Market Economy, the Invisible Hand

Su Yuan slowly came to, feeling as though his head were splitting apart.

He found himself in a completely unfamiliar secret chamber.

The surrounding walls were as smooth as mirrors.

Not a trace of light filtered through; only a dim pearl overhead emitted a faint glow.

This was obviously the sort of dungeon where a vicious villain imprisoned a righteous protagonist.

Before him stood a tall, imposing man in black robes with black hair, his back turned to Su Yuan.

He stood with his hands behind his back, straight as a spear, exuding authority without even needing to show anger.

This is bad! Su Yuan's heart sank.

Had he run into someone pulling a black-market double-cross?

That could not be right. This was the Heavenly Court, not the cultivation world. Such clichéd nonsense should not happen here.

Then had he offended someone at a construction site and been kidnapped in retaliation?

He rapidly reviewed his recent actions in his mind. That should not be it either.

He had always been "careful" in his dealings, specifically picking on soft targets with no background or backing.

He had been extremely measured in his taking, extorting, and demanding, never leaving any loose ends behind.

That was the boundless self-confidence of an old bastard.

The man slowly turned around, his gaze like lightning as he spoke in a resounding voice.

"Su Yuan, male, Heavenly Immortal cultivation. Three thousand two hundred and fifteen years ago, ascended to the immortal realm from the minor world of the Azure Tide Realm. Has successively served at the Heavenly Court Infrastructure Office as assistant construction worker, surveyor, laboratory supervisor, deputy manager of the Engineering Department, manager of the Materials Department, commercial manager, deputy chief engineer of a project, production manager, project chief engineer, deputy project manager, and now manager of the South Heaven Gate Expansion Project Department."

"I am not wrong, am I? Hmm?"

Every word was crystal clear, laden with pressure.

The immortal robe on Su Yuan's back was instantly soaked through with cold sweat.

Never mind anything else—the position of "Materials Department manager" had only been temporary because the previous holder of the post had been transferred away. He had filled the vacancy for just three days!

How could this black-robed man have dug up even such ancient history? What sort of identity did he have?

What chilled Su Yuan even more came next.

The man paused, then continued.

"Two thousand five hundred years ago, while serving as materials manager for the Celestial River Dam Reinforcement Project, you exploited your position to illegally resell three jin and seven liang of surplus project Star Sand. You organized illegal transactions on the outskirts of the project in an attempt to dispose of the stolen goods. When the matter came to light, you were apprehended by the Thunder Ministry Inspection Office."

Hmm?

Hearing this, Su Yuan immediately narrowed his eyes and began reassessing the identity of the man before him.

This had been the first major setback he suffered after ascending.

At the time, he had indeed spent a massive amount of spirit stones greasing palms above and below before barely managing to escape. All case files had been destroyed on the spot, and the Thunder Ministry Inspection Office had promised not to enter it into his immortal registry.

Logically, only those who had handled the matter back then should have known the details.

No, aside from those case handlers, it had to be someone at the core of the Thunder Bureau.

Moreover, he had not been unconscious for long. He should still be inside the Immortal Execution Platform, which happened to fall under the Thunder Bureau's jurisdiction.

With that thought, Su Yuan actually calmed down somewhat. Since this was someone within the system, there was room to negotiate.

He drew a deep breath, forced himself to remain composed, and cupped his hands in tentative greeting.

"May I ask... which honored deity of the Thunder Bureau is before me?"

"Hehehe..."

A hearty yet teasing laugh suddenly came from behind him.

The Barefoot Immortal emerged from the shadows with a grin.

"Well, Old Ink? I told you this kid was sharp. One hint, and he gets it, right?"

The Immortal smiled at the black-robed man, speaking with obvious familiarity.

The black-robed man called Old Ink turned around. He had a broad mouth, a straight nose, and an ancient, rugged face. At those words, he merely nodded slightly, his gaze still scrutinizing Su Yuan.

The Barefoot Immortal then turned to Su Yuan and casually pointed at the black-robed man.

"This is the Heavenly Venerable of Universal Thunder..."

The moment Su Yuan heard that title, the back he had just begun to straighten completely collapsed again.

The foremost righteous deity of the Thunder Bureau, Department-level leader Heavenly Venerable Wen Zhong, had personally come to question him?

That was not right. This man only had one eye on the left and one on the right. Why was he missing an eye?

Then the Barefoot Immortal slowly finished the second half of the sentence.

"...his divine attendant, Ink Qilin."

Su Yuan had already bent over to salute.

Inside, he cursed that old fart for dragging out his words and nearly scaring him to death, but his mouth did not dare delay in the slightest as he respectfully said,

"So... so it is Venerable Qilin! This subordinate is Su Yuan. I failed to recognize Mount Tai before me. My apologies, my apologies!"

He secretly wiped his forehead. So it had only been sweat.

He had thought he had pissed himself from fright.

Still, the Heavenly Venerable's mount was no ordinary figure either.

Ink Qilin explained,

"Earlier, Barefoot and I were sparring for amusement after many years apart, and we accidentally injured you. Since we had already disturbed you, we thought we might as well invite you over for a meeting as an apology."

Su Yuan smiled bitterly to himself. This was the arrogance and way of doing things of old-established Golden Immortals.

His little Heavenly Immortal life had nearly been snuffed out, yet the other party considered it merely an "accidental injury."

Their willingness to "meet with you" seemed to them like an enormous compensation and favor already.

Ink Qilin stroked his beard and looked at Su Yuan, asking with a hint of testing intent,

"Boy, what do you think of this old man's black-market operation? Come to think of it, it was only established based on that idea you had two thousand five hundred years ago—'centralize transactions and evade oversight.'"

Su Yuan froze, then suddenly understood!

So the owner behind this sizable black market was actually this man!

No wonder his little market had been wiped out by the Thunder Bureau back then despite no one reporting it.

No wonder this black market had existed safely for more than two thousand years. It had the Heavenly Venerable of the Thunder Bureau's mount as such an enormous patron!

But Ink Qilin had noticed him two thousand five hundred years ago.

This time, his apparent accidental abduction into the secret chamber was probably not simply an "accidental injury," either.

So Su Yuan decided to shock them or die trying.

He shook his head and said,

"How is it run? Poorly. It looks lively on the surface, but inside it is a complete mess."

"I speak very bluntly. I hope Venerable Qilin will not take offense!"

"Hmm?"

Venerable Ink Qilin frowned. He was clearly dissatisfied with that assessment.

Su Yuan continued spouting corporate drivel.

"All merchants are fighting their own battles. Resources cannot be integrated, information cannot be connected and aligned, and the upstream and downstream industrial chains lack the necessary granular management and refined operations. The entire trading system lacks top-level design and strategic depth. Its risk resistance is extremely weak, its business model is rigid, and the user experience is simply unbearable."

Ink Qilin and the Barefoot Immortal were both left dumbfounded, exchanging looks.

"It... it lacks what degree?"

Su Yuan cleared his throat.

"Simply put, setting up stalls and trading one-on-one like this is far too inefficient! Transaction costs are extremely high! And the information is opaque. When newcomers enter the market, they have no pricing references and are easily overcharged. The experience is terrible, making it difficult to build a stable customer base or spread a good reputation by word of mouth. The 'invisible hand' of the market economy can indeed regulate matters, but it also needs a 'visible hand' to provide macro-policy guidance and appropriate intervention before optimal resource allocation and economies of scale can be achieved."

Ink Qilin glanced sideways at the still-dazed Barefoot Immortal and nodded to himself.

Who knew whether he genuinely understood or simply did not want to lose face before his old friend.

The Barefoot Immortal was much more straightforward. He simply spread both hands to say that he did not understand.