Yin Yuzhen’s intuition told her that aiding Li Fan would bring immeasurable benefits in the future. Though uncertain what this mysterious man might achieve, she trusted her instincts and resolved to assist him with all her resources.
Under her direction, the Tianbao Pavilion sprang into action. While gathering the needed meteorite iron, they simultaneously purchased vast quantities of completely unrelated materials to obscure their true intentions.
Other factions on Liuli Island noticed the Tianbao Pavilion’s unusual activities and sent spies to investigate. However, Yin Yuzhen had prepared for this, and the spies found nothing of substance.
Following Li Fan’s suggestion, the Tianbao Pavilion flooded the market with fake news about Starsea Driftsand.
Other organizations suspected a trap and adopted a wait-and-see approach. But one faction, operating on the principle of “buy first, worry later—even fakes can be resold,” began aggressively purchasing any and all goods related to the rumors.
This forced others to join the buying frenzy lest they be left behind. Thus, prices across Liuli Island skyrocketed, and chaos spread through the markets.
***
Meanwhile, Li Fan, the architect of this turmoil, remained within the Quietude Manor, quietly cultivating.
Three months passed before Yin Yuzhen finally made contact with the commercial agent from the Wanhua Trade Association.
At dawn, she and Li Fan boarded the Tianbao Pavilion’s private vessel and left Liuli Island, their ship laden with goods for the transaction. After sailing north for dozens of li, they reached the designated meeting point.
When the Wanhua Trade Association’s agent finally arrived, the sun had already climbed to its zenith.
A black dot rapidly expanded across the sky, resolving into a flying boat as it drew nearer. A banner bearing the word “Wan” fluttered from its mast.
The vessel measured roughly fifty meters long, about half the size of the Taiyan Boat’s intermediate configuration. It descended swiftly, coming to a graceful halt upon the water’s surface.
“Manager Yin, it’s been too long!” A boisterous laugh echoed from the flying boat once it stabilized.
Yin Yuzhen glanced at Li Fan, expecting to see astonishment on his face. To her surprise, he showed no reaction whatsoever, as though flying boats were an utterly mundane sight.
Disappointed yet increasingly curious about the man, she turned toward the source of the voice.
“Agent Wu, our last meeting was three years ago, wasn’t it?” Yin Yuzhen replied with a smile.
“Time flies indeed,” Agent Wu remarked nostalgically while stepping onto the Tianbao Pavilion’s deck.
Noticing Li Fan, he asked genially, “And this is?”
“A guest elder of the Tianbao Pavilion,” Yin Yuzhen answered succinctly.
Sensing her reluctance to elaborate, Agent Wu tactfully changed the subject. “Let’s proceed with the inspection. I fear this may be the last time we meet.”
Yin Yuzhen froze. “What do you mean? Has something happened?”
Agent Wu shook his head. “The specifics are unclear to me. But just days ago, headquarters issued an urgent directive: all commercial agents in the Congyun Sea are to cease operations immediately and return.
“Had I not already scheduled this transaction with you, I would already be on my way back. That’s why we must complete this trade swiftly; there’s no time to delay.”
Yin Yuzhen felt a wave of panic.
The reason the Tianbao Pavilion could thrive on Liuli Island was precisely because of the Wanhua Trade Association’s backing.
Now that the Wanhua Trade Association was suddenly withdrawing from the Congyun Sea, what would become of the Tianbao Pavilion’s business? Could she even keep the Tianbao Pavilion afloat? And why had her premonitions failed to warn her this time?
Her mind was a chaotic whirl. For some time, she simply stood there, frozen.
“Shopkeeper Yin?” Agent Wu, seeing the stunned Yin Yuzhen, called out to her.
Yin Yuzhen forced a smile and snapped back to attention. She entered the ship’s cabin and began inventorying the goods for the transaction.
“Sixteen pairs of jade discs, twenty-three coral pieces, forty-six luminous pearls...” Li Fan led Agent Wu to the various goods.
Agent Wu occasionally picked up an item, examining its quality closely before nodding in approval and carefully setting it down.
“Three pieces of Starsea Driftsand,” Li Fan reported calmly as they reached the center.
A look of delight flashed across Agent Wu’s face. He hurried over to the pieces of meteorite iron, gently stroking them with his hand before flipping them over to examine them from all angles.
Watching this, Li Fan knew Agent Wu was no ordinary man. The lightest of these meteoritic iron pieces weighed at least fifty catties, yet they seemed like toys in the other man’s hands.[1]
After a moment, Agent Wu reluctantly set the iron down.
“Shopkeeper Yin, I see you had quite the stroke of luck this time. You’ve actually managed to acquire Starsea Driftsand.”
Li Fan and Yin Yuzhen exchanged a glance, a wave of relief washing over them. They could now confirm that Xiao Heng’s information was correct.
By acquiring a significant amount of Starsea Driftsand ahead of the others, the Tianbao Pavilion had gained a massive advantage. Their spot in the Body Purification Spirit Pool should be secured without issue.
The remaining items weren’t particularly valuable. Agent Wu was very satisfied with the goods the Tianbao Pavilion had provided.
Perhaps because the two parties wouldn’t be able to meet again for a long time, he invited Li Fan and Yin Yuzhen onto the Wanhua Trade Association’s flying boat as special guests.
After food and drink, Agent Wu led the two to the flying boat’s storage warehouse.
“These are all items I’ve collected from various islands across the Congyun Sea,” he said, gesturing proudly at the dazzling array of treasures. “Some are priceless, others... I’m not even sure of their use. I just bought them because they seemed unusual. If you’re interested, feel free to pick a few items each.”
Yin Yuzhen was visibly excited upon hearing this. With her innate divine ability to sense fortune and avert disaster, wasn’t this like a mouse falling into a rice jar?[2]
Li Fan had no interest initially, but seeing Yin Yuzhen’s eager expression, he didn’t refuse. He accompanied her, idly browsing through the warehouse.
“You only have one incense stick’s worth of time!”[3] Agent Wu announced loudly to the pair. He seemed to be enjoying this little game.
Yin Yuzhen, too excited to even hear him, darted through the warehouse with intense zeal.
There were no fewer than a thousand treasures here. Even with her ability to vaguely discern their value, she was quickly overwhelmed.
By comparison, Li Fan looked bored and walked about aimlessly. He would casually pick up items, glance at them, and quickly set them down.
He, Li Fan, had lived through nine lives, drifting through simulation cycles for three hundred years. What mortal treasure had he not seen? Unless it was related to cultivation, he couldn’t be bothered with it.
This Agent Wu, while clearly possessing physical strength far beyond an ordinary man, was obviously not a cultivator, and his business was firmly rooted in the mundane world of mortals.
How could there possibly be anything here worth Li Fan’s attention?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Li Fan’s fingers brushed against one particular object, and his entire body went rigid.
A prompt from Return to Truth had abruptly flashed before him:
[Discovered item convertible to charge. Proceed with charging?]
1. 1 catty = 0.5 kg ☜
2. 老鼠掉进了米缸里 (lǎoshǔ diào jìnle mǐgāng lǐ) Its figurative meaning is a situation of extreme, often overwhelming, good fortune—like hitting the jackpot. ☜
3. Approximately 15 mins ☜