Brocade Dragon Chamber of Commerce

Jiang Ding wore a longsword at his waist as he walked down the bustling streets.

The unexplained disappearance of several beggar children had not affected Eastern Spirit City at all. On the contrary, ever since the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce had contacted various factions to begin opening up Eastspirit Mountain, large quantities of medicinal herbs, rare treasures, and exotic beasts had been sent back every day.

Goods such as medicinal herbs and beast meat had all dropped in price to varying degrees, making the market even more prosperous and lively.

Blacksmith shops, medical halls, tea houses, brothels, and all sorts of businesses that had once struggled to stay afloat now had a constant stream of customers, raking in money by the basinful.

Many idle men who had once gone hungry whenever no one hired them suddenly found all kinds of work—moving goods, assisting others, doing hard labor. The bolder ones entered the mountains to hunt beasts and catch butterflies, and the wages were even higher than before.

Against such a backdrop, the occasional news of someone dying on Eastspirit Mountain could not stir the slightest ripple.

"Perhaps this was one form of so-called investment-driven economic growth..."

Jiang Ding seemed to grasp something as he recalled certain things from his textbooks.

He had merely invested the equivalent of fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver. Yet by borrowing strength to strike with strength, the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce had created an economic storm that swept through the regions surrounding East Spirit Prefecture, far surpassing the purchasing limits of fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver.

As he passed the magnificent Brocade Dragon Chamber of Commerce, the foremost merchant association in East Spirit Prefecture, he found the place much more desolate than before.

The noisy scene of crowds constantly coming and going had vanished. It took a long while before a single customer appeared.

Groups of well-dressed servants and maids, their faces always bearing proper and enthusiastic smiles, had become mere decorations. There were far more of them than customers.

The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce deeply understood the principle of not keeping all the meat for itself.

Taking advantage of the opening of Eastspirit Mountain, it yielded profits to the major factions within the city. The rare medicinal herbs, minerals, and exotic beasts acquired during the undertaking were divided according to each faction's investment and contribution, so every side gained benefits.

Once such goodwill had been established, they naturally chose the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce first when conducting business. Thus, its trade grew more prosperous by the day.

"Seven Profound Martial Arts Hall!"

In contrast, a large residence nearby whose former purpose was unknown had now become the main hall of the Seven Profound Martial Arts Hall. Young boys and girls, brimming with youthful vigor, streamed in and out.

These were young talents sent up from branch halls throughout East Spirit Prefecture. It was said that in just over a month, several exceptionally gifted youths had entered Seven Profound Mountain and become disciples of Zhang Ziteng, the acting sect master of the Seven Profound Sect, known as the Iron Sword of the Goshawk. They had truly ascended to the heavens in a single step.

"Perhaps, in the real world, evil and beauty were destined to coexist."

"Just as yin and yang existed within all things."

Jiang Ding watched the joyful people around him, their faces full of hopes for the future, then compared them with the beggar children on Rotten Plank Street who had nearly been abducted. That was what he thought.

A faint realization rose in his heart, and even the circulation speed of his inner force seemed to quicken slightly.

Over the past month, he had never slackened in his arduous cultivation. He had opened more than six hundred additional minor branches of the Twelve Regular Meridians, bringing his total number of opened meridians to over seven hundred and twenty. At most another month would be needed to reach the twelve hundred required for the Lesser Celestial Circuit realm.

The Minor Breath-Concealing Technique had reached Proficient (68%), while both the Vajra Seal and Thousand-Thread Guidance had reached the Minor Accomplishment stage.

Only his foundational technique, the Young Eagle Takes Flight Sword Art, had reached Minor Accomplishment (99%) half a month ago and could not break through.

Books had also explained such cultivation bottlenecks. Young martial artists lacked sufficient understanding of the martial path and the immortal path. They needed to study more, gain a thorough comprehension, or experience more different events. Perhaps then, enlightenment would come in an instant.

Many people remained before a bottleneck for their entire lives.

Take Jiang Chaoyang, for instance. At nearly fifty years old, his Young Eagle Takes Flight Formula had only reached the Proficient level, firmly locked behind that bottleneck for decades.

Deliberately maintaining the Minor Breath-Concealing Technique, Jiang Ding pondered various martial matters. Before he knew it, he had strolled to the entrance of the little shop.

"Which great figure is this?"

"Hurry it up, we still need to buy rice and rush back to the village..."

Jiang Ding raised his head, and his brow could not help but furrow.

The entrance to the little shop, which had seen an unbroken flow of people delivering unknown specimens day after day, was blocked by a group of sturdy servants dressed in silk.

Every one of them was full of vigorous blood and qi, with arrogant expressions on their faces. Several even exuded the aura of inner qi.

A large number of herb gatherers and mountain folk had been blocked outside, not daring to advance another step. Some, tired of waiting, had simply left first.

Judging by their restless appearances, they had been waiting for quite some time.

Displeased, Jiang Ding walked toward the entrance.

He had always had a good temper.

Huang Deyou and Long Shi—he did not care even if they offended him somewhat. So long as they did not hinder his continued cultivation, he would leave them be. Mistakes could be corrected, and differing views could be reconciled.

But they could not affect his cultivation!

Library points were extremely important to him. No one could cause the slightest obstruction to this matter for any reason whatsoever!

"Young master, please forgive us."

The two servants guarding the entrance surprisingly both possessed the aura of the Inner Qi realm. Seeing Jiang Ding approach, they cupped their fists. "Our master is discussing an important matter with the shopkeeper. Please wait a moment, or come again another day."

Jiang Ding placed a hand on his sword hilt and said flatly, "Move."

The two Inner Qi realm servants were about to speak, but a chill suddenly rose in their hearts. They actually did not dare block him any further and let him enter.

"Young Master Jiang!"

A steward by the side door jolted, suddenly remembering something. He finally recognized the owner of the place and hurried over to Jiang Ding with small steps, a flattering smile on his face. "My master is Ding Feng of the Brocade Dragon Chamber of Commerce. He has been waiting for you for a long time."

His words were humble, yet he could not help revealing a trace of pride.

The Brocade Dragon Chamber of Commerce,

The foremost merchant association in East Spirit Prefecture. Its master, Ding Feng, known as the Spring Breeze Hand, was a renowned hero throughout East Spirit Prefecture. He most enjoyed making all kinds of friends in the martial world and was on good terms with great figures such as the leader of the Brotherhood Gang and the master of the Dragon-Tiger Martial Hall.

The likes of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce were merely a middling merchant association in East Spirit Prefecture.

"Hahaha!"

A burst of hearty laughter came from inside the room.

"I had long heard that East Spirit Prefecture had gained another outstanding talent. Ding Feng came uninvited; I ask that you forgive my offense, young master."

A tall, stout fat man wearing a brocade robe embroidered with golden toads heard the commotion and hurried out from within. From afar, he gave a deep bow.

Jiang Ding ignored him and swept his gaze through the room.

The original counter and square stools had been moved somewhere unknown. At the center of the front hall stood a valuable redwood Eight Immortals table draped in brocade cloth, surrounded by burning incense. Silk curtains had somehow appeared over the windows.

Steam carrying the fragrance of tea curled up from the Eight Immortals table, and merely smelling it refreshed one's spirit. It was far beyond the inferior tea Jiang Ding had previously served Long San.

A shabby, cramped little general store had been decorated to resemble the sitting room of a wealthy household.

Huang Deyou hid in the corner like a quail.

Jiang Ding stared at the tall, stout fat man before him, glanced at the two iron balls turning in his hand, and said expressionlessly, "Shopkeeper Ding, is this your home or mine?"

He could not appreciate this style of decoration.

More importantly, this style had not considered practicality in the slightest. It had completely discarded the original functions of the general store, and restoring it would take time.

Many specimens would be lost because of this.

"Young Master Jiang, we merely tidied up a little..."

Ding Feng froze. In his view, this was much like using a broom to tidy up a host's home when one had come to visit and found the host absent.

One had to know that the Eight Immortals table and the silk curtains were both quite valuable. It was equivalent to handing over dozens of taels of silver out of thin air without doing anything at all.

That was how the name "Spring Breeze Hand," the timely rain of the martial world, had come about.

There was nothing else to it.

He simply threw money around. The moment they met, he threw money at people. The cruder, more direct, and more vulgar it was, the more his brothers liked it.

"Young master, please forgive me!"

Seeing the concealed anger in Jiang Ding's expression, Ding Feng suddenly understood, shame appearing on his face. "Ding has grown accustomed to associating with friends from the streets and marketplaces. This is Ding's fault."

He bowed deeply.

"Ding has done wrong. Please punish me."

"No matter."

Jiang Ding found a seat and sat down, suppressing his emotions. He gained a new understanding of those who had carved out reputations in the martial world—they could be as yielding or as forceful as water.

But he had no time to waste and allow specimens to be lost.

"Shopkeeper Ding, why have you come? What business do you have?"

.