Chapter 46

Long San drank a tonic to replenish qi and blood, then lay wearily on the bed.

He longed for sleep, but the throbbing pain in his left arm stabbed like needles, preventing him from closing his eyes for a single moment.

“Ding Feng, Ding Feng! A mere street thug—had it not been for…” He clenched his teeth, icy glints flickering in his eyes.

Knock knock!

“Who is it?”

Long San’s face changed; his hand gripped the hilt of the knife beside the bed.

He had already instructed them: any matter should be handled by the subordinate managers; only if it was a major crisis should they consult Old Master Long Tianwu—never disturb him while he recuperated!

“Long Shopkeeper, long time no see. I’ve come to pay my respects.”

A cool voice rang out.

“Young Master Jiang?”

Long San was startled—no one could bypass the Four Seas Trading Company’s entire defensive setup and slip in silently like this; such martial skill was astonishing.

Long San said gravely: “Young Master, please come in.”

Creak~

The door opened, then closed; a young man in blue robes stepped in calmly, not masked or concealed like common intruders, but openly, without shame.

“Previously, Ding Feng of Jinlong Trading Company arrived at my place with Lu Hou, one of the Seven Tigers of Menghu Zhai .” Jiang Ding said.

“So it was him.”

Long San sneered: “Jinlong Trading Company has always been entangled with bandits like Menghu Zhai . Calling it a trading company is a joke—it’s a den of thieves. Had it not been for connections with the upper echelons of Dongling Prefecture, it would have been wiped out long ago, bones and all.”

“Can such a thing even be called trade?”

Jiang Ding made no comment on their business ethics: “I’ve come to ask you about Menghu Zhai . I’ll repay you in due course.”

“No problem. A minor matter.”

Long San unconsciously touched his left arm—long gone.

“Menghu Zhai rose to power ten years ago. Their leader, ‘Dongshan Flying Tiger’ Lu Jingtian, has perfected his internal qi and wields the Flowing Moon Crescent Blade with divine mastery, firmly establishing himself at the critical trade route between Dongling Prefecture and Chizhou. All passing caravans must pay tolls.”

“Sometimes they break the rules entirely—seizing both people and goods.”

“Dongling Prefecture’s caravans have suffered greatly.”

Jiang Ding asked: “What about the Prefect? Doesn’t the Marquis Tang family of Zhendong intervene?”

Disrupted trade routes hurt the Tang family’s profits—far more than mere tolls.

“They did intervene. A large army was sent to crush them, but Menghu Zhai ’s men scatter at the first sign of trouble. And Dongshan Mountain is steep, densely forested—no one knows where they hide.”

Long San sneered: “The only effective tactic is to send elite internal qi warriors, strike at the right moment, and kill the Seven Tigers. Once their heads fall, how dare the mountain bandits resist?”

“But the Zhendong Marquis family has enjoyed wealth for over three hundred years. The Marquis himself is only at perfected internal qi, and his underlings are mostly relatives or old allies—why would they risk leading a small force deep into the mountains to hunt bandits?”

“Lu Jingtian is clever too—he sends tribute regularly. So the matter has been left as is.”

“Is the Blue Glow Butterfly in Menghu Zhai ?”

“It’s certainly there.”

“Do you know Menghu Zhai ’s approximate location?”

Long San was startled, studying the blue-robed youth for a long while before saying: “After all these years, Menghu Zhai ’s general location isn’t a secret. I can give it to you, Young Master.”

“I have one piece of advice: your future is vast, your background profound—don’t lightly step into danger.”

That was all he would say.

Just as Jiang Ding coldly observed the casualties of Four Seas Trading Company, he too hoped Jiang Ding would cause Menghu Zhai some trouble—what happened afterward didn’t concern him.

“Does Four Seas Trading Company accept this?” Jiang Ding asked.

Long San fell silent.

Long silence.

“We’ve accepted it.”

His voice was dry, his head shaking with sorrow: “Uncle Wu suffered internal injuries. Over half our team died; the rest are wounded. I myself am nearly useless.”

“For the foreseeable future, Four Seas Trading Company must submit.”

“The Long family built its fortune on trade—we don’t need to fight to the death to preserve our prestige, lest outsiders mistake us for fallen.”

Jiang Ding pondered for a moment.

“I need some people—twenty or so. No need for strength—just capable of transporting goods back. Is that possible?”

“Not the company’s elite? Naturally.”

Long San stiffened, sitting upright.

…

After finalizing the time with Long San, Jiang Ding strolled home slowly. Many pedestrians passed, yet all unconsciously ignored his presence.

Later, when recalling, they remembered only a shadow passing by—nothing more, nothing clear.

“The Minor Concealment Technique seems much easier now.”

Jiang Ding channeled the complex internal martial route, and subtle insights rose in his mind.

Realm is indeed the foundation of all techniques and spells—once your realm rises, learning anything becomes significantly faster.

By his estimate, the Minor Concealment Technique was close to advancing from proficiency to minor mastery.

If he achieved minor mastery, he’d meet the basic requirement for reconnaissance infantry—wearing the camouflage suit, he could partially shield himself from cultivators’ spiritual sense.

Not far from the shop, Jiang Ding frowned.

A familiar slender figure stood there, about one meter fifty tall, a white longsword at her waist, gazing distantly. Han Lin and Huang Deyou stood nearby, visibly agitated.

“Young Master Jiang, are you well?”

Gong Caiyu’s eyes brightened as she spotted the figure in the distance.

This was one drawback of the Minor Concealment Technique: it made one unnoticeable, like dead wood or a stone—but it didn’t grant optical invisibility. If someone deliberately searched, they’d still find you.

“Miss Gong, long time no see.”

Jiang Ding nodded and led her into the back courtyard.

He held a certain favorable impression of her—she’d repaid him after being saved—but she clearly carried trouble, which would inconvenience him, so he disliked her.

“Thank you for saving me before, Young Master. I knew you’d come to Dongling, and since I knew you preferred quiet, I didn’t wish to disturb you.” Gong Caiyu explained, then her face turned serious: “Do you know danger is approaching?”

“The Blue Glow Butterfly?” Jiang Ding wasn’t surprised.

“Yes.”

Gong Caiyu whispered: “My uncle told me that great profit stirs hearts. This turmoil has drawn in several famous figures from Dongling City. If you have no need to be involved, you’d best move inside the inner city—there, troops are stationed, and even internal qi experts dare not act recklessly.”

“If you have the chance, leave this whirlpool as soon as possible. My father once told me those famous figures appear benevolent, venerable—but the moment they get the chance, they devour people without leaving a trace.”

Her expression was utterly serious.

“Hmm, thank you for the warning, Miss Gong.” Jiang Ding nodded.

Had it not been for the Blue Gold Serum, he would have fled the moment he sensed hostility.

Gong Caiyu gave further advice, then hurriedly took her leave—clearly she was busy, teaching new disciples of Qi Xuan Sect while maintaining her own unbroken cultivation.

“Proprietor, trouble may be coming.”

Huang Deyou rushed in after she left, knocking urgently: “Miss Gong is the fiancée of the Young Marquis. Her sudden visit to a strange man could spark a major disaster if mishandled—Proprietor, don’t underestimate this.”

“Take a gift to the Marquis’s steward, and casually mention this incident.”

Jiang Ding didn’t ignore the risk: “Gong Caiyu is the young mistress of Qi Xuan Sect, a martial figure who meets countless men daily—can’t every one of them be trouble.”

“Can you meet the Marquis’s steward?”

“Yes, Proprietor. Since we began cooperating with Four Seas Trading Company to open the mountain, many people have begun to look upon me with greater respect.” Huang Deyou bowed.