In the end, Su Changyu simply wasn’t able to hold on. He reached his limit and died in just seven or eight days.
When his body was brought back, Li Fan went to take a look.
It was nothing more than a twisted mass of flesh and blood, completely unrecognizable as human. The flesh even twitched inexplicably from time to time, sending shivers down one’s spine. It was a truly horrifying sight.
Having just arrived here, the people from the Li World couldn’t scrape together enough money to buy a burial plot.
They had initially planned a sea burial, but Li Fan, unable to stand the thought, provided some funds, allowing Su Changyu to be laid to rest in the ground.
Everyone was heartbroken. Among them, Xiao Heng wept the most bitterly.
Li Fan, however, didn’t have any particularly strong feelings, just a faint sense of melancholy.
Having tumbled through the mortal world for nearly three hundred years in all, Li Fan had developed his own method of judging character.
In his eyes, Su Changyu had carried himself well and possessed considerable mental fortitude. While not a once-in-a-century prodigy, he was certainly no mediocre man.
Of the entire group from the Li World, Li Fan had thought him the most likely to make something of himself. Yet such a man died silently and without fanfare, unable to clear the preliminary hurdle of dispelling miasma.
The path of immortality was arduous—Li Fan felt this truth more keenly than ever.
And as he continued his cultivation of the Xuanhuang Heart Clarification Sutra, this feeling grew even more.
The facts proved that Li Fan was no unparalleled genius either.
For nearly a month, Li Fan lived in seclusion, leaving his home only to collect a work assignment to maintain appearances. He spent all other hours hidden away, practicing this Heart Clarification Sutra.
Generally, after half a month of practice, most people would experience noticeable effects like improved mental clarity and faster thought processes. But a full month had passed, and Li Fan felt no change whatsoever.
Li Fan suspected it might be because his mental strength had been tempered by his centuries of experiences through Return to Truth, and already far surpassed that of a normal person. Thus, the sutra’s effect on him was diminished.
Li Fan wasn’t anxious, simply treating it as a daily cultivation ritual to perform.
Another half-month passed like this before Li Fan finally received a summons from the Tianbao Pavilion.
Following the messenger, Li Fan met Manager Zhao in one of Tianbao Pavilion’s private courtyards.
“Manager Zhao, it’s been a while,” Li Fan said, cupping his hands in greeting.
Manager Zhao glanced at Li Fan and went straight to the point: “I hear from Tianbao Pavilion that you seek a slot on the fleet. Ambitious. What are you bringing to the table?
“You should know that I only have two slots at my disposal. That's not even enough for my own people. Why should I give one to you?”
“A ship sets sail for profit, nothing more. Manager Zhao, what is your opinion on the profits from catching Liuli Fish compared to salvaging treasure directly from sunken ships on the seabed?” Li Fan asked with a slight smile.
Instead of dismissing Li Fan’s words immediately, Manager Zhao considered them seriously for a moment. “I heard about a ship crew’s unexpected haul of a dozen crates of jewels some time ago. After the administration’s calculations, the total value was equivalent to the harvests of several standard fishing voyages. But such windfalls can’t be expected every time. In the last ten-plus years I’ve been on this island, I can only recall a handful of major scores.”
He paused, then asked, “From the sound of it, you...”
Li Fan nodded. “If I command a ship, I can guarantee that it returns with a certain amount of treasure with each voyage.”
A strange light flickered in Manager Zhao’s eyes as he scrutinized Li Fan closely. “Remarkably, you are not lying.”
Now it was Li Fan’s turn to be surprised. “It’s true that I am not boasting, but how exactly did you discern that, Manager Zhao?”
Manager Zhao chuckled softly. “I was born with unusual eyes. They can recognize capable men and distinguish truth from falsehood. Just now, as you spoke, I saw only a soft, white light emanating from you. This proves your words were sincere and that you harbor no ill intent. Had I seen tendrils of black, it would have meant you had ulterior motives.”
“Such an unusual ability exists?” Li Fan was genuinely startled. “On the day I registered for residency, your attitude toward me seemed slightly different than the others. Did you see something then?”
“I can only perceive general impressions, not complete details,” Manager Zhao explained with a wry smile.
“I only saw that you had extraordinary wealth and status, and that your hands are stained with much blood. Clearly, you are no ordinary man. That is the only reason I treated you with a bit more courtesy. The will of heaven is inscrutable. Who can say what achievements a man like you might attain in the future? It costs me nothing to sow a favorable connection in advance.”
Li Fan nodded, then listened as Manager Zhao sighed. “In recent years, great disasters have been frequent. There are countless people like you—men of great affluence and prestige—who have ended up washed ashore on our Liuli Island. Some lie low for a few years before catching the wind and rising once more. Others fade into obscurity among the masses, eventually turning to bleached bones.”
As he listened, a thought occurred to Li Fan. “In that case, on the day we registered, you could already tell that Sun Zhang of the Tianbao Pavilion was being untruthful?”
“True or false, what does it matter?” Manager Zhao said dismissively. “Sometimes, being too particular about such things is not necessarily a good thing. My duty is merely to ensure that there are no individuals on the island attempting to subvert order. Regardless of where you come from, as long as you remain law-abiding, you will not be troubled. With an Immortal Master presiding over the island, we have no fear of disorder.
“Furthermore, the gathering of refugees was the Immortal Master’s directive. Since Sun Zhang could lead so many ‘refugees’ to our Liuli Island, why would I make things difficult for him?”
Listening to this, Li Fan gained a general understanding of Manager Zhao’s principles.
Their conversation then returned to the matter of the seafaring fleet.
“Since you can see that my words are true, will you consider the matter of the fleet slot assignment?” Li Fan asked.
Manager Zhao tapped his fingers lightly on the table a few times before speaking. “You are a newcomer with no foundation here. Handing a ship over to your command rashly would undoubtedly cause widespread discontent.
“How about this: you will join the next voyage. If you truly can retrieve treasure on every expedition, it won’t take many trips for the crew to be convinced of your capability. Then, you can rightfully take command of the ship.
“In fact, if your harvests are substantial enough, I might even be able to petition the Grand Administrator to requisition another ship from that Qian fellow and assign it to you.”
“Your considerations are thorough indeed, Manager Zhao,” Li Fan said, finding the arrangement perfectly acceptable.
And so, the matter was settled with unusual smoothness.
The Tianbao Pavilion was unaware of the specifics of their conversation, but when they learned that Li Fan had easily persuaded Manager Zhao and secured a spot on the next voyage, they were utterly astonished.
“So that old man wasn’t boasting after all? He actually is confident that he can command an entire ship.” In Tianbao Pavilion, the woman in yellow rested her chin on her hand, her eyes glinting.
“What kind of leverage could he possibly have?” Sun Zhang was equally baffled. No matter how he looked at Li Fan, the man appeared to be an utterly ordinary, unremarkable middle-aged man.
“Take the deed to that vacant compound on East Street in the city and deliver it to him,” the woman in yellow suddenly declared.
“Eh?” Sun Zhang was momentarily caught off guard.