Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

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The back door was wide open, and Jiang Ding led Huang Deyou in, with Han Lin and three other assistants following behind. For a moment, there was a hint of solemnity in the air.

"Shopkeeper Long graces us with his presence, and I apologize for not being able to welcome you from afar," Jiang Ding said with a smile and a cupped-hand salute from a distance. "I was out for two days, and so I could not meet you earlier. Please forgive me."

"You are too courteous, Young Master Jiang."

Shopkeeper Long was pleasantly surprised. To his knowledge, this young master came from a distinguished background and was a proud man. Even someone of Long Shi's caliber didn't have the qualifications to get him to lift a foot, yet today, he was received with such formality.

The medicinal herb buyers coming and going from the shop were startled to see the Shopkeeper Long from Sihai Business Association and suddenly had a much higher regard for this unassuming general store.

The two men walked side by side into the back yard, and Huang Deyou quickly attended to the tea, standing with the attendants that came with Shopkeeper Long at a distance of several steps away.

He looked slightly ashamed—this tea was too low-grade. It was only the coarse tea served to the medicinal herb customers on regular days, and generally not what you would use to entertain guests in a decent household.

"Our humble abode is simple; I hope it doesn't disappoint you, Shopkeeper Long.

"A mountain is famous not for its height, but for its enlightened residents. With the young master's presence, a humble dwelling becomes distinguished," Shopkeeper Long replied with a laugh, admiring the situation greatly.

Not to mention his family background, Shopkeeper Long knew that this man had at least several thousand taels of silver on him and could afford not to tolerate these conditions—it really showed that he just simply did not care.

"The incident a few days ago was entirely our Sihai Business Association's fault!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Shopkeeper Long stood up, deeply bowed and said, "That servant girl called Xiaocui has been dealt with by our association. We didn't bring her head here to offend the young master's eyes."

"Additionally, this is our compensation to the young master."

Shopkeeper Long handed over a half-opened gold and silver inlaid box.

"There's no need for the shopkeeper to blame himself; it's inevitable for some people to be blinded by greed and desire..."

Jiang Ding smiled, took the box, and casually opened it, his hand pausing slightly when he saw what was inside.

Normally, it is not appropriate to open a gift in front of the giver, but since he had deliberately left the box half-open, this must be what he intended.

"This is too valuable; I cannot accept it."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Ding closed the box and set it on the table.

Inside was a Centennial Ginseng!

Even in Xianmen Sect, it had undergone a quality change and belonged to the category of spiritual Elixirs.

In the resource-scarce mortal world, it was even more precious, a strategic resource traded only among great powers, with some ability to help breakthrough realms...

"A mere Centennial Spirit Ginseng is nothing compared to the reputation of the Sihai Business Association that has been established over hundreds of years," Shopkeeper Long said. He then handed out a golden Token, earnestly adding, "This is the Gold Token of our Trading Company. With it, the young master can enjoy a 20% discount on any goods in any of our branches throughout Yue Country!"

In reality, Shopkeeper Long was conflicted and had deliberated for a long time before deciding to offer such a generous gift.

The reason Sihai Business Association could gain a foothold in Yue Country was because it earned the trust of many important figures. Jiang Ding was too young, yet immensely powerful and suspected to have a huge background—he was someone they needed to go to great lengths to befriend.

He believed that even if he was mistaken in his judgment, the upper echelon of the Association would not blame him too much.

Jiang Ding accepted the Token but didn't say whether or not he would accept the Centennial Ginseng.

"I have a business deal I wish to inquire about, would the shopkeeper be interested?"

"Please, Young Master, go ahead."

Shopkeeper Long was delighted inwardly, indeed befitting someone from a major power.

Even if ordinary Jianghu heroes did not covet wealth, they would be tempted by the Centennial Ginseng, which had some usefulness in achieving a Great Achievement of Inner Qi, and it would be good if they didn't fight over it.

"I need five and a half million live Blue Luminous Butterflies, and I must have them within three months," Jiang Ding said slowly. "I have no money, but I have Night Pearls and level-breaking Elixirs that can aid in advancing from Great Achievement of Inner Qi to Internal Qi Perfection."

Shopkeeper Long was taken aback.

Level-breaking Elixirs!

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This isn't like the slight boost from Centennial Ginseng, which is practically useless for most people with insufficient foundations, like myself.

It's a specialized Level-breaking Pill for Inner Qi!

I've only ever seen these in the headquarters of the Trading Company. Only a few powerful forces are capable of concocting such an elixir, such as the royal family, the Wolf God Cult, and the Qingniugong.

I'm about to be promoted to work at the headquarters.

Dragon Three had only one thought in his mind, that he had gambled correctly, and the ancestral business philosophy was indeed golden and precious.

"Blue Luminous Butterfly..."

Dragon Three muttered, not daring to agree immediately.

An attendant quickly approached and whispered a few words in his ear.

"Five hundred and fifty thousand pairs... that's too much," Dragon Three said with a troubled expression. "Even if the purchase price of fifty or sixty thousand silver taels is secondary, Blue Luminous Butterflies can only be found in the Donglingshan Mountain Range. It's possible that not even the entire range would yield enough."

He didn't ask what the use was for so many Blue Luminous Butterflies. A favored attire known as 'Moon Palace Rainbow Robe' among the noble ladies of the capital only needed a thousand pairs of them.

"I am willing to offer six Small Void Break Pills for achieving Great Achievement of Inner Qi, or two Xu-Breaking Pills for achieving Internal Qi Perfection."

Jiang Ding said calmly.

Such elixirs were not expensive in the Xianmen Sect, costing five to six thousand up to over ten thousand Mortal coins—equal to the average person's salary for three to five months.

They came without major drawbacks, except for the need for some time to expel the poison of magical pellets and the limitation that they couldn't be taken more than once within a large cultivation realm.

As for Eaglet Qi, the requirements were too high. Although it could help with breaking levels, it would destroy some very intricate meridians, preventing the possibility of condensing a 'Dao Body Embryo' and resetting one's cultivation efforts to zero.

"Deal!"

Dragon Three suddenly stood up, his eyes ablaze with fervor.

He had been stuck at Minor Completion of Inner Qi for over ten years, without any progress. If this deal was made, no matter what, he had to get one pill for himself, right?

As for the difficulty, so be it!

"Very well."

Jiang Ding smiled, took back the Centennial Ginseng, and handed over a bluish-green elixir jade bottle: "This is a down payment. The Sihai Business Association has been in business for hundreds of years and will surely not disappoint me!"

"Rest assured, young master!"

Dragon Three took a deep breath, took the jade bottle, and hurriedly departed.

The Sihai Business Association branch in Dongling City wouldn't be able to handle this transaction alone. They would need to send a large force from the headquarters, to catch butterflies and to fend off any covetousness from other powers.

As for the authenticity of the Level-breaking Pills...

This matter is of great importance. As a member of the Sihai Business Association, I, Dragon Three, shall spare no effort and bravely volunteer to test the medicine!

The courtyard returned to tranquility.

Jiang Ding held his sword at his waist, with his aura fluctuating between bright and dull. Sometimes he stood out, sometimes he was like dried wood, and gradually, his presence grew weaker until it disappeared completely.

If one did not look carefully with their eyes, they would almost instinctively overlook that there was a person here.

"Minor Concealing Breath Technique" entry level!

"It's not easy... after so many days, I've finally managed to perform it successfully without relying on Scout Camouflage."

Jiang Ding sighed, feeling his Inner Energy flow throughout his body and transform through extremely complex pathways, limiting the expression of his life force to the utmost.

For now, he had to actively circulate his Inner Energy to be effective, and any slightly vigorous movement or attack would cause it to fail.

Jiang Ding carefully stood up and left the courtyard.

At a little past eleven o'clock, the shops were bustling with activity, as many medicine gatherers, trained farmers, teenagers, women, and children were exchanging the specimens they had collected.

With nearly a month's collecting, the common weeds and insects readily found everywhere no longer had monetary value. Gatherers had to go to more remote areas, hence the rise in the price of each specimen to three or four Wen.

Jiang Ding walked around the shop, and no one took the initiative to glance at him, including Huang Deyou, who was always flattering.

It wasn't that they couldn't see such a large living person; it was like he was a stone that would be instinctively overlooked unless he did something to draw attention.

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