The crew of the Cangyuan stood under the cold moonlight. Their eyes were bloodshot, their breathing ragged.
Even now, they felt like they were dreaming.
Sixteen large chests, filled to the brim with gold, silver, and treasures, sat quietly on the deck.
Some of the men, still unable to believe it, pinched themselves. Only after feeling the sharp pain did they return their gazes to the fortune spread before them.
That Mister Li hadn’t been boasting after all! He had truly delivered on his promise to make them all rich!
But this... this was beyond anything they could have imagined!
The chests overflowed with jade artifacts, gold, silver, and jewels of every description. It made for a dazzling, mind-boggling spectacle.
These men had spent half their lives fishing in the open seas. But even in their wildest dreams, they never envisioned a scene so fantastical.
Zhang Haobo’s mind went completely blank.
It’s real. He actually found treasure sunken at the bottom of the sea! A skill like that... a skill like that...
Having lived on Liuli Island for over twenty years, Zhang Haobo knew well that besides the Immortal Masters, there were also mortals who possessed strange and incredible abilities.
Some could communicate with birds in the sky, some could foresee disasters, some could hold their breath for impossibly long times and roam the ocean depths, and others, like Manager Zhao, could see through a person’s lies.
But such individuals were exceedingly rare. They were either entrusted with important positions on various islands or taken as servants by the Immortal Masters and brought to Myriad Immortals Island. To encounter one was a truly uncommon occurrence.
He never would have guessed that Li Fan was also one of these extraordinary people!
Zhang Haobo suddenly recalled that Li Fan had moved to Liuli Island just recently. Could it be that his original home was destroyed by a stormflood, forcing him to relocate here? No wonder Manager Zhao had shown him such particular favor despite him being a new resident. It all made sense now!
A wave of bitter regret washed over Zhang Haobo.
Zhang Haobo, you fool. You had a rare opportunity to meet a truly esteemed person, and not only did you fail to grasp it, you arrogantly assumed he was here to steal your pathetic little fishing boat!
The more he thought about it, the deeper his regret festered. He felt an intense urge to slap himself across the face.
No. I must go and apologize immediately! Right this moment! A person like this is a guest of honor wherever he goes. If he gains influence and holds a grudge for how I treated him those first few days...
A cold shiver ran down Zhang Haobo’s spine. He hurried toward Li Fan’s cabin to beg for forgiveness.
“Hey, is it just me, or do these chests not look like they’ve been submerged for very long?” a crew member suddenly wondered aloud.
“That’s strange. We didn’t see any wreckage when we were salvaging them, either,” another crew member replied.
“Maybe they were carried here by underwater currents? Or perhaps they were swept into the sky by the stormflood and then fell into this part of the sea?”
“Who cares about the details? The treasure is real. That’s all that matters.”
Amid the hushed whispers of his crew, Zhang Haobo hurried away.
***
Inside his cabin, Li Fan politely dismissed Zhang Haobo, then stretched his weary body.
Naturally, he had been the one to throw those sixteen chests into the sea.
He had sailed alone to a deserted stretch of water, expanded the Taiyan Boat, moved a small portion of the treasure he had plundered from Great Xuan out of it, dumped it into the sea, and finally sent a signal for the Cangyuan’s crew to come and salvage it.
The chests were incredibly heavy. If not for his diligent training in the Xuanhuang Heart Clarification Sutra these past few months, coupled with the subtle tempering of his body by the ambient spiritual qi, which had significantly increased his strength, he would never have managed the task alone.
Even so, by the time he was finished, his entire body felt like it had been pulled apart.
Since this is the first haul, it needs to be a grand spectacle; something that can make a powerful impression. I won’t need to throw so much next time.
As for Zhang Haobo, Li Fan hadn’t spared him much thought.
For Zhang Haobo, the position of ship captain was the very foundation of his livelihood, the anchor of his entire life. If someone suddenly tried to snatch it away, it would be strange if he didn’t react.
Furthermore, the tricks he employed seemed childish and laughable to Li Fan.
If Li Fan were in his place, he would have spent the first ten days or so chatting amiably with the man, biding his time without showing his hand.
Then, once they were in deep waters and the target’s guard had gradually lowered, he would have quietly slipped into his cabin under the cover of night and ended his life with a single, precise strike.
Afterwards, the body would be tossed into the vast, unforgiving sea. No corpse, no evidence.
Even if he truly had a supernatural ability to locate treasure, Li Fan was, after all, new to Liuli Island with no foundation here. Without solid proof, who would truly side with an outsider—and a dead one at that—against a captain with dozens of loyal crewmen?
Taking it a step further, even if Manager Zhao was dead set on assigning blame, the worst outcome would be losing the captaincy.
One had to remember: on Liuli Island, there was no concept of “a life for a life.”
What the Immortal Masters required was simply that Liuli Island steadily supply its required materials.
So, in Li Fan’s view, there was simply no reason not to act.
Pity that Zhang Haobo was not Li Fan, and lacked that kind of ruthless resolve.
When it came down to it, he was just a simple, honest fisherman. The ship he prized so highly was, to Li Fan, nothing more than a minor stepping stone in a much larger plan.
How can a sparrow understand the ambition of a swan? Li Fan shook his head, dismissing the man from his thoughts. Then, he settled his mind to focus on cultivating the Heart Clarification Sutra.
***
Having secured the treasure, the Cangyuan abandoned all pretense of fishing. It immediately turned around and headed back to Liuli Island.
After all, this haul was immense. Until they were safely back on the island, not a single soul aboard would feel at ease.
Sailing at full speed, it took only two days before Liuli Island came into view.
“After we arrive, don’t dock immediately. Liu San, slip into the water quietly and go to Manager Zhao’s residence. Inform him of our arrival and have him send his people to take inventory,” Zhang Haobo instructed his crew with grave seriousness.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, their ship should have had the greatest harvest from this voyage. And by the rules, they were entitled to half of it!
If outsiders did the counting, who could guarantee there wouldn’t be any skimming or “accidental” undercounting?
They would ache with loss over the slightest missing amount. Thus, they couldn’t trust anyone who wasn’t one of their own.
The crew members all nodded in agreement, their eyes growing wary as they watched the routine inspection vessel approach from the island.
“Zhang Haobo, what’s the meaning of this? Why aren’t you letting us board?” A thread of anger laced the man’s words. He seemed to have some history with Zhang Haobo.
Zhang Haobo didn’t even bother to acknowledge him.
Seeing his lack of response, the man grew increasingly scornful. “Judging by your ship’s draft, you probably came back empty-handed this time.[1] Looks like your days as captain are numbered. If you really can’t make it out there anymore, come work on my ship. I promise you won’t starve!”
Hearing their captain insulted, the crew of the Cangyuan flared with anger, ready to retort.
But Zhang Haobo held them back.
No matter what the other side said after that, Zhang Haobo pretended not to hear, waiting quietly for Manager Zhao’s subordinates to arrive.
It seems there’s a reason Zhang Haobo has held the position of captain for so long. Li Fan observed from the shadows, nodding slightly. He’s not as worthless as I first thought. His background and experience have limited him; that’s all.
The commotion at the dock soon drew a crowd of onlookers. Many began pointing at the Cangyuan and murmuring.
Fortunately, the standoff did not last long. Soon, Manager Zhao arrived in person with his subordinates.
1. Random interesting fact: So the ship’s draft is called 吃水 (chīshuǐ) which literally means “eat water”. The draft refers to the vertical distance between the waterline and the lowest point of the hull (keel). So the more the weight (cargo) on the ship, the more water it “eats,” and the deeper its draft becomes. ☜