Keen Eyes Recognize Talent

Keen Eyes Recognize Talent

Su Changyu ultimately failed to hold on.

In no more than seven or eight days, Su Changyu could no longer endure and died.

When his body was sent back, Li Fan went to take a look.

All that remained was a twisted mass of flesh and blood, utterly devoid of human form, a horrifying sight.

The flesh would even twitch inexplicably from time to time, making one's scalp prickle.

These people from the Departed Realm had only just arrived and could not even scrape together enough money to buy a burial plot.

They had originally planned to bury him at sea, but Li Fan could not bear to watch. He took out some money, allowing Su Changyu to be laid to rest in the earth.

Everyone was deeply saddened.

Of them all, Xiao Heng cried the hardest.

Li Fan did not feel anything in particular, only a touch of melancholy.

After rolling through the cycles of the mortal world for nearly three hundred years, Li Fan had developed his own method for judging people.

In his eyes, Su Changyu conducted himself properly and possessed considerable resolve. Though he could not be called a once-in-a-century talent, he was certainly no mediocrity.

Among the group from the Departed Realm, Li Fan had thought Su Changyu the most likely to make something of himself.

Yet such a man had failed even to pass Pestilence Removal, the prerequisite for cultivation, and died without a sound.

The path of immortality was arduous!

Li Fan felt even more deeply moved.

And as he continued cultivating the Profound Yellow Heart Cleansing Mantra, that feeling only grew more profound.

The facts proved that Li Fan was no peerless genius himself.

For nearly a month, Li Fan kept to himself each day. Aside from taking on a job to keep up appearances, he hid at home and cultivated the Heart Cleansing Mantra.

Generally speaking, after half a month of cultivation, ordinary people would experience obvious improvements—better spirits, faster thinking, and the like.

Yet a month passed, and Li Fan felt no change whatsoever.

Li Fan guessed that after several reincarnations through Return to Truth, his spiritual strength had already been tempered over centuries and far surpassed that of ordinary people. That was likely why the Heart Cleansing Mantra had less effect on him.

Li Fan was not in a hurry. He merely treated it as a daily cultivation exercise.

Another half month passed before Li Fan finally received word from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

Following the messenger, Li Fan met Steward Zhao in a courtyard at his own residence in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

"Steward Zhao, it has been a long time." Li Fan cupped his hands in greeting.

Steward Zhao glanced at Li Fan and got straight to the point. "I heard from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion that you want a place in a fleet heading out to sea. Quite an appetite you have. What do you have to rely on?"

"You should know that I only have two usable fleets under my command. There are not even enough for my own men. Why should I give one to you?"

"Fleets go to sea only for profit. Steward Zhao, how do you think the profits from catching Liuli Fish compare to treasures dredged directly from sunken ships on the seabed?" Li Fan smiled faintly.

Apparently not thinking Li Fan was boasting, Steward Zhao considered it seriously for a while. "I also heard about the fleet that unexpectedly brought back more than a dozen chests of jewels some days ago. After the manor calculated it, the haul was worth as much as several ordinary fishing voyages. But how could such good fortune happen every time? I have been on this island for over a decade, and I can recall only a handful of major hauls."

He paused, then continued, "From what you mean, you..."

Li Fan nodded. "If I am put in charge of a fleet, I can guarantee that every voyage will bring back a certain amount of treasure."

A strange light appeared in Steward Zhao's eyes. He scrutinized Li Fan several times and said in surprise, "You are not lying."

Now it was Li Fan's turn to be surprised. "It is true that I was not boasting, but how did Steward Zhao see that?"

Steward Zhao chuckled. "I was born with a pair of Heterochromatic Eyes. They can recognize capable people and distinguish truth from falsehood. When you spoke just now, I saw only a gentle white light around you. That proved your words were true and that you harbored no ill intent. If I saw waves of black qi instead, it would prove that you had other motives."

"There is actually such a strange art?" Li Fan was instantly startled. "On the day we registered, Steward Zhao's attitude toward me seemed slightly different from that toward the others. Did you see something then?"

"I could only see the rough outline. How could I know everything? I merely saw that you possessed extraordinary wealth and status, and that your hands were stained with much blood. Clearly, you were no ordinary man. That was why I treated you more politely." Steward Zhao gave a mocking smile as he explained. "Heaven's will is unfathomable. With someone like you, who knows what achievements you may attain in the future? Better to forge a favorable connection while it costs nothing."

Li Fan nodded, but then heard Steward Zhao sigh. "In recent years, great disasters have occurred one after another. There are countless people like you—once rich and powerful, yet cast adrift onto our Liuli Island. Some lie low for only a few years before riding the wind once more; others fade into the crowd from that day onward and become nothing but white bones."

Listening, Li Fan suddenly thought of something. "Then when we registered that day, you had already seen that Sun Zhang of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was not telling the truth?"

"What does it matter whether it was true or false? Sometimes, being too particular is not necessarily a good thing. My duty is only to ensure that no one on the island seeks to overturn it. No matter where you come from, as long as you keep to yourselves, nothing will be done to you." Steward Zhao spoke indifferently. "An immortal master is stationed on the island, so there is no fear of trouble."

"Besides, taking in disaster victims was also the immortal master's order. Since Sun Zhang could lead so many 'disaster victims' to our Liuli Island, how could I make things difficult for him?"

As Li Fan listened, he gained a general understanding of Steward Zhao's principles in handling affairs.

Thus, their conversation returned to the matter of the seafaring fleet.

"Since Steward Zhao can see that I am speaking the truth, could you consider granting me a place to go to sea?" Li Fan asked.

Steward Zhao tapped the table lightly with his fingers several times before speaking. "You are a newcomer with no foundation. If I rashly hand a fleet over to you, it will surely provoke much dissatisfaction."

"How about this? On the next voyage, you go with them. If you truly can salvage treasure every time you put to sea, then before long, the sailors will surely be wholeheartedly convinced. At that time, you can take over the fleet openly and legitimately."

"Indeed, if your gains are great enough, I can speak to the manor lord and snatch another fleet from Someone named Qian to give to you. That is not impossible either."

"Steward Zhao has considered everything thoroughly." Li Fan naturally had no objection.

Thus, the matter was settled with extraordinary ease.

The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion did not know the details of their discussion, but when they learned that Li Fan had effortlessly persuaded Steward Zhao and obtained a place on the next voyage, they were immediately shocked.

"Could it be that uncle was not boasting? Does he truly have the confidence to secure a fleet?" Within the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, the woman in yellow propped her chin on one hand, her eyes flickering.

"I have no idea what he has to rely on." Sun Zhang was equally baffled. No matter how he looked at Li Fan, he seemed to be nothing more than an utterly ordinary middle-aged man.

"Send him the deed to that vacant little courtyard on East Street in the city," the woman in yellow suddenly said.

"Huh?" Sun Zhang did not react for a moment.