"That's right." Seeing Liu San beat him to the answer, Li Fan was quite pleased.
"In today's cultivation world, after multiple Great Cataclysms, a cultivator's lifespan is far shorter than back in our time.
"Longevity-extending treasures of any kind are exceptionally rare. Even something granting a mere hundred years can drive cultivators into a frenzy.
"If we can mass-refine Longevity Pills once more, obtaining enough techniques for every disciple in our sect to cultivate will no longer be an idle dream."
Li Fan spoke with easy confidence.
"It is merely returning to our old craft. As long as we have sufficient hands, it will pose no great difficulty." As Liu San spoke, he took out a jade vial from his storage ring.
"I happen to carry on me nine high-grade Longevity Pills bestowed upon me by the Sect Master, each capable of extending lifespan by roughly six hundred years.
"Young Master, why don't you take these to trade for spir... err, contribution points, as they are called now?"
"Indeed. Though the name has changed, its nature remains the same," Li Fan remarked offhandedly. Without declining, he generously accepted this bottle of presently priceless pills.
Liu San merely looked a bit concerned: "According to what Young Master said, these Longevity Pills are of extraordinary value. Doing so once or twice occasionally would be fine, but if we peddle them too frequently, will we attract unwanted attention?"
Li Fan nodded in agreement: "Elder Liu, you make an excellent point. That is precisely why it is inconvenient for us to step forward personally.
"As I mentioned earlier, I made the acquaintance of Fellow Daoist Zhou Qing'ang. He possesses deep connections and influence, so we can entrust everything to him. We need only share a portion of the profits with him."
Liu San frowned slightly, yet said nothing more.
Seeing this, Li Fan followed up: "It is merely an expedient measure. Down the road, we will certainly rebuild the Medicine King Sect.
"However, this requires patience and careful scheming."
Only then did Liu San nod.
"Elder Liu, stay inside the cauldron for now. I will make a trip back to exchange the pills for cultivation techniques and awaken a portion of the disciples first."
After bidding farewell, Li Fan stepped out of the Medicine King Cauldron.
Those words had just been an excuse to placate Liu San. Naturally, he would not casually sell off the Longevity Pills.
With Li Fan's current stash of contribution points, procuring enough techniques for the disciples needed to refine Longevity Pills was more than enough.
However, once the Crimson Flame burned the sea, his identity as "Heavenly Mechanism Sect cultivator Li Fan" would have to be discarded.
Meanwhile, the disciples of the Medicine King Sect still held practical value.
How to wash clean the identities of the Medicine King Sect disciples without linking them to his current persona was a real question.
After some thought, Li Fan decided to adopt the strategy of dispersing them piecemeal.
His avatar, Zhou Qing'ang, went to find Gao Yuan.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, what brings you here?" Gao Yuan asked in mild surprise.
Ever since Zhou Qing'ang became the mouthpiece of the Secret Emissary, he had quietly become the de facto ruler of the Congyun Sea region.
Whether it was Gao Yuan or He Zhenghao, any matter of importance required Zhou Qing'ang's approval.
Moreover, he truly lived up to being favored by the Secret Emissary, exhibiting an industriousness that terrified both Gao and He.
He was rarely seen outside, remaining within the Administration Hall all day, handling affairs of every scale in person.
His unexpected visit today caught Gao Yuan somewhat off guard.
Zhou Qing'ang smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Gao, do not be nervous. It is merely a minor matter where I need your assistance."
Gao Yuan wore an odd expression, thinking to himself: *Your rank is higher than mine, so what could you possibly need my help with?*
Zhou Qing'ang continued on his own: "A friend of mine stumbled upon a hidden realm by chance. Inside this realm, a group of cultivators had been sealed in ice, fast asleep. After awakening them and questioning them, he learned that back then, they fled into the realm to escape the pursuit of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao due to certain circumstances. But an accident caused them to fall into deep slumber..."
Gao Yuan listened attentively at first, but as Zhou Qing'ang went on, his expression grew increasingly bizarre.
Finally, when he heard that Zhou Qing'ang wanted to "arrange" for this group of cultivators to enter the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, his face abruptly changed.
Yet he was a smooth and tactful man after all. Instead of challenging Zhou Qing'ang on the spot, he put on a strained look: "Isn't that a bit too coincidental?
"May I ask what kind of background this friend of yours has? Can he be trusted?
"Could these people... be spies sent from that side?"
He pointed in the direction of the Five Elders Association, asking probing questions.
Zhou Qing'ang let out a scoffing chuckle and said decisively, "Fellow Daoist Gao overthinks it. I, Zhou, am willing to swear on my very life that these people cannot possibly be spies from the Five Elders Association!
"You can put your heart at rest!
"It is just that my friend does not want word getting out that he discovered a hidden realm. If these cultivators joined the Immortal Alliance through regular channels, it would be impossible to keep it under wraps. That is why he asked me to..." Zhou Qing'ang flashed an expression that said 'you know how it goes'.
"Of course, the benefits will not be lacking. I know that in order to exchange for techniques, Fellow Daoist Gao nearly cleaned out his family savings, and lately you can hardly even afford the 'Spirit Enlightenment' state. With such a fine opportunity delivered right to your doorstep, you cannot miss it."
Hearing this, Gao Yuan was slightly swayed. Zhou Qing'ang's explanation was plausible enough.
Yet lingering doubts remained.
"What about His Excellency the Secret Emissary...?"
Zhou Qing'ang waved his hand dismissively: "There is no need to disturb His Excellency over such a trivial matter. Recently, Lord Secret Emissary just restored his Nascent Soul cultivation and is preparing to press on and charge toward an even higher realm."
Gao Yuan was startled to hear this.
This was a major event. The higher the Secret Emissary's cultivation, the firmer their own standing would be. However, neither he nor He Zhenghao knew anything about this. It seemed Zhou Qing'ang was far more trusted in the Secret Emissary's eyes.
*If the Secret Emissary found out that Zhou Qing'ang was carrying out these shady dealings behind his back...*
A thought suddenly flashed through Gao Yuan's mind.
Once it emerged, he could hardly suppress it.
"Since Fellow Daoist Zhou puts it like that, I cannot very well refuse," Gao Yuan said, his eyes shifting as he readily agreed. "Before you bring those cultivators, give me a heads-up. I will personally handle their induction into the Alliance."
"Good! Wonderful!" Zhou Qing'ang departed, fully satisfied.
Left behind, Gao Yuan paced back and forth, looking conflicted.
In the end, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind.
Through the Divided Spirit Jade Slip left behind by the Secret Emissary, he contacted Li Fan.
"Lord Secret Emissary, this lowly one has a matter to report," Gao Yuan said, overflowing with flattery.
"Speak." Li Fan's tone was somewhat cold, making Gao Yuan's heart skip a beat with a bad premonition.
However, the arrow was on the bowstring and had to be released. Gao Yuan could only bite the bullet and lodge a secret report against Zhou Qing'ang.
Yet all he received in return was silence.
This made Gao Yuan even more uneasy.
"I understand," Li Fan finally spoke after a long silence.
"However, Gao Yuan..."
"Little Zhou is quite right. In the future, do not bother me with such trivial matters."
Gao Yuan's heart went cold at once.
"Furthermore, I hope you understand: unity is what matters most."
With that, all sound from Li Fan's end ceased.
Leaving Gao Yuan frozen where he stood, at a complete loss.
Chapter 614