Four Seas Chamber of Commerce

No pursuit.

Jiang Ding rested a hand on his sword hilt and slightly closed his eyes, sensing the blood-drenched battlefield. The stench of blood was heavy in his nostrils.

His spine tingled faintly. In just a few minutes, his bone-tempering progress had advanced another step.

No matter what kind of martial art it was, only on the battlefield could one find the value of one's existence, where it aligned with the essence of one's life.

The caravan hands around him looked at the youth amid the corpses with awe and did not dare approach.

"Thank you, young hero, for saving my life."

After a long while, the caravan steward finished bandaging his wound and hurried over, bowing deeply. "Long San of the Dragon Clan's collateral branch, from the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, greets you, young hero. I will surely repay you handsomely in the future."

Jiang Ding paused. "In the future? Why not now?"

Long San's scalp exploded with alarm. His entire body, especially his throat, turned cold, and he instinctively reached for the saber at his waist.

Meeting Jiang Ding's gaze, he forcibly stopped himself.

"Could it be that your handsome repayment was merely a polite phrase?" Jiang Ding asked unhappily.

"I wouldn't dare! Please wait a moment, young hero."

Long San relaxed and revealed a smile. Cupping his hands, he returned to the caravan hands, borrowed some silver from each of them, and presented Jiang Ding with more than thirty taels.

"Please do not take offense, young hero. I only have thirty taels on me at present. Once we reach the prefectural city, I will offer another generous gift."

"That won't be necessary. This is enough. They struck first, after all—I did not save you deliberately."

Jiang Ding accepted the silver and shook his head. "I have another request. I am also heading to the prefectural city. Could the steward make things convenient and let me travel with you?"

"Young hero, I could not ask for more!"

Long San was overjoyed. He had been worried that the Tiger Den bandits would refuse to let the matter rest.

This was, after all, Tiger Den territory. No one dared linger. Long San had the hands clear out a donkey cart especially for Jiang Ding and invited him inside, while he personally kept him company despite his injuries.

Jiang Ding also took the opportunity to ask him about the surrounding area.

"In the prefectural city, aside from the Marquis of the East's government office, what other experts must not be provoked? I should be mindful of them."

"This..."

Long San pondered for a moment, then said, "With your skills, young hero, you naturally would not regard minor gangs and small forces as worth notice. There are only three who can truly be called great experts: Yang Dongsheng, leader of the Brotherhood Gang, known as 'Loyalty Reaching the Clouds'; Old Master Yuan, master of the Dragon-Tiger Martial Hall, known as the 'Sky-Turning Monkey,' whose disciples are spread throughout both the underworld and the legitimate circles of Eastspirit Prefecture; and Zheng Ye, head of the Zheng Clan, nicknamed the 'Golden-Mixing Blade.' I hear the Zheng Clan has marriage ties with the Marquis's residence."

"All three are renowned peak Inner Qi realm experts. Setting aside their reputations and power, for an Inner Qi realm martial artist like me, surviving even one move under their hands would be a stroke of heaven-sent luck."

After thinking for a moment, Long San added:

"Actually, a few months ago, there was also the Seven Profound Sect. It was even stronger than the three great powers and had occupied Eastspirit Prefecture for over a thousand years. Unfortunately, Wei Xian, chief disciple of the Golden Saber Sect, one of the Six Great Sects, led people here and slaughtered them to the last."

A look of reverence appeared on his face.

"Oh? Why was that?" Jiang Ding asked with interest. "I recall that the Golden Saber Sect is a major sect near the capital. Why did they travel a thousand li to wipe out a sect in a place like ours?"

"Those great sects have always acted overbearingly. Even the authorities have rarely interfered with them in recent years. Who could know?"

"But there are also some rumors in the city."

Long San considered it.

"Some say that the Golden Saber Ancestor of the Golden Saber Sect set his sights on a treasure of the Seven Profound Sect, called the Heavenly Sound Stone. It was left behind by Seven Profound Master, who had dominated the martial world a thousand years ago. Whenever moonlight shone upon it, it played the music of immortals and could help people comprehend martial arts."

Jiang Ding's heart stirred. It seemed to remind him of something, but after careful thought, nothing came to mind.

"Others say that one of the Golden Saber Ancestor's enemies was connected to the Seven Profound Sect, so he sent his chief disciple to massacre the entire sect and vent his anger."

"Still others say it had something to do with a beauty..."

"In short, there are scattered rumors of every kind." Long San smiled bitterly. "Little people like us cannot take what we hear as truth. It merely helps pass the time over drinks."

Jiang Ding smiled as well. "Is that chief disciple of the Golden Saber Sect still in Eastern Spirit City? I am beginning to feel like not going."

Long San's expression tightened.

"He's gone, gone! Rest assured, young hero. To a prodigy ranked ninth on the Dragon-Phoenix Ranking, Eastern Spirit City is merely some remote little place. If not for his master's orders, why would Wei Xian, the 'Sea-Splitting Saber,' ever be willing to come here?"

Sea-Splitting Saber?

Jiang Ding was speechless. These people really dared to boast. Even a Golden Core True Person would hardly dare claim to split the sea.

"Such a prodigy is a true man among men!"

Long San said with a trace of yearning, "I saw it with my own eyes that day. The gold, silver, treasures, and the people's blood and sweat hauled down from Seven Profound Sect's mountain alone filled more than a dozen large carts. The final flower carriage, filled with beauties, was even more mouthwatering. I heard that Bell-Tone Fairy, the Seven Profound Sect master's wife, was among them."

"She was the dream woman whom great figures like Old Master Yuan and the Zheng Clan head could not obtain in their youth. By sheer luck, the Seven Profound Sect master had won the beauty's hand, yet now... alas."

"Right."

Jiang Ding recalled something. "Didn't the Seven Profound Sect also have a Dragon-Phoenix Ranking prodigy, someone called Flying Snow Fairy? Did she also fall into the hands of that 'Sea-Splitting Saber'?"

"You mean Flying Snow Fairy Gong Caiyu, ranked ninety-eighth on the Dragon-Phoenix Ranking? She is Bell-Tone Fairy's daughter, and her beauty is also enough to topple kingdoms. I did not see her that day, and I have not heard what became of her afterward."

With the beautiful mountain wilderness outside the window slowly rolling backward, the two chatted idly. Jiang Ding gained a general impression of Eastern Spirit City.

Along the way, the caravan periodically stopped at small towns and villages to replenish food and water and let the animals rest, allowing Jiang Ding to observe some of the local customs.

Overall, it roughly resembled the ancient feudal era of the Immortal Sect.

Body-Tempering realm martial artists possessed the strength of several hundred jin in a single arm, while Inner Qi realm martial artists were even stronger. Yet they apparently had no notion of applying this strength to agricultural or handicraft labor to improve productivity.

The vast majority of martial artists chose violent professions that produced nothing directly, such as escorts, guards, gang members, and soldiers, even though they constantly faced life and death and could not be said to enjoy safety or stability.

Four or five hours later, just as Jiang Ding was considering whether to stay up all night, a towering city appeared in the distance.

As they drew nearer, he saw that its walls stood eleven or twelve meters high and fifteen or sixteen meters wide. Large numbers of armored soldiers guarded the gates, standing perfectly still despite the scorching weather.

Firewood carriers, merchants, opera singers, night-soil collectors, and common folk from every trade queued to enter the city in orderly fashion.

Jiang Ding examined the soldiers carefully, his expression turning serious. "The soldiers within this city are quite elite."

The three Body-Tempering stages and the Inner Qi realm were all still mortal. Once trapped in a city or out on the plains and besieged by troops armed with powerful bows and heavy crossbows, no matter how strong they were, they could not withstand it and would certainly die.

"Of course."

Long San said solemnly, "The Marquis of the East was one of the Twelve Cloud Generals who followed the founding ancestor in conquering the realm. He ranks ninth in Cloud Pavilion. His ability in both military command and martial arts is naturally formidable, and he has not declined even now."

"They call them the three great powers within the city, but in truth none can compare to the Marquis's residence."

At the city gate, tax collectors charged each person one copper coin to enter, with goods assessed separately. Judging from Long San's unchanged expression, they had neither overcharged nor undercharged, nor had they caused the sort of trouble Jiang Ding had expected.

Jiang Ding did not have a single copper coin, so Long San paid for him.

After entering the city, Jiang Ding cupped his hands toward Long San. "I wish to open a general store in the city. Steward Long, could you introduce me to some contacts? I do not need a particularly good location, only somewhere to settle down for the time being. I certainly will not let you lose out on the commission."

He had planned this already: he would open a general store and use a certain amount of silver to purchase various specimens dug up and captured by locals.

Naturally, the requirements for the specimens would be strict in every respect, so training would be provided in advance.

"Ah, ah..."

Long San retreated half a step and repeatedly waved his hands. "Young hero, you honor me beyond what I deserve. You saved my life. For such trivial matters, you need only give the order. Why be so formal?"

"No." Jiang Ding said seriously, "I said before that since I have accepted your generous gift, the matter is settled. Do not mention it again."

"Young hero, it was merely a few dozen taels of silver..."

"No, it is enough." Jiang Ding smiled. "You are also a businessman, so you naturally understand that value is never fixed. So long as buyer and seller both agree, the money and goods are settled, and neither side may continue to pester the other."

"Ah, young hero, I cannot argue with you. Since you wish to open a shop, I will send a hand familiar with such matters to assist you later. Do not mention commission again."

Long San smiled bitterly.

A small-time general-store owner did not fit this blue-clad, sword-bearing youth who killed without batting an eye in the slightest. The mismatch was simply too great.

Naturally, he did not ask further. It was someone else's business.