Chapter 1977 - Driving Up Prices

The moment the two men departed, the bird left its perch on the beam and flew out of the hall, circling above them.

Noon had arrived, and the sun burned overhead. With late autumn came the harvest season.

Two hours later, they passed out of Mulberry City and found golden grain fields spread before them. Many clans earned their livelihood from immortal rice, and the Chai Clan was merely one among them.

"Have you considered sabotage, Patriarch Chai? Someone may have caused this deliberately," Liu Wuxie asked as they walked.

If the neighboring clans could grow healthy crops, why should blight strike only the Chai Clan's rice? Some rumors went further, claiming a curse lay over its spiritual fields and turned the grain black.

"We've spent years looking into it. Not one useful clue has turned up," Chai Qian said, shaking his head. The possibility of foul play had occurred to them long ago, but every investigation had led nowhere.

"Who would have a grudge against the Chai Clan?" Liu Wuxie asked.

"We've made a few enemies over the years, though we haven't had any conflicts with them," Chai Qian answered frankly. He concealed nothing. Perhaps, once Liu Wuxie understood the full situation, he would leave and grant them another year to settle the overdue tribute.

"Let's hear the details," Liu Wuxie said. They still had some distance to travel, giving them ample time to talk along the way.

"Our clan established itself in Mulberry City over a decade ago. Selling immortal rice provides most of our income, but we're hardly the only clan in that business. Competition comes with the trade," Chai Qian explained.

More than a hundred million cultivators lived in Mulberry Sea City, creating a tremendous demand for immortal rice.

The Chai Clan sold chiefly to the southern district, where several other suppliers contested the same market. Those who shared a trade inevitably competed for its profits. Business had always followed that rule.

"Go on, Patriarch Chai," Liu Wuxie said. Something in the account already troubled him.

"A decade ago, the other vendors proposed that we raise our prices together. They claimed it would mean more immortal stones for everyone, but I refused. Immortal rice already costs enough. If we raised the price any further, many smaller clans would no longer be able to afford it,” Chai Qian explained.

"How did they respond?" Liu Wuxie asked. He found it hard to believe that refusal had settled the matter.

"Three clans banded together and shut their granaries. They wouldn't sell a single grain. That left the cultivators and smaller clans with only us to turn to. Our reserves lasted mere days. One clan couldn't feed the whole southern district.

"For several days after we sold out, people kept gathering outside our gates to buy rice. In the end, we had to announce that the granaries were empty. Anyone who wanted to purchase from us would have to wait for the following year.

"Less than two hours later, those three clans opened their granaries again. Their prices had risen by thirty percent," Chai Qian said, anger flashing across his face. They had waited deliberately until the Chai Clan had nothing left to sell before imposing the higher price.

Across the vast Celestial Weave Domain, ordinary cultivators accounted for most of the population. Children especially required substantial amounts of immortal rice to fill their stomachs. Only upon reaching the Immortal King Realm could cultivators dispense with food and live on energy alone.

"Hoard the supply, then drive up the price," Liu Wuxie said. Such schemes were common throughout both the Celestial Realm and the mortal realms.

Nor was immortal rice the only commodity subject to such monopolies. Pills were manipulated in the same way, and countless cultivators had nearly died trying to obtain even one.

"That's exactly what they did! They held back their stock until they could charge whatever they wanted. Those who hadn't bought rice still had children going hungry at home. Thirty percent above the market price or not, they had no choice but to purchase it. The three clans walked away with a fortune," Chai Qian said, his fists tightening. Their scheme had thrown the market into disorder and burdened countless people whose lives were already a struggle.

"Did your spiritual fields begin failing the year after that?" Liu Wuxie asked, having considered the pattern for a moment.

Chai Qian nodded, however reluctant he was to admit it. From that year onward, affordable immortal rice was out of reach for the southern district's cultivators.

The three clans, meanwhile, had prospered throughout the past decade. By purchasing smaller plots around their holdings, they had expanded their spiritual fields severalfold. Their clans now showed signs of advancing into the second tier.

"Do you think those three clans ruined your spiritual fields so they could keep charging inflated prices for their rice?" Liu Wuxie said. Much of what Chai Qian had left unspoken already showed on his face.

"We do suspect them. But suspicion is all we have. There's no evidence," Chai Qian admitted.

Every clan posted experts around its spiritual fields, ready to detect an intruder the moment one appeared. How could anyone destroy crops across so much land without leaving a trace? Even Liu Wuxie struggled to think of a possibility.

As the conversation continued, a broad expanse of spiritual fields opened before them. Two Chai Clan elders patrolled the crops, stopping now and then to crouch beside the ripened immortal rice and inspect it. Anxiety shadowed their faces as they handled each stalk with painstaking care.

Chai Qian produced a token and pressed it against the barrier. A passage opened, and he motioned for Liu Wuxie to go through.

Liu Wuxie entered ahead of him. Slightly warmer air met him on the other side, carrying the rich fragrance of immortal rice.

Chai Qian followed a raised path that ran deeper into the fields. The opening closed behind them, cutting the crops off from the world outside once more.

The two elders abandoned their work immediately and came toward them.

"Have you brought Master Bian, Patriarch?" they asked, looking at Liu Wuxie. The unfamiliar title left him wondering whom they meant.

"This is Liu Wuxie from the Azure Jade Palace," Chai Qian said, then introduced the elders. Chai Hu stood to the left, Chai Shan to the right. Until the harvest ended, tending these spiritual fields remained their responsibility.

The name Azure Jade Palace drew a dark look from both men. Neither troubled to hide his displeasure.

"My respects, Seniors," Liu Wuxie said, cupping his hands.

All he got in return was two snorts. The elders pointedly withheld any greeting.

Liu Wuxie overlooked the slight. To them, he was merely a debt collector, so their hostility hardly surprised him. He approached the immortal rice, crouched, and lifted a ripe stalk to his nose. It carried no unusual odor and appeared perfectly healthy.

"There's little point in examining it, Young Master Liu. Over the years, we've brought in masters who specialize in immortal rice cultivation. Not one could solve this," Chai Qian said, following him with a pained expression.

Liu Wuxie let go of the rice panicle and grasped the stalk near the roots. He pulled it from the ground, bringing clumps of spiritual soil up with it. High-quality immortal rice depended on daily watering with spiritual liquid.

He scooped up a handful of soil, rubbed it between his fingers, and raised it to his nose. Nothing seemed amiss. On the contrary, the Chai Clan's spiritual fields were exceptionally fertile and provided ideal conditions for cultivating immortal rice.

"You don't know what you're doing, boy. Stop pretending otherwise and leave. The Chai Clan will repay the Azure Jade Palace's overdue tribute in the future," Chai Hu said with open displeasure.

A clan's spiritual fields were essential to its survival, and outsiders had no right to enter them. Without Liu Wuxie's status as an Azure Jade Palace disciple, the elders would have expelled him long ago. They might even have killed him where he stood.

Liu Wuxie dropped the soil back onto the ground and turned a piercing gaze on Chai Hu. The elder could not hold it. Panic flickered across his face as soul energy and mental energy carried the force of that stare into his soul sea. Like a stone breaking the surface of a lake, it sent ripples through him, leaving him profoundly unsettled.

"Have you discovered a problem, Young Master Liu?" Chai Qian asked. Desperation had worn away his reluctance to seek help from anyone. Watching Liu Wuxie inspect the crops so carefully had kindled a faint hope.

Liu Wuxie hesitated, but before he could reply, ripples passed over the barrier, and two people entered. All four turned toward the elderly men walking toward them.

"The Grand Elder has brought Master Bian! Come, let's greet them!" Chai Hu and Chai Shan exclaimed as they hurried toward the approaching figures.

"Grand Elder, have you brought Master Bian?" Chai Shan asked, first greeting the grand elder, then turning his attention to the man beside him.

"Yes. This is Master Bian," the grand elder confirmed.

Master Bian offered Chai Hu and Chai Shan no more than a nod, preserving his distant air. Neither elder minded. In their eyes, a master had every right to carry himself with such pride.

"Allow me to introduce our patriarch, Master Bian," the grand elder said, escorting him through the field to meet Chai Qian.

"Welcome, Master Bian," Chai Qian said, politely cupping his hands.

"There's no need for such formalities, Patriarch Chai. You invited me here, and I will see the problem with your spiritual fields resolved," Master Bian replied, acknowledging him with a nod. He did not return the salute, maintaining the same aloof bearing.

The Grand Elder's gaze settled on Liu Wuxie, and his brow furrowed. Chai Hu quickly approached and whispered an explanation into his ear. Learning that the young man had come to collect the Azure Jade Palace's overdue tribute darkened his expression, though he still nodded at Liu Wuxie in acknowledgment.

"Please examine the immortal rice, Master Bian. We have no time to spare. What makes it turn black just before it ripens?" Chai Shan asked, almost pleading with urgency.

Arms folded, Liu Wuxie stood to one side and watched. He wanted to find out whether Master Bian was skilled enough to solve the mystery. If the man succeeded, Liu Wuxie would gladly leave the task in his hands.

Whatever happened, Liu Wuxie had to recover the outstanding tribute. If he failed, he would be demoted to a miscellaneous disciple and lose the promised reward.