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Chapter 706: Chapter 706: Breaking the Deadlock

"They\'re coming from the south of the city. They\'ll be here soon!" the subordinate shouted.

"Let\'s go!" Lü Buwei ordered, disappearing with his subordinates in a flash.

When Lü Buwei arrived in the south of the city, it was already packed with countless citizens, eagerly awaiting.

"They\'re here! Look, Da Rong Merchant Guild\'s Xu Mi stone mountains are being transported! So many, thirty mountains!" a citizen exclaimed.

"Finally, we don\'t have to buy from those greedy merchants anymore. With Da Rong\'s Xu Mi stones, we won\'t have to worry."

"Da Rong Merchant Guild is the best. From now on, I\'ll buy everything from them."

"They are true righteous merchants!"

The citizens were chatting animatedly.

Lü Buwei saw, in the distance, many strong cultivators using magic to transport the massive mountains wrapped in black cloth. These mountains were also protected by formations to prevent anyone from spying with divine sense.

Lü Buwei squinted his eyes.

The thirty mountains arrived at the city gates, each escorted by a group of people who looked exhausted and had tattered clothes, bearing signs of battle.

The lead group reached the southern gate, and one person stumbled from fatigue, causing the others to lose their balance.

"Boom—!"

The Xu Mi stone mountain crashed to the ground, the black cloth slipping off, revealing the massive heap of Xu Mi stones that immediately dazzled everyone\'s eyes with their brilliance.

"Something\'s wrong!" The crowd quickly gathered around.

"Everyone, please!" Zhao Hai, who had come to receive the shipment, shouted.

His call brought everyone to a halt.

"Our guild members encountered fierce beasts and bandits on the way, so they are all injured. But we finally brought the goods back for you. We\'ll take care of the fallen Xu Mi stones ourselves. Please step back!" Zhao Hai shouted.

"Da Rong Merchant Guild is amazing, everyone step back!"

"No one should touch Da Rong\'s goods. If you do, you\'re despicable and against me!" a righteous citizen shouted.

The crowd dispersed. After all, who would dare to rob Da Rong Merchant Guild\'s goods? Even if they had the strength, they would lose all respect in [***] City. Da Rong Merchant Guild had risked their lives to bring cheap Xu Mi stones to everyone. Anyone who tried to steal from them would be despised.

"Thank you, thank you!" Zhao Hai cupped his hands in gratitude.

"You all stay and help gather the Xu Mi stones. The rest of the mountains, follow me!" Zhao Hai commanded.

With that, Zhao Hai led the remaining Xu Mi stone mountains in a grand procession back to Da Rong Merchant Guild\'s warehouse.

The news spread like wildfire, causing a sensation throughout the city.

Da Rong Merchant Guild\'s Xu Mi stones had arrived. It was true; countless people had seen it with their own eyes. The stones scattered outside the city were proof. Now, there was no more need to panic in [***] City.

The Xu Mi stone mountains were safely stored in Da Rong Merchant Guild\'s reserve.

A new crowd of buyers gathered outside the Xu Mi Stone Shop once more.

Da Rong Xu Mi Stone Shop reopened.

The news spread throughout the city and reached the ears of every merchant.

In one Xu Mi stone shop:

"It\'s over. Da Rong Merchant Guild\'s Xu Mi stones have arrived again, and they brought thirty mountains in the first batch?"

"Manager, what should we do? Should we still charge such high prices? Our sales in the past two months have been less than what we sold in five days before!"

"High prices? Are you crazy? If we keep charging these prices, our reputation will be completely ruined. Lower the prices, quickly, lower them by ten percent below Da Rong\'s price!"

"Yes, Manager!"

The public\'s panic ended, replaced by the shop owners\' panic. In this month, the greedy merchants had earned their infamy, failing to make money and losing their credibility.

They were in trouble now. If they didn\'t lower prices to regain some trust, they might be out of business in this area forever.

Da Rong Merchant Guild had made a significant profit, not only selling goods worth several years of supply in a little over a month but also earning thirty times the revenue. They gained the trust of the entire city and saw a huge increase in membership for their previously introduced membership system. Da Rong Merchant Guild was poised to become the leading merchant guild in [***] City.

The Da Rong Xu Mi Stone Shop saw long lines of customers once again.

Inside their inner quarters.

The Xu Mi stone mountains scattered in the south of the city were transported directly into the Xu Mi Stone Shop, with the remaining twenty-nine mountains brought here.

Looking at the twenty-nine mountains wrapped in black cloth, Zhao Hai shook his head in amazement. "Your Majesty, you truly have extraordinary abilities. I couldn\'t find any Xu Mi stones no matter how hard I tried, but you planned this long ago and had them brought here. I am deeply impressed!"

Zhao Hai\'s eyes were filled with admiration.

Zhong Shan gave a faint smile. "Then let me show you what this extraordinary ability is."

With that, Zhong Shan pointed his finger and removed a piece of black cloth.

As the cloth fell away, it revealed a mountain inside. But why was it black? Xu Mi stones were supposed to be white. Zhao Hai\'s eyes widened.

"This... this is just a stone mountain?" Zhao Hai asked incredulously.

Zhao Hai quickly removed the other black cloths, revealing that all twenty-nine mountains were indeed ordinary stone mountains.

"They\'re all fake?" Zhao Hai said in disbelief.

"What do you think?" Zhong Shan replied.

"But the Xu Mi stones that fell in the south of the city?" Zhao Hai frowned.

"Those were from the original five-day inventory," Zhong Shan explained.

In an instant, Zhao Hai seemed to understand.

"Your Majesty, you are brilliant!"

"Remember, always use your brain," Zhong Shan advised.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Zhao Hai nodded, but his brow remained furrowed.

"What\'s troubling you?"

"Even though the twenty-nine stone mountains fooled everyone, the shop only has five days\' worth of Xu Mi stones. What will we do once they\'re sold out?"

Zhong Shan smiled, his eyes twinkling with a plan already in place.

"Zhao Hai, the key is not just in what we have but in how we manage perceptions and expectations. The true value lies in the trust we\'ve built. As long as we maintain that trust, we can navigate any shortfall strategically," Zhong Shan explained.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will remember that," Zhao Hai said, finally understanding the deeper strategy.

"We paraded so many Xu Mi stones into the city. Didn\'t the other shops notice? Won\'t they lower their prices? Once they do, we won\'t need to sell our stock so urgently. Besides, people are naturally lazy. When they see there\'s plenty of Xu Mi stones available and no price hikes, they won\'t rush to buy anymore. Today\'s rush of customers will dwindle by tomorrow," Zhong Shan pointed out.

"Your Majesty, your words have enlightened me. I was indeed shortsighted," Zhao Hai immediately acknowledged.

"Good. I trust you can handle the rest on your own. Go now," Zhong Shan instructed.

"Yes!" Zhao Hai replied, leaving the room.

In the inner quarters of Lü\'s Merchant Guild:

"Master, all the shops in the city have lowered their Xu Mi stone prices. They\'re now selling at prices ten percent lower than Da Rong\'s!" a subordinate reported.

"Using illusion to mask reality, deceiving everyone openly—Zhong Shan has tricked everyone," Lü Buwei said with a mix of amusement and frustration.

Hearing this, the subordinate\'s expression changed to one of shock.

"Master, are you saying those twenty-nine Xu Mi stone mountains are fake?" the subordinate asked in astonishment.

"Most likely, they are all just stones," Lü Buwei sighed.

"But then, Da Rong Merchant Guild can\'t sustain their sales for long. Once they run out of stock, they\'ll have to raise prices again."

"No, Zhong Shan has broken the situation wide open. Not only has he scared the other shopkeepers, but he has also calmed the public\'s anxiety. Other shopkeepers won\'t dare to raise prices now. Our plan was to drive up the price of Xu Mi stones gradually, causing public panic. But now, that panic has been alleviated. Even if there\'s another shortage, people won\'t be as anxious," Lü Buwei explained.

"But Master, we can\'t let Da Rong Merchant Guild win. Surely, you have another plan!" the subordinate urged.

"I do have a plan," Lü Buwei said, frowning.

"You do?" The subordinate\'s face lit up.

"Unfortunately, it requires time to implement, and there isn\'t enough. The Emperor will be arriving soon, and I must go to greet him. Zhong Shan has surely accounted for this timing as well. Such a cunning man!" Lü Buwei said, narrowing his eyes.

"Master!" The subordinate\'s face showed unwillingness to concede.

"Enough. I must go and welcome the Emperor. After the Luntian Conference, I\'ll reassess the situation. During this time, Da Rong Merchant Guild will likely go all out against us. Hold the line well!" Lü Buwei ordered.

"Yes, Master!" the subordinate replied.

As Lü Buwei departed, Di Xuan Sha emerged from seclusion and approached Zhong Shan.

"It\'s about to begin. I can feel the celestial energy seeping out," Di Xuan Sha said in a deep voice.

"Celestial energy?" Zhong Shan asked, slightly surprised.

"Yes, that\'s what we call it in this realm. In the great thousand world, it\'s known as \'primordial energy,\' akin to \'spiritual energy\' in this realm. But primordial energy is more fundamental, purer, and of a higher level," Di Xuan Sha explained.

"Primordial energy? Tomorrow is the \'Luntian Conference.\' It seems Sima Ce is making preparations," Zhong Shan said thoughtfully.

"Luntian Conference? Discussing the heavens? Hmph, what qualifications do they have to discuss the heavens?" Di Xuan Sha sneered.

"Let\'s go and see what kind of immortals dare to summon the rulers of the world\'s dynasties to this meeting!" Zhong Shan said with a smile.

"Yes," Di Xuan Sha nodded.