"That works better for me!" Feng Hongxiu readily agreed.

However, she went on to say, "You wouldn’t mind me keeping a maid by my side, would you? In case of any emergency, I would need someone to run errands. We can’t be expected to do everything ourselves."

Ye Liuyun hesitated before saying, "If it’s about running errands, I do have people to do that..."

Before he could continue, Feng Hongxiu interrupted with a giggle, "What if this maid is someone you’ve seen in her entirety before?"

"Huh?"

Ye Liuyun instantly realized that she was referring to Azure.

When he walked up here earlier, he found it odd to see Azure waiting by the side wearing common clothing.

What Feng Hongxiu was planning was even more puzzling to him now.

Feng Hongxiu explained, "You are a significant client of ours. It’s not a big deal to provide you with a maid. You don’t have to mind it, we have plenty of women here."

"I feel that since she already knows your identity, it’s not safe for you if she stays here. Killing her would be a waste, as she has not done anything wrong either."

"Then why not let her come with us? After all, you’ve seen her naked, it’s fair to say that there is a bond between you two! However, if you don’t want to take her along, I will have to resolve this potential problem in a direct manner."

It was evident that Feng Hongxiu was adamant about taking Azure along after all her speeches.

Despite his confusion about Feng Hongxiu’s objectives, he refrained from refusing any longer.

"She can stay, but I must maintain complete control over her," he told Feng Hongxiu. "I don’t want any potential threats lurking around me."

"Well, now that she’s yours, it’s up to you how you want to handle her!" Upon hearing Ye Liuyun’s request, Feng Hongxiu promptly consented and had Azure brought over.

Ye Liuyun didn’t say anything more than necessary and released his Divine soul to conduct a search on Azure’s soul. First, he probed Azure’s soul, then made her sign a slaving contract, which finally put his mind at ease.

Through soul searching, he also discovered the true purpose of Feng Hongxiu. She appeared to be testing him and gave Azure an opportunity.

Of course, it reminded Ye Liuyun of the Scarlet Cardinal House’s role. Whether Ye Liuyun decided to cooperate with them or not was yet to be determined, overthinking now was pointless.

He requested that Azure hand him the exclusive token of the Scarlet Cardinal House to avoid being located by the Scarlet Cardinal House.

Feng Hongxiu instantly smashed Azure’s token into pieces before patting Azure’s shoulder, and said, "From now on, you belong to him! I wish you a good life ahead!"

"Thank you, Madam Scarlet!" Azure quickly thanked Feng Hongxiu.

It was only logical that she would obey Ye Liuyun’s order after signing a master-servant contract with him. Hence, she shouldn’t respond to Feng Hongxiu’s words with agreement.

Feng Hongxiu showed a content nod. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad thing for Azure to leave the Scarlet Cardinal House.

Feng Hongxiu then asked Ye Liuyun, "Shall we go? You are currently my employer. Any destination that we go to is up to you."

"My initial plan was to head to the Merchant Alliance to buy some martial practitioner slaves," Ye Liuyun replied.

"Well then, let’s go. I will follow you!" Feng Hongxiu gestured to Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun instantly instructed Azure to lead the way. Together with Feng Hongxiu, they left the Red Mansion and exited Scarlet Cardinal House. They began their journey toward the Merchant Alliance.

The Eastern Merchant Alliance was unlike other regions that consisted of a single building. It was several buildings connected. They even had a large marketplace for feral beasts and slave trading.

All of the feral beasts and slaves sold here wore a collar powered by a formation that could be activated with a matching token. The bearer of the token could command them and become their master.

The interest of the sales advisor was immediately piqued when Ye Liuyun and his companions arrived dressed in a way that displayed their wealth.

A woman approached Ye Liuyun first and spoke to him: "Sir, I am the sales guide here, Linger. Whatever you need, you can come to me. May I ask, how shall I address you?"

Ye Liuyun displayed an overwhelming generosity and promptly pulled out a piece of top-grade Spirit crystal, tossing it to Linger. This invited jealousy from other sales guides who failed to approach him first, showing regret on their faces.

Linger was startled and excitedly expressed her gratitude to Ye Liuyun repeatedly.

She rarely saw such precious Spirit crystal, and the fact that he tipped her so generously without uttering a single word made her firmly resolved to provide Ye Liuyun with exceptional service.

If she could win his favour, it could improve her life considerably.

"I am Mr. Ye," Ye Liuyun finally spoke.

"Mr. Ye! Whatever you need, feel free to ask, and I’ll provide the utmost service to fulfil your requests!" Linger made a promise emphasizing her utter willingness.

Feng Hongxiu and Azure caught onto her insinuations, surprised that the sales guide was even less subtle than the girls at the Scarlet Cardinal House.

Ye Liuyun paid no attention to it, and instead, he told her. "Miss Linger, I am here today to purchase some strong slaves. Can you give me some suggestions?"

She noticed that Ye Liuyun hadn’t taken her bait, she no longer dared to speak bluntly. She instantly shifted the topic and began to introduce the available slaves to Ye Liuyun.

"Mr. Ye, your timing is perfect. We have just received a batch of slaves yesterday. What level are you interested in?" Linger began her introduction while leading Ye Liuyun around the marketplace.

"Do you have any in the seventh or eighth level?" asked Ye Liuyun.

Upon hearing this, Linger appeared rather troubled. "Mr. Ye, as you know, it’s rare to capture such high-level slaves."

Ye Liuyun was aware that high-level slaves were hard to come by. If they were not available at the Merchant Alliance, it would be even scarcer elsewhere.

"However, we do have some of them here. But they came in some conditions. Some have abnormal mental states while others are seriously ill. You might want to check them out first."

Linger spoke, leading Ye Liuyun to the slave trading floor.

The place was crowded, with all the slaves wearing collars and chained in rows of cages for customers to choose from. Some female slaves dressed scantily, swaying their hips to attract buyers.

Under Linger’s guidance, Ye Liuyun met the manager in charge of selling slaves and had him introduce the area, taking Ye Liuyun on a tour.

The manager first showed Ye Liuyun five slaves who were of the seventh or eighth level.

One of them was a scrawny man squatting listlessly in a corner of his cage. At that moment, a dishevelled middle-aged woman spitted toward them when she saw Feng Hongxiu and the other women, cursing them as vixens.

"These two individuals have suffered severe Divine Soul damages and are already mentally unstable," the manager explained to Ye Liuyun.

Among the rest of the three, one was an old woman clinging to life purely with her genuine energy. Then there was a young man at the primary level of the seventh level with an unstable genuine energy.

The last man of the bunch had an arm cut off. It was unknown what kind of weapon had caused this, and even his genuine energy failed to restore it.