All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 370 - 20 Chaos in the City (3/3)

Chapter 370: Chapter 20 Chaos in the City (3/3)

Linjiang City was now blanketed with ice and snow, with biting cold winds sweeping palm-sized snowflakes onto rooftops, making the tiles rattle.

Without the Divine Weapon, even with the Earth Vein Great Formation still operational, the city couldn’t completely block out the heavy snow, only prevent the weather from deteriorating to an unbearable extent for the city.

But, what the city could endure didn’t mean the people could.

An Jing hadn’t used his fastest speed to head to the city center, which was also where the Linlang Commerce Chamber’s headquarters were located.

He walked slowly through one street after another at a normal person’s pace, observing the lives of the people and various details.

At this time, in Linjiang City, icicles hung from the eaves of houses, and the dirty streets were filled with ice formed from the black, muddy water, heaps of garbage and filth accumulated on street corners, and even the quiet of the winter snow could not suppress the smell of decay that permeated the air.

An Jing strolled leisurely through the ice and snow, carefully observing the items on both sides of the street, seemingly preserved in amber by ice and snow.

Bodies.

Corpses, frozen stiff as iron, curled up in the snow in strange poses, which to the less observant might have seemed like wood left over from demolished buildings.

But An Jing knew very well that these were human corpses. There were many of them, in various shapes and sizes.

Some had frozen to death, some had starved to death, others had died from injuries inflicted by others... These bodies were hidden at the edges of the alleys, where teams wearing Linlang Commerce Chamber uniforms were shoveling snow and, cursing and swearing, tossing the corpses into carts to later be thrown out of the city.

In addition, on other residential streets, the forceful selling of food was taking place.

"They could simply use force, yet they still engage in real buying and selling, I don’t know whether to call it the true nature of merchants or to say they are somewhat afraid of Da Chen’s rules."

An Jing stopped in his tracks, observing the scene with interest and couldn’t help being somewhat emotional, "Perhaps it’s because the big shots are still in the official residence, so they are reluctant to leave too dark of a track record?"

At first, that’s what An Jing had thought, but soon he had to admit that he was too young, his thoughts too limited, and his experience too narrow.

Because the Linlang Commerce Chamber was indeed robbing!

It was a coincidence that An Jing saw a grain-selling cart on his way to the city center. He glanced at it briefly and initially didn’t pay much attention, but he quickly looked back, staring intently at the mark on the cart.

It was a cyan wave pattern, which was the mark of the Hanlang Escort Agency.

"Ah?"

An Jing looked carefully several times, at both the cart and its people, and then exclaimed in shock, "Is this real?"

"So that’s how it is, they rob the grains and medicines kindly given by people from the surrounding areas, and then sell them... Robbing and then selling at a higher price, what common bandits do for money isn’t as comfortable as their methods!"

"Wow, this commerce chamber is way too arrogant, I’m really getting a bit angry now!"

Originally, An Jing’s mood wasn’t too bad because he had found his mother, so earlier when he disciplined those arrogant Linlang Commerce Chamber martial artists, he didn’t go too hard on them, at most making them lie in bed for a couple of days.

But now, An Jing furrowed his brows, feeling that he had been too lenient earlier, "What are these people trying to do? Earning money without a shred of decency or conscience?"

Thinking this, he approached the grain-selling cart, "Where did you get this grain?"

"What’s it to you where it came from?" replied the Linlang Commerce Chamber martial artist impatiently, "Just tell me if you’re buying or not!"

"I’ll take it."

An Jing raised his hand, making a grasping motion in the air, "Give me a box."

Inner Breath surged, the surrounding wind and snow swirled, lifting a box of grain from the cart and then gently setting it into An Jing’s palm.

"Inner Breath like Tide? Inner Strength?"

Upon witnessing this scene, the martial artist on the grain cart’s heart tightened; the ability to project inner Qi from the body and effortlessly manipulate heavy objects was clearly something beyond his capability to deal with.

His thoughts racing, he hurriedly climbed down from the cart, chuckling, "Turns out it’s a martial artist sir, may you be auspicious. This box of grain is on the house for you..."

An Jing asked curiously, "You’re really giving it to me?"

"Really giving it away!"

"I don’t mind you taking my money," An Jing elongated his tone, "How much do you think this box should cost?"

"This..." The grain cart martial artist glanced at the box, hesitatingly said, "Two liang and a half?"

That was a very practical figure, as this box was much heavier than the one sold to Shen Mubai.

While still a bit pricey, when the cost of transport through the snow and the original price of the grain were taken into account, if ’this box of grain really was transported by the Linlang Commerce Chamber’, then what they were charging was indeed reasonable.

But that was assuming it really was their delivery.

"You guys are quite interesting, isn’t the price clear? Heaven knows how many people you would drive to their deaths."

An Jing started to smile. The grain cart martial artist suddenly smelled a hint of blood. Before he could say anything more, An Jing patted his shoulder, "Don’t worry, I won’t lay a hand on you... but heed a piece of advice."

An Jing calmly looked towards the Linlang Commerce Chamber, which was not far away, "You should leave the city now and go back to your home in the south."

"If you stay in the city, I can’t say what might happen."

The grain cart martial artist shivered. For some reason, he felt a terrifying chill from this young martial artist, a coldness even more piercing than the Frost Calamity—but just as he was about to nod in agreement, An Jing’s figure disappeared without a trace.

"This... did I just see a ghost?!"

An Jing vanished too swiftly, with Mysterious Steps silent as death, leaving the martial artist to look around the surrounding streets in shock, yet unable to find the slightest sign of him.

He trembled all over and bowed in the direction where An Jing had been, then called his companion to take over and secretly left by himself.

On another side.

A while ago, Xu Tai had entered the city and headed straight towards the city center.

Before entering the doors of the chamber of commerce, he saw a group of people leaving the street, walking out of the city with a look of despair.

"To travel in this kind of weather with so little grain... isn’t that seeking death?"

He mumbled to himself, Xu Tai loved money, but only because martial arts cultivation was impossible without funds.

He charged less, but if he got injured, it would instead set back his progress.

But all things considered, he was also a kind-hearted person, so he stopped and approached the group, "Old man, what is this meaning? Why set out of the city in a heavy snow?"

The leader of the group, an old man with snow-white hair, seeing Xu Tai’s tall and sturdy figure with scars on his face and an aura like a Great Martial Practitioner, respectfully bowed and said, "Ah, there is no spare wealth left in the family, the ancestral home has been sold, we’re too ashamed to face our ancestors, and persisting here is just waiting for death."

"While others fear the Beast Tide and come into the city, we now have nothing to lose, aren’t afraid of any Beast Tide, and can only try our luck, to see if we can find a way to survive once we return to the south."

Xu Tai glanced at the group and noticed that it included women and children, with the youngest being six or seven months old, still in swaddling clothes in its thin mother’s arms.

He sighed, "Can anyone in your family cook?"

"This..."

The old man did not understand what Xu Tai meant but honestly replied, "We certainly can... "

"Follow me," Xu Tai shook his head, "Don’t go too far from the city for now. Head to the south bank outside the city by Yujiang, find any empty house to wait in, and when I’m done in the city, I’ll take you back to the south."

"When the time comes, you can work at my escort agency, doing some cleaning and cooking, it’ll be your payment for the escort fees."

"This... "

Upon hearing this, the old man and his family looked at each other in disbelief, aware that they had just encountered great generosity and immediately teared up, wanting to kneel and kowtow, "Benefactor, oh benefactor!"

Xu Tai sighed and raised his hand to help them stand up, then gave them detailed directions before shaking his head and walking towards the commerce chamber.