Chapter 23: Registering on Liuli Island

chapter 23: registering on liuli island 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. "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.