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Chapter 704: Lü Buwei\'s Scheme

Seeing this, others were slightly surprised. Who were these two men?

"I heard Mr. Zhong started his career in commerce?" Lü Buwei looked at Zhong Shan and asked.

"In front of Mr. Lü, my endeavors are merely child\'s play," Zhong Shan replied with a smile.

"Oh? This is child\'s play? What would it look like if you got serious?" Lü Buwei asked with a smile.

"What do you think?" Zhong Shan responded with a question.

"Hahaha...!" Lü Buwei laughed, stroking his heroic mustache.

"Let me toast to Mr. Lü," Zhong Shan said.

"Very well!" Lü Buwei nodded with a strange smile.

After a cup of wine, Lü Buwei suddenly asked, "I heard that as soon as your Da Rong Merchant Guild arrived here, you swore that \'prices of goods will only go down, not up, for a hundred years\'? Is this true?"

Finally touching on the main topic, Zhong Shan frowned slightly and nodded, "Yes, that is true."

"The price of Xu Mi stones has been skyrocketing. How does your Da Rong Merchant Guild intend to handle this?" Lü Buwei asked with a smile.

"Da Rong Merchant Guild will keep its promise and never raise prices!" Zhong Shan said firmly.

Doing business is like waging war or governing a country. If orders change frequently, how can one stabilize the world? How can a guild remain prosperous for long? Since Zhao Hai had already set a cap, Zhong Shan would definitely not go against the market.

"Good, I admire such people the most. Let\'s wait and see!" Lü Buwei toasted Zhong Shan.

Zhong Shan\'s pupils contracted, and his heart understood. This was Lü Buwei\'s provocation. He wanted to engage in a commercial battle with Zhong Shan. The soaring price of Xu Mi stones in [***] city was entirely Lü Buwei\'s doing.

In the past, Zhong Shan might have ignored this. After all, he was now cultivating the \'Way of the Emperor\' and didn\'t need to handle such matters personally. But Lü Buwei was different. He was a master, unlike ordinary talents. This was a rare opportunity.

Lü Buwei had set up a grand scheme. To put it bluntly, it was because Lü Buwei esteemed him that he was given this challenge. And Zhong Shan himself wanted to test Lü Buwei\'s abilities.

This was mutual admiration among heroes—the clash of business titans!

Raising his cup, Zhong Shan smiled, "With more than a month left until the Luntian Conference, I will accompany Mr. Lü with pleasure!"

"Clink!"

Their wine cups clashed.

As Zhong Shan and Lü Buwei sipped their wine, a group of people approached from another exit of the valley. As they neared, a crowd of merchants surrounded them.

The leader, a man in red, looked at everyone and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, listen to me!"

Everyone fell silent.

[*] City**, once remote and home to the Dayu Dynasty, had since descended into chaos after the dynasty\'s fall. The orderly regime was gone, and disorder took its place. Today, the Weiwu Guild would also withdraw from this place, and after today, there would be no more supply of Xu Mi stones. Anyone wanting Xu Mi stones would have to procure them themselves," the man in red declared.

"What do you mean by this?" "If you don\'t supply them, what are we supposed to do?" ... The merchants became anxious.

The man in red raised his hand, calming the crowd\'s agitation.

"The withdrawal of the Weiwu Guild is a necessity. Perhaps in a few decades or a century, when the world stabilizes, we might return. Until then, you will have to fend for yourselves. Of course, let me remind you, for transporting Xu Mi stones, you need at least a Nascent Soul stage expert to escort it, and even then, there\'s only a fifty percent chance of safe delivery!" the man in red continued.

His words left everyone feeling even more uncertain, and they could only look at him with regret.

"This is the last Xu Mi stone mountain from the Weiwu Guild. The highest bidder wins! Please," the man in red announced.

The last Xu Mi stone mountain? Everyone frowned. Each one looked at the Xu Mi stone mountain with a determined look. It was clear that the price of Xu Mi stones would only rise in the next ten years.

"Two million high-grade spirit stones!" A merchant couldn\'t hold back any longer and shouted, doubling the previous price.

"Manager Wang, are you serious? Last time it was ten million high-grade spirit stones, and now this price is ridiculous!" the man in red laughed.

"I bid ten million high-grade spirit stones!" another person called out.

"Twelve million!" "Thirteen million!" ... The price skyrocketed as everyone wanted to get their hands on the last Xu Mi stone mountain.

"Twenty-four million high-grade spirit stones!" another person shouted with bloodshot eyes.

The Xu Mi stone mountain, originally worth only one million high-grade spirit stones, had soared to twenty-four times its value. Most people had already given up, unable to bear the pressure.

Now, only two people remained in the bidding war.

"Thir... thirty million!" another person, his neck flushed red, shouted.

Thirty times its original value—a terrifying price hike. The announcement of thirty million left everyone gasping. At this point, no one dared to continue the bidding, no matter how competitive they felt. Even the rival of the person who shouted the price hesitated, his lips moving but not daring to bid higher.

The happiest person was the man in red.

"Manager Li has bid thirty million high-grade spirit stones. Does anyone wish to raise the bid? If not, this Xu Mi stone mountain will go to Manager Li," the man in red said excitedly.

Thirty times the original price—it was an enormous profit. The man in red even considered whether to continue the risky transportation. But he realized that it was only because this was the last time that it was so profitable, so he suppressed his hopes.

"No more bids, right? Hahaha...!" Manager Li\'s nervous and excited emotions were a bit out of control.

Throughout the bidding war, neither Zhong Shan nor Lü Buwei had made a move.

"Mr. Zhong, would you like to raise the bid?" Lü Buwei asked with a smile.

"The Da Rong Merchant Guild will not raise prices. How can I buy it at thirty times the price and sell it at the original price?" Zhong Shan shook his head.

Lü Buwei smiled faintly, "Then I\'ll take it!"

With a wave of his hand, one of Lü Buwei\'s attendants called out, "Fifty million high-grade spirit stones!"

"Wow—!" The eyes that had been riveted on the Xu Mi stone mountain suddenly turned toward Zhong Shan and Lü Buwei. The unexpected bid drew surprise, but the price left an even greater psychological impact.

Fifty million high-grade spirit stones? Fifty times the original price! Everyone stared in disbelief. Who would spend so recklessly, paying fifty times the value?

"My master bids fifty million. Any higher offers?" Lü Buwei\'s attendant announced.

Everyone swallowed hard. They wanted to bid, but no one had the courage. It wasn\'t just a small increase; it was an additional twenty million. No one had Lü Buwei\'s audacity.

"Mr. Lü, such boldness," Zhong Shan remarked, frowning.

"Just fifty million spirit stones. I won\'t lose out; I can simply raise the retail price fiftyfold!" Lü Buwei said confidently.

"Then I shall learn from Mr. Lü\'s business acumen," Zhong Shan took a deep breath.

The news of the auction spread like wildfire through [***] city and all surrounding sects, thanks to some \'interested parties.\'

Fifty million high-grade spirit stones? That\'s five billion low-grade spirit stones! How did Xu Mi stones become so precious?

With the Xu Mi stone supply cut off, once the current stock was sold, there would be none left. It could take at least ten years, maybe even a hundred or a thousand, before new stock arrived. What would happen in those ten years? Xu Mi stones were essential for every cultivator. Even if someone didn\'t need them, what about their juniors? Their disciples? High-level cultivators had storage equipment, but what about those with lower cultivation? Without storage equipment, it would be a death sentence.

Low-level cultivators needed training. Cultivation wasn\'t something achieved by staying at home; it required battles and wilderness training. Without storage equipment, would they carry everything in a huge backpack?

What about elders gifting magical treasures? Should they carry them openly, inviting robbers? Storage equipment was essential. Without it, training would be nearly impossible. Staying at home for ten years was not an option, especially for young cultivators in their prime.

Everyone realized their juniors and disciples needed storage equipment. As emotions spread, the rush to buy Xu Mi stones grew exponentially.

As the price of Xu Mi stones soared to fifty times their original value in Lü\'s Merchant Guild, panic began to spread in [***] city.

On the first day, customers began to flood the Xu Mi stone shops. On the second day, the shops were bursting at the seams.

As customer numbers surged, so did sales, rapidly depleting stock. To avoid the reputation of running out of stock, shops had to increase prices. Sure enough, as prices rose, the number of buyers dropped significantly.

However, the Da Rong Xu Mi Stone Shop continued to sell at the original price, fifty times lower than other places.

Few people bought from Lü\'s Merchant Guild, but there were long queues at the Da Rong Xu Mi Stone Shop.

"Your Majesty, what should we do? The whole city is desperately buying Xu Mi stones. If we don\'t raise prices, they will keep buying, and soon we\'ll be sold out. Then, the city\'s hottest Xu Mi stones will be gone, and our reputation will be ruined. Years of hard-earned goodwill will be lost, and we will be out of the game," Zhao Hai said worriedly.

"How much stock do we have left?" Zhong Shan asked, frowning.

"At this rate, just one month\'s worth. It was originally ten years\' supply. Headquarters can\'t send more for five years. We\'ll be in danger in a month when we run out," Zhao Hai replied anxiously.