Chapter 2013 - Declaration of War

Every elder and deacon in the hall accepted the elder's reasoning.

"Let me hear your views," Ran Hu said. He led a formidable second-tier force and could not let emotion govern his judgment. Forcing down the grief and fury of his son's death, he returned to his seat and gestured for the others to speak.

"They mean to choke off our ore supply. Without raw materials, our workshops will grind to a halt, and we won't be able to meet our contracts. The compensation would amount to twice the value of each order," the Grand Elder explained as he stepped forward.

The other elders and deacons quickly agreed. "The Grand Elder is right!"

Bulk orders from many major sects had kept the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's workshops busy over the past year, with production already scheduled well into the next. Missing those deliveries would spell disaster. Many clients were ruthless demonic sects or high-tier forces that would insist on collecting the penalties, unlike the Azure Jade Palace.

"Pavilion Master, we have to act now. We can't allow the Yuan Clan to buy up all the ore. Our workshops need vast quantities of materials, our reserves are nearly gone, and the tournament is almost upon us," urged the elder who had spoken before.

If the Yuan Clan bought up the entire supply, the pavilion would face ruinous penalties for failing to fulfill its contracts.

"But paying twice the market price for materials will cut deeply into our profits," a young deacon cautioned as he stepped forward. He oversaw sales and knew how severely the increase would hit their earnings.

"Even at twice the price, we'll still turn a modest profit. If we destroy the Yuan Clan, we'll regain complete control of the suppliers. With the clan gone, we can push ore prices as low as we please and raise artifact prices at will," another elder countered firmly.

More voiced their agreement, and the debate grew heated. Most, however, agreed that immediate losses could not be their only concern. The Yuan Clan's destruction took priority. Once their sole rival fell, the three supplier clans would have to accept the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's terms.

"Inform the three clans that we'll take their entire stock of raw ore. No matter what the Yuan Clan offers, we'll pay ten percent more," Ran Hu declared, lifting a hand to silence the hall.

His decision closed the matter. Viewed strategically, the choice seemed sound.

......

"Young Master Liu, the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion has outbid us by ten percent. The three supplier clans have agreed to sell them their entire stock," Yuan Xiangtian reported as he hurried into Liu Wuxie's courtyard with the latest news.

"The plan is working exactly as intended. Move on to the second step. Send envoys to the three clans and tell them that if they turn us down today, the Yuan Clan will never buy so much as another piece of ore from them," Liu Wuxie replied, looking up with a faint, knowing smirk on his lips.

"I understand!" Yuan Xiangtian nodded briskly and turned to leave. He meant to deliver the warning himself.

The advanced forging technique Liu Wuxie had taught the Yuan Clan freed it from the limits of fire-attribute ores. It could now forge high-grade artifacts from materials of almost any attribute, ending its dependence on those three suppliers entirely.

The Yuan Clan had already secretly dispatched representatives to other mining forces tens of thousands of kilometers away. Quietly, they had concluded one purchase agreement after another.

Famed for blacksmithing, Azure Cloud City consumed vast quantities of ore each year. Yet many nearby veins yielded ice-attribute ores that traditional methods couldn't refine with Azure Cloud Fire. Over the decades, the clans that owned those veins amassed enormous stockpiles they couldn't sell.

The Yuan Clan's offer to purchase their entire surplus earned its envoys a warm welcome. Those forces emptied their warehouses at heavily reduced prices, and in just over a day, the Yuan Clan's storage vaults filled with ore bought at half the usual market price.

Meanwhile, the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion prided itself on buying the three major clans' entire stock at twice the price. In its eyes, it had cut the Yuan Clan off from every source of raw materials. Even if the clan somehow won the tournament, it would lack the materials to fulfill new orders. Its downfall was guaranteed.

"Pavilion Master, we've bought all the raw materials from the three clans. To complete the purchase, we had to borrow two hundred million immortal stones from the Kabiya Guild. The loan must be repaid in three months and carries an annual interest rate of four percent," the elder responsible for purchases reported as he entered the main hall and presented the ledger.

"Why did you put our main workshops up as collateral?" Ran Hu asked after taking the ledger and studying its terms, his frown deepening.

Those thirty-plus workshops formed the foundation of the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion. Each stood above a prime thermal fissure connected to the heavenly fire beneath Azure Cloud City. Relocating them would make drawing on that underground fire almost impossible.

Over the centuries, the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion had spent a fortune acquiring those thirty-odd sites. Though the Azure Cloud Fire spread beneath the city, only certain thermal veins suited advanced blacksmithing. Drawing on them was like tapping a hot spring, and indiscriminate digging could collapse the veins. Every suitable site in Azure Cloud City had already become a blacksmithing workshop.

"The Kabiya Guild said our operations were overstretched. With so much of our money tied up in raw materials, they feared a sudden market shift might leave us short on funds. They wouldn't approve a loan this large unless we put up the workshops as collateral," the elder explained hastily.

The elder had accepted the condition under Ran Hu's orders to secure the materials at all costs. With the contracts already finalized, Ran Hu held back his reprimand as he reviewed them. Three months should give them enough time to sell their stock and repay the two hundred million immortal stones.

"Pavilion Master... the guild's loan isn't all we owe. We still owe each of the three clans twenty million immortal stones. I promised them payment within a month," the elder added cautiously.

They had bought part of the ore on credit, as even the two-hundred-million-immortal-stones loan fell short of the full cost.

As the weight of the debt settled over him, Ran Hu rubbed his temples, a dull ache throbbing beneath his eyes. Raw materials now tied up almost all their available funds. A sudden market disruption could set off a ruinous chain of losses.

The three supplier clans troubled him far less than the Kabiya Guild. Foremost among merchant organizations in the Celestial Weave Domain, the guild traded freely with orthodox and demonic sects alike. It wasn't a conventional superpower, yet it possessed formidable backing and martial strength. Just a few years ago, when a first-tier sect had failed to repay a loan of five billion immortal stones, the guild had forcibly seized all its assets.

"Pavilion Master, we've found out who killed the Young Master! His name is Liu Wuxie, and he's taken refuge in the Yuan Clan estate," a guard reported, rushing breathlessly into the hall. He had traced Liu Wuxie's movements in detail.

A flash of killing intent lit Ran Hu's eyes. The death of his only heir had created a blood feud, and only another life could settle it.

"Head for the Yuan Clan!"

In a single stride, Ran Hu vanished from the hall and appeared outside. The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion gathered a large, heavily armed force and marched toward the Yuan Clan estate, throwing the main streets into chaos.

The entire city stirred at the commotion, and countless cultivators crowded the streets. Eager to witness the coming confrontation, they followed the procession.

Meanwhile, in the Yuan Clan's warehouse, Yuan Xiangtian stood smiling at the mountains of ore. The immense stockpile pleased him even more, given how little it had cost.

"Grandfather! The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion has surrounded our main gates!" Yuan Guanghuan shouted as he burst into the warehouse.

"Ran Hu has become far too overbearing!" Yuan Xiangtian bellowed, his smile disappearing. He strode from the warehouse, assembled the clan's elite fighters, and headed to the entrance.

"The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion is here for us," Long Ying said as she and her brother stepped into her courtyard after hearing the commotion.

Liu Wuxie stood calmly in the courtyard, seemingly unconcerned about the mounting tension.

"They've arrived a step too late. Had they come sooner, they might have had a chance," Liu Wuxie replied, motioning for the siblings to sit.

He showed no intention of going outside to watch the confrontation.

"What are you getting at?" Long Ying asked, drawing her brows together. Sharp as her mind was, she couldn't quite grasp what he had set in motion.

"The Yuan Clan's survival is bound up with mine now. They'll never turn us over," Liu Wuxie explained with a faint, enigmatic smile.

The two forces had spent the previous day locked in fierce competition for raw materials, paying Liu Wuxie no attention at all. Now the Yuan Clan had staked its future on his forging techniques. Should anything happen to him, all its investment and preparations would amount to nothing.

Neither Long Ying nor Long Yuanxiong yet understood the full scope of his plan, but both placed absolute faith in him.

......

At the head of a formidable gathering of pavilion experts, Ran Hu stood outside the Yuan Clan estate.

"You have some nerve coming to the Yuan Clan's gates to cause trouble, Ran Hu!" Yuan Xiangtian roared as he emerged.

"Yuan Xiangtian, hand over my son's killer within ten breaths! If you don't, don't blame me when I wash your estate in blood!" Ran Hu demanded, grief and fury reddening his face as veins bulged along his neck.

"Your son's dead?" Yuan Xiangtian asked, feigning surprise while allowing a hint of satisfaction to show. He had known since the previous day that Liu Wuxie had killed Ran Chenghua and felt no sympathy over it.

"Old bastard! If you know what's good for you, hand over the murderer!" a deacon barked as he stepped out from behind Ran Hu.

Centuries of fierce competition had driven a deep wedge between Yuan Clan and the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion. Generations of bloodshed had extinguished any hope of reconciliation.

"You're asking to die!" Yuan Guanghuan shouted from beside his grandfather. He drew his blade in fury and charged forward, but Yuan Xiangtian raised an arm to stop him.

Yuan Xiangtian understood why he had to keep the confrontation from turning violent. Following Liu Wuxie's plan could drain the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's finances and bring it to ruin without spilling a drop of blood.

"The person you want isn't here, Ran Hu. Take your people somewhere else," Yuan Xiangtian said with a dismissive wave of his sleeve.

"I saw Liu Wuxie enter your estate, Yuan Xiangtian! How dare you say he isn't here?!" a young scout shouted from behind Ran Hu, pointing at the patriarch.

"And what will you do if I refuse to hand him over?" Yuan Xiangtian sneered, a mocking smile on his lips. How could the Yuan Clan ever hold its head high in Azure Cloud City again if it surrendered its guests whenever the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion demanded them?

"Is this a declaration of war on the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion?!" Ran Hu demanded in a low, threatening growl. The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion held a clear martial advantage over the Yuan Clan.

"Do you think we are scared of you?!" Yuan Guanghuan shot back. Anger flared, and he tried to leap forward. Two elders seized his arms and held him back.