As the sixteen chests of jewels and treasure were unloaded from the ship in full view of the crowd, the entire dock erupted into a sensation.
To think, the last time a fleet had reaped such a massive haul was... wait, no, it had only been a few months ago!
Since when had salvaging sunken treasure from the seabed become so easy?
Or had the waters around Liuli Island become so rich that precious treasures lay scattered everywhere?
The islanders were plunged into deep bewilderment.
Then their fervor grew even wilder.
After all, who didn't want to get rich overnight?
Countless excited people rushed home in high spirits to share what they had witnessed at the docks with their families.
They wanted to go out to sea too! They wanted to dredge up sunken treasures as well!
And so, news that the Cangyuan had also brought back an immense fortune spread like wildfire, quickly sweeping across all of Liuli Island.
***
Tianbao Pavilion.
The yellow-robed woman was engrossed in appraising a newly acquired batch of items when hurried footsteps suddenly echoed outside.
"Manager! Manager!"
Without even knocking or announcing himself, Sun Zhang blundered straight in.
"What is it?" the yellow-robed woman asked in surprise.
"Treasure... more than a dozen chests... the Cangyuan..." Sun Zhang panted heavily, stammering out the words.
The yellow-robed woman was unimpressed. "It's just a dozen chests of treasure. Is there any need to make such a fuss? If they want to liquidate that stuff on this island, they'll still have to go through our Tianbao Pavilion anyway..."
Even as she spoke, her expression suddenly shifted. "Wait. Did you say the Cangyuan? The ship that middle-aged fellow named Li Fan was on?"
Sun Zhang nodded vigorously.
The yellow-robed woman was stunned for a long while before finally regaining her senses. "No wonder that fellow was so confident he could persuade Manager Zhao. He was utterly certain he'd find treasure the moment he went out to sea..."
"Exactly! That ability of his is just like our Tianbao Pavilion's Head Manager!" Sun Zhang said in both envy and admiration. "Fortunately, you had the foresight to gift him that courtyard earlier, forging a connection with him. Now that he's returned from the sea, his fame is bound to skyrocket. Winning him over now would cost an arm and a leg."
Cutting Sun Zhang off, the woman instructed, "Go make arrangements at once to see when we can invite him for a meal. Also, send people to clean up Tingyou Building, and deliver the deed to him."
Sun Zhang was startled, but this time he held his tongue and hurried off to carry out the orders.
Only the yellow-robed woman remained in the room, whispering softly to herself.
"A Spirit-Attuned Treasure Physique..."
According to legend, anyone possessing the Spirit-Attuned Treasure Physique would instinctively sense rare treasures whenever they were within a certain range.
The Head Manager of Tianbao Pavilion—the yellow-robed woman's elder sister, Yin Yueting—possessed this very constitution.
And it was precisely by virtue of this heaven-defying talent that Yin Yueting had built Wanbao Pavilion from nothing over the past dozen or so years into a massive merchant association spanning the Congyun Sea.
***
Li Fan had no idea that the people of Tianbao Pavilion had mistaken him for possessing a Spirit-Attuned Treasure Physique. At that moment, he was at Manager Zhao's residence.
"Your innate talent is truly extraordinary. Sixteen chests of treasure on your very first voyage—what a wonderful surprise you've given me!" Manager Zhao praised, beaming.
Li Fan merely smiled without answering.
Knowing Manager Zhao possessed the ability to discern truth from falsehood, he tactfully changed the subject. "The haul this time was indeed considerable, but I'm afraid it won't be easy to find as much in the future."
Manager Zhao waved it off dismissively. "That stands to reason. How could anyone enjoy such luck every single time?"
Then he added, "Still, this haul alone is more than enough for me to arrange a fleet of your own."
Li Fan nodded. "In that case, my sincere thanks to Manager Zhao!"
"I heard that you went to such great lengths all to secure a spot for the Purifying Spirit Pool?" Manager Zhao took a sip of tea and asked suddenly.
"That is indeed the case. After enduring great upheaval, I finally realized that worldly wealth and glory are nothing more than fleeting clouds. Even with inexhaustible riches, one turns into a handful of yellow dirt after a hundred years. Only by seeking immortality and attaining the Dao will this life not have been lived in vain!" Li Fan sighed with profound emotion.
Manager Zhao stared at Li Fan for a long time before letting out a sigh. "At your age, to still harbor an aspiration toward immortality—I cannot match you!"
As if recalling the past, a complicated look crossed Manager Zhao's face. "More than a decade ago, when I was around your age, I happened to save an immortal master by chance. The immortal master asked if I wished to follow him and cultivate, but I knew I was already past the optimal age for cultivation. Even if I cultivated, I might never achieve anything. Moreover, the older one gets, the more deeply rooted the miasma in the body becomes, and the more painful it is to purge.
"And so, I only asked for a post. Now, as the years advance, I find myself nursing faint regrets. Alas, the mistake has already been made, and there is no medicine for regret." Manager Zhao lamented.
Turning his gaze back to Li Fan, he praised, "Among the hundreds of thousands of mortals on Liuli Island, those like you are truly few and far between."
"You overpraise me! May I ask, concerning the matter of a spot at the Purifying Spirit Pool, Manager Zhao..."
"I cannot help you with that. The opening of the Purifying Spirit Pool requires the island's immortal master to preside, and the spots are also decided by the immortal master. One year before opening the pool, the immortal master will announce the required materials. Various factions gather the materials on the list and submit them, and the spots are determined based on their contributions." Manager Zhao explained, shaking his head.
"Still, you don't need to worry. Tianbao Pavilion has branches across all the islands of the Congyun Sea. When it comes to the ability to gather materials, there are few on Liuli Island who can surpass them."
The image of the yellow-robed woman surfaced in Li Fan's mind, and he nodded.
After lingering at Manager Zhao's place for a while longer, Li Fan took his leave.
He had just returned to his courtyard when Sun Zhang came knocking, clearly having waited for some time.
"Your manager is inviting me to a meal?"
What a coincidence.
Li Fan had already been wanting to meet her again, so he readily agreed.
As for the deed to Tingyou Building that Sun Zhang had brought along, Li Fan did not accept it.
He intended to meet with the yellow-robed woman that evening first.
***
Night fell, and the evening lanterns began to glow.
Li Fan arrived at Tianbao Pavilion.
There was only one person in the room.
Only, she had changed into a purple silk dress and was no longer wearing a veil over her face.
"Allow me to introduce myself formally. Manager of Tianbao Pavilion on Liuli Island, Yin Yuzhen."
"Li Fan."
Yin Yuzhen gave a soft chuckle. "You truly are a man of few words, mister."
"A mere mortal, there really isn't much worth saying," Li Fan replied candidly.
"Is even a Spirit-Attuned Treasure Physique not worth mentioning in your eyes, mister?" Yin Yuzhen looked at Li Fan with a half-smile.
"Oh? I know nothing of any Spirit-Attuned Treasure Physique." Li Fan's heart stirred, yet his face remained impassive.
"Then how did you locate the treasure across the vast, open sea?" Yin Yuzhen asked, unconvinced.
"I simply felt an intuition."
"And you still claim you don't possess a Spirit-Attuned Treasure Physique?" Yin Yuzhen knitted her brows, gritting her teeth.
Yet seeing that Li Fan genuinely seemed ignorant of it, she had no choice but to explain the matter of the Spirit-Attuned Treasure Physique to him.
"So your elder sister also possesses a Spirit-Attuned Treasure Physique?" Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
"How old is she this year? What does she look like? Where was she twenty years ago? And where is she now?"
Chapter 32