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"Boss, this isn't right, is it?" Sun Zhang said, somewhat heartbroken. "We spent a fortune to secure that courtyard, planning to bribe Manager Qian. How can we just give it away to this kid so cheaply?"
"If we really want to give it to him, we should wait until he helps us take over the fleet first," Sun Zhang added.
The Yellow-robed Woman shot Sun Zhang a disapproving glance. "Just do as I say. If we wait until then, a small courtyard won't be enough to satisfy him."
Sun Zhang mumbled to himself a few times but ultimately dared not disobey his boss. He obediently handed the deed to Li Fan.
Li Fan didn't refuse. There wasn't much to pack, so he moved into the Little Courtyard on East Street that very day.
Compared to the slums outside the city, the surroundings of this courtyard were vastly better.
At the alley entrance, there were guards from the Luli Bureau responsible for maintaining order and security. The courtyard was much more spacious than his previous house, with three main rooms and two side rooms on each side. Though not enormous, it was plenty for Li Fan to live in alone.
After politely declining the few maids sent by Tianbao Tower, Li Fan settled in, quietly waiting for the fleet's next voyage.
Initially, Li Fan thought it wouldn't be long, but an unexpected event made the voyage seem indefinitely postponed.
The Wind Disaster had arrived!
Previously, Li Fan had heard the term "Wind Disaster" many times in conversations on Jade Island, but he hadn't paid much attention.
He assumed it was like the typhoons and hurricanes he had experienced before, just a larger storm.
But when the Wind Disaster truly arrived, Li Fan realized he had been terribly wrong!
That day, Li Fan was practicing the Mystic Yellow Purifying Heart Spell at home as usual when he suddenly heard a series of urgent sounds from outside.
Strange and sharp noises hovered over the island, quickly spreading across the entire Jade Island.
"Get home quickly! The Wind Disaster is coming!"
"May Immortal Master protect us! May Immortal Master protect us!"
"Mother, where are you? Get home quickly!"
...
Panic and fear spread across the island, with cries of alarm echoing everywhere. Li Fan was momentarily confused.
Suddenly, he saw a blue light barrier appear in the sky above Jade Island.
The barrier resembled an inverted giant bowl, spanning the entire island and enveloping everything within it.
"The Island Protection Array has been activated. No need to panic! Stay in your homes and do not go outside!" A clear female voice accompanied the light barrier, instantly spreading across the island.
"May Immortal Master be merciful!"
Listening to the rising and falling cries around him, Li Fan looked up and carefully observed the Island Protection Array.
Blue light flowed, isolating the inside from the outside.
Unfamiliar characters occasionally appeared on the light barrier, looking mysterious and extraordinary.
The howling wind, like the wails of ghosts, gradually grew louder, and the wind arrived!
The light barrier rippled, blocking the strong wind completely.
Inside the barrier, there was not a single gust of wind, remaining peaceful.
Heavy rain began to pour from the sky.
Dense raindrops almost formed a line, striking the light barrier.
Ripples spread across the light barrier, completely blocking the torrential rain.
Outside was a storm of wind and rain, while inside the light barrier, everything was calm.
"Is this the power of immortals?"
Li Fan marveled inwardly.
Although he had already witnessed the destructive power of Kouhong's Dao Xuanzi, who could destroy entire cities, seeing this Island Protection Array still filled him with admiration and longing.
The heavy wind and rain lasted for more than half an hour.
The rain gradually stopped, and the wind slowly subsided.
Just as Li Fan thought the Wind Disaster was about to pass, he suddenly noticed something was wrong.
The sky did not clear up but became even darker.
Countless dark clouds appeared from nowhere, layer upon layer, pressing down as if they would never stop.
In an instant, the world turned pitch black.
The thick clouds seemed within arm's reach, as if he could touch them.
The clouds seemed to be brewing something, and Jade Island fell into a brief silence.
The silence was soon broken.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion echoed in Li Fan's ears.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deafening thunder roared from all directions, continuous and unending.
Like an endless symphony, it reverberated through the heavens and earth.
In the midst of this overwhelming sound, Li Fan felt dizzy and saw stars, as if a massive stone was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe. When he touched his nose, he found it was bleeding profusely.
Li Fan was startled and was about to run back into his house for shelter when he suddenly felt the ground beneath him violently shake.
Dizzy and disoriented, Li Fan quickly lost his balance and fell to the ground.
It felt as if something was continuously colliding with the earth, causing it to tremble.
Looking up, Li Fan saw a scene that made his breath catch in his throat.
A wall of water, impossibly tall, filled his entire field of vision. Driven by the fierce wind, it surged forward with overwhelming force, descending upon Jade Island from above!
The towering waves were about to crash down, burying everything below.
Li Fan instinctively raised his hand to shield himself.
"Boom!"
The massive wave struck the blue light barrier.
The barrier distorted, seemingly about to shatter.
But after a surge of blue light, the barrier returned to normal.
Like a rock standing firm against the waves at the seaside.
The failure to engulf Jade Island seemed to enrage the sea.
Wave after wave, one after another, crashed upon the island.
Jade Island, like a sapling in a storm, seemed on the verge of being torn apart at any moment.
At times, the island was completely submerged in seawater.
Li Fan almost felt as if the world was coming to an end.
Fortunately, the Island Protection Array proved more reliable than he had imagined, holding firm without breaking.
The towering waves continued to crash, never ceasing.
The apocalyptic scene left Li Fan almost in a daze.
For an indeterminate amount of time, the waves gradually calmed.
But it was only a slight calming.
The Wind Disaster came quickly but left slowly.
In the midst of the storm, day and night were indistinguishable.
Li Fan felt it had been two or three days before the Wind Disaster finally subsided.
"Thank Immortal Master!"
The surviving islanders knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.
In the midst of the islanders' chatter, Li Fan learned a piece of news that shocked him even more.
This Wind Disaster that Jade Island had experienced was relatively small in scale.
Fifteen years ago, the Wind Disaster was several times more powerful.
At that time, the Island Protection Array almost couldn't hold, and it had to reduce its protective range.
Thus, after the Wind Disaster, the areas not protected by the array were completely destroyed.
The size of Jade Island was reduced to one-third of its original size.
In the years following the Wind Disaster, Jade Island gathered refugees and slowly recovered its vitality.
"Wind Disaster, so this is what a Wind Disaster is..."
Li Fan was deeply shaken.
The power of heaven and earth was truly terrifying!
(End of Chapter)