Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

At the foot of the mountain,

two bodies were twisted together, the victor was neither, with wounds one in the back of the head, one in the back.

One had a slightly open fist, as if grasping for something before death.

"Gold!"

An attentive worker spotted two scattered golden seeds under a pile of leaves, his eyes lighting up.

The others were envious.

This worker, after fumbling for a while, reluctantly handed them to Dragon Three, "Shopkeeper, for you."

"They are yours to keep."

Dragon Three waved his hand dismissively and continued climbing up the mountain.

"Thank you for the reward, Shopkeeper!"

Excited, the worker bowed deeply and pocketed the golden seeds.

They might have been only two seeds, but they were gold, worth at least twenty taels, enough to last him five or six years, and they were found effortlessly, just picked up from the ground.

The other workers suddenly widened their eyes, not missing any detail on the ground.

As Dragon Three ascended, he became increasingly alarmed.

Excitement vanished from the faces of his companions, replaced bit by bit with fear.

Bodies!

Too many, all the way, more and more as they climbed!

Some twisted together, some with chests pierced by long spears, some with headless torsos, heads nowhere to be found, some charred all over and covered in horrifying blisters...

Arriving in front of the main site of Fierce Tiger Village, a great shock swept over Dragon Three and the workers, leaving them standing there, stunned.

In the vast expanse, everything was charred black, a testament to the fire's fury, with the occasional wisp of light blue smoke that hadn't fully extinguished, the air still scorchingly hot, as if they were inside a furnace.

Among the charcoal, there were bodies everywhere, spreading to the horizon without end, some even piled up.

"So many, so many..."

A worker shivered, "That one, couldn't be an Evil Ghost seizing the youth's body, devouring souls and spirits—"

"Shut up!"

Whack!

The butt of a knife swung hard, striking him on the back, causing a chopstick-sized blood mark to swell up; the worker hissed in pain but dared not speak up.

"Ignorant! There are no ghosts or demons!"

Dragon Three shouted harshly, pointing at the corpses, "These thieves, with hearts of beasts, have no kinship among them, most died in the struggle for wealth during the fiery conflicts, with wounds all different from one another."

"Yes, yes, Shopkeeper's insight is wise."

The other workers seemed to awaken from a dream, including the injured one, all filled with gratitude.

That one, still there.

Despite what was said, a trace of terror could still be seen lurking in Dragon Three's eyes, lingering over those bodies with cleanly cut throats.

"Fierce Tiger Village had about five or six hundred people, including servants, probably three to four hundred are dead."

Numerous thoughts surged through his mind.

"At least dozens directly perished by his hand."

"This is what it means to be from a prestigious family, a top-tier clan's direct descendants, seemingly mild-mannered and courteous, without any aggression, even kind, but in reality, more terrifying and ruthless than any 'Bloody Butcher' or 'Dongshan Flying Tiger' out there."

"Long's still has a significant deficiency in this respect."

"It seems all the major powers afford us a measure of respect, but touch their real interests, and they will not hesitate to strike ruthlessly, without any sentiment."

The vast expanse of Fierce Tiger Village was eerily calm; not even the chirping of insects or birds could be heard for a moment.

The line of sight, originally obstructed by layered barracks, had suddenly opened up, allowing one to see from one end to the other, all the way to the silhouette of the youth in blue clothes with a longsword at his waist.

He was gazing at the clouds between the mountains, the sea of clouds on the horizon, as if he had already merged with them, ready to ascend at any moment.

Dragon Three did not dare to delay, leading his colleagues to walk briskly towards him.

"I've seen the young master, as per our agreement, I've brought people here. Please command us as you see fit."

"Shopkeeper Long is indeed a man of his word."

Jiang Ding turned around, admiringly commenting without wasting words, pointed at the ruins: "There should still be some gold and silver here, secret manuals and such, as well as three to four hundred cattle and horses, can the Sihai Business Association handle this? I am willing to pay fifty percent of the value as a reward."

Last night there was chaos, with bandits fighting fiercely over loot during their escape, resulting in a bloodbath far more horrific than the one caused by Jiang Ding.

However, no matter how fiercely contested, the area where he stood had remained intact.

"Young master, of course we can. One of the main businesses of our Sihai Business Association is to take care of the worries of various notable figures in the Jianghu," Dragon Three said in a deep voice. "However, fifty percent is too much; twenty percent would suffice."

Making money is important, but maintaining a good relationship with powerful individuals is also critical.

Jianghu is treacherous; mere wealth can tempt even stray dogs on the roadside to snatch a bite.

The foundation of the Sihai Business Association was born from such transactions with powerful figures, constantly becoming more substantial.

If the Sihai Business Association ever faces trouble, no one would turn away from helping with manageable tasks, except for overly challenging requests—most strong individuals it has transacted with in the past would not refuse.

When there are many such powerful individuals, and many such convenient tasks, it creates a formidable foundation that instills fear in others.

Of course, these powerful individuals aren't sacrificial offerings or servants of the Sihai Business Association. What maintains all this is sentiment: once is alright, but repeated appeals are too much to ask—who would care?

Therefore, these relationships are not to be utilized unless it concerns the life and death of the Sihai Business Association. Even if a significant number of the family's elite had perished before, it was still insufficient to act, the greatest role being to deter potential enemies of the trading company.

"Don't rush, there are other demands."

Jiang Ding said with a smile, undoubtedly, it was a comfortable experience trading with such a person.

"Please tell me, young master," Dragon Three bowed.

"First, settle these children. If their families are gone, send them to other prefectures away from Dongling City to give them a chance at a decent meal," Jiang Ding instructed, pointing to the dozens of children still in the cattle pen.

He had not let them out because he had no experience in caring for children; maintaining the status quo was better than change. Also, with the chaos of war raging, it was even more dangerous outside.

As for moving away from Dongling City, naturally, he felt it was not safe, and there was a risk the children could be captured again.

Dragon Three pondered for a moment: "Young master, this is not difficult."

The dozens of children could be easily accommodated even if they were all orphaned, with the potential to become clerks across various locations.

"Second, cover up this incident," Jiang Ding stated flatly. "I'd prefer to remain anonymous and hope your trading company can take on this matter, saying that it mobilized its hidden forces to annihilate the Fierce Tiger robbers, returning a peaceful world to the people of Dongling."

There were some escapees from Fierce Tiger Village, but it was unlikely they would dare to return to Dongling City, or that anyone would believe their words. Compared to that, people tended to believe the news spread by large trading companies.

In time, everything would be forgotten.

"This..."

Dragon Three hesitated, quickly deliberating.

As a major trading company in Yue Country, they had their own information channels and were aware that Fierce Tiger Village, seemingly merely a den of thieves, was in fact intricately connected with certain powerful figures, an extension of their influence.

But there were advantages too: wiping out those who had harmed Long's clansmen would significantly deter potential enemies of the trading company and bolster the prestige of the Sihai Business Association.

"This matter...is possible,"

Dragon Three gritted his teeth, agreeing to the terms: "Even with these two conditions, fifty percent is still too much. How about we change it to thirty percent?"

"No, let's keep it as is,"

Jiang Ding insisted.