Chapter 2012 - Undercurrents

Unsure how to proceed, Long Ying looked at Liu Wuxie and waited for his verdict on Ran Chenghua's fate.

"Finish him. We have no use for him anymore," Liu Wuxie said coldly.

Ran Chenghua's cultivation was crippled, and the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion had become their open enemy. Keeping him alive offered them nothing. Even if they let him go, Ran Hu would never spare any of the three. With blood already spilled, they might as well eliminate the threat.

"We'll lose any hope of collecting the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's overdue tribute if we kill him," Long Ying said, frowning. She regretted allowing a moment's anger to drive her into crippling him. Had she held herself in check, they would still have a valuable hostage.

"Even holding him hostage wouldn't make his father pay. At best, having Ran Chenghua in our hands would make Ran Hu hesitate for a moment. We'd be dreaming if we expected him to pay twenty years of overdue tribute for one son. At worst, he'd abandon the boy and father another son. Men with his power rarely depend on a single heir," Liu Wuxie replied with a shake of his head.

"Please, let me live! I'll plead with my father! I'll get him to pay!" Ran Chenghua sobbed as he dropped to his knees and kowtowed frantically on the bloodstained cobblestones. Their conversation had left him in no doubt that they meant to kill him.

He also learned from their exchange that the Azure Jade Palace had sent them to collect the overdue tribute. He knew the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion hadn't paid in twenty years. One after another, envoys had come over the years to demand payment, only to be killed in secret or frightened into returning empty-handed.

Long Ying struck the back of Ran Chenghua's neck with a swift, heavy chop that severed his spine. He crumpled to the ground, dead.

Panic swept through the surrounding crowd, sending the onlookers scattering.

"Hurry! Let the pavilion master know that Young Master Ran has been killed!" several fleeing onlookers shouted. They came from minor clans subordinate to the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion, but fear of provoking Liu Wuxie kept them from stepping forward.

Liu Wuxie rubbed his nose and sighed quietly as he looked down the deserted street. The situation had strayed far beyond his original calculations.

"Where should we go from here?" Long Ying asked. Having just arrived in Azure Cloud City, she still hadn't found lodging.

"Going back to the inn is out of the question. We'll head straight for the Yuan Clan," Liu Wuxie replied. At this point, they had no choice but to proceed one step at a time.

Long Ying supported her injured brother as the three hastened toward the Yuan Clan estate.

"After you left, Mulberry Sea City went through a massive purge. The Yan, Liang, and Wen Clans no longer exist. Many of the smaller forces, who had allied with them, have fallen as well, leaving the remaining clans plenty of room to rise," Long Ying said as they made their way through the quiet side streets.

Liu Wuxie listened quietly. The four captives he had handed over must have yielded vital information to the Azure Jade Palace's upper echelons. Those fallen clans had undoubtedly joined the Heavenly Alliance in secret, giving the sect every reason to wipe them out without mercy.

As she spoke, Long Ying studied Liu Wuxie, eager to catch his reaction. His actions alone had reshaped the balance of power in Mulberry Sea City. A third-tier clan amounted to little on its own, but together, such clans formed a considerable force.

She watched for a long while, yet his expression never changed. His composure unsettled her, and it was far beyond anything she could match.

Yuan Xiangtian greeted them warmly. He and Yuan Guanghuan had been poring over the forging manual Liu Wuxie had left behind, but several complex techniques remained beyond their understanding. They had been on the verge of visiting his inn to seek his guidance.

Liu Wuxie and Yuan Xiangtian remained alone in the main hall after Long Ying took her brother to rest and recover.

"We need to revise our plan at once, Patriarch Yuan," Liu Wuxie said after a moment of thought.

"Tell me what you require, Young Master Liu. The Yuan Clan will follow your instructions to the letter," Yuan Xiangtian replied without a trace of hesitation.

At first, he had regarded their agreement as a gamble. The profound forging techniques recorded on the jade slip had since convinced him of Liu Wuxie's abilities. Over the past year, the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion had driven the Yuan Clan to the edge of ruin. Only Liu Wuxie offered them hope of reversing their fortunes.

"Send word across the city immediately. The Yuan Clan will buy all raw forging ores, whatever their quality, for twice the market price," Liu Wuxie instructed.

Yuan Xiangtian sucked in a sharp breath. At twice the market price, even forging high-tier weapons would leave them with no profit.

"What do you intend to accomplish with this?" Yuan Xiangtian asked cautiously. The cost would be staggering. Even a second-tier clan would struggle to purchase the region's entire supply at that price.

"Do you doubt my judgment, Patriarch Yuan?" Liu Wuxie asked, a slight smile on his face. Crushing the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion completely required the Yuan Clan to follow his instructions without hesitation.

"Trust isn't the issue, and I have no doubts about your judgment. A financial risk of this size simply demands caution," Yuan Xiangtian explained quickly.

"I can understand why you're hesitant. After all, I seem to be nothing more than an outer disciple," Liu Wuxie said as he reached into his robes and produced the Law Enforcement Token.

Yuan Xiangtian rose sharply, shocked by the gleaming token. At last, he understood why Long Yuanxiong, a descendant of the Long Clan, had deferred to a Profound Immortal throughout their negotiations.

With the Law Enforcement Token, every order Liu Wuxie gave carried the complete and unconditional support of the Azure Jade Palace's highest authority. If anything went wrong, the Yuan Clan could count on the sect's support.

"I understand. I'll send out the orders immediately," Yuan Xiangtian said with resolve. His steward was already on his way to meet their raw material suppliers, carrying the sword Liu Wuxie had forged.

Across the Celestial Weave Domain, forces relied on one another. The Mountain Guardian Sect specialized in crafting immortal talismans, for instance, yet depended on the Cloud Mist Manor for Crimson Cloudstones.

The Yuan Clan and the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion operated similarly. Forging was their strength, while other clans controlled the ore veins and supplied raw materials. Few forces could oversee the entire process themselves, from mining through final refinement.

"There's no need to hurry," Liu Wuxie said, motioning for Yuan Xiangtian to remain seated. He still hadn't explained the crucial element of his trap.

Yuan Xiangtian listened intently as Liu Wuxie explained the rest of his plan to cripple the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion financially. To an outside observer, the Profound Immortal would have appeared to be the seasoned strategist, while the Immortal Lord seemed no more than his subordinate.

"Young Master Liu, what happens if the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion refuses to take the bait? If they let us buy everything at twice the price and refuse to compete, wouldn't the losses devastate our clan?" Yuan Xiangtian asked. He now saw that the plan hinged on artificially inflating raw material prices.

"The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion took first place in last year's tournament, and its weapons have dominated the market this year. They've been forcing the smaller clans to sell their ores at extremely low prices, squeezing their suppliers to maximize their own profits. Offer those clans twice the market price, and they'll flock to you. The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion will have no choice but to respond. Without raw materials, how are they supposed to keep forging weapons and hold on to their monopoly?" Liu Wuxie explained patiently.

A thorough investigation of the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion had laid the situation bare to Liu Wuxie. As the Yuan Clan lost its share of the market, suppliers had nowhere else to turn. They had no choice but to accept the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's low offers.

Through this arrangement, the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion had amassed a fortune over the past year. Yet constant production devoured vast quantities of ore every day, and with the annual blacksmithing tournament drawing near, its reserves were bound to be running low.

The suppliers were already at their limits. Even without Liu Wuxie's involvement, they would eventually have banded together to demand fairer prices. He had only given them the final push.

Liu Wuxie would gain no direct profit from the price increase. However, it would drain the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's reserves and put it at a severe disadvantage.

Yuan Xiangtian grew less anxious as he followed the reasoning. The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion had produced an enormous number of weapons over the past year. With the year drawing to a close, its material reserves were undoubtedly running low, making replenishment an urgent necessity.

"I'll send out the announcement immediately," Yuan Xiangtian said. Having decided, he acted without delay. Within fifteen minutes, word of the Yuan Clan's offer to pay twice the market price had reached every major ore-supplying clan in the region.

......

Two burly men entered the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's main hall carrying a blood-soaked stretcher, then set Ran Chenghua's corpse down.

Silence stifled the hall. Ran Hu already knew his son was dead, but seeing the corpse unleashed his murderous rage.

His uncontrolled aura reduced the heavy mahogany tables and chairs to powder. Along the hall's sides, elders and deacons stood silently, scarcely daring to breathe.

"Who took my son's life?" Ran Hu demanded, looking up from the corpse. He swept his gaze over the hall with wild, bloodshot eyes, and everyone lowered their head in fear.

"Pavilion Master... Azure Jade Palace disciples killed the young master," a middle-aged deacon reported as he dropped to his knees. He had already thoroughly investigated the street fight.

"The Azure Jade Palace!" Ran Hu's response came in a gasp. He took a deep breath, fighting to suppress his fury. The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion lacked the strength to confront the Azure Jade Palace directly, but his determination to avenge his son remained unshaken.

A travel-worn messenger rushed into the hall before Ran Hu could come to terms with his grief. Panic left him struggling for breath.

"Pavilion Master! The Qian, Fu, and Shen Clans have announced together that they're doubling the prices of all raw ores! If we turn them down, they'll sell their entire supply to the Yuan Clan!"

"What was that?!" Ran Hu roared.

With his son's body still warm on the floor, news of the looming supply cutoff struck Ran Hu like a torch hurled into a vat of oil.

For tens of thousands of kilometers around, those three clans controlled the main ore veins. Turning to other sources would severely delay production while sharply increasing transport and logistics costs.

The local fire-attribute ores worked in harmony with the underground fire, and Azure Cloud City's unique forging techniques relied on them. Even if the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion found other suppliers, the imported materials might prove incompatible with the Azure Cloud Fire.

"Pavilion Master, according to our scouts, the Yuan Clan recently announced that it would pay twice the market price for raw ores. That announcement prompted the three clans to raise their prices together," the messenger added hastily.

"Now I see... this is the Yuan Clan's doing..." Ran Hu sneered, malice filling his narrowed eyes.

"Pavilion Master, we need to proceed carefully. We've driven the Yuan Clan into a corner this past year, and desperation could make them act recklessly. As long as we claim first place in this year's tournament, though, their defeat is certain. Before long, we'll eliminate them and control Azure Cloud City's entire market," an elder behind him warned solemnly.