"Dao Child, in the two days and one night you were gone, something has been off in the Prefecture City."
Wang Yuan's eyes flickered slightly. "Speak."
"At first, on the afternoon of the day you left, the grain shops in East Market raised their prices twice, using 'the northern war had cut off the grain routes' as their excuse."
"But our scouts reported that the grain routes had not been cut off at all. Someone was simply deliberately hoarding supplies and refusing to sell."
"By yesterday morning, the three local minor sects that had always paid tribute to the sect on schedule every month—Qi Yun Manor, Iron Banner Gate, and the Green Willow Society—had all used 'a bad harvest year' as an excuse to withhold this month's ore and provisions."
Liu Canglan paused, lowering his voice further.
"The most conspicuous thing happened this morning. The tax checkpoint Kaoshan Sect had established at South City Gate had its sign smashed."
"Two men dressed as Green Willow Society stewards stood at the entrance and declared, 'Kaoshan Sect taxes will no longer be collected.' When the disciples guarding the checkpoint went up to reason with them, they were shoved around twice."
"No one was hurt, but all our face was lost."
After hearing this, Wang Yuan did not speak immediately.
He fell silent for a moment, slowly withdrawing his gaze from the withered branches of the old locust tree and letting it settle on a corner by the courtyard wall.
The Iron-Scaled Giant Rat was crouched there, its ears pricked up. It had clearly heard Liu Canglan's words as well, and its pair of scarlet rat eyes turned slightly in the shadows.
"Qi Yun Manor, Iron Banner Gate, Green Willow Society..." Wang Yuan repeated the three names, his tone utterly even, as if