Chapter 540: Investment Genius

The progress of this contribution collection was surprisingly fast, exceeding He Zhenghao's expectations.

After he revealed the news that Li Fan was about to restart the fundraising plan, many cultivators in Congyun Sea, fearing they would miss this rare opportunity to get rich, eagerly and without hesitation transferred contributions to He Zhenghao one by one.

He Zhenghao was overwhelmed with work, feeling both pain and pleasure.

In less than seven days, half of the target was achieved, with nearly fifty-three million contributions received.

Handling such an enormous amount of contributions subtly altered He Zhenghao's mindset without him realizing it.

"Ah, what kind of life was I leading before I met the Emissary?"

"For a mere two or three hundred thousand contributions, I had to scrimp and save, living in constant fear every day."

"It was truly frustrating!"

Looking back, He Zhenghao couldn't help but shake his head slightly, sighing with emotion.

"Fortunately, those hard days are gone forever!"

He Zhenghao watched the continuously rising numbers in the statistics, his heart filled with uncontrollable excitement.

If nothing unexpected happened, once this fundraising was complete, the Emissary would likely share some of the profits with him, just as before...

Even if it was just one percent...

No, even a third of one percent would satisfy He Zhenghao.

After all, with the Emissary's capabilities, earning profits equivalent to the principal amount each time didn't seem difficult.

Calculating it this way, it meant he would receive a reward of at least three hundred thousand contributions...

As he thought of this, a foolish smile unconsciously appeared on He Zhenghao's face.

It was a long time before he snapped out of his reverie.

He then decided to transfer the contributions he held to the Emissary.

But soon, something unexpected happened.

The Heavenly Profound Mirror indicated that the transaction failed because the recipient could not be found.

Large beads of sweat instantly trickled down He Zhenghao's forehead.

There were only two possible reasons for this situation.

One was that he had the wrong transfer recipient, or the target person didn't exist.

The other was that the recipient had temporarily suspended all their functional permissions within the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

He Zhenghao quickly realized what the problem was.

The first scenario was clearly impossible. The Emissary was personally appointed by the Immortal Alliance and governed a region.

Therefore...

He then recalled Li Fan's meaningful words about going into deep seclusion and not allowing anyone to disturb him.

And that he had left behind a clone jade slip for emergency use.

"This is bad!" He Zhenghao slapped his thigh.

"It seems this truly is a test from the Emissary, just as that kid Gao Yuan said."

He Zhenghao looked at the astronomical sum in his account, his face turning pale.

The contributions, which had previously seemed so pleasing, now felt like a death warrant.

"Oh no, this is terrible. While my investment abilities are indeed exceptional, they depend on the situation."

"I can barely manage tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand contributions."

"How would I dare to manage hundreds of millions of contributions?"

"It would be fine if I somehow made a profit, but if there were losses, wouldn't I be held responsible for compensating them?"

The more He Zhenghao thought about it, the more terrified he became.

He knew very well that even though the cultivators who sought his help today addressed him warmly as "Fellow Daoist He" or "Brother He," that was only because they stood to profit.

If the contributions they had painstakingly accumulated, even to the point of bankruptcy, suffered any losses in this fundraising plan, they would probably be the first to literally tear He Zhenghao apart.

He Zhenghao felt dizzy, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

In that instant, a thought of "fleeing with the money" flashed through his mind.

Fortunately, he managed to maintain his composure.

Shaking his head and dismissing the suicidal idea, He Zhenghao pulled himself together and urgently sought out Gao Yuan.

Upon hearing this, Gao Yuan also looked serious.

However, he didn't hastily offer advice. Instead, he habitually frowned, tapped the table, and fell into thought.

He Zhenghao didn't dare to disturb him, so he fidgeted anxiously, waiting by his side.

After a while, Gao Yuan's brow relaxed, and the gloom on his face disappeared.

He reassured him, "Don't worry, Fellow Daoist He. You don't need to make any rash moves. Just wait patiently for the Emissary's command."

He Zhenghao was startled. "What do you mean, Brother Gao?"

Gao Yuan smiled, confidently saying, "What kind of person is the Emissary?"

"Although he himself might not care much about these one hundred million contributions, even I know that such a vast sum is simply beyond the control of an ordinary person."

"While you, Fellow Daoist He, have a good reputation, you clearly don't have the confidence to manage it profitably."

Hearing this, He Zhenghao quickly nodded in agreement.

Gao Yuan continued, "Exactly. Since we both know this, how could the Emissary not understand it?"

"Do you remember the clone jade slip he left for us? The Emissary instructed that we could use it to contact him."

"But conversely, since that divine sense jade slip contains a wisp of the Emissary's consciousness, he can naturally use it to contact us later."

Hearing this, He Zhenghao suddenly understood.

"As for how to handle these one hundred million contributions, the Emissary must have made arrangements long ago. Fellow Daoist He, just complete the task the Emissary assigned you, which is to finish collecting the contributions."

"Then simply wait for the Emissary's instructions."

"Remember, for those of us who are subordinates, the most taboo things are acting on our own initiative or trying to be clever," Gao Yuan advised.

"This time, Fellow Daoist, it's fortunate you chose to come and ask me, instead of panicking and directly using that divine sense jade slip to report to the Emissary."

"Otherwise, I'm afraid you would have failed this test," Gao Yuan said earnestly.

He Zhenghao frowned in thought for a moment, then gasped in realization. He quickly stood up and bowed to Gao Yuan.

"Thank you, Brother Gao, for your help. If there's ever anything you need from me, He Zhenghao, please don't hesitate to ask!"

"Haha, you're exaggerating, Brother He. Working under the Emissary from now on, you and I will need to look out for and support each other," Gao Yuan replied very courteously.

With Gao Yuan's guidance, He Zhenghao finally felt relieved.

He then hurried back to continue his fundraising plan.

As for Gao Yuan, he watched He Zhenghao's retreating back with an inscrutable gaze.

The reason he had repeatedly tried to win over He Zhenghao was that he saw He Zhenghao had a somewhat special status in the Emissary's eyes.

Although both were "tools," there was no doubt that some tools were favored over others.

Those that were easy to use were always preferred for future tasks.

And He Zhenghao seemed to be precisely such a person.