Chapter 26 – Silver Tongue

Though Sun Zhang chose to avoid him, Li Fan was not one to give up so easily.

Judging from the day Sun Zhang couldn’t help but comfort Su Changyu, the man was at least not wicked at heart. The cold front he’d always maintained was likely just reluctance to get too involved with mortals in this immortal-barren land.

Compared to complete strangers, Li Fan preferred dealing with people whose backgrounds he understood to some degree.

And so Li Fan turned back and arrived once more before the Heavenly Treasure House.

“What are you doing back here, kid? Got a death wish?” The black-clad guard at the entrance eyed Li Fan warily, his tone menacing.

Li Fan smiled faintly. “I’m here to do business with your Heavenly Treasure House. You won’t even hear me out before chasing me away—is this how your Heavenly Treasure House treats its guests?”

Li Fan deliberately raised his voice, drawing the attention of passersby.

“You—” The guard was instantly furious and moved to strike, but was held back by the man beside him.

After going back to consult with his superiors, the guard led Li Fan inside with a look of barely concealed resentment.

They arrived at a guest room, where a maidservant served a cup of tea.

Li Fan took an unhurried sip. The moment the tea entered his stomach, he felt a warm current flowing from his belly throughout his entire body.

Within moments, Li Fan felt as though he’d been basking in winter sunlight for half the day—warm all over, even slightly flushed with heat.

“Excellent tea!” Li Fan couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Great Gorge Flame Dragon tea—it grows around the undersea volcanic vents near Great Gorge Island. Only a dozen or so plants exist. Now that Great Gorge Island has been destroyed, this tea has become a priceless rarity.” A man entered with a smile, speaking in measured tones. It was Sun Zhang.

“Then I’m fortunate to benefit from Elder Sun’s generosity.” Li Fan showed no hesitation, draining the rest of the tea in one gulp.

Only after Li Fan set down his cup did Sun Zhang narrow his eyes and speak slowly. “The matter of Great Li is concluded. There should be no further entanglement between us. Why have you sought me out again?”

Sun Zhang’s tone was far from courteous, and his gaze concealed a murderous edge—as though he would kill Li Fan on the spot if the answer failed to satisfy him.

Li Fan paid no mind to Sun Zhang’s interrogation and answered with a smile. “Elder Sun misunderstands. I truly am here to discuss a business proposition.”

“Business? With you?” Sun Zhang was momentarily stunned, then looked Li Fan up and down with a derisive snort.

Li Fan’s expression remained unchanged. He simply smiled and said nothing.

Seeing this, Sun Zhang gradually grew serious. “What business?”

“I wonder if Heavenly Treasure House might be interested in a spot on the outbound fishing fleet,” Li Fan said slowly.

“Every time the fleet goes out, not to mention the occasional treasure haul, the glazed fish and other ocean specialties alone are enough to turn a tidy profit. If I said Heavenly Treasure House wasn’t interested, that would be a lie.”

“But the fleet quotas are firmly controlled by Steward Qian. Let alone us at Heavenly Treasure House—even Steward Zhao would find it extremely difficult to claim an additional spot. You’re a newcomer here. What makes you think you can meddle in this?” Sun Zhang fixed Li Fan with an unblinking stare, as if trying to read something from his face.

“If you arrange a meeting with Steward Zhao, I have my own methods to persuade him,” Li Fan said with quiet confidence.

Seeing Li Fan’s unwavering certainty, Sun Zhang found himself momentarily undecided.

“Then let him meet Steward Zhao. It’s hardly a difficult thing. If it falls through, we can just chop him up and toss him in the sea to feed the fish.” Just then, a somewhat languid voice drifted in from outside the room.

Li Fan’s eyes sharpened. A young woman stepped in, dressed in pale yellow robes and wearing a veil across her face.

From her voice, she sounded only seventeen or eighteen, yet her shapely figure exuded an air of mature allure.

“Greetings, Shopkeeper.” The moment Sun Zhang saw the yellow-robed woman, he rose to his feet and offered a respectful bow.

“Then I thank the Shopkeeper in advance.” Li Fan’s expression remained composed as he clasped his fists in greeting.

“You seem fairly confident—not like someone who’s all talk.” Sitting down across from Li Fan, the yellow-robed woman tilted her head slightly, regarding him with curiosity.

“I have always been a man of my word, and I never go back on what I say,” Li Fan replied calmly.

The yellow-robed woman let out a soft, airy laugh.

“If this truly works out, Heavenly Treasure House will need to take its cut.”

“According to island rules, each expedition allows you to keep thirty percent of the haul. I won’t take a single coin of that thirty percent—half goes to Steward Zhao, and the other half to your Heavenly Treasure House.” Li Fan nodded in agreement, his words stunning the room.

The yellow-robed woman froze.

She studied Li Fan more carefully. “How peculiar. If that’s the case, then what exactly are you going through all this trouble for?”

“All I want is the triennial entry quota for the Body-Purifying Spirit Pool,” Li Fan said plainly.

“Huh…” The woman was genuinely shocked now. She looked at Li Fan several times, as if confirming she hadn’t misheard.

Li Fan met her gaze, his eyes resolute.

“Ha ha ha ha…” As if she’d heard the funniest joke imaginable, the yellow-robed woman burst into open laughter.

“Come now, uncle—at your age, you still want to play at becoming an immortal?” After laughing for quite some time, she managed to stop with visible effort, squeezed out a single sentence, then couldn’t help dissolving into laughter once more.

Sun Zhang looked at Li Fan, his face equally filled with disbelief.

Li Fan simply watched the yellow-robed woman in silence, saying nothing.

Her laughter gradually subsided.

“Ha… ha…”

Eventually she trailed off into an awkward chuckle and sheepishly composed herself.

“In pursuit of eternal life, I would not regret even death,” Li Fan said quietly.

The yellow-robed woman was silent for a long time.

“Very well. I agree to this arrangement.” At last, she made her decision. “Once a date has been set, I’ll send someone to notify you.”

“Then it’s settled. I live in house number seven, row six, outside the city walls. You can find me there.” Li Fan clasped his fists, turned, and left.

Only the yellow-robed woman and Sun Zhang remained in the room.

After a long silence, Sun Zhang couldn’t help but speak. “Shopkeeper, that Body-Purifying Spirit Pool quota…”

“The pool quotas are fiercely contested on the island every year, true—but Heavenly Treasure House is hardly without the means to compete. Besides, if he really can secure a spot on the fishing fleet, just five years or so of profits would roughly offset the cost of one quota. This deal is a guaranteed gain.” The yellow-robed woman was unconcerned.

“But…” She furrowed her shapely brows, gazing in the direction Li Fan had departed, murmuring to herself.

“What is it?” Sun Zhang couldn’t help asking.

“That man’s eyes were quite terrifying…” The yellow-robed woman patted her chest, as if still shaken.

Sun Zhang was momentarily stunned.

…

On the way back, Li Fan stopped at an apothecary to purchase the 《Xuanhuang Purification Mantra》 and its accompanying medicinal ingredients.

Even if everything went smoothly, the Body-Purifying Spirit Pool wouldn’t open for another two years.

He couldn’t afford to waste such a long stretch of time.

Better to start cultivating the 《Xuanhuang Purification Mantra》 and see how it worked. Perhaps he, Li Fan, possessed extraordinary talent—maybe he wouldn’t even need two years to purge the miasma from his body on his own.

For the next several days, Li Fan remained at home cultivating, waiting for the meeting with Steward Zhao.

But before he could meet Steward Zhao, Li Fan received a piece of news that left him deeply shaken.

Su Changyu was dead.