Both Sisters Were Heavenly Prodigies

Chapter 33

Li Fan fired off several baffling questions in a row, leaving Yin Yuzhen rather dazed and unable to understand why he was asking them.

Then she seemed to think of a possibility. Her face went slightly pale as she stared at Li Fan. "Could it be that you're the father our sisters have been separated from for many years?"

But she quickly rejected the idea herself. "No, that can't be right. You don't look anything like us."

"I was merely curious," Li Fan said blandly, ignoring the little girl's somewhat flighty train of thought.

"I know, I know. Curiosity about your own kind—it's only human nature." Yin Yuzhen nodded repeatedly, wearing an expression that said she understood.

Li Fan could not be bothered to explain.

Yin Yuzhen sighed and slowly began, "We were originally from Northern Yelan Island. Our parents died in a disaster when we were young, leaving only my sister and me to depend on each other. As far as I can remember, my sister and I could only survive by begging every day, never knowing where our next meal would come from."

"But at some point, my sister began finding all sorts of valuable things in different places."

"And so our lives gradually improved. Later, my sister even built Heavenly Treasure Pavilion from the ground up," Yin Yuzhen recalled.

"Unfortunately, I haven't seen my sister in several years." Her eyes were full of longing.

"Oh? Where did she go?" Li Fan frowned.

"Three years ago, my sister caught the eye of an immortal master passing through and was taken away. At first, she would have people deliver letters to us to tell us she was safe. But later, we never heard from her again." Yin Yuzhen propped her chin up with both hands and spoke pitifully.

"Taken away by an immortal master? Could it be that she was taken to cultivate immortality?" Li Fan could not help asking.

Yin Yuzhen sighed. "It would be wonderful if that were true. In the letters my sister sent back before, she used a secret code only the two of us understood to tell me that her situation was extremely dangerous. If she stopped contacting me afterward, it would mean that she might have met with misfortune. She told me not to look for her anymore."

Li Fan asked, "Could some disaster have been drawn to her because of the special constitution of a Spiritually Sensitive Body?"

"That's what I can't figure out, no matter how I think about it. A Spiritually Sensitive Body is indeed remarkable—it can sense treasures within a certain range. But that ability has its limits."

"My sister was only an ordinary mortal. The things she could sense were merely items of some value to mortals. In the eyes of those immortal masters, they were probably no different from scraps of broken copper and iron."

"It wasn't as if no immortal masters had noticed my sister's talent before, but in the end, none of them thought much of it. I don't know why that immortal master still took her away." Yin Yuzhen sighed again, traces of sorrow showing in her eyes.

"Though my sister's chances of survival are slim, the foundation she left behind is still there. She spent the better part of her life struggling to build Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. I can't let it be ruined in my hands." As Yin Yuzhen spoke, she fixed her large eyes tightly on Li Fan.

"That is why I sought you out today."

Li Fan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Yin Yuzhen explained on her own, "I don't possess my sister's miraculous ability. After she disappeared, Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's business declined day by day. Then I misjudged several items afterward and failed to see that they were forgeries, causing us to lose another large sum."

"Those old-timers gradually grew dissatisfied with me. They even wanted to join forces with outsiders, drive me out, and carve up Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's assets."

"Fortunately, they still feared my sister, who had been taken away by an immortal master, so they had delayed taking action."

"So, using market expansion as an excuse, I came from Yelan Island to Liuli Island to lie low for a while."

"Originally, I planned to develop things here for a few years, gather some strength, and then return to settle accounts with them. But I never expected to encounter another Spiritually Sensitive Body here on Liuli Island."

Yin Yuzhen grew rather excited. "With your help, I will definitely be able to take control of Heavenly Treasure Pavilion again."

"Why should I help you?" Li Fan remained unmoved. "I have no interest in the affairs of Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. All I desire is to cultivate immortality."

"Before, you promised that as long as I helped you seize the fleet, you would help me obtain a spot in the Purification Spirit Pool. You have not gone back on that, have you?"

Yin Yuzhen seemed to have long prepared herself for Li Fan's answer. She nodded. "Heavenly Treasure Pavilion has always placed integrity above all else in business. We will certainly honor what we promised you. But..."

She paused and looked at Li Fan with a sly gleam in her eyes.

"But what?" Li Fan's expression darkened.

Yin Yuzhen smiled softly. "Even if you can enter the Purification Spirit Pool, so what? Dispelling the miasma within your body is no easy matter. Of the people who enter the spirit pool each year, barely half succeed. And the older one is, the greater the chance of failure."

"Uncle, you're not young anymore, are you? Are you absolutely certain you can succeed? Every person has only one chance in their lifetime to enter the spirit pool. If you fail, I'm afraid you will have to bid farewell to cultivating immortality forever."

"I know that the Purification Spirit Pool does not guarantee success. But even a fifty percent chance is enough for me to try. However, from the sound of it..." Li Fan looked at Yin Yuzhen, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Exactly." Yin Yuzhen's face was brimming with the smug satisfaction of knowing Li Fan had taken the bait. "Along with my sister's last letter, she also sent back a pill called the Worldly Dust Severance Pill."

"According to my sister's letter, taking this pill will greatly increase the chance of successfully dispelling the miasma within one's body. Combined with the Purification Spirit Pool, even at your age, Uncle, there is a strong chance you will succeed."

"If that pill is so effective, why have you never taken it?" Li Fan could not help asking.

"Uncle, not everyone is as determined as you are to cultivate immortality. My wish is to do business well, then protect the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion my sister left behind." Yin Yuzhen answered.

"Everyone has their own aspirations..." Li Fan slowly nodded.

"So, Uncle, does that mean you agree?" Yin Yuzhen looked at Li Fan expectantly.

"Let me return and consider it. I will give you an answer in three days." Li Fan pondered for a moment and did not agree immediately.

"All right, then, Uncle. I'll wait for your news." Though somewhat disappointed, Yin Yuzhen still nodded.

"Farewell!"

I hope I haven't misjudged him this time.

Watching Li Fan's departing figure, Yin Yuzhen's expression turned serious as she murmured softly.

When dealing with Li Fan, Yin Yuzhen had always played the role of a "junior" and a "little girl."

Her instincts told her that Li Fan did not dislike her acting that way.

Moreover, dealing with Li Fan as a junior would make things easier to accomplish.

Unlike her sister, Yin Yuzhen did not possess the ability to sense treasures in the unseen.

But she had her own special gift.

Other than her sister Yin Yueting, no one knew that Yin Yuzhen had been faintly able to foresee whether events would bring fortune or misfortune ever since she was young.

It was precisely through her sister's Spiritually Sensitive Body and the younger sister's ability to seek fortune and avoid calamity that the two sisters had grown up smoothly.