Chapter 555 - 270: Earth-shattering Event

Chapter 555: Chapter 270: Earth-shattering Event

"Hmph!" Zhang Daozong snorted. "You’re truly shortsighted. Why would we ever turn away silver that’s practically being handed to us?"

"You just keep the betting open and act as the house. As for the silver, I have my own plans."

"Yes, sir." Jiang Rongxuan bowed respectfully, then asked tentatively, "Should we adjust the odds?"

Zhang Daozong thought for a moment. "Fine. We’ll follow the other bookies. Lower the odds to five-to-one." ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Yes, sir." Only then did Jiang Rongxuan take his leave.

’That bastard Chen Cheng is so confident. I’m afraid he still has an ace up his sleeve.’

’But I, Zhang Daozong, have weathered countless storms. How could I possibly be outplayed by a young upstart like you?’

’In terms of Martial Arts Power, you are far from sufficient. In terms of wits and schemes, you’re even further behind!’

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Daozong immediately summoned his subordinates and gave them detailed instructions.

...

Today was destined to be a turbulent day in Linji City.

At the Inspection Bureau Tower, Brocade Guards would periodically hurry into the Deputy Chief’s Office, delivering report after report into Xiao Nianci’s hands.

Without exception, all of these reports were related to Chen Cheng.

"Chen Cheng has placed bets on himself to win at various bookmakers, totaling as much as twelve thousand taels of patterned silver..."

"Chen Cheng has formally issued a challenge to the Inner Sect Disciples of the Four Major Sects..."

"Various bookmakers are urgently closing their books..."

"Various bookmakers are urgently adjusting their odds..."

"Taiyi Sect Inner Sect Disciple Zhang Daozong has spread news that he has comprehended the Eight Trigrams Earth Realm..."

"Rumors in the Jianghu say that Blood Moon Sect Inner Sect Disciple Zhu Jiu has possibly cultivated the Second Layer of the Killing Realm..."

"There are whispers that Sutra of Ultimate Sect Inner Sect Disciple Fan Jinhua seems to have displayed the Second Layer of the Extreme Yin Realm a year ago..."

"The Brahma Sound Sect..."

"The businesses controlled by the Inner Sect Disciples of the Four Major Sects are all secretly hoarding grain, driving up prices..."

"The grain merchants controlled by the Four Great Clans of the Inner City are all jacking up their prices, making it difficult to control the cost of grain..."

"Chen Cheng returned to the Inner City from the South City District and then paid a visit to the Shen Family’s residence..."

...

’Chen Cheng, oh, Chen Cheng, what exactly are you planning to do to break this deadlock?’

Looking at the table full of reports, Xiao Nianci rubbed her forehead and murmured to herself.

...

「Inner City, Wang Family Residence.」

The Wang Family Patriarch, Wang Tingxuan; his handpicked successor, Wang Xiaowu; a crowd of Wang Family Elders; and the newly acclaimed number one of the family’s younger generation, Wang Xiongjie, were all gathered in the main hall.

Wang Tingxuan sat at the head of the hall. He swept his gaze over the Wang Family Elders, then looked to Wang Xiaowu and said:

"Let’s hear your thoughts. Chen Cheng has been quiet for over a month, and now he’s suddenly causing such a huge stir. What is his goal?"

None of the Clan Elders spoke, all turning to look at Wang Xiaowu instead.

As a Chief of the Imperial Guard in the Inspection Department, Wang Xiaowu was better positioned to speak on the situation in Linji City.

Wang Xiaowu didn’t decline. He rose from his seat, clasped his hands in a salute to the group, and began to speak.

"I’ve received word that Chen Cheng promised Xiao Nianci he would curb the rising grain prices in Linji City within five days."

"His actions today are likely all aimed at that ultimate goal: curbing the rise in grain prices."

"And the primary reason for the price hike is that the Four Major Sects are fanning the flames from behind the scenes."

"By personally entering the fray and leading many gamblers to bet on him, Chen Cheng is aiming for the reserve funds of the Four Major Sects’ betting operations. He plans to make his move there."

"Once the silver taels of the Four Major Sects are tied up as reserve funds, they can’t be mobilized, which means they can no longer be used to continue inflating grain prices."

"But with Chen Cheng’s power alone, even with those gamblers, it’s not enough to shake the Four Major Sects’ finances."

"He also paid a visit to the Shen Family. I suspect he plans to borrow their silver to place even more bets on himself, forcing the Four Major Sects to commit all their available silver coins as reserves."

"If I’m not mistaken, tomorrow the Shen Family will send people to place massive bets on Chen Cheng to win."

"And Chen Cheng will report to Xiao Nianci, using the power of the Government Office to inspect the reserve funds of every bookmaker in Linji City."

"He might even have those reserves temporarily seized until the twenty-ninth of the twelfth month, when he fights the disciples of the Four Major Sects in the Life and Death Arena."

"Mm, a very thorough analysis, Xiaowu." Wang Tingxuan nodded slightly in approval.

The assembled Wang Family Elders also nodded frequently in praise.

Only Wang Xiongjie, standing at the very end of the hall, spoke up with a confused look on his face. "Fifteenth Uncle, there’s something I don’t understand."

"Chen Cheng has almost no chance of winning against the disciples of the Four Major Sects. If the Shen Family bets a huge amount of silver on him, aren’t they just giving it all away to the bookmakers?"

At his words, the other Wang Family Elders also showed looks of confusion.

Wang Xiaowu chuckled and replied calmly, "Xiongjie, you’re still too young. You don’t know how deep the waters of the Jianghu run."

"Consider this carefully: between the Shen Family’s financial power and that of the disciples from the Four Major Sects who have come to Linji City, who is stronger?"

Wang Xiongjie only needed a moment to think before he analyzed, "The forces under the Four Major Sects have been setting up businesses in various Black Markets for some time, earning a lot of silver. The Inner Sect Disciples who came this time must have also brought a considerable amount with them."

"Otherwise, there’s no way they could have raised the grain prices in Linji City by thirty percent in just over a month."

"Moreover, they’ve made huge profits while inflating the prices."

"Excluding the silver taels tied up in their grain stockpiles, the Four Major Sects must have at least several million taels in liquid assets."

"The Shen Family has operated in Linji City for decades. If they were willing to go all out, they could probably scrape together several million taels of silver as well."

"Their financial strengths are roughly on par."

"Not bad. Your estimates are more or less accurate, kid." Wang Xiaowu nodded in approval before his tone shifted. "However," he said,

"you’ve overlooked one thing: the bookmaker’s odds."

"Even if the Four Major Sects have ten million taels of silver combined, the Shen Family only needs two million taels to leverage it all."

"If the Shen Family continues to raise the stakes, the Four Major Sects will have no choice but to close the books."

"At that point, Chen Cheng just has to stall for a while. Once the grain prices fall, he can use the Government Office’s authority to declare the bets void, citing insufficient reserve funds."

Wang Xiongjie asked, "But surely the Four Major Sects won’t just let it go?"

Wang Xiaowu said, "Perhaps Chen Cheng is making a huge gamble, betting that the Great Dao Sect will back him up. After all, he’s acting on orders from his superiors to curb the rise in grain prices."

"Whoa!" Wang Xiongjie was stunned. "That bastard Chen Cheng... he’s got some serious guts!"

Wang Xiaowu replied, "It’s not all his own audacity. He’s probably relying on his master, Zheng Hun."

"So that’s how it is. As a Great Dao Sect Steward, Zheng Hun could indeed protect him." Wang Xiongjie came to a realization, then suddenly grew thoughtful again.

"Wait. If it were only the Four Major Sects acting as bookmakers, Chen Cheng could naturally break this deadlock with the Shen Family’s support."

"But many of the Jianghu Gangs in Linji City are also acting as bookmakers. Even with five-to-one odds, the Shen Family’s finances alone would never be enough to cover them all."

"They’d likely bankrupt themselves in a futile effort, just handing over silver to the Four Major Sects and all the various Jianghu Gangs!"

"After all, once he steps into the Life and Death Arena, Chen Cheng has no hope of winning. His only way to survive would be to surrender on the spot."

"Heh," Wang Xiaowu chuckled, turning to Wang Tingxuan. "Whether the Wang Family wants a piece of this pie is for you to decide, Patriarch."

Wang Tingxuan’s expression darkened. "Chen Cheng and the Shen Family are acting on behalf of the Great Dao Sect. Our Wang Family is, ultimately, under the Great Dao Sect’s banner. We should naturally help share the Sect’s burdens!"

Wang Xiaowu understood immediately. "What you say is absolutely right, Father. The Wang Family will not get involved. Even the Jianghu Gangs under the Wang Family’s control must immediately stop acting as bookmakers."

"Mm, that is for the best." Wang Tingxuan nodded slightly, then waved his hand.

"Alright, the matter is settled. Everyone is dismissed!"

Wang Xiongjie, however, looked completely bewildered. The Wang Family had a grudge against Chen Cheng. This was the perfect opportunity to deal with him, so how could they let it go?

But he had clearly gained some experience. After quietly observing the expressions and behavior of Wang Tingxuan and Wang Xiaowu, he instantly understood.

The Wang Family would, of course, deal with Chen Cheng, and they wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by. But on the surface, they still had to maintain the appearance of supporting Chen Cheng and sharing the Great Dao Sect’s burdens.

As for what they would do in the shadows, only Wang Tingxuan and Wang Xiaowu knew.

...

「The next day.」

Many more major events unfolded in Linji City.

The Jianghu Gangs acting as bookmakers in the Outer City District, seemingly under pressure from the Four Great Clans of the Inner City, all chose to close their books and stop accepting bets.

The businesses controlled by the Four Major Sects, as well as the bookmakers they had set up, continued to keep their operations open and accept bets.

Their betting business was booming, and long lines formed at their doors.

Bizarrely, every single person who came to bet was betting on Chen Cheng to win. The amounts were often very high, with some people putting down as much as ten thousand taels in silver notes in a single go.

Some busybodies did the math and found that at the Ronghe Restaurant’s betting operation alone, the total amount bet had reached hundreds of thousands of taels of patterned silver.

The combined bets placed at all the bookmakers in the Ruyi District had likely reached a terrifying total of several million taels of patterned silver.

This was undoubtedly a shocking event the likes of which Linji City hadn’t seen in centuries!

The Government Office was also alerted. The Protectorate Army dispatched over two thousand soldiers to set up checkpoints on every street in the Ruyi District, strictly forbidding anyone from carrying large sums of silver coins out of the area.

Compared to this earth-shattering event, the fact that Linji City’s grain prices had quietly risen by another five percent seemed utterly insignificant, and no one paid it any mind.