|| ᴘᴏɪꜱᴏɴ ɢᴇɴɪᴜꜱ ᴄᴏɴꜱᴏʀᴛ ||

Chapters 371-380

Chapter 371: Who's the one who can't help it?

It was unclear who caught the ball, but he wrapped it in his arms and started running away from the crowd. As a result, the entire mob went chasing after him, spreading the chaos across the entire grain district. Long Feiye sent out a scout, who came back quickly to report, "Your Highness, the Sky Domain Association has sent men to surround the entire grain district. All of them are black-robed figures wearing face masks that look quite skilled. They sent word that the chaos may continue as long as it doesn't affect sales in any of the other districts."

Long Feiye's eyes flickered with appreciation before he dismissed the scout. Truly, the Sky Domain Association's lax rule was worthy of admiration. Even Han Yunxi was curious to know just who controlled this black market behind the scenes. Long Feiye's attempts to probe them had failed this time, it was but a passing try that couldn't compare to their real objective-which was the Lin Clan's grain store. Han Yunxi had asked around and found out that the Lin Clan head was here as well. Without a doubt, the imperial uncle's men would have no luck tonight. Perhaps they too, were mixed up in the crowd right now.

Han Yunxi and Long Feiye wouldn't make a move either, of course. They were just here to enjoy the show. Besides, doing anything against their foes tonight would be too obvious. Eventually, the one-hour limit drew closer and closer. The crowd grew more and more wild, wild enough that Chu Xifeng was almost tempted to jump into the fray himself. Still, he held himself back. His Highness Duke of Qin should be able to afford the loss of 10,000 dan.

Finally, he spotted a 16 to 17 year old youth that had snatched the silk ball. Chu Xifeng recognized him on sight, but he didn't dare say anything in public. Once everything was done, he entered the back courtyard and prepared to slap the boy across the face. He was none other than one of His Highness Duke of Qin's men, a guard named Xu Donglin.1

Han Yunxi blocked Chu Xifeng's hand and exclaimed, "What are you doing?!" Chu Xifeng gave a start before he understood. How could any of His Highness Duke of Qin's guards act independently without an order? But he was equal parts astonished. This woman Han Yunxi was already able to order about the Duke of Qin's guards!

"The disaster areas are in dire need of grain. We can't sell a single granule!" Han Yunxi said before she released Chu Xifeng. "Tomorrow, it'll be your turn!"

Chu Xifeng's mouth twitched. Trying to snatch that ball while being forbidden from using martial arts really was a thankless job!

The second night was more or less similar to the first, with the added addition of Chu Xifeng's mournful wails amongst the crowd's noise. Far away, in the capital, the imperial uncle panicked upon receiving news from the black market. Still, he didn't show himself in person. He only sent a secret missive that had exchanged multiple hands before arriving at the Lin Clan's grain shop. The Lin Clan's middleman opened the letter and only saw a single sentence written inside:

Take advantage of the low prices to sell off everything cheaply!

The imperial uncle was a cornered dog looking to jump off the wall now. He'd actually managed to come up with such an idea-to get rid of all the grain in his possession. Even at low prices, the total would still be a considerable sum. At the very least, it'd be enough for him to pay off the auction fees and those usury loans. The middlemen of the Lin Clan fell into an urgent discussion over the matter.

"Sell cheap? What kind of price is he thinking of? Those other folks are selling 10,000 dan for 10,000 taels. What's he got to offer?"

"Who cares about them. We need to get the money by tomorrow night at the latest. Otherwise, things will look bad!"

"Despite everything, we still need people to come and buy our grain in the first place!"

"Are we really going to sell the grain at 10,000 taels per 10,000 dan to get rid of it all?"