The chaos at the Wang freight yard was a beautiful symphony of incompetence, but Lin Xiao knew it was only the overture. The main movement of his plan was about to begin. The Wangs, convinced by his false narrative of the Lin family's impending collapse, were now publicly liquidating assets. Their desperation was a beacon, and every merchant in the city was watching.
He stood with Su Ling in the main hall, reviewing the final details. Bai Lian, her fierce loyalty already firmly secured by Lin Zhan's kindness and Xiao's respect, had provided crucial intelligence.
"The Wangs have gathered nearly fifteen thousand spirit stones," Su Ling reported, her finger tracing a column of numbers. "They're planning to outbid you for the remainder of Merchant Gao's contract the moment you 'default.' They've even started a whisper campaign, telling anyone who will listen that the Lin family is days from ruin."
"Good," Xiao said, a predator's smile playing on his lips. "Let them spend their money. Let them burn their own ships. Our job is to make sure they sail right into the storm."
The comedy of the situation wasn't in slapstick, but in the sheer, dramatic irony. The Wangs, believing themselves to be the cunning predators, were in fact prancing directly into a pit they themselves had dug based on a fictional map Xiao had sold them.
The "deadline" with Merchant Gao arrived. Through the scrying spell, Xiao let the Wangs hear the final, desperate act of his play. He staged a loud, emotionally charged "meeting" with his father and Su Ling.
"It's over!" he cried out, pouring every ounce of his frustration with the Wangs into a performance of despair. "We can't meet the quota! The penalties will bankrupt us! We have to go to Gao and beg for an extension!"
He let the spell hear Su Ling's voice, sharp with fake anger. "An extension? He'll never grant it! This is your fault, Xiao! Your reckless spending!"
The sound of a chair crashing over (a particularly nice touch, he thought) and Lin Zhan's weary, defeated sighs completed the picture of a house in total collapse.
The hook was set. Deep.
Now, for the trap.
"System," Xiao commanded. "I need to create a financial illusion. A mirror. When the Wangs move to buy our contract from Gao, I want them to see a rival bidder. A mysterious, outside force driving the price up."
[Acknowledged. Utilizing 'Karmic Echo Trap' and available city-wide sensory data. Generating financial phantom: 'The Jade Tiger Trading Consortium.' A reputable, out-of-province entity with sufficient perceived capital to be a credible threat.]
The stage was set at Merchant Gao's offices. The Wangs, represented by the coldly calculating Wang Li and her still-fuming brother Jian, arrived with a chest of spirit stones, ready to deliver the killing blow.
They were met not by a defeated Lin family, but by Merchant Gao, who looked profoundly confused.
"Liquidate the contract?" Gao repeated, frowning. "The Lin family is not in default. They made their delivery this morning. Ahead of schedule, in fact."
Wang Jian's face went purple. "What?! But they… we heard…"
It was then that Gao's assistant hurried in, whispering in his ear. Gao's eyebrows shot up. "Is that so? Send him in."
A moment later, a well-dressed man with the air of a traveling merchant entered. "Merchant Gao," the man said with a polished bow. "I represent the Jade Tiger Trading Consortium. We understand the Lin family's contract with you may be coming up for renewal. We would be very interested in discussing terms. We are prepared to offer a fifteen percent premium over the current rate."
Wang Li's cold composure shattered. "A premium? That's absurd! The Wang Cartel is prepared to match the current rate!"
The representative gave a polite, dismissive smile. "Then I'm afraid you cannot compete. The Jade Tiger Consortium values stability and quality. We pay for it."
The phantom bidder, a complete fabrication of the System, was now seamlessly integrated into reality, his words and presence fed directly into the scrying spell on Xiao and amplified for the Wangs' benefit. To Wang Li and Jian, he was utterly real, a devastating new competitor appearing at the worst possible moment.
Panic set in. The Wangs had bet everything. They couldn't go back empty-handed. The bidding war began, a frantic, surreal auction for a contract that wasn't even for sale. The Jade Tiger phantom, controlled by Xiao's will, calmly and relentlessly drove the price higher and higher.
From his study, Xiao listened through the System's feed, sipping tea. Su Ling sat across from him, her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"They're bidding against a ghost," she whispered, her shoulders shaking. "You've made them argue with empty air."
"The most expensive argument they'll ever have," Xiao replied, a touch of grim satisfaction in his voice.
Back at Gao's office, the Wangs, flushed and desperate, finally "won," securing the contract for a staggering sum that was nearly double its actual value. They left, not in triumph, but in a cold sweat, their war chest obliterated for a contract that would now yield them minimal profit.
The comedy reached its peak when Wang Jian, in a fit of rage back at their compound, kicked a stone lion ornament… only for his foot to meet the unyielding stone. The howl of pain he let out was, according to Bai Lian's network, both pitiful and immensely satisfying to overhear.
The real victory, however, was quieter. That evening, Ming Yue arrived for her now-customary visit. She found Xiao in the garden, not celebrating, but thoughtfully watching the newly activated ley line node pulse with soft light.
"The geomantic alignment is holding," she stated, coming to stand beside him. "The Preservation Field is operating at ninety-two percent efficiency. Your spoilage rates should decrease by a comparable margin."
"Your work is the foundation everything is built on, Ming Yue," Xiao said, and he meant it. "Without the security you provided, none of the other moves would have been possible."
She accepted the praise with a slight nod, but her gaze was curious. "The Wangs… their financial overextension today. The timing was… statistically anomalous."
Xiao met her gaze. She was too brilliant not to suspect. He said nothing, simply holding her honey-colored eyes. A silent understanding passed between them. She knew he had orchestrated it. She didn't know how, and her intellectual curiosity was burning, but she also respected the boundaries of his secrets.
"It was a well-executed strategy," she said finally, a note of professional admiration in her voice. "The constraints of your resources make the outcome particularly elegant."
It was the highest compliment she could give.
Later, as Su Ling debriefed him on the complete financial evisceration of the Wang Cartel, she paused, looking at him with a mixture of awe and something softer.
"You know," she said, "for a man who can't throw a punch, you just beat the strongest clan in the city into a pulp without getting a speck of dirt on your robes."
"The cleanest fights are the ones you win before they start," he replied.
She smiled, a genuine, unguarded expression that lit up her face. "Remind me never to play chess with you."
The chapter closed with Lin Xiao standing alone, the three women—the strategist, the artist, and the spy—each having played their part in his grand design. The Wang Cartel was crippled, bleeding wealth and credibility. His own faction was stronger than ever.
But the System's final message of the night was a sobering one.
[Warning: The localized karmic imbalance caused by the 'Jade Tiger' phantom has been logged by higher-order spiritual laws. The probability of a 'Karma Weeper' manifestation has increased to 47%. Host is advised to prepare for non-physical contingencies.]
The economic war was won. But a new, more mysterious battle was on the horizon. One he couldn't fight with illusions or financial phantoms. He had angered the heavens' bureaucracy, and the auditors were coming.