BTTH Chapter 18: Retaliation (Patreon)

Under the order of Xiao Yan, the young patriarch, the whole Xiao clan was acting like a blind person. They did not give any reaction at all towards Jialie and Aoba clans action of providing two types of medicinal pills and monopolised the market.

The whole Xiao clan disciples just continued to act normally, which was to perform daily cultivation, collect medicinal herbs and hunt demon beasts to harvest demon cores.

This continued for two months until the Xiao clan market area dropped into a slump. The market that originally had huge traffic of people and carts was now only left with ordinary civilians walking around to buy daily groceries. This was due to the medicinal pill. Generations of cultivators moved from the Xiao market to Ao-Jia clan market.

And since the medicinal pills attracted the traffic, it also subsequently attracted the rest of the merchants. In the end, the daily profit of Ao-Jia market exceeded the daily profit in Xiao market by a few levels.

“Brother Xiao Yan, the patriarch, is looking for you and asking you to go to the conference hall.” Xiao Mei saw Xiao Yan returning from training outside and jogged towards Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan smiled and said: “Okay, I’ll go there now.”

Xiao Mei also followed behind Xiao Yan. Her eyes were staring at Xiao Yan’s back view as she curiously asked: “Brother Xiao Yan, Jianan Academy will start their student recruitment in two months. Will you participate in Jianan Academy recruitment?”

Xiao Yan considered it for a while before he spoke to Xiao Mei with his back towards her: “I’m not sure, I’ll tell you when the time comes.”

Xiao Yan and Xiao Mei directly walked towards the conference hall. As expected by Xiao Yan, not only was Xiao Zhan there, even the three elders were there. It’s just that the three elders were like ants on a hot plate, walking back and forth looking very busy.

Seeing Xiao Yan arrive, the third elder, who had the most anxious personality quickly pulled Xiao Yan and asked: “Xiao Yan, it’s already two months, how much longer do we need to wait?”

“Damn it, I really cannot endure it anymore. In these two months, the Xiao clan’s profit has been reduced by 60%. If this continues, our Xiao clan’s businesses will close down. Almost half of the merchants in our market area have closed down and moved to the Ao-Jia market area. If this continues, we no longer need to rent out our market area. We can just directly close them.” Inside the hall, the second elder spoke angrily with a ferocious face.

“We indeed cannot hold on much longer.” The great elder also complained slowly: “Although master Guni from Miteer auction house has helped us refine hundreds of healing medicines, this amount was too little. It cannot attract traffic. The leftover merchants in our market area were also in panic.”

Xiao Zhan's expression was also very ugly. Although he always believed in his son, however, in this period of two months, Jialie clan and Aoba clan had earned more and more profit and those two medicinal pills also became more and more expensive. However, the more expensive it was, the more people buying it. Every day, they would be sold out.

“Yan’er, how long do we need to continue? I’m afraid the clan cannot not hold on anymore.”

Xiao Yan slowly sat down. His left hand turned the storage ring in his right hand’s middle finger and thought for a while before saying: “As distance may know a horse's strength, so does time reveal a person's heart.”

“Xiao Mei, go to the market and record down the names of merchants who moved from Xiao clan’s market to Ao-Jia market in these two months. In the future, when these people and their immediate family members want to rent a store in our marketplace, their rent will be raised by half and their rent can only be short-term rent. As for the merchants that still remained in our market, their rent will be reduced by half from today onwards.”

Xiao Mei, who was standing by the side, was stunned for a while before hurriedly nodded her head and said: “Okay, brother Xiao Yan.”

Xiao Yan looked towards the three elders and took out a list of medicinal herbs and said: “Three elders, I will trouble you tomorrow morning to west, south and north of the city to immediately purchase all of the low-grade medicinal ingredients in the list by twice the market price and also release a higher buying price list for those materials and purchased the herbs collected by the civilian herb collection groups.”

The three elders looked at the medicinal ingredients in the list and recorded down the list without questioning Xiao Yan’s decision.

“Dad, tomorrow, you go to Miteer auction house and discuss with Ya Fei, we, Xiao clan, want to buy low-grade medicinal ingredients. How much ingredients Miteer auction house has, we will buy that amount. The buying price can be increased by 20%.” Xiao Yan spoke slowly.

Xiao Zhan frowned, and asked doubtfully: “Yan’er, are you planning to cut off the medicinal pill ingredients supply from the root and prevent them from refining medicine? But how do you know the 1st grade alchemist’s recipe?”

Xiao Yan laughed and casually replied: “These low-grade medicinal ingredients were those whose prices had inflated by quite a lot in these two months. To be able to make the price in the whole Wutan city to inflate, the only explanation was that someone was buying them in great amounts and the only person who required so many low-grade medicinal herbs was only that 1st grade alchemist who needed it to refine medicinal pills.”

Everyone suddenly realised, so it could be done this way.

Xiao Zhan immediately waved his hand strongly and said: “Everyone, follow what Yan’er had said. Remember to do it secretly.”

“Yes, patriarch!”

The next morning, on the surface, the Xiao clan still acted normally. However, the undercurrents were already surging. The three elders and Xiao Zhan had also disappeared early in the morning.

At this moment, inside the Xiao clan market, Liu Xi, the first-grade alchemist who was one of the culprits of the whole incident, was very excited. Because not far away he saw someone that he fell in love with at first sight.

Liu Xi’s eyes did not hide the greedy expression on his face as he wantonly scanned Xun’er’s body.

Boom, Xiao Ning exchanged a punch with the other party’s guard. Xiao Ning, who had just become a Dou practitioner, was at a disadvantage and was hit back by a few steps.

“Tsk, a mere 1-star Dou practitioner dares to appear.”

Being laughed at by Liu Xi, Xiao Ning’s face reddened as he glared at Liu Xi with bloodshot eyes. Xiao Ning, who had completed the military order and obtained the Qi gathering pill to become a Dou practitioner, was still too young and was not those guards’ opponents.

Xiao Yu’s expression, who was by the side, was very cold and said with a heavy voice: “Xiao Ning, come back, you are still too weak.”

Xiao Ning unwillingly walked to Xiao Yu’s side since he was indeed as said by Xiao Yu, he was still too weak. 1st grade demon beast was comparable to Dou practitioner which was to say, 9th grade Dou disciple was not yet considered a proper cultivator. It was still within the range of ordinary people.

Liu Xi’s eyes flashed slightly as his gaze stopped at Xiao Yu’s extremely attractive pair of legs and could not help but praise: “Tsk tsk tsk, these legs, it seems that my luck today is quite good. May I know if two ladies are free today to accompany me to play? If I am happy, I am willing to compensate you with a pill.”

Liu Xi intentionally flashed the 1st grade alchemist badge on his chest.

Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning frowned. 1st grade alchemist? Could he be the one who refined the rejuvenating powder and small Dou qi pill and caused harm to the Xiao clan?

Xiao Yu sneered and said: “Merely a 1st grade, I have even met those of higher grade. Xun’er, let’s go.”

Just as they turned around, several burly men stood out and smiled evilly as they blocked the road.

Xiao Yu’s face fell and she turned around and spoke coldly towards Jialie Ao: “You dare to block our road in Xiao clan’s market? You are looking for death!”

Jialie Ao, who was by the side, giggled and said: “Hehehe, looking at your current situation, your Xiao clan market will soon become ours. I’m here just to look at our assets.”