Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

Becoming an Assassin wasn’t a guaranteed death sentence, but it wasn’t far from it.

If you walk by the riverside long enough, you’re bound to get your shoes wet.

When calamity arrived, it meant their demise.

"I’ve made up my mind!"

Fu Zhizhou didn’t hesitate. His gaze was firm as he nodded and said in a low voice, "I’m not like you, Third Brother. You have a talent for the Talisman Dao. You can cultivate safely on Danqiu Mountain and might even have a chance at Foundation Establishment one day."

"If I don’t go out there and risk it all, I’ll have no hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment. I’ll just grow old and die on Danqiu Mountain."

"Rather than that, I’d prefer to go out with Fellow Daoist Helian and die out there."

Unlike many of the low-level Cultivators in the Shantytown who were content with mediocrity, he came from a Martial Artist background and had a detached view of life and death.

Hearing this, Wei Tu didn’t try to persuade him any further.

He had already guessed what Fu Zhizhou’s plans and decisions for his Immortal Path would be back at the last small market.

Wei Tu pondered for a moment, then rose and bowed to Helian Xiong. "Fellow Daoist Helian, could I trouble you to step outside for a moment? I have a few words I need to say to my fourth brother."

He wouldn’t interfere with Fu Zhizhou’s path, nor did he have the power to do so.

However, as a brother in their Alliance, he still had to provide what help he could.

"This..." Helian Xiong looked surprised. After returning Wei Tu’s bow with some awkwardness, he walked out the door and into the area outside the shack.

A few breaths later, Wei Tu heard the footsteps outside come to a halt.

He paused, walked over to the window, and opened the mullioned window just a crack. After peeking out and seeing that Helian Xiong had walked some distance away, he returned to the table and sat down again.

"These are two High-Quality Earth Spike Talismans. Their power is comparable to a Tier One Talisman. Take them for self-preservation."

Wei Tu took two Talismans from his sleeve and handed them to Fu Zhizhou.

He had known Fu Zhizhou for over twenty years.

He knew that Fu Zhizhou was not an ungrateful person.

The matter with the Blood Food Pills was a clear example of this.

"Third Brother, this gift is too much..."

When Fu Zhizhou saw the two "High-Quality" Earth Spike Talismans in front of him, he was first shocked by the depth of Wei Tu’s skill in the Talisman Dao. Once he recovered, he quickly tried to refuse them.

After two years on Danqiu Mountain, he had learned how hard Spirit Stones were to come by.

Although his old ambitions hadn’t been completely worn away... he no longer dared to accept such a valuable gift... afraid that he would be unable to repay it in the future...

He had accepted help from his other brothers in the past because he was confident that he could repay them all in the future.

Now, he no longer had that confidence.

"The Demon Beast Hides from the Yaolang Mountain Range can be used to make Talisman Paper for Tier One Talismans. If you happen to hunt some in the future, Fourth Brother, and share some of the hides with me, we can consider it a mutually beneficial exchange."

Wei Tu saw through Fu Zhizhou’s thoughts at a glance and said with a slight smile.

At the small market, the Talisman Paper sold by Che Chulong and others was mostly made from Blood Vine Grass grown in Spirit Fields, which was then processed using special techniques.

This kind of Talisman Paper could only be used to create Basic Talismans.

For Immortal Talismans of Tier One or higher, the Talisman Paper had to be made from a Spiritual Object of the same level.

And properly cured Demon Beast Hide was the most commonly used type of Talisman Paper in the Cultivation Realm.

"Thank you, Third Brother."

"I will do my utmost to bring back Demon Beast Hides from the Yaolang Mountain Range for you."

Hearing this, Fu Zhizhou no longer refused. He nodded firmly and accepted the two High-Quality Earth Spike Talismans from Wei Tu.

After that, Wei Tu did not detain Fu Zhizhou any longer, watching as he left and departed from Danqiu Mountain.

’I hope this won’t be the last time I see Fourth Brother.’

Wei Tu sighed.

...

「One month after Fu Zhizhou left.」

On this day, Wei Tu was tilling his Spirit Field. He pinched an "Earth Spike Talisman" between two fingers, and after chanting a few words of a Curse, the compacted soil in the Spirit Field immediately began to churn.

By the time the Talisman Paper had burned to ash, half a mu of the Spirit Field had been completely tilled from one end to the other.

Next, he shouldered his hoe and planted this year’s Spirit Rice, one seed at a time.

After Fu Zhizhou became an Assassin and gave up his status as a Spirit Farmer in the Shantytown, the Marketplace did not immediately reclaim the Spirit Field that had been allocated to him.

The lease term for a Spirit Field was five years.

Only after five years would the Marketplace reclaim the Spirit Field for reallocation.

However, while one didn’t have to cultivate their private fields, the public fields assigned by the Marketplace still needed to be farmed as a form of poll tax paid to the Marketplace.

Of course, this was a good thing for Wei Tu.

He now had an extra five mu of Spirit Fields under his name. Even if he didn’t tend to them meticulously, he could still gain an extra six or seven Spirit Stones after five years.

"Third Brother!"

Suddenly, a resonant voice called out from behind Wei Tu.

"Second Brother?" Wei Tu turned and was momentarily stunned to see Hu Yao leading Weii Fei toward him.

He quickly recovered, realizing that Weii Fei must have used the Moon Condensing Pill and Small Gathering Qi Pills from Fu Zhizhou to break through to the Innate Realm, which was how he was able to enter Danqiu Mountain.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, while I was washing clothes, I heard this Fellow Daoist Weii come in, saying he was looking for you and Fellow Daoist Fu..."

"So I brought him to you."

"I hope you don’t mind, Fellow Daoist Wei."

Hu Yao said with a smile.

With that, Hu Yao performed a curtsy, offered a casual excuse, and left the Spirit Field.

"Come on, let’s head back to my place first." Wei Tu shouldered his hoe and led Weii Fei to his shack.

A quarter of an hour later,

Weii Fei walked into the shack. Upon seeing the simple table, chairs, and bed inside, he was left speechless. "Third Brother, your living conditions are terrible! You lived better as a mortal."

"No wonder... Last time you returned to the mortal world, I asked you about your life here, and you wouldn’t say a word, just that it was ’fine... fine...’"

Back in the Prefecture City, Wei Tu had carriages and Servants whenever he went out, maids to attend to him, and chefs from restaurants to cook his meals...

Every aspect of his life—clothing, food, housing, and travel—was extremely refined and grand.

Who would have thought that after entering the Cultivation Realm, Wei Tu’s life would be worse than it was in the mortal world?

He was practically living like a poor farmer.

After waiting for a moment and seeing that Wei Tu hadn’t replied and was frowning deeply, Weii Fei realized he had misspoken. He gave an embarrassed smile and shut his mouth.

"Danqiu Mountain deliberately created the Shantytown to house low-level Cultivators. You’ll understand once you’ve been in the Cultivation Realm for a while," Wei Tu explained.

The Cultivation Realm has a strict hierarchy, even more so than the mortal world.

Low-level Cultivators like them had the ability to transform the Shantytown into luxurious palaces comparable to the Imperial Palace, but... that was strictly forbidden by the Marketplace.

Firstly, it would blur the lines between the noble and the humble.

Secondly, if the Shantytown were transformed into a luxurious place like the Imperial Palace, complete with Spirit Gathering Arrays and other Cultivation Arrays, then who would rent the Marketplace’s Cave Mansions?

These were things Wei Tu had gradually come to understand in the months after his arrival at Danqiu Mountain.

"This is a letter from First Brother."

After some simple small talk, Weii Fei took a letter from his robes and handed it to Wei Tu.

"A letter from First Brother?"

Wei Tu was slightly surprised.

He opened the letter and read it.

In the letter, Kou Liang said that after they last parted, he had consumed the Moon Condensing Pill Wei Tu gave him and his Martial Arts realm had reached the Innate level.

Afterward, he took his second daughter, Kou Hongying, to another Marketplace in Zheng Country—the Bai Shihu Marketplace.

After some twists and turns, Kou Hongying successfully joined the Jingshui Pavilion, the Sect that managed the Bai Shihu Marketplace, and became one of its Outer Disciples.

The master she took was Master Qin, a Foundation Establishment Master of Jingshui Pavilion.

At the end of the letter, Kou Liang mentioned that Kou Hongying had received a reward from Master Qin, which included a good number of Spirit Stones. He had taken some of them to buy an "Earth Essence Pill" for Wei Tu and hoped he would accept it.

"An Earth Essence Pill?"

Wei Tu was both surprised and delighted.

He had originally planned to buy an "Earth Essence Pill" from a Marketplace shop in a few years, after building up some reputation, to improve his Cultivation.

He never expected Kou Liang to buy an "Earth Essence Pill" for him so soon.

’A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings.’

Wei Tu put down the envelope and sighed with emotion.

’Back then, if I had given up on First Brother Kou Liang, thinking his aptitude was limited, and hadn’t offered him a helping hand, would he even remember his "poor brother" now that he has prospered?’

He and Fu Zhizhou both cultivated the "Thick Earth Body" and needed the Earth Essence Pill.

But Kou Liang had only given the "Earth Essence Pill" to him, without a single mention of Fu Zhizhou. That alone spoke volumes.

’Jingshui Pavilion is one of the three great Sects of Zheng Country.’

’To be accepted as a disciple by a Foundation Establishment Master of Jingshui Pavilion... Kou Hongying has basically ascended to Heaven in a single step...’

Wei Tu glanced at the letter again, feeling envious of Kou Hongying for finding such a master.

Although becoming the disciple of a Foundation Establishment Master didn’t guarantee she would reach Foundation Establishment, Kou Hongying would undoubtedly face fewer detours compared to Independent Cultivators like them.

"This is what First Brother asked me to bring you, Third Brother." Seeing that Wei Tu had finished the letter, Weii Fei took a jade bottle from his robes and pressed it into Wei Tu’s hand.

After speaking, he glanced around and asked in surprise, "Why haven’t I seen Fourth Brother? It’s been a while. Where did he go?"

Wei Tu put the Earth Essence Pill away safely, hummed thoughtfully, and began to explain Fu Zhizhou’s current situation to Weii Fei.

He also explained some common knowledge about the Cultivation Realm.

"What?"

"Fourth Brother became an Assassin?"

Hearing this news, Weii Fei’s face was filled with sorrow and regret.

’Back when they swore their oath of brotherhood, Fu Zhizhou had been the youngest, the most talented, and he came from a renowned family in Xiaoyi Prefecture.’

’His strength, background, and official position all surpassed those of his three sworn elder brothers.’

’And yet... times had changed.’

’First Brother Kou Liang had a good daughter who became the disciple of a Foundation Establishment Master, so he would be able to bask in her glory in the future.’

’And Third Brother Wei Tu, though not as fortunate as Kou Liang, was skilled in the Talisman Dao. By progressing steadily on Danqiu Mountain, he also had a glimmer of hope to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.’

’In contrast, there was Fu Zhizhou—’

’with no special skills, he had been forced to become an Assassin, the most dangerous of professions, risking life and limb to fight for a sliver of Opportunity.’

"Second Brother, we’re done talking for now. I’ll take you to Steward Liu to handle the registration procedures."

Wei Tu reminded him at an opportune moment.

The Danqiu Mountain Marketplace had a rule: outside Independent Cultivators could only come to Danqiu Mountain twice per ten-day period, and their total time on the mountain could not exceed one day.

Violators would receive a warning the first time. They would be expelled the second time, and killed on the spot for a third offense.

"No, Third Brother." Weii Fei heard Wei Tu’s words and shook his head without hesitation. "I don’t plan on staying on Danqiu Mountain."

"What do you mean?"

Wei Tu raised an eyebrow, a little confused.

Weii Fei was now an Independent Cultivator. He could register at Danqiu Mountain, or at other Marketplaces like Bai Shihu.

However, no matter how he looked at it, the Danqiu Mountain Marketplace seemed like the most suitable place for Weii Fei.

After all, among the four brothers, his relationship with Weii Fei was the closest; they were inseparable friends.

"You misunderstand, Third Brother."

As if seeing through Wei Tu’s thoughts, Weii Fei gave a wry smile and said, "What I mean is, for now, I won’t join any Marketplace. I’ll be a true Independent Cultivator."

Before coming to Danqiu Mountain, he did have the idea of stepping onto the path of Cultivation.

But after seeing Fu Zhizhou’s "miserable" end, his resolve was immediately shaken. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to become an Ascetic Monk, join Danqiu Mountain, and continue chasing the Longevity Immortal Path.

"Compared to Danqiu Mountain, I think the mortal world is a better fit for me right now."

Weii Fei added.

"The mortal world..."

Hearing this, Wei Tu was slightly taken aback.

He had the "Late Bloomer" Destiny Chart and could endure temporary hardship, but Weii Fei was different. Seeing no hope on the path ahead, returning to the secular world to enjoy life... seemed like the best choice for him...

After a long moment, Wei Tu nodded, agreeing with Weii Fei’s decision.

"I’ll see you out of Danqiu Mountain’s main gate, Second Brother."

he said.

"Third Brother, wait a moment."

Weii Fei stopped Wei Tu, who had just stepped out the door and was about to lead the way.

"Is there something else, Second Brother?"

Wei Tu was surprised, wondering what game Weii Fei was playing.

"That Fellow Daoist Hu from earlier was very considerate and polite, and I am very grateful that she guided me... I hope you’ll take me to her residence, Third Brother."

Weii Fei patted Wei Tu’s shoulder as he said this.

...

...