Price War
Wang Ming Yue begins selling her stock in treasure yellow heaven, and with a second seller now active alongside Fang Yuan, buyers grow cautious and the year Gu market quiets. Rong Xin scoffs at her early sale but predicts other Gu Immortals will simply wait and watch, and the eager buying does fall away. Xie Bao Shu is surprised that a veteran like Wang Ming Yue would sell early and privately worries she is probably holding a large stock. A day later he also sells, becoming the third seller. Gu Immortals in treasure yellow heaven note that this year has a fourth seller in the market alongside the three main sellers. ch. 1453
Rong Xin holds the smallest stock of the four sellers, since his year Gu come from refinement and this year’s early selling left him no time to accumulate enough. Forced by the situation, he also lists his goods for sale. He reminds Xie Bao Shu and Wang Ming Yue of their old price agreement, and the three side with keeping it despite already breaking its early-selling clause under these special circumstances. None plan to break the price clause itself, since they have competed for years without ever changing the agreed price in order to protect their own profits. The agreement binds only the three, and Fang Yuan as a newcomer might not listen even if Rong Xin persuaded him, though the three seem unworried by that. With four sellers now supplying, Fang Yuan feels his own sales go stagnant. Fang Yuan reflects that as an unknown newcomer he absolutely cannot match the three sellers’ years of public reputation, even with goods of equal quality. ch. 1453
Fang Yuan then begins to drop his price. The three sellers feel not anxious but only somewhat disdainful, having weathered such tactics before, though buyers rush eagerly toward Fang Yuan’s cheaper year Gu. Wang Ming Yue judges the cut modest and the three hold their price, reasoning the market is extremely large for one seller to supply alone. Days later, with Fang Yuan’s sales still brisk, the three grow suspicious of how he can hold so much stock and cannot sit still any longer. Wang Ming Yue is first to propose that the three also cut their price, and Xie Bao Shu agrees they must or fail to sell. Rong Xin objects, unwilling to sacrifice massive profit and wanting to wait longer, but with the other two set on cutting he can only follow them. ch. 1453
