Chapter 487: Chapter 488 Selling Oneself to Bury Mother [4th Update, Subscription Requested]

The little one had rarely seen her father look so surprised. "Dad, what’s wrong?" she asked. "Has someone like the Empress finally appeared, someone who can astonish you with just one glance?"

"Little girl, don’t talk nonsense." Holding her, Wu Tian felt a little embarrassed. The Empress’s beauty was said to be the finest in all the heavens. Of course, Wu Tian loved his wife, Qin Yuhan, but viewed objectively, Qin Yuhan simply couldn’t compare.

"I sense an extraordinary presence in this city," Wu Tian said slowly, his starry eyes twinkling with interest.

In this city, I’ve sensed a level of power above Yuan Force. What’s above Yuan Force? It certainly isn’t Spiritual Power. Spiritual Power and Yuan Force are two completely different systems. What I’m feeling is an evolved form of Yuan Force: Immortal Power! But this Immortal Power isn’t as strong as I imagined. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

That settled it; Wu Tian wanted to see what was going on for himself.

Holding the little one, he entered the great underground city. Guided by his Spiritual Sense, he led her into a narrow alley. Here, many poor-looking people knelt on the ground before wooden boards, pieces of cloth, or even words written directly on their bodies.

"Ah, I used to see people like this all the time at the subway entrances in the Surface World," the little one recalled. "They were either missing hands and feet, or they’d claim they were pregnant and abandoned, asking people for money."

Wu Tian nodded. The situation in this alley, however, was far more severe. For example, the man before them had a wooden plaque explaining that he came from a poor family. His birth had cost his mother her life, and now his father had also passed away. Penniless, he was selling himself to pay for his father’s burial. Beside him, another child was selling himself to bury his deceased brother. Some of these people were telling the truth, but there were also many swindlers.

The little one understood. "Dad, are you going to buy someone to take home?"

Wu Tian nodded.

"Buy me!" a refined, scholar-like man immediately called out. "I am well-read in countless books! If you buy me, I can serve as an Attendant Student!"

Wu Tian and the little one shared a disdainful look.

"Hahaha, you’re better off buying me!" a robust man laughed heartily. "I’m the most useful one here. I’m a Foundation Establishment Immortal Seeker. Unlike these people with no Spirit Roots, I can serve as a bodyguard, or I could even—"

"You’re not even as good as my dog," the little one huffed, clearly disliking the man.

The robust man was stunned. Worse than a dog? Impossible! He couldn’t believe it. Little did he know, the little one was telling the truth. The "dog" she was referring to was none other than Little Kirin.

Wu Tian carried the little one deeper into the alley. The auction for *The Annals of Lü Buwei* must have started by now. I wonder who bought that Beast God Pot. If they aren’t powerful enough, they’ll probably be killed for it before they get very far. But Wu Tian wasn’t concerned. The lives and deaths of others had nothing to do with him.

Soon, they reached the deepest part of the alley. The people here were the kind few would ever want to buy—the type one would dislike on sight. The men all looked sickly. If one bought such a person, who would end up serving whom? The young women were far from beautiful. Normally, anyone looking to buy servants would never venture this deep into the alley, because the "goods" here were terrible.

Most of the people selling themselves had noticed Wu Tian. The depths of the alley were dark and overgrown with weeds. The walls on both sides were cracked and filthy; the once-white plaster had turned a dusty yellow. Years had passed since anyone had come here.

The moment Wu Tian and the little one arrived, the people looked at them with eyes like wolves spotting prey. They all scrambled to their feet, hoping Wu Tian would buy them.

Suddenly, an old man coughed lightly, and everyone immediately squatted back down obediently. This old man, though aged, had shrewd eyes. He used to be in the front half of the alley, but he moved to the back because the special nature of his Spirit Root made him prefer the dark. He usually kept to himself, so people had gradually forgotten his authority. Now, at his cough, there was total silence.

The shrewd old man said, "Are you here to buy servants? If so, buy me."

Wu Tian’s expression remained calm, and the little one copied him.

The old man was somewhat displeased. Having been stuck in this alley for so long, he didn’t recognize Wu Tian or the little one. But my Spirit Root is special. I can sense that theirs are extraordinary. If they buy me, I can hide by their side and secretly absorb the power of their Spirit Roots.

"Please take me! I’m begging you!" The old man’s Spirit Root was decent, but he had never learned to fight. He lunged toward Wu Tian, intending to grab his leg and plead to be bought.

Seeing the old man shamelessly latching on, his eyes glinting with deceit, Wu Tian knew he was up to no good. Wu Tian was not a man to be trifled with. He kicked out, his Spiritual Power surging at just the right moment.

To any onlooker, it looked as if the old man was intentionally throwing himself to his death. They couldn’t possibly know his inner turmoil; Wu Tian’s foot was coming right for him, but the man’s own momentum made it impossible to stop.

AH!

With a single kick, the old man was sent flying into the wall and killed instantly.

"I despise those who exploit their age," Wu Tian said coolly.

"That’s right!" the little one shouted. "Don’t think I won’t hit you just because you’re old!"

*Respect for one’s elders is essential. But if an elder lacks even a shred of the morality they should possess, they are simply exploiting their age and showing no self-respect. Why should anyone offer respect to such a person?*

The onlookers in the alley bowed their heads, not daring to act out of line again.

Wu Tian continued carrying the little one deeper into the alley, finally stopping before a group of people in clothes covered with patches. These people probably couldn’t even write. The wooden plaques before them were either blank or covered in crude scribbles, put there in the hope that someone might discern their tragic circumstances and understand they wanted to sell themselves.

"It’s her, right?" the little one said, trusting her intuition. She pointed toward a girl with disheveled hair that hid her face, who appeared quite overweight.

When the girl saw someone pointing at her—even if it was just a child—she immediately shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest, as if terrified of being harmed.

Wu Tian looked at the overweight girl and said, "Everyone here is for sale. I’m buying you."

The people nearby were stunned, especially the women who wanted to be sold. They considered themselves plain, but surely not as unattractive as that girl!

"Sir, why would you choose her?"

"Sir, choose me! I’m not a beauty, but I’m still prettier than her."

"Yes, choose us!" a woman in tattered clothes with crossed eyes tried using reverse psychology. "Do you have some special preference for overweight girls? If not, then buy one of us! Don’t buy her!"