The first question was harmless.
A trader asked Gu Qing, casually, whether the Gu Clan had changed grain suppliers.
Gu Qing answered honestly.
"No."
That should have been the end of it.
It wasn't.
The second question came from a mercenary captain who had never cared about food before.
"Does your grain use spirit herbs?" he asked, tone light.
Gu Qing smiled politely. "No."
The man frowned. "Then how does it last?"
Gu Qing's smile did not change.
"It's prepared carefully."
That answer traveled farther than any caravan.
By the third week, Gu Hao stopped pretending this was coincidence.
Reports arrived from three directions.
A minor clan sent an emissary asking about "endurance rations"
A sect cookmaster inquired about bulk preparation methods
A wandering alchemist offered cooperation, unsolicited
None mentioned the Gu Clan directly.
All asked about the same thing.
How.
Gu Hao convened Gu Qing and Gu Jian that night.
"We are being studied," Gu Qing said.
Gu Jian snorted. "Let them try to copy it."
Gu Hao shook his head.
"They won't copy the grain," he said. "They'll copy the mistake."
Gu Jian frowned. "Which is?"
"Skipping restraint," Gu Hao replied.
Gu Hao reviewed the feedback carefully.
Most users reported improved endurance.
Some reported temptation.
One noted that his men argued over portions.
That sentence mattered more than all praise combined.
Gu Hao made a decision.
He did not hide the grain.
He hid the process.
The next external batch included something new.
Instructions.
Clear. Firm. Almost inconvenient.
Usage Notice (Included with Grain)
Not a meal replacement
Do not exceed stated portion
Mandatory rest cycle required
Overuse degrades circulation
Long-term misuse risks stagnation
No threats.
No promises.
Just consequence.
The price increased.
Not sharply.
Enough to deter casual buyers.
One low-grade spirit stone now bought eight portions, not ten.
Gu Qing hesitated. "Won't that anger them?"
"Yes," Gu Hao replied. "And that tells us who to stop selling to."
The first complaint arrived two days later.
A buyer demanded explanation.
Gu Hao did not reply.
The buyer did not return.
Good.
A different message arrived that same night.
Short. Direct.
From the Luo River Sect's quartermaster.
Your product is changing patrol efficiency.
We will not ask how.
But we would like priority access.
Gu Hao read it carefully.
Then handed it to Gu Jian.
"They understand restraint," Gu Jian said.
"Yes," Gu Hao replied. "That's why they last."
Gu Hao responded with equal care.
Priority is possible.
Exclusivity is not.
No negotiation followed.
Which meant agreement.
That night, Gu Hao stood alone.
He felt the weight now.
Not of power.
Of influence.
He had not sold strength.
He had sold time.
And time was always contested.
He wrote a single line in his private notes:
The first advantage is never the product.
It is deciding what not to explain.
The Gu Clan remained small.
But others were beginning to orbit it.
And orbit always came before gravity.