Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Jiang Ding closed his eyes to nurture the tenth channel of the Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin, occasionally interspersing his cultivation with the Art of Small Concealment, his breath as solid and unnoticeable as stone and wood.

Suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed.

After contemplating for a moment, he lightly tapped his foot and arrived atop the courtyard wall, following up with several steps, moving like a silent and breathless bird along the eaves of the roofs.

”Wuuu...”

In a certain corner, the scarred strongman Liu Qi forcefully covered a filthy, skinny beggar child’s mouth with a cloth. Moments later, the child’s body went limp as mud and was thrown onto the ground.

”That’s enough, move him to the carriage.” Liu Qi snorted coldly and said to the two men behind him, ”Doing a simple job for you is either this mistake or that leak!”

”Yes, Brother Qi!”

The two strongmen nodded and bowed, swiftly lifting the beggar child onto the carriage.

The curtain was lifted, and inside, they were all beggar children around ten years of age, haphazardly placed within the carriage.

”Hurry up, the gang leader is in a rush, damn this plague, where are so many beggar kids...” Liu Qi disgustedly wiped his hands, about to do something when his face changed dramatically.

A young man in a green shirt had appeared near him, silently watching.

His hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

Thump!

”Mercy, hero!”

Liu Qi knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, his mind involuntarily flashing back to the day the Wolf Guard’s heads fell and blood spurted.

”Speak.”

Jiang Ding took a breath, slightly quelling the icy killing intent.

”The Wild Wolf Gang is quite ambitious, in just a short time, it’s gotten involved in the business of selling children, what a promising future.”

He never liked to get involved in the natives’ feuds and fights.

But seeing boys and girls of his age, even smaller than him, coming to such a tragic end, he couldn’t bear it in his heart.

”This...”

Liu Qi looked around, and the two strongmen got the hint, immediately running far away, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.

”Young Master, I don’t wish to do such things that completely lack all human decency, it’s an order from above.”

Liu Qi’s face showed bitterness, ”The Zheng Clan’s orders, they want our Wild Wolf Gang to supply fifty children under the age of twenty, boys and girls, or else... our Wild Wolf Gang can’t withstand it.”

Of course, that was a lie. In the eyes of these gang members, selling children was no different from collecting protection fees.

In Jianghu, who has a conscience?

”Why, what use are they for?”

Jiang Ding felt even colder inside, but his education made him pursue the root causes of any issue, aiming to resolve the problem at a fundamental level.

”Could it be training dead soldiers? Cultivating eunuch slaves? Or using them for body harvesting, cultivating evil methods?” Liu Qi’s face turned bitter, ”How would we little people know the thoughts of a big figure from the Zheng Clan?”

Zheng Clan.

Murderous intent was brewing in Jiang Ding’s heart but had to be suppressed again.

The Zheng Clan was related by marriage to the Duke of East Ling, and taking action against them could likely result in military retaliation, destroying the currently prosperous situation.

Forget it, forget it.

I am merely a high school student, with low talent and strength, clumsy and incapable. What right do I have to seek satisfaction in expressing resentments?

”I can’t take care of other places.”

Jiang Ding said in a low voice, ”On Lanban Street, and in the nearby blocks, such things must not happen again, otherwise Long Shi, you, and anyone involved will pay with your lives.”

”Yes, yes! Rest assured.”

Liu Qi nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking rice, regardless of whether it was possible or not.

”It would be best if that were the case.”

A cold voice came through, and when Liu Qi looked up, the figure had already vanished.

...

In the small courtyard, Jiang Ding was a bit downcast as he summoned Huang Deyou.

”How many beggars live near our shop who are compelled by necessity, not the lazy kind that shuns work?” Jiang Ding asked.

”Boss, this is...”

Taken aback, Huang Deyou pondered Jiang Ding’s recent actions. Apart from those who had provoked him, Jiang Ding was harmless to almost everyone and would even take the initiative to consider others.

Admiring him in his heart, he advised, ”Boss, it’s best not to do this; these beggars are the government’s responsibility, not ours. Once we get involved, it could bring endless trouble.”

”The beggars from the entire city could end up coming here.”

”That is what you need to consider!”

Jiang Ding indifferently said, ”Go and do it, survey the number of beggars on Lanban Street and the nearby streets, find ways to feed them; don’t just distribute porridge. Fnd them jobs, teach them a few survival skills, and so on. I will allocate silver for you.”

”Moreover... prevent other beggars from coming near Lanban Street, let Long Shi handle it.”

”What a noble act, Boss!”

Huang Deyou deeply bowed, mentioning no further difficulties.

In this world, ninety-nine percent of things can be solved with the willingness to spend silver.

”Go ahead.”

Jiang Ding sat in the chair, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and continued to nurture and refine his twelfth Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin with his Inner Energy.

At a certain moment,

A sound like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami coming from beyond the sky reached him, and all the Inner Energy in his body became stagnant, then suddenly became violent, moving towards a certain central point.

In the lower left abdomen, the Inner Energy began to spin, slow to fast, fast to slow, the Inner Energy from all twelve meridians poured into this spot and then flowed out again to circulate throughout the body.

The Qi Sea in the Elixir Field was achieved!

Jiang Ding felt the Inner Energy from the twelve meridians become a whole, capable of flowing and circulating spontaneously even without active control. The speed of Inner Qi generation had at least doubled!

He drew his sword.

Clang!

A bright sword-light flashed and then returned to the scabbard.

”Both the speed and the quality of Inner Energy have increased slightly.”

Jiang Ding caught a bright yellow falling leaf, pinched it lightly with his forefinger and thumb, split it into two identical thin pieces, and let them drift to the ground.

With a thought, Inner Energy formed a complex True Qi structure within the twelve meridians, causing his presence to rapidly vanish without a trace, like stone.

”The difficulty of using the Art of Small Concealment has decreased, I should be able to reach proficiency within a week.”

Jiang Ding said to himself.

This is the ’Micro Circle of Vital Energy’ realm of the Xianmen Sect’s Eaglet Qi!

The initial refinement of the twelve meridians, circulating as a whole, brought about a minor qualitative change in all aspects.

Moreover, he could now refine and nurture twenty minor meridians daily, doubling the efficiency compared to before.

”The next stage of cultivation is to continue refining the minor branches of the twelve meridians, accommodating more Inner Energy, and gradually transform from Acquired back to Innate. The next realm is ’Small Circle of Vital Energy’, where each of the twelve meridians is refined into a hundred minor branches, totaling twelve hundred branches.”

”With the Hundred Essence Qi Pill every day and the Purple Jade Life Essence Pill distributed by the school, under these circumstances, I can refine twenty minor meridians a day...”

Jiang Ding made a quick calculation.

”Fifty-four days, roughly two months to reach the ’Small Circle of Vital Energy’ realm.”

This pace was quite good.

Being called a genius was no problem at all. He hoped to achieve Great Qi Mastery before the college entrance exam, completing the necessary twelve meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians, which amounted to two thousand minor branches.

However, there was still a considerable distance from the Eaglet Innate’s one hundred and eight thousand total human meridians.

”There are two paths.”

Jiang Ding’s gaze deepened, naturally not content with this level.

”Firstly, reach a Great Achievement or even a Perfect comprehension level of the Cultivation Method, which will greatly increase the speed of refinement; secondly, obtain the ’Blue-Gold Potion’!”