"No! You cannot!"
Family Head Qian looked like a man possessed as he shouted hoarsely, his voice shrill with anguish.
"We want the goods! We want the goods at the agreed price!"
His lineage had staked nearly the greater part of its savings. How could he accept this?
Shopkeeper Fang's expression turned cold, his tone brooking no argument.
"The agreement is written plainly in black and white."
"If the market price falls below the agreed price, you have the right to forfeit your deposit and void the agreement."
"If you insist on taking the goods, payment must be settled at the current market price, with the deposit deducted."
Settle at the current market price?
Then not only would they lose their entire deposits.
They would also have to put up another enormous sum to take over spirit grain whose price had already plummeted and which no one wanted?
This was simply piling snow upon frost, breaking their bones and sucking out the marrow.
Only at this moment did everyone finally understand.
This had been an intricately designed trap from the start!
That mysterious "Mr. Mo" had probably foreseen long ago that grain prices would inevitably collapse.
He had exploited their greed to extract enormous deposits!
And those improved rice seeds were probably also a trump card prepared by this "Mr. Mo," or whoever stood behind him.
Preparing the goods, delays in transportation-all of it had been excuses to buy time.
The aim had been to prevent them from exercising their contractual rights while grain prices were at their peak, leaving them to watch helplessly as prices plummeted.
In the end, they could either forfeit their deposits.
Or pay a high price to take over grain that would rot in their hands.
What a ruthless scheme!
What venomous methods!
It was just as the verse said:
The mantis caught the cicada, hoping to become a bird; behind it, the oriole watched with smiling eyes.
Still rejoicing as they swallowed the golden bait, only when disaster took root did they learn sorrow.
The representatives of the lineages were beside themselves with fury, yet could do nothing.
The agreement was there in black and white, signed by their own hands.
The sect had also come forward to confirm the matter of the new rice seeds. The Cloud Arrival Trading House had breached no terms.
Even if they made a scene, right would not be on their side.
In the end, most lineages could only swallow their broken teeth along with their blood and forfeit those enormous deposits.
A few refused to accept it and gritted their teeth, taking over some spirit grain at the market price.
Yet they could only pile it in their warehouses, watching the prices decline day by day, wanting to weep but having no tears.
After this battle, the Cloud Arrival Trading House's name rang far and wide.
Though its methods drew criticism.
The unfathomable "Mr. Mo" behind it ensured that no one dared underestimate it again.
After two months of absorbing the gains, Xu Xuan had already converted all the vast quantities of spirit stones he had earned into various cultivation supplies.
He had also set aside a portion to cultivate his connections within the sect.
And extricated "Wang Tong" from the turmoil.
The towering storm stirred up by grain prices gradually subsided as the new rice seeds came into widespread use.
Though Xu Xuan had not stood directly before the public during this battle, the method he had presented for improving "Jade Marrow Rice" had truly relieved the sect's burning urgency.
His contribution was considerable, and everyone throughout the sect kept it in mind.
The Steward Hall rewarded him according to his merits, bestowing a large quantity of contribution points and spirit stones.
The sheer amount was enough to make ordinary outer sect disciples green with envy.
An inner sect elder even heard of the matter, considered his talents useful, and wished to make an exception by transferring him into the inner sect and entrusting him with the weightier responsibility of managing a higher-grade spiritual plant garden.
But Xu Xuan's heart was not in this arena of fame and fortune.
He knew full well that "the tree that rises above the forest will be battered by the wind."
In this grain war, he had seized vast resources for himself and his lineage.
The methods involved had been sinister and vicious, and inevitably bred hidden grudges.
Who knew how many lineages had suffered grievous losses because of his scheme? How could they not harbor hatred?
Thus, although he appeared to be basking in glory at this moment, he was actually still at the center of the whirlpool.
Within the sect, it was like oil boiling over a fierce fire, no longer a place where he could safely settle for the long term.
Just then, he heard that the sect intended to send capable people to the Southern Wilds to survey new territories and draw detailed maps of the mountains, rivers, and terrain.
This task could not be accomplished overnight. It would take several years, far from the sect's power struggles.
It suited his intention to lie low for a while and establish a foundation elsewhere.
As it happened, it could also connect with the arrangements he had spent years making in the Southern Wilds.
Xu Xuan immediately wrote a letter, its wording earnest.
He submitted it to the Steward Hall and presented it to the inner sect elder, volunteering to go.
The letter read:
"This disciple has received the sect's nurturing, a kindness akin to granting me life anew, and has no means to repay it."
"Having now heard of the undertaking to open up the Southern Wilds, my heart yearns for it. I am willing to serve as faithfully as a hound or horse, scouting the path ahead for the sect and drawing maps."
"This disciple has some modest understanding of spiritual plants and could also use this journey to seek out rare flowers, unusual herbs, spiritual plants, and precious roots that may exist in the Southern Wilds, perhaps enriching the sect's medicinal gardens."
His reasons were lofty and proper, his bearing humble to the utmost.
After a brief discussion, the sect's higher-ups approved his request.
First, Xu Xuan did indeed have accomplishments to his name and was proficient in spiritual plants. Surveying the Southern Wilds and searching for resources required precisely such talent.
Second, his volunteering to leave the center of affairs also suited the wishes of some who did not want to see him rise too quickly within the inner sect.
Third, he had no foundation in the inner sect and was advanced in years, so he would probably find it difficult to reach Qi Refining.
His departure from public view now would also allow the sect to focus its attention on the more important struggle between the two sects.
Thus, none opposed granting his request.
They promoted him into the inner sect and even made an exception by issuing him a batch of pills, talismans, flying magical artifacts, and other expedition supplies.
They permitted him to recruit a small number of reliable people to accompany him.
The news soon spread, and many people came to his door to congratulate him.
Xu Xuan turned none away and gave each a return gift.
Only when Li Jiangping arrived did the two converse in greater depth.
"Brother Wang, you're riding high right now. You've entered the inner sect and earned the sect's appreciation. Your prospects are boundless."
"Why travel all the way to that savage, dangerous land? Wouldn't that be cutting off your own future?"
Li Jiangping looked puzzled as he clasped his hand and asked.
More than ten years earlier, when the sect first began opening up the Southern Wilds, he had invited Xu Xuan to go.
At the time, Xu Xuan had been merely an outer sect menial.
He should have risked his life to compete for resources, yet he had not gone.
Now, he had achieved success and renown and been promoted to the inner sect's medicinal garden.
Even if he accomplished nothing, the contribution points and cultivation resources he received would be incomparable to what he had received before.
Xu Xuan's decision truly left Li Jiangping somewhat bewildered.
Hearing this, Xu Xuan merely smiled calmly and said slowly:
"Brother Li, you are mistaken."
"The sect's great kindness is engraved within my very being. Naturally, I must contribute what little strength I have."
"Besides, I am already past seventy and do not know how many years I have left to live. After dwelling within the sect for so long, stillness has stirred a longing for movement. I have often heard of the Southern Wilds' vast lands, marvelous sights, and unusual customs, and my heart yearns for them."
"This journey will also be a form of cultivation. Perhaps there may even be an opportunity for a breakthrough."
Xu Xuan's words were earnest, his reasons ample.
Li Jiangping could find no fault with them.
Soon, without drawing attention, Xu Xuan completed the handover of the outer sect medicinal garden's affairs one by one.
Although he intended to distance himself from trouble, he had built up this place with considerable effort and naturally would not hand it over to others.
Using his status as an inner sect disciple, he transferred quite a few clanspeople from Hundred Fragrance Valley into the medicinal garden.
He also entrusted full management of the "Cloud Arrival Trading House's" publicly known businesses to Shopkeeper Fang.
Once again, he became an owner behind the scenes, no longer taking part in operations and issuing orders only through secret directives.
Afterward, he also had Xu An, Xu Ping, and the others lower their banners, silence their drums, and withdraw their claws and fangs. The commotion this time had been too great; even he had to go to the Southern Wilds to conceal his light and bide his time.
Without his protection, these people might well become targets of retaliation.
Several more months passed before all affairs had been properly arranged.
Xu Xuan then formally began his mission.
When he left, he took only a few trusted attendants and quietly walked out through the Azure Wood Sect's imposing mountain gate.
He did not head directly south. Instead, he ordered his carriage to take a detour and travel east.
He went to the Kingdom of Wu, to Heyang Prefecture.
He returned to the place where everything had begun.
Xu Household Market.