Zhou Qing'ang stammered an explanation, "With how the Spirit Mist Grass prices were trending back then, who could resist? 

“Word was spreading like wildfire; there wasn't a single island guardian across the Congyun Sea who didn't speculate. If I'd stood apart from the crowd, wouldn't I have risked blowing my cover?

"Who knew the prices would crash so abruptly..."

Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, he shot a suspicious glance at the face within the broken stone. "Boss... don’t tell me you speculated too?"

The face sidestepped the question and snapped, "Enough! How much do you need?"  

Zhou Qing'ang hesitated briefly before murmuring, "A hundred thousand..."

"A hundred thousand?!" The face’s voice rose sharply.

"Impossible! Funds are tight right now. You and the others have been...