Chapter 23 – Registering on Glazed Glass Island

Just as Li Fan was lost in thought, a somewhat portly young man nearby sidled over to him.

The young man patted Li Fan on the shoulder with an air of easy familiarity. “Brother, I don’t think I’ve seen you before. May I ask what official post you hold in Great Li? Or perhaps you’re a wealthy merchant from one of the continents?”

Li Fan swatted the young man’s hand off his shoulder, then fixed him with a cold, wordless stare.

The portly youth instantly felt as though he’d been locked onto by a venomous snake, a chill crawling up his spine.

Though he felt somewhat embarrassed at being intimidated by a mere look, the portly young man did have a keen eye for reading people. Li Fan appeared utterly unremarkable on the surface, yet there was an unmistakable air of authority about him — the kind that came only from long years in a position of power.

Not someone to be trifled with!

The portly youth reached this conclusion in an instant and tactfully took his leave.

The others, having witnessed this exchange, all understood that Li Fan was not the approachable sort, and no one else came to strike up conversation with him after that.

Amid the flickering lamplight, the murmur of voices gradually faded as everyone drifted off to sleep.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, before dawn had even broken, everyone was roused from sleep.

A middle-aged man with a long beard, wearing a blue-green robe, walked up to the group with his hands clasped behind his back.

“In a moment, I’ll take you to collect your household registrations. Once you have them, you’ll officially be members of Glazed Glass Island.” The middle-aged man swept his gaze across the group and spoke in a cold tone.

Hearing his words, everyone’s faces lit up with excitement.

“Remember — don’t say anything you shouldn’t. Otherwise, I make no guarantees about your safety.” The man narrowed his eyes and added.

Everyone understood full well that what they were involved in was not exactly above board, and they all nodded in agreement.

Afterward, at the middle-aged man’s instruction, Li Fan and the others all changed into a set of tattered, ragged clothing.

Then he drilled them on a unified cover story.

“You are all residents of Great Gorge Island to the west. A devastating windstorm destroyed the island, and you fled here as refugees. If anyone asks, that’s what you tell them.”

Everyone assented without exception.

Then, with the middle-aged man leading the way and four or five men in black keeping watch over them, the group left the cavern through a hidden passage and emerged above ground.

They wound through the residential districts of the city, twisting and turning for what felt like an eternity, before finally arriving at the entrance of a government estate.

Li Fan noticed that although their group of several dozen was hardly inconspicuous, the island’s residents mostly gave them no more than a passing glance before looking away — clearly accustomed to such sights.

They did not enter through the main gate. A servant at the entrance went inside to announce them, and before long returned to lead the group through a side door on the left into a large hall.

The hall was quite spacious. Before Li Fan and the others arrived, two or three other groups had already gathered there — well over a hundred people in total.

Even so, it didn’t feel crowded.

The middle-aged man signaled with his eyes for everyone to wait patiently.

Soon enough, it was Li Fan’s group’s turn.

“Steward Zhao!” the middle-aged man called out in greeting.

“These are all disaster refugees here to register?” Steward Zhao appeared to be in his fifties or sixties, looking somewhat aged. But his gaze was exceptionally sharp. After sweeping his eyes over the group, he spoke with a half-smile. “Sun Zhang, these refugees of yours are all either wealthy or noble!”

Sun Zhang showed no sign of panic. He simply sighed. “Indeed. They were all well-to-do families on Great Gorge Island. But without the protection of an immortal master, when disaster struck, all their wealth and status turned to nothing. Now they’ve had no choice but to travel thousands of miles to seek refuge on our Glazed Glass Island.”

As he spoke, Sun Zhang produced something from within his robe and discreetly passed it to Steward Zhao.

Steward Zhao glanced at it, accepted it, and then let out a sigh of his own. “The windstorms have been raging these past days — even our Glazed Glass Island was affected. The islands to the west suffered catastrophic losses. I’ve heard that over two hundred islands were leveled entirely, and who knows how many mortals perished at sea.”

“Fortunately, the immortal masters are compassionate and have ordered us to aid the refugees. Your Heavenly Treasure House has been so diligent in this regard — that’s a good thing! Rest assured, I will report everything truthfully to the Island Lord. When the immortal masters bestow their rewards, your share will certainly not be forgotten.”

Sun Zhang was overjoyed at these words and launched into a stream of flattery.

Steward Zhao listened while processing the group’s registrations one by one.

Before long, it was Li Fan’s turn. Steward Zhao looked at Li Fan, and a flicker of something unusual passed through his eyes.

“What is your name?” Steward Zhao asked.

“Li Fan,” Li Fan answered truthfully.

“Here — drop a single drop of your blood onto this.” Steward Zhao’s brush danced across a rectangular object that was neither quite jade nor quite paper, inscribing the characters for “Li Fan” before handing it over.

Li Fan bit his finger and let a drop of blood fall.

The blood seemed to take on a life of its own, seeping into the two characters of his name.

“Keep this spirit talisman safe. From now on, it serves as your proof of identity. Everything on the island — claiming work assignments, receiving food rations, passing inspections — all of it requires this talisman. You must not lose it.” Unlike his perfunctory manner with the others, Steward Zhao was noticeably warmer toward Li Fan, even taking the extra moment to offer this advice.

This drew curious glances from Sun Zhang and the rest of the group.

Li Fan had no idea what Steward Zhao had noticed about him, nor did he offer any elaborate words of thanks. He simply nodded, tucked away the spirit talisman, and walked straight to the side.

The registration process was efficient, and before long, everyone in the group had received their Glazed Glass Island household registration.

The mood among them was palpably excited.

After leaving the estate, they did not return to the previous cavern. Instead, Sun Zhang led them to the courtyard of a residential compound.

“Now that you have your registrations in hand, the contract can be signed, yes?” Sun Zhang addressed Su Changyu from among the group.

Su Changyu carefully produced a thin sheet of paper from within his robe, then bit his finger and solemnly wrote his name in blood.

The moment the signature was complete, the thin paper ignited spontaneously without any flame, transforming into a wisp of blue-green smoke that drifted away to parts unknown.

After the burning, only a small fragment of the contract remained.

“As they say, three contracts to conclude the pact. Once we are fully settled, I will sign the final contract as agreed,” Su Changyu said, his tone neither servile nor overbearing.

“Hmph. Dealing with you people from the Li Realm is always such a hassle. If it weren’t for the sake of… the immortal masters, our Heavenly Treasure House would never take on such a losing proposition.” Sun Zhang let out a cold snort, clearly displeased.

However, he said nothing further on the matter and instead began briefing everyone on what they needed to know about life on the island going forward.

“All residents of Glazed Glass Island may use their household registration talisman to claim a residence. Granted, it’ll only be in the remote outskirts at the far north of the island, but at least it’s a roof over your heads. Beyond that, for the first year after registration, you may collect a set amount of food rations each month free of charge. Of course, if you’re accustomed to fine dining and can’t stomach free relief rations, you’re welcome to spend your own money eating and drinking wherever you please on the island.”

…

After rattling off a lengthy list of instructions, Sun Zhang paused to rest his parched throat — only to hear Su Changyu suddenly speak up with a question.

“If we wished to pursue cultivation, how would we go about it?”

This was precisely what Li Fan wanted to know. He immediately pricked up his ears and listened intently.