Yin Yuzhen had a premonition that as long as she helped Li Fan, boundless benefits would follow in the future. Although she didn't know what achievements this uncle might accomplish later, Yin Yuzhen chose to trust her intuition and did everything she could to assist Li Fan.
Under Yin Yuzhen's directive, the Treasure Pavilion began operating at full capacity. While collecting meteorite iron, they also purchased a large amount of unrelated materials to cover their tracks. Other forces on Glass Island noticed the unusual activity of the Treasure Pavilion and secretly sent people to investigate. However, with Yin Yuzhen's prior preparations, they found nothing substantial.
Instead, the Treasure Pavilion, following Li Fan's idea, spread false information about the Starsea Quicksand. Other forces, suspecting deception, initially chose to observe. However, one group, thinking "buy first, even if it's fake, it can be resold," began purchasing items related to the rumors. Consequently, they couldn't sit still and joined the buying frenzy. For a time, prices on Glass Island soared, and chaos ensued.
As the instigator of all this, Li Fan quietly stayed in the Listening Tranquility Pavilion cultivating. Three months later, Yin Yuzhen finally contacted the traveling merchant of the Tianhua Trading Association.
Early that day, Yin Yuzhen and Li Fan boarded the Treasure Pavilion's small boat, leaving Glass Island and heading north for dozens of miles to the agreed-upon sea area. The boat was loaded with goods for the transaction, packed to the brim. It wasn't until noon that the Wan Hua Trading Association finally arrived.
A black dot rapidly enlarged in the sky, and as it approached, Li Fan realized it was a flying boat! A flag with a large "Wan" character fluttered on the flying boat. The flying boat appeared to be only half the size of the Taiyan Boat's second form, about fifty meters long. It quickly arrived overhead and then slowly stopped on the water's surface.
"Manager Yin, long time no see!" A hearty laugh came from the flying boat once it stabilized. Yin Yuzhen was watching Li Fan, hoping to see a surprised expression on his face. Unexpectedly, Li Fan showed no reaction upon seeing the Wan Hua Trading Association's flying boat, as if he was already accustomed to such sights. Yin Yuzhen felt a bit disappointed and even more curious about Li Fan.
Hearing the voice of the traveling merchant, Yin Yuzhen turned her head. "Merchant Wu, wasn't it three years ago when we last met?" Yin Yuzhen replied with a smile.
"Time flies indeed," Merchant Wu sighed, already aboard the Treasure Pavilion's boat. "And who might this be?" he asked, looking at Li Fan with a smile.
"Our Treasure Pavilion's hired elder," Yin Yuzhen answered simply. Seeing that Yin Yuzhen was unwilling to elaborate, Merchant Wu wisely refrained from further questions.
"Let's check the goods. After this, we might not meet again for a long time." Yin Yuzhen was stunned by his words: "What do you mean by that? Has something happened?"
Merchant Wu shook his head: "I don't know the specifics. I just received a sudden notice from headquarters a few days ago, instructing all traveling merchants in the Congyun Sea to cease operations and return as soon as possible. If it weren't for our pre-arranged transaction date, I would already be on my way back."
"So this transaction cannot be delayed; it must proceed quickly." Yin Yuzhen was momentarily flustered. The Treasure Pavilion thrived on Glass Island because it was backed by the Wan Hua Trading Association. Now that the Wan Hua Trading Association was suddenly withdrawing from the Congyun Sea, what would become of the Treasure Pavilion's business? Could she still maintain the Treasure Pavilion? And why did her premonition not react at all this time?
Yin Yuzhen's mind was in turmoil, and she stood there dazed. "Manager Yin?" Merchant Wu called out, seeing her in a daze. Yin Yuzhen forced a smile and regained her composure. She entered the cabin to begin inventorying the transaction goods.
"Sixteen pairs of jade bi, twenty-three pieces of coral, forty-six luminous pearls..." Li Fan led Merchant Wu past various goods, reporting as they went. Merchant Wu occasionally picked up an item, carefully examining its quality, then nodded and gently put it down.
"Three pieces of Starsea Quicksand," Li Fan reported calmly when they reached the middle. Merchant Wu's face lit up with joy as he quickly approached the meteorite iron. He gently stroked it, then turned it over repeatedly to inspect it. Li Fan, observing this, realized that Merchant Wu was no ordinary person. These meteorite irons weighed at least fifty pounds each, yet in his hands, they seemed like toys.
After a moment, Merchant Wu reluctantly put the meteorite iron down. "Manager Yin, you're lucky this time. You managed to collect such a fine item as the Starsea Quicksand." Li Fan and Yin Yuzhen exchanged a glance, relieved. They could confirm that Xiao Heng was right. The Treasure Pavilion had seized the opportunity and collected a significant amount of Starsea Quicksand. The quota for the Purification Spirit Pool should be secured.
After this, there were no more valuable items, and Merchant Wu was very satisfied with the goods provided by the Treasure Pavilion. Due to the long period before they could meet again, he specially invited Li Fan and Yin Yuzhen to visit the Wan Hua Trading Association's flying boat.
After a hearty meal, Merchant Wu led them to the flying boat's warehouse. "These are items I've collected from various islands in the Congyun Sea. Some are priceless, while others I don't know their purpose. I bought them because they looked interesting. If you two are interested, feel free to pick a few," said Merchant Wu, who was in high spirits, proudly showing off the array of treasures.
Yin Yuzhen was quite excited upon hearing this. With her ability to seek fortune and avoid misfortune, wasn't this like a mouse falling into a rice jar? Li Fan initially had no interest, but seeing Yin Yuzhen eager to try, he couldn't refuse and accompanied her to browse.
"Only one incense stick's worth of time!" Merchant Wu seemed to enjoy this game, calling out loudly to the two. Yin Yuzhen ignored him, excitedly darting around the warehouse. With over a thousand treasures, even with her ability to discern value, she was dazzled.
Li Fan, on the other hand, was indifferent, casually picking up an item and quickly putting it down. He, Li Fan, had reincarnated nine times and lived for three hundred years. What mundane treasures hadn't he seen? Unless it was related to immortal cultivation, he didn't care. Although Merchant Wu's physique far exceeded that of ordinary people, he was clearly not an immortal cultivator, dealing only in mortal business. How could there be anything here that Li Fan cared about?
As Li Fan thought this, his hand touched an item, and his body suddenly froze. The prompt from [Return to Origin] abruptly appeared. "Detected a chargeable item. Proceed with charging?"
(End of Chapter)