Li Fan could not help narrowing his eyes.
Seeing such a staggering discrepancy between the two itemized lists the fat Zhou Kebao had brought, Li Fan set aside his idea of putting on a display of anger and calmed himself down for the moment.
A minor adjustment, and the quantities were off by fifty percent.
This could only mean that the true quantities on the original list were far greater than what was written in the one he now held.
Although the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals was currently plagued by irregularities like embezzlement and under-the-table skimming, people at least knew enough to maintain appearances and keep up a semblance of propriety.
They would never be this brazen—it was practically unhinged!
Rebuilding an entire province's immortal city was a massive undertaking. For Zhou Kebao to skim kickbacks right in front of Li Fan, the Acting Island Master, without the slightest attempt at concealment—and embezzling such an enormous amount of materials...
There was only one explanation: the people scheming behind the scenes were targeting Li Fan himself.
Indeed, the procedure that had made him Acting Island Master might have been completely legitimate and regulation-compliant.
However, that did not stop anyone with ulterior motives from seizing upon the news to launch a conspiracy against him.
Perhaps it was aimed at Li Fan personally, or perhaps at the astronomical sum of contribution points he possessed.
In this lifetime, up until now, Li Fan had made no deliberate effort to conceal his actions—speculating on Puxian True Leaf, pooling contribution points from other cultivators for reinvestment, and so forth.
Apart from his transactions with the Empire, every single one of his deals was documented and traceable.
One did not even need exact figures; a rough estimate would reveal what an astounding fortune in contribution points Li Fan currently carried.
Wealth stirs the heart, so it was entirely natural for someone to target him.
Beyond profit, there was also resentment.
Tantai Can, who had suffered a covert loss during the speculation on Puxian True Leaf, might well be fanning the flames behind the scenes as well.
One should always plan thoroughly before taking action. Li Fan's thoughts spun rapidly as his gaze swept back and forth across the list once more.
Before long, he gave a slight nod and solemnly put the list away.
At the same time, he asked with feigned nonchalance, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, aside from this itemized list, is there anything else you need to hand over to me?"
"Nothing, nothing at all," Zhou Kebao replied, beaming from ear to ear as he shook his head repeatedly.
Seeing this, Li Fan sneered internally.
Still, he did not press the matter for the time being, merely cupping his hands. "Rebuilding the immortal city is a matter of great import. It involves many facets and has a thousand tangled threads. As for how to proceed, I will need some time to sort it all out."
Li Fan pondered for a moment, pretending to deliberate.
Then he said, "How about this: I will make some preparations first. When the day comes to officially break ground, I will contact you again, Fellow Daoist Zhou!"
Zhou Kebao patted his chest and readily agreed. "Easily done! If Island Master Li has any requests, don't hesitate to ask. I will cooperate fully—we must see the task entrusted to us by Young Master Jinglun carried out properly."
Li Fan did not chime in. He only fixed Zhou Kebao with a cold, piercing stare for a moment.
Then, flicking his sleeves, he flew away from the airborne Dust-Crossing Boat.
Watching Li Fan's retreating figure fade into the distance, the smile on Zhou Kebao's face slowly vanished, replaced by open disdain and ridicule.
"Let's see how you clean up this mess in six months..." Snorting coldly, he retrieved a communication talisman and sent a full account of what had transpired here to an unknown party.
Confident that he held Li Fan firmly in the palm of his hand and had victory in the bag, Zhou Kebao could never have imagined that his every move had been locked onto by the heaven-and-earth perspective of Formless Killing Intent, falling entirely under Li Fan's surveillance.
'Something fishy is definitely going on...'
'It seems I can't count on help from Diyi Jinglun's side. If I want to rebuild the immortal city, the core workforce must be people under my own control...'
Having returned to Shenhua Island, Li Fan felt a little more at ease as he looked at Tianyang, who stood blankly to one side, staring at the children from the Li Realm.
'With Tianyang, whose strength is at the Soul Formation realm, holding down the fort, deterring a bunch of petty scoundrels shouldn't be a problem.
'Still, that's not enough...'
Li Fan took out a glittering jade token carved with the character "Wan" and focused his senses upon it.
It was the Island Master Token delivered to him alongside his appointment decree as Acting Island Master.
Beyond serving as a symbol of an island master's status, its greatest utility was that through it, one could inspect and contact all cultivators within the system under one's jurisdiction.
A vast network of interpersonal connections instantly materialized in Li Fan's mind.
At the very top, naturally, was Li Fan himself.
Below him, branch divisions were laid out according to department: the Formation Planning Hall, the Martial Practice Hall, the Heavenly Secret Hall, island garrisons, auxiliary personnel attached to various departments, and so forth.
Each node represented a cultivator.
By focusing his mind on a single node, he could view brief information on the corresponding cultivator and establish direct contact.
"To think there were actually so many official cultivators stationed in the Congyun Sea..."
Li Fan could not help marveling softly.
Besides the common posts, there were also bizarre, unheard-of positions.
For instance, "Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals Congyun Sea Cultivator Feedback Collection Officer," "Shilin Province Liaison Stationed in Congyun Sea," "Leyline Supervisor," and the like.
Face after face drifted into view.
Li Fan had encountered quite a few of these people before. He had previously assumed they were ordinary rogue cultivators, never imagining they held official identities within the system.
The vast majority of the cultivators' nodes had dimmed, indicating that they were either dead or out of contact.
Yet the number of those still alive and well remained quite substantial.
'It seems that to rebuild the immortal city, the core workforce must be chosen from this group.
'However, the quality of these people varies wildly, and I only have a nodding acquaintance with them. How am I to select the right candidates?'
Li Fan's brows furrowed as he filtered out those cultivators who had already been captured by the Five Elders Association.
He browsed carefully through the remaining cultivators.
Suddenly, his gaze halted upon one of them.
"Wait, he's..."
An idea immediately struck Li Fan.
***
In an unknown, secluded cave dwelling somewhere in the Congyun Sea.
Gao Yuan, who was in secluded cultivation, suddenly jolted awake from a nightmare.
On that day, the Five Elders Association launched a surprise raid on the Congyun Sea and forcibly abducted Wanxian Island, causing hundreds—if not thousands—of cultivators to perish.
Gao Yuan had happened to be out on official business, luckily escaping the disaster.
Yet the terrifying spectacle of the cultivators he had witnessed from afar had haunted his mind ever since, becoming his inner demon.
"Who would have thought the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals could be so useless? An entire province's immortal city was carried off, and they haven't shown the slightest reaction!
"Instead, they locked down the Congyun Sea first and vented their frustration on their own people.
"And to think I diligently guarded the gate at the Administration Hall entrance for decades...
"Might as well just defect to the Five Elders Association..."
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Gao Yuan could not help thinking to himself.
Just then, the official communication talisman—which he had thought would never light up again—suddenly flashed with light.
Gao Yuan's heart instantly leaped into his throat. He thought his treasonous impulse to defect had already been discovered by his superiors.
After picking up the talisman with trembling nerves and inspecting it closely, an inscrutable look crept onto his face.
"Acting Island Master, Li Fan?"
Chapter 496