"You noticed, huh," the clerk muttered.
Han Yu did not respond, rely waiting.
The clerk glanced around briefly, making sure no one was paying them particular attention, before lowering his voice slightly.
"It's sothing to do with the elders," he said. "Or rather, orders coming from above them."
Han Yu's eyes sharpened. "An elder bought them all?"
The clerk shook his head. "Not exactly. That's the strange part. The elders themselves aren't taking them as personal assets. Instead, an order ca down for a large batch of slaves to be taken directly by the sect."
Han Yu frowned. That was unusual.
"What kind of order?" he asked.
The clerk spread his hands helplessly. "I don't know. It didn't co through the usual channels. It went straight to the elder overseeing the slave district. No explanations. No notices posted."
Han Yu's frown deepened, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes. This was not normal sect behavior. Slaves were resources. Even when elders requisitioned them, there were records, categories, justifications.
This felt… different.
The clerk noticed Han Yu's expression and hesitated, then seed to recall sothing. He leaned in slightly and lowered his voice further.
"If you really want to know which slaves were taken... or why" he said carefully, "I might be able to find out."
Han Yu's gaze flicked to him instantly.
"But," the clerk added quickly, rubbing his thumb against his index and middle fingers in a familiar gesture, "that kind of information doesn't co cheap."
Han Yu did not hesitate.
He reached into his robes and produced a small pouch of spirit stones, tossing it onto the counter with a dull clink.
The clerk picked it up, weighed it in his hand, and peeked inside. His brows lifted slightly before he shook his head and slid the pouch back.
"Not enough," he said.
A dangerous chill entered the air.
Han Yu's eyes darkened, a faint killing intent leaking out just enough to make the clerk's spine go rigid. A few wisps of Fear Eight Emotions Energy ca out of the clerk's body, showing that he really was a bit afraid.
The clerk imdiately raised his hands defensively. "Wait, wait. That's not what I an."
He swallowed and spoke quickly. "If I dig into this, I won't just be checking one ledger. I'll have to talk to people higher up. And they won't do it for free. If superiors find out I'm poking around sothing sensitive, I could get into serious trouble."
Han Yu stared at him for a long mont.
Then, without a word, he took back the pouch, opened it, and calmly transferred more spirit stones into it. The sound of stone against stone echoed softly before he tied it shut and placed it back on the counter.
The clerk opened it again.
This ti, a faint smile crept onto his face.
"That," he said, nodding, "should be enough."
Internally, Han Yu felt nothing but cold satisfaction.
A thousand Mid Grade spirit stones was a laughable sum to him now. Between the Fatui Clan's paynt and Qing Luan's share of the profits, his reserves were deeper than most inner sect disciples would ever imagine. But appearances mattered.
So he let irritation show on his face, a slight tightening of his jaw, as if the cost pained him.
The clerk noticed and nodded sympathetically, as if they were two n commiserating over necessary evils.
"I'll look into it," the clerk said. "Give so ti. This isn't sothing I can find out instantly."
"How long?" Han Yu asked.
"A day or two," the clerk replied. "Depends on how cooperative people are feeling."
Han Yu nodded once. "Send the information to my jade slip."
The clerk inclined his head. "Of course."
As Han Yu turned to leave, the clerk watched him go, his expression thoughtful. He did not ask why Ju Fan wanted this information. In the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect, curiosity was often a fatal flaw.
He had long since learned that the safest questions were the ones never asked.
Han Yu stepped out of the slave district building once more, the heavy doors closing behind him. His expression remained calm, but his thoughts were anything but.
Large scale requisition of slaves by the sect itself.
No public explanation.
Orders from above the elders.
Whatever was happening, it was not small.
And Han Yu had the distinct feeling that it was connected to sothing far larger than internal discipline or resource allocation.
He lifted his gaze toward the blood red sky over the sect, eyes narrowing.
The Blood Sect was moving.
And when giants moved, those beneath them were often crushed without ever knowing why.
A while later, Han Yu returned to his cave in silence, the stone doors sealing behind him with a dull, familiar thud.
The faint sll of blood Qi, incense, and dicinal herbs greeted him like an old acquaintance. It was strange how quickly a place could begin to feel like an ho, even in a sect where nothing was ever truly safe.
Since there was little he could act on imdiately regarding Zhao Liun and the pill market, Han Yu decided to focus on what he could control.
ng Jueyan.
Under the guise of "experints," he began another treatnt session. This ti, however, the difference was unmistakable.
His soul cultivation had improved significantly over the past year. The long periods of danger, absorbing the large amount of souls, the repeated use of soul skills, the near death experiences, and even the strange awakening of the inner fla had sharpened his perception far beyond what it had once been.
When he extended his spirit sense now, it was no longer blunt or hazy. It was precise, layered, capable of distinguishing minute irregularities that would once have escaped him entirely.
ng Jueyan sat on the stone bed, her posture disciplined and still. Her breathing was steady, though there was tension in her shoulders. She had learned what these sessions ant, even if she did not understand their true purpose.
Han Yu lifted his hand, thin soul needles already forming on his finger tips.
Slowly, carefully, he scanned her ridians again.
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