Gao Yuan can recognize people

He Zhenghao glanced at Gao Yuan and quickly pledged his loyalty to Li Fan.

Li Fan remained noncommittal, merely taking out two metal figurines from his storage ring that somewhat resembled him, and handed them to the two.

“This is a Fen Shen Jade Slip, containing a wisp of my Divine Thought, similar to half a Clone.”

“While I am in seclusion, I will sever all contact with the outside world. If you truly encounter any emergency, you can use this method to contact me.”

Li Fan said indifferently.

Gao Yuan and He Zhenghao carefully put away the metal figurines, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the favor.

They were not unfamiliar with these Fen Shen Jade Slips. Cultivators usually only entrust them to extremely close and trusted Juniors, using them as tools for personal, meticulous guidance.

The fact that Lord Secret Envoy would give us such an important item clearly demonstrates his absolute trust in us!

Gao Yuan and He Zhenghao's hearts stirred, and they bowed in thanks once more.

“You may leave now.” Li Fan nodded slightly, expressionless, then issued the order to depart.

—

In the Bu Zheng Hall's deliberation room, He Zhenghao was organizing the list of relevant Cultivators.

Since Li Fan's sudden announcement to temporarily suspend the contribution points fundraising plan, many Cultivators who had hesitated and chosen to observe from the sidelines were filled with regret.

After all, Li Fan's fundraising plan had already been implemented for several phases. Each time, the contribution points were returned on schedule, principal and interest included, and sometimes even delivered early. The concern that Li Fan would abscond with the funds had also never materialized.

Thus, these Cultivators, who had originally chosen to wait and see, gradually began to trust Li Fan.

They were still eagerly hoping that the next phase of fundraising would include them.

Who knew that Li Fan would just stop when he said he would.

“It seems we judged a gentleman with the heart of a villain; Great Master Li is indeed Great Master Li.”

At that time, they all lamented thus.

And when they heard that Li Fan had been appointed as the acting Island Master of Wanxian Island, their remaining concerns completely vanished without a trace.

They knew that He Zhenghao was responsible for Li Fan's fundraising plan.

So these Cultivators, each displaying their own methods, sought out He Zhenghao.

At the same time, they also offered small tokens of appreciation, urging He Zhenghao to prioritize them if Li Fan's fundraising plan ever resumed.

If the bystanders were already like this, what about those who had tasted the sweetness in the previous fundraising phases?

They had already greeted He Zhenghao long ago.

“Haha, originally I was worried that with so many people, it would be difficult to distribute. Now it's good, one hundred million contribution points, everyone gets a share.” He Zhenghao happily listed name after name and began sending out messages en masse.

“Fellow Daoist, the matter you previously entrusted to me has a clue! I have definite news…”

Unlike He Zhenghao's face full of excitement, Gao Yuan's face showed some confusion.

His fingers tapped continuously on the table, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he was contemplating something.

After a long while, He Zhenghao, who had been busy for a while, stretched and relaxed his body's fatigue. Only then did he finally notice Gao Yuan's unusual behavior.

He couldn't help but ask in surprise, “Brother Gao, what's wrong with you?”

“I'm thinking about the deeper meaning behind these two tasks Lord Secret Envoy gave us this time.” Gao Yuan said with a solemn expression.

“Deeper meaning? Wasn't it explained very clearly, this…” He Zhenghao first smiled, dismissing it, thinking Gao Yuan was overthinking.

But then, he paused slightly.

He glanced around, leaned closer, and asked in a low voice, “Fellow Daoist, what is your insightful opinion?”

Gao Yuan said with a deep tone, “Lord Secret Envoy always plans before acting and does nothing meaningless.”

“But these two matters he entrusted to us this time are a bit strange.”

He Zhenghao was somewhat puzzled, “Strange? How do you say that?”

“Fellow Daoist, do you think one hundred million contribution points is a lot?” Gao Yuan did not answer, but instead asked back.

“Yes, of course it's a lot.” He Zhenghao felt inexplicably confused and replied as a matter of course.

Gao Yuan chuckled, “One hundred million contribution points, I also feel that this is a number difficult to achieve in a lifetime.”

“But…”

“Fellow Daoist He, think back again, when Lord Secret Envoy mentioned the number [one hundred million], was there any fluctuation in his tone or expression?”

He Zhenghao couldn't help but be stunned.

He frowned, and after a moment, shook his head.

Gao Yuan said leisurely, “That’s right. As if it were a trivial matter as common as eating and drinking, Lord Secret Envoy merely mentioned it casually, without much further instruction.”

“On the contrary, he repeatedly instructed us that he would be going into deep seclusion and severing all contact with the outside world.”

“Is a mere one hundred million contribution points worth Lord Secret Envoy treating it with such solemnity?”

Upon hearing this, He Zhenghao was about to retort. But upon careful consideration, recalling Li Fan's earlier remarks about his disdain for money, he became somewhat hesitant.

After pondering for a moment, He Zhenghao slowly nodded: “There is a bit of a problem. When Lord Secret Envoy first met me, he demonstrated his terrifying ability to accumulate wealth.”

“Doubling contribution points in less than seven days. With such means, I'm afraid one hundred million contribution points is just a slightly larger number in the Lord's eyes.”

Gao Yuan nodded heavily: “That is precisely the reason. When the Lord was a Loose Cultivator alone, he might not have attached much importance to this one hundred million contribution points.”

“Not to mention that he is now, in fact, the Dominator governing the Congyun Sea region.”

“I have never heard of any provincial leader going into deep seclusion purely for one hundred million contribution points.”

“The Lord's so-called ‘it's a significant matter, requiring careful preparation’ is purely an excuse!”

A sharp glint flashed in Gao Yuan's eyes as he spoke with conviction.

He Zhenghao pondered for a while and finally nodded slowly in agreement.

“But what exactly does the Lord mean? Congyun City has just been rebuilt, and everything is in ruins. Why did he choose this time to go into seclusion?” He asked, somewhat confused.

Gao Yuan, however, was confident and said proudly, “In my opinion, this is Lord Secret Envoy's test for us.”

“A test?” He Zhenghao was somewhat bewildered upon hearing this.

“Exactly.” Gao Yuan was very certain.

“Fellow Daoist, you also know that I am always good at judging people. How a certain person's character and temperament are, I only need to interact with them for a period of time to understand it roughly.”

“Lord Secret Envoy…”

“Although I dare not say I can fully see through him, one thing is beyond doubt.”

Gao Yuan lowered his voice: “He is inherently free-spirited and will never willingly be bound by governmental trivialities.”