Chapter 193: Chapter 191: Delivering a Message_1 Chapter 193: Chapter 191: Delivering a Message_1 Xiao Rongyan entered Nanyan openly as a wealthy merchant during the first market fair in Mengcheng, the border town of Nanyan, at the beginning of the year.

Golden light from the morning sun filtered through the clouds, casting a golden hue over the bustling Mengcheng.

Xiao Rongyan’s convoy entered the city under the morning light. The noise of vendors hawking their wares instantly penetrated the carriage. Xiao Rongyan lifted the curtain to peek outside, seeing a scene completely different from the markets of Yan.

In this border city of Mengcheng in Nanyan, there were nobles clad in fine silk, common folk in ragged clothes, and slaves being sold in cages.

Hawkers shouldered their wares, boasting about the superior quality of their furs to merchants on horseback entering the city.

Those who had secured prominent spots atop straw-covered market stalls early in the morning, fearing their goods might go unnoticed, held their prized items high while singing ballads to attract merchants or wealthy patrons.

Women with hair styled in married women’s buns, carrying baskets in their arms, fiercely argued for even one or two coins.

Everywhere was filled with a bustling, lively atmosphere that was now rare in Yan, and truly envied by others.

Xiao Rongyan, draped in a fox fur cloak, stepped down from the carriage and strolled leisurely. He was accompanied by over a dozen guards with knives, presenting a grand display. This attracted many vendors, eager to show their rare goods from the border town to Xiao Rongyan but hesitant due to his guards.

As Xiao Rongyan walked through the market, wherever he took a liking to something, he bought it all up.

Seeing Xiao Rongyan’s generosity, the fear the people had towards his guards lessened significantly. They raised their goods high, shouting for the young master to take a look.

Even the slave traders couldn’t help but approach, shouting: “Young master, buy a few female slaves to take back! They are very tender!”

Nanyan, adhering to Yan’s old policies before Empress Ji’s reforms, had a rampant slave market. It was especially unbridled in this border city.

A child with a chain around their neck was picked by a buyer, who tossed silver to the merchant and pulled the child’s leash to leave. In a cage, a woman speaking in a Jin Kingdom border dialect cried hysterically. With bloodied hands, she desperately shook the cage, begging the buyer to buy her together with her child to not separate them. Instead, she received several harsh lashes from the buyer. The woman could only cry in despair, watching her crying child being bought like livestock.

Xiao Rongyan walked towards the section of the market designated for buying and selling slaves, and the slave traders immediately became enthusiastic, pulling their slaves forward to introduce them.

“You see, young master! Our slave is very strong!” A slave trader pulled a tall and sturdy slave, catching up with Xiao Rongyan’s pace and calling out to him from behind the armed guards. “Young master, buy him back, and he can do anything for you!”

Another trader, pulling a female slave, shouted loudly: “Young master! Young master! Our female slave is very pretty! Don’t mind her messy looks; she’ll be beautiful once cleaned up! Most importantly, she’s still a virgin! She’ll be a good maid or concubine!”

“Our slaves are the best! Young master… our slaves are young, you can train them however you like! They’ll obey everything you say!”

Xiao Rongyan listened carefully to the noises from the slaves in the cages. He could tell that these slaves were brought from the Jin Kingdom and Yan.

The slaves from Yan were mostly thin and pallid, looking lifeless. The slaves from the Jin Kingdom were mostly crying non-stop, constantly begging the traders to release them.

Nanyan and Xiliang allied to attack the Jin Kingdom, and the border people of Jin suffered.

As for Yan, due to continuous natural disasters last year, the people were without food. Selling themselves to slave traders was a means to survive and get a meal.

Xiao Rongyan walked straight through the slave market towards the horse market. The disappointed slave traders returned to their stalls to sell their slaves again.

From a distance, Xiao Rongyan spotted a white horse. The white horse was robust and seemingly untamable. It trotted in circles, with several horse traders unable to control it. One buyer, attempting to draw the reins, was flung off by the horse, crashing into a wooden fence and falling… his hand plunging into warm horse manure.

Seeing the fierce temperament of the horse, the buyer stood up with a pale and angry face, wiped the manure off his hand, and repeatedly shook his head, saying he wouldn’t buy it.

The horse trader quickly put on a flattering smile: “Sir, please take a look at our other horses! They are all strong and well-behaved, truly! Look at this one! Look at its teeth, its build! You won’t find better horses in the whole market! I’ll give you a discount!”

“No, I’ll look elsewhere.”

The horse trader couldn’t stop the buyer, fuming, and angrily whipped the white horse hard. The white horse lifted its front hooves, snorting furiously, nearly toppling the stake it was tied to.

For some reason, Xiao Rongyan was reminded of a few years back when Bai Qingyan had a horse named “Gale.” Gale was a rare and magnificent steed, known for its swift speed. It was said that Gale died protecting Bai Qingyan. Since then, Bai Qingyan never raised another horse.

“Look, look! How many buyers have there been?! If this damn horse doesn’t sell today… I’ll slaughter it for stew tonight!” The horse trader threatened, glaring at the white horse.

“I’ll take all your horses,” Xiao Rongyan said.

The horse trader turned his head to see an elegant gentleman of noble bearing standing in the morning light, a serene smile in his eyes, exuding a refined and distinguished air.

One of Xiao Rongyan’s guards stepped forward, took out a money pouch, and threw it to the horse trader, asking: “Is this enough?”

The horse trader opened the pouch wide, nodded repeatedly: “Enough, enough! It’s more than enough! But… this white horse has a very fierce temperament!”

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“It’s alright, I like this white horse,” Xiao Rongyan said, walking up to the white horse. Just as he was about to gently touch the horse’s mane, the white horse stepped back two paces, snorting fiercely in his direction, its entire body tense with obvious resistance.

Xiao Rongyan’s eyes twinkled with laughter; it was indeed a spirited horse.

He didn’t wish to tame the horse, but he felt this horse suited Bai Qingyan…

Xiao Rongyan withdrew his hand from touching the horse’s mane and turned to his guard: “Send someone to deliver this white horse to Miss Bai at Tianmen Pass.”

The guard was slightly taken aback, wondering if Xiao Rongyan had developed feelings for the Bai family’s fourth young lady, thus beginning to win over her eldest sister?