Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 189: Selecting People for the Prison Camp!
Chen Ye steered his small boat, cutting a white wave across the inky lake, heading straight for the stone island where the management center was located.

A gentle breeze ruffled the hem of his clothes, but his face remained completely expressionless.

Manshan's death and the appearance of Heishuimo did disrupt his plans, but that was not enough to discourage him. When problems arise, they are problems to be solved.

If there aren't enough people, ask for more. If you can't go to the west, squeeze every last drop of value out of the other areas first.

For him, this was just a minor inconvenience encountered during the execution of the plan, and it was nothing serious.

Soon the small boat docked at the management center's pier.

It was still that skinny disciple called Monkey on duty. When he saw Chen Ye, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Hey, Junior Brother Lin, it's not the day to hand in the mission, what brings you here?"

"Something happened, so I came to see Senior Brother Zhou," Chen Ye said succinctly.

"Something happened?" The monkey perked up immediately upon hearing this. Gossip is human nature, and cultivators are no exception. "What happened?"

"nothing!"

As he spoke, Chen Ye walked straight toward the stone hall in the center of the island.

Seeing this, the monkey pursed its lips but had no choice but to follow.

Inside the stone hall, Senior Brother Zhou was still half-dead, sitting with his legs crossed on a grand chair, leisurely sipping a steaming cup of spiritual tea.

"Senior Brother Zhou," the monkey reported, bowing and scraping, "Junior Brother Lin said he needs to speak with you."

Senior Brother Zhou lazily raised his eyelids, glanced at Chen Ye, and asked in a flat tone, "What is it?"

Without wasting any words, Chen Ye took out a jade slip from his storage bag and handed it over.

"Today, the pearl divers went to the deep ditch on the west side, but encountered the Black Water Mill and lost two people, one of whom was a martial artist in the Sea Condensation Realm."

Upon hearing this, Senior Brother Zhou paused for a moment while holding his teacup, then took the jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and quickly browsed through it.

The jade slip contained Chen Ye's detailed description of the incident, as well as the testimonies of the surviving pearl divers.

A moment later, Senior Brother Zhou withdrew his divine sense and casually tossed the jade slip onto the table next to him.

"Black water mills are indeed hard to guard against. They are invisible and intangible, and their appearance is unpredictable. If you encountered one, you can only say that you were unlucky."

As he spoke, Senior Brother Zhou picked up his teacup again and said calmly, "So what is the purpose of your visit?"

Chen Ye said, "I came here this time to request some additional manpower from above."

Upon hearing this, Senior Brother Zhou raised his eyelids again. "Applying for manpower... that's not out of the question."

He put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and said with a smile, "That depends on whether you want some ordinary stuff or something better, Junior Brother Lin."

coming.

Chen Ye had already learned from Li Qingyan that the Blood Lotus Sect was full of transactions and unspoken rules.

This senior brother Zhou in front of me clearly wanted to take this opportunity to make a quick buck off me.

"Oh?" Chen Ye raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance. "How do you say these two things?"

Seeing how cooperative Chen Ye was, Senior Brother Zhou's smile deepened.

He enjoys dealing with intelligent people like that.

He extended a finger and tapped it lightly on the table, explaining slowly, "The ordinary stuff is just some stragglers that the sect has captured from various places, or low-level cultivators who have committed crimes. These people are weak and can only do odd jobs. Their pearl-collecting efficiency is not high, and they are no different from cannon fodder."

"If you want them, I can have the monkey take you to the prison camp right now and get ten or eight of them, and I won't take a single penny from you."

At this point, he changed the subject, his voice becoming slightly seductive.

"But if you want something better... then it's a different story! The prison camp just received a batch of good stuff recently. They were prisoners captured by the sect when they went to wipe out a foolish martial arts sect not long ago."

“These people are all tough guys who have mastered body cultivation. They have vigorous blood and strong bodies. One of them can do the work of three people when they go into the water to collect pearls. However…”

He drawled out the last syllable, looking at Chen Ye meaningfully, "The price will naturally be better too."

According to the Blood Lotus Sect's rules, these prisoners who were pearl divers should have been directly allocated and supplied according to the needs of the regional managers. However, in the hands of someone like Senior Brother Zhou, the rules were distorted.

He divided these prisoners into different classes. The lower-class prisoners could be given to him at will, since they were just waste materials anyway, but those who were truly valuable became tools for his personal profit.

Want it? Sure, but you'll have to offer something in return.

This is also the most common unspoken rule within the Blood Lotus Sect.

Chen Ye was making plans in his mind.

No matter how many ordinary cannon fodder he sends, it's useless. What he needs are elite troops who can truly improve efficiency.

Although there will be some costs involved, in the long run, this investment is worthwhile.

Therefore, Chen Ye spoke up, "Senior Brother Zhou, I'd like to go and check out the goods first before making a decision, is that alright?"

This reaction was exactly what Senior Brother Zhou had expected.

Unless they've been trained to the point of losing their minds, anyone with a modicum of ambition wouldn't want to have a bunch of scoundrels under their command; they'd all want to find some useful tools.

Therefore, he nodded readily, "Of course."

"Monkey, take Junior Brother Lin to the prison camp. If he sees anything he likes, and you know the price, just tell Junior Brother Lin."

This senior brother Zhou clearly trusted the monkey a lot, and the monkey, upon hearing this, quickly responded with a beaming smile.

"okay!"

Then he turned to Chen Ye and said, "Come on, I'll take you to the prison camp."

Chen Ye nodded, and then followed the monkey out of the stone hall.

Senior Brother Zhou picked up his teacup again, looked at Chen Ye's back, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

Another newcomer has started to get started.

Although the job at Blackwater Lake was tedious, it was quite lucrative if you were quick-witted.

Thinking of this, he took a sip of tea and felt very relaxed.

The prison camp is located in the heart of Stone Island, with its entrance hidden beneath an inconspicuous stone tower.

The monkey skillfully pressed a few times on a stone wall, and the wall silently slid open, revealing a dark, downward-facing staircase.

"Let's go, Junior Brother Lin, all the good stuff is down there." The monkey chuckled and went down first.

Chen Ye followed behind him, descending the slippery stone steps.

The dungeon was dimly lit, with only the moonstones embedded in the walls at intervals emitting a cold, eerie glow.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view suddenly opened up before us.

A huge underground space appeared before Chen Ye.

This place is like a giant beehive, with countless cages made of black iron densely packed together.

Each cage holds prisoners of various appearances.

Some were missing limbs and barely breathing! Others were tortured beyond recognition and could only lie paralyzed in their cages like puddles of mud.

Upon hearing footsteps, some of the cages near the passage immediately stirred.

"Let me out! Let me out!"

"My lord, choose me! Choose me! I can do anything!"

One by one, the prisoners rushed to the bars of the cage, their arms reaching out from the gaps, their faces filled with an almost frantic longing.

"These are people who were just locked up not long ago. They don't quite understand the rules yet and are always thinking that they can be picked out and regain their freedom." The monkey curled his lip disdainfully and kicked away a skinny arm that almost grabbed his trouser leg.

Chen Ye listened expressionlessly and continued walking inside.

The deeper you go, the harsher the environment becomes, and the quieter the prisoners in the cages become.

Most of them huddled in the corner of the cage, sitting or lying down, indifferent to any noise from the outside world.

His eyes were empty and numb, as if his soul had been taken away, leaving only a walking corpse.

This is the norm in prison camps.

Here, any hope and dignity will be gradually eroded until one is completely reduced to a mindless tool.

Chen Ye's gaze swept over the prisoners one by one, while his divine sense silently probed their cultivation levels.

Most of the people here are low-level cultivators in the Qi Cultivation and Foundation Building stages, as well as some ordinary martial artists who don't understand cultivation. Just as Senior Brother Zhou said, they are ordinary people who are not very useful.

"Where is that group of martial artists that Senior Brother Zhou mentioned?" Chen Ye asked.

"Hey, Junior Brother Lin, don't rush. The best stuff is all inside." The monkey smiled mysteriously and quickened his pace.

After walking several hundred meters further in and rounding a corner, the scene before us changed once again.

The cages here are noticeably sturdier than those outside, and they are covered with densely packed restrictive runes that shimmer with a faint red light.

The cages no longer held ordinary prisoners on the verge of death. "We're here, Junior Brother Lin, look," the monkey said smugly, pointing to a row of cages ahead.

Chen Ye turned his gaze over there.

Inside those huge black iron cages, more than twenty burly criminals were being held.

Although they were wearing tattered prison clothes and had injuries, they all had an impressive presence.

Most importantly, each of them possessed exceptionally vigorous blood and energy; even from a great distance, Chen Ye could feel the intense, scorching power of their blood and energy emanating from them, like a furnace.

These people's bodies have been tempered and refined, their muscles and bones are strong, and their blood and qi are abundant. In terms of physical fitness alone, they are even stronger than some cultivators in the early stage of the Sea Condensation Realm.

These people are natural-born masters of physical labor, making them perfect for pearl diving in deep waters.

Chen Ye nodded inwardly, knowing that Senior Brother Zhou was not lying; these were indeed tough opponents.

Just as Chen Ye was observing them, the martial arts practitioners in the cage also noticed him and the monkey.

Almost instantly, everyone's eyes were drawn to it.

It wasn't the numbness or longing of the previous prisoners, but a gaze filled with deep-seated hatred and endless rage.

If looks could kill, Chen Ye and the monkey would probably have been torn to pieces by now.

"Hmph, a bunch of ignorant fools." The monkey felt a chill run down his spine from their stares and couldn't help but curse, "You're all prisoners now and you still dare to glare at me? Believe me or not, I'll gouge your eyes out and use them as bubbles to stomp on?"

However, his threats had no effect.

The martial arts practitioners' eyes became even fiercer, and one of the men even spat at the monkey.

"Bah! Blood Lotus Sect bastards!"

"If you've got the guts, let me out for a one-on-one fight, and I'll twist your head off and use it as a chamber pot!"

"Hahaha, well said! A bunch of rats who only know how to use schemes and tricks dare to be arrogant in front of us?"

The martial arts practitioners in the cages started cursing and shouting, showing no awareness of their status as prisoners.

The monkey's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

He's used to throwing his weight around here; he's never been treated like this before.

"You've rebelled! You've all rebelled!" he screamed in a fit of rage, and was about to activate the restrictions on the cage.

"Why get angry with someone like that, senior brother?" Chen Ye advised.
The monkey paused, looking at Chen Ye with some resentment: "Junior Brother Lin, these guys are too arrogant. If we don't teach them a lesson, they won't know how many eyes Lord Ma has!"

"It's just the barking of a pack of caged dogs, what's there to care about?" Chen Ye's tone was calm and undisturbed.

His unyielding attitude, completely disregarding the other party's provocations, actually quieted down the shouts and curses from inside the cage.

Then Chen Ye slowly walked around the row of cages, his gaze sweeping over each martial artist in the cages, scrutinizing them as if he were selecting livestock at a market.

Being stared at so openly by him enraged the martial artists in the cage, who felt they had been greatly insulted.

"What are you looking at! Look again and I'll gouge your dog eyes out!"

"You Blood Lotus Sect brats, if you're so capable, let us out for a real fight, or just kill us. What kind of skill is that?"

The shouting and cursing started again, but it was noticeably weaker than before.

Because they couldn't see any emotion in Chen Ye's eyes.

There was no anger, contempt, or curiosity, but a pure, emotionless scrutiny, as if looking at an inanimate object.

This feeling of being completely objectified was more humiliating and disheartening to them than any insult.

"Junior Brother Lin, how is it? This batch of goods is pretty good, isn't it?" The monkey came over and said with a wink.

"The three at the front are the leaders of this group, and they are the strongest. Especially the woman, don't let her appearance fool you, she fights even more fiercely than men. It's said that she is the personal disciple of the leader of their Ironclad Sect."

Chen Ye looked in the direction he was pointing.

There are three people locked in the cage on the far left.

One of them was the burly man who had led the cursing earlier. His blood was surging, and his temples were bulging. He had clearly mastered external martial arts to an extremely high level.

In the middle was a taciturn middle-aged man, whose eyes shone brightly with each blink, and whose breathing was deep and long, suggesting he was proficient in some kind of internal martial arts.

The woman on the far right is tall and has a high ponytail.

She was probably around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but her features were well-defined and she had a heroic air about her.

What's most striking is her figure.

It wasn't the delicate fragility of an ordinary woman, but a robust physique brimming with explosive power.

Beneath his bronze skin, his muscles were smooth and firm, exuding power; even the oversized prison uniform couldn't conceal his astonishing physique.

At this moment, she was leaning against the cage bars with her arms crossed, coldly looking at Chen Ye with eyes as sharp as knives.

In Chen Ye's divine sense, the blood and qi of these three people were indeed the strongest among all martial arts practitioners.

Especially that woman, whose blood and qi were almost solidified, her physical strength was probably no less than that of an ordinary mid-stage Condensation Realm cultivator.

It's definitely good stuff!

"That's right." Chen Ye nodded, having already made up his mind.

"Hehe, that's for sure." The monkey rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice. "Junior Brother Lin, to be honest, this batch of goods is in high demand. Several senior brothers in charge have come to see it before, but Senior Brother Zhou has been holding back, wanting to save it for you, Junior Brother Lin."

Chen Ye sneered inwardly.

Nobody would believe him.

What do you mean by "keeping it"? It's clearly waiting for a better price to sell it.

However, he didn't point it out, but simply asked, "What's the price for these three people?"

The monkey's eyes lit up; it knew the main event was about to begin.

He held up three fingers and waved them in front of Chen Ye.

"Three hundred contribution points each, or three grade seven spirit beads," the monkey quoted the price. "This is a friendly price given by Senior Brother Zhou because you're new here, Junior Brother Lin. Anyone else wouldn't even consider it for less than five hundred contribution points."

Three hundred contribution points, or three seventh-grade spirit beads.

This price isn't too outrageous.

But Chen Ye shook his head and directly countered, "Too expensive. One hundred contribution points each, or one seventh-grade spirit pearl for these three people."

"Oh, Junior Brother Lin, you've really put me in a difficult position." The monkey cried out with a bitter face, "One hundred contribution points? That's not even enough to break even! If Senior Brother Zhou finds out, he'll skin me alive."

“This is my bottom line.” Chen Ye’s tone left no room for negotiation. “If it’s okay, it’s okay; if it’s not, then forget it. At worst, I’ll just get some more ordinary stuff. It’s less efficient, but at least it’s free.”

He acted as if he could abandon the deal at any time.

This is the skill of negotiation.

The more determined you appear, the more the other party will manipulate you.

Sure enough, the monkey immediately became anxious upon seeing Chen Ye's attitude.

If this deal falls through, he won't get any benefit from it at all.

"No, Junior Brother Lin, let's talk this over." The monkey's attitude softened. "One hundred is indeed too low... How about two hundred! Two hundred contribution points each, that's the lowest price I can offer!"

Chen Ye remained silent, simply looking at him.

The monkey felt uneasy under his gaze, and finally gritted his teeth: "One hundred and fifty! Junior Brother Lin, one hundred and fifty contribution points! This is truly the lowest price I can offer with my authority! Any lower and I really won't be able to talk to Senior Brother Zhou!"

Chen Ye considered it for a moment.

One hundred and fifty contribution points are required for each person, so three people would receive four hundred and fifty points.

This price is already within his acceptable range.

After all, these three martial arts practitioners are far more valuable than ordinary pearl divers. If used properly, they can quickly recoup their investment.

"Okay." Chen Ye finally nodded. "But I don't have that many contribution points."

The contribution points I earned from completing tasks have long been spent.

After all, cultivation is an extremely resource-intensive activity, which is why all the disciples in the Blood Lotus Sect are worried about contribution points.

Then Chen Ye took out a small cloth bag from his storage bag and threw it to the monkey.

"Here is a seventh-grade spirit pearl. The remaining three hundred contribution points will be recorded in the account for now, and will be deducted directly from my contribution points when I hand in my mission next month."

The monkey took the bag, opened it, and after confirming that it contained a high-quality seventh-grade spirit pearl, it hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Although only a portion was prepaid, as long as the person was released, there was no fear that Chen Ye would renege on the payment.

“Alright! Let’s do as you say, Junior Brother Lin!” The monkey readily agreed, then took out a bunch of keys from his waist and opened the three cages.

"Come out. From now on, the three of you will be working under this Manager Lin."

(End of this chapter)