Jiao Xiuyuan's excitement was plain. "You mean that when the time comes, even if someone sells Samantabhadra True Leaf at the most outrageous price, they'd have to grit their teeth and buy anyway to honor their repayment agreement?
"So if we corner most of the Samantabhadra True Leaf market in advance, forcing their hand... we could easily profit several times over!
"Brilliant!" Having grasped the crux of it, Jiao Xiuyuan slapped his thigh and shook his head in admiration.
"You truly live up to your reputation as a business genius, Fellow Daoist Jiao!" Li Fan smiled.
But Jiao Xiuyuan didn't dwell on the flattery. His expression shifted, and he fell into a frown, turning the idea over carefully.
Slowly, the excitement drained from his face. He shook his head. "Fellow Daoist, the scheme is ingenious, but it strikes me as a touch too idealistic.
"What if the contracts they signed when borrowing the Samantabhadra True Leaf include a clause permitting repayment in equivalent contribution points?
"What if they'd sooner suffer the backlash of a broken contract than buy the leaves back at inflated prices?
"There are too many uncontrollable variables. The risk is too great."
Li Fan appeared unconvinced. "Is there any business in this world without risk? Given the potential profit, I think it's worth attempting."
Jiao Xiuyuan's expression wavered. Before he could respond, Li Fan continued, "Besides, even if they abandon the competition with us entirely and withdraw on their own, the sheer volume of Samantabhadra True Leaf we'd have acquired would still yield more profit than loss."
"How so, Fellow Daoist?" Jiao Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, skepticism evident in his tone.
A faint smile touched the corners of Li Fan's mouth. He extended his right index finger.
An instant later, a crystal-clear, twenty-sided die materialized upon it.
It spun rapidly, its facets catching and scattering fragmented reflections.
After a stunned moment, Jiao Xiuyuan recognized the treasure and exclaimed, "The Qiankun Heavenly Mechanisms Die?!"
He leaned in for a closer look, but Li Fan had already stored it away.
"The divination result indicates it is nearly certain to occur," Li Fan said, his tone grave.
Seeing Li Fan's confident demeanor, Jiao Xiuyuan found his own certainty beginning to waver.
"Let me make some inquiries." With that, the puppet fell completely silent, as though the consciousness animating it had departed.
Li Fan was in no hurry. He waited quietly to one side.
A full day and night passed.
When Jiao Xiuyuan's consciousness returned, his eyes snapped open, delight written across his face. "There's an opening!"
"Oh? What did you find, Fellow Daoist?" Li Fan asked, his interest sharpening.
Jiao Xiuyuan leaned closer and lowered his voice. "According to reliable sources, the ones manipulating the price of Samantabhadra True Leaf are a group of Spirit Transformation cultivators, led by Tantai Can of Tianshu Province.
"Their backgrounds are all tied, to one degree or another, to the headquarters of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
"And the Clarity-Discernment True Talismans distributed across various regions are essentially monopolized by them."
Tantai Can... The surname was too distinctive to pass unnoticed. Li Fan found himself thinking involuntarily of Tantai Tao, the array path genius who had died a violent death in his past life.
Could they be from the same family? The thought surfaced and was set aside. His expression remained unchanged as he continued to listen.
Jiao Xiuyuan pressed on without pause. "The situation differs somewhat from what we assumed. Because they control the production line for Clarity-Discernment True Talismans, this group holds a massive stockpile of Samantabhadra True Leaf.
"The Myriad Immortals Alliance only purchases a limited number of Clarity-Discernment True Talismans each year, so the returns come in too slowly. And so this group hatched a crooked scheme.
"Some among them used a portion of their Samantabhadra True Leaf as collateral to borrow an enormous sum of contribution points from Breeze Hall.
"At the same time, other members of the group borrowed Samantabhadra True Leaf on credit from Breeze Hall.
"In one round trip, the leaves ended up back in their own hands, and they had arbitraged a sum of contribution points of equivalent value in the process."
Li Fan's brow furrowed slightly. He interrupted. "If I recall correctly, the Breeze Hall's interest rates are not low. How much profit can they actually extract this way? And once they have the contribution points, why go to the added trouble of borrowing the Samantabhadra True Leaf back?"
Jiao Xiuyuan smiled. "That is precisely why I say there is an opportunity here.
"Because in both name and fact, all that Samantabhadra True Leaf belongs to the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
"The Clarity-Discernment True Talisman involves Alliance secrets, so oversight measures are naturally in place.
"Tantai Can and his associates secured their positions overseeing the talisman's production through their respective powerful backers.
"At regular intervals, the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters dispatches personnel for routine inspections.
"They receive advance warning through their internal connections, but surface formalities must still be observed. At minimum, the official ledgers cannot show too large a deficit."
Jiao Xiuyuan gave a short, contemptuous snort. "The graft from this operation is already frightening in scale, and still they are not satisfied.
"They recklessly use the leaves as collateral to extract enormous sums of contribution points, then leverage those funds to stir up trouble across the markets.
"And this group is well-connected and exceptionally well-informed. They meet with success wherever they move, reaping substantial profits. The Breeze Hall's interest is genuinely beneath their notice.
"To say nothing of their other advantages, consider the Samantabhadra True Leaf alone. Nearly the Alliance's entire stockpile sits in their hands. Manipulating the price is trivial. Harvesting unsuspecting cultivators costs them no effort at all."
Li Fan nodded slowly, the shape of Tantai Can's operation now clear to him.
In plain terms: misappropriate the Myriad Immortals Alliance's strategic reserves, convert them into contribution points, then use insider knowledge to buy low and sell high, pocketing the difference.
"A crime of this magnitude is no small matter. For you to have investigated it so thoroughly, Fellow Daoist Jiao, your capabilities truly border on the heaven-defying." Li Fan gathered his thoughts and clicked his tongue in admiration.
Jiao Xiuyuan waved a dismissive hand. "It's also because these people are utterly shameless, too arrogant. Not only did they make no effort at secrecy, they actually boasted about it in casual conversation, as though it were something to be proud of. That's how I came to know.
"Otherwise, how could I possibly learn of such private affairs?"
Li Fan smiled and let the point go, moving on to discussing the feasibility of ambushing Tantai Can's group.
"In that case, my earlier concerns no longer apply," Jiao Xiuyuan said.
"Whatever else happens, they are compelled to reclaim the Samantabhadra True Leaf. Even if it bankrupts them, they must. Because once the matter comes to light, even their powerful backers will not be able to shield them.
"By then, bankruptcy will be the least of their worries. Annihilation of body and cultivation will seem a mercy by comparison." Jiao Xiuyuan's expression turned cold.
"Excellent." Li Fan nodded, approval clear on his face.
"My only concern," Jiao Xiuyuan added, "is that the two of us alone may not be sufficient.
"If we cannot deliver a fatal blow in a single strike, if they are given any opportunity to react, I fear the entire scheme will unravel."