Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

After writing a reply to Bao Siyan, Wei Tu rose and prepared to visit Che Gongwei at his Cave Mansion.

Che Gongwei had already agreed to pass on the Talisman Dao Inheritance, so it was only right for Wei Tu to take the initiative and visit him. He couldn't just sit at home and wait for his master to come and give lessons.

He had just stepped out of his Cave Mansion in the rear courtyard.

In the front courtyard, his Female Housekeeper, Duu Wenshu, approached him. She curtsied and presented a jade box to Wei Tu with both hands.

"True Monarch Wei, this is your mail from the past month."

Duu Wenshu said in a gentle voice.

Mail was divided into two types: Talismans and regular letters.

The former could be sent automatically to a fixed location without relying on post stations, making them suitable for short-range communication.

The latter required dedicated post stations and couriers for delivery, making them ideal for long-distance correspondence.

The replies Wei Tu had just read from Bao Siyan and Che Gongwei were Talismans. They had been delivered directly to the entrance of his Cave Mansion, bypassing Duu Wenshu entirely.

The jade box Duu Wenshu now held contained regular letters, which were sorted by the post stations, delivered to his residence, and then collected by her.

"Alright." Wei Tu nodded slightly. With a flick of his wide sleeve, he absorbed the jade box and departed from his residence.

Regular letters passed through many hands and were not secure, so they rarely contained sensitive or urgent information.

Therefore, Wei Tu felt no need to check them right away. It could wait until he had finished his other business.

If there were truly secret or urgent matters to discuss over long distances, most Cultivators would travel personally to speak face-to-face and prevent any information from being leaked.

—Generally speaking, the secrets of low-Realm Cultivators hardly counted as secrets at all.

The post stations run by the Major Influences had no reason to tarnish their reputations over the secrets of such minor figures.

...

「A short while later.」

Wei Tu arrived at the Che Mansion.

'Master Qingmei?' Not long after entering the Che Mansion, Wei Tu came across Master Qingmei admiring flowers in the front courtyard.

Master Qingmei was cradling a bronze mirror. Every so often, she would pick a fresh flower, tuck it into her hair bun, then gaze at her reflection, adjusting her posture to admire her own beauty.

Having not seen her in over thirty years, Wei Tu noticed that Master Qingmei's appearance had matured somewhat. She had grown from looking like a seven or eight-year-old child to an eleven or twelve-year-old, just old enough to be considered a young maiden.

In terms of dazzling beauty, Master Qingmei couldn't compare to the Female Cultivators of the Cultivation Realm renowned for their looks, but her every gesture exuded a uniquely innocent and pure aura.

As her senior martial brother, it wouldn't be right for Wei Tu to simply leave without a word of greeting upon seeing her.

He cleared his throat softly,

to get Master Qingmei's attention.

"Greetings, Elder Wei."

Startled by the sound, Master Qingmei hastily shoved the bronze mirror into her sleeve and turned to look.

Upon seeing it was Wei Tu, Master Qingmei immediately curtsied and addressed him as "Elder."

Master Qingmei was secretly annoyed. 'How can he walk so silently? He didn't even leak a trace of his aura, and now I've been caught in this embarrassing state.'

At the thought, a blush crept across Master Qingmei's cheeks, and her small, delicate, jade-like ears also turned a shade of crimson.

"Junior Sister Su, you can just call me Senior Brother. There's no need for such formalities." Wei Tu waved his hand, gesturing for her not to be so distant.

—Master Qingmei's real name was Su Bing'er.

"What brings you to our master's residence, Junior Sister Su?" Wei Tu inquired.

From her behavior just now, it wasn't difficult for him to deduce that she had been staying at Che Gongwei's residence for some time.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been acting so... at ease.

"Seventeen years ago, our master found a way to treat my 'persistent ailment.' He had me stay here at the residence so he could administer the treatment."

Facing a Golden Core True Monarch like Wei Tu, Master Qingmei hardly dared to breathe. After a moment's hesitation, she told him everything.

As she finished speaking, only then did Wei Tu recall that when Master Qingmei first became his disciple, Che Gongwei had promised to do everything in his power to help her restore her Profound Wood Spirit Body and achieve Core Formation.

'So, what Che Gongwei said back then wasn't just a formality; he truly meant it.'

Over the past decades, he had genuinely searched for a cure for Master Qingmei, and his efforts over the last seventeen years had been remarkably successful.

'Once Master Qingmei's Profound Wood Spirit Body is restored, her Core Formation will be practically guaranteed.'

Wei Tu thought.

A Spirit Body Cultivator inherently has a thirty percent higher chance of successful Core Formation.

That was comparable to the success rate an Ordinary Cultivator would gain from taking an Immortal Transformation Pill.

Moreover, Master Qingmei was undoubtedly cultivating a Tier Three Cultivation Technique just like him, which would increase her odds of Core Formation by another ten to twenty percent.

Furthermore, while obtaining an Immortal Transformation Pill would be difficult for Master Qingmei, purchasing a lesser substitute like a Green Flame Pill would not be hard.

Thus, with all these factors combined, Master Qingmei's probability of breaking through to the Core Formation Realm was likely as high as seventy or eighty percent.

'Talk about an accidental success,' Wei Tu mused silently.

In truth, when Che Gongwei was first accepting disciples, he hadn't thought much of Master Qingmei. It was only after taking in him, Hua Xianlong, and Mu Die that he also accepted Master Qingmei, who had placed "first in actual combat."

In other words, Master Qingmei was just a Thug that Che Gongwei had accepted as a matter of convenience.

"It seems that before long, I will be able to address you as Fellow Daoist, Junior Sister Su." Wei Tu smiled faintly, offering her a casual compliment.

However, Master Qingmei paid his words no mind. The thought of currying favor with her Golden Core senior brother never even crossed her mind.

She knew perfectly well what had happened with Mu Die. Back then, helpless, Mu Die had begged their "Eldest Senior Brother," Wei Tu, for aid. But Wei Tu had been cold and merciless, offering no help to his junior sister.