suī rán sūn zhāng xuǎn zé bì ér bú jiàn ， kě lǐ fán què bú huì zhè me jiǎn dān de fàng qì 。
虽然孙章选择避而不见，可李凡却不会这么简单的放弃。
Although Sun Zhang chose to avoid him, Li Fan wouldn't give up so easily.
cóng tā nà tiān rěn bú zhù chū yán ān wèi sū zhǎng yù lái kàn ， cǐ rén zuì qǐ mǎ bú shì jiān è zhī rén 。 zhī qián zhī suǒ yǐ yì zhí lěng zhe fù liǎn ， kǒng pà yě zhǐ shì bù xiǎng gēn xiān jué zhī dì de fán rén yǒu guò duō qiān lián 。
从他那天忍不住出言安慰苏长玉来看，此人最起码不是奸恶之人。之前之所以一直冷着副脸，恐怕也只是不想跟仙绝之地的凡人有过多牵连。
From the way he had spoken comfortingly to Su Changyu on that day, this person was at least not a villain. The reason for his cold demeanor before might have just been to avoid getting too entangled with ordinary people from the Realm of Immortal Desolation.
xiāng bǐ yú mò shēng rén ， lǐ fán gèng xǐ huān gēn zhī xiǎo xiē dǐ xì de rén dǎ jiāo dào 。
相比于陌生人，李凡更喜欢跟知晓些底细的人打交道。
Li Fan preferred dealing with those who knew more about the situation rather than strangers.
yú shì lǐ fán qù ér fù fǎn ， yòu lái dào le tiān bǎo lóu miàn qián 。
于是李凡去而复返，又来到了天宝楼面前。
Thus, Li Fan returned and approached Tianbao Tower once again.
“ nǐ xiǎo zi zěn me yòu huí lái le ？ zhǎo sǐ shì bú shì ？” mén kǒu de hēi yī dà hàn jǐng tì de kàn zhe lǐ fán ， è hěn hěn dì shuō dào 。
“你小子怎么又回来了？找死是不是？”门口的黑衣大汉警惕的看着李凡，恶狠狠地说道。
"You brat, why are you back? Are you trying to find your death?" The large man in black at the door looked alertly at Li Fan and said viciously.
lǐ fán wēi wēi yī xiào ：“ wǒ shì lái zhǎo nǐ men tiān bǎo lóu zuò shēng yì de 。 nǐ men tán dōu bù tán ， jiù yào gǎn rén 。 zhè jiù shì nǐ men tiān bǎo lóu de dài kè zhī dào ？”
李凡微微一笑：“我是来找你们天宝楼做生意的。你们谈都不谈，就要赶人。这就是你们天宝楼的待客之道？”
Li Fan smiled slightly. "I came here to do business with Tianbao Tower. You want to chase me away without even talking about it. Is this how Tianbao Tower welcomes guests?"
lǐ fán gù yì fàng kāi le sǎng zi ， yǐn dé zhōu wéi rén fēn fēn kàn le guò lái 。
李凡故意放开了嗓子，引得周围人纷纷看了过来。
Li Fan deliberately raised his voice, drawing the attention of those around him.
“ nǐ ……” nà míng dà hàn dùn shí dà nù ， jiù yào shàng lái zòu rén ， què bèi shēn páng de rén lán xià 。
“你……”那名大汉顿时大怒，就要上来揍人，却被身旁的人拦下。
"You..." The large man immediately grew angry and was about to attack, but someone beside him held him back.
huí qù qǐng shì le yī fān hòu ， dà hàn yǒu xiē miàn sè bù chà dì jiāng lǐ fán yǐn le jìn qù 。
回去请示了一番后，大汉有些面色不岔地将李凡引了进去。
After returning to seek permission, the large man led Li Fan in with a somewhat uneasy expression.
lái dào yī chù kè fáng zuò dìng ， yǒu yā huán shàng le yī bēi chá 。
来到一处客房坐定，有丫鬟上了一杯茶。
Arriving at a guest room, a maid brought in a cup of tea.
lǐ fán bù jǐn bù màn dì pǐn cháng le yī kǒu ， chá shuǐ rù dù ， dùn jué yī gǔ nuǎn liú zì wèi bù liú xiàng quán shēn 。
李凡不紧不慢地品尝了一口，茶水入肚，顿觉一股暖流自胃部流向全身。
Li Fan sipped slowly, feeling a warm current flow from his stomach throughout his body after drinking it. In just a moment, he felt as if he had been basking in the sun for half a day during winter, feeling warm all over and even slightly feverish.
zhǐ piàn kè ， lǐ fán biàn jué de gēn dōng rì lǐ shài le dà bàn gè shí chén tài yáng yì bān ， hún shēn nuǎn yáng yáng de ， shèn zhì yǒu xiē fā tàng 。
只片刻，李凡便觉得跟冬日里晒了大半个时辰太阳一般，浑身暖洋洋的，甚至有些发烫。
"Good tea!" Li Fan couldn't help but praise it.
“ hǎo chá ！” lǐ fán bù jīn zàn dào 。
“好茶！”李凡不禁赞道。
"Dàyú Yànlóng, grows around the underwater volcanoes near Dàyú Island. There are only a few dozen of them left. Now that Dàyú Island has been destroyed, these Dàyú Yànlóng have temporarily become supreme-grade treasures," said Sun Zhang with a smile as he walked in.
“ dà yù yàn lóng ， shēng zhǎng yú dà yù dǎo zhōu biān hǎi dǐ huǒ shān kǒu ， zhǐ yǒu liáo liáo shí jǐ zhū 。 rú jīn suí zhe dà yù dǎo bèi huǐ ， zhè dà yù yàn lóng yě zàn shí chéng le jué pǐn 。” yī rén miàn dài xiào róng zǒu le jìn lái ， huǎn huǎn shuō dào ， zhèng shì sūn zhāng 。
“大峪焱龙，生长于大峪岛周边海底火山口，只有寥寥十几株。如今随着大峪岛被毁，这大峪焱龙也暂时成了绝品。”一人面带笑容走了进来，缓缓说道，正是孙章。
"That does indeed benefit from your favor, Elder Sun." Li Fan didn't hesitate to finish the rest of his tea.
“ nà dǎo shì zhān le sūn zhǎng lǎo nǐ de guāng 。” lǐ fán yě bú kè qì ， jiāng shèng xià de chá shuǐ yī yǐn ér jǐn 。
“那倒是沾了孙长老你的光。”李凡也不客气，将剩下的茶水一饮而尽。
Only after putting down the teacup did Sun Zhang narrow his eyes and slowly ask, "The matter regarding Dàlǐ is now settled. There should be no more entanglements between us. Why have you come looking for me?"
děng lǐ fán jiāng chá bēi fàng xià ， sūn zhāng zhè cái mī zhuó yǎn ， huǎn huǎn kāi kǒu wèn dào ：“ dà lí zhī shì yǐ bì ， nǐ wǒ zhī jiān běn yīng zài wú jiū gé 。 wèi hé rú jīn yòu xún dào wǒ ？”
等李凡将茶杯放下，孙章这才眯着眼，缓缓开口问道：“大离之事已毕，你我之间本应再无纠葛。为何如今又寻到我？”
Sun Zhang's tone was unkind, with a hidden murderous intent in his eyes, as if he would kill Li Fan if his answer wasn't satisfactory.
sūn zhāng de yǔ qì hěn bú kè qì ， yǎn shén zhōng gèng shì àn cáng yī gǔ shā jī ， sì hū ruò shì lǐ fán de huí dá bù néng ràng tā mǎn yì biàn yào dòng shǒu shā rén 。
孙章的语气很不客气，眼神中更是暗藏一股杀机，似乎若是李凡的回答不能让他满意便要动手杀人。
Li Fan didn’t pay attention to Sun Zhang’s accusation and instead smiled, "Elder Sun, I misunderstood. I indeed came here to discuss business."
lǐ fán méi yǒu zài yì sūn zhāng de xīng shī wèn zuì ， ér shì xiào zhe huí dá ：“ sūn zhǎng lǎo wù huì le ， wǒ què shí shì lái tán yī bǐ shēng yì de 。”
李凡没有在意孙章的兴师问罪，而是笑着回答：“孙长老误会了，我确实是来谈一笔生意的。”
"Business? Just you?" Sun Zhang was first taken aback, then sneered at Li Fan as he sized him up.
“ shēng yì ？ jiù nǐ ？” sūn zhāng xiān shì yī zhèn è rán ， suí hòu chī xiào zhe dǎ liàng zhe lǐ fán 。
“生意？就你？”孙章先是一阵愕然，随后嗤笑着打量着李凡。
Li Fan's expression remained unchanged, and he said nothing in return.
lǐ fán liǎn sè bù biàn ， xiào ér bù yǔ 。
李凡脸色不变，笑而不语。
Seeing this, Sun Zhang gradually became serious. "What kind of business?"
sūn zhāng jiàn zhuàng ， zhú jiàn biàn dé yán sù xià lái ：“ shén me shēng yì ？”
孙章见状，逐渐变得严肃下来：“什么生意？”
"I wonder if Tianbao Pavilion is interested in thequotaof a ship fleet for overseas voyages," Li Fan said slowly.
“ bù zhī tiān bǎo gé duì chū hǎi chuán duì de míng é ， yǒu méi yǒu xìng qù 。” lǐ fán huǎn huǎn shuō dào 。
“不知天宝阁对出海船队的名额，有没有兴趣。”李凡缓缓说道。
"Every time a ship fleet sets sail, not only can they occasionally find rare treasures, but even just the Lustrous Fish and other sea specialties are enough to make us rich. If we at Tianbao Tower have no interest, that’s impossible."
“ chuán duì měi chū hǎi yī tàng ， bù shuō ǒu ěr kě dǎ lāo dé de zhēn bǎo ， dān shì liú lí yú yǐ jí qí tā yī xiē hǎi zhōng tè chǎn ， dōu zú yǐ zhuàn de pén mǎn bō mǎn 。 ruò shuō wǒ men tiān bǎo lóu méi yǒu xìng qù ， nà shì bù kě néng de 。”
“船队每出海一趟，不说偶尔可打捞得的珍宝，单是琉璃鱼以及其他一些海中特产，都足以赚的盆满钵满。若说我们天宝楼没有兴趣，那是不可能的。”
"But thequotaof the ship fleet is tightly controlled by Mr. Qian. Not only would it be hard for us at Tianbao Tower, but even for Mr. Zhào, getting an extra one would be extremely difficult," Sun Zhang stared intently at Li Fan as if trying to read his mind.
“ dàn chuán duì míng é bèi qián guǎn shì láo láo bǎ chí ， bú yào shuō wǒ men tiān bǎo lóu ， jí biàn shì zhào guǎn shì ， xiǎng yào duō zhàn jù yí gè yě shì jí nán 。 nǐ yī xīn lái zhī rén ， yòu yǒu shén me běn shì gǎn dǎ tā de zhǔ yì ？” sūn zhāng sǐ sǐ dīng zhe lǐ fán ， sì hū yào cóng tā de liǎn shàng kàn chū xiē shén me 。
“但船队名额被钱管事牢牢把持，不要说我们天宝楼，即便是赵管事，想要多占据一个也是极难。你一新来之人，又有什么本事敢打它的主意？”孙章死死盯着李凡，似乎要从他的脸上看出些什么。
"If I can meet Mr. Zhào, I have a way to persuade him," Li Fan said with confidence.
“ ruò shì ràng wǒ jiàn dào zhào guǎn shì ， wǒ zì yǒu fāng fǎ shuō fú tā 。” lǐ fán xiōng yǒu chéng zhú de shuō dào 。
“若是让我见到赵管事，我自有方法说服他。”李凡胸有成竹的说道。
Seeing Li Fan's certainty, Sun Zhang was momentarily unsure of what to do.
kàn dào lǐ fán rú cǐ dǔ dìng de yàng zi ， sūn zhāng yī shí yě yǒu xiē ná bù dìng zhǔ yì 。
看到李凡如此笃定的样子，孙章一时也有些拿不定主意。
"Then let me introduce you to Mr. Zhào; it’s not difficult. If things don’t work out, just cut him up and throw him into the sea for the fish," a lazy voice came from outside at that moment.
“ nà jiù ràng tā jiàn yī jiàn zhào guǎn shì ba ， yòu bú shì shén me nán shì 。 ruò shì bù chéng ， jiù jiāng tā qiè suì le rēng jìn hǎi lǐ wèi yú 。” jiù zài cǐ shí ， yī dào yǒu xiē yōng lǎn de shēng yīn zì wū wài zhuàn lái 。
“那就让他见一见赵管事吧，又不是什么难事。若事不成，就将他切碎了扔进海里喂鱼。”就在此时，一道有些慵懒的声音自屋外传来。
Li Fan’s eyes narrowed as he saw a woman in light yellow clothes with a veil walk in.
lǐ fán yǎn shén yī níng ， zhǐ jiàn yī wèi shēn zhe dàn huáng sè yī shang ， dài zhe miàn shā de nǚ zǐ zǒu le jìn lái 。
李凡眼神一凝，只见一位身着淡黄色衣裳，带着面纱的女子走了进来。
The woman sounded only about seventeen or eighteen years old, but her curvaceous figure exuded an alluring maturity.
nǚ zǐ tīng shēng yīn zhǐ yǒu shí qī bā suì ， dàn shì tā nà āo tū yǒu zhì de shēn cái què yòu sàn fà zhe chéng shú yòu rén de qì xī 。
女子听声音只有十七八岁，但是她那凹凸有致的身材却又散发着成熟诱人的气息。
"Meeting you, Master," Sun Zhang stood up immediately and respectfully greeted the woman.
“ jiàn guò zhǎng guì de 。” sūn zhāng kàn jiàn huáng yī nǚ zǐ ， lì mǎ zhàn le qǐ lái ， gōng jìng dì wèn hòu dào 。
“见过掌柜的。”孙章看见黄衣女子，立马站了起来，恭敬地问候道。
"So thank you for that." Li Fan responded normally as he bowed slightly.
“ nà jiù xiān xiè guò zhǎng guì de le 。” lǐ fán miàn sè rú cháng ， gǒng gǒng shǒu dào 。
“那就先谢过掌柜的了。”李凡面色如常，拱拱手道。
"You seem to have some confidence; it doesn’t look like empty talk," the woman said with a tilted head as she sat opposite Li Fan, looking curiously at him.
“ kàn nǐ sì hū yǒu jǐ fēn bǎ wò ， bù xiàng shì shuō dà huà de yàng zi 。” zuò dào lǐ fán duì miàn ， huáng yī nǚ zǐ wāi le wāi tóu ， yǒu xiē hào qí de kàn zhe lǐ fán 。
“看你似乎有几分把握，不像是说大话的样子。”坐到李凡对面，黄衣女子歪了歪头，有些好奇的看着李凡。
"I always keep my word and never break a promise," Li Fan replied frankly.
“ bǐ rén xiàng lái yí nuò qiān jīn 、 shuō yī bù èr 。” lǐ fán tǎn rán dào 。
“鄙人向来一诺千金、说一不二。”李凡坦然道。
The woman chuckled lightly.
huáng yī nǚ zǐ qīng hē hē dì xiào chū le shēng 。
黄衣女子轻呵呵地笑出了声。
"If this really works out, Tianbao Tower will need to take its share of the benefits."
“ ruò shì zhēn chéng ， wǒ tiān bǎo lóu kě yào chōu qǔ xiāng yìng de hǎo chù 。”
“若事真成，我天宝楼可要抽取相应的好处。”
"According to island rules, we can retain thirty percent of each harvest. I won’t take any of that; half will go to Mr. Zhào and the other half to your Tianbao Tower," Li Fan agreed, shocking everyone.
“ àn zhào dǎo shàng guī jǔ ， měi cì chū hǎi shōu huò kě zì liú sān chéng 。 zhè sān chéng wǒ yī fēn bú yào ， yí bàn gěi zhào guǎn shì ， yí bàn jiāo yú nǐ men tiān bǎo lóu 。” lǐ fán diǎn tóu dā yìng ， yǔ chū jīng rén 。
“按照岛上规矩，每次出海收获可自留三成。这三成我一分不要，一半给赵管事，一半交于你们天宝楼。”李凡点头答应，语出惊人。
The woman was stunned for a moment.
huáng yī nǚ zǐ dùn shí lèng zhù le 。
黄衣女子顿时愣住了。
She carefully examined Li Fan again: "That’s odd. If so, what do you want?"
tā fù yòu zǐ xì dǎ liàng le lǐ fán jǐ yǎn ：“ nà dào qí le ， jì rú cǐ ， nǐ zhè me dà fèi zhōu zhāng de ， xiǎng yào de shì shén me ne ？”
她复又仔细打量了李凡几眼：“那倒奇了，既如此，你这么大费周章的，想要的是什么呢？”
"I just need thequotato enter the Purification Spirit Pool every three years." Li Fan admitted.
“ wǒ zhǐ yào sān nián yī cì de jìng tǐ líng chí rù chí míng é 。” lǐ fán tǎn yán 。
“我只要三年一次的净体灵池入池名额。”李凡坦言。
"Ah..." The woman was truly shocked and looked at Li Fan several times as if to confirm she hadn’t heard wrong.
“ yí ……” nǚ zǐ cǐ shí zhēn de bèi zhèn jīng le ， tā kàn le lǐ fán hǎo jǐ yǎn ， sì hū yào què rèn zì jǐ yǒu méi yǒu tīng cuò 。
“咦……”女子此时真的被震惊了，她看了李凡好几眼，似乎要确认自己有没有听错。
Li Fan met her gaze with a firm expression.
lǐ fán gēn tā duì shì ， mù guāng jiān dìng 。
李凡跟她对视，目光坚定。
"Hahaha..." The woman burst out laughing, seemingly hearing something particularly funny.
“ hā hā hā hā ……” fǎng fú tīng dào le shén me tè bié hǎo xiào de xiào huà ， huáng yī nǚ zǐ jìng shì zhí jiē xiào le chū lái 。
“哈哈哈哈……”仿佛听到了什么特别好笑的笑话，黄衣女子竟是直接笑了出来。
"Please, sir, you’re so old; do you want to learn cultivation from others?" She stopped laughing after a while and said reluctantly before breaking into laughter again.
“ bài tuō ， dà shū ， nǐ dōu yī bǎ nián jì le ， hái xiǎng xué bié rén xiū xiān ？” xiào le bàn shǎng ， tā yǒu xiē jiān nán de tíng xià ， miǎn qiǎng shuō le yī jù hòu ， yòu rěn bú zhù dà xiào qǐ lái 。
“拜托，大叔，你都一把年纪了，还想学别人修仙？”笑了半晌，她有些艰难的停下，勉强说了一句后，又忍不住大笑起来。
Sun Zhang looked at Li Fan, equally bewildered.
sūn zhāng kàn zhe lǐ fán ， yě shì mǎn liǎn de bù kě sī yì 。
孙章看着李凡，也是满脸的不可思议。
Li Fan just stared silently at the woman.
lǐ fán zhǐ shì zhè me jìng jìng dì kàn zhe huáng yī nǚ zǐ ， bù shuō huà 。
李凡只是这么静静地看着黄衣女子，不说话。
The woman's laughter gradually subsided.
huáng yī nǚ zǐ de xiào shēng yuè lái yuè xiǎo 。
黄衣女子的笑声越来越小。
"Hah... Hah..."
“ hā …… hā ……”
“哈……哈……”
Finally, she chuckled dryly and recovered her composure.
zuì zhōng tā gān xiào le shēng ， shàn shàn dì huī fù le zhèng cháng 。
最终她干笑了声，讪讪地恢复了正常。
"Seeking eternal life; I won’t regret it even if I die," Li Fan said calmly.
“ dàn qiú cháng shēng ， suī sǐ bù huǐ 。” lǐ fán dàn dàn dì shuō dào 。
“但求长生，虽死不悔。”李凡淡淡地说道。
The woman remained silent for a long time.
huáng yī nǚ zǐ jiǔ jiǔ bù yán 。
黄衣女子久久不言。
"Alright, I agree to this. When the date is set, I will send someone to notify you."
“ hǎo ， cǐ shì wǒ yīng xià le 。” zuì zhōng ， tā pāi bǎn dào 。“ děng yuē hǎo le rì zi ， wǒ zài pài rén tōng zhī nǐ 。”
“好，此事我应下了。”最终，她拍板道。“等约好了日子，我再派人通知你。”
"So be it. I live at House No. 7 on the sixth street outside the city; come find me there," Li Fan bowed and turned to leave.
“ rú cǐ ， biàn zhè me shuō dìng le 。 wǒ zhù zài chéng wài liù zòng dì qī hào fáng wū ， nǐ men kě qù nà lǐ xún wǒ 。” lǐ fán gǒng gǒng shǒu ， zhuǎn shēn lí qù 。
“如此，便这么说定了。我住在城外六纵第七号房屋，你们可去那里寻我。”李凡拱拱手，转身离去。
Only Sun Zhang and the woman remained in the room.
fáng jiān lǐ zhǐ shèng xià le huáng yī nǚ zǐ hé sūn zhāng èr rén 。
房间里只剩下了黄衣女子和孙章二人。
After a long silence, Sun Zhang couldn’t help but say, "Master, thatquotafor the Purification Spirit Pool..."
chén mò le xǔ jiǔ ， sūn zhāng rěn bú zhù shuō dào ：“ zhǎng guì de ， nà jìng tǐ líng chí de míng é ……”
沉默了许久，孙章忍不住说道：“掌柜的，那净体灵池的名额……”
"Although thequotafor the Purification Spirit Pool is fiercely contested every year on the island, Tianbao Tower isn’t without the strength to compete. Moreover, if he can secure a ship fleet, it would take only five years for the profits from the ship to roughly match one slot. This is a sure thing," the woman said dismissively.
“ jìng tǐ líng chí de míng é suī rán měi nián dǎo shàng zhēng qiǎng de dōu hěn lì hài ， dàn wǒ men tiān bǎo lóu yě bú shì méi yǒu shí lì yī zhēng 。 gèng hé kuàng ruò shì tā zhēn de néng zhēng qǔ dào yī zhī chū hǎi chuán duì de huà ， zhǐ xū wǔ nián zuǒ yòu ， chuán duì dài lái de lì rùn jiù miǎn qiǎng kě yǐ dǐ de shàng yí gè míng é le 。 cǐ shì wěn zhuàn bù péi 。” huáng yī nǚ zǐ bù yǐ wéi rán 。
“净体灵池的名额虽然每年岛上争抢的都很厉害，但我们天宝楼也不是没有实力一争。更何况若是他真的能争取到一只出海船队的话，只需五年左右，船队带来的利润就勉强可以抵得上一个名额了。此事稳赚不赔。”黄衣女子不以为然。
"Indeed..." She frowned prettily and looked in the direction Li Fan had left, muttering to herself.
“ dǎo shì ……” tā zhòu qǐ le hǎo kàn de méi tóu ， kàn zhe lǐ fán lí qù de fāng xiàng ， zì yán zì yǔ 。
“倒是……”她皱起了好看的眉头，看着李凡离去的方向，自言自语。
"What?" Sun Zhang couldn’t help but ask.
“ shén me ？” sūn zhāng rěn bú zhù wèn dào 。
“什么？”孙章忍不住问道。
"That man’s gaze looks terrifying..." The woman patted her chest as if she was still shaken.
“ nà rén de yǎn shén kàn qǐ lái hǎo xià rén ……” huáng yī nǚ zǐ pāi le pāi xiōng pú ， sì hū yǒu xiē xīn yǒu yú jì 。
“那人的眼神看起来好吓人……”黄衣女子拍了拍胸脯，似乎有些心有余悸。
Sun Zhang was taken aback.
sūn zhāng yī zhèn è rán 。
孙章一阵愕然。
...
……
……
On his way back, Li Fan stopped by a pharmacy to buy the "Xuánguāng Qīngxīn Zòu" and its accompanying herbs.
huí qù de lù shàng ， lǐ fán shùn lù zài yào diàn zhōng mǎi le 《 xuán huáng qīng xīn zhòu 》 hé xiāng pèi tào de yào cái 。
回去的路上，李凡顺路在药店中买了《玄黄清心咒》和相配套的药材。
Even if everything went smoothly, there were still two years until he could enter the Purification Spirit Pool.
jiù suàn yī qiè shùn lì ， lí jìng tǐ líng chí kāi qǐ hái yào liǎng nián 。
就算一切顺利，离净体灵池开启还要两年。
He couldn’t afford to waste this time; instead, he decided to practice the "Xuánguāng Qīngxīn Zòu" to see how it worked. Maybe his talent was extraordinary, and he could rid himself of the miasma in less than two years?
zhè me zhǎng shí jiān kě bù néng huāng fèi 。
这么长时间可不能荒废。
For several days, Li Fan stayed at home practicing, waiting for an opportunity to meet Mr. Zhào.
bù rú xiān xiū xíng 《 xuán huáng qīng xīn zhòu 》 kàn kàn xiào guǒ ， shuō bù dìng tā lǐ fán tiān zī jīng rén ， bù yòng liǎng nián shí jiān jiù néng zì jǐ qū chú yī shēn zhàng qì ne ？
不如先修行《玄黄清心咒》看看效果，说不定他李凡天资惊人，不用两年时间就能自己祛除一身瘴气呢？
Who would have thought that before even seeing Mr. Zhào's face, Li Fan heard a shocking piece of news: Su Changyu had died.
Although Sun Zhang chose to avoid him, Li Fan wouldn't give up so easily.
From the way he had spoken comfortingly to Su Changyu on that day, this person was at least not a villain. The reason for his cold demeanor before might have just been to avoid getting too entangled with ordinary people from the Realm of Immortal Desolation.
Li Fan preferred dealing with those who knew more about the situation rather than strangers.
Thus, Li Fan returned and approached Tianbao Tower once again.
"You brat, why are you back? Are you trying to find your death?" The large man in black at the door looked alertly at Li Fan and said viciously.
Li Fan smiled slightly. "I came here to do business with Tianbao Tower. You want to chase me away without even talking about it. Is this how Tianbao Tower welcomes guests?"
Li Fan deliberately raised his voice, drawing the attention of those around him.
"You..." The large man immediately grew angry and was about to attack, but someone beside him held him back.
After returning to seek permission, the large man led Li Fan in with a somewhat uneasy expression.
Arriving at a guest room, a maid brought in a cup of tea.
Li Fan sipped slowly, feeling a warm current flow from his stomach throughout his body after drinking it. In just a moment, he felt as if he had been basking in the sun for half a day during winter, feeling warm all over and even slightly feverish.
"Good tea!" Li Fan couldn't help but praise it.
"Dàyú Yànlóng, grows around the underwater volcanoes near Dàyú Island. There are only a few dozen of them left. Now that Dàyú Island has been destroyed, these Dàyú Yànlóng have temporarily become supreme-grade treasures," said Sun Zhang with a smile as he walked in.
"That does indeed benefit from your favor, Elder Sun." Li Fan didn't hesitate to finish the rest of his tea.
Only after putting down the teacup did Sun Zhang narrow his eyes and slowly ask, "The matter regarding Dàlǐ is now settled. There should be no more entanglements between us. Why have you come looking for me?"
Sun Zhang's tone was unkind, with a hidden murderous intent in his eyes, as if he would kill Li Fan if his answer wasn't satisfactory.
Li Fan didn’t pay attention to Sun Zhang’s accusation and instead smiled, "Elder Sun, I misunderstood. I indeed came here to discuss business."
"Business? Just you?" Sun Zhang was first taken aback, then sneered at Li Fan as he sized him up.
Li Fan's expression remained unchanged, and he said nothing in return.
Seeing this, Sun Zhang gradually became serious. "What kind of business?"
"I wonder if Tianbao Pavilion is interested in thequotaof a ship fleet for overseas voyages," Li Fan said slowly.
"Every time a ship fleet sets sail, not only can they occasionally find rare treasures, but even just the Lustrous Fish and other sea specialties are enough to make us rich. If we at Tianbao Tower have no interest, that’s impossible."
"But thequotaof the ship fleet is tightly controlled by Mr. Qian. Not only would it be hard for us at Tianbao Tower, but even for Mr. Zhào, getting an extra one would be extremely difficult," Sun Zhang stared intently at Li Fan as if trying to read his mind.
"If I can meet Mr. Zhào, I have a way to persuade him," Li Fan said with confidence.
Seeing Li Fan's certainty, Sun Zhang was momentarily unsure of what to do.
"Then let me introduce you to Mr. Zhào; it’s not difficult. If things don’t work out, just cut him up and throw him into the sea for the fish," a lazy voice came from outside at that moment.
Li Fan’s eyes narrowed as he saw a woman in light yellow clothes with a veil walk in.
The woman sounded only about seventeen or eighteen years old, but her curvaceous figure exuded an alluring maturity.
"Meeting you, Master," Sun Zhang stood up immediately and respectfully greeted the woman.
"So thank you for that." Li Fan responded normally as he bowed slightly.
"You seem to have some confidence; it doesn’t look like empty talk," the woman said with a tilted head as she sat opposite Li Fan, looking curiously at him.
"I always keep my word and never break a promise," Li Fan replied frankly.
The woman chuckled lightly.
"If this really works out, Tianbao Tower will need to take its share of the benefits."
"According to island rules, we can retain thirty percent of each harvest. I won’t take any of that; half will go to Mr. Zhào and the other half to your Tianbao Tower," Li Fan agreed, shocking everyone.
The woman was stunned for a moment.
She carefully examined Li Fan again: "That’s odd. If so, what do you want?"
"I just need thequotato enter the Purification Spirit Pool every three years." Li Fan admitted.
"Ah..." The woman was truly shocked and looked at Li Fan several times as if to confirm she hadn’t heard wrong.
Li Fan met her gaze with a firm expression.
"Hahaha..." The woman burst out laughing, seemingly hearing something particularly funny.
"Please, sir, you’re so old; do you want to learn cultivation from others?" She stopped laughing after a while and said reluctantly before breaking into laughter again.
Sun Zhang looked at Li Fan, equally bewildered.
Li Fan just stared silently at the woman.
The woman's laughter gradually subsided.
"Hah... Hah..."
Finally, she chuckled dryly and recovered her composure.
"Seeking eternal life; I won’t regret it even if I die," Li Fan said calmly.
The woman remained silent for a long time.
"Alright, I agree to this. When the date is set, I will send someone to notify you."
"So be it. I live at House No. 7 on the sixth street outside the city; come find me there," Li Fan bowed and turned to leave.
Only Sun Zhang and the woman remained in the room.
After a long silence, Sun Zhang couldn’t help but say, "Master, thatquotafor the Purification Spirit Pool..."
"Although thequotafor the Purification Spirit Pool is fiercely contested every year on the island, Tianbao Tower isn’t without the strength to compete. Moreover, if he can secure a ship fleet, it would take only five years for the profits from the ship to roughly match one slot. This is a sure thing," the woman said dismissively.
"Indeed..." She frowned prettily and looked in the direction Li Fan had left, muttering to herself.
"What?" Sun Zhang couldn’t help but ask.
"That man’s gaze looks terrifying..." The woman patted her chest as if she was still shaken.
Sun Zhang was taken aback.
...
On his way back, Li Fan stopped by a pharmacy to buy the "Xuánguāng Qīngxīn Zòu" and its accompanying herbs.
Even if everything went smoothly, there were still two years until he could enter the Purification Spirit Pool.
He couldn’t afford to waste this time; instead, he decided to practice the "Xuánguāng Qīngxīn Zòu" to see how it worked. Maybe his talent was extraordinary, and he could rid himself of the miasma in less than two years?
For several days, Li Fan stayed at home practicing, waiting for an opportunity to meet Mr. Zhào.
Who would have thought that before even seeing Mr. Zhào's face, Li Fan heard a shocking piece of news: Su Changyu had died.