing irritated, surprised that Li Sanjian was so persistent. If he continued to meddle, they would have no choice.

They considered taking Li Sanjian, selling him as a slave—perhaps he might fetch a good price. Many traders thought this.

After a brief hesitation, Li Sanjian spoke loudly, “If that’s how it is, then I will buy this man myself…”

The traders stared at him for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“Ha! Young master, you wish to buy this man? Do you know what he’s worth? Can you afford it? Do you even…”

As the leader rattled off his tirade, Li Sanjian reached into his robe and produced two gold leaves, holding them up before the leader.

The golden glow in the sunlight was dazzling, leaving the traders dizzy. Many among them were not wealthy—some had never laid eyes on gold in their lives.

The leader swallowed, his hands reaching uncontrollably to snatch the gold from Li Sanjian.

Li Sanjian easily evaded him, smiling contemptuously, “Can I afford it?”

“Oh, young sir, you can afford it, that’s more than enough, that’ll do, we have a deal, yes?” the leader replied hurriedly.

He could buy ten men at that price, he thought, but he would not reveal this to Li Sanjian.

“And her as well…” Li Sanjian gestured toward the little girl who had begged for food earlier.

He did not know the price of gold or slaves, but he understood the preciousness of gold—it should be enough to buy two people.

By producing the gold leaves, Li Sanjian had already invited countless dangers upon himself; from now on, he would face untold peril, but he could not concern himself with that.

He could not bear to see them suffer, so he would buy their freedom, and deal with the risks later.

“Agreed, young sir is generous; I will obey,” said the old woman who had been selling the little girl.

Li Sanjian did not know the price of slaves, but the old woman did; splitting the gold leaves with the seller of the burly man would yield a tidy profit.

“What about you?” Li Sanjian asked the leader.

“Brother, how will we explain this to Master Hu?” another trader asked as the leader hesitated.

He ignored the question, glaring at the old woman before saying, “Deal.”

Li Sanjian’s price was much higher than Master Hu’s; the leader was happy to make this transaction. As for explaining to Master Hu, he could simply procure two more people for him, he thought.

Li Sanjian nodded, reached into the cage and lifted the little girl out, then said to the leader, “Release them now; the gold is yours.”

The leader waved his hand, ordering his men to bring over the burly man.

“Wait!” Just as the exchange was about to happen, a voice called out from the crowd.

Li Sanjian turned in surprise to see a young man step forward.

“Brother Shuxing, is that you?” Li Sanjian asked in astonishment.

Who could it be but Yao Yu?

Yao Yu smiled and waved at Li Sanjian, then addressed the leader, “A single gold leaf weighs two taels, which can be exchanged for twenty strings of cash. Two gold leaves equal forty strings, or forty thousand coins…”

The leader’s heart sank; things had taken a turn.

“And how much is a slave worth? Must I spell it out?” Yao Yu continued, “Such cheating and swindling is intolerable.”

“Let it be, Brother Shuxing,” Li Sanjian said to Yao Yu.

From Yao Yu’s words, Li Sanjian finally understood the value of gold—one tael could be exchanged for ten strings of copper coins. Although he had not heard the price of a slave, he realized an ordinary slave must cost very little.

But the gold leaves had already changed hands, and there was no retrieving them now—trying would only make him more vulnerable.

“Very well,” Yao Yu said to the leader and the old woman, “Since my brother has spoken, you’d best prepare the contract and deed at once.”

The leader was instantly frustrated. They had intended to take advantage of Li Sanjian’s ignorance of the slave trade—give him the people first, then report him to the authorities and reclaim them. Without a contract, the sale was unrecognized, and Li Sanjian would be left with nothing. But who could have expected such a sudden intervention to expose the scheme?

“Scoundrel…” The leader cursed angrily, “You… Ah!”

Before he could finish, Yao Yu leaped forward, kicking the hundred-and-fifty-pound leader two yards away, who spat blood and fell in the dust.

“Wretch, filthy beast,” Yao Yu pressed a foot to the leader’s chest and declared, “Speak one more disrespectful word, and I’ll take your life today—what harm in that?”

The traders stared in shock, none daring to intervene.

Yao Yu’s display made it clear he was a master of martial arts; most important, he was dressed as a Han, possibly a noble’s son—not someone they could afford to offend.

“Inspector Wang is here!”

“All bow to the Inspector.”

At last, the Song officials of the market made their appearance…