89: Chapter 89 Pei Qingyun's Counterattack

Faced with Pei Qingyun's questioning and the so-called betting agreement, Chen Yuansi knew he had met his match.

If it were someone from another third-rate Family, he could have used the prestige of the Chen Family to intimidate them.

It could be said that the vast majority of people from third-rate families would choose to compromise under such intimidation.

But the person before him had an extraordinary relationship with his cousin, Chen Yuanba. In this situation, such tactics naturally couldn't be used.

Others might not be clear about Chen Yuanba's status in the Chen Family, but as Chen Yuanba's cousin, he knew very well.

Although both were direct descendants, he could only remain an ordinary direct descendant for the rest of his life; there was no possibility of him stepping into the Six Bowels Realm Grandmaster level.

Chen Yuanba was different. The position of Commander of the Prefecture City Evil Suppression Bureau was very important to the Chen Family. Once Chen Yuanba took that position, he would surely receive the full cultivation and support of the Chen Family.

At that time, Chen Yuanba would effectively have half a foot in the Six Bowels Realm.

A Five-Viscera Martial Artist might be unremarkable in a second-rate Family, but the Six Bowels Realm Grandmaster level was completely different.

Every Six Bowels Grandmaster was a member of the absolute upper echelon and a pillar of a second-rate Family's foundation.

Since threatening tactics wouldn't work, he had to think of another way.

As one of the people in charge of the Chen Family's business affairs, he had some talent in commerce; it wasn't as if he would be useless without the Chen Family.

If it weren't for this, the Chen Family wouldn't have entrusted such business matters to him.

For a moment, Chen Yuansi fell into deep thought.

In fact, the reason he sought out the Pei Family was twofold: first, because Chen Yuanba had facilitated the connection, and second, because he lacked the confidence to acquire fifty thousand dan of grain on the market at a low price.

As Pei Qingyun said, grain prices on the market were indeed low. But that was under normal trading conditions.

Once an outsider like him suddenly purchased a large amount of grain in Wuyang County, it would inevitably attract the attention of the grain merchants.

At this time, the grain merchants were well aware that the trade route to the Prefecture City could open at any moment.

The reason the grain price hadn't risen yet was that no one was sure of the specific time the trade route would open.

Once someone started buying up large quantities of grain to hoard, they would be like sharks smelling blood, accurately honing in on their target.

As soon as he made a move, the news that the trade route was open would immediately spread among the grain merchants.

At that point, grain prices would inevitably skyrocket.

According to preliminary estimates, the price of grain would rise by at least double.

In other words, the grain price would be at least forty wen per catty, and it wasn't impossible for it to go even higher.

Because the grain merchants knew very well that the peak of the price surge would be during these first two weeks.

Because these two weeks were also the time when the Prefecture City urgently needed to mobilize grain. Once the Prefecture City obtained enough grain within these two weeks to solve the famine problem, the price would begin to fall.

But no matter how it fell, it couldn't drop back to twenty wen per catty; it would likely be similar to previous years, at most two or three wen higher.

Although he was very reluctant to admit it, acquiring ten thousand dan of grain at a price of twenty wen per catty was indeed very difficult to achieve.

Unless he went to the various towns to try his luck; news in the towns wasn't as fast as in Wuyang City, so there was a certain possibility.

But there were also limitations; the grain merchants in the towns were far smaller in scale than those in Wuyang County City, and they were too scattered.

If he really did that, it seemed he wouldn't have enough time.

The Qian and Lyu Families had also entered Wuyang County. Once he chose to do that, there was no guarantee the Qian and Lyu Families wouldn't intervene.

Thinking of this, Chen Yuansi had already abandoned the plan to sign the betting agreement.

But being led by the nose by Pei Qingyun like this made him feel a bit unwilling.

This was the first time his negotiations had been frustrated, and it was actually at the hands of a third-rate Family.

Despite his polite treatment of Pei Qingyun, that was only because Chen Yuanba was present; in his bones, he actually harbored contempt for Pei Qingyun.

It wasn't that he was targeting Pei Qingyun as an individual. This was the arrogance brought to him by his status as a direct descendant of a second-rate Family.

He subconsciously felt this way toward anyone from a third-rate Family.

Pei Qingyun just watched quietly, waiting for Chen Yuansi's answer.

He was very confident in this betting agreement.

However, the reason he did this wasn't just for the profit of a few wen, but more to give Chen Yuansi a hard slap in the face.

From the very beginning of their conversation, he had sensed Chen Yuansi's faint, underlying contempt for him.

While this contempt wasn't enough to make him go crazy...

It still made him exceptionally displeased.

He, Pei Qingyun, hadn't come to this world just to have his thoughts obstructed and suppressed.

A face that needed slapping must be slapped back hard.

So what if he was just a direct descendant of a measly second-rate Family?

What was he putting on airs for in front of him?

After a long silence, Chen Yuansi said in a deep voice, "I have carefully considered Brother Qingyun's words, and I won't sign this betting agreement. The price of twenty-five wen per catty is indeed a bit low. How about this: I will purchase the grain at thirty wen per catty, and we'll consider it as making friends with Brother Qingyun."

Hearing this, Pei Qingyun almost laughed out loud.

Even at this point, Chen Yuansi still wanted to put on an act in front of him. Making friends? Making friends my foot.

If Chen Yuansi had offered to buy at thirty wen per catty from the start, he would have agreed without hesitation.

Now he wanted to buy at thirty wen per catty? There was no such good deal in the world.

Seeing that Pei Qingyun remained silent for a long time, Chen Yuansi also became a bit anxious. But since Pei Qingyun didn't speak, it wasn't easy for him to continue.

After a short while, Pei Qingyun finally said, "Brother Yuansi, actually, I also want to sell it to you at thirty wen per catty to make a friend. But my Pei Family has been penniless lately, and several Elders in the Family want to advance to the Five Viscera Realm but are hindered by a lack of funds. I wanted to take this grain-selling opportunity to earn a bit more, so the Family Elders could have something to look forward to."

"How about this, I'll consider it making a friend of Yuansi. Let's meet in the middle at thirty-five wen per catty."

Chen Yuansi's face darkened, but he still said in as warm a tone as possible, "Thirty-five wen per catty, this price is really too high. Brother Qingyun, can you lower it a bit more? Otherwise, I won't be able to report back to the Chen Family."

Pei Qingyun shook his head and said with a troubled expression, "It can't be lowered any further. My Pei Family's business is small, unlike your Chen Family's great wealth and influence. This price is already my Pei Family's bottom line."

"Brother Yuansi might want to think about it. If you get this batch of grain from me, your Chen Family will definitely be the first to transport grain to the Prefecture City. At that time, won't your Chen Family have the final say on the price? Forget thirty-five wen per catty; even if you sell it for sixty wen per catty, people will be scrambling to buy it."

At this point, how could Chen Yuansi not understand?

This was Pei Qingyun's counterattack for his previous contempt.

But as it happened, this price was exactly within the range the Chen Family could accept.

And just as Pei Qingyun said, what the Chen Family wanted was to seize the initiative.

As the largest grain merchant in Wuyang County, once the Chen Family obtained the Pei Family's grain, they would surely be able to seize the initiative.

At that time, the Chen Family could also make a tidy profit.

Thinking of this, Chen Yuansi felt somewhat helpless. He let out a deep sigh and said, "Then thirty-five wen per catty it is. However, there is one condition: the Pei Family must provide me with eighty thousand dan of grain."

Pei Qingyun smiled and didn't make things difficult for Chen Yuansi, "Deal."