Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

The moon waxes and wanes.

And man’s fortune is just as fickle.

Over twenty years ago, when he first stepped into the Cultivation Realm, Wei Tu knew it was unlikely that all four of them, sworn brothers, would succeed in Foundation Establishment and live to the end of their natural lifespans. After all, the Cultivation Realm was immeasurably more dangerous than the mortal world...

Someone was bound to fall behind.

Or die.

But he never expected that the first to fall behind and die would be Kou Liang.

Wei Tu put the letter away, walked out of the post station, and headed for Fu Zhizhou’s residence.

As it happened, Fu Zhizhou had not left Danqiu Mountain for the Yaolang Mountain Range today.

"Eldest Brother is dead?" Fu Zhizhou was so shocked he lost his voice.

As the words left his mouth, it was as if all the strength had drained from his body, and he collapsed heavily into his chair. It was a long moment before he recovered.

"How did he die?" Fu Zhizhou’s throat was dry as he looked at Wei Tu.

After more than forty years of friendship, Kou Liang was not his brother by blood, but he was closer than one.

He had always thought that as an Assassin, he would be the first to die on the Immortal Path.

But he never expected Kou Liang to go before him.

"Hongying said in the letter that Eldest Brother was helping her with a Sect mission in the mortal world when he ran into a Tier One Cyan Leaf Snake. He was bitten, suffered grievous injuries, and died."

Wei Tu took out the letter and handed it to Fu Zhizhou as he spoke.

"He died in Guangshun Prefecture?" Fu Zhizhou’s eyes flashed with a sharp glint after reading the letter.

Generally speaking.

There shouldn’t be any Demon Beasts in the mortal world.

In Zheng Country, Demon Beasts were only found in the Yaolang Mountain Range and a few other dangerous lands and Secret Realms.

Guangshun Prefecture was a densely populated area of Zheng Country with thin Spiritual Qi; it was impossible for wild Demon Beasts to be there.

So, it was obvious that the Demon Beast that killed Kou Liang must have been some Cultivator’s Spirit Pet.

"I will avenge this!"

Fu Zhizhou gritted his teeth, crumpling the letter in his fist.

The four of them, sworn brothers, may have had their conflicts of interest, but their bond was real. After so many years, they had long since become friends who would die for one another.

"First, let’s go to the Bai Shihu Marketplace to find Hongying and ask about the specifics."

Compared to Fu Zhizhou’s rage, Wei Tu was much calmer. After all, among the four brothers, the second, Wei Fei, was unreliable. Now that Kou Liang was dead, he was the only one left to take charge.

...

「A few days later.」

Qujiang Dao, Nanhang City.

The Kou Mansion.

When Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou arrived, the Kou Mansion was already draped inside and out with white mourning silks and funeral banners.

Inside and outside the main hall, a large crowd of Kou Family descendants knelt in mourning.

Behind the Kou Family descendants knelt the descendants of the Wei and Fu Families.

The descendants of all three families were dressed in sackcloth and mourning attire.

Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou landed. Amidst the silent weeping of the crowd, the two of them walked to the front of the hall, took a handful of incense, and lit it. They bowed three times before Kou Liang’s memorial tablet, then placed the incense in the censer.

"Uncle Wei, Uncle Fu." Dressed in mourning clothes, a tearful Kou Hongying rose and bowed deeply to the two men. "It’s because of me that my father died. I... have failed my father and my three uncles."

Ever since the Yee Society was formed.

The Kou, Wei, and Fu families had become as close as kin.

Outside, she was a lofty Disciple of an Immortal Sect, but within the family, she still had to heed the opinions of her three uncles.

"You don’t have to blame yourself." Wei Tu glanced at Kou Hongying’s haggard face and shook his head. "It was just an accident."

He knew that the Sect missions Kou Hongying had arranged for Kou Liang were all simple, easy tasks with no risk to his life.

For example, the Sect mission Kou Liang was on when he died was merely a trip to Guangshun Prefecture to find a type of Spirit Grass called "Jade Grass."

Such a misfortune on the road was something no one could have predicted.

The only one to blame was the Cultivator who raised that Tier One Cyan Leaf Snake.

"If it weren’t for me, Father wouldn’t have neglected his Cultivation all these years..."

Kou Hongying lamented, wallowing in self-pity.

Her father, Kou Liang, had been a Military Officer in the mortal world, with formidable skills.

If he hadn’t spent all these years busy earning Spirit Stones for her Cultivation, neglecting his own... he might not have been defeated and grievously wounded upon encountering a Tier One Cyan Leaf Snake, a fate that led to his death.

’Ultimately, it was still her fault.’

’She, his daughter, was the reason Kou Liang had neglected his Cultivation and lacked the ability to deal with a sudden disaster.’

Seeing this, Wei Tu didn’t try to persuade her further.

This was Kou Hongying’s own inner demon. No one’s words could help. Only the passage of time would allow her to come to terms with it on her own.

While they were talking, Wei Fei also arrived at the Kou Mansion. His expression grew wistful when he saw Kou Liang’s memorial tablet, and he too offered a handful of incense.

"Third Brother, right now, I’m a little glad about the choice I made back then," Wei Fei said quietly, moving to Wei Tu’s side.

Years ago, he had made a bold declaration: he would only marry and have children after he achieved immortality.

However, after arriving in the Cultivation Realm, he had come to regret it.

Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou had each found their own opportunities. And while the eldest, Kou Liang, had poor aptitude, he had a daughter with a Middle-Grade Spirit Root...

Only he had nothing. He didn’t dare become an Assassin, he had no special skills, and he didn’t have a talented descendant to help him fulfill his dream of seeking immortality.

He was all alone,

standing in solitude.

But now, seeing that Kou Liang had died—his path to immortality severed—while helping his daughter with her Foundation Establishment, his regret vanished without a trace.

Wei Fei knew that if he had children of his own, he would probably follow in Kou Liang’s footsteps.

—Toiling for one’s children until death.

"Everyone has their own fate."

Wei Tu shook his head, not wanting to judge whether Kou Liang’s or Wei Fei’s choice was right or wrong.

He believed that at the moment of his death, Kou Liang would not have regretted the choice he made over twenty years ago.

’I wonder which of us three will be the next to die?’