Chapter 27 – A Keen Eye for Talent

Chapter 27 – A Keen Eye for Talent

Su Changyu ultimately couldn’t hold on.

In merely seven or eight days, Su Changyu could endure no more and died.

When his corpse was brought back, Li Fan went to take a look.

All that remained was a twisted mass of flesh and blood, no longer bearing any human resemblance. It was a truly horrifying sight.

The flesh even twitched inexplicably from time to time, making one’s scalp tingle with dread.

These people from the Departed Realm were newcomers who couldn’t even scrape together enough money to buy a burial plot.

They had originally planned to commit his body to the sea, but Li Fan couldn’t bear to watch. He took out some money, and only then was Su Changyu properly laid to rest.

Everyone was deeply saddened.

Among them, Xiao Heng wept the hardest.

Li Fan didn’t feel anything particularly special—just a touch of wistfulness.

Having tumbled through nearly three hundred years of reincarnation in the mortal world, Li Fan had developed his own methods for reading people.

In his eyes, Su Changyu conducted himself admirably in all respects, and his willpower was remarkably steadfast. While he couldn’t be called a once-in-a-century prodigy, he was by no means mediocre either.

Among this group from the Departed Realm, Li Fan had thought Su Changyu was the most likely to make something of himself.

Yet such a person couldn’t even survive the miasma cleansing—the very prerequisite for cultivation—and died without a sound.

The path of immortality was truly arduous!

Li Fan was all the more moved by this realization.

And as he continued cultivating the 《Xuanhuang Purification Mantra》, his appreciation of this difficulty only deepened.

As it turned out, Li Fan was no extraordinary talent himself.

For nearly a month, Li Fan kept to himself, rarely going out. Aside from picking up a job assignment as a cover, he spent all his time secluded at home, practicing the Purification Mantra.

Normally, after half a month of cultivation, an ordinary person would notice obvious improvements—better mental clarity, faster thinking, and so on.

But a full month had passed, and Li Fan felt absolutely no change whatsoever.

Li Fan suspected it was because his mental fortitude had already been tempered far beyond that of ordinary people through multiple cycles of reincarnation via Return to Truth and centuries of refinement. That was why the Purification Mantra’s effects on him were so negligible.

Li Fan wasn’t in any hurry, though. He simply treated it as a daily cultivation exercise.

Another half month passed like this before Li Fan finally received word from the Heavenly Treasure House.

Following the messenger, Li Fan arrived at a courtyard belonging to the Heavenly Treasure House, where he met Steward Zhao.

“Steward Zhao, it’s been a while.” Li Fan cupped his hands in greeting.

Steward Zhao glanced at Li Fan and got straight to the point: “I’ve heard from the Heavenly Treasure House people that you want a fleet deployment slot for a sea expedition. Quite the appetite. What makes you think you deserve one?”

“You should know, I only have two fleets at my disposal. There aren’t even enough slots for my own people. Why should I give one to you?”

“Fleets go to sea for nothing more than profit. Tell me, Steward Zhao—how do you think the profits from catching glazed fish compare to salvaging treasure directly from sunken ships on the seabed?” Li Fan smiled faintly.

Steward Zhao didn’t seem to think Li Fan was making empty boasts. He considered the question seriously for a moment. “I did hear about the fleet’s unexpected haul of over a dozen chests of jewels the other day. After the estate’s appraisal, the take was equivalent to several routine fishing expeditions combined. But how could such fortune come along every time? I’ve been on this island for over a decade, and from what I recall, there have only been a handful of major hauls.”

He paused, then continued: “From what you’re saying, you…”

Li Fan nodded. “If I were to command a fleet, I could guarantee that every voyage would bring back a certain amount of treasure.”

A peculiar gleam appeared in Steward Zhao’s eyes. He studied Li Fan closely for several moments, then said with surprise: “You’re actually not lying.”

Now it was Li Fan’s turn to be somewhat taken aback. “I’m certainly not making idle boasts, that’s true. But how did you discern that, Steward Zhao?”

Steward Zhao chuckled. “I was born with a pair of unusual eyes that can identify capable people and distinguish truth from lies. Just now when you spoke, I saw only a gentle white glow emanating from you, proving that your words were genuine and that you harbor no ill intentions. If it had been wisps of black energy, that would mean you had ulterior motives.”

“Such a remarkable ability exists?” Li Fan was genuinely startled. “On the day of our registration, your attitude toward me seemed somewhat different from how you treated the others. Did you notice something then?”

“I can only see a rough outline—I can’t know everything. All I could tell was that you possessed great fortune and that your hands were stained with considerable blood. Clearly not an ordinary person. That’s the only reason I was more courteous to you,” Steward Zhao said with a wry smile. “The will of heaven is hard to fathom. With someone like you, who knows what achievements you might attain in the future? Better to form a good connection early while the opportunity presents itself.”

Li Fan nodded, then heard Steward Zhao sigh with emotion: “In recent years, disasters have struck with increasing frequency. People like you—blessed with great fortune yet washed up on our Glazed Glass Island—there’s no telling how many there have been. Some merely lie low for a few years before riding the wind to greatness once more. Others fade into obscurity from that point on, their bones turning to dust.”

Listening to this, Li Fan suddenly thought of something. “So on the day of our registration, you already knew that what Sun Zhang from the Heavenly Treasure House said wasn’t true?”

“True or false, what does it matter? Sometimes being too particular about these things isn’t necessarily a good thing. My duty is merely to ensure there’s no one on the island plotting subversion. I don’t care where any of you came from—as long as you keep your noses clean, no one will give you any trouble,” Steward Zhao said dismissively. “With an immortal master overseeing the island, there’s nothing to fear.”

“Besides, taking in disaster refugees is the immortal master’s own directive. Since Sun Zhang was able to bring so many ‘refugees’ to our Glazed Glass Island, why would I make things difficult for him?”

Hearing this, Li Fan gained a general understanding of Steward Zhao’s principles.

The conversation then returned to the topic of the sea fleet.

“Since Steward Zhao can see that I’m telling the truth, would you consider the matter of a fleet deployment slot?” Li Fan asked.

Steward Zhao tapped his fingers on the table several times before speaking. “You’re a newcomer with no foundation here. If I rashly hand a fleet over to you, it will certainly cause widespread discontent.”

“How about this—on the next voyage, you go along with the fleet. If you really can salvage treasure every time you go out, it won’t take more than a few trips before the crew will be thoroughly convinced. Then you can take command of the fleet with full legitimacy.”

“In fact, if your hauls are impressive enough, I could petition the estate lord to wrest another fleet from that fellow surnamed Qian and hand it over to you. It’s not out of the question.”

“Steward Zhao thinks of everything,” Li Fan agreed readily.

And so, the matter was settled with remarkable ease.

The Heavenly Treasure House didn’t know the details of the conversation, but upon learning that Li Fan had effortlessly persuaded Steward Zhao and secured a spot on the next sea voyage, they were immediately stunned.

“Could it be that uncle wasn’t just talking big? Does he really have the ability to take command of a fleet?” Inside the Heavenly Treasure House, the young woman in yellow propped her chin on her hand, her eyes glimmering with thought.

“What could he possibly have to back that up?” Sun Zhang was equally baffled. No matter how he looked at Li Fan, the man was nothing more than the most ordinary of middle-aged men.

“Send him the deed to that vacant small courtyard on East Street in the city,” the young woman in yellow suddenly said.

“Huh?” Sun Zhang was momentarily caught off guard.