Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Zhou Qingfeng saw that his uncle and the others had already decided to sell themselves, so he didn't try to persuade them otherwise.

Because now the only way out is to sell yourself; not selling yourself means death.

Moreover, on the bright side, selling oneself might not be a bad thing.

At least their basic needs and safety are guaranteed, and they will still have the opportunity to redeem themselves in the future.

We must overcome this current hurdle, or there will be no future.

However, even when selling oneself, one must choose which company to sell to.

If you choose the wrong family, you might end up with a cruel and heartless master.

If they beat and kill their servants at the drop of a hat, then we're doomed, and we'll have nowhere to turn for help.

The old man and his family understood this principle, so they went to ask around to find out which family had good treatment and a good owner.

Zhou Qingfeng stood still, quietly closing his eyes.

A bright red divination stick covered with strange and mysterious runes appeared in my mind.

The hanging bucket was filled with five types of divination sticks.

These are respectively the best fortune slip, the most auspicious fortune slip, the most auspicious fortune slip, the most auspicious fortune slip, the average fortune slip, and the worst fortune slip.

They arrived here after a month of fleeing famine.

When faced with a major choice on the road, and hesitant to make a decision.

Zhou Qingfeng would always consult a divination stick to determine good or bad fortune, so that he could make the right choice at crucial moments.

Because he has always believed in a truth: choice is more important than talent, which is more important than effort.

What is choice? Choice is at every crossroads of destiny.

If you can accurately select the right one.

Then life will be smooth sailing, full of good fortune, and everything will go well.

Conversely, the wrong choice is made.

No matter how talented you are or how hard you work.

Life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns, and tragedies.

"Shake the divination sticks!" Zhou Qingfeng thought to himself, and the bright red divination bucket began to shake. Then, three sticks flew out, each with a brief description in writing.

[The worst possible outcome: Selling oneself to the Ma family, the corpse-driver; an ominous sign.]

[Neutral divination: Sold into the household of the Ghost-Controlling Mao family, neutral.]

[Auspicious divination: Selling oneself to the city lord's mansion, auspicious.]

Looking at the three divination slips, Zhou Qingfeng already had a clear understanding of the situation.

If there is an auspicious option, choose the auspicious one; if there is no auspicious option, then settle for neutral.

As for the worst possible outcome, I will absolutely not touch it, and I will absolutely not even attempt it.

Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune is what one should do; there's no need to try and see how unlucky a fortune slip really is.

The old man and his daughter, who were working as farmhands, had figured out a way out and asked Zhou Qingfeng, "Little Zhou, do you want to sell yourself to the Ma family with us? The Ma family offers the best treatment, high wages, and meat for every meal."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng remembered the life-saving grace and help they had shown when he first transmigrated, and how they had supported each other and shared hardships along the way. He had long regarded them as family and did not want them to step into the fire pit.

So he said, "Uncle, why don't you go somewhere else? I've decided to sell myself to the city lord. You'd better come with me."

The old man was puzzled: "Since we're selling ourselves into slavery, we should choose the one with the best treatment. Why are we changing to another one?"

Zhou Qingfeng didn't know why, but the divination showed that selling himself to the Ma family was a very bad omen. He naturally couldn't tell his uncle and the others the truth about it. After thinking for a moment, he had already made up a believable story.

"Uncle, if we are destined to be dogs, then we should be the lackeys of the most powerful people."

"The city lord's family are the true masters of Sword Tower City."

"No matter how prosperous or powerful the Ma and Mao families become, they are still just two lackeys raised by the city lord."

"Are we supposed to be the lackeys of lackeys?"

Uncle, Changgui, and Shui'er were stunned upon hearing this. After careful consideration, they discovered that although Zhou Qingfeng's words were harsh and offensive, they contained the truth of being a lackey.

Changgui, who came from a servant background, was deeply shocked, even though he didn't understand much of what he was hearing.

The old man said admiringly, "Qingfeng, you have a talent for being a lackey."

Zhou Qingfeng: "???"

Shui'er tugged at Zhou Qingfeng's arm and said admiringly, "Even if Brother Qingfeng is a lackey, I believe Brother Qingfeng can become the best lackey. Father, let's listen to Brother Qingfeng and sell ourselves to the city lord's family."

After a slight hesitation, the old man nodded: "I trust Qingfeng's judgment."

After the four of them finished discussing, they got up and went to queue up.

Soon it was Zhou Qingfeng's turn in the queue.

Under the wooden shed, the steward sat calmly at a table and chair, surrounded by several strong servants holding sticks. The steward casually made a paper record with a brush: "Name, age, place of origin, literate and skilled in martial arts."

Zhou Qingfeng bowed and smiled faintly: "I am Zhou Qingfeng, 18 years old, from Yumi City. I learned to read at the age of three and started school at the age of six. I have read a little about various books and know more than 3,000 characters. I also have a basic understanding of martial arts."

Upon hearing this, the butler suddenly looked up at Zhou Qingfeng in surprise, carefully sized him up, and said, "Two meals a day, room and board included, wages to be paid separately."

“Okay.” Zhou Qingfeng agreed without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, the butler lowered his head and placed the written indenture on the wooden table in front of Zhou Qingfeng, then slapped the vermilion ink pad next to the indenture: "Sign and put your fingerprint on it."

Zhou Qingfeng picked up a brush, wrote his name, and then pressed his fingerprint on it.

The butler bowed his head and wrote a review.

This person has excellent looks, excellent physique, and excellent knowledge.

He is polite in speech and conduct, speaks eloquently, is literate, and has a basic understanding of martial arts.

With a little nurturing, they can become pillars of society.

After writing the review.

The steward took out a wooden plaque and tossed it to Zhou Qingfeng, smiling slightly: "This is your identity plaque. Go and wait to enter the manor to meet the city lord. The city lord values ​​a talent like you very much."

"I take my leave." Zhou Qingfeng accepted the identity token and bowed slightly with his hands clasped.

A servant holding a stick gestured for Zhou Qingfeng to follow him.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng only had time to glance at his uncle and the others.

They then followed the servant with the stick to the back and waited to enter the city.

Uncle, Shui'er, and Changgui also signed indentures with the City Lord's Mansion one after another. However, they were directly led away by a group of servants with sticks from the City Lord's Mansion. Zhou Qingfeng was a little puzzled, so he asked the servants with sticks beside him.

"Hey bro, excuse me, aren't they coming into the city with us?"

Upon hearing this, the servant holding the stick laughed and said, "They are all low-ranking servants who have been selected. Once they sign the indenture, they will be scattered and sent to various estates for labor. These people are not qualified to enter the city to meet the city lord."

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts." Zhou Qingfeng felt a little relieved after his doubts were resolved. The separation was only temporary. As long as they were safe and sound, they would eventually reunite.

The disaster relief efforts are still proceeding in an orderly manner.

The refugees, carrying the food rations from selling their children, left Sword Tower City and headed towards the boundless wilderness.

They were just a group of refugees barely surviving, without any identity, mostly disabled and elderly people. The best fate awaiting them was to die in despair in the wilderness after their food supplies ran out.

Of course, the most likely scenario is that he will die silently in the mouth of demons and monsters on some night.