The members of the Heavenly Saint Market Furniture Guild sat in a circle. Furniture was a luxury almost everywhere, but in Rhinoceros Sky Saint Market, it was a necessity. The guild kept a strict limit on membership, with each member representing one furniture store. Any outsider who wanted in would first face the opposition of the entire guild. But if the newcomer got past that hurdle, the old members would have to fend for themselves: the newcomer would inevitably push one of them out. The number of members never changed. That was the rule.
"Have you all planted people in that new Heretical Furniture Store?" Of the thirteen people present, seven nodded and six gave no answer. "How are things over there?" The seven all smiled. One of them turned his hand, and a hazy ball of light appeared above his palm. Like a crystal ball in a witch's hands, it showed everyone seated there exactly what they wanted to see.
"Hahaha!" "Ha!" One by one, all thirteen burst out laughing. "You've seen it for yourselves. Who knows where they got that jumble of junk? And they're charging the outrageous price of three thousand Superior Saint Stones a piece! We don't need to worry about that store. Sooner or later, it'll shut itself down." The thirteen nodded in agreement, and the guild meeting came to an end. The Heretical Furniture Store had been the only item on the agenda; now that their rival was beneath notice, what was left to discuss?
Luo Qian and Wei Shandong watched over the store, unaware that seven of their eight assistants were spies. The Heretical Furniture Store was so quiet a net could have been spread before its door to catch sparrows. Few people could accept furniture unlike anything ever seen in the Saint