Jiang Ding's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and he closed his eyes slightly, feeling the blood-drenched battlefield; the stench of blood was strong at the tip of his nose.
His spine tingled faintly, and within a matter of minutes, his bone refinement progress had advanced further.
No matter the martial art, its true value and essence in life could only be found on the battlefield.
The attendants of the merchant convoy watched the youth amidst the corpses with reverence and did not dare to approach.
"Thank you, young hero, for saving our lives."
After a while, the manager of the convoy, having bandaged his wounds, hurried over and bowed deeply, "The Sihai Business Association, a collateral member of the Long family, Dragon Three, has met the young hero. There will be a generous reward in the future."
Jiang Ding was taken aback, "The future? Why not now?"
Dragon Three's scalp tingled, and a chill ran especially through his throat; instinctively, his hand went to the knife at his waist.
Confronting Jiang Ding's gaze, he stopped abruptly.
"Could it be that your promise of a generous reward was just a polite remark?" Jiang Ding said, displeased.
"Not at all! Please wait a moment, young hero."
Dragon Three relaxed, showed a smile, made a gesture with his hands, and after collecting a bit from each attendant, he presented over thirty taels of silver.
"Please forgive me, young hero. I only have thirty taels of silver on me at the moment. When we reach the city, I will have another substantial gift for you."
"That won't be necessary; this is enough. They were the ones who attacked first, and I did not deliberately save you," Jiang Ding said, shaking his head as he took the silver coins. "There's another matter I need to ask you about. I also wish to go to the city. Can I trouble you for a convenience to travel with the convoy?"
"Young hero, it would be our pleasure!"
Dragon Three was overjoyed; he had been worried that the bandits from Fierce Tiger Village wouldn't give up so easily.
Since they were still in the territory of Fierce Tiger Village, the group dared not linger. Dragon Three had one of the attendants specially clear a donkey cart for Jiang Ding to sit in, and despite his injuries, Dragon Three personally accompanied him.
Jiang Ding also took the opportunity to inquire about some local matters.
"Besides the Zhendong Marquis who presides over the city's affairs, are there any other experts that should not be provoked? It would be good to know so I can be wary of them," Jiang Ding asked.
Dragon Three pondered for a moment and said, "With your skills, young hero, some small gangs and forces naturally wouldn't be a concern. There are only three people who could be considered great experts: the head of the Yiqi Gang, 'Righteousness Over Clouds' Yang Dongsheng; the master of the Longhu Martial Arts Hall, 'Sky-turning Monkey' Elder Yuan, whose disciples are spread throughout Dongling City's underworld; and the head of the Zheng Clan, Zheng Ye, nicknamed 'Mixed Gold Dagger,' who is rumored to have marital ties with the Marquis's household."
"These three men are all renowned experts at the peak of the Inner Qi Realm. Not to mention their fame and power, martial artists like me in the Inner Qi Realm would be fortunate to survive even one move against them," Dragon Three said.
After thinking for a bit, Dragon Three added,
"Actually, several months ago, there was the Qixuan School, which was stronger than the three big forces and had dominated Dongling City for over a thousand years. Unfortunately, they were annihilated by Wei Xian, the top disciple of the Jindao School, one of the six major sects."
He expressed a look of awe.
"Oh? Why is that?" Jiang Ding asked with interest, "I remember the Jindao School is a large sect near the capital, right? Why would they travel thousands of miles to annihilate a sect in our area?"
"These major sects always act domineeringly, and even the government rarely intervenes in recent years. Who knows why they do what they do?"
"But there are some rumors in the city," Dragon Three said after a pause.
Some say the Patriarch of the Jindao School coveted a treasure of the Qixuan School called the Heavenly Sound Stone. It was left by Master Qixuan, who dominated the martial world a thousand years ago. It emits celestial music when basked in moonlight, assisting in martial arts comprehension," he explained.
Jiang Ding's interest was piqued, as if recalling something, but after careful consideration, it slipped away.
"Others say it was because of an enemy of Patriarch Jin Dao who had ties with the Qixuan School, prompting him to send his top disciple to massacre the Qixuan School as a form of vengeance."
"There are also rumors involving a beautiful woman..."
"In any case, the stories are scattered and various," Dragon Three said with a wry smile. "For us minor figures, what we hear is likely not the whole truth, and we discuss it mostly for entertainment over drinks."
Jiang Ding also smiled, "Is that top disciple from the Jindao School still in Dongling City? I'm somewhat reluctant to go now."
Dragon Three's face tightened.
"Off we go, off we go! Don't worry, young hero. For a peerless genius ranked ninth on the Dragon and Phoenix List, Dongling City is just a remote and trivial place. Why would 'Sea Splitting Saber' Wei Xian want to come here if not for his master's orders?"
Jiang Ding was speechless. These people really could boast, fearing even Immortal Jin Dan wouldn't dare to claim to split the sea.
"Such geniuses are truly great men!"
With a look of yearning, Dragon Three said, "I saw it with my own eyes that day. Just the gold, silver, and wealth dragged down from the Qixuan School's mountain filled over a dozen large carts, and the last cart, filled with beauties, was particularly enviable. I heard that the Qixuan School's leader's wife, 'Bell Sound Fairy,' was among them."
"This is the woman of dreams for prominent figures like Elder Yuan and the Zheng Clan's Head when they were young—beyond reach. By a stroke of luck, the Qixuan School's leader won the beauty, but now, alas..."
Jiang Ding recalled something, "Doesn't the Qixuan School also have a genius on the Dragon and Phoenix List named what... Flying Snow Fairy? Did she also fall into the hands of that 'Sea Splitting Saber'?"
"Are you referring to 'Flying Snow Fairy' Gong Caiyu, ranked ninety-eighth on the Dragon and Phoenix List? She is the daughter of Bell Sound Fairy and is also a beauty of heavenly fragrance. However, she wasn't seen that day, and there was no word about what happened to her afterward."
Gazing out at the slowly receding beauty of the mountains and wild through the window, the two chatted casually, and Jiang Ding got a general impression of Dongling City.
Along the way, the caravan occasionally stopped in small towns and villages to replenish food and water and to rest the animals, allowing Jiang Ding to witness some of the local customs and practices.
Overall, it resembled the feudal society of the ancient Xianmen period.
Body Refining Realm martial artists possess hundreds of pounds of strength in one arm, and Inner Qi Realm martial artists are even stronger. However, it seems they don't apply this power to boosting productivity in agricultural and handicraft labor.
The vast majority of martial artists choose violence-associated professions such as escorts, bodyguards, gang members, and soldiers, which do not produce goods directly. These occupations, often facing life and death situations, are neither safe nor stable.
Four to five hours later, just as Jiang Ding was thinking about whether to pull an all-nighter, a large city loomed in the distance.
Moving closer, he saw that the city walls were eleven to twelve meters high and fifteen to sixteen meters wide. The city gate was guarded by heavily armored soldiers who stood motionless even in the scorching heat.
Wood carriers, vendors, opera singers, and people of all trades lined up in an orderly manner to enter the city.
Observing these soldiers with a critical eye, Jiang Ding commented earnestly, "The soldiers in the city are quite elite."
Body Refining Realm and Inner Qi Realm martial artists are still mortals. Once trapped in cities and plains and attacked by armies equipped with powerful bows and crossbows, no matter how strong, they cannot withstand the onslaught and are doomed.
"Naturally," Dragon Three replied solemnly. "Lord Zhendonghou, who helped the great ancestor conquer the empire, is one of the twelve generals under Tianyun. He is ranked ninth in Tianyun Pavilion and is naturally skilled in military and martial arts. He has not declined to this day."
"It's said there are three major forces within the city, but none can compare to the Marquis' residence."
At the city gate, the tax official collected a fee of one coin per person to enter the city, with separate fees for goods. Seeing Dragon Three's unchanged expression, the fee seemed standard, with no overcharging or undercharging, and with none of the possible difficulties that one might expect.
Jiang Ding had no money, so Dragon Three paid for him.
After entering the city, Jiang Ding clasped his hands to Dragon Three, "I wish to open a general goods store in the city. Manager Dragon, could you introduce me to some connections? I don't need a prime location, just a place to settle down temporarily. Rest assured, your commission won't leave you at a loss."
This was his plan—to open a general goods store, purchasing specimens dug up or captured by locals for a certain amount of silver coins.
Of course, since the requirements for the specimens were strict, he planned to offer training beforehand.
"Oh, oh my..." Dragon Three stepped back half a step and repeatedly waved his hands, "You flatter me too much, young hero. You saved my life; these trivial matters are simply a command away, why be so formal?"
"No," Jiang Ding said earnestly, "As I said before, since I have already accepted your generous gift, this matter is settled. Let's not speak of it again."
"Young hero, mere tens of silver coins..."
"No, it's enough," Jiang Ding smiled. "Being a businessman yourself, you naturally understand that the value is never fixed. As long as the buyer and seller agree, the deal is done, and there should be no further entanglement."
"Ah, young hero, I can't argue with you. Since you wish to open a shop, I will later send an assistant who is familiar with such matters to take care of it. We needn't discuss the commission anymore," Dragon Three said with a wry smile.
The idea of a small general goods shopkeeper and this green-clad, sword-wearing youth who killed without batting an eye didn't seem to match—it was too incongruent.
Of course, he didn't ask any further questions; it was someone else's business after all.