On Qionglong Star, inside a remotely located plant shop.
Mengna, petite in stature, carefully dripped a drop of liquid rich in Life Force into a flowerbed.
In the center of the flowerbed, a bright green sprout only a few centimeters tall swayed gently, radiance flowing over its buds and leaves as if it could feel its silent joy.
"Mengna! Mengna!"
An old and excited voice broke the silence.
Mengna turned and saw an old man with white hair standing at the doorway, his face full of excitement.
"What's wrong, Grandpa Zu?" Mengna asked curiously as she stood up.
"Good news! Great news!" The old man's voice trembled, and he could hardly catch his breath. As a ninth-rank Planet Level martial artist whose life was nearing its end, he was now glowing with vitality.
"Just now your Brother Tamu sent word! Those three demons on Huancai Star... are dead! They're all dead!"
"Really?" Mengna's limpid eyes suddenly lit up. "How is that possible? They were so powerful..."
"Absolutely true!" The old man nodded vigorously, unable to stop himself from coughing twice. "Tamu verified it personally! Even the planet lord's name has been changed!"
"I knew it! I knew those demons would have their day sooner or later!" Tears shimmered in the old man's cloudy eyes.
Choking up, he continued: "Mengna, with the demons dead, your parents can rest in peace. And you... you're not a slave anymore; you're now a shop employee with legal status in the Kaluo Empire. Later... later you can go back to Huancai Star in my place..."
He paused, his tone carrying deep longing: "After I die, can you and Tamu bring my ashes back? I want... to rest eternally on Huancai Star."
Mengna was lucky; she had been brought to Qionglong Star for sale while still in her Apprentice Period, so she hadn't been implanted with a Slave Chip. Even more luckily, she had met Grandpa Zu and another fellow townsman, Tamu.
The two had worked together to ransom her, and after she broke through to Planet Level, helped her register legal identity. The shop boss was understanding; after learning the situation, he gave her a job, allowing her to establish herself on Qionglong Star.
"I don't know... what this new lord's attitude toward our Huancai Star people will be," Mengna said, a lingering worry still in her eyes.
"Grandpa Zu," Mengna said firmly, "if that new lord isn't so... cruel and no longer sells our people at will, Brother Tamu and I will definitely bring you back to your roots!"
"That person... should be a kind lord, right?" The old man dared not be sure.
Just then, a stout man like a little giant strode in: it was Tamu.
"Mengna, it seems Grandpa Zu has already told you the good news. Our mother planet has a new lord, and I have the latest news!" Tamu's voice was booming and excited. "That lord summoned all Planet Level and above clansmen on the planet..."
"He said he's going to a distant place for an adventure, and the planet's administration... will be handed directly to us Huancai Star people! Now the clansmen are raising money to buy me and Grandpa Zu back to oversee things."
"Handing over the administration... to us?" Mengna could hardly believe her ears. "That lord... is actually so kind?"
"Absolutely true!" Tamu nodded vigorously. "When I received the news, that lord had already left Huancai Star. He is said to be the disciple of some super-powerful expert; even the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's staff at its Kaluo Empire station are extremely respectful toward them."
"Brother Tamu, do you have information about that lord?" Mengna asked, surprised and delighted, urgently.
"Hmm, the clansmen sent back some information; the lord's name is Lei..." Tamu said while operating the instrument on his wrist. "Hmm, Lei Ming. The clansmen also sent back video..."
"Lei Ming?!"
Mengna's body stiffened instantly. Finding it hard to believe, her voice trembled: "That lord named Lei Ming... isn't he... a youth with a single horn on his head?"
At that moment, Tamu happened to open the video. The young, determined face on the screen instantly confirmed her guess.
"It's him! It really is him!" Mengna stared fixedly at the video Tamu showed, tears gushing forth.
"Mengna! Mengna! What's wrong? Why are you crying? What happened?" Tamu and the old man were both flustered by her intense reaction.
Mengna wiped her tears forcefully, her voice choked: "I know him. Remember I told you about that friend I met on Qionglong Star not long ago? It's him... the first time I just gave him directions, and later we met again and talked a lot... I just wanted to find a stranger to confide my pain in, never expecting..."
The boy's determined expression and words clearly surfaced in her mind: "I cultivate with my teacher; someday I will surely become powerful. Once I am strong enough, I will definitely rescue all the Huancai Star clansmen!"
Back then, Mengna had taken it as a distant and warm comfort, a kind joke. She never expected that in such a short time, he would actually... do it.
Mengna recounted how she met Lei Ming and his promise without reservation, leaving Tamu and the old man speechless.
"Mengna... thank you. You are the benefactor of all our Huancai Star people! You... indirectly saved all our clansmen!" The old man was moved to tears.
"Sister Mengna!" Tamu's voice was also choked. "If you meet that benefactor again, please thank him on my behalf!"
...
With a soft creak, the shop door was pushed open. The shop boss, dressed in fine clothes and somewhat plump, walked in with a smile.
"Cough, sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop." The boss's voice was gentle, with sincere congratulations. "Congratulations to you all."
"Boss!" The three hurriedly bowed respectfully. Being able to open a shop on Qionglong Star, their boss was extraordinary in strength and backed by a major power.
"Amu, Old Meng," the boss's gaze swept over Tamu and the old man. "You've been working in my shop for over five hundred years, haven't you?"
"Yes, Boss!" The old man and Tamu quickly replied. "Thank you for rescuing us from the slave market five hundred years ago and giving us such a stable life."
The shop boss's round face smiled even more broadly. "I've seen your hard work and loyalty. Over the years, you've long since paid off the debt for your ransom. Since your mother planet has returned and needs you to return to oversee things..." He paused, his tone gentle but unquestionable: "I'm granting you your freedom."
"Boss?" The three exclaimed simultaneously, hardly able to believe their ears.
"Go," the boss waved his hand. "Huancai Star needs you more. Do you have money to buy return interstellar tickets? If not, I can lend you some first."
The three were completely stunned, looking at each other. The boss usually treated them decently, but being so generous, even offering to lend money, was truly unexpected.
However, the desire for freedom overwhelmed everything, and they finally did not refuse this unexpected gift.
...
Seeing the three off with gratitude and longing as they left the shop door, the shop boss's affluent face revealed a shrewd smile.
"Lei Ming... he should be the youth who came to Qionglong Star a year ago with that Lord Lu Qingshan? To think he's Lord Lu's personal disciple..."
"These Huancai Star slaves, their luck is truly heaven-defying, to actually be able to climb up to that powerful person's disciple."
Anyone with some strength, if they knew a few clues, could guess the general idea.
Three planet lords were exterminated, yet the Black Dragon Mountain station didn't investigate, but instead quickly determined the new lord.
Aside from the new lord having a powerful background, there was no other explanation.
Just two Planet Level slaves; to him, they meant nothing—possibly sometimes not even worth the cost of a meal.
Using these two people, if he could exchange for that disciple's favor, or even a bit of goodwill, it was a sure-win deal.
A merchant—how could he engage in a loss-making business?
Chapter 17