Su Changyu didn’t make it in the end.
In just seven or eight days, Su Changyu couldn’t hold on any longer and passed away.
When his body was brought back, Li Fan went to take a look.
Only a twisted mass of flesh remained, no longer resembling a person, looking rather horrifying.
Occasionally, the flesh would twitch inexplicably, sending shivers down one’s spine.
These people who arrived on Liuli Island were newcomers, struggling even to gather enough money to buy a plot of land for burial.
Originally, they planned for a sea burial, but Li Fan couldn’t bear to see it and used some money to arrange a proper burial for Su Changyu.
Everyone was very saddened.
Among them, Xiao Heng cried the most miserably.
Li Fan didn’t have any particular feelings, just a sense of sorrow.
After nearly three hundred years of reincarnation in the mortal world, Li Fan had a set of skills for judging people.
In his view, Su Changyu behaved decently and had a rather firm determination. Although he couldn’t be considered an exceptional talent, he was definitely not an ordinary person.
Among the people who came to Liuli Island, he thought Su Changyu was the most likely to make a name for himself.
This person couldn’t even pass the prerequisite of cultivation, the dispelling of miasma, and silently passed away.
The path of immortality was difficult!
Li Fan sighed even more.
During the process of practicing the “Cleansing Heart Mantra” in the following days, Li Fan’s perception of this deepened.
As it turned out, Li Fan was not talented.
For nearly a month, Li Fan stayed in seclusion every day. Besides receiving a job to conceal his activities, he hid at home, practicing the Cleansing Heart Mantra.
Generally, after half a month of practice, ordinary people would experience obvious effects such as improved energy and faster thinking.
But a month passed, and Li Fan felt no change at all.
Li Fan guessed that it might be because his mental strength, after several reincarnations and hundreds of years of tempering with [Truth], had far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Therefore, the Cleansing Heart Mantra didn’t have much of an effect on him.
However, Li Fan wasn’t in a hurry. He treated it as a daily practice routine.
After another half month, Li Fan finally was contacted by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
After following a messenger, Li Fan saw Steward Zhao in a courtyard owned by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
“Steward Zhao, long time no see,” Li Fan greeted, arching his hand.
Steward Zhao glanced at Li Fan and went straight to the point, “I’ve heard from the people of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion that you want to request a spot for an expedition fleet. Quite ambitious. What do you rely on?”
“You know, I have only two quotas available. I don’t even have enough for my subordinates. Why should I give one to you?”
“Fleet expeditions are for profit. I wonder, Steward Zhao, how does the profit from catching Liu Li Fish compare to the direct loot from shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea?” Li Fan smiled slightly.
It seemed that Zhao, the steward, didn’t think Li Fan was bragging. He seriously considered it for a moment and asked, “Some days ago, the fleet unexpectedly obtained dozens of boxes of jewelry. According to the calculation by the government, the gains were enough to offset several routine fishing expeditions. But how could such good luck happen every time? In my more than ten years on this island, I remember only a few major gains.”
He paused and continued, “Listening to your words, you…”
Li Fan nodded, “If I take charge of a fleet, I can guarantee that every time the fleet goes out to sea, it will bring back a certain amount of treasure.”
Zhao, the steward, had a strange light in his eyes and stared at Li Fan for a few moments before saying, “You surprisingly didn’t lie.”
Now it was Li Fan’s turn to be surprised, “I indeed spoke the truth. But I wonder, how did Steward Zhao figure that out?”
Zhao, the steward, chuckled, “I was born with peculiar eyes that can recognize capable people and distinguish truth from falsehood. When you spoke just now, I only saw a soft white light emanating from you, proving that what you said was true and without any ill intent. If there were dark clouds, it would indicate you had other motives.”
“Is there such a strange ability?” Li Fan was suddenly astonished.
“On the day you joined, the attitude of Steward Zhao seemed slightly different from others. But what did you see?” he asked.
“I can only see a general idea, not everything. I only saw that you will be very wealthy and have shed much blood. Clearly, you are not an ordinary person. That’s why I treated you more politely,” Steward Zhao explained with a smile. “The will of heaven is unpredictable. Who knows how many rich and noble people like you end up stranded on our Liuli Island? Some people only lurk for a few years and then rise again; some just fade into the crowd and eventually rot away.”
Li Fan listened and thought of something, “So when we joined that day, did Steward Zhao realize that what Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s Sun Zhang said was untrue?”
“So what if it’s true or false? Sometimes being too honest may not be a good thing. My duty is only to ensure that there are no traitorous individuals on the island. It doesn’t matter where you come from, as long as you keep to yourself, I won’t treat you badly,” Steward Zhao said dismissively. “There is an immortal cultivator on the island, so we don’t fear any trouble.”
“Moreover, gathering the disaster victims was also the command of the Immortal Master. If Sun Zhang can lead so many ‘disaster victims’ to our Liuli Island, why would I make things difficult for him?” Steward Zhao explained.
Li Fan listened and gained a rough understanding of Steward Zhao’s approach.
So the topic of the two returned to the fleet of ships going out to sea.
“Since Steward Zhao can see that what I have said is true, can you consider the matter of the quota?” Li Fan asked.
Steward Zhao tapped his finger on the table a few times before saying, “You’re a newcomer with no roots, so if I were to risk handing over the fleet to you, it would definitely cause a lot of dissatisfaction.”
“How about this, the next time you go out to sea, you can follow along. If you really manage to salvage treasure every time you go out to sea, then it won’t take more than a few times for the crew to be convinced of you. At that time, you can then take over the fleet in name.”
“Even, if your harvest is large enough, it’s not impossible for me to persuade the Island Master to distribute a quota from Steward Qian over to you.”
“Steward Zhao is considerate.” Li Fan had no objection.
So, the conversation between the two of them proceeded smoothly.
The details of their conversation were unknown to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, but when they heard that Li Fan had convinced Steward Zhao and obtained a spot for the next sea expedition, they were shocked.
“Could it be that the man didn’t lie, and he really has the confidence to command a fleet?” In the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, the manager muttered, her eyes flickering.
“I wonder what he relies on?” Sun Zhang was also very puzzled. No matter how he looked at Li Fan, he was an ordinary middle-aged man.
“Send the land deed of the vacant small courtyard on the eastern street of the city to him,” the manager suddenly said.
“Ah?” Sun Zhang did not react for a moment.