Chapter 119 - 100: I Am Willing to Bear This Responsibility
Although he didn’t rush Wei Yan about getting married, as her father, he still had to pay some attention to her love life.
"No one."
Wei Yan’s reply was concise, just those two words.
"Fu Lin pursued my sister for a while, but she rejected him,"
Wei Xiuwen added.
"Fu Lin?" Upon hearing the name, Wei Tu immediately recalled the eldest son of the Fu Family, who had kowtowed before him ten years ago to borrow ten Spirit Stones.
"How is he doing?"
Wei Tu asked.
He saw in Fu Lin the same fervent desire to walk the Immortal Path that Fu Zhizhou had.
In that respect,
he was a true son of his father.
"Fu Lin went to the Bai Shihu Marketplace and became an Assassin, just like Uncle Fu."
"The strange thing is, though, Sister Hongying can’t stand Fu Lin. Before we came to Nanhang City, she once went out of her way to avoid him."
"Sister Hongying said Fu Lin is ruthless, even to himself, and that he’s not someone you want to associate with."
Knowing Wei Tu was asking about Fu Lin, Wei Xiuwen explained everything he knew about his recent circumstances.
’Not someone to associate with?’
Wei Tu’s mind raced. In his opinion, Kou Hongying wasn’t the type to curry favor with the powerful, nor was she fickle and disloyal. After all, when she saw Fu Zhizhou’s "injuries," she had immediately proposed a solution.
"Listen to your Sister Hongying."
"From now on, limit your contact with Fu Lin."
After a moment of thought, Wei Tu paused, glanced at his children beside him, and warned in a solemn tone.
He didn’t know why Kou Hongying couldn’t stand Fu Lin, but he trusted her judgment.
From what he’d seen at their two gatherings, Kou Hongying was nearly impeccable in her character, abilities, and methods.
"Yes, Father."
Wei Yan and her brother nodded in agreement.
...
After walking for a short while, the three of them arrived at the Wei Mansion in Nanhang City.
"Brother Wei." Inside, the gray-haired Xinghua was embroidering. Hearing the familiar footsteps outside, she turned her head and called out softly.
’Perhaps I’m just old and my hearing is failing.’
’Brother Wei left to pursue the Immortal Dao. How could he possibly be back today?’
Xinghua muttered to herself.
’Wait, no. It’s been ten years. It’s the thirteenth of the sixth month. Brother Wei should be in Nanhang City...’
The thought suddenly struck her.
"Still playing tricks on me at our age..." Xinghua shook her head, glanced behind her, then feigned indifference and returned to her needlework.
Wei Tu let himself be seen.
Wei Yan and her brother, who had been waiting beside him, also revealed themselves.
"We have seamstresses in the house. You should sew less. Don’t wear yourself out." Wei Tu glanced at the summer shirt in her hands, its fabric covered in dense stitches, and couldn’t help but urge her.
’Even though I’ve used my Spiritual Power to help maintain her health, if she overworks herself, it’s almost certain to shorten her life.’
"It’s not for you. I’m sewing it for my dear grandson," Xinghua huffed.
"My grandson is that big?" Wei Tu asked, surprised, and looked around the room.
The summer shirt in Xinghua’s hands was clearly meant for a thirteen-year-old boy.
He certainly didn’t recall Wei Yan or her brother having any children before marriage.
Besides that, the only other explanation was that Xinghua had adopted a grandson during the ten years he was away.
"Mother is sewing... clothes for Xiuwen’s future son..."
"Three outfits for every year of his life. This is the thirty-seventh one,"
Wei Yan whispered, clarifying.
"Mother’s afraid she’ll die before she gets to see three generations living together, before she gets to see Xiuwen’s son..."
she added.
As she said this, Wei Yan’s heart ached. It was precisely because she had witnessed her mother’s "miserable" loneliness that she had decided to never marry and instead pursue the Immortal Dao.
Immortals and mortals, after all, belonged to two different worlds.
Wei Tu didn’t answer. He sat down on the edge of the bed, his gaze shifting. He reached for the long-stemmed tobacco pipe on the side table against the wall, lit it, and took two heavy puffs.
When he first entered Danqiu Mountain, Hu Yao had told him of a Talisman called the "Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman," which could spare him the pain of losing a loved one.
This Immortal Talisman could place a Mortal in cryosleep for a hundred years without them dying in the process.
Upon being released, their Divine Soul would remain intact.
However, after Wei Tu became a Talisman Master and spent twenty years struggling his way through the Cultivation Realm, he learned that the so-called Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman... was nothing more than a beautiful fantasy.
While the Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman could indeed freeze a Mortal for a century without harming their Divine Soul, after that century passed—
if there was no God Shaping Pill to reconstruct the frozen Mortal’s Physical Body and Divine Soul, they would rapidly age and die the moment they were released from the Talisman’s Power.
There was no escaping the awesome power of time with this method.
And a God Shaping Pill was a Tier Two Elixir, a treasure difficult to obtain even for someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
To freeze Xinghua for a hundred years for the sake of an unrealistic fantasy... Wei Tu still couldn’t bring himself to make that decision.
The pain of final parting is something both Mortals and Cultivators must experience. Ninety-nine percent of them choose acceptance. Only a tiny minority chooses to "resist."
Wei Tu didn’t know if he would be one of the former or one of the latter.
’There’s still half a year. After Xiuwen’s wedding, I’ll discuss it with her and see if she’s willing...’
Wei Tu set down his pipe and sighed.
One hundred Spirit Stones were precious to him now, but not so much that he couldn’t part with them.
Back then, when he bought his freedom, he had used Xinghua’s money.
Now that he was on the Immortal Path, how could he be stingy about a hundred Spirit Stones when it came to her?
...
「Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.」
On this day, Wei Xiuwen brought his future Dao Companion to the Wei Mansion.
"Father." Mei Zhen had a sweet tongue, calling Wei Tu ’Father’ before she had even officially married into the family.
"A fine daughter-in-law."
Wei Tu wasn’t stingy either. He smiled in response and pulled out two Talismans, presenting them to Mei Zhen as a first-meeting gift.
The two Talismans were:
one Lower Grade Demon Wood Talisman,
and one High-Quality Rock Shield Talisman.
Seeing how generous Wei Tu was, Mei Zhen’s eyes immediately lit up, and her opinion of him improved immensely.
She had seen how strapped for cash Wei Xiuwen usually was and had assumed the Wei Family was poor. She never expected that Wei Tu was actually a Talisman Master with considerable wealth.
"Go and pay your respects to your mother." Wei Tu gestured for Wei Xiuwen and his future wife toward the main hall where Xinghua was.
Wei Xiuwen nodded and tugged at a somewhat reluctant Mei Zhen, leading her to the room on the other side of the corridor.
’A man should marry a virtuous woman.’
’I wonder what Mei Zhen’s character is truly like.’
Wei Tu watched her leave, his brow furrowed in thought.
As her future father-in-law, he didn’t mind her plain appearance. What he truly cared about was her character.
But in such a short time, he couldn’t get a read on her personality.
’Forget it. Children will have their own fortunes. It’s not my place to interfere in these matters.’
Wei Tu shook his head, deciding not to meddle. After the wedding, he would leave Bai Shihu and return to Danqiu Mountain.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
That evening, Wei Xiuwen knocked on his door.
"Father, I told you six months ago that I had a surprise for you and Mother,"
Wei Xiuwen said, a broad smile on his face.
"What surprise?"
Wei Tu was slightly taken aback, then he recalled what Wei Xiuwen had said six months prior.
At the time, Wei Xiuwen had said he would have a surprise for him and Xinghua in half a year.
He had just assumed it was an idle boast and hadn’t paid it much mind—he had heard plenty of his son’s idle boasts growing up.
He never imagined Wei Xiuwen would actually bring it up again six months later, ready to deliver on his promise.
"Father, this is my gift for you and Mother." Wei Xiuwen closed the door and windows, then took a Talisman Box from his robes and handed it to Wei Tu.
Then, he urged Wei Tu to open the box.
"The Ice... Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman?"
When Wei Tu opened the Talisman Box and saw the Talisman inside, his gaze froze.
He truly hadn’t expected that Wei Xiuwen would have the same idea as him—to use the Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman to preserve a hope for the future.
"This Talisman costs one hundred Spirit Stones. Where did you get the money?"
Wei Tu frowned, placing the Talisman Box on the tea table beside him as he asked.
Logically, with Wei Xiuwen’s abilities, there was no way he could have saved up a hundred Spirit Stones in just ten years.
He was worried his son had taken a crooked path and become a Tribulation Cultivator.
"I got some of her personal savings from Xiaomei, and... my sister pitched in some Spirit Stones..."
Wei Xiuwen explained.
After explaining, he dropped to his knees and bowed low before Wei Tu. "Mother has doted on me so much. I really don’t want to... to just let her pass away..."
"Father, you were willing to help my sister and me step onto the Immortal Path. Why are you unwilling to help Mother?"
"Since you’re unwilling to help her, Father, then I... am willing to bear this responsibility,"
he said, his eyes red as tears streamed down his face.