Li Fan turned his head and looked at Steward Zhao.
Steward Zhao, facing a legendary immortal, couldn’t help but be a bit nervous. He carefully chose his words and asked, “Esteemed Immortal, it seems like you had a good relationship with Immortal He?”
Li Fan was about to respond but suddenly remembered something. He contemplated for a moment and then said, “Fellow Daoist He and I have known each other for more than forty years, and he has shown me great care. I was away for a while, and I had no knowledge of his passing. Seeing fellow Daoist He’s memorial tablet today was truly a great shock.”
“I can only offer a joss stick…”
Saying this, Li Fan shook his head and sighed.
Steward Zhao also sighed and said, “Since I learned of Immortal He’s passing and set up this memorial hall, it’s been twenty-six days. You are the first and only one to come and pay your respects to him.”
“Many immortals on the island have arrived in the past few days, either to search for his possessions or to compete for the position of guarding Liuli Island.”
“Now, with the new guardian immortal already in office, it’s difficult for me to keep my current position.”
“I have been unable to fulfill fellow Daoist He’s last wish all this time, and I feel guilty.”
“Fortunately, I met you today.”
Steward Zhao looked relieved.
“Fellow Daoist He’s last wish?” Li Fan asked, puzzled.
“Yes, Immortal He entrusted me with an item before he passed away. He instructed me that if he encountered misfortune in the future, I should hand this item over to the first fellow Daoist who came to offer their respects.”
“How could he entrust an item to you, a mortal?” Li Fan was surprised by Steward Zhao’s answer.
“I won’t hide it from you, Immortal. In my earlier years, I once saved Immortal He’s life by a stroke of luck. Originally, Immortal He wanted to take me on as his disciple, but I was afraid of the difficulties of cultivation, so I asked for a job instead.”
“Over these years, I have been serving Immortal He, and I gained his trust.” Steward Zhao said, half proud and half sorrowful.
It seemed like there was such an incident.
Li Fan nodded.
“Moreover, it’s very secure to leave it with me. After all, who would think that a mortal would be entrusted with an immortal’s belongings? The immortals who have been coming and going these days have never even looked at me…” Steward Zhao explained but realized that he might have said too much and stopped abruptly.
He quickly turned and took out a small square box from under He Zhenghao’s memorial tablet.
This small box seemed to have the effect of isolating divine consciousness. Even when Li Fan stood right in front of it, he couldn’t detect it.
“The item in this box is Immortal He’s possession. I don’t know what it’s used for.” Steward Zhao handed the box over, his voice anxious.
Li Fan opened the box and found a charm with numerous characters that looked like a “Ten Thousand.”
It seemed somewhat familiar.
This was…
Li Fan took out an identical charm from his storage ring. The only difference was the aura on the charm.
It was none other than the entry charm given to foreign cultivators for their first entry to Liuli Island.
Li Fan remembered that He Zhenghao had explained at the time that this charm was worth 100 contribution points.
But what was the use of this thing?
For a moment, Li Fan was puzzled.
However, he still put the wooden box away.
Looking at the nervous Steward Zhao, Li Fan thought for a moment and said, “I will go and speak on your behalf to the new guardian immortal. As for whether you can keep your position, I can’t guarantee.”
Steward Zhao was overjoyed and immediately knelt down, repeatedly kowtowing.
Li Fan waved his hand and left.
Steward Zhao continued to kneel on the ground, not daring to move.
After waiting for a long time, he slowly got up.
Looking at He Zhenghao’s memorial tablet, he said softly, “I’ve finally passed this hot potato to someone else. These days, watching the immortals flying in and out over my head, I couldn’t even sleep well.”
“Just now, that person didn’t lie, and he was the first to come and pay his respects to you. Handing your possession to him is also in line with your last wish.”
“My heart is finally at peace.”
After remaining silent for a long time, Steward Zhao whispered, “Cultivating immortality but dying even earlier than me. There isn’t even anyone to collect your remains.”
“It’s really meaningless.”
…
Li Fan, holding the wooden box, returned to the island’s protective formation and met the unfamiliar cultivator once more.
The unfamiliar cultivator was named Yuwen Xing and had taken over as the new guardian of Liuli Island after a series of political maneuvers.
Li Fan didn’t mention Steward Zhao’s relationship with He Zhenghao. He only said that Steward Zhao had a connection with him and inquired whether he could retain his position as the manager of Liuli Island’s finances.
It was just a mortal job, and after thinking for a moment, Yuwen Xing agreed.
Li Fan expressed his gratitude.
After exchanging Communication Talismans, Li Fan hastily returned to the Tianxuan Mirror.
After some searching, Li Fan finally understood the purpose of the entry charm. Besides being used as an entry certificate to Ten Thousand Immortals Island, it also served as an item storage and retrieval voucher.
The items weren’t stored in the Tianxuan Mirror but in a place called the “Ten Thousand Immortals Pavilion.”
Usually, what was stored there wasn’t anything precious. It was often the inheritance left by cultivators for their mortal relatives to prevent any accidents.
Only after the cultivator’s death could their mortal relatives use the charm to withdraw the inheritance.
So, the Ten Thousand Immortals Pavilion was not on Liuli Island but on the remote island of Youlan, Cong Yun Sea.
With the purpose of the charm clarified, Li Fan didn’t delay. He made a trip to Youlan Island and finally retrieved He Zhenghao’s possession.
It was a jade slip.
Li Fan initially thought it was some kind of cultivation technique. It wasn’t until he read through the content of the jade slip that he understood.
The jade slip contained an unfinished work by He Zhenghao.
“Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram.”
The book detailed He Zhenghao’s special insights into formations over the years and some innovative ideas.
Along with this book, there was a message from He Zhenghao.
He said that his whole life, he only loved formations. After years of painstaking effort and many setbacks, he had barely completed most of the “Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram.”
This time’s expedition to the cave was supposed to be relatively low-risk. However, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If he met an accident and died, it wouldn’t be a big deal. What worried him was that his life’s work, the “Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram,” would be buried and lost forever.
So, he made arrangements, hoping that the fellow cultivator who received the charm could hand over the “Interpretation of the Hundred Veins Formation Diagram” to any of the formation masters on Ten Thousand Immortals Island, with the hope of completing it.
In the end, He Zhenghao couldn’t help but vent his frustration.
He talked about the various benefits of his “Mountain Meditation Technique.”
But unfortunately, it was just too difficult to practice.
If not for this, he wouldn’t have had to risk his life in that ancient cave to change his cultivation technique.
…
“Mountain Meditation Technique? Fellow Daoist He, you’ve truly presented me with a challenge.”
After putting away the jade slip, Li Fan’s eyes shone with an inexplicable gleam.
*****
TL Note: Patreon readers wanted a higher tier so while I’m building a stockpile for that, you guys get consistent 2 chapters per day 🙂