Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

"When you give Hongying the One Qi Pouch Making Method, Weii Fei, remember to have her sign a Spirit Contract promising not to sell it without permission..."

Wei Tu offered a timely reminder.

Unlike the three sworn brothers, Kou Hongying was not an Independent Cultivator. She had the backing of an Immortal Sect and a Foundation Establishment Master for a teacher, so she wouldn’t have to worry about the string of troubles and dangers that would come from selling the One Qi Pouch Making Method.

Treasures could tempt any heart.

The gain or loss of a thousand Spirit Stones was enough to impact Kou Hongying’s journey to Foundation Establishment.

"I’m well aware."

Weii Fei smiled.

He let his guard down around Wei Tu because they had been friends for over forty years, and he knew the man’s character well.

But when it came to Kou Hongying, he wouldn’t be so foolish as to simply hand over the method. He would naturally take precautions.

...

「Two months later.」

Wei Tu received two letters, one after the other, from Weii Fei and Kou Hongying.

The contents of both letters concerned the method for making the One Qi Pouch magical artifact.

Weii Fei wrote that Kou Hongying had agreed to sign the Spirit Contract and had given him eighty Spirit Stones as payment for the method.

Wei Tu was not surprised by this.

It was clear from the last gathering, where Kou Hongying had asked her three "uncles" to help her reach Foundation Establishment ahead of schedule, that she was quite ambitious about her Cultivation.

In fact, her sights were likely set directly on the higher realm of Golden Core.

While some elixirs could produce a similar effect, the effects of multiple One Qi Pouches could be stacked. Their combined power would elevate Kou Hongying’s potential even further.

For this reason alone, Kou Hongying would never pass up the One Qi Pouch Making Method.

In her letter, besides mentioning the deal with Weii Fei, Kou Hongying also brought up her desire to have a One Qi Pouch refined.

Kou Hongying wrote that she hoped to go through Wei Tu to ask his relative-by-marriage—Mei Yuanfeng, the Pavilion Master of the Hundred Soldiers Pavilion—to refine the One Qi Pouch, a Blood and Flesh Magical Artifact.

Every trade has its master.

Mei Yuanfeng was a renowned Tier One Upper-Grade Refiner in Bai Shihu, and his reputation was widespread.

Moreover, he had an excellent business reputation.

Of course, the most important factor was her ability to leverage a connection to Mei Yuanfeng.

After some thought, Wei Tu wrote back to Kou Hongying.

He told Kou Hongying to wait for the time being and use the interim to gather the Spiritual Materials needed to refine the magical artifact.

At their next reunion, the two of them could go together and ask Mei Yuanfeng to refine the One Qi Pouch.

After all, the next ten-year reunion was only a few years away.

Only two years remained.

...

In the blink of an eye, two years flew by.

During this time, nothing much happened, aside from Tong Peipei visiting a few times to ask about Wei Tu’s progress with the Demon Refining Talisman.

After packing his belongings, Wei Tu left Danqiu Mountain with Fu Zhizhou and headed for the Bai Shihu Marketplace.

The two first arrived in Nanhang City.

Fu Zhizhou stopped in his tracks.

"You go on home. I’m not going back," he said.

Wei Tu was surprised. "Last time, didn’t you and Lin’er meet and... sort some things out, Fourth Brother?"

He remembered that at Kou Liang’s funeral, the father-son pair, Fu Zhizhou and Fu Lin, had both come to pay their respects and had finally met.

After they met, Fu Zhizhou had told him to go on ahead, using the excuse of needing to handle a family matter...

Fu Zhizhou shook his head and sighed, not wanting to continue the topic.

Seeing this, Wei Tu didn’t press the issue. He simply nodded, turned, and walked into Nanhang City.

’Even an honest judge can’t settle a family dispute.’

Although he and Fu Zhizhou were sworn brothers, it wasn’t his place to meddle in family affairs.

After returning to the Wei Mansion and greeting his family, Wei Tu found an opportunity to ask the siblings, Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen, about the Fu Family.

"After Uncle Kou’s funeral, Fu Lin left Nanhang City with the Fu Family’s second son and third daughter... and they haven’t been seen since."

Wei Xiuwen said in a low voice.

"Why did the three of them run away from home?"

Wei Tu raised an eyebrow, feeling a little perplexed.

’Back when Fu Lin knelt before me, I could tell that the Fu Family’s eldest son had a resolute heart for the Dao, one that was no weaker than his father’s.’

’First, Fu Lin had settled in the Bai Shihu Marketplace, and now he’s "run away"... This will clearly jeopardize his own Immortal Path.’

’The reason must be more than just the conflict between father and son.’

"It’s because... Fu Lin has been practicing a Demon Technique..." Wei Xiuwen whispered.

"A Demon Technique?" Wei Tu’s gaze sharpened. ’No wonder,’ he thought.

At the last gathering, Wei Xiuwen had told him that Kou Hongying avoided Fu Lin, even using Seclusion as an excuse to refuse a visit from him.

At the time, he had wondered why Kou Hongying would do that.

After all, in his eyes, Kou Hongying didn’t seem like the type of person to be a sycophant or to be so cold and ungrateful.

But if Fu Lin had already been practicing a Demon Technique at that time...

...then everything made sense.

At the last gathering, Kou Hongying had already revealed her Cultivation to be at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.

With her level of Cultivation, it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to notice the signs that Fu Lin was practicing a Demon Technique.

Her avoidance of Fu Lin was likely just to avoid suspicion, not because she looked down on a peer who had fallen on hard times.

—In the Zheng Country, Demon Cultivators were public enemy number one.

...

「Five days later.」

June thirteenth.

The members of the Yee Society gathered once more.

This time, however, someone was missing compared to ten years ago: Kou Liang.

A sad expression crossed Kou Hongying’s face.

Wei Tu and the other two men each sighed and poured a cup of wine onto the ground as a tribute to Kou Liang’s spirit.

Next, the four of them each spoke of their Cultivation Realm and the progress they had made over the past decade.

Weii Fei shot a sly glance at Fu Zhizhou, a broad smile on his face as he announced that he had broken through to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.

Two years ago, when he had visited Wei Tu at Luoxue Courtyard, his Cultivation had already reached the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.

With the help of Spirit Stones from both Wei Tu and Kou Hongying, he had purchased a Green Water Pill and broken through to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer with ease.

Then, in order, it was Wei Tu’s turn.

"Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer..."

Wei Tu’s words were brief.

As he finished speaking, Weii Fei and Fu Zhizhou, who had seen Wei Tu recently, were not surprised, as they were already prepared for the news.

Only Kou Hongying, who had been focused on her Cultivation within her Sect, showed visible surprise upon hearing Wei Tu’s new realm.

At the last gathering, Wei Tu had only advanced a single Small Realm in ten years, reaching the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.

But now, another ten years had passed, and Wei Tu’s Cultivation speed had somehow increased dramatically, allowing him to break through two Small Realms.

The breakthrough from the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer to the Seventh was the transition from Middle-Stage to Late-Stage Qi Cultivation, which was no easy feat.

And she herself had only reached the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer by now, putting her just one Small Realm ahead of Wei Tu.

"Congratulations, Uncle Wei."

Kou Hongying suppressed her stray thoughts and offered Wei Tu a smile of congratulations.

"What?"

"Fourth Brother, you broke through to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer?"

When it was Fu Zhizhou’s turn and he announced his own Cultivation Realm, Weii Fei, who had been wearing a smug smile, was suddenly dumbfounded and couldn’t help but cry out.

Weii Fei had thought that by breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, he would no longer be the one at the bottom of the group.

He never imagined that Fu Zhizhou would still be a step ahead, having also moved past the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.

Seeing Weii Fei’s reaction, Fu Zhizhou wasn’t bothered. He just let out a few hearty laughs, letting the moment pass.

Even back when they were mortals, he knew Weii Fei held a certain "dissatisfaction" toward him.

At first, this dissatisfaction might have affected their relationship, but by now, it was just a bit of seasoning on their long Immortal Path.

Finally, it was Kou Hongying’s turn.

After sharing her Cultivation Realm and insights, Kou Hongying’s gaze shifted to Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou. She then brought up the matter of refining the One Qi Pouch.

"If you get the chance, Uncle Fu, you should try refining this magical artifact. With its help, you won’t have to worry about an insufficient foundation when you attempt your Foundation Establishment..."

Kou Hongying advised.

"I’ll think about it when the opportunity arises," Fu Zhizhou said, shaking his head.

After paying for his "healing," his Spirit Stone savings were already stretched thin.

How could he have the spare resources to refine a One Qi Pouch to shore up his foundation?

...

When the banquet ended, everyone walked out of the private room.

Holding the hem of her dress, Kou Hongying fell into step just behind Wei Tu. She began a voice transmission with him to discuss the specifics of refining the One Qi Pouch.

"I’ve gathered most of the Spiritual Materials," she transmitted. "For some, I even managed to get two sets."

"Have you made any preparations, Uncle Wei?"

Kou Hongying asked.

Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded. He retrieved a list of Spiritual Materials he had prepared from his sleeve and handed it to Kou Hongying.