zhè yī tiān ， lǐ fán jiē dào le zhāng zhì liáng de chuán xùn ， ràng tā lái cè zhèn táng yī tàng 。
这一天，李凡接到了张志良的传讯，让他来策阵堂一趟。
On this day, Li Fan received a summons from Zhang Ziliang, instructing him to visit the Strategy Hall.
dé le zhèn fǎ xiū shàn yuán de zhí wèi hòu ， lǐ fán hái yì zhí méi yǒu gàn guò zhèng shì 。
得了阵法修缮员的职位后，李凡还一直没有干过正事。
After obtaining the position of Array Maintenance Officer, Li Fan had yet to take on any significant tasks. Given that Zhang Ziliang was still researching the Mountain and River Great Array on the replicated island, he hadn't contacted Li Fan for some time. Now, with a sudden summons, Li Fan didn’t hesitate; dressed in his black and yellow Daoist robe, he arrived at the Strategy Hall.
gū jì zhī qián zhāng zhì liáng hái zài nà zuò fù xiàn dǎo yǔ shàng yán jiū shān hé dà zhèn de yuán gù ， suǒ yǐ tā yě yì zhí méi yǒu lián xì lǐ fán 。
估计之前张志良还在那座复现岛屿上研究山河大阵的缘故，所以他也一直没有联系李凡。
With his new official status, the Seven-Colored Immortal Descending Array ignored him as he entered the central core area. Entering the slanted cubic building, a small cube recognized Li Fan’s identity and began to operate automatically.
zhè cì tū rán yǒu shì xiāng zhào ， lǐ fán yě bù dài màn ， huàn shàng hēi huáng dào páo ， qīng chē shú lù de lái dào le cè zhèn táng qián 。
这次突然有事相召，李凡也不怠慢，换上黑黄道袍，轻车熟路的来到了策阵堂前。
After a moment, it brought him to Zhang Ziliang’s space.
zhè cì yǒu le tǐ zhì nèi shēn fèn ， jìn rù zhōng yāng hé xīn qū yù shí ， tóu dǐng de qī cǎi luò xiān zhèn zhí jiē jiāng lǐ fán hū shì 。
这次有了体制内身份，进入中央核心区域时，头顶的七彩落仙阵直接将李凡忽视。
This place was familiar to Li Fan; during his eleventh incarnation, he had spent years here, studying arrays day and night without distraction. It was only then that he officially entered the path of array techniques.
zǒu jìn nà xié lì de zhèng fāng tǐ jiàn zhù hòu ， xiǎo xíng fāng tǐ sì hū shí bié le lǐ fán de shēn fèn ， zì dòng yùn zhuàn qǐ lái 。
走进那斜立的正方体建筑后，小型方体似乎识别了李凡的身份，自动运转起来。
Looking ahead, Zhang Ziliang stood motionless with his back turned.
piàn kè zhī hòu ， jiāng lǐ fán dài dào le zhāng zhì liáng suǒ zài de kōng jiān zhōng 。
片刻之后，将李凡带到了张志良所在的空间中。
"Meeting you, Senior," Li Fan greeted formally.
zhè ge dì fāng ， lǐ fán kě zhēn shì jí wéi shú xī le 。 dì shí yī shì de shí hòu ， tā jiù shì zài zhè lǐ ， fèi qǐn wàng shí 、 xīn wú páng wù de yán jiū le jǐ nián de zhèn fǎ ， rú cǐ cái zhèng shì de tà rù le zhèn dào 。
这个地方，李凡可真是极为熟悉了。第十一世的时候，他就是在这里，废寝忘食、心无旁骛的研究了几年的阵法，如此才正式的踏入了阵道。
Zhang Ziliang seemed not to hear him, remaining still.
xiàng qián fāng wàng qù ， zhāng zhì liáng zhèng bèi duì zhe tā ， chù lì bù dòng 。
向前方望去，张志良正背对着他，矗立不动。
Seeing this, Li Fan repeated, "Senior, have you finished your research on the Mountain and River Great Array?"
“ jiàn guò qián bèi 。” lǐ fán chū shēng xíng lǐ dào 。
“见过前辈。”李凡出声行礼道。
After a while, Zhang Ziliang’s voice, broken and intermittent, replied,
zhāng zhì liáng fǎng fú méi yǒu tīng dào shì de ， yī rán yī dòng bù dòng 。
张志良仿佛没有听到似的，依然一动不动。
"Not yet. Research on the Mountain and River Great Array… is at a critical stage…"
lǐ fán jiàn zhuàng ， yòu chóng fù le hǎn le shēng 。
李凡见状，又重复了喊了声。
"It's more complex than expected… It might take another one or two years to complete."
fǎng fú yǒu hěn zhǎng shí jiān de yán chí yì bān ， guò le xǔ jiǔ ， zhāng zhì liáng cái zhuǎn guò shēn lái 。
仿佛有很长时间的延迟一般，过了许久，张志良才转过身来。
"Friend He seems to have something urgent; he left in a hurry…"
“ ó …… nǐ …… lái le a 。”
“哦……你……来了啊。”
"I suddenly remembered that since you started working here, I haven't taught you anything about arrays."
lǐ fán dùn shí kàn chū lái ， yǎn qián zhè dào shēn yǐng ， yīng gāi yě shì fēn shēn yī lèi de cún zài 。
李凡顿时看出来，眼前这道身影，应该也是分身一类的存在。
"Now, with this situation, I can’t spare the time."
bù guò tā hái shì wèn dào ：“ qián bèi shān hé dà zhèn yán jiū jié shù le ？”
不过他还是问道：“前辈山河大阵研究结束了？”
"But if I delay your training for another year or two, it wouldn’t be fair."
guò le yī huì ， zhāng zhì liáng duàn duàn xù xù de shēng yīn cái xiǎng qǐ 。
过了一会，张志良断断续续的声音才响起。
"So, I’ll hand over relevant array technique materials to you first. You should study them on your own."
“ hái méi yǒu 。 shān hé dà zhèn …… yán jiū zhèng zài jǐn yào guān tóu ……”
“还没有。山河大阵……研究正在紧要关头……”
"Once I return, I will answer any questions you have."
“ bǐ xiǎng xiàng zhōng de hái yào fù zá …… gū jì hái yào gè yī liǎng nián cái néng jié shù 。”
“比想象中的还要复杂……估计还要个一两年才能结束。”
Zhang Ziliang spoke in fits and starts, taking a long time to finish.
“ hé dào yǒu sì hū yǒu shì ， jí cōng cōng xiān lí qù le ……”
“何道友似乎有事，急匆匆先离去了……”
Afterward, he handed Li Fan a storage ring.
“ wǒ yě …… tū rán xiǎng qǐ lái ， nǐ zì cóng rù zhí yǐ lái ， wǒ hái méi yǒu jiào dǎo guò nǐ zhèn fǎ 。”
“我也……突然想起来，你自从入职以来，我还没有教导过你阵法。”
Li Fan took the storage ring and scanned its contents with his divine sense. He recognized what was inside: an encrypted jade slip and heart monkey incense.
“ xiàn zài zhè ge …… qíng kuàng ， wǒ shì chōu bù chū shēn lái le 。”
“现在这个……情况，我是抽不出身来了。”
"You managed to learn array techniques on your own despite having no formal training; you must have good natural talent. The encrypted jade slips in this storage ring are my summaries of basic array techniques. Study them carefully, compare them with your knowledge, and after reading through them, I believe your array skills will improve significantly."
“ bù guò ， ruò shì zài dān gē nǐ yī liǎng nián de shí jiān ， yú lǐ yě shuō bù guò qù 。”
“不过，若是再耽搁你一两年的时间，于理也说不过去。”
After saying that, Zhang Ziliang’s figure vanished without a trace.
“ suǒ yǐ ， wǒ jiàng xiàng guān de zhèn dào zī liào ， xiān jiāo yǔ nǐ 。 nǐ xiān zì xíng xué xí 。”
“所以，我将相关的阵道资料，先交予你。你先自行学习。”
Li Fan put away the storage ring and returned to the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror.
“ nǐ yǒu shén me yí huò ， děng wǒ huí lái ， zài yī yī wèi nǐ jiě dá 。”
“你有什么疑惑，等我回来，再一一为你解答。”
He took out the encrypted jade slip and read it thoroughly. It was similar to what Zhang Ziliang had taught him in his previous life but included many more array examples. For instance, there was the current Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance’s island-protection array: [Heavenly Origin Array for Transformation].
tā shuō huà yī dùn yī dùn de ， jiù zhè me yī duàn huà ， lèng shì shuō le hǎo jiǔ cái jiǎng wán 。
他说话一顿一顿的，就这么一段话，愣是说了好久才讲完。
Unlike the defensive Mountain and River Great Array from three thousand years ago, this Heavenly Origin Array for Transformation emphasized both offense and defense while also absorbing human essence energy to increase the concentration of spirit qi.
zhāng zhì liáng shuō bà ， dì guò lái yí gè chǔ wù jiè 。
张志良说罢，递过来一个储物戒。
Although the core structure data of the Heavenly Origin Array for Transformation was not included in the jade slip, diagrams of some easily damaged nodes were present. From these details, Li Fan could see how vast and intricate the array was.
lǐ fán jiē guò chǔ wù jiè ， shén shí yī sǎo ， lǐ miàn de dōng xī tā yě bù mò shēng 。
李凡接过储物戒，神识一扫，里面的东西他也不陌生。
Zhang Ziliang also reminded him that this array content was a strict secret of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance; it mustn’t be leaked to outsiders.
jiā mì yù jiǎn 、 xīn yuán xiāng liào 。
加密玉简、心猿香料。
In addition to the Heavenly Origin Array for Transformation, there were detailed analyses of other arrays such as [Green Wood Spirit Gathering Array] and [Heavenly Peak Five Thunder Array], which Li Fan had never seen before. This broadened his horizons significantly.
“ nǐ xiān qián quán kào zì xué ， dōu néng zhèn fǎ rù mén ， xiǎng lái tiān zī …… chà bú dào nǎ lǐ qù 。 zhè chǔ wù jiè nèi de jiā mì yù jiǎn ， shì wǒ jīng xīn biān zuǎn de zhèn dào rù mén zǒng jié 。 nǐ xī xīn yán dú ， yǔ zì shēn suǒ xué xiāng hù yìn zhèng 。 tōng dú zhī hòu ， xiǎng bì …… zhèn fǎ shuǐ píng huì yǒu gè hěn dà de tí gāo 。”
“你先前全靠自学，都能阵法入门，想来天资……差不到哪里去。这储物戒内的加密玉简，是我精心编纂的阵道入门总结。你悉心研读，与自身所学相互印证。通读之后，想必……阵法水平会有个很大的提高。”
However, these arrays were complex and intricate, so Li Fan only skimmed through them without delving deeper because he had something to do now.
zuì hòu yī jù huà jiāo dài wán zhī hòu ， zhāng zhì liáng zhè dào shēn yǐng biàn zài méi yǒu shēng xī 。
最后一句话交代完之后，张志良这道身影便在没有声息。
After putting down the jade slip, Li Fan checked the price of Spirit Fog Grass. He suspected that Zhang Ziliang’s hasty departure was due to the attack by a strange beast, the Dragon Whale, on the island where Spirit Fog Grass grew.
lǐ fán shōu qǐ chǔ wù jiè ， fǎn huí dào tiān xuán jìng zhōng 。
李凡收起储物戒，返回到天玄镜中。
Calculating the time, it should be around this period. Sure enough, the price of Spirit Fog Grass had increased slightly from 18 points per plant to 19 points recently.
ná chū jiā mì yù jiǎn zǐ xì yuè dú le yī fān ， fā xiàn hé shàng yī shì zhāng zhì liáng suǒ jiào de chà bu duō 。
拿出加密玉简仔细阅读了一番，发现和上一世张志良所教的差不多。
With two thousand seven hundred plants in stock, Li Fan wasn’t in a rush to sell them now. The price might rise to 25 points before long.
zhǐ shì duō le xǔ duō zhèn fǎ shí lì 。
只是多了许多阵法实例。
"Twenty-five points is still too low; perhaps I should stir up some more interest," he thought.
bǐ rú dāng jīn wàn xiān méng de hù dǎo dà zhèn ：【 tiān yuán huà shēng zhèn 】。
比如当今万仙盟的护岛大阵：【天元化生阵】。
"But I shouldn't be the one to do it. It's time to use my avatar."
hé sān qiān nián qián de wàn lǐ shān hé zhèn jí zhòng fáng shǒu bù tóng ， rú jīn de tiān yuán huà shēng zhèn ， jiǎng jiū de shì gōng shǒu jiān bèi ， hái jiān jù xī qǔ fǎ zhèn nèi fán rén jīng qì ， tí gāo líng qì nóng dù zhī xiào 。
和三千年前的万里山河阵极重防守不同，如今的天元化生阵，讲究的是攻守兼备，还兼具吸取法阵内凡人精气，提高灵气浓度之效。
Li Fan’s eyes flickered as his other avatar, which had been quietly running errands on the Ten Thousand Immortals Island, activated a Concealment Talisman and entered the Thousand Mile Hall.
yù jiǎn nèi suī rán méi yǒu tiān yuán huà shēng zhèn de hé xīn jié gòu shù jù ， dàn shì dà zhèn de yī xiē yì sǔn huài jié diǎn de zhèn fǎ jié gòu tú ， hái shì yǒu de 。
玉简内虽然没有天元化生阵的核心结构数据，但是大阵的一些易损坏节点的阵法结构图，还是有的。
The shop was empty; no customers were around. Jiao Xiuyuan lay lazily behind the counter, resting with his eyes closed.
cóng zhè xì zhī mò jié zhōng ， lǐ fán yě néng kuī jiàn zhè tiān yuán huà shēng zhèn de páng dà yǔ jīng miào 。
从这细枝末节中，李凡也能窥见这天元化生阵的庞大与精妙。
As soon as Li Fan stepped in, Jiao Xiuyuan sprang up eagerly, saying, "Finally! What can I get for you?"
yù jiǎn zhōng ， zhāng zhì liáng yě bù wàng dīng zhǔ yī fān 。
玉简中，张志良也不忘叮嘱一番。
"Array talismans and magical artifacts are all available; we offer bulk discounts!"
zhè dà zhèn nèi róng nǎi wàn xiān méng jué duì de jī mì ， qiān wàn bù kě xiè lòu wài zhuàn 。
这大阵内容乃万仙盟绝对的机密，千万不可泄露外传。
Li Fan chuckled, "I’ve heard that Friend Jiao has some defective Concealment Talismas from the Talisman Hall."
chú le tiān yuán huà shēng zhèn wài ， yù jiǎn nèi hái yǒu 【 qīng mù jù líng zhèn 】、【 líng xiāo wǔ léi zhèn 】 děng xǔ duō zhī qián cóng wèi jiàn guò de zhèn fǎ pōu xī ， ràng lǐ fán shì dà kāi yǎn jiè 。
除了天元化生阵外，玉简内还有【青木聚灵阵】、【凌霄五雷阵】等许多之前从未见过的阵法剖析，让李凡是大开眼界。
Jiao Xiuyuan grinned, "There are indeed many such talismas. But I can’t disclose where they came from. How many do you want?"
bù guò ， zhè xiē zhèn fǎ bó dà jīng shēn 、 jí qí fán suǒ ， lǐ fán jǐn jǐn zhǐ shì dà lüè liú lǎn le yī biàn ， méi yǒu shēn jiū 。
不过，这些阵法博大精深、极其繁琐，李凡仅仅只是大略浏览了一遍，没有深究。
"How many? I’d like to buy all of them," Li Fan said, only half-joking.
yīn wèi ， xiàn zài tā hái yǒu shì yào zuò 。
因为，现在他还有事要做。
But Jiao Xiuyuan frowned and sighed, "I’m short on contribution points; I don’t have enough."
jiāng yù jiǎn fàng xià ， lǐ fán chá kàn qǐ le líng wù cǎo de jià gé qǐ lái 。
将玉简放下，李凡查看起了灵雾草的价格起来。
Jiao Xiuyuan’s face darkened as he asked suspiciously, "Why do you need so many Concealment Talismas? A few are sufficient for everyday use."
zhī qián tīng zhāng zhì liáng shuō ， hé zhèng hào lián yán jiū shān hé dà zhèn dōu gù bù shàng 、 jiù cōng cōng lí qù ， lǐ fán jiù cāi cè yīng gāi shì líng wù cǎo dǎo yǔ bèi yì shòu lóng jīng xí jī zhī shì fā shēng le 。
之前听张志良说，何正浩连研究山河大阵都顾不上、就匆匆离去，李凡就猜测应该是灵雾草岛屿被异兽龙鲸袭击之事发生了。
Li Fan smiled slightly. "That's why I came to see you."
suàn suàn shí jiān ， yě gāi chà bu duō le 。
算算时间，也该差不多了。
Seeing Jiao Xiuyuan’s interest piqued, Li Fan didn’t say anything further and simply bowed.
guǒ bù qí rán ， líng wù cǎo de jià gé zài bù jiǔ qián ， yǒu le qīng wēi fú dù de shàng zhǎng 。
果不其然，灵雾草的价格在不久前，有了轻微幅度的上涨。
"Very well, then, I’ll leave," he said without hesitation as he turned to leave.
cóng 18 diǎn gòng xiàn dù měi zhū ， zhǎng dào le 19 diǎn 。
从18点贡献度每株，涨到了19点。
As he walked out, he sighed, "They say Jiao Xiuyuan of the Thousand Mile Hall never makes a loss."
lǐ fán mù qián shǒu shàng yǒu liǎng qiān qī bǎi zhū de cún huò ， yě bù zháo jí cǐ kè chū shǒu 。
李凡目前手上有两千七百株的存货，也不着急此刻出手。
"I thought his business acumen was impressive, but it seems not so great after all."
bì jìng lí xiāo xī chuán chū ， shì jiàn fā jiào ， líng wù cǎo jià gé bào zhǎng dào 25 diǎn hái yǒu yī duàn shí jiān 。
毕竟离消息传出，事件发酵，灵雾草价格暴涨到25点还有一段时间。
Li Fan shook his head and stepped out of the Thousand Mile Hall.
“25 diǎn de jià gé ， hái shì tài dī le 。 huò xǔ ， kě yǐ zài shān fēng diǎn huǒ yī bǎ ……”
“25点的价格，还是太低了。或许，可以再煽风点火一把……”
"Wait!"
“ zhǐ shì cǐ shì ， běn zūn bù yí chū miàn 。 shì shí hòu dòng yòng fēn shēn le 。”
“只是此事，本尊不宜出面。是时候动用分身了。”
Just then, Jiao Xiuyuan called him back, closing the shop door.
lǐ fán mù guāng shǎn dòng 。
李凡目光闪动。
Jiao Xiuyuan rubbed his hands together. "I knew you were using a bait-and-switch tactic, but I fell for it willingly."
yì zhí zài wàn xiān dǎo shàng ， mò mò zuò xiē pǎo tuǐ rèn wù ， miǎn qiǎng wéi chí zì jǐ shēng cún suǒ xū de fēn shēn ， jī fā le yī méi cáng xíng fú ， yǐn qù qì xī róng mào ， lái dào le qiān lǐ táng 。
一直在万仙岛上，默默做些跑腿任务，勉强维持自己生存所需的分身，激发了一枚藏形符，隐去气息容貌，来到了千里堂。
His eyes gleamed with greed as he said, "Because I detected an opportunity."
On this day, Li Fan received a summons from Zhang Ziliang, instructing him to visit the Strategy Hall.
After obtaining the position of Array Maintenance Officer, Li Fan had yet to take on any significant tasks. Given that Zhang Ziliang was still researching the Mountain and River Great Array on the replicated island, he hadn't contacted Li Fan for some time. Now, with a sudden summons, Li Fan didn’t hesitate; dressed in his black and yellow Daoist robe, he arrived at the Strategy Hall.
With his new official status, the Seven-Colored Immortal Descending Array ignored him as he entered the central core area. Entering the slanted cubic building, a small cube recognized Li Fan’s identity and began to operate automatically.
After a moment, it brought him to Zhang Ziliang’s space.
This place was familiar to Li Fan; during his eleventh incarnation, he had spent years here, studying arrays day and night without distraction. It was only then that he officially entered the path of array techniques.
Looking ahead, Zhang Ziliang stood motionless with his back turned.
"Meeting you, Senior," Li Fan greeted formally.
Zhang Ziliang seemed not to hear him, remaining still.
Seeing this, Li Fan repeated, "Senior, have you finished your research on the Mountain and River Great Array?"
After a while, Zhang Ziliang’s voice, broken and intermittent, replied,
"Not yet. Research on the Mountain and River Great Array… is at a critical stage…"
"It's more complex than expected… It might take another one or two years to complete."
"Friend He seems to have something urgent; he left in a hurry…"
"I suddenly remembered that since you started working here, I haven't taught you anything about arrays."
"Now, with this situation, I can’t spare the time."
"But if I delay your training for another year or two, it wouldn’t be fair."
"So, I’ll hand over relevant array technique materials to you first. You should study them on your own."
"Once I return, I will answer any questions you have."
Zhang Ziliang spoke in fits and starts, taking a long time to finish.
Afterward, he handed Li Fan a storage ring.
Li Fan took the storage ring and scanned its contents with his divine sense. He recognized what was inside: an encrypted jade slip and heart monkey incense.
"You managed to learn array techniques on your own despite having no formal training; you must have good natural talent. The encrypted jade slips in this storage ring are my summaries of basic array techniques. Study them carefully, compare them with your knowledge, and after reading through them, I believe your array skills will improve significantly."
After saying that, Zhang Ziliang’s figure vanished without a trace.
Li Fan put away the storage ring and returned to the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror.
He took out the encrypted jade slip and read it thoroughly. It was similar to what Zhang Ziliang had taught him in his previous life but included many more array examples. For instance, there was the current Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance’s island-protection array: [Heavenly Origin Array for Transformation].
Unlike the defensive Mountain and River Great Array from three thousand years ago, this Heavenly Origin Array for Transformation emphasized both offense and defense while also absorbing human essence energy to increase the concentration of spirit qi.
Although the core structure data of the Heavenly Origin Array for Transformation was not included in the jade slip, diagrams of some easily damaged nodes were present. From these details, Li Fan could see how vast and intricate the array was.
Zhang Ziliang also reminded him that this array content was a strict secret of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance; it mustn’t be leaked to outsiders.
In addition to the Heavenly Origin Array for Transformation, there were detailed analyses of other arrays such as [Green Wood Spirit Gathering Array] and [Heavenly Peak Five Thunder Array], which Li Fan had never seen before. This broadened his horizons significantly.
However, these arrays were complex and intricate, so Li Fan only skimmed through them without delving deeper because he had something to do now.
After putting down the jade slip, Li Fan checked the price of Spirit Fog Grass. He suspected that Zhang Ziliang’s hasty departure was due to the attack by a strange beast, the Dragon Whale, on the island where Spirit Fog Grass grew.
Calculating the time, it should be around this period. Sure enough, the price of Spirit Fog Grass had increased slightly from 18 points per plant to 19 points recently.
With two thousand seven hundred plants in stock, Li Fan wasn’t in a rush to sell them now. The price might rise to 25 points before long.
"Twenty-five points is still too low; perhaps I should stir up some more interest," he thought.
"But I shouldn't be the one to do it. It's time to use my avatar."
Li Fan’s eyes flickered as his other avatar, which had been quietly running errands on the Ten Thousand Immortals Island, activated a Concealment Talisman and entered the Thousand Mile Hall.
The shop was empty; no customers were around. Jiao Xiuyuan lay lazily behind the counter, resting with his eyes closed.
As soon as Li Fan stepped in, Jiao Xiuyuan sprang up eagerly, saying, "Finally! What can I get for you?"
"Array talismans and magical artifacts are all available; we offer bulk discounts!"
Li Fan chuckled, "I’ve heard that Friend Jiao has some defective Concealment Talismas from the Talisman Hall."
Jiao Xiuyuan grinned, "There are indeed many such talismas. But I can’t disclose where they came from. How many do you want?"
"How many? I’d like to buy all of them," Li Fan said, only half-joking.
But Jiao Xiuyuan frowned and sighed, "I’m short on contribution points; I don’t have enough."
Jiao Xiuyuan’s face darkened as he asked suspiciously, "Why do you need so many Concealment Talismas? A few are sufficient for everyday use."
Li Fan smiled slightly. "That's why I came to see you."
Seeing Jiao Xiuyuan’s interest piqued, Li Fan didn’t say anything further and simply bowed.
"Very well, then, I’ll leave," he said without hesitation as he turned to leave.
As he walked out, he sighed, "They say Jiao Xiuyuan of the Thousand Mile Hall never makes a loss."
"I thought his business acumen was impressive, but it seems not so great after all."
Li Fan shook his head and stepped out of the Thousand Mile Hall.
"Wait!"
Just then, Jiao Xiuyuan called him back, closing the shop door.
Jiao Xiuyuan rubbed his hands together. "I knew you were using a bait-and-switch tactic, but I fell for it willingly."
His eyes gleamed with greed as he said, "Because I detected an opportunity."