Wild Wolf

"The Zheng Family..."

The drone tracked the three individuals, its perspective zooming in until a grand plaque came into view, the characters "Zheng Residence" shining brilliantly.

"A relative of the Marquis Zhen Dong's household, the family head 'Mixed Gold Saber' Zheng Ye... Are they really this unscrupulous?"

Jiang Ding sighed inwardly. The beneficiaries of East Spirit Prefecture's order were unwilling to abide by the rules they themselves had established, engaging in such a risk-free business.

Or perhaps, a few greedy family servants had acted on their own initiative?

Lightly stroking his sword hilt, Jiang Ding entered a state of semi-sleep, his Internal Force flowing silently within him, nourishing the ten major meridians of the second main channel, the Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian.

Today, he would complete the nourishment of these ten meridians and begin the third main channel.

Around eight or nine o'clock, Jiang Ding went out to chat with Lin Wanqiu and Jiang Yuan for a while, then returned to the backyard, basking in the warm morning sun with his eyes closed.

Initially, he found it difficult to adjust to not sleeping, but after a short while, he discovered that nourishing his meridians with static cultivation had a partial substitute for sleep.

If all went smoothly, his sleep time could be reduced from the original eight hours to four hours in the future.

Knock, knock!

Urgent knocking came from outside the door.

"Enter."

"Master, trouble has arrived!"

Huang Deyou hurried to Jiang Ding's side, lowering his voice. "The leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, 'Wild Wolf Saber' Long Shi, has personally come to our door and even delivered a calling card for you."

Jiang Ding, who had been in semi-sleep while stroking his sword, opened his eyes, a cold glint appearing within them. "Let him come."

Huang Deyou froze, cold sweat breaking out.

Good heavens!

This was 'Wild Wolf Saber' Long Shi, who had built a vast empire from scratch, not some petty gangster like Liu Qi!

In his most famous battle, he had led the 'Wild Wolf Eighteen Riders' into the home of the previous Black Snake Gang leader and slaughtered his entire family with his own hands. He was a man of absolute authority.

In these few streets near Rotten Board Street, if he wanted someone's family dead by midnight, they would certainly not live until dawn.

Huang Deyou dared not move.

Jiang Ding did not make things difficult for him. He flicked the sword hilt, along with the sheath, off the ground. A pebble the size of a fist jumped up, and then with the tip of the sword sheath, he precisely tapped it. This was the standard power-generating technique of the Point Sword Style.

Whoosh!

A black dot, at a speed invisible to the naked eye, pierced through the door, leaving a neatly edged hole before disappearing.

Outside the general store, a burly man with a rough demeanor sat imposingly in a grand chair. In his left hand, a curved saber, still in its sheath, was deeply embedded several inches into the hard, dry earth.

The scarred, burly man Liu Qi stood behind him, smiling obsequiously. Around them, seven or eight martial artists in tight-fitting clothes, each with a long saber at their waist, were constantly vigilant of their surroundings.

"You're saying he made you vomit blood with a single sword strike? That's not surprising."

'Wild Wolf Saber' Long Shi stroked his chin beard. This subordinate of his was an old brother of many years; otherwise, he wouldn't have given him such a lucrative position.

But his strength could only be described as strong and robust, daring to fight and willing to charge.

"However, young, fair-skinned, and handsome... all these combined..." Long Shi found himself in a dilemma. Like Liu Qi, he judged that there was trouble here and didn't want to provoke it at all.

But alas...

"How dare you, a mere shopkeeper punk, act so arrogantly in front of my brother." Long Shi suddenly sneered. "Lang Yi, Lang Er, bring this brat out for me!"

"Yes, Gang Leader!"

Two martial artists in tight-fitting clothes responded in unison, carrying their long sabers and stepping into the shop.

Han Lin and the other shop assistants turned pale.

"Who!"

The two martial artists in tight-fitting clothes were startled by the sound of air being broken and simultaneously swung their sabers towards the source of the sound. Their movements were precise and ruthless, their combat experience honed to the extreme, truly worthy of the 'Wild Wolf Eighteen Riders' forged through years of fighting for the Wild Wolf Gang.

Clang!

A spray of dazzling sparks erupted between the two blades.

Crack!

Lang Yi and Lang Er's eyes widened in horror. Before they could react, two crisp sounds of breaking arm bones rang out, and an immense force struck their chests, sending them and their sabers flying out of the door, tumbling down with hot blood mixed with dust.

Long Shi's pupils contracted, and he stood up.

He had seen clearly that a fist-sized stone, which had come from nowhere, had broken the two men's arm bones, leaving them no room for resistance.

He might not have been able to do that himself.

Liu Qi's heart chilled, thinking that his previous escape had been a stroke of luck.

Silence fell all around. The remaining two guards with sabers looked at the now utterly ordinary shop as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Shopkeeper, my brother was rude first today, and I apologize for the disturbance."

Long Shi gestured with his eyes for the remaining men to help up his two severely injured brothers. He didn't utter a single harsh word, intending to leave now.

In the martial world, the most important thing was to have discernment; otherwise, one would have died long ago.

It wasn't necessarily that he couldn't win, but since it didn't involve the fundamental issue, he was unwilling to have a serious conflict with someone of such high strength.

"Come over for a chat."

A cold voice drifted through the wind, causing Long Shi's steps to falter.

"Shopkeeper, there's still business in the gang..."

"The Wild Wolf Gang isn't far from here."

"Alright."

A brutal glint flashed in Long Shi's eyes. He gave a signal, and a martial artist in fitted clothing quietly departed.

He entered the back courtyard.

The first thing he saw was a stack of square boxes. They were pure black with gilded decorations, bearing the mark of the Four Seas Merchant Guild.

Long Shi's heart trembled, and a strong greed arose within him.

Ginseng!

All of them were decades old!

If he could swallow them all, he might advance from Minor Accomplishment in Inner Qi to Major Accomplishment, becoming a significant figure in East Spirit Prefecture, no longer confined to the few streets around Rotten Board Street.

If supplemented with various spiritual herbs, it might be enough for several people to advance from Minor Accomplishment in Inner Qi to Major Accomplishment!

"Do you want them?"

A chilling voice came from the side.

"This..."

Long Shi swallowed, wanting to say some pleasantries.

"If you can withstand one of my sword strikes without defeat, they're all yours."

Jiang Ding drew his bright silver longsword, and a hint of killing intent permeated the air.

There was definitely an inside informant for the other party within the Four Seas Merchant Guild. They knew as soon as he left. Once wealth reached a certain level, these martial artists in a feudal society would have no regard for laws.

"One sword strike?"

Long Shi's burning greed instantly turned to calm. He pointed his saber diagonally and said calmly, "Young master, you misunderstand. You've been residing on Rotten Board Street for nearly a month. As the host, I'm just here to make a new friend."

"Friends in the martial world know that I, 'Wild Wolf Saber' Long Shi, love making friends and never let my friends suffer a loss."

Clang!

A sword's hum, sword light scattering.

This was a notification, not an inquiry.

"Arrogant!"

Long Shi snorted coldly, his Inner Qi surging. His saber's might transformed into a long river, falling like a ribbon. A wolf-like howling sound faintly echoed in the air.

At the same time, as if by instinct, the remaining wolf guard drew his saber to follow, like a pack of wolves on the great plains following the lead wolf to attack and hunt a fierce beast.

Their coordination was impeccable. Over the years, at least a dozen martial artists with Inner Qi had fallen before them, with as many as five dead.

"Good."

The sword light in Jiang Ding's hand condensed to an extreme. He lightly pierced the side of the saber's might. Although both were moving at high speed, it was like a nimble bird flitting around a bull's head, effortless and casual.

Clink!

The sword tip touched the side of the saber's might. With a single contact, the sword light easily dispersed the seemingly solid saber's might. The swift saber path instantly crumbled, visibly so.

The sword tip turned again, piercing the gap between Long Shi's heart and blood vessels.

"Big brother!"

Lang Si's eyes split with rage. The sword light was too fast; he couldn't keep up.

There was still a chance. His saber was already approaching the other's neck. Just one strike, just one strike!

Lang Si stared intently at that fair neck.

The sword light flashed, and a head flew off. Blood spurted out half a meter high, splashing all over the ground.