Infinite Mask Game.

Chapter 358 Slave Market
Southwest corner.

Xie Jingming, Lu Sha, Zhou Fan, and Cao Hai walked side by side on the street.

"Things have been calm lately, even the Imperial Secretariat and the Imperial Observatory haven't been very active. I have a bad feeling about this," Xie Jingming sighed.

Lu Sha revealed a hint of disgust: "The calm before the storm. The Imperial Observatory and the Bureau of Ceremonies are like two vicious dogs protecting their master. They don't care about the lives of the common people at all. I bet they're plotting something in secret."

Zhou Fan calmly analyzed, "The plague, the Duke of Fu'an, the assassination attempt, the relief efforts... it won't take long. The people are already full of complaints. If the person behind this is planning to manipulate public opinion, it's almost over now."

“The tide of history is turning.” Cao Hai glanced at Xie Jingming without leaving a trace. “The capital is right at the center of this vortex. For some reason, the atmosphere above the capital is chaotic and disorderly, seemingly connected yet also seemingly nowhere to be found.”

Zhou Fan looked at him: "Where is the one in the palace?"

"The secrets of heaven are obscured and difficult to discern." Since the last backlash of his fortune, Cao Hai has been extremely cautious and will never touch a destiny he is not confident about.

He added, "This shows that we have now reached a critical juncture, and no matter which fortune teller is in charge, they will not touch the path of destiny at this time."

As they were discussing, a middle-aged monk suddenly walked towards them.

He wore a bright red kasaya with a yellow monk's robe underneath; he was broad-shouldered and had a kind face.

"Esteemed benefactors," he called to the four, offering a Buddhist salute, "This humble monk's Dharma name is 'Dongluan.' Seeing that you are all compassionate, I wonder if you would be willing to help those suffering to make a living?"

"Dongluan, what a strange Buddhist name." Xie Jingming was surprised, yet also somewhat wary. "Where are you from, monk?"

Dong Luan replied, "I was practicing at Jing'an Temple in Jiyao City when I heard about the great plague in the capital. Inspired by the Buddha's teachings, I came here to save all sentient beings."

Jing'an Temple is a famous Buddhist temple in China. Xie Jingming felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this.

Moreover, Dong Luan is only at the first-rate level, weaker than him.

He has had many extraordinary encounters these days. The capital city truly lives up to its reputation as one of the most prosperous places in the world, full of treasures and countless riches.

He vaguely felt that he had reached the threshold of the Seven Sects.

At his current age, he is practically a prodigy destined to go down in history, far superior to Pei Wenwei.

Zhou Fan asked, "Does Master Dongluan want our help?"

Dong Luan laughed and said, "Of course. Have you ever heard of the 'slave market'?"

Xie Jingming snorted coldly: "The gray areas of the capital, the dens of iniquity, are where princes and nobles select slaves."

The "human source" of slave markets consists of bankrupt people who have to sell their wives and children, prisoners of war from enemy countries in border conflicts, and innocent people who have been trafficked by human traffickers.

Once ordinary people enter the slave market, if they are strong and meet the requirements, they have the opportunity to visualize some of the lowest-level divine statues and become warriors.

They wore specially made inscribed shackles so that slave owners and future masters could control them.

They lived even worse than the people in the slums, and being beaten and verbally abused was a daily occurrence.

If one unfortunately encounters some perverted customers, one can only suffer endless torment and die with resentment.

In the slave market, slaves were commodities and had lost their identity as "human beings".

The existence of the slave market was tacitly approved by all parties in the capital. Behind it stood some princes and nobles, and the managers of the slave market were merely its representatives.

Even the most righteous and chivalrous heroes of the martial world rarely dared to lay a finger on it. The slave market was a vast web of vested interests, and anyone who dared to fight to the death would be crushed by ruthless individuals at each end of the network.

Throughout history, there have been those who dared to think and act, but ultimately, their names and bodies have been lost to the world.

Zhou Fan wasn't a hothead like Xie Jingming. He knew very well that the slave market was a thorny iron ball that anyone who touched would get their hands pricked and bleeding: "You want us to take action against the slave market?"

Dong Luan exclaimed in admiration, "You are indeed wise, benefactor."

Zhou Fan directly refused, saying, "Master, you should find another expert."

“Please hear me out, benefactor.” Dong Luan’s expression was solemn and compassionate. “Now there is a great plague in the capital, and the slave market is also affected.”

"In the slave market, half are martial artists and half are ordinary people. The plague is highly contagious, and many ordinary people in the slave market have contracted the disease."

"However, why would slave owners spend money to treat their illnesses? These people were already living in the shadows, and it was even more impossible for them to rely on the government."

“The slave owners thought that these mortals were just cheap goods, so they let them fend for themselves.”

"The slave market has been closed for half a month now, and the scene inside is simply hell on earth. Many people are so sick that they are barely clinging to life, suffering from torment and hunger."

"Guess how many people are dead in the slave market right now?"

Xie Jingming felt a pang of pity and replied, "A dozen or so people?"

Dong Luan chanted a Buddhist prayer and gave the answer: "More than a hundred people. Many of them did not die of disease, but were abandoned and starved to death, their bodies buried deep underground after death. Some slave owners even killed and buried their slaves as soon as they were infected in order to curb the spread of the plague."

"Those beasts are inhuman!" Xie Jingming clenched his fists, his anger blazing, and cursed.

Lu Sha sighed angrily, her aura growing increasingly cold.

Although Zhou Fan's face showed pity, his eyes remained indifferent.

Cao Hai remained silent, staring blankly at the monk.

“My judgment is correct, benefactor, you have great compassion.” Dong Luan seemed to have seen Xie Jingming’s position among the four, as well as his righteous courage, and said to him, “Right now, the slave market is being ravaged by the plague and is in a state of chaos, which is when its defenses are at their most relaxed. Would you be willing to follow me to do something earth-shattering?”

Zhou Fan pressed Xie Jingming's shoulder and said preemptively, "You might have the life to do it, but not the life to succeed. The risks of storming the slave market are no less than those of storming the Imperial Observatory. In history, there have been people who were ignorant of their own limitations and ended up with tragic ends, with even their families being implicated and sold into slavery."

Some unknown con artist appeared, and he saw that Xie Jingming was about to be completely fooled.

"Hahaha, if the predecessors could not succeed, how do we know that the successors cannot? There is no evil in the world that cannot be overcome. Justice is on my side, the people's hearts are on my side, and destiny is also in my hands!" Dong Luan laughed heartily. "A chivalrous person, if hesitant and timid, looking back and forth, would not act for righteousness but for profit?"

Zhou Fan raised an eyebrow impatiently. This man always stood on the pedestal of "righteousness," looking down on everyone else.

It seems that by refusing to enter the slave market for their own safety, they were considered unrighteous and immoral.

Does justice only exist when someone selflessly sacrifices their life in vain?

Seeing that Xie Jingming seemed interested, Dong Luan continued, "Injustices must be righted. If one person is afraid, if two people are afraid, if everyone in the world is afraid, then the suffering will never have a chance to rise up. Someone has to stand up. Do you want to be that person? Are you afraid?"

Zhou Fan cursed inwardly, "They even resorted to provocation."

Before he could retort, Xie Jingming pressed down on his hand, which was resting on his shoulder, and said sternly, "The Master is right. No matter how difficult the task, someone has to do it. Knowing full well that it is the right thing to do, yet being afraid of death and unwilling to do it, and only willing to do safe good deeds, is not chivalry."

He turned to his companions and said, "If you don't want to, I can go alone."