Chapter 51: Human-faced Smile Fruit

"The stipulated number of Taian Fruits to be submitted each year is thirty. Any surplus can be kept by yourself, serving as a perk of the island guardian position. On average, you can save two Taian Fruits per year. In the Celestial Mirror, the price of a Taian Fruit typically ranges from 90 to 100 contribution points. So, all things considered, young friend, your compensation as interim guardian is quite substantial," He Zhenghao said, chuckling, as he explained to Li Fan.

Li Fan nodded. Although He Zhenghao had used some minor tricks, what he said was true. On Myriad Immortals Island, cultivators at the Qi Refining stage who could earn 1000 contribution points annually were exceedingly rare. In this matter, He Zhenghao got the lion's share, while Li Fan got a little something.

"Thank you again, Senior," Li Fan said, cupping his hands.

"Don't mention it, don't mention it. You came from the island I guard, so it's only right that I help you along. As long as your cultivation progresses in the future, it won't be in vain for me..." He Zhenghao was saying when he suddenly paused. He let out a soft exclamation and looked at Li Fan with a hint of surprise: "You've broken through to the mid-Qi Refining stage?"

Li Fan's heart jolted. He hadn't expected that even with the Aura Concealment Talisman, the other person could still perceive his cultivation level. He nodded immediately and admitted frankly, "That's right. Xiao Heng and I have a close relationship. Before he went out, he left me a water-attribute cultivation technique. This technique suits me quite well, and my progress has been incredibly fast. I just broke through a few days ago."

"Heh heh, young friend, you're quite cautious. If it weren't for my special cultivation technique, I nearly wouldn't have noticed. Did you use an Aura Concealment Talisman?"

Li Fan nodded.

"It's understandable, after all, caution prevents major mistakes. In this cultivation world, there are indeed quite a few people with ill intentions..." He Zhenghao was saying when he suddenly noticed Li Fan's strange gaze towards him. He quickly chuckled awkwardly and changed the subject: "I didn't expect you and Xiao Heng to be on such good terms that he even specifically left you a cultivation technique."

"Xiao Heng is truly a prodigy! He's only been cultivating for a few years and is already close to establishing his foundation. His future is limitless!" He Zhenghao had clearly been following Xiao Heng's progress and spoke with great emotion and envy. "Achieving the Golden Core or even Nascent Soul stage in the future isn't impossible for him. Young friend, your close relationship with him truly shows your deep fortune."

As He Zhenghao spoke, his tone grew increasingly enthusiastic.

"Meeting Senior is also a great stroke of luck," Li Fan replied casually, flattering him.

He Zhenghao laughed heartily at that, very pleased.

Just then, he stopped walking and turned his head to look in a certain direction in the city: "Coincidentally, a Taian Fruit has just ripened. I'll demonstrate to you, young friend, how to harvest it."

Li Fan nodded and followed He Zhenghao to a residence. Before even entering the courtyard, he heard sounds of crying and wailing. Upon entering, Li Fan saw more than a dozen human-faced fruits kneeling in the house, dressed in white mourning clothes. In a coffin in the center lay a human-faced fruit, appearing to be sound asleep. The fruit had its eyes closed, its mouth slightly askew, revealing a strange smile, and its body was completely still. None of the human-faced fruits in the house noticed the arrival of Li Fan and He Zhenghao; they were simply grieving the departure of their loved one. The scene presented before them was both grotesque and horrifying.

As they drew closer, Li Fan detected a strange fragrance emanating from the coffin. He Zhenghao approached the coffin, murmured an incantation, and then pointed at the smiling fruit's brow within. A gentle light enveloped it, and the smiling fruit slowly floated out of the coffin, hovering in mid-air. It then gradually shrank, transforming into a small, bright red fruit. As the Taian Fruit fully formed, all the human-faced fruits in mourning clothes suddenly fell silent. Their white mourning clothes slowly vanished, and the expressions on their faces gradually shifted from grief to confusion. After looking around blankly for a moment, these fruits ultimately dispersed in silence.

"How was that?" He Zhenghao asked, handing the Taian Fruit to Li Fan.

"Quite extraordinary." For some reason, the scene of harvesting the Taian Fruit sent shivers down Li Fan's spine, and he only managed a strained reply.

Li Fan took the Taian Fruit in his hand and observed it closely. The fruit resembled an apple from his memories, but its color was an almost blinding red. A continuous stream of fragrance wafted from the Taian Fruit. This aroma seemed capable of penetrating deep into one's soul; Li Fan inhaled it and involuntarily swallowed.

"Young friend, you haven't eaten a Taian Fruit before, have you? Why don't you try one first?" He Zhenghao suggested. "Items that extend lifespan have a natural allure for cultivators like us. The longer one waits, the greater the temptation," He Zhenghao added with a smile, seeing Li Fan's hesitation.

Indeed, the effect of the fragrance seemed to accumulate; as Li Fan hesitated, its aroma grew increasingly potent. Driven by the scent, waves of hunger welled up from deep within him. So, after a moment, Li Fan no longer hesitated and swallowed the Taian Fruit whole. The hunger vanished immediately. Though it was only a small fruit, Li Fan still burped after eating it, as if he had just consumed a large meal.

Li Fan checked his Reality Panel; sure enough, his physiological age limit had increased by 5 years. Li Fan smacked his lips, savoring the taste of the Taian Fruit: "This is the first time I've encountered such a remarkable item that can extend one's lifespan. It's truly extraordinary. It's just that its appearance is a bit strange; it looks like a human, which is rather unsettling."

He Zhenghao replied with a smile, "Taian Fruits transform from humans, so of course they look like that."

Li Fan's expression instantly froze. Suppressing the turmoil in his stomach, Li Fan asked, somewhat aghast, "Are all the Taian Fruits in this city actual people?"

He Zhenghao seemed unfazed by Li Fan's reaction. However, since Li Fan had only recently entered the cultivation world, He Zhenghao could understand, so he continued to explain: "Strictly speaking, Taian Fruits are fruits; they are not human beings."

Li Fan breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this, but he still had reservations: "Then what exactly does 'transformed from humans' mean?"

"That brings us to the origin of the Taian Fruits," He Zhenghao said, as he led Li Fan back to fly above the city. "Five hundred years ago, Taian Island was just a very ordinary island. There were no valuable specialties in the surrounding waters, and only a few thousand mortals had lived there for generations. There are countless such small islands in the Cloud Sea. But one day, everything suddenly changed.

"First, the mortals on nearby islands noticed that they hadn't seen any residents from Taian Island for a long time. Previously, merchants from the islands would occasionally visit each other, but for over a year, no one had seen them. Driven by curiosity, some people sailed to Taian Island, wanting to investigate. To their surprise, several groups went, but none ever returned. Realizing something was wrong, people quickly reported the matter to the island guardian at that time. The guardian at that time was already a Golden Core stage cultivator. Even so, after seeing what had happened on Taian Island, he fell into deep terror."