"It would be fine if no one pursues the matter. I only fear someone with an agenda will seize on it to plot against me. That would be tremendous trouble!" The more He Zhenghao thought about it, the worse his complexion became.
"Fellow Daoist He, there is no need to worry. In my view, it's merely fodder for idle gossip at most. If someone truly intended to scheme against you with this, why would they speak of it so casually? They would certainly report it directly to the higher-ups of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals," Li Fan consoled him.
"However, just to be safe, you had better refrain from doing such things from now on, Fellow Daoist."
He Zhenghao sighed and nodded.
Immediately after, Li Fan put on a deeply curious look. "Since you knew smuggling mortals carried considerable risk, why were you so determined to do it before? Could it be that the profits were high enough to make you disregard life and death?"
He Zhenghao gave a bitter smile. "What high profits could there be? A single small world, one trip every ten years, only yields two to three thousand contribution points. It's just a matter of accumulating bits over time."
Li Fan feigned astonishment. "Are you so lacking in contribution points, Fellow Daoist? To covet such a meager amount?"
He Zhenghao's old face flushed red. "Who ever thinks they have too many contribution points? Besides, I have difficulties I cannot help."
Thereupon, He Zhenghao explained the pros and cons of his cultivation method and how he was preparing to switch to a Nascent Soul technique.
Hearing this, Li Fan clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Practicing for over a century only to reach the middle stage of Foundation Establishment—this technique is truly mediocre. Good riddance to it!"
"Fellow Daoist He, for you to cut your losses and switch methods midway, though the cost is quite steep, it is clearly worth it!"
"I support you!"
"I wonder how many contribution points you still lack to exchange for that Nascent Soul true technique?"
He Zhenghao shook his head and sighed. "The technique I want to exchange for is extraordinary. Not only does it require 250,000 contribution points alone, but one's clearance level must also reach a certain rank just to search for and exchange it."
"By now, my clearance is almost high enough, but accumulating the contribution points remains a distant prospect. I still need over a hundred thousand points."
Li Fan nodded at his words, thinking to himself, 'So the list of techniques I usually see in the Heavenly Profound Mirror is incomplete after all.'
"One hundred thousand contribution points truly is an astronomical sum. Only after joining the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals for over a month did I realize how difficult it is to accumulate points. I heard that fish picking was an opportunity to strike it rich overnight, so I went to gamble once. Alas..." Li Fan sighed, wearing a gloomy expression.
"Fish picking? Heh, I was obsessed with that long ago as well, but I haven't touched it in ages."
He Zhenghao said solemnly, "Take my advice: you'd best stay away from that. You and I simply don't have that kind of discerning eye or luck! Going there is just throwing money away!"
Li Fan thoroughly agreed. "You are quite right, Fellow Daoist."
Immediately after, Li Fan shifted the conversation, revealing his true aim: "Pondering back and forth, I feel that the method of investing you mentioned to me earlier suits me better..."
He Zhenghao looked rather pleased with himself. "Heh, for you to realize this so quickly, your eye is truly not bad. Unlike me, who wasted half my life before finally finding such a steady way to make money."
"Rest assured, next time there's a chance to make a big profit, I certainly won't forget you!"
Li Fan, however, spoke directly: "No need to wait for next time. There's a chance to make big money right now!"
"Oh? There is such a thing?" He Zhenghao faintly sensed something amiss, his expression shifting slightly, yet he still asked.
"Heh, I won't hide it from you. Ever since you mentioned this investment method to me last time, I've often pondered and studied it in my spare time. After a month, I feel I've grasped the knack of it. To profit from price fluctuations, the most convenient thing is still Spirit Mist Grass."
"Its price hovers between eighteen and twenty-two contribution points per stalk year-round. If I buy up Spirit Mist Grass in bulk at eighteen points and sell it all at twenty-two points, wouldn't it be easy to make a huge profit?" Li Fan spoke with full confidence, holding forth effortlessly.
"Uh... in principle, that is correct." Hearing Li Fan's words, He Zhenghao couldn't find any flaw in the reasoning, so he could only nod in agreement.
Li Fan slapped his hands together. "Then now is the prime time to buy! For some reason, the price of Spirit Mist Grass has been slowly falling recently. Just now, it dropped to eighteen contribution points! Isn't that precisely the bottom? If not now, when?"
He Zhenghao's heart leaped at Li Fan's words. "That makes sense!"
Right away, he drew out a Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirror from who knew where. Tapping it with a finger, the price of Spirit Mist Grass appeared.
"It really has fallen to eighteen contribution points!" he exclaimed in delight.
Then he looked at Li Fan with considerable admiration. "Your commercial instincts are remarkably sharp, Fellow Daoist!"
"Wait, no! Why did it fall to eighteen?!" Suddenly, He Zhenghao came to his senses, his face changing drastically.
"I bought in at eighteen contribution points back then and never sold—now it's fallen all the way back?"
Li Fan hastily said, "Ah, do not panic, Fellow Daoist. As the saying goes, things turn into their opposites when pushed to extremes. The price of Spirit Mist Grass has been sliding downward and has hit rock bottom. Next, there is bound to be a rebound. Perhaps it could shoot straight up to twenty-three points. With the price this low, it's the perfect opportunity to add to our positions!"
"Makes sense! That makes sense! Add to the position—we must add to our positions!" He Zhenghao agreed wholeheartedly.
"Alas, what a pity that most of my contribution points were lost in fish picking. I wonder, Fellow Daoist He, if you could lend..."
Before Li Fan could finish, He Zhenghao shook his head repeatedly. "No, no. You saw it last time as well—the contribution points I have available are only a little over a thousand. I really have nothing to spare to lend you."
Li Fan wore a look of regret. "If I miss this chance to make a fortune, I really won't be able to let it go!"
He Zhenghao looked at Li Fan, seeming to want to say something, yet hesitating.
Li Fan saw through him at a glance and said with delight, "Do you have any guidance for me, Fellow Daoist?"
He Zhenghao still kept silent.
Li Fan said solemnly, "If you can help me this once, Fellow Daoist, I will surely reward you handsomely in the future."
"I have a premonition that I am not far from breaking through to peak Foundation Establishment, and I must prepare for Core Formation soon."
"Gathering a technique is a pressing urgency. If I miss this golden opportunity, who knows how long I will waste away!"
Perhaps it was Li Fan's latter two sentences that convinced He Zhenghao.
He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he pulled out a dark green jade medallion and handed it to Li Fan.
He whispered, "If you truly wish to gamble on this opportunity, take this medallion to the outermost edge of Wanxian Island and find a shop called Qingfeng Hall."
"Once you enter the shop, say nothing—just show this medallion."
"If anyone asks, say you were introduced by me."
"On the surface, Qingfeng Hall is a shop selling miscellaneous goods, but in secret, it provides loans of contribution points, cultivation methods, and various other supplies."
...
Listening to He Zhenghao's words, Li Fan smiled faintly inside.
'You're the one.'
Chapter 167