Chapter 27

Su Changyu ultimately couldn't make it through.

It took no more than seven or eight days for Su Changyu to give up and die.

When his body was brought back, Li Fan took a look.

All that remained was a twisted mass of flesh and blood, completely unrecognizable, and it was quite horrifying.

The flesh would occasionally twitch for no reason, making one's scalp tingle.

These newcomers to the island couldn't even afford to buy a plot of land for a grave.

They had planned to give him a sea burial, but Li Fan couldn't bear to see it and took out some money, allowing Su Changyu to be buried properly.

Everyone was very sad.

Among them, Xiao Heng cried the hardest.

Li Fan didn't have any particular feelings, just a bit of sighing.

Having rolled through the mortal world for nearly three hundred years, Li Fan had his own way of judging people.

In his view, Su Changyu's conduct and character were exemplary, and his will was quite firm. Although he wasn't a once-in-a-century genius, he certainly wasn't a mediocre person.

Among this group of newcomers, Li Fan thought he was the most likely to make a name for himself.

Yet such a person couldn't even pass the initial requirement of dispelling the miasma and died silently.

The path to immortality is difficult!

Li Fan felt even more deeply about this.

During the process of cultivating the *Xuanhuang Qingxin Spell*, Li Fan's feelings became even more profound.

It turned out that Li Fan wasn't a person of extraordinary talent either.

For nearly a month, Li Fan stayed mostly indoors, only going out to collect his work to keep up appearances. The rest of the time, he practiced the Qingxin Spell at home.

Generally, after half a month of cultivation, ordinary people would show obvious improvements in mental clarity and faster thinking.

But after a month, Li Fan didn't feel any changes at all.

Li Fan guessed that it might be because his mental strength, after several cycles of reincarnation and a century of honing, was far beyond that of ordinary people, so the Qingxin Spell had less effect on him.

Li Fan wasn't in a hurry; he just treated it as a daily cultivation practice.

Another half a month passed, and Li Fan finally met with someone from Tianbao Tower.

Li Fan followed the messenger to a courtyard in his own home and met with Manager Zhao.

"Manager Zhao, it's been a while." Li Fan bowed.

Manager Zhao looked at Li Fan and got straight to the point: "I heard from Tianbao Tower that you want a spot on a fleet. Your appetite is quite large. What do you have to back it up?"

"You should know, I only have two fleets available. I don't even have enough people for my own use, so why should I give you a spot?"

"To go to sea is to seek profit. Do you think the profit from catching crystal fish is the same as the treasure found in sunken ships?" Li Fan smiled slightly.

Manager Zhao didn't seem to think Li Fan was exaggerating and thought seriously for a moment: "I've heard about the fleet's unexpected find of several boxes of jewels a few days ago. After the government's assessment, the profit was equivalent to several regular fishing trips. But such good fortune can't happen every time. In the dozen years I've been on this island, there have only been a few significant finds."

He paused and then asked, "From what you're saying, you..."

Li Fan nodded: "If I lead a fleet, I can guarantee that each trip will bring back a certain amount of treasure."

Manager Zhao's eyes gleamed with a strange light as he stared at Li Fan for a moment and said, "You're not lying."

Now it was Li Fan's turn to be surprised: "I'm not exaggerating, but how did you know?"

Manager Zhao chuckled: "I was born with a pair of unusual eyes that can discern capable people and distinguish truth from falsehood. When you spoke, I saw a gentle white light emanating from you, indicating that you were telling the truth and had no ill intentions. If it were a dark aura, it would mean you had ulterior motives."

"Such a unique ability?" Li Fan was startled. "On the day of registration, you seemed to treat me differently. Did you see something?"

"I can only get a general idea, not everything. I saw that you are extremely wealthy and have a lot of blood on your hands. Clearly, you are not an ordinary person. So I treated you with a bit more respect." Manager Zhao smiled and explained. "The will of heaven is hard to fathom. Who knows what achievements you might achieve in the future? It's better to form a good relationship with you now."

Li Fan nodded, but then heard Manager Zhao sigh: "In recent years, disasters have been frequent. There are many people like you, who are extremely wealthy but have ended up on our Crystal Island. Some lie low for a few years and then rise again; others fade into obscurity and become bones."

Li Fan listened and suddenly thought of something: "So, on the day of registration, you saw that Sun Zhang's words were not true?"

"True or false, what difference does it make? Sometimes being too serious isn't a good thing. My job is just to ensure that there are no people trying to overthrow the island. As long as you behave, I won't do anything to you." Manager Zhao said indifferently. "With a master on the island, there's no fear of trouble."

"Besides, gathering disaster victims is also the master's order. Sun Zhang can bring so many 'disaster victims' to our Crystal Island, so why would I make things difficult for him?"

Li Fan listened and gained a general understanding of Manager Zhao's principles.

So, the conversation returned to the topic of the fleet.

"Since you can see that I'm telling the truth, can you consider giving me a spot on the fleet?" Li Fan asked.

Manager Zhao tapped his fingers on the table a few times before saying, "You are a newcomer with no foundation. If I rashly give you a fleet, it will certainly cause a lot of dissatisfaction."

"How about this: on the next trip, you go with the fleet. If you really can bring back treasure every time, it won't take long for the crew to be convinced. Then you can take over the fleet officially."

"Even more, if your profits are substantial enough, I can recommend to the lord to take another fleet from Qian and give it to you. It's not impossible."

"Manager Zhao's thinking is thorough." Li Fan had no objections.

So, the matter was settled smoothly.

Tianbao Tower didn't know the details of their conversation, but when they learned that Li Fan had easily convinced Manager Zhao and secured a spot on the next fleet, they were shocked.

"Could that uncle really have the confidence to take over a fleet?" A woman in yellow, propping her chin with her hand, her eyes sparkling.

"What does he have to back it up?" Sun Zhang was also very puzzled. No matter how he looked at Li Fan, he was just an ordinary middle-aged man.

"Send him the deed to the vacant small courtyard on the east street of the city." The woman in yellow suddenly said.

"Ah?" Sun Zhang was taken aback.