Chapter 2018 - Making An Example

Hour by hour, more people descended on the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion. Some insisted on immediate repayment, while others angrily demanded the weapons they had already been promised.

A third of the pavilion's craftsmen had left for the Yuan Clan, leaving the remaining workers buried beneath an impossible workload. They could no longer deliver every order on time. Each default carried a penalty of twice the order's value, enough to drain the treasury several times over.

The main hall dissolved into chaos. Ran Hu slumped in his high chair as a cold, crushing weight settled over him. He had never known defeat like this.

"Pavilion Master, I have strong reason to believe Liu Wuxie is behind all this. Should we insist on meeting him?" the Second Elder whispered, leaning closer with a dark look on his face.

Ran Hu didn't answer. His gaze remained blank as he waited for the Grand Elder to return.

An hour passed before the Grand Elder dragged himself through the main entrance, his body heavy with exhaustion.

"Did you find buyers for the workshops, Grand Elder?" the elders asked, gathering around him like drowning men grasping for a lifeline.

"I couldn't sell them. There isn't a single willing buyer," the Grand Elder answered, despair shaking his voice.

Once, the mere announcement that a prime blacksmithing workshop was available would have driven Azure Cloud City's forging clans into a frenzy. They would have descended like sharks scenting blood. Now, none dared touch the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's assets.

Ran Hu's face drained to an ashen gray. He no longer doubted that the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion had entered an intricate trap, its layers tightening one after another until they left no room to breathe. Without money, what could they use to pay the mounting penalties?

The creditors' panic boiled into fury when they learned the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion couldn't even sell its assets.

"Either the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion gives us a satisfactory answer today, or we tear this place down!"

The hall rang with shouts. Tables and chairs overturned as the disorder spread through the estate.

A sudden, powerful snort came from the entrance, its pressure crushing the uproar into silence and forcing every head to turn.

"The Third Guardian of the Kabiya Guild!" someone gasped.

Ran Hu shot out of his chair and hurried down the steps to receive him. He could disregard the enraged crowd, but offending a superpower like the Kabiya Guild was a risk he couldn't afford.

"What has brought you here in person, Third Guardian?" Ran Hu asked, hiding his gloom behind a forced, deferential smile.

"I've come to notify you that, in two days, the Kabiya Guild will take possession of your twenty pledged workshops. All personnel must be removed within twenty-four hours," the Third Guardian announced coldly.

"What did you say?!" the pavilion's senior members cried as one.

Rushing forward, the elder overseeing procurement protested, "Third Guardian, we have three months to repay under the contract!" Having signed the agreement himself, he knew every term by heart.

"You're overlooking the early-recourse clause. If a debtor's operations undergo significant adverse changes, the guild may require early repayment and seize the collateral," the Third Guardian answered flatly. He unrolled the contract they had signed only days before and pointed to a passage buried in the fine print.

That provision protected the guild from risk and would ordinarily never have been invoked. Now, with financial collapse looming over the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion, its inability to repay the two hundred million immortal stones was plain. The clause gave the guild full legal authority to seize the workshops in advance.

Once catastrophe became unavoidable for a debtor, the normal grace period no longer applied.

"How... how did it come to this..." the elder whimpered. His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the stone floor.

Deathly stillness gripped the hall. Even the domineering Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult kept silent, unwilling to challenge the guild.

"You know our guild's way of doing things, Pavilion Master Ran. In twenty-four hours, we'll be back to take possession," the Third Guardian told him without a trace of sympathy.

"Please, Third Guardian, tell me what's going on! Why is the guild treating us this way?" Ran Hu pleaded, his eyes bloodshot as he clutched the guardian's arm in desperation.

"For the sake of our acquaintance, I'll tell you this much. We're acting on orders from above," the Third Guardian said earnestly, letting out a soft sigh.

"Then tell me how I can get out of this! What do I have to do?" Ran Hu begged, tightening his grip.

"You were the one who tied this knot. Untying it is your responsibility," the Third Guardian replied coolly. He shook Ran Hu's hand away and departed, leaving him standing motionless in a daze.

Those words struck with the force of thunder, shattering what little denial Ran Hu had left.

Azure Cloud City reeled as news of the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's downfall spread. Furious creditors now surrounded the once-dominant force on every side, demanding immediate refunds and deliveries.

Far from that turmoil, peace still held within the Yuan Clan estate, where Liu Wuxie passed his time in quiet meditation.

The following day, the Kabiya Guild took the twenty core workshops without resistance, leaving the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion with only ten. Even if it survived the immediate crisis, it wouldn't be able to restore its crippled production capacity. It would never threaten anyone again.

It was doubtful whether it could even hold on to those last ten workshops, with so many contractual penalties still unpaid.

"The elder from the Mountain Guardian Sect has come back, Young Master Liu," a Yuan Clan disciple reported, bowing outside his courtyard.

Yuan Xiangtian had placed several disciples at Liu Wuxie's service around the clock and given him supreme authority throughout the estate.

"Where is he waiting?" Liu Wuxie asked as he emerged from meditation.

"He's outside the main gates," the disciple answered. Without permission, he dared not bring a Great Golden Immortal from another force into the estate.

"He can wait," Liu Wuxie said, waving his sleeve to dismiss the matter. He closed his eyes and returned to cultivation.

Frustration blazed in Pan Rengui's chest as he stood outside the gates. They had left a dignified Great Golden Immortal waiting in the street like a beggar. Every passing Yuan Clan disciple glanced at him with mocking amusement.

"They say he's the Mountain Guardian Sect's Third Elder. Just look at him standing there like a fool!" several disciples whispered, hiding their giggles behind their hands.

"Young Master Liu is remarkable! He doesn't even need to leave his courtyard to bring an elder to his knees!"

Pan Rengui heard every word, his face burning with humiliation. Bitter regret gnawed at him for refusing Liu Wuxie's terms a few days ago. He had lost all room to bargain.

The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's collapse stood as a chilling warning. Should the Mountain Guardian Sect refuse to yield, destruction would come for it next.

His Sect Master had commanded him to arrange a meeting at any cost. He had no choice but to wait from dawn to dusk, until his legs went numb and his pride lay in tatters. Throughout his long life as a Great Golden Immortal, he had never endured such humiliation.

"Young Master Liu will receive you now, Elder Pan," a disciple announced just as his patience ran out. To Pan Rengui, the words were heavenly music.

"Thank you, young man! Please accept a small gift as a sign of my gratitude," Pan Rengui said, releasing a relieved breath. He hurriedly drew out a heavy interspatial pouch and pushed it toward the disciple.

"Show a little self-respect, Elder Pan," the disciple said coldly, handing the pouch back without another glance.

Pan Rengui's face flushed. For decades, the Mountain Guardian Sect had bribed the Azure Jade Palace's collection envoys to come along. Who would have thought a mere outer disciple could force it to repay fifteen years of tribute without setting foot in the sect?

Liu Wuxie had already prepared fresh tea in the courtyard. As Pan Rengui entered again, apprehension stiffened his posture. Meek deference had replaced the arrogance he had displayed on his first visit.

"My respects, Young Master Liu!" Pan Rengui said, bowing so low that he looked ready to sink to his knees.

"Forgive the wait, Elder Pan. I was deeply absorbed in my cultivation," Liu Wuxie said courteously. He had come to collect the tribute and finish his assignment, with no desire for unnecessary bloodshed.

"No, I was the one who arrived far too early! I just hope I haven't disturbed your meditation!" Pan Rengui stammered, relief almost bringing him to tears. He had braced himself for a humiliating rebuke, yet Liu Wuxie had left his dignity intact.

"Take a seat, please," Liu Wuxie said, gesturing toward the stone stool.

Pan Rengui sat at once, his back rigid and his knees tightly pressed together. Anyone witnessing would have struggled to suppress a laugh. Here sat a Great Golden Immortal elder before an outer disciple, looking like a frightened schoolboy.

"Young Master Liu, over these past few days, the Mountain Guardian Sect has reflected on its conduct. We recognize our mistakes and have brought the full fifteen years of overdue tribute," Pan Rengui said hastily. Skipping the pleasantries, he produced an interspatial ring containing the full amount owed to the Azure Jade Palace and set it on the table.

"This doesn't seem to be the right amount," Liu Wuxie remarked with a faint smile, pouring a fresh cup of tea and setting down the porcelain teapot. He hadn't even touched the ring.

After a week of meticulous preparation, he could hardly do his efforts justice without extracting a little more.

Pan Rengui's heart dropped. The demand he had feared was finally before him. Forcing down his anguish over the loss, he reached into his robes for another interspatial ring and carefully slid it alongside the first.

"The tribute due to the sect is in the first ring. In this one, you'll find the interest that has accumulated over the years. Please, Young Master Liu, accept it," Pan Rengui explained, forcing his smile into an expression of respect.

At last, warmth entered Liu Wuxie's smile. The Azure Jade Palace had tasked him only with recovering the original tribute; anything extra was his to keep as compensation. Pan Rengui knew those unwritten rules, which explained why he had offered the interest directly to Liu Wuxie as a personal gift.

"A toast, Elder Pan. If I get the chance, I'll certainly visit the Mountain Guardian Sect," Liu Wuxie said, lifting his teacup.

With trembling hands, Pan Rengui raised his own cup.

"We... we'd be honored to receive you," he said between gritted teeth before downing the tea in a single gulp. Inwardly, he begged the heavens never to let Liu Wuxie visit the sect. Another storm wrought by this monster would destroy it.

A few more hollow pleasantries followed before Pan Rengui excused himself, citing urgent sect business. He then fled the estate as fast as his legs could carry him.

Only after he vanished through the gates did Long Ying and Long Yuanxiong emerge from the adjoining room. They had heard every word.

Thrusting up his thumb in emphatic approval, Long Yuanxiong exclaimed, "That was brilliant! Absolutely masterful! By destroying the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion as a warning, you frightened the Mountain Guardian Sect into paying its entire debt without a fight!"

"This is for both of you," Liu Wuxie said, producing 300,000 immortal stones and handing them to Long Ying. Their assistance had proved invaluable, and tackling the missions alone would have been far more tedious.

Long Ying took the stones without hesitation. A few words had earned Liu Wuxie a fortune, while she and her brother had been running all over the city to carry out his instructions.

"Ran Hu is outside, Young Master Liu, and he's demanding to see you!" Yuan Xiangtian called as he hurried into the courtyard, weariness evident on his face. For two days, he had overseen the roaring furnaces in the clan's expanding workshops.

"Has he finally begun to see reason?" Liu Wuxie asked, a sharp, knowing smirk forming on his lips.

If luck favored him, he would finish his third and final collection task before sunset.