Chapter 532: The Unrecordable Xuan
Zhou Qing'ang hunched his shoulders, the picture of a man who knew he'd erred.
The face's expression softened slightly. "This matter is of great importance. Even I cannot fully grasp all its intricacies.
"What is certain is that our gains from this operation have been substantial." A note of excitement crept into its voice. "The attitude from above has improved considerably as a result.
"The funding has been unprecedentedly generous. More than doubled."
"What about my share?" Zhou Qing'ang blurted out.
"Hmph. Impatient, are we? When have I ever shortchanged you?" The face's tone was reproachful. "Your portion will be delivered along with the supplies Li Fan requires for this transaction."
"Thank you, boss!" Zhou Qing'ang beamed. "Not that I'm doing poorly these days. I often receive gifts from various cultivators. But one can never have too much money, right..."
"Enough. Don't get carried away. I didn't expect you to become Chief Coordinator this time. It seems placing our bets on He Zhenghao back then was the right move after all."
The face fell silent for a moment, then continued, "Both He Zhenghao and Li Fan have profound backing. You must maintain good relations with them.
"Once Congyun City is rebuilt, even if Li Fan doesn't become the true Island Master of Congyun, his standing will undoubtedly be high. Following him will advance your position far faster than struggling on your own. Your prospects are boundless. When that time comes, it will be as though we have truly infiltrated the enemy's inner circle.
"We've intervened to help them through this crisis. The next time we require their assistance, they will find it difficult to refuse." The face let out a low, rumbling laugh.
"Brilliant, boss!" Zhou Qing'ang praised.
The two discussed the finer details of the transaction before the stone-face severed the connection.
Zhou Qing'ang returned to the bustling construction site of Congyun Immortal City as though nothing had happened, swaggering about and conducting an ostentatious inspection.
Recorded imagery from the day of the anomaly at Myriad Immortals Island... Li Fan considered this for a moment, then produced an Image Recording Stone.
Light swirled within the Dao Transformation Stone in his mind as it meticulously engraved every detail of that day's events into the stone. The task was finished in an instant.
Out of habit, Li Fan reviewed the recording.
That was when he noticed the problem.
The imagery was completely incapable of capturing the "green" that had obliterated the Martial Hall.
Played back through the Image Recording Stone, the scene showed only the entire structure and over a dozen cultivators vanishing inexplicably into thin air, while those who remained panicked and scrambled to flee. The subsequent scene of Chief Lu arriving in person and moving to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control now looked rather absurd without context.
So it can't be recorded. Li Fan tapped his fingers lightly, sinking into thought.
Having spent centuries within the illusion of the Great Dao Sect, Li Fan had learned many secrets unknown to ordinary cultivators today. Some had faded from memory upon returning to reality, but others remained.
Just like the being that looms over Yuandao Province, there truly exists terrifying entities in this world that could not be recorded.
Whether by brush and paper, jade slip, or any other means, they defy documentation. If the restraining force is strong enough, they might even vanish from people's memories entirely.
But all of this presupposes that these things truly exist. A flash of insight cut through his thoughts.
It seems that a year ago, this phenomenon of being unrecordable had not yet occurred.
Does this mean the Xuan Net has already manifested in the world? A flicker of alarm stirred within him.
There hasn't been any large-scale construction of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Arrays. It’s likely still in its embryonic form.
The Myriad Immortals Alliance had been constantly drawing on its elite forces all these years and has certainly not been idle. The Five Elders Council's unprecedented movements are most likely connected to this as well.
After a long period of contemplation, Li Fan looked at the Image Recording Stone in his hand and decided against adding anything superfluous or making further modifications.
So much time had passed since the Xuan Net anomaly on Myriad Immortals Island. Now, the Five Elders Council was suddenly raising old matters again. Li Fan suspected their target was most likely still that elusive Elder Gongsun.
It wasn't just the Five Elders Council; the Myriad Immortals Alliance had been searching for him as well.
To remain hidden under the combined scrutiny of the two greatest powers in the Xuanhuang World, this Gongsun Qixuan truly had some skill.
Perhaps he isn't deliberately hiding. It's more likely he was too gravely injured and lost consciousness.
Li Fan shook his head and let the thought go.
He found an opportunity and passed the Image Recording Stone and the reconstruction blueprint for Congyun Immortal City to his avatar, Zhou Qing'ang.
Ten days later, Zhou Qing'ang delivered both top-secret items to the stone-face.
After verification, the face was ecstatic. Then, as agreed, it passed over a storage ring filled with strategic supplies.
And so Li Fan resolved the crisis with ease.
With ample materials, the construction of Congyun Immortal City accelerated once more. Li Fan made frequent public appearances, demonstrating his personal investment in the project, and the cultivators under his command worked with renewed drive and motivation.
Only one group of people was utterly unable to sit still.
In a dim, cramped room aboard the Dust-Crossing Boat...
"Zhou Kebao, this was your brilliant idea!"
"Exactly! At this critical juncture, why are you still putting on airs? Can't you see that Congyun City is nearly finished?"
"Weren't you so confident before, saying Li Fan's calm was definitely an act? What do you have to say now?"
Zhou Kebao listened to his companions' relentless reproaches, his face cycling between pale and flushed.
"Something's off!" he insisted. "There's definitely something strange going on!
"Not long ago, the information I gathered clearly indicated the supplies were insufficient.
"How did they grow abundant again so quickly? These are strictly controlled strategic materials. You can't simply buy them on the open market!"
Zhou Kebao's expression was thick with confusion. His eyes darted rapidly, as though he were trying to unravel the great secret buried within.
But his words clearly failed to convince anyone present.
"Never mind that. What are we supposed to do now?"
"If we wait until Li Fan finishes building the immortal city, all our supplies will just rot in our hands!"
"Forget losing our shirts... What if Li Fan turns around and reports us?"
"Zhou Kebao, you caused this mess, so you fix it. Go find Li Fan immediately and sue for peace!"
The clamor threw Zhou Kebao's mind into disarray. A flash of inspiration that had just surfaced vanished before he could grasp it, impossible to recapture.
With the situation as it was, Zhou Kebao had no choice but to sigh and yield.
The following day, he sought out Li Fan.
He played no tricks. Instead, he laid out the entire matter earnestly, from beginning to end.
"Fellow Daoist Li, your move was superior. We lost fairly.
"That said, this matter was Tantai Can's idea from the very start. We were only temporarily led astray..." Zhou Kebao said, his face etched with shame.
Li Fan said nothing, smiling faintly until he had finished.
"So," Li Fan said at last, "what is your reason for seeking me out now?"