With the announcement of the materials required for the Purifying Spirit Pool, Liuli Island appeared calm on the surface, but dark undercurrents were already churning.
Even ordinary people who paid no heed to such matters learned that the major powers across the island were all searching for something called Star Sea Flowing Sand.
Li Fan had made discreet inquiries to no avail. On this day, however, he received an unexpected guest.
It was Xiao Heng, a fellow traveler from the Li Realm whom Li Fan had met when he first arrived in the cultivation world.
"Make yourself at home." Li Fan poured him a cup of tea.
Xiao Heng looked around Li Fan's current residence, his eyes filled with envy and nostalgia.
"May I ask what brings you here, little brother?" Having a fairly favorable impression of Xiao Heng, Li Fan asked amiably.
Xiao Heng first scanned their surroundings warily, then leaned closer and whispered, "I hear you've also been looking for Star Sea Flowing Sand lately, Brother Li?"
Li Fan's gaze sharpened. "Indeed. I am advanced in years, so if I wish to cultivate, I can only rely on the Purifying Spirit Pool. Why, do you know of this item?"
Xiao Heng swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes. Back when the immortal master descended upon Great Li, he promised that as long as we gathered the supplies he required, he would bring a group of people to the greater world of cultivation. Among those supplies was Star Sea Flowing Sand."
Li Fan started, then asked with some puzzlement, "Was there? Why do I have no memory of this?"
Li Fan had previously asked the people from Great Li, and they had all claimed ignorance, which was why he asked.
Hearing this, Xiao Heng looked a bit embarrassed. "Back when the proclamation was made to the realm, several items had already been removed from the public list as reserved quotas allocated to the prominent clans of Great Li. The item assigned to my family to collect happened to be Star Sea Flowing Sand."
Li Fan nodded slowly.
"Go on, what are your conditions?" Li Fan asked, cutting straight to the chase.
Seeing Li Fan being so direct, Xiao Heng grew rather sheepish instead. Flushing slightly, he explained, "Back then, you paid to bury Changyu, which was a kindness to me. I shouldn't be bargaining like this, but life on Liuli Island is truly too harsh. I don't possess your great abilities, Brother Li. I'm still living in the slums on the outskirts, doing hard labor every day just to get by..."
As Xiao Heng rambled on, Li Fan chuckled softly and interrupted him.
"Say no more; I understand your difficulties. I am determined to obtain this item. As long as you can provide clues, name whatever conditions you wish, and I will do my best to satisfy them."
Xiao Heng was deeply grateful. "Then I must thank you first, Brother Li."
He paused, then remarked with a touch of emotion, "In truth, this thing isn't rare at all; it's just that the immortal masters have different names for things than mortals do. Of course, had descriptions of each material not accompanied the list back then, I wouldn't have known either. What they call Star Sea Flowing Sand is actually just meteoric iron from the heavens."
Hearing this, Li Fan pondered it carefully, then came to a sudden realization. "Star Sea Flowing Sand... So that's what it is. But will any meteoric iron do? Are there any other specific requirements?"
"There are, there are."
Xiao Heng nodded repeatedly, then began recounting the specific requirements one by one.
"First, the meteoric iron must look good; it won't do if the surface is pockmarked or uneven. Second, each piece must weigh at least fifty jin. Furthermore..."
Li Fan listened while committing every detail firmly to memory.
Once Xiao Heng finished, Li Fan did not forget his promise.
"Speak. What would you like?"
Xiao Heng said softly, "I only want a decent courtyard, along with a somewhat easier job. Of course, it would be even better if I could have a few maidservants."
Li Fan had braced himself for Xiao Heng to make exorbitant demands, but seeing him satisfied with so little, he could not help shaking his head with a smile.
"To think that the son of the dignified King Zhennan would have such modest requests. Why not ask for a bit more? I carry some weight in Tianbao Pavilion, after all."
Xiao Heng politely declined. "I know my own limits. Being able to eat well, live comfortably, and not have to toil so miserably is enough to satisfy me. If sudden, enviable wealth landed in my hands, it would only invite disaster."
Li Fan nodded and pressed no further.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Xiao Heng took his leave.
"Do you have any plans to cultivate? After all, having braved countless hardships to reach this greater world of cultivation, you wouldn't want it to be all for nothing, would you?" Li Fan suddenly asked just before parting.
"Perhaps later. I truly have no interest in cultivation. Reading that Xuanhuang Mind-Clearing Incantation just makes me drowsy, and who knows how long it would take to completely purge the miasma." Xiao Heng answered listlessly and walked away without looking back.
After seeing Xiao Heng out, Li Fan hurried to Tianbao Pavilion.
Meeting Yin Yuzhen, Li Fan recounted Xiao Heng's explanation of Star Sea Flowing Sand.
"Star Sea Flowing Sand is just meteoric iron? That simple?" Yin Yuzhen was somewhat surprised. "Is this Xiao Heng trustworthy?"
"He shouldn't be lying," Li Fan affirmed.
"Still, we cannot leave it unverified." Li Fan's tone shifted. "Didn't you say a guild traveling agent from the Wanhua Merchant Guild would be coming to Liuli Island soon? When the time comes, why not sound him out to see if it holds true?"
"A fine idea," Yin Yuzhen agreed. "If we can save on expenses, all the better."
"Regardless, we should first quietly purchase qualifying meteoric iron. Not many people know about this right now, but that may not be the case for long. Furthermore, when making purchases, you must bundle it together with other items to throw off onlookers and muddy the waters. At the same time, have people spread false rumors about Star Sea Flowing Sand in the market to stir up confusion."
Li Fan thought for a moment and added patient instructions.
To secure a spot for the Purifying Spirit Pool, Li Fan needed to make exhaustive preparations.
"You really are something else, Uncle. Previously, I only knew you had the Spirit-Attuned Treasure Physique, but I never expected you to have such tricks up your sleeve." Seeing Li Fan's methodical arrangements, a gleam of curiosity sparked in Yin Yuzhen's eyes.
"Uncle, what did you do in the past?" Yin Yuzhen could not help asking.
"Just taught people how to read," Li Fan replied perfunctorily.
Yin Yuzhen looked thoroughly unconvinced.
"All right, I'll leave the matter in your hands. I must return to my cultivation. Unless something unusual happens, do not disturb me. And handle the promise I made to Xiao Heng while you're at it," Li Fan concluded, then departed from Tianbao Pavilion.
"Great fortune... How could it be great fortune again?" Yin Yuzhen stared blankly in the direction Li Fan had left, bewilderment filling her eyes.
Ever since meeting Li Fan, whenever it came to carrying out matters he entrusted to her, her premonitions always indicated omens of great fortune.
This almost made Yin Yuzhen wonder if her ability to divine fortune and evade calamity had malfunctioned.
One had to know that before meeting Li Fan, she had never encountered an occurrence of great fortune.
On the contrary, back when she had contemplated swallowing that Dust-Transcending Pill to embark upon the path of cultivation, her intuition had warned her that the road ahead was fraught with mortal peril and certain death—an unmistakable omen of great calamity.
Chapter 35