"You truly understand me, Fellow Daoist Zhou!"
The stern look vanished from Li Fan's face, replaced by one of warm amiability.
"You modern cultivators certainly have... inventive methods. I suppose I'm a bit of a relic."
He clapped Zhou Kebao on the shoulder, his words brimming with praise.
"If you can actually produce this thing, all past grievances between us are wiped clean. Future cooperation isn't out of the question, either. You have powerful backing, and I, Li Fan, am not without resources of my own."
A trace of arrogance crossed his face as he painted an expansive picture of what lay ahead for them both.
Zhou Kebao had little choice but to believe him. After all, no ordinary cultivator could acquire such a vast quantity of strategic materials in so short a time. As someone who had benefited from power and privilege himself, Zhou Kebao understood perfectly well that within the Myriad Immortals Alliance, connections and background could sometimes matter more than cultivation level.
"Come, come, walk me through the details." Li Fan drew him closer, clearly extremely interested in this mobile immortal city cave dwelling.
Seeing the negotiation go so smoothly, Zhou Kebao was overjoyed. He didn't dare stall, and pointed at the image hanging in the air, enlarging each section in turn and explaining everything thoroughly.
By the time he finished, his throat had gone dry.
Li Fan nodded in satisfaction. After a brief pause, he asked, "If this is discovered, will your superiors hold you accountable?"
"Haha, rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li. What is not forbidden is permitted. Among all the regulations and laws of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, not a single one prohibits a cultivator from constructing a cave dwelling modeled after an immortal city's structure." Zhou Kebao was quick to reassure him. "As long as you keep a low profile and don't flaunt it to the world, who would go out of their way to cause trouble? Of course, if someone truly reports it and things spiral out of hand, the worst case is that we simply destroy it. Once the heat dies down, we'll build you another one."
Zhou Kebao's face was full of smug confidence.
"Excellent! I'm increasingly convinced that you and I are cut from the same cloth, Fellow Daoist Zhou." A faint smile appeared on Li Fan's lips.
He produced a blank jade slip and held it for a moment before handing it over. "These are my additional requirements for the immortal city cave dwelling. Go back, calculate the costs, and send me a formal quote as soon as possible. If there are no major issues, we'll consider it settled. Of course, if you still think I'm an easy target..." A flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes. "Then it will truly be a fight to the death."
"Fellow Daoist Li, have no fear. We understand perfectly!" Zhou Kebao took the jade slip with barely concealed delight, gave it a quick glance, and wasted no time taking his leave.
What a bunch of parasites...
Li Fan watched Zhou Kebao's retreating figure and snorted.
But what does that have to do with me? I should be thanking them. Without parasites like these, how would I ever extract any benefit from this rigid, rule-bound Myriad Immortals Alliance?
A cold chuckle escaped him. He raised one finger, and the miniature image of the immortal city cave dwelling reappeared before him. It was a perfect replica, reconstructed from everything he had just seen and heard, combined with his own knowledge of the real Congyun Immortal City.
A floating city of my own... A fine thing indeed. And it fell right into my lap without any effort on my part.
Li Fan narrowed his eyes and began reshaping the miniature model according to his own vision.
Time slipped away.
Three days later, Zhou Kebao returned, quote in hand.
“Eighteen million, six hundred and thirty thousand contribution points..." Li Fan mused aloud.
Afraid that Li Fan would balk at the price, Zhou Kebao quickly explained, "This is just the cost of the additional requirements you specified plus some labor expenses, Fellow Daoist. The materials for the immortal city itself are all provided by us at a loss. To make amends with you, we're genuinely bleeding money this time."
Li Fan waved a dismissive hand. "Save it. In the present Myriad Immortals Alliance, who besides me would dare use an immortal city as their cave dwelling? If I don't buy them, all those materials of yours will just sit in a warehouse collecting dust. Now they can be converted directly into contribution points."
Zhou Kebao didn't dare argue, offering only an awkward nod.
"Eighteen million, six hundred and thirty thousand... that's steep. How about this: fifteen million." Li Fan made his counteroffer without flinching. "No negotiation. If you’re not happy, we pretend this conversation never happened and drop it here."
Zhou Kebao's expression shifted dramatically. His face cycled through several emotions before he finally gritted his teeth and agreed. He produced a golden Commercial Contract, made the necessary modifications, and handed it over.
Li Fan examined it carefully. Besides Zhou Kebao's name, it bore the signatures of eight other cultivators, including Gou Zihao and Qu Dailong. Satisfied that everything was in order, he added his own signature.
Two beams of golden light shot into each of them. Zhou Kebao let out a slow breath of relief.
As agreed, Li Fan transferred the first five million contribution points.
"When will the immortal city cave dwelling be completed?" Li Fan asked, observing Zhou Kebao's poorly concealed delight.
"The day the Congyun Immortal City is completed is the day your cave dwelling will be finished," Zhou Kebao assured him.
"That soon?" Even Li Fan was surprised.
After all, he had mobilized every available cultivator in the Congyun Sea, driving them day and night, yet he would just barely meet the deadline set by Diyi Jinglun.
Less than two months remained before the Congyun Immortal City's completion. To finish the cave dwelling within that same window, and with room to spare, judging by Zhou Kebao's tone, meant their efficiency was likely more than double that of the crew Li Fan had scraped together.
Seeing that rare look of astonishment on Li Fan's face, Zhou Kebao felt a quiet surge of pride. He smiled but said nothing more.
"Good. Then I'll await the double celebration. You may go."
Zhou Kebao cupped his hands and departed without another word.
***
Time flew by, and the official completion date of the Congyun Immortal City drew ever closer. Anticipation crept onto the faces of the cultivators who had labored so hard. The entire point of their efforts, after all, was the merit distribution and position nominations that Island Master Li Fan would announce at completion.
Li Fan had not forgotten Diyi Jinglun's commission either. He had integrated the array diagram of the Xuantian Abyss-Sealing Array seamlessly into the foundation of the immortal city, and no one had noticed a thing.
As the city’s inauguration ceremony approached, Li Fan was sitting alone in a sealed chamber when a sudden, familiar sensation washed over him. After so long, the Fallen Immortal Realm was accessible once more.
"Blessed be Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang!"
He performed the ritual and entered the Fallen Immortal Realm.
The narrative resumed exactly where it had left off. He and Xu Ke were journeying toward the Southern Abyss Demonic Mountain, carrying out a task entrusted to them by Lu Ya.
"Little Hei, why would Senior Brother Lu Ya entrust something this important to me? The Southern Abyss Demonic Mountain is no friendly place. The other senior brothers say it's teeming with all sorts of terrifying demonic beasts. Wouldn't it make more sense to send someone stronger? The chances of success would be higher, right?"
Xu Ke tilted his head, his large eyes full of genuine confusion.
Li Fan's answer was an unceremonious claw swat.
"Can you be quiet? That's the tenth time you've asked this question. Why don't you just go and ask your precious Senior Brother Lu Ya yourself? Stop bothering me!"
Xu Ke pouted. "That's not true. It’s only the ninth time..."
Their bickering was cut short. From somewhere far along the horizon, a clear and resonant dragon's roar shook the sky.