While Li Fan was lost in thought, a slightly chubby young man approached him not far away.
The young man patted Li Fan’s shoulder, somewhat familiar: “Brother, you seem unfamiliar. May I ask what position you hold in the Great Li? Or are you a wealthy merchant from another region?”
Li Fan swatted the young man’s hand off his shoulder and looked at him coldly, saying nothing.
The chubby youth felt like he was being stared at by a venomous snake and shivered.
Though he felt a bit embarrassed for being scared by just a gaze, the chubby youth was quite perceptive. Li Fan seemed ordinary, but there was an aura of authority about him, and it was obvious he had been in a high position for many years.
He’s no ordinary person! The chubby youth quickly reached this conclusion and wisely left.
Others saw this and understood that Li Fan wasn’t very approachable. From then on, nobody tried to strike up a conversation with him.
In the flickering light, the voices of the crowd gradually faded and everyone fell asleep.
A quiet night passed.
On the second day, before dawn, everyone was awakened.
A middle-aged man with a long beard, dressed in a green robe and hands behind his back, walked up to the crowd.
“I will take you to register in a moment. After obtaining the registration, you will officially become a member of Liuli Island,” the middle-aged man said coldly, surveying the surroundings.
Upon hearing the middle-aged man’s words, the crowd showed excitement.
“Remember, don’t speak what you shouldn’t. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your safety,” the man squinted his eyes, adding.
The crowd understood that what they were doing was clandestine, and they all nodded.
Then, following the middle-aged man’s orders, Li Fan and the others changed into shabby clothes.
Later, they were taught a unified script.
“You are all residents of the western Great Gorge Island. Due to a natural disaster, the island was destroyed, so you fled here. If anyone asks, this is what you say.”
Everyone agreed.
Afterwards, led by the middle-aged man and monitored by four or five black-clad men, they left the cave through a secret passage and arrived on the surface.
After traversing through the residential area of the city, circling around for an unknown duration, they finally arrived at a mansion.
Li Fan noticed that although their group of several dozen was not small, most of the island’s residents only glanced at them casually and didn’t pay much attention. It was clear that they were used to such occurrences.
They didn’t enter through the mansion’s main gate. After a servant entered to report, he quickly returned and led the group through a side door on the left to a hall.
The hall was quite spacious. Even before Li Fan and the others arrived, there were already two or three groups totaling over a hundred people gathered.
However, it didn’t seem crowded.
The middle-aged man gestured for everyone to wait patiently.
Soon, it was Li Fan’s group’s turn.
“Steward Zhao!” the middle-aged man called out.
“Are these the disaster victims who have come to register?” Steward Zhao, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, appeared somewhat aged. However, his eyes were exceptionally sharp. After sweeping his gaze across the crowd, he said with a half-smile, “Sun Zhang, these disaster victims seem to be of high status!”
Sun Zhang remained calm and sighed, “Yes, they were all from wealthy families on the Great Gorge Island. Unfortunately, without the protection of a cultivator, a natural disaster struck, and all their wealth and glory turned to nothing. Now they have come far and wide to seek refuge on our Liuli Island.”
Having said that, Sun Zhang took something from his pocket and handed it to Steward Zhao without a word.
Steward Zhao glanced at it, accepted it, and sighed again, “The recent storm wreaked havoc, and even our Liuli Island was affected. The islands in the west suffered even more. It is said that over two hundred islands were razed to the ground, and countless mortal souls returned to the sea.”
“Thanks to the compassion of the Immortal Master, we were able to rescue the victims. It’s a good thing that your Heavenly Treasure House is so concerned! Rest assured, I will definitely report to the Island Master truthfully. When the Immortal Master’s reward comes, you will not be left out.”
Sun Zhang was delighted and began to flatter him.
Steward Zhao listened and then started to handle the registration for everyone.
Not long after, it was Li Fan’s turn. Steward Zhao looked at Li Fan with a trace of curiosity.
“What is your name?” Steward Zhao asked.
“Li Fan,” Li Fan answered truthfully.
“Come, drip a drop of your blood on this.” Steward Zhao wrote Li Fan’s name with a pen dipped in blood on a rectangular object that seemed like jade but was not actually jade. He then handed it over.
Li Fan pricked his finger, letting the blood drip.
Afterward, as if imbued with life, the blood seeped into the two characters “Li Fan.”
“Keep this spirit symbol well; it will be your identity proof from now on. Whenever you need to receive work, distribute food, or go through inspections on the island, you must show this spirit symbol. Do not lose it,” Steward Zhao emphasized, more friendly towards Li Fan compared to the others, and gave additional instructions.
This drew the attention of Sun Zhang and the others.
Li Fan didn’t say many words of gratitude, and after nodding, he put away the spirit symbol and walked to the side.
The distribution of registrations was efficient, and soon, everyone had obtained their Liuli Island household registration.
The crowd was excited.
After leaving that place, they didn’t return to the previous cave but were led by Sun Zhang to the courtyard of a house.
“Now that you have obtained your household registration, shall we sign the contract?” Sun Zhang said to Su Changyu and the others.
Su Changyu took out a thin piece of paper from his pocket carefully and then pricked his finger to write his name with blood, solemnly and respectfully.
After signing, the paper self-ignited without fire, turning into a wisp of green smoke, drifting away, and no one knew where it went.
“After the three contracts, only one more remains. When we settle down completely, I will sign the final contract according to the agreement,” Su Changyu said calmly.
“Humph, it’s troublesome dealing with you exile refugees. If not for the sake of the Immortal Master, our Heavenly Treasure House wouldn’t engage in such a loss-making business,” Sun Zhang snorted, somewhat dissatisfied.
However, he didn’t say much afterward but proceeded to explain the things they needed to pay attention to on the island.
“All residents of Liuli Island can obtain a residence using their household registration spirit symbol. Although it is in a remote area at the northernmost periphery of the island, at least you will have a place to shelter from the wind and rain. Apart from that, for the first year after registering, you can receive a certain amount of free rations every month. Of course, if you are used to delicacies and can’t tolerate this welfare food, you can spend your own money to dine on the island.”
…
After saying a lot, Sun Zhang’s mouth was dry, and he paused for a rest. Suddenly, he heard Su Changyu ask, “I am wondering, how can we cultivate?”
This was exactly what Li Fan was concerned about. He pricked up his ears and listened carefully.