All Perish for Profit

"Out of wine?" On this day, Li Fan, who was about to invite the other man to drink heartily once again, was met with this exact answer. He wore a look of utter bewilderment. Sima Changkong blushed slightly and hesitated. In the end, he rubbed the back of his head and said with a touch of embarrassment, "In this Congyun Sea, I don't have many close acquaintances, so I didn't prepare very much." "Brother Li has also been visiting for quite some time now..." Li Fan counted on his fingers and said in surprise, "I didn't realize time passed so quickly. An entire year has gone by in the blink of an eye." With an apologetic tone, he said, "Since Brother Sima finds my stay an imposition, it is indeed time for me to take my leave." "However, before I go, please tell me the raw ingredients needed to brew that wine. I'll go gather some for you..." Before he could finish, Sima Changkong flushed crimson and waved his hands frantically. "What are you saying, Brother Li? I'm not complaining at all! It's just..." Sima Changkong started to explain, but for some reason shook his head and gave up dejectedly. "Never mind. Brother Li, please wait for me at home for a few days. I'll be back shortly!" With that, without waiting for Li Fan to reply, he hurried away. "This Sima Changkong really is quite a character," Li Fan chuckled, looking at his retreating back. Over the past year, though he had never stepped outside, Li Fan was by no means ignorant of what was happening in the outside world. His avatar, Zhou Qing'ang, was bogged down and overwhelmed with work. Setting aside the myriad mundane chores, the most critical matter was the monthly Cultivator Conscription Roster. Indeed, even though the Congyun Sea's strength was already utterly depleted, the Alliance headquarters still issued conscription orders. Fortunately, taking into account the Congyun Sea's actual condition, most of the conscripted cultivators did not have to personally fight on the front lines. They were mostly assigned to logistics and transport operations. Even so, no one could guarantee that the scale of the war wouldn't suddenly expand again, dragging bystanders into the crossfire. Thus, nobody wanted to be drafted to Tianling Province. Organizing this roster naturally became a thorny assignment. Originally, this matter should have been decided by Li Fan, the Secret Script Emissary. With Li Fan having slipped away into seclusion, theoretically it should have been decided jointly by He Zhenghao, Gao Yuan, and the other confidants authorized by Li Fan. However, He Zhenghao maintained an image of a genial peacekeeper, while Gao Yuan prided himself on being tactful and smooth with everyone. Neither was willing to do something that offended people. If those conscripted died on the battlefield, so be it, but if they survived and returned laden with military merit, wouldn't that forge a mortal grudge for no reason? So, the two of them privately sought out the relatively solitary "Zhou Qing'ang" to ask for his help. "Zhou Qing'ang" naturally turned them down flat. There was no reason for him to take on this thankless burden. Yet soon enough, He Zhenghao produced his trump card. "Daoist Zhou, take a look here." With a secretive air, he produced a scroll and unfurled it before "Zhou Qing'ang." "Liu Yihang, ten million contribution points." "Zhou Peng, eight hundred thousand contribution points." "Sikong Yi, three hundred thousand contribution points." ... Li Fan glanced over the familiar names on the scroll, paused, and feigned ignorance. "What is this?" He Zhenghao cleared his throat lightly. "This is the roster of contribution points from my fundraising scheme last year." "The one-year term is up, and now it's time to return the principal and interest. Fortunately, with guidance from Lord Secret Emissary, I sold off all the stockpiled supplies in batches when prices rose to more than triple their original amount." "In the end, the total sales came to roughly..." He Zhenghao paused, an undisguisable look of smug pride appearing on his face. "Three hundred and fourteen million, five hundred and seventy thousand contribution points." Li Fan played along and sucked in a breath of cold air. "So much? I'd heard that battlefield supplies were in short supply across the board, but I never imagined prices had grown so outrageous. Doesn't the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals intervene?" "Intervene? How could they? Business is a willing buyer and a willing seller. If you don't want to buy, you don't have to! In any case, an extra bit of preparation means an extra sliver of survival on the battlefield. If you don't buy, plenty of others will!" Completely unlike his timid, fearful demeanor from a year ago, He Zhenghao scoffed at "Zhou Qing'ang's" reaction, speaking with utter nonchalance. Li Fan merely shook his head slightly, offering no further comment on the matter. "And so? What is Daoist He's intention in showing me this?" Looking at the scroll once more, Li Fan asked with an air of complete bafflement. He Zhenghao exchanged a look with Gao Yuan, glanced around, and casually set up a concealment array. Only then did he relax. He took out a brush, circled five names on the scroll, and drew a heavy slash through each of them. Li Fan then adopted a look of sudden realization and cried out, "These cultivators perished in the Battle of Tianling Province?!" "Keep your voice down, keep it down!" He Zhenghao started in fright, hurriedly shushing the shouting Li Fan. "This can't be made public! It's only because I see you as one of our own, Daoist Zhou, that I'm telling you." He grumbled with a hint of reproach. Li Fan nodded repeatedly, indicating he understood. "Which means the principal belonging to these people is now unclaimed?" he asked in a low whisper. A hint of excitement seeped into He Zhenghao's voice. "Exactly. I've inquired in secret; the ones I circled have undeniably fallen on the Tianling Province battlefield." "What's more, they didn't leave any wills behind." "The combined principal of these five is three hundred and thirty thousand contribution points, and with their rightful three hundred and thirty thousand dividend..." Li Fan quickly cut him off. "Didn't it triple? How come they only get three hundred and thirty thousand?" He Zhenghao snorted. "Three hundred and thirty thousand is only because Lord Secret Emissary showed mercy and adjusted the payout ratio." "According to the original agreement, we only needed to pay fifty percent profit on the principal each year." "Still, his lordship is benevolent, so it's not my place to complain." "In short, these six hundred and sixty thousand contribution points are now unowned property." "As long as you step forward to help resolve this matter, Fellow Daoist, it's all yours," He Zhenghao said, his voice dripping with temptation. "Zhou Qing'ang" was visibly tempted. Even so, he still feigned a touch of hesitation. "Won't someone find out? Pocketing dead men's money is a bit taboo." "Besides, does Lord Secret Emissary know about this?" Li Fan asked deliberately. He Zhenghao's eyes flickered, but he thumped his chest in reassurance. "Rest assured, Daoist Zhou. The roster of fundraising participants is top secret, known only to a few of us. It won't leak out under any circumstances." "Furthermore, I've already asked Lord Secret Emissary, and he told me I could handle the matter as I see fit," He Zhenghao declared with absolute certainty. "Is that so..." Li Fan stared at He Zhenghao for a good while. Only when the other man began to feel a chill run down his spine did Li Fan finally look away. "In that case, leave this matter to me," Li Fan agreed. He Zhenghao and Gao Yuan exchanged glances, their faces lighting up with joy.