Inside the cage, water dripped continuously from above, flowing down and forming a shallow puddle right in front of Yu Han. The young man remained silent, as if calmly observing its rhythm.
Seeing this, Lin Yue raised her brow in curiosity. From his side profile, it looked like he was analyzing something. Since their first encounter, she already knew this youth possessed unusually sharp perception.
"What do you know?" Lin Yue couldn't help but ask.
Yu Han did not answer immediately. He had no intention of responding in a hurry. The water droplets he was observing suddenly became unstable, faint ripples spreading across the surface of the puddle. What had been a simple dripping sound slowly turned into a distinct rhythm, like a subtle pulse.
Yu Han lifted his eyelids and glanced at the impatient girl.
"Someone is approaching," he said calmly. "Their footsteps aren't ordinary. You can take advantage of this."
Lin Yue froze for a moment, digesting his words. A faint curve appeared at the corner of her lips. What Yu Han said pushed her thoughts toward several ideas, each one riskier than the last.
And sure enough, not long after, a tall man dressed in luxurious clothing approached the cage. He looked to be around twenty years old.
From his appearance alone, it was clear he was excessively extravagant. Necklaces and rings adorned his body, creating an almost wasteful display of wealth. An aura of arrogance radiated from him without restraint.
His gaze swept over Yu Han and Lin Yue, who he clearly considered weak, as if he were inspecting animals. Like someone strolling through a market in search of a new pet. He stepped closer, his expression filled with excitement.
"Not bad," the arrogant man said. "You delivered exactly what I asked for."
The man who had brought them here smiled brightly, clearly eager to flatter him.
"Yes, yes. Young Master Hu has refined taste. We would never offer low-quality goods."
Meanwhile, Lin Yue quietly observed the arrogant man. Just as Yu Han had said, this person indeed had exploitable flaws.
And soon enough, she spotted it.
A golden object was tied at his waist. It resembled a totem, and engraved on its surface were the words: Xu Shen Dian Sect.
Lin Yue's eyes gleamed briefly. A perfect idea formed in her mind.
While the two men were busy exchanging words, Lin Yue silently reached out and took the totem from Young Master Hu's waist, hiding it beneath her torn clothing without making a sound.
Given Hu's personality, he would never pay close attention to his surroundings. His arrogance made him overly confident in his own abilities, blinding him to small details.
Unfortunately for him, the person he underestimated was Lin Yue.
She possessed no spiritual energy that could be detected, and her movements were swift and precise. If anyone was to blame, it was Hu himself for looking down on everything around him.
The two men continued talking casually, still smiling, completely unaware that the "goods" they were discussing had just made a small move.
It didn't take long before Young Master Hu reached into his pocket to pay. At first, nothing seemed wrong. Then his expression changed.
The totem was gone.
His face darkened instantly as he frantically searched his body, only to confirm that the precious item had truly disappeared.
"It's gone!" he roared. "Who dares steal from me?!"
Young Master Hu was furious. He never imagined that a visit to the black market would result in the loss of such a valuable item. With his arrogant nature, there was no way he would let this go quietly.
"You!" he pointed angrily at the man beside him. "My totem disappeared while I was here! Is this the kind of security you have? Or perhaps you have some hidden motives against me?"
The flattering man's expression immediately turned ugly upon hearing this. Very few people dared question the security of this place, considering the rumored background of its owner. But now this man was not only doubting them, he was outright accusing them of ill intent.
His anger surged, and he responded coldly.
"Young Master Hu, you'd better reconsider your own carelessness. Otherwise, we won't hesitate to respond to those words."
Hu's arrogant face paled slightly at the threat. Fear stirred faintly in his chest, but his overwhelming pride refused to let him back down.
"So what?" Hu sneered. "Do you really think the Xu Shen Dian Sect is something you can afford to offend?"
While the two men exchanged threats, a small figure in the corner of the room quietly made her move.
Lin Yue's slender fingers skillfully worked on the lock of the cage using a crystal hairpin, completely unnoticed. Without spiritual energy fluctuations, no one sensed a thing.
With a soft click, the lock opened.
A smile appeared on Lin Yue's face. She quickly grabbed Yu Han's hand and pulled him away.
Yu Han did not resist. As he was dragged along, his calm eyes remained fixed on the two men. At the same time, his pale fingers moved subtly, forming a hand seal. A small flame flickered into existence and flew toward a pile of straw at the far end of the room.
Lin Yue noticed none of this. Her focus was solely on finding an escape route. Along the way, she saw countless emaciated figures locked in cages, their conditions miserable beyond words.
Her conscience stirred.
Before she could think it through, her hands were already opening the locks of their cages.
Yu Han paused, blinking a few times as he watched her. She could have left immediately without any risk of being discovered, yet she chose to free those who were barely clinging to life.
"Hurry! Get out of here and destroy the chains around your necks before they come back!" Lin Yue urged.
The prisoners were overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. Without hesitation, they smashed the chains against the walls, tears streaming down their faces as they thanked the young girl endlessly.
Lin Yue didn't linger. She had already done enough.
With time running out, she finally led Yu Han out of the building and into hiding. She didn't dare relax, knowing they would likely be hunted down soon.
***
Elsewhere, the magnificent building used for slave trading was now engulfed in flames.
Panic spread among the crowd. The freed slaves fled in all directions, desperate to escape.
The entire black market was thrown into chaos.
After all, almost no one had ever dared to provoke them so openly.
And this matter was far from over.