Chapter 31 – Returning to Glazed Glass Island Fully Laden

Beneath the cold, pale moonlight, every crew member aboard the Distant Traveler stood with bloodshot eyes and ragged breath.

Even now, they all felt as though they were dreaming.

Sixteen great chests filled to the brim with gold, silver, and treasure sat quietly on the deck.

Some could not put their minds at ease and pinched themselves. Only after feeling the pain did they turn their eyes back to the wealth strewn across the deck, unwilling to look away even for a moment.

So Master Li had not been boasting after all!

He had truly brought everyone home fully laden!

And yet the degree of “fully laden” far exceeded what any of them had imagined!

The chests overflowed with jade objects, gold and silver, and jewels of every kind — a dazzling, glittering sight that left everyone wide-eyed.

They had spent half their lives making their living by fishing at sea. Even in their most vivid dreams, they had never witnessed a scene so fantastical.

And Zhang Haobo’s mind had gone completely blank.

“It’s real — it’s actually real. That fellow truly could find sunken treasure on the ocean floor! Such an ability, such an ability…”

Having lived on Glazed Glass Island for over twenty years, Zhang Haobo knew full well that beyond the immortal masters, there were also ordinary mortals who possessed all manner of extraordinary capabilities.

Some could communicate with birds that flew in the sky. Some could foresee disasters before they struck. Some could go without breathing for long stretches and roam freely along the ocean floor. And some, like Steward Zhao, could see through the truth or falsehood in any person.

But such extraordinary individuals were rare. They were either entrusted with important duties on the various islands, or taken as servants by the immortal masters and brought away to Ten Thousand Immortals Island.

They were truly a seldom-seen lot.

Who could ever have imagined that this Li Fan was also such an extraordinary person!

Zhang Haobo suddenly recalled that Li Fan appeared to have moved to Glazed Glass Island not long ago. Could it be that it was simply because his original island had been destroyed by a storm, forcing him to migrate here? No wonder he was only a new resident, and yet Steward Zhao had regarded him so differently!

It all made sense now!

But at this moment, Zhang Haobo was overcome with regret.

“Zhang Haobo, oh Zhang Haobo — a rare opportunity to encounter a true benefactor came along, and not only did you fail to seize it, you had the laughable gall to assume he had come to steal your paltry little fleet!”

The more he thought about it, the more Zhang Haobo regretted it, and he was sorely tempted to slap himself across the face.

“No — I must go and apologize at once. Immediately, right now! A person of such extraordinary ability is a guest of honor wherever he goes. If he rises to prominence and remembers how I treated him these past few days…”

Zhang Haobo shuddered and made to head toward Li Fan’s cabin to beg forgiveness.

“Hm, is it just my imagination? Why do these chests look as though they haven’t been submerged for very long?”

“Come to think of it, we didn’t see any sunken ship when we hauled them up either.”

“Maybe they drifted here along an underwater current? Or perhaps the storm flung them into the sky and they fell into the sea here?”

“Why does any of that matter? As long as the treasure is real, that’s all we need.”

Amid the hushed murmuring of the crew, Zhang Haobo hurried away.

……

In his cabin, Li Fan gave Zhang Haobo a pleasant send-off and then stretched his exhausted body.

Those sixteen chests of treasure had naturally been thrown into the sea by himself.

He had sailed the small boat alone to a desolate stretch of open water, deployed the Taiyan Vessel, moved out a small portion of the wealth he had plundered from Great Xuan and stored inside it, tossed it all into the sea, and finally sent out a signal for the Distant Traveler’s crew to come and retrieve it.

The chests were genuinely heavy. Had he not been diligently practicing the 《Xuanhuang Purification Mantra》 every day for the past several months — with the invisible nourishment of heaven and earth’s spiritual energy gradually strengthening his body — his strength would not have grown so much, and he likely could not have managed it alone.

Even so, by the time it was done, Li Fan felt as though every part of him had come apart.

“The first time, make a big splash — put on a grand show. After this, there’s no need to throw in so much.” Li Fan calculated inwardly.

As for Zhang Haobo…

Li Fan had not given him a second thought.

For Zhang Haobo, the position of fleet captain was the very foundation of his livelihood in this life. If someone suddenly appeared to take it from him and he showed no reaction at all, that would be the strange thing.

Besides, the little schemes Zhang Haobo had used were so childish and laughable to Li Fan.

If their positions had been reversed, Li Fan would have spent the first ten days or so chatting and laughing with his mark, giving nothing away. Then, once the ship had sailed deep into open waters and the man’s guard had gradually dropped, he would have quietly slipped into his cabin under cover of darkness and killed him with a single blade.

Then thrown the body into the vast sea, leaving no evidence behind.

Even if the man truly had an extraordinary ability to find treasure, he was still a newcomer to Glazed Glass Island with no roots or connections. Without solid proof, who would truly be willing to fall out with a captain commanding dozens of loyal sailors — and over an outsider, no less, one who was already dead?

And if worst came to worst and Steward Zhao was truly set on punishment, the most he would lose was his captaincy.

It had to be said — on Glazed Glass Island, there was no such thing as a life for a life.

All the immortal masters required was for Glazed Glass Island to submit its tributes reliably.

So as far as Li Fan was concerned, there was simply no reason not to act.

But unfortunately, Zhang Haobo was not Li Fan.

He simply did not have that kind of nerve.

When all was said and done, he was nothing more than a simple, straightforward fisherman.

And the fleet he prized so highly was, to Li Fan, nothing more than a small stepping stone in a much larger plan.

“How can the swallow and the sparrow know the ambition of the great swan?” Li Fan shook his head, put it all out of his mind, settled his thoughts, and returned to diligent practice of the Purification Mantra.

……

Having secured the treasure, the Distant Traveler abandoned all thought of fishing. She turned her bow around immediately and headed back for Glazed Glass Island.

After all, with a haul this enormous, not a single crew member could truly rest easy until they had returned safely to the island.

Running at full speed, it took only two days before Glazed Glass Island came into view.

“After we return, do not dock at first. Liu San, slip quietly into the water and go to Steward Zhao’s residence. Inform him and have him send people personally to take stock.” Zhang Haobo gave his instructions to the crew with solemn gravity.

Barring any surprise, their fleet must have brought in the largest haul of any ship that had gone out this time.

According to the rules, they were entitled to keep fifty percent!

If an outsider did the tallying, who could guarantee there would be no skimming or deliberate undercounting?

Losing even a little would be agonizing.

If it was not one of their own people, they simply could not put their minds at ease.

The crew all nodded in agreement. Watching the routine inspection vessel pulling alongside from the island, they immediately went on guard.

“Zhang Haobo, what’s the meaning of this? You won’t let us board?”

The speaker seemed to have some longstanding grievance with Zhang Haobo, and threads of anger were woven into his words.

Zhang Haobo paid him no mind whatsoever.

Seeing that Zhang Haobo made no response, the man grew more contemptuous. “Look at the waterline on your ship — it looks like you’ve come back empty-handed this time. Seems like your days as captain are numbered. If things ever get so bad you can’t make ends meet, come work on my brother’s boat. I guarantee you won’t starve to death!”

The crew of the Distant Traveler, hearing their captain insulted, erupted in fury and were on the verge of retorting.

But Zhang Haobo held them back.

After that, no matter what the other man said, Zhang Haobo acted as though he hadn’t heard a word, waiting only for Steward Zhao’s people to arrive.

“It seems Zhang Haobo didn’t hold onto his position as captain of the Distant Traveler for no reason. He’s not as hopeless as I had imagined — it’s only that his background and experience have limited him.” Watching this scene unfold from the shadows, Li Fan could not help but give a small nod of approval.

The unusual scene at the docks had drawn a crowd of onlookers, all of them pointing and murmuring about the Distant Traveler.

Fortunately, the standoff between the two parties did not last long. Before much time had passed, Steward Zhao arrived in person with his entourage.