zhōu qīng áng suō le suō bó zi ， biǎo shì zì jǐ zhī dào cuò le 。
周青昂缩了缩脖子，表示自己知道错了。
Zhou Qingang drew his neck in, indicating he knew he was wrong.
rén liǎn jiàn zhuàng ， miàn sè shāo huǎn ：“ cǐ shì shì guān zhòng dà ， qí zhōng nèi mù ， jí biàn shì wǒ ， yě wú fǎ jǐn zhī 。”
人脸见状，面色稍缓：“此事事关重大，其中内幕，即便是我，也无法尽知。”
The man's face softened slightly. "This matter is of great importance, and even I cannot fully know all the details."
“ bù guò néng kěn dìng de shì ， wǒ men zhè cì zhàn guǒ pǒ fēng 。”
“不过能肯定的是，我们这次战果颇丰。”
"But we can be certain that our recent achievements are considerable," he said with a hint of excitement in his voice. "Moreover, the attitude from above towards us has improved significantly recently."
tā yǔ qì zhōng nán miǎn dài shàng le yī sī kàng fèn ：“ shùn dài zhe lián shàng miàn duì wǒ men de tài dù ， zuì jìn dōu hǎo le bù shǎo 。”
他语气中难免带上了一丝亢奋：“顺带着连上面对我们的态度，最近都好了不少。”
"The funding has also been unusually generous, more than doubled."
“ jīng fèi gèng shì nán dé dà fāng ， jiā le yí bèi yǒu yú 。”
“经费更是难得大方，加了一倍有余。”
"What about my share?" Zhou Qingang quickly interjected.
“ nà wǒ de nà fèn ne ？” zhōu qīng áng lián máng hǎn dào 。
“那我的那份呢？”周青昂连忙喊道。
"Humph, what's the rush? I've never shortchanged you before," the man scolded.
“ hēng ， jí shén me ， wǒ shén me shí hòu shǎo guò nǐ men de 。” rén liǎn xùn chì dào 。
“哼，急什么，我什么时候少过你们的。”人脸训斥道。
"This time, when we make the transaction, hand over the supplies needed by Li Fan to you together."
“ zhè cì jiāo yì de shí hòu ， gēn lǐ fán suǒ xū yào de wù zī ， yì qǐ jiāo gěi nǐ 。”
“这次交易的时候，跟李凡所需要的物资，一起交给你。”
"Thank you, boss!" Zhou Qingang said happily. "Though I'm doing well now and often receive various gifts from cultivators, no one would ever complain about having too much money..."
“ xiè xiè lǎo dà ！” zhōu qīng áng měi zī zī dì shuō dào 。“ suī shuō wǒ xiàn zài hùn de bù cuò ， shí cháng néng shōu dào xiū shì sòng de gè zhǒng lǐ pǐn 。 bù guò shuí yě bú huì xián qián duō bú shì ……”
“谢谢老大！”周青昂美滋滋地说道。“虽说我现在混的不错，时常能收到修士送的各种礼品。不过谁也不会嫌钱多不是……”
"Enough, don't get too cocky. I never expected you to become the overall commander this time. It seems that choosing He Zhenghao was a wise move."
“ hǎo le ， bié tài dé yì wàng xíng 。 zhè cì nǐ néng dāng shàng zǒng zhǐ huī ， wǒ yě shì méi xiǎng dào de 。 kàn lái dāng chū zǒu hé zhèng hào zhè bù qí ， hái zhēn shì zǒu duì le 。”
“好了，别太得意忘形。这次你能当上总指挥，我也是没想到的。看来当初走何正浩这步棋，还真是走对了。”
The man pondered for a moment before giving further instructions: "He Zhenghao and Li Fan both have deep backgrounds behind them. You must maintain good relations with them."
rén liǎn chén yín piàn kè ， yòu fēn fù dào ：“ hé zhèng hào 、 lǐ fán ， zhè liǎng rén bèi hòu jiē shì yǒu hěn shēn de bèi jǐng ， nǐ yào wéi hù hǎo hé tā men de guān xì 。”
人脸沉吟片刻，又吩咐道：“何正浩、李凡，这两人背后皆是有很深的背景，你要维护好和他们的关系。”
"Once Congyun City is rebuilt, even if Li Fan doesn't become the true lord of Congyun Island, his status will certainly be high. Following him will likely speed up your own advancement much more. The future looks bright. By then, you might have truly infiltrated the enemy."
“ děng cóng yún chéng chóng xīn jiàn chéng ， lǐ fán jiù suàn dāng bù shàng zhēn zhèng de cóng yún dǎo zhǔ ， dì wèi kěn dìng yě bú huì dī 。 nǐ gēn zài tā hòu miàn ， bǐ qǐ zì jǐ yí gè rén màn màn dǎ pīn ， jìn shēng yào kuài duō le 。 kě wèi qián tú wú liàng 。 dào shí hòu ， jiù suàn shì zhēn zhèng dǎ rù dí rén nèi bù le 。”
“等丛云城重新建成，李凡就算当不上真正的丛云岛主，地位肯定也不会低。你跟在他后面，比起自己一个人慢慢打拼，晋升要快多了。可谓前途无量。到时候，就算是真正打入敌人内部了。”
"This time, we helped them through this difficult situation. Next time they need us, it won't be possible to refuse."
“ zhè cì wǒ men chū shǒu ， zhù tā men dù guò cǐ nán guān 。 děng xià cì xū yào tā men de shí hòu ， kǒng pà jiù bù róng jù jué le ba 。”
“这次我们出手，助他们渡过此难关。等下次需要他们的时候，恐怕就不容拒绝了吧。”
The man suddenly let out a low chuckle.
rén liǎn hū de fā chū yī zhèn dī chén de xiào shēng 。
人脸忽的发出一阵低沉的笑声。
"Brilliant move by the boss!" Zhou Qingang praised him.
“ lǎo dà yīng míng ！” zhōu qīng áng chēng zàn dào 。
“老大英明！”周青昂称赞道。
After discussing some details of the transaction, the man ended the communication.
liǎng rén yòu shāng yì le yī fān jiāo yì xì jié ， suí hòu rén liǎn zhōng duàn le tōng xùn 。
两人又商议了一番交易细节，随后人脸中断了通讯。
Zhou Qingang returned to the bustling construction site of Congyun Immortal City as if nothing had happened. He strode around with an air of triumph.
zhōu qīng áng zé shì ruò wú qí shì de ， yī lù fǎn huí le rè huǒ cháo tiān de cóng yún xiān chéng jiàn zào xiàn chǎng 。
周青昂则是若无其事的，一路返回了热火朝天的丛云仙城建造现场。
"The scene captured on that day when Wanxian Island experienced a strange change..." Li Fan pondered for a moment and took out a recording stone.
yào wǔ yáng wēi bān de sì chù xún shì qǐ lái 。
耀武扬威般的四处巡视起来。
The light from the Daoist Stone in his mind flowed, meticulously recording everything that happened that day.
“ wàn xiān dǎo fā shēng yì biàn nà rì de liú yǐng jǐng xiàng ……” lǐ fán sī suǒ le piàn kè ， qǔ chū yī méi liú yǐng shí 。
“万仙岛发生异变那日的留影景象……”李凡思索了片刻，取出一枚留影石。
In no time, it was completed.
nǎo hǎi zhōng huà dào shí guāng máng liú zhuǎn ， jiāng dāng rì fā shēng de yī qiè ， quán dōu shì wú jù xì de kè lù qí zhōng 。
脑海中化道石光芒流转，将当日发生的一切，全都事无巨细的刻录其中。
Li Fan, as usual, double-checked it. However, he found an issue.
qǐng kè jiān ， jiù yǐ jīng wán gōng 。
顷刻间，就已经完工。
The image failed to record the green substance that had destroyed the martial arts hall.
lǐ fán chū yú xí guàn ， yòu hé duì le yī biàn 。
李凡出于习惯，又核对了一遍。
Looking back at the recording stone, all he saw were buildings and more than ten cultivators mysteriously disappearing, while the cultivators were in a state of panic, desperately trying to flee.
zhè yī kàn ， què shì fā xiàn le wèn tí 。
这一看，却是发现了问题。
Later, Lu Chief arrived on the scene, his actions to prevent things from getting out of hand seemed rather comical.
yǐng xiàng zhōng ， gēn běn wú fǎ jì lù nà mǒ cuī huǐ le yǎn wǔ táng de “ lǜ sè ”。
影像中，根本无法记录那抹摧毁了演武堂的“绿色”。
"Unrecordable...?"
huí kàn liú yǐng shí ， suǒ jiàn dào jiù shì zhěng zuò jiàn zhù yǐ jí shí duō míng xiū shì mò míng píng kōng xiāo shī ， ér xiū shì men zé shì jīng jù wú bǐ 、 zhēng xiān kǒng hòu de xiǎng yào táo pǎo 。
回看留影石，所见到就是整座建筑以及十多名修士莫名凭空消失，而修士们则是惊惧无比、争先恐后的想要逃跑。
Li Fan tapped his fingers, lost in thought. Having spent centuries in the Daoist Illusion Realm, Li Fan knew many secrets that ordinary cultivators would never discover.
ér hòu lái lù shǒu xí qīn zhì ， wèi le fáng zhǐ shì tài shī kòng de suǒ zuò suǒ wéi ， nà yí mù kàn qǐ lái yě xiǎn de pǒ wèi huá jī 。
而后来陆首席亲至，为了防止事态失控的所作所为，那一幕看起来也显得颇为滑稽。
Some were slowly fading with time, but some still lingered in his mind.
“ bù kě jì me ……”
“不可记么……”
"Just like the entity lurking above Yuan Dao State, there are indeed terrifying existences that cannot be recorded."
lǐ fán shǒu zhǐ qīng qiāo ， xiàn rù le chén sī 。
李凡手指轻敲，陷入了沉思。
"Whether it's paper and pen or jade tablets, other methods can't capture them."
zài dà dào zōng huàn jìng zhōng dài le shù bǎi nián ， lǐ fán yě zhī dào le xǔ duō rú jīn xún cháng xiū shì wú fǎ zhī xiǎo de zhǒng zhǒng yǐn mì 。
在大道宗幻境中待了数百年，李凡也知道了许多如今寻常修士无法知晓的种种隐秘。
"The restrictions might even erase these memories from people's minds."
yǒu xiē suí zhe huí dào xiàn shí ér màn màn wàng què ， dàn yǒu xiē què réng rán hái cún zài yú nǎo hǎi zhōng 。
有些随着回到现实而慢慢忘却，但有些却仍然还存在于脑海中。
"But, all of this is based on their actual existence..."
“ jiù xiàng pán jù zài yuán dào zhōu shàng kōng de 【 tā 】 yī yàng ， shì jiān dí què yǒu zhǒng zhǒng wú fǎ bèi jì lù de kě bù cún zài 。”
“就像盘踞在源道州上空的【它】一样，世间的确有种种无法被记录的可怖存在。”
A glint flashed in Li Fan's mind.
“ wú lùn shì zhǐ bǐ 、 yù jiǎn ， hái shì qí tā fāng fǎ ， dōu wú fǎ jiāng qí jì lù 。”
“无论是纸笔、玉简，还是其他方法，都无法将其记录。”
"It seems such unrecordable phenomena didn't occur a year ago."
“ xiàn zhì zhī lì zài qiáng yì diǎn ， shèn zhì huì cóng rén men de jì yì zhōng xiāo shī 。”
“限制之力再强一点，甚至会从人们的记忆中消失。”
"Does that mean the Xuan Network has already appeared?"
“ dàn ， zhè yī qiè de qián tí shì ， zhè xiē dōng xī de zhēn shí cún zài de ……”
“但，这一切的前提是，这些东西的真实存在的……”
Li Fan was slightly startled. "Without large-scale construction of Heavenly Xuan Locking Spirit Arrays, it suggests this is likely just an early stage."
lǐ fán xīn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī jīng guāng 。
李凡心中闪过一丝精光。
"The Immortal Alliance has consistently mobilized elite forces over these years, not idle at all. The unprecedented actions by the Five Elders must be related to this."
“ sì hū zài yī nián qián ， hái méi yǒu fā shēng guò zhè zhǒng wú fǎ jì lù de xiàn xiàng 。”
“似乎在一年前，还没有发生过这种无法记录的现象。”
...
“ zhè me shuō lái ， xuán wǎng rú jīn yǐ jīng xiàn shì le ？”
“这么说来，玄网如今已经现世了？”
After much contemplation, Li Fan looked at the recording stone in his hand and decided not to make any further modifications.
lǐ fán xīn zhōng wēi wēi yī jīng 。
李凡心中微微一惊。
The Wanxian Island Xuan Network had already been around for so long, and now that the Five Elders suddenly brought up old matters again, Li Fan suspected their target was likely still the elusive Sun Changyu.
“ méi yǒu dà guī mó jiàn zào tiān xuán suǒ líng zhèn ， kàn lái ， hěn dà de kě néng zhǐ shì chú xíng 。”
“没有大规模建造天玄锁灵阵，看来，很大的可能只是雏形。”
Not just the Five Elders, but even the Immortal Alliance had been searching for him. Under such scrutiny from the two largest forces in Xuanhuang Realm, this Sun Qixuan truly had some skills.
“ zhè xiē nián wàn xiān méng yì zhí chōu diào jīng ruì lì liàng ， dí què méi yǒu xián zhe 。 wǔ lǎo huì pò tiān huāng de dà dòng zuò ， kàn lái yě gēn cǐ tuō bù liǎo gān xì 。”
“这些年万仙盟一直抽调精锐力量，的确没有闲着。五老会破天荒的大动作，看来也跟此脱不了干系。”
"Perhaps he's not intentionally hiding; it might be that his injuries are too severe to maintain consciousness."
……
……
Shaking his head, Li Fan stopped thinking about it further.
chén sī xǔ jiǔ ， lǐ fán kàn zhuó shǒu zhōng de liú yǐng shí ， méi yǒu zài qù huà shé tiān zú 、 duō zuò xiū gǎi 。
沉思许久，李凡看着手中的留影石，没有再去画蛇添足、多做修改。
Li Fan found an opportunity and handed over the recording stone and the reconstruction plan of Congyun Immortal City to his doppelgänger "Zhou Qingang." Ten days later, Zhou Qingang passed these highly classified items on to Faceless Stone Man.
wàn xiān dǎo xuán wǎng yì biàn yǐ jīng guò qù zhè me zhǎng shí jiān ， rú jīn wǔ lǎo huì hū de yòu jiù shì chóng tí ， lǐ fán cāi cè ， tā men mù biāo hěn yǒu kě néng hái shì nà wèi bú jiàn zōng jì de gōng sūn zhǎng lǎo 。
万仙岛玄网异变已经过去这么长时间，如今五老会忽的又旧事重提，李凡猜测，他们目标很有可能还是那位不见踪迹的公孙长老。
After confirmation, Faceless Stone Man was elated and gave him a storage ring filled with strategic supplies. Thus, this crisis was easily resolved by Li Fan.
bù jǐn jǐn shì wǔ lǎo huì ， lián wàn xiān méng yě yì zhí dōu zài zhǎo tā 。
不仅仅是五老会，连万仙盟也一直都在找他。
With ample resources, the construction of Congyun Immortal City accelerated once more. Li Fan frequently appeared, showing his commitment to the project. His subordinates were also highly motivated.
néng zài xuán huáng jiè zuì dà de liǎng gǔ shì lì de sōu xún xià ， yì zhí bú jiàn rén yǐng 。
能在玄黄界最大的两股势力的搜寻下，一直不见人影。
However, one group was restless.
zhè wèi gōng sūn qǐ xuán ， dàng zhēn yǒu diǎn shǒu duàn 。
这位公孙启玄，当真有点手段。
On Du Chen Boat, in a dimly lit room,
“ kǒng pà tā yě bú shì gù yì duǒ cáng ， gèng duō de kě néng ， shì shòu shāng tài zhòng 、 shī qù le zì jǐ yì shí yě shuō bù dìng 。”
“恐怕他也不是故意躲藏，更多的可能，是受伤太重、失去了自己意识也说不定。”
"Zhou Kebao, it's your fault for coming up with this idea!"
yáo yáo tóu ， bù zài duō xiǎng 。
摇摇头，不再多想。
"Yeah, at this point, why are you still acting so casual? Don't you see that Congyun City is almost finished?"
lǐ fán zhǎo le jī huì ， jiāng liú yǐng shí hé cóng yún xiān chéng de chóng jiàn lán tú jiāo gěi le fēn shēn “ zhōu qīng áng ”。
李凡找了机会，将留影石和丛云仙城的重建蓝图交给了分身“周青昂”。
"You said back then that Li Fan was just pretending to be calm. What do you say now?"
shí tiān hòu ， zhōu qīng áng yòu jiāng zhè liǎng yàng jué mì ， jiāo gěi liǎo duàn shí rén liǎn 。
十天后，周青昂又将这两样绝密，交给了断石人脸。
...
jīng guò què rèn hòu ， rén liǎn xīn xǐ ruò kuáng 。
经过确认后，人脸欣喜若狂。
Zhou Kebao's face turned red and white as his companions berated him.
yě méi yǒu huǐ yuē ， jiāng yī méi zhuāng mǎn le zhàn lüè wù zī de chǔ wù jiè jiāo le chū lái 。
也没有毁约，将一枚装满了战略物资的储物戒交了出来。
He tried to defend himself, "There must be something strange! There must be!"
zhì cǐ ， zhè chǎng wēi jī jiù bèi lǐ fán qīng yì huà jiě 。
至此，这场危机就被李凡轻易化解。
"Earlier, I heard that the supplies were clearly insufficient."
yǒu le chōng zú de wù zī zhī chí ， cóng yún xiān chéng de jiàn zào jìn dù zài dù jiā kuài 。
有了充足的物资支持，丛云仙城的建造进度再度加快。
"How can they suddenly become so abundant?"
lǐ fán pín pín lòu miàn ， xiǎn shì chū zì jǐ duì zhè xiàng gōng chéng de zhòng shì 。
李凡频频露面，显示出自己对这项工程的重视。
"These are strictly controlled strategic supplies; we couldn't buy them even if we wanted to!"
shǒu dǐ xià de xiū shì yě shì shí fēn chōng mǎn le gàn jìn 。
手底下的修士也是十分充满了干劲。
Zhou Kebao's face was full of confusion. His eyes darted around as he tried to uncover this great secret.
wéi dú yǒu yī huǒ rén ， chè dǐ zuò bú zhù le 。
唯独有一伙人，彻底坐不住了。
However, his words failed to convince everyone present.
dù chén zhōu shàng ， yī jiān yīn àn de xiǎo fáng jiān zhōng 。
渡尘舟上，一间阴暗的小房间中。
"What should we do now?"
“ zhōu kè bǎo ， nǐ chū de sōu zhǔ yì ！”
“周克宝，你出的搜主意！”
"If Li Fan completes the construction of the city, won't all our supplies be wasted?"
“ jiù shì ， dào zhè guān tóu le ， hái bǎi shén me pǔ a ！ méi kàn dào nà cóng yún chéng ， dōu kuài jiàn hǎo le ma ？”
“就是，到这关头了，还摆什么普啊！没看到那丛云城，都快建好了嘛？”
"Even if it's a loss, what if Li Fan turns us in? How will we handle that?"
“ nǐ bú shì dāng chū chéng zhú zài xiōng ， shuō nà lǐ fán yí dìng shì zhuāng chū lái de zhèn dìng ma ？ xiàn zài zěn me shuō ？”
“你不是当初成竹在胸，说那李凡一定是装出来的镇定吗？现在怎么说？”
"Zhou Kebao, solve your own trouble. Go find Li Fan and negotiate!"
zhōu kè bǎo tīng zhe tóng bàn men bù tíng de zé bèi shēng ， liǎn shàng yī zhèn qīng yī zhèn bái 。
周克宝听着同伴们不停的责备声，脸上一阵青一阵白。
The group argued loudly, causing Zhou Kebao to lose his focus.
tā wèi zì jǐ biàn jiě dào ：“ yǒu gǔ guài ！ kěn dìng yǒu gǔ guài ！”
他为自己辩解道：“有古怪！肯定有古怪！”
That fleeting glimmer of insight was lost. Faced with the situation, Zhou Kebao sighed and submitted.
“ qián duàn shí jiān ， wǒ dǎ tīng dào de xiāo xī míng míng shì wù zī dí què bù gòu yòng 。”
“前段时间，我打听到的消息明明是物资的确不够用。”
Thus, a day later, Zhou Kebao found Li Fan without any tricks, explaining the entire story sincerely.
“ zěn me zhè me kuài ， wù zī jiù yòu chōng yù le ？”
“怎么这么快，物资就又充裕了？”
"Friend Daoist, you outplayed me by one move; we didn't deserve to lose."
“ zhè xiē kě dōu shì shòu dào yán gé kòng zhì de zhàn lüè wù zī ， xiǎng mǎi yě mǎi bú dào a ！”
“这些可都是受到严格控制的战略物资，想买也买不到啊！”
"But from the beginning, this was Dantai Can's idea. We were just momentarily deceived..." Zhou Kebao admitted shamefully.
zhōu kè bǎo de liǎn shàng mǎn shì yí huò 。
周克宝的脸上满是疑惑。
Androids and iPhones are welcome.】
yǎn zhū fēi kuài zhuǎn dòng ， sì hū xiǎng yào cān pò zhè qí zhōng de dà mì mì 。
眼珠飞快转动，似乎想要参破这其中的大秘密。
Li Fan smiled but said nothing.
dàn shì tā zhè xí huà ， xiǎn rán bù néng shuō fú zài chǎng de suǒ yǒu rén 。
但是他这席话，显然不能说服在场的所有人。
"So why did you come to find me now?"
Zhou Qingang drew his neck in, indicating he knew he was wrong.
The man's face softened slightly. "This matter is of great importance, and even I cannot fully know all the details."
"But we can be certain that our recent achievements are considerable," he said with a hint of excitement in his voice. "Moreover, the attitude from above towards us has improved significantly recently."
"The funding has also been unusually generous, more than doubled."
"What about my share?" Zhou Qingang quickly interjected.
"Humph, what's the rush? I've never shortchanged you before," the man scolded.
"This time, when we make the transaction, hand over the supplies needed by Li Fan to you together."
"Thank you, boss!" Zhou Qingang said happily. "Though I'm doing well now and often receive various gifts from cultivators, no one would ever complain about having too much money..."
"Enough, don't get too cocky. I never expected you to become the overall commander this time. It seems that choosing He Zhenghao was a wise move."
The man pondered for a moment before giving further instructions: "He Zhenghao and Li Fan both have deep backgrounds behind them. You must maintain good relations with them."
"Once Congyun City is rebuilt, even if Li Fan doesn't become the true lord of Congyun Island, his status will certainly be high. Following him will likely speed up your own advancement much more. The future looks bright. By then, you might have truly infiltrated the enemy."
"This time, we helped them through this difficult situation. Next time they need us, it won't be possible to refuse."
The man suddenly let out a low chuckle.
"Brilliant move by the boss!" Zhou Qingang praised him.
After discussing some details of the transaction, the man ended the communication.
Zhou Qingang returned to the bustling construction site of Congyun Immortal City as if nothing had happened. He strode around with an air of triumph.
"The scene captured on that day when Wanxian Island experienced a strange change..." Li Fan pondered for a moment and took out a recording stone.
The light from the Daoist Stone in his mind flowed, meticulously recording everything that happened that day.
In no time, it was completed.
Li Fan, as usual, double-checked it. However, he found an issue.
The image failed to record the green substance that had destroyed the martial arts hall.
Looking back at the recording stone, all he saw were buildings and more than ten cultivators mysteriously disappearing, while the cultivators were in a state of panic, desperately trying to flee.
Later, Lu Chief arrived on the scene, his actions to prevent things from getting out of hand seemed rather comical.
"Unrecordable...?"
Li Fan tapped his fingers, lost in thought. Having spent centuries in the Daoist Illusion Realm, Li Fan knew many secrets that ordinary cultivators would never discover.
Some were slowly fading with time, but some still lingered in his mind.
"Just like the entity lurking above Yuan Dao State, there are indeed terrifying existences that cannot be recorded."
"Whether it's paper and pen or jade tablets, other methods can't capture them."
"The restrictions might even erase these memories from people's minds."
"But, all of this is based on their actual existence..."
A glint flashed in Li Fan's mind.
"It seems such unrecordable phenomena didn't occur a year ago."
"Does that mean the Xuan Network has already appeared?"
Li Fan was slightly startled. "Without large-scale construction of Heavenly Xuan Locking Spirit Arrays, it suggests this is likely just an early stage."
"The Immortal Alliance has consistently mobilized elite forces over these years, not idle at all. The unprecedented actions by the Five Elders must be related to this."
...
After much contemplation, Li Fan looked at the recording stone in his hand and decided not to make any further modifications.
The Wanxian Island Xuan Network had already been around for so long, and now that the Five Elders suddenly brought up old matters again, Li Fan suspected their target was likely still the elusive Sun Changyu.
Not just the Five Elders, but even the Immortal Alliance had been searching for him. Under such scrutiny from the two largest forces in Xuanhuang Realm, this Sun Qixuan truly had some skills.
"Perhaps he's not intentionally hiding; it might be that his injuries are too severe to maintain consciousness."
Shaking his head, Li Fan stopped thinking about it further.
Li Fan found an opportunity and handed over the recording stone and the reconstruction plan of Congyun Immortal City to his doppelgänger "Zhou Qingang." Ten days later, Zhou Qingang passed these highly classified items on to Faceless Stone Man.
After confirmation, Faceless Stone Man was elated and gave him a storage ring filled with strategic supplies. Thus, this crisis was easily resolved by Li Fan.
With ample resources, the construction of Congyun Immortal City accelerated once more. Li Fan frequently appeared, showing his commitment to the project. His subordinates were also highly motivated.
However, one group was restless.
On Du Chen Boat, in a dimly lit room,
"Zhou Kebao, it's your fault for coming up with this idea!"
"Yeah, at this point, why are you still acting so casual? Don't you see that Congyun City is almost finished?"
"You said back then that Li Fan was just pretending to be calm. What do you say now?"
...
Zhou Kebao's face turned red and white as his companions berated him.
He tried to defend himself, "There must be something strange! There must be!"
"Earlier, I heard that the supplies were clearly insufficient."
"How can they suddenly become so abundant?"
"These are strictly controlled strategic supplies; we couldn't buy them even if we wanted to!"
Zhou Kebao's face was full of confusion. His eyes darted around as he tried to uncover this great secret.
However, his words failed to convince everyone present.
"What should we do now?"
"If Li Fan completes the construction of the city, won't all our supplies be wasted?"
"Even if it's a loss, what if Li Fan turns us in? How will we handle that?"
"Zhou Kebao, solve your own trouble. Go find Li Fan and negotiate!"
...
The group argued loudly, causing Zhou Kebao to lose his focus.
That fleeting glimmer of insight was lost. Faced with the situation, Zhou Kebao sighed and submitted.
Thus, a day later, Zhou Kebao found Li Fan without any tricks, explaining the entire story sincerely.
"Friend Daoist, you outplayed me by one move; we didn't deserve to lose."
"But from the beginning, this was Dantai Can's idea. We were just momentarily deceived..." Zhou Kebao admitted shamefully.
Androids and iPhones are welcome.】
Li Fan smiled but said nothing.
"So why did you come to find me now?"