Chapter 85: Merchants' Upheaval

"What do you say? Do we have any news about that person?"

"He hasn't come out yet; my men have been waiting outside for a whole day. He's been inside the whole time, and we can't contact him."

"Damn it, a whole day and night has passed and he still hasn't reached out to us. Is he really planning to abandon us?"

Inside Muye Cun, in a hidden alley, several broad‑bodied merchants gathered together, waiting anxiously.

"If he dares to abandon us, we'll just go straight to the third generation or the three assistants; I don't believe he can get away with it!"

"Well said. He made us do this, and now that the incident happened he wants to use us as a scapegoat. It's not that simple. We'll act first and hire ninjas to kill that guy!"

"Exactly. No matter how powerful Uchiha is, he's just one person. If we pool our money to hire dozens, I don't believe his eyes can save his life!"

"Nonsense. If it were just him alone, that would be one thing, but if the whole Uchiha clan stands behind him, what can we use to fight them? Don't forget, we still have leverage and our families in his hands."

"Damn, why did we get tangled with this evil star!"

Hearing that hit a sore spot, everyone let out a sigh.

Only one person sat upright at the head of the room, calm and composed, leisurely sipping tea.

"Mr. Merchant Village, you are his appointed salt‑merchant representative. With the situation so critical, do you have any insight?"

"Seeing Mr. Merchant Village so unruffled, could he have received some orders? Go ahead, Hehe, tell us as well."

The man was Merchant Village Righteous, who had originally proposed handing over thirty percent of the revenue; the others were all industry representatives under Wise's control. They gathered now because of yesterday's Police Department's massive crackdown on merchants.

"Why the panic, everyone? From Lord Hui's recent scheming, the whole Uchiha clan must be behind it. Uchiha is Muye Cun's premier noble house, not some Zhi Cun clan; they wouldn't casually abandon us."

The higher one sits, the more one understands the value of the Uchiha, the ninja world's top noble house; its reputation alone reassures many.

Having been merchants for years, they care most about reputation.

Upon hearing Merchant Village Righteous's words, the few fell silent, but since the matter ultimately concerns their lives, fortunes, even their entire families, they still found it hard to stay calm.

"Didn't I tell you? If I don't reach out, you shouldn't contact me proactively."

After an indeterminate amount of time, while no one noticed, another person suddenly appeared inside.

The few were startled; upon seeing the newcomer's face, they instantly recovered and rose.

"Lord Hui."

"Lord Hui has arrived, please have a seat, sir~"

The newcomer was Hui himself; he had just left the Police Department, received a message from the men sent by the others, then after a quick makeover used his Clone Technique and Transformation Technique to create a stranger's visage as a clone and come here.

"Lord, don't blame us; after yesterday we've been unable to sit still, fearing we might accidentally do something wrong that affects your plans, so we risked sending someone to contact you."

Seeing Hui seemed a bit angry, the few snickered and quickly began to explain.

Hui, aware of their mood, stopped pressing the issue and said directly, "Just cooperate with the Police Department's recent actions; with me covering you, it won't affect you. You remain Muye Cun's livelihood pillar."

Hearing the promise, everyone instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, lord. Your strategy is far beyond ours; my admiration for you flows like the waters of Nanhe, endless!"

With the fear of death gone, the few immediately became lively, showering flattery.

"Indeed, indeed, lord, just a simple move from you and our monthly profit could double, shedding all responsibility cleanly. You truly are a business genius!"

Profit doubling? Hui raised an eyebrow; he didn't know the details, but it didn't matter—any protection fee owed to him couldn't be reduced.

"The schemers disrupting Muye Cun's livelihood have been arrested, and the market prices should recover. As for timing, five days from now, within seven days; as for the justification, you can discuss among yourselves."

"Restore prices?"

"This"

The few were stunned, exchanging glances, hesitating. "What's the problem?"

Seeing their hesitation, Hui felt something odd; when he had them raise prices, each resisted fiercely, yet now that the Police Department's sword has cut them down, they act reluctant to restore prices. Is it always this hard? "Price reduction can't be achieved instantly; can we extend the grace period?"

"Your command, my lord, will be obeyed. I'll go discuss with the fellow merchants; we'll start lowering prices five days from now, and restore the original price within two days."

Someone hesitated, wanting to discuss, but Shangcun Yizhi decisively accepted.

Hui looked at Shangcun Yizhi, nodded with satisfaction, "Haha, go ahead, Uchiha won't shortchange any friend."

Shangcun Yizhi beamed, bowed, and left.

"Mr. Shangcun?"

The remaining few exchanged glances, seeming ready to say something more.

Hui, seeing Shangcun Yizhi had agreed, knew the others could manage as well.

As for why they hesitated, he ignored it, simply dispelling his clone, which vanished on the spot.

"What now? Do we really have to restore prices this quickly?"

"What else can we do? Do you intend to oppose the Police Department? Just follow his lead; we've already made a tidy profit."

"Now each day yields multiple times the profit; why not wait a few more days, then give him his portion faithfully, and surely nothing will go wrong."

"Will that work? Could it jeopardize his affairs?"

"Just a few days, what could go wrong!"

"That makes sense."

Meanwhile, Hui's original self had just returned to Shisui's house, discussing matters with Shisui and Sima Yi; the moment his clone vanished, a flood of information surged in.

"What's wrong?"

Hui's body tensed; Shisui immediately sensed it and hurriedly asked.

"The clone's message came from those merchants; I've already informed them, but some seem reluctant to restore prices."

Hui relayed the clone's conversations with the merchants one by one.

Shisui was puzzled, "Didn't they say they were constantly worried about exposure?"

"Not entirely clear; they only said price reduction isn't a one‑day task, perhaps there are difficulties."

Shisui nodded slowly, but Sima Yi chuckled lightly, "A bunch of merchants—just profit‑driven short‑sighted folk. Such anomalies are normal; no need for extra worry."

"Grandpa, what does that mean?"

"These people control sugar, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, coal and electricity; all these industries affect Konoha's livelihood. A single profit may be modest, yet hundreds of thousands of Konoha citizens cannot do without them."

"Even a one‑cent price increase yields astonishing profit; each day of delay could mean a hundred thousand taels of revenue, so they cannot easily give up."

"I see." Shisui nodded, suddenly enlightened.

"So they're just a few money‑hungry, reckless guys. I'll go warn them again tomorrow, lest they ruin things."

"Let them handle it; these people are short‑sighted and insatiably greedy. If they don't cause trouble today, they'll eventually. Having someone like Shang Cun Yizhi step forward is already rare."

"But what if…"

Sima Yi let out a light laugh, his expression calm, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "Send people to keep tabs on them, and use these few days to gather more incriminating evidence. If anyone misses the chance, we can use it to make an example of them."

(End of chapter)