Chapter 31

Under the cold moonlight, all the crew members of the Cangyuan ship had red eyes and were breathing heavily.

Even now, it felt like they were in a dream.

Sixteen large chests filled with gold, silver, and treasures were quietly placed on the deck.

Some were still uneasy, pinching themselves to feel the pain before staring at the treasures on the ground, unwilling to look away for a moment.

Mr. Li had not been exaggerating!

He had indeed brought them back with a full load!

However, the extent of this "full load" far exceeded everyone's imagination!

The chests were filled with various jade artifacts, gold, silver, and jewels, dazzling everyone.

They had spent half their lives fishing at sea, and even in their most beautiful dreams, they had never seen such a fantastical scene.

Zhang Haobo, on the other hand, was completely blank-minded.

"Is it really true? That guy actually found the treasure sunken at the bottom of the sea! This kind of ability, this kind of ability..."

Having lived on Liuli Island for over twenty years, Zhang Haobo naturally knew that besides the Immortal Masters, there were also some ordinary people who possessed various incredible abilities.

For example, the ability to communicate with birds in the sky, to predict disasters in advance, to hold their breath for a long time and swim in the sea, or to see through people's true nature like Mr. Zhao.

However, such extraordinary people were few and far between. They were either entrusted with important tasks on various islands or taken to the Ten Thousand Immortals Island by the Immortal Masters as servants.

It was rare to see them.

Never in a million years did he expect that Li Fan would also be such an extraordinary person!

Zhang Haobo suddenly remembered that Li Fan seemed to have moved to Liuli Island not long ago. Could it be that his original island was destroyed by a storm, forcing him to relocate here? No wonder Mr. Zhao treated him differently even though he was a new resident!

Everything made sense now!

Zhang Haobo was now filled with regret.

"Zhang Haobo, Zhang Haobo, you had a rare chance to meet a benefactor, but you not only failed to seize it, you even foolishly thought he was here to snatch your small fleet!"

The more Zhang Haobo thought about it, the more regretful he became, wishing he could slap himself.

"No, I must go and apologize immediately! Right away! Such an extraordinary person would be a guest of honor wherever he goes. If he holds a grudge after gaining power for what I did a few days ago..."

Zhang Haobo shivered and hurried to Li Fan's room to apologize.

"Hmm, was it just my imagination, or do these chests seem like they haven't been soaked in water for long?"

"Strangely, we didn't see any sunken ship when we salvaged them."

"Maybe they drifted here with the underwater currents? Or perhaps they were swept up by the storm and fell into the sea here?"

"Why worry so much? As long as the treasures are real."

Amidst the whispers of his crew members, Zhang Haobo hurried away.

...

In the room, after Li Fan dismissed Zhang Haobo with a pleasant expression, he stretched his tired body.

The sixteen chests of treasure were, of course, thrown in by himself.

He sailed alone to an uninhabited sea area, unfolded the Taiyan Boat, took out a small part of the treasures he had plundered from Daxuan, and threw them into the sea. Finally, he released a signal for the Cangyuan crew to come and salvage them.

The chests were indeed heavy. If it weren't for the months of practicing the Xuanhuang Qingxin Spell and the nourishment from the earth's spiritual energy, which greatly increased his strength, he might not have been able to handle it alone.

Even so, after the task was completed, Li Fan felt as if his entire body was falling apart.

"First time, I need to make a big impression. In the future, I won't need to throw so much," Li Fan thought to himself.

As for Zhang Haobo...

Li Fan didn't even consider him.

To Zhang Haobo, the position of fleet captain was the foundation of his life. If someone suddenly came to snatch it, it would be strange if he didn't react.

Moreover, the tricks he used were so naive and laughable to Li Fan.

If Li Fan were in his place, he would have been friendly and unassuming for the first few days. Once they were deep at sea and his guard was down, he would quietly sneak into his room at night and kill him.

Then he would throw the body into the vast sea, leaving no evidence.

Even if he really had the ability to find treasure, being a newcomer to Liuli Island with no roots, who would really stand up for a dead outsider before any evidence was found?

Even if Mr. Zhao really decided to punish him, he would only lose his position as captain.

After all, there was no concept of "life for a life" on Liuli Island.

What the Immortal Masters needed was only for Liuli Island to steadily supply resources.

So, in Li Fan's view, there was no reason not to act.

Unfortunately, Zhang Haobo was not Li Fan.

He lacked the courage.

In the end, he was just a simple fisherman.

The fleet he valued was just a small stepping stone in Li Fan's plan.

"Swallows and sparrows cannot understand the aspirations of a swan." Li Fan shook his head, put it out of his mind, and focused on practicing the Qingxin Spell.

...

With the treasure, the Cangyuan ship no longer went fishing. They immediately turned around and headed back to Liuli Island.

After all, with such a huge haul, the crew would not feel at ease until they safely returned to the island.

At full speed, it took only two days to see Liuli Island in the distance.

"Once we return, don't dock immediately. Liu San, you quietly go underwater and inform Mr. Zhao to send someone to count the treasure personally," Zhang Haobo instructed the crew solemnly.

If everything went as planned, their fleet would have the largest haul this time.

According to the rules, they would get fifty percent!

With an outsider counting, who could guarantee that there wouldn't be any deductions or intentional omissions?

Even a small loss would be painful.

They couldn't trust anyone else.

The crew members nodded, and as the routine inspection boats approached, they immediately became vigilant.

"Zhang Haobo, what do you mean? Not letting us on board?"

The other party seemed to have a grudge against Zhang Haobo, and there was a hint of anger in his voice.

Zhang Haobo ignored him.

Seeing no response from Zhang Haobo, the other party mocked, "Looking at your ship's draft, you probably came back empty-handed. Looks like your days as captain are over. If you can't make it, come to my ship. I'll make sure you don't starve!"

The Cangyuan crew, hearing their leader being insulted, were furious and ready to retort.

But Zhang Haobo stopped them.

No matter what the other party said, Zhang Haobo pretended not to hear, waiting for Mr. Zhao's people to arrive.

"Seems Zhang Haobo has his reasons for being the captain of the Cangyuan ship. He's not as incompetent as I imagined, but his background and experiences limit him," Li Fan observed from the shadows, nodding in approval.

The unusual scene at the dock attracted many onlookers, who pointed at the Cangyuan ship.

Fortunately, the standoff didn't last long, and Mr. Zhao soon arrived with his people.