Xie Hongchen indeed had the intention to free Dai Yue from her slave status.
If common folk entered slave status, they became their master’s property. The master could buy, sell, beat, or kill them at will, with no freedom whatsoever.
Xie Hongchen knew the suffering within this, and the extraordinary woman who bred beam rice and allowed tens of millions of disaster victims to survive famine had obviously stirred his compassion. To rescue this woman, he naturally could not simply take her as a concubine like Di Yiqiu had done.
Now that Yuhu Xuanzong was at its zenith, as Sect Master, if he issued an order, even if Huang Shu was unwilling in his heart, how would he dare resist?
But the information transmitted back by the investigating disciple was unexpected. Even someone as wise as Xie Hongchen found it strange.
The disciple had investigated Dai Yue’s life thoroughly. Her mother had been defiled by a fox demon, which led to her birth. From the moment she was born, she had been enslaved in the Huang family. Later she was assigned to Huang Rang’s courtyard, becoming Huang Rang’s personal maid.
After the early years of Chengyuan, Dai Yue leaped from an unknown servant to a renowned expert in breeding.
Even at the beginning of this year, Si Tianjian’s Supervisor Di Yiqiu had been willing to offer Immortal Tea Town as a betrothal gift to take her as a concubine.
Given Di Yiqiu’s status, if Dai Yue became his concubine, she would naturally be freed from slave status. And Di Yiqiu never made losing deals—if he wanted to buy this slave, perhaps others were also eyeing Dai Yue.
But if Dai Yue became his concubine, then others truly had no recourse.
But what happened next was even stranger. Emperor Shi Wenyu summoned Dai Yue to the palace to cultivate rare tree species, yet Dai Yue actually killed the seedlings. Si Tianjian turned instead to seek Huang Rang’s help.
And the matter of Di Yiqiu taking Dai Yue as a concubine fell through after that.
Truly strange at every turn.
Xie Hongchen, harboring suspicions, naturally re-examined the Eye of the World Cave. The Eye of the World Cave in Immortal Tea Town had been there for a long time, originally intended to deter demons and prevent them from causing chaos.
But now that he had doubts, he inevitably needed to look more carefully.
The Eye of the World Cave here was set beneath the banyan tree at the town center. The view was broad. Xie Hongchen examined it for a long time and discovered that from one angle, one could see a section of the Huang family’s farmland—half of Immortal Tea Town’s farmland was used by the Huang family for trial planting.
And before the early years of Chengyuan, most of the time it was Huang Rang who personally managed this farmland.
And that year was precisely the year Dai Yue bred beam rice.
Could a half-blood fox woman who rarely worked the fields truly breed such a world-shaking thing in one stroke?
Xie Hongchen was utterly perplexed, but another person caught his attention.
Huang Rang among the farmland also had dignified bearing and graceful posture. She often stood in the fields, watching tenant farmers sow seeds and tend seedlings. She was never domineering and spoke to everyone with a smile.
Her interactions with men never crossed propriety—her conduct was measured, her conversation composed, so perfect she seemed unreal.
Xie Hongchen’s gaze lingered slightly on the image, which showed Huang Rang conversing with several tenant farmers, instructing them on how to plant seeds. Xie Hongchen withdrew his scattered thoughts and reconsidered Dai Yue.
Testing her authenticity was actually quite easy.
—Hadn’t Shi Wenyu personally tested it himself?
So Xie Hongchen personally came to Immortal Tea Town again. The entire town was in an uproar because of him. And Xie Hongchen ordered the village head to gather all the townspeople beneath the banyan tree at the town center.
With his single command, how could the other common people not comply?
In an instant, the area beneath the banyan tree was surrounded by people.
Xie Hongchen wore white robes and black hair, standing with his hands behind his back. The common people all very consciously made space for him. He stood among the crowd like frost, snow, and ice.
The townspeople gradually assembled. The Huang family naturally arrived as well.
Huang Shu very naturally squeezed to the front, standing in the position closest to Xie Hongchen, as if to demonstrate that he was most familiar with this Sect Master. Xie Hongchen swept his gaze across the crowd, his eyes first pausing on Huang Rang.
Strange—among thousands of common people, he had spotted her at a single glance.
Sensing his gaze, Huang Rang bowed slightly, extremely dignified and courteous.
Xie Hongchen thus nodded slightly as well. He raised his voice and said, “Everyone, previously I heard that there is a Miss Dai Yue in town who has successively bred excellent varieties like beam rice and bitter lotus, meeting the people’s needs. Yuhu Xuanzong deeply admires her benevolence.”
The common people immediately began discussing in low voices. Dai Yue’s heart stirred with excitement. This Sect Master Xie indeed remembered her! Thinking that from now on she could be freed from slave status and might even have hope of entering the immortal sect, even her breathing became rapid.
And Huang Shu’s expression was not so pleasant.
Dai Yue was still his money tree after all. Giving her to Di Yiqiu, he could still obtain Immortal Tea Town. If he gave her to Yuhu Xuanzong, that would be drawing water with a bamboo basket.
The immortal sects didn’t care about slave status. If Yuhu Xuanzong wanted someone, what benefits could they promise him?
His brow furrowed tightly.
And at this moment, Xie Hongchen suddenly took out a potted spiritual herb from his storage treasure. His tone shifted as he said, “Today Yuhu Xuanzong has a spiritual herb called ‘Efficacy Leaf.’ Yuhu Xuanzong wishes to ask Miss Dai Yue to cultivate this herb and strengthen its medicinal effects. If she can achieve three times or more, there will be a generous reward.”
Dai Yue looked completely bewildered.
Xie Hongchen gestured to her. She stood in the crowd, at a loss. Someone beside her even reminded her, “Miss Dai Yue, Sect Master Xie is calling you! Hurry and go!”
Dai Yue walked step by step before Xie Hongchen, looking at the pot of efficacy leaf in his hands. She dared not reach out to take it.
Xie Hongchen said gently, “Miss Dai Yue, please.”
Dai Yue tremblingly accepted that spiritual herb. Xie Hongchen’s next words dealt her another heavy blow: “Please allow all the townspeople to accompany Miss Dai Yue in the breeding, so everyone can understand the hardship and difficulty of cultivating excellent varieties.”
The surrounding common people loudly cheered. But Dai Yue knew that under several thousand pairs of eyes, she could not fake anything at all.
Huang Shu looked confused—he did not understand Xie Hongchen’s intention.
Xie Hongchen strode toward Huang Rang and said, “Miss Arang, may I have a word with you?”
Huang Rang immediately said, “Naturally.”
She followed Xie Hongchen away from the crowd. Xie Hongchen finally asked, “I have something I don’t understand. I ask Miss Arang to enlighten me.”