Waiting the now free slave expressing their agony, afterward Yan Qing immediately went to the one covered in blood, scars crisscrossing his entire body.
"System, tell me how we can cure them all," he asked calmly.
[ Assessing target objective. Identifying fifteen life signs. ]
[ Condition variance detected: mild bleeding to critical state. ]
[ Recommended solution: Thousand-Petal Restoration Array. ]
"Then I'll use it."
Just as Yan Qing began to raise his hand—complex formation lines suddenly flooding his mind—the system interrupted him.
[ Warning. Host's current environment is unsuitable for public formation deployment. ]
[ Observation count: excessive. ]
Yan Qing paused.
[ Suggestion: transport all targets to Verdant Dragon Mansion within Sky-Reach City. Host may safely deploy formations there without interference. ]
"That makes sense… but some of them are in critical condition."
[ Generating Earth-Grade pills ×15: Water-Waving Calming Pills. ]
[ Effect: temporary stabilization and pain suppression. ]
[ Pill grade concealed. Safe for direct distribution.]
Yan Qing nodded and began handing the pills out one by one.
One of them was an elderly woman. Her face was swollen and bruised, tinged blue and purple. The moment she saw Yan Qing approach, she dropped to her knees and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Thank you, kind immortal… thank you…" she sobbed incoherently.
"There's no need to kowtow," Yan Qing said gently. "Take this pill. You won't recover completely, but it will ease the pain."
The dark brown pill carried a faint herbal fragrance—distinct, yet unremarkable enough not to raise suspicion.
The system really did conceal it well.
Not only the elderly woman, but all twenty-five of them began to feel changes.
The swelling on the old woman's face gradually subsided. Bruises faded. A man whose feet had been crushed until he could barely stand felt the pain slowly ebb away. Small but unmistakable signs of recovery spread among them.
The two hidden inside the secret compartment turned out to be a father and daughter.
Both were deathly pale—especially the little girl. Her body was cold, her breathing so faint it seemed she had only a single breath left.
After Yan Qing fed them the pills, they remained unconscious, but their breathing slowly stabilized.
"Young master is truly kind…" someone in the crowd murmured.
"And wealthy… those are life-saving pills, yet he gives them away freely."
"They're mortals, after all. Even cheap cultivator pills can heal them."
"Still, don't forget—he paid four thousand mid-grade spirit stones. That was practically daylight robbery."
Yan Qing heard everything, but he was busy communicating with the system and paid them no mind.
"So… no guards or authorities will care about this?" he asked internally.
[ Affirmative. Mortals and slaves fall beneath cultivator concern. Mortal deaths—especially slaves—occur daily. ]
"What a cruel world," Yan Qing muttered. "Am I safe here?"
[ Affirmative. Though Host's cultivation is Nascent Soul, it qualifies as early-elite tier by this world's standards. ]
"But caution is still necessary, right?"
[ Affirmative. This incident was resolved with spirit stones. Host currently lacks nothing but time and experience. ]
"Oh?" Yan Qing chuckled. "So after ten years of silence, you're telling me I'm rich in this world?"
[ Affirmative. ]
Yan Qing's smile bloomed like summer sunlight.
Turning toward the onlookers, he cupped his hands politely.
"Respected elders, may this young master rent several carriages to transport these newly purchased slaves?"
One man replied bluntly, "Just let them walk. You've already given them enough. Besides, newly purchased slaves must pay an entrance fee at the gate—one hundred low-grade spirit stones per head."
"Thank you for the information," Yan Qing replied calmly. "That won't be a problem. This young master has some spare change."
"Five mid-grade spirit stones per carriage!" a young carriage owner shouted greedily.
Smack.
An elderly woman beside him slapped the back of his head.
"You little thief! Is that how I raised you—to rob people?"
It turned out she was his mother.
Yan Qing laughed softly.
"Agreed. Five mid-grade spirit stones per carriage," he said. "But I'll need your help transporting them."
The elderly woman froze, then immediately began thanking Yan Qing profusely.
Other carriage owners rushed forward, eagerly offering their services.
Five mid-grade spirit stones.
For common folk, that was the equivalent of half a year without work.
In the end, twelve carriages were rented. Sixty mid-grade spirit stones were paid—no more than a drop in the ocean compared to the system's reserves.
At the gate checkpoint, the guards waved them through after Yan Qing paid fifty mid-grade spirit stones each.
Ten Foundation Establishment cultivators and two Core Formation cultivators supervised the gate.
Slaves were common. Wealthy cultivators even more so. Seeing a young man spending spirit stones freely, the guards treated him with obvious friendliness.
Money had a way of smoothing everything over.
"Young master, where to?" one of the carriage drivers asked.
"Do you know Verdant Dragon Mansion?" Yan Qing asked.
All twelve drivers froze.
"You mean the Verdant Dragon Mansion?" one exclaimed. "The one said to rival the City Lord's residence in grandeur?"
Yan Qing blinked. "Is there more than one?"
"Only one, young master. It's been vacant for hundreds of years. Even the City Lord couldn't break in—the arrays there are terrifying."
"So… you live there?" another asked in disbelief. "But it's been empty for generations."
Yan Qing scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"It's… an ancestral estate. From my paternal grandmother's side."
The drivers exchanged looks.
"Hidden lineage…"
"You're fortunate the City Lord is just," someone muttered. "Otherwise, this could bring disaster."
Yan Qing silently agreed.
"Well then," he said lightly, "please show me the way. I'm new to this region."
The convoy headed toward the southernmost district of the city.
Soon, a miniature forest appeared—inside the city walls.
A forest within a city… just how large is Sky-Reach City?
"Young master, this is as far as we can go," one driver said. "There's an ancient array guarding the forest entrance."
"An array?" Yan Qing smiled faintly. "You've already seen that I have some skill in formations. I'll take a look."
[Identifying designated array target.]
[Array identified: Minor Azure Cloud Formation. Branch of Major Big Dipper lineage.]
[Compatibility confirmed. Host may wave it with minimal action.]
"Minor?" Yan Qing raised an eyebrow. "Then why couldn't the City Lord break it?"
[Array possesses full compatibility with Host's innate talent. City Lord does not.]
"So convenient…"
Yan Qing waved his hand casually.
A fragrant wind surged outward, rich with dense spiritual qi. The forest entrance shimmered, and the array dissolved like mist.
"The young master truly is the rightful owner!" one driver exclaimed.
"For centuries no one could open it. We only heard rumors of a hidden mansion left behind by an ancient lineage."
Even the former slaves stared wide-eyed, witnessing yet another miracle.
Yan Qing smiled—still dimmed by forty percent of its original brilliance—and waved his hand.
"Let's go in. I'll treat everyone to dinner tonight."