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"Her." Ye Chuan's voice was calm.

However, his words left Mu Qianqian somewhat surprised, even astonished that Ye Chuan would take a liking to a demonic-race medicine slave.

Looking at Ye Chuan, she patiently explained,

"Immortal Master, this is merely a medicine slave, useful only for testing medicines and of no other purpose, and moreover, she is of the demonic race... The Treasured Pavilion has many clever attendants; you could pick any of them over her."

On the Tianxuan Continent, medicine slaves held a lowly status, mostly used by cultivators to test medicines or refine souls. It was extremely rare for anyone to specifically purchase a seemingly useless medicine slave for other purposes.

If it was merely a shortage of hands in the shop, compared to the usual cost of hiring help, the price of a medicine slave was rather high.

Mu Qianqian couldn't understand why a mighty cultivator like Ye Chuan would take a fancy to a wounded Mystic Fox medicine slave whose eyes had even lost their light.

"No need. Her." Seeing the little girl curled up in a ball, Ye Chuan's tone held no hesitation.

"Just name a price. You were going to sell her anyway, right?"

Seeing Ye Chuan's firm attitude, Mu Qianqian dared not say more and quickly replied with a smile,

"If the Immortal Master truly wants her, I, on behalf of the Treasured Pavilion, shall gift this medicine slave to you."

"Free?"

"Yes."

"Free is the most expensive. Give me a price," Ye Chuan said.

Hearing this, Mu Qianqian covered her mouth and chuckled. "In that case, let it be five hundred low-grade spirit stones."

Ye Chuan casually tossed out a storage pouch; the spirit stones inside far exceeded five hundred low-grade.

"The extra is for the chains on her," he said, walking to the cage. A wisp of spiritual energy gathered at his fingertip, and with a light flick, the dark iron chains restraining the little girl instantly shattered, falling to the ground with a crisp clatter.

The little girl was startled by the sudden noise, her body instinctively curling up. Her dirty little face was full of fear, her pink fox ears drooping low.

"D-don't hit me."

Her voice was hoarse. "I... I'll be good..."

Ye Chuan looked at her state but did not respond. He simply reached out and opened the cage door. "Come out."

The little girl hesitated for a moment, then cautiously stepped out of the cage. Her steps were unsteady, clearly a result of prolonged imprisonment.

She staggered forward, each step tearing at her wounds, causing them to ooze fresh blood. She kept her head bowed, not daring to look at Ye Chuan.

"What's your name?" Ye Chuan asked.

"..." She merely kept her head down, staring at her own scar-covered feet.

A few seconds later, she finally spoke.

"I don't know..."

"Most medicine slaves have taken special drugs that make them forget past events," Mu Qianqian explained from the side.

"I see."

Ye Chuan said no more. Spiritual energy swirled around him, enveloping the little girl within it. After saying "Thanks" to Mu Qianqian, he left the Treasured Pavilion with the girl in tow.

...

Back at the shop.

Ye Chuan stopped and casually set the little girl down on the ground.

Her fox ears were drooping. Apart from the intense reaction when the chains were removed, now she seemed like a doll, neither speaking nor reacting, just sitting on the floor with her head bowed.

"Take off your clothes," Ye Chuan said.

Upon hearing this, like a puppet, she reached out and pulled off her own tattered clothes—some fabric was stuck to scabbed wounds, and after removing them, many parts of her body were bloody, a truly gruesome sight.

Her face was relatively fine, but there were hardly any patches of intact skin on her body. Perhaps considering salability, it was unclear whether the wounds on her face had been treated or deliberately left unmarked.

"..." With a glance, Ye Chuan noticed several broken bones in her body. The injuries were far more severe than he had imagined.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Ye Chuan asked.

"..." The little girl stood before Ye Chuan in silence.

"Hmm?"

"It hurts... but it's useless..." the little girl finally whispered. "Can't cry out in pain..."

"Why?"

"..." She didn't respond this time, just mechanically buried her head lower, as if she had done something wrong.

With her clothes off, the girl before him resembled a tattered rag, full of pits and scars.

Ye Chuan took out a pill from his backpack space. "Open your mouth."

Seeing the pill in Ye Chuan's hand, the girl seemed to understand. She opened her mouth numbly.

"..."

The moment the pill entered her stomach, it didn't bring the familiar, excruciating pain, nor the stinging bite of ants. Instead, a warm current spread from her stomach towards her limbs.

The little girl stood there, seemingly experiencing for the first time that a pill could also bring warmth.

The sensation of pain throughout her body receded like a tide. Seeing this change, Ye Chuan extended his hand and cast a healing spell.

With simultaneous internal and external treatment, the little girl's body recovered to a near-perfect state in just a few seconds.

"Ah..." The little girl stared dumbfounded at the changes on her body. In her previously hollow, numb eyes, there now seemed to be a flicker of disbelief.

After staring blankly for a while, she finally looked up at Ye Chuan. "I..."

"Your life essence was damaged, but it's fine. I've healed all your wounds," Ye Chuan said, looking at the bare little creature before him. He took out one of his own garments from his backpack space and simply draped it over her.

Ye Chuan's size was far too large for the little fox girl, so the garment hung on her like a dress.

The soft, warm clothing and the cozy feeling spreading through her body seemed to overload her senses, as if she couldn't process such information.

A long moment passed before she looked up at Ye Chuan again.

This time, there seemed to be a bit more light in her eyes. She asked Ye Chuan blankly, "Why..."

"Why what?"

"I... have never eaten such a good-tasting pill before..." the little girl whispered. "Those others... bitter... had moving worms inside... so painful..."

"I don't want to hear about those things," Ye Chuan said calmly. "You've been bought by me now. You won't need to live your old life anymore. What you need to do now is forget the past."

"Not live... like before?"

Ye Chuan crossed his arms. "Be prepared. From now on, you might be working here for a lifetime. While room and board are provided, I'll only give you a small amount of money as wages until you've paid off the cost of buying you."

"Ah..." the little girl said dazedly. "There's such a good thing..."

Seeing her bewildered expression, Ye Chuan suddenly smiled. He reached out and patted her head. "Alright, forget all those unhappy things from before. From now on, you're a member of my shop."