Protect Our Patriarch-Chapter 89Book 5: : Rich and Noble Pit of the Wei Clan! Great Heavenly Pit

---

Han Yue Immortal City.

[Linglong Pavilion].

This is a famous restaurant located in the southern part of the city. Its elegant decor and high level of privacy have made it a favorite among the many clans of the city. On any given day, it is bustling with guests and business is booming.

Many young members of various clans like to choose Linglong Pavilion as the venue for their gatherings, inviting a few friends to chat about gossip, discuss current events, or simply sit and enjoy tea in leisure.

On this particular day.

Linglong Pavilion welcomed a group of hurried and serious-looking guests.

They skillfully opened a private room, and once the fruit platters were served, they gathered around to start a meeting.

"You've heard the news, right?"

"You've heard it too?"

The group exchanged glances, each seeing the same anxiety reflected on the others' faces, and they all sighed in unison.

"It seems the news is true," said one middle-aged scholar in a blue robe, his face heavy with concern. "When I first heard about the discovery of a massive black iron ore vein in Eastern Qian Kingdom, I thought it was just a rumor. But now..."

"Who would have thought?" sighed another chubby middle-aged man. "Who could have imagined that a small border kingdom like Eastern Qian would have such luck? Now that the black iron ore has been transported to the Black Armor Department, and a new batch of black armor is reportedly under construction, it seems this is indeed the truth."

"The Black Armor Department is backed by the King of the South. No matter how capable Eastern Qian Kingdom is, they couldn't possibly get the King of the South to play along with a hoax, could they?"

The more they discussed, the less likely it seemed that the news was false, and their frowns deepened.

Due to the ongoing battles in the outer regions, the Immortal Armament Division consumes a large amount of crafting materials each year, with black iron being the most heavily used.

Over time, many families in the city have started hoarding black iron ingots to profit from the price differences.

Although their reserves can't compare to mining giants like the Wei Clan and the Han Clan, the combined stockpile of these families is still quite substantial.

These middle-aged men all come from second- and third-grade families in the city, and their families have also hoarded a significant amount of black iron ingots. Now, with the price of black iron ingots about to fluctuate wildly, they can't help but feel anxious.

"Alright, everyone, stop worrying," said the youngest of the group, a middle-aged man in black. "I don't think it's as serious as it seems. Whether the news about Eastern Qian Kingdom's massive black iron ore vein is true or not, instead of sitting here worrying, we should use the time we have to figure out a way out."

The others turned to him, intrigued: "What do you mean, Brother Yuming?"

The man in black replied, "I plan to sell all the black iron ingots my family has hoarded."

"What?" the chubby man exclaimed in surprise. "The market price for black iron ingots has already dropped significantly. If you sell now and the news turns out to be false, you'll lose a lot. How will you explain that to your family head?"

The scholar in blue thought more deeply and looked suspiciously at the man in black: "Brother Yuming, do you have inside information? I remember you have a cousin working in Eastern Qian Kingdom. Did she tell you something?"

The man in black, named Luo Yuming, was indeed a member of the Luo Clan.

"Ah, I don't have any inside information," Luo Yuming said with a sheepish smile. "You know, although Yuming and I are cousins, we're quite far apart in age and haven't had much contact. Besides, she's now a great prodigy and discusses matters directly with the family head. I'm not in the loop. However..."

He paused, lowering his voice, "When I reported this to the family head this morning, he immediately agreed and urged me to act quickly. I think he might know something."

"Now that you mention it, I recall something..." the chubby man said, his eyes lighting up with a sense of discovery. "The recent drop in black iron ingot prices isn't just due to panic from the news. A significant amount of black iron ingots has entered the market, driving prices down..."

"Are you referring to the Ying Clan?"

The group, being well-informed, quickly connected the dots.

"Not just them," the chubby man said excitedly, "The Wu Clan is also secretly selling black iron ingots. They're just more discreet about it. I only found out by chance from a relative who works for them."

"It seems the Wang Clan is doing the same..."

Piecing together the clues, they were surprised to find that over the past month, three major clans, including the Ying Clan, had been quietly offloading their stock. No wonder the price of black iron ingots had plummeted so much.

It's important to note that the Ying Clan and the Wang Clan are first-grade families, and the Han Yue Wu Clan is one of the few super-grade families in the Immortal Dynasty, all top-tier clans.

While it's not uncommon for top-tier families to sell large quantities of black iron ingots to raise funds, causing price drops, it's rare for so many top-tier families to sell at the same time.

Especially considering that among these three major clans are the Han Yue Wu Clan and the Han Yue Wang Clan, both closely connected to Eastern Qian Kingdom.

In an instant, they all understood.

These families clearly had inside information, knowing that the price drop was inevitable, and were trying to sell their stock before the news spread to minimize losses.

"Damn!"

Realizing this, their expressions changed drastically.

If they continued to hesitate, by the time the news was confirmed, they might not find any buyers for their black iron ingots.

By then, who knows how many immortal crystals their families would lose!

Suddenly, they couldn't sit still.

As soon as the meeting ended, they hurried back to their families. Those who needed to report did so, while those with decision-making power quickly contacted intermediaries to find opportunities to sell their black iron ingots.

Similar scenes were unfolding in different corners of the city.

Unbeknownst to them, a wave of panic over the impending crash of black iron ingot prices was spreading throughout Han Yue Immortal City.

Many mid-tier families chose to urgently sell off their black iron ingots. However, since the Black Armor Department had suspended external purchases, they could only sell to other families.

But those other families, having caught wind of the news, were in no hurry to buy.

With no other choice, families eager to sell had to lower their prices, hoping for a sale.

As a result, in just a few days, the price of black iron ingots, which had only slightly dipped, began to plummet.

---

Jing'an Wei Clan.

Unlike the dual dominance in Helan Prefecture, the Wei Clan in Jing'an Prefecture was almost unrivaled, akin to the "local emperor" of Helan Prefecture. Even an ordinary clan member could act with impunity in Helan Prefecture.

Living in an environment of "universal praise" and "unchecked authority" for so long, the Wei Clan members naturally developed an inflated sense of self, becoming increasingly domineering and self-centered.

It's no wonder they had such high self-esteem.

The Wei Clan's ancestral residence, with its majestic aura and over ten thousand years of accumulation, gave the clan a profound foundation. They had two Lingxu Codex inheritances, and a total of twenty-one Divine Realm inheritance grounds!

Moreover, with abundant mineral resources in their clan properties, the Wei Clan lived comfortably, and their members received ample training. Over time, the clan's strength grew rapidly, like a snowball.

Within the Wei Clan's main residence, there was a large estate called [Mingyue Residence].

It was situated on one of the Wei Clan's most spiritually rich spirit veins, where countless spiritual flowers bloomed, and rare birds and beasts roamed freely.

This was the residence of Wei Mingyu, the core heir of the Wei Clan's younger generation.

Wei Mingyu's bloodline aptitude was slightly above B-grade great prodigy. Even among great prodigies, he was considered exceptionally talented. Thus, at just two hundred and eighty years old, he had already reached the sixth level of the Purple Mansion Realm.

Given his resources, bloodline aptitude, and current cultivation progress, Wei Mingyu estimated that he could attempt to break through to the Divine Realm around the age of four hundred and fifty, roughly one hundred and seventy years later.

But problems arose.

It's well known that the effect of heavenly essence on enhancing bloodline aptitude is greatly influenced by the bloodline level. The enhancement is most significant when receiving inheritance at the sixth bloodline awakening, but diminishes significantly by the seventh.

The sixth bloodline awakening corresponds to the Purple Mansion Realm's great prodigy.

Therefore, according to the Immortal Dynasty's tradition, Lingxu seeds receive codex inheritance in the Purple Mansion Realm for maximum efficiency.

Now, Wei Mingyu faced a clear dilemma: he had less than one hundred and seventy years to inherit the codex.

He needed to inherit the codex as soon as possible; the sooner, the better.

By the spiritual pool.

Wei Mingyu sipped his spiritual tea slowly, his expression somewhat gloomy.

Within the clan, his biggest competitor for the codex was his cousin, Wei Qingyun.

Wei Qingyun was deeply favored by the clan's first ancestor, Wei Dongyu, who believed Wei Qingyun resembled his younger self.

According to the clan's original plan, the slightly more talented Wei Mingyu was to inherit the first ancestor Wei Dongyu's "Blazing Fire Codex," while Wei Qingyun, with the ancestor's help, would aim for the "Sword and Formation Manual."

This way, both B-grade great prodigy Lingxu seeds could be nurtured, and the clan would gain an additional codex, achieving multiple goals at once.

However, with Wei Qingyun's failure to secure the "Sword and Formation Manual," the situation became unpredictable.

Moreover, even after Wei Qingyun caused a series of troubles for the clan, the first ancestor Wei Dongyu still defended him, sending a clear signal: the ancestor had not given up on nurturing Wei Qingyun.

This made Wei Mingyu feel deeply threatened.

After much contemplation, he couldn't help but suspect that the first ancestor was delaying the inheritance of the "Blazing Fire Codex" to him, Wei Mingyu, to keep it as a backup for Wei Qingyun in case of failure.

If that were true, Wei Mingyu would be in big trouble.

The clan had two codices, but only one was in the inheritance window. The second ancestor of the Wei Clan was only a little over two thousand years old, so his codex couldn't be passed down yet.

Thinking of this.

Wei Mingyu's expression grew even darker as he pondered how to turn the situation in his favor.

At that moment.

A trusted family guard hurriedly reported, "Young Master, the first ancestor has urgent business and requests your presence."

"What is it this time?"

Wei Mingyu asked with a hint of impatience.

The guard glanced around and whispered, "It seems something major has happened. I heard the first ancestor's expression is very grim."

Wei Mingyu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly set down his tea and rushed to the first ancestor's residence, [True Flame Residence].

---

In the warm chamber of True Flame Residence.

The injured Wei Dongyu was reclining on a soft couch, his expression icy.

Around him were some of the Wei Clan's most core members, all looking grim. Wei Mingyu was naturally among them.

The Wei Clan had its own business, primarily dealing in mineral resources, as well as finished spiritual tools, magical treasures, and precious artifacts. Their business was thriving, with branches across the Immortal Dynasty's states and commanderies, covering a wide range of activities.

The Wei Clan's business in the main city of the Immortal Dynasty was quite large, handling countless resources daily, and also responsible for maintaining connections, procuring materials, and transmitting intelligence.

As a family with over ten thousand years of history, the Wei Clan naturally had its own intelligence transmission system. However, due to the vastness of the Immortal Dynasty, intelligence transmission was usually slow, often taking a month for a message to reach the Wei Clan.

But in rare emergencies, the intelligence system would use the clan's limited number of seventh-grade [Xunfeng Spirit Sparrows] to quickly convey messages back to the Wei Clan.

This time, the intelligence received by the Wei Clan was delivered by a Xunfeng Spirit Sparrow.

"Discovery of a massive black iron ore vein in Eastern Qian Kingdom," "Black Armor Department acquiring a large amount of black iron ingots," "Clans big and small in the city starting to frantically sell black iron ingots, prices plummeting," and other news were like daggers piercing the hearts of the Wei Clan members.

In an era where black iron ingot prices had been rising for years, most families hoarded some black iron ingots to profit from price differences. But across the Immortal Dynasty, who could hoard more black iron ingots than the Wei Clan?

Even the first-grade Han Clan in Helan had only about thirty percent of the Wei Clan's stockpile.

When black iron ingot prices soared, the Wei Clan became immensely wealthy overnight. But if prices crashed, the Wei Clan would suffer the most.

"Eastern Qian Kingdom?" Wei Mingyu pondered briefly and broke the silence, "I remember Qingyun's opponent in the Sword and Formation Manual contest was a disciple from the Eastern Qian Wang Clan, right? Could this be the Eastern Qian Wang Clan targeting us?"

"Impossible," Wei Qingyun shook his head, his expression unpleasant. "The Wang Clan is just a small family in Eastern Qian Kingdom. Although they have a talented junior, their foundation is average. We haven't even had a chance to settle accounts with the Wang Clan yet. How could they dare to target us? I think this is just a coincidence."

Recently, Wei Qingyun had been having a tough time in the clan. After failing to secure the codex and causing a series of troubles, he even received threats from the Chaoyang King, warning the Wei Clan not to harm Wang Anye.

Due to these reasons, the clan elders were displeased with Wei Qingyun, though they dared not voice it openly due to the first ancestor's protection.

"Whether it's a coincidence or not," Wei Mingyu said coldly, "if the panic selling of black iron ingots continues, the price will surely collapse, and our Wei Clan will suffer greatly."

The Wei Clan's second ancestor, Wei Deming, nodded approvingly, "Mingyu, what are your thoughts?"

Wei Deming, now just over two thousand years old, was in the prime of his Lingxu Realm strength. He appeared to be in his middle years, exuding a calm and steady demeanor, full of authority.

His status in the clan was second only to the first ancestor, Wei Dongyu.

"Yes, Deming Ancestor."

Wei Mingyu knew this was a golden opportunity for him to turn the tide.

He immediately saluted the elders and said loudly, "Regardless of whether the discovery of a massive ore vein in Eastern Qian is true or not, even if it is true, the elders should know the difficulty of mining and refining black iron ore. How much stock can Eastern Qian accumulate in a short time? Enough for fifty thousand sets of black armor? Or a hundred thousand sets? It's unlikely they can meet the demand for three hundred thousand sets from the Black Armor Department."

"That makes sense," Deming Ancestor's eyes lit up, "The Han Clan has been selling and hoarding for hundreds of years and has only accumulated enough for a hundred thousand sets. Our Wei Clan has also spent hundreds of years to accumulate enough for two hundred and fifty thousand sets. This situation is likely the King of the South deliberately driving down prices."

"Exactly. The King of the South's plan is quite cunning, aiming to cause panic selling. While major clans can withstand it, smaller clans may not. By then, he can continuously acquire black iron ingots at low prices. The more black iron ingots he controls, the more bargaining power he has," Wei Mingyu said, his thoughts becoming clearer. "For now, we can start with two actions. First, persuade major clans and our allied clans to refuse to sell black iron ingots, stabilizing the situation. Second, aggressively buy black iron ingots from small and medium-sized clans and merchants, stabilizing prices and intercepting black iron ingots."

"Good idea," Deming Ancestor said, invigorated. "This way, we can protect our position."

The other elders of the Wei Clan also praised Wei Mingyu's plan.

"Wait," Wei Qingyun said, displeased, "What if the Black Armor Department raises prices to compete with us for black iron resources from small and medium-sized clans?"

"That would be even better," Wei Mingyu said confidently. "All commodities become more valuable when there's a scramble. Plus, if we spread rumors of price increases, as prices rise, those with stock will hesitate to sell and may even buy back. By then, our Wei Clan can secretly sell our stock through intermediaries."

Deming Ancestor nodded repeatedly, "This plan is feasible. We should inform the Helan Han Clan and work together."

"Deming Ancestor, that's not advisable," Wei Mingyu quickly interjected. "The Han Clan has a significant stockpile, and the market demand is ultimately limited. Moreover, if the Han Clan decides to cash in early, our Wei Clan would suffer greatly. In this situation, it's better them than us."

"This..." Deming Ancestor hesitated slightly.

"We'll do it this way," Wei Dongyu said seriously, "Once we've sold our stock and have plenty of immortal crystals, we can buy the Han Clan's stock at a price several times higher than the market price. That way, we'll be fair to them. Mingyu, you're quick-witted; I'll leave this matter entirely in your hands."

"Yes, Dongyu Ancestor," Wei Mingyu said, invigorated. "To win this battle, I'll need a large amount of liquid funds. Please authorize me to mortgage part of the clan's assets to raise funds."

After a discussion, the elders unanimously agreed to Wei Mingyu's plan.

The sooner they acted, the better. If they sat idly by, the Wei Clan's losses would be even more severe.

"Elders, Mingyu requests that Qingyun assist in this matter," Wei Mingyu seized the opportunity to subtly suppress Wei Qingyun. "It will give Qingyun a chance to redeem himself."

Redeem himself!

Wei Qingyun's expression turned extremely sour.

---

The city was bustling with activity.

The fluctuations in black iron ingot prices affected almost everyone in the city. Even those without stock were caught up in the overwhelming public discourse, paying attention to the price trends.

Based on the amount of black iron ingots needed for a standard set of black armor, the price had plummeted from eight hundred immortal crystals to four hundred, and it was still dropping.

Those with stock were worried sick, losing sleep at night, and racking their brains to decide whether to lower prices further to sell.

Meanwhile, those without stock were watching the spectacle, secretly pleased. After all, they weren't the ones taking the losses.

But suddenly, the situation changed again.

A rumor, half-true and half-false, quickly spread throughout the city. Eastern Qian Kingdom did have an ore vein, but the output was small and couldn't meet the huge market demand.

The current situation was just a play orchestrated by the Black Armor Department to drive down market prices and acquire black iron ingots cheaply.

With this news, some small and medium-sized businesses began offering higher prices for black iron ingots. In just seven or eight days, the price surged from four hundred and twenty immortal crystals to six hundred and fifty.

The Wei Clan's swift intervention made the city's situation unpredictable.

Meanwhile.

In the Spirit Bamboo Garden of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion.

Wang Fugui, who was tutoring Yun Mengyu in basic subjects like mathematics and physics, looked at an unexpected visitor descending from the sky with a complex expression.

It was a tall adult man.

He wore a pitch-black night outfit and a hood that revealed a pair of "dignified yet lecherous" eyes.

"Your Highness, is this necessary?" Wang Fugui sighed after a long pause.

"I'm only dressed like this because you suggested it. You said I was too conspicuous..." The man pulled off his hood, revealing the face of the King of the South, and complained to Wang Fugui, "Do you think I, the King of the South, enjoy dressing like this?"

"But it's daytime," Wang Fugui said, exasperated. "Don't you think this makes you even more conspicuous? If you have any issues, you could have sent a trusted aide to communicate with me. Was this really necessary?"

"Rest assured, there are very few in the Immortal Dynasty who can monitor me without my knowledge," the King of the South said as he sat down, his eyes casually glancing at Wang Fugui. "Do you have any more of that 'Enlightenment Tea' we drank last time?"

Wang Fugui did have some Enlightenment Tea left, part of which was a gift from the Enlightenment Senior, and part was given by True Lord Yuling to keep him quiet. But he intended to save it for his Ancestor Grandfather and Ancestor Grandmother.

So, Wang Fugui shook his head vigorously, "I'm out of Enlightenment Tea. If you have something to say, please get to the point. Mengyu and I still have lessons to do."

"You still have the mind for lessons?" The King of the South raised an eyebrow, "The Wei Clan is going crazy, driving up the price of black iron ingots. It's already back up to six hundred and sixty immortal crystals. Should we keep buying?"

"Only six hundred and sixty? That's cheap. Keep raising the price," Wang Fugui waved his hand dismissively, effectively issuing a dismissal, "Your Highness, you can leave now."

His tone was full of disdain.

The King of the South was nearly infuriated, "If we keep buying, many smallholders won't want to sell. Do you know how much black iron ingots we have now?"

"I know the numbers. Someone reports them to me daily. Besides the ten thousand sets of black iron ingots we borrowed, we've acquired an additional five thousand sets, with an average purchase price of four hundred and ninety immortal crystals," Wang Fugui said calmly. "Keep raising the price. Your Highness, you can leave now."

Hmph!

The King of the South glared at him and left in a huff.

Under the manipulation of two interested parties, the price soared to eight hundred immortal crystals in just a few days, soon surpassing the historical high of nine hundred and fifty immortal crystals.

Meanwhile.

In the Wei Clan's main business in the city.

Wei Mingyu, responsible for the "market defense battle," was at the peak of his career. Accompanied by the Wei Clan's second ancestor, Wei Deming, and several elders, they watched in awe as WeiWei Mingyu checked the message and his expression changed slightly. "Hmph, the Helan Han Clan is so cunning. They've secretly been stockpiling and have accumulated 150,000 black iron ingots, intending to sell them to us for a flat price of 1.7 billion Immortal crystals."

"They're taking advantage of the situation!" A certain elder said angrily, "If they sell all those 150,000 black iron ingots to the Black Armor Department, it could meet their needs, and then our 300,000 stockpile would have no market."

"Buy them all, even if we have to mortgage assets to raise the funds," a ruthless glint flashed in Wei Mingyu's eyes. "Ultimately, the Immortal Armament Division will have to pay for this wave."

At the same time.

In the Spirit Bamboo Garden of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion.

Wang Fugui and Yun Mengyu were having tea with the young talents Han Langtai from the Han Clan and Jiang Xingyuan from the Jiang Clan.

He rarely shared a small batch of Enlightenment Tea to entertain guests.

However, Han Langtai's expression was very unpleasant.

He drank the tea indignantly, as if trying to get his money's worth back. "Fourth Princess, you're really not playing fair. You've been toying with our Han Clan from start to finish. Do you know that we have been on good terms with the Wei Clan for generations... and now we're stuck on your pirate ship and can't get off."

The Han Clan wasn't foolish. With the King of the South's mysterious maneuvers, they could guess that the black iron ingots used for short selling mostly came from their Han Clan.

Unfortunately, the Han Clan didn't dare to make this public and could only secretly send Han Langtai to question the Fourth Princess and get an explanation.

"Brother Langtai," Wang Fugui calmly offered tea, "The Wei Clan has committed many injustices and is inherently greedy. If they truly considered you as staunch allies, they would have involved your Han Clan in the first wave of operations. It's a pity, hehe~ in their eyes, your Han Clan is nothing more than a pawn to be discarded in times of crisis."

"Hmph!"

Han Langtai snorted discontentedly.

He understood this reasoning, but being played by the Fourth Princess and this brat still made him unhappy.

"Brother Langtai, given the situation, your Han Clan's leadership has already agreed to our plan. Why bother getting upset with our young master and the Fourth Princess?" Jiang Xingyuan advised Han Langtai, not forgetting to cast a flattering glance at Wang Fugui.

Others might not know the terror of the Wang Clan, but how could Jiang Xingyuan not know? This family is a massive pit, and now they've even ensnared the Immortal Dynasty.

"Jiang Xingyuan, how have you regressed so much?" Han Langtai complained, "This brat is cunning, but you're a great prodigy from the direct line of the Jiang Clan, from the sacred land of the Immortal Palace. How could you stoop to this?"

Jiang Xingyuan rolled his eyes.

What do you mean, stoop to this? Of course, it’s warranted! Once you visit the Eastern Qian Kingdom, you'll understand everything.

However, Han Langtai was ultimately his close friend, so Jiang Xingyuan had to bow to Wang Fugui and say, "Young master, our Brother Langtai is just too straightforward. Please don't hold it against him."

Wang Fugui chuckled, "Brother Xingyuan, don't worry. Brother Langtai is just being genuine. Besides, I'm just a kid not even twelve years old. How could I have the strength to hold a grudge against him?"

"Regardless, I must thank the Han Clan and Brother Langtai for their cooperation."

Phew!

Jiang Xingyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief for Han Langtai, but couldn't help but think to himself, how does each generation of the Wang Clan become more monstrous?

Wang Lici and Wang Liyao were already abnormal enough, and now, not long after, another Wang Fugui has emerged.

The future of this Immortal Dynasty is going to be lively.