Chapter 163 128: The Underground Auction
As his words fell.
Wei Tu noticed Kou Hongying's brow furrow ever so slightly. Though the change in her expression was fleeting, he could still read her displeasure.
A thousand Spirit Stones. If he and Kou Hongying split the cost, that would be five hundred Spirit Stones each.
For Foundation Establishment Masters like them, this sum was neither massive nor insignificant.
But—
The crucial point was this: Spirit Stones were easy enough to lend, but it all depended on whether the borrower was worth it.
Today, if the one asking for the loan had been him or Fu Zhizhou instead of Weii Fei, he imagined Kou Hongying wouldn't have hesitated to part with five hundred Spirit Stones.
After all, the two of them had spent twenty long years helping Kou Hongying with her Foundation Establishment.
The five years Kou Hongying had spent in seclusion acting as his Guardian while he broke through to Foundation Establishment were alone worth more than five hundred Spirit Stones.
However,
Weii Fei was different.
At a Yee Society gathering forty years ago, when Kou Hongying had asked the three brothers for help with a mission, Weii Fei... had been the only one to refuse.
Ordinarily, Kou Hongying showed no aversion to Weii Fei and would help him out when it was convenient. But when it truly mattered... with a relationship like theirs, she would stand aside, unwilling to put in any real effort.
Weii Fei had made his choice back then, so he couldn't blame Kou Hongying for making hers now.
In short.
To put it simply.
It wasn't that five hundred Spirit Stones was too much. It was that Weii Fei's relationship with Kou Hongying wasn't worth five hundred Spirit Stones.
There was another point as well.
Weii Fei was all alone. Without a Foundation Establishment Pill to aid him, the chances of him dying during his attempt were extremely high. If he died during Foundation Establishment, the Spirit Stones Kou Hongying lent him would be gone for good.
To just give away five hundred Spirit Stones...
How could Kou Hongying possibly be willing to do that?
And that included Wei Tu.
Although Wei Tu could afford the five hundred Spirit Stones, he still felt uncomfortable about lending them to Weii Fei.
It wasn't that he was heartless, ungrateful, or stingy.
It was that for all the years Weii Fei had been on the Immortal Path, he hadn't put any effort into his Cultivation. He only cared about living a carefree and enjoyable life. Now that his time was running out, he wanted to cling to him and Kou Hongying for a last-minute miracle... expecting a free handout...
Anyone in their position would feel the same way.
If Weii Fei had gathered half the Spirit Stones needed for a Foundation Condensation Pill and was asking him and Kou Hongying to cover the other half, that would be acceptable. There would be nothing to complain about.
When it came to pooling money for something like this...
...you had to cover the lion's share yourself, no matter what.
One last point.
Right now, Weii Fei still had sixteen years before he reached the "Age of Double Armors."
Weii Fei hadn't reached the end of his rope just yet.
...
Inside the private room at Tiansheng Tower.
The atmosphere grew so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Sitting beside the two Foundation Establishment Masters, Weii Fei grew anxious as he sensed the subtle tension in the air.
Kou Hongying glanced at Wei Tu, waiting for him to speak. She didn't want to burn any bridges unless it was the absolute last resort.
Seeing this,
Wei Tu sighed inwardly and broke the silence.
"Second Brother, since you're asking us to lend you Spirit Stones, have you thought about what you could use as collateral, or what you could sell?" Wei Tu chose his words carefully as he reminded him.
'If Weii Fei expects to borrow a thousand Spirit Stones from me and Kou Hongying without any collateral... I'll lend him three to five hundred, but our friendship will inevitably cool after this.'
The Spirit Stones he had accumulated during the Qi Refining Realm had all been spent after his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.
The four hundred-odd Spirit Stones he had on hand now were from selling a batch of Talismans at the Hee Mountain Huang Family's exchange meet.
"I have some." Startled by Wei Tu's reminder, Weii Fei immediately reacted. He slapped his forehead in regret and took the Storage Bag from his waist.
CRASH!
Weii Fei emptied the contents of the Storage Bag onto the eight-immortals table.
There wasn't much.
Three Magical Artifacts, five Jade Scrolls, and some miscellaneous items like Spiritual Materials.
Among the Magical Artifacts, Wei Tu spotted the Cyan Lotus Leaves that Immortal Master Wuk had used back in Qingfeng City.
"The One Qi Pouch Making Method." Wei Tu reached out, drew the Jade Scrolls to him with his power, and looked through them one by one. His gaze finally settled on the "One Qi Pouch Making Method" that he had seen before.
He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Second Brother, you've only sold this One Qi Pouch Making Method to me, Hongying, and the Mei Family. You could absolutely sell it at an auction..."
"It should fetch a price of over a thousand Spirit Stones."
"That way, Second Brother, you won't have to worry about the Spirit Stones for the Foundation Condensation Pill anymore."
A moment ago, he was only thinking about Weii Fei asking him and Kou Hongying for a loan, completely forgetting that Weii Fei still had the One Qi Pouch Making Method.
Back when Weii Fei had first shown him the method, he had already estimated its value at over a thousand Spirit Stones.
However, because he hadn't yet reached Foundation Establishment at the time, he had advised Weii Fei against consigning it for sale, fearing it might attract unwanted trouble.
But things were different now.
He and Kou Hongying were both Foundation Establishment Masters. A method worth over a thousand Spirit Stones was no longer considered a great treasure to them.
The two of them could easily do Weii Fei this small favor and help him consign it to an auction house.
"That was my thought as well. I'm just not good with words and spoke carelessly. I was too abrupt... Hongying..." Weii Fei glanced at Kou Hongying and explained in a low voice.
Ever since Kou Hongying achieved Foundation Establishment, their roles had reversed, and he had always been a little afraid of her.
More than twenty years ago, after attending her Foundation Establishment celebration, this feeling of unease had only grown stronger...
At the celebration, the cultivators from Jingshui Pavilion were all praising the contributions Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou had made for Kou Hongying, while he felt completely out of place.
A look of resignation crossed Kou Hongying's face. She raised a delicate hand, took two of the Magical Artifacts, and left the Cyan Lotus Leaves, a Defensive Magical Artifact, for Weii Fei. Then she said, "The Hundred Treasures Pavilion's Underground Auction is happening soon. When the time comes, this junior will help Uncle Weii consign this One Qi Pouch Making Method, as well as... these two Middle-Grade Magical Artifacts."
"An Underground Auction?"
Hearing this, Wei Tu gave Kou Hongying a surprised look. He hadn't expected her to have also received an invitation from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
'I thought the Hundred Treasures Pavilion would only invite Independent Cultivators like me to this Underground Auction, not disciples from the Three Immortal Sects.'
After all, underground auctions were highly secretive. Inviting disciples from Major Influences would not only risk leaks but also increase the danger.
"When this junior is out and about, I use the Independent Cultivator alias 'Jade Demoness,' not my real name."
Kou Hongying sensed Wei Tu's thoughts and secretly sent him a voice transmission to explain.
'Jade Demoness?'
Wei Tu was startled when he heard this name.
When he attended the Hee Mountain Huang Family's trade meet, he had heard the name "Jade Demoness" from many cultivators. He knew she was a ruthless monster hunter who had recently risen to prominence in the Yaolang Mountain Range.
He never would have thought that this Jade Demoness was his "niece"—Kou Hongying.
"My Talisman Dao has recently had a breakthrough. I can now create Tier Two Lower-Grade Talismans. I can sell them to you at a low price, Hongying."
Wei Tu mused for a moment before replying.
You can't walk by the river all the time without getting your shoes wet.
If Kou Hongying kept fighting these life-or-death battles without some life-saving measures, she would sooner or later die in the Yaolang Mountain Range.
When Fu Zhizhou worked as an Assassin, he had often sold him low-priced Talismans.
Now, that person was Kou Hongying.
"Alright." Kou Hongying nodded slightly, a warmth spreading through her heart.
...
There was still over a year until the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's Underground Auction.
Therefore, Wei Tu didn't return to Cloud Crane Mountain. Instead, he rented a Cave Mansion in the Bai Shihu Marketplace and settled down temporarily.
Kou Hongying had wanted to let Wei Tu stay in her Cave Mansion to save Spirit Stones, but he had refused with the words, "Men and women should keep their distance."
During his stay in the Bai Shihu Marketplace,
Wei Tu didn't neglect his Cultivation.
Just as he did on Cloud Crane Mountain, he balanced work and rest. After his Cultivation sessions, he would practice Talisman Painting to improve his Talisman Dao.
More than a year passed in a flash.
Wei Tu's success rate in creating the Tier Two Lower-Grade Talisman, the "Stone-Breaking Talisman," had increased again.
It went from ten percent to twenty percent.
In other words, he could now successfully create one "Stone-Breaking Talisman" for every five attempts.
On the day before leaving Bai Shihu Marketplace,
Wei Tu, along with the siblings Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen, revisited Xinghua's grave.
After the three of them paid their respects, they returned to the Wei Mansion.
Compared to the lively Kou Mansion and Fu Mansion next door, the Wei Mansion was much more deserted.
Although there were still servants in the mansion, no members of the Wei Family lived there long-term.
Wei Tu could see the weight on Wei Xiuwen's mind. He comforted him, "Xiuwen, it was only natural for your mother to hope for descendants. But since you have set foot on the Immortal Path, you should strive to pursue the Immortal Dao with all your might before that path is closed to you..."
"A person doesn't just live for others. You must also live for yourself."
In Wei Tu's view,
Wei Xiuwen's "filial piety" was highly likely to become a "Heart Demon" when he tried to break through to Foundation Establishment.
This was even more terrifying than Kou Hongying's grief over "losing her father" before her own breakthrough.
After all, Kou Liang had hoped Kou Hongying would help him step onto the Immortal Path so he could see the sights of the Immortal Dao.
Kou Hongying's Cultivation was free from psychological pressure; she was driven only by the urgency of revenge.
After the Blood Elder Demon died, her inner conflict vanished along with him.
But Wei Xiuwen was different.
Before her death, Xinghua had always hoped that Wei Xiuwen would have a child to carry on the Wei Family's Incense.
Until Wei Xiuwen had an heir, this inner conflict would only grow heavier, eventually evolving into a "Heart Demon" during his attempt at Foundation Establishment.
"I know, Father."
Wei Xiuwen looked at his surroundings with a sorrowful heart and forced a smile.
Seeing this,
Wei Tu shook his head and didn't try to persuade him further.
An ailment of the heart requires a medicine for the heart. A few words of persuasion wouldn't be enough.
Wei Xiuwen was still at least twenty to thirty years away from Foundation Establishment. That was enough time for him to walk out from under the shadow of this inner conflict.
...
「Several days later.」
Wei Tu and Kou Hongying set out together for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's Underground Auction.
This time, both of them were in disguise.
Kou Hongying disguised herself as her fake identity from the Yaolang Mountain Range—the Jade Demoness.
A stunning yet cold Female Cultivator in a red dress.
After some thought, Wei Tu disguised himself as a large, dark-skinned man with rugged features.
To avoid attracting attention and for safety, the two flew one after the other, with Kou Hongying in the lead and Wei Tu bringing up the rear.
This time, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion didn't hold the Underground Auction on Danqiu Mountain or in any of Zheng Country's other Marketplaces. Instead, they set it up in "Canglong Mountain," a place in the mortal world.
「More than ten days later.」
Kou Hongying and Wei Tu arrived at a town near Canglong Mountain.
Kou Hongying went in first.
Wei Tu waited for several days. After seeing other cultivators enter Canglong Mountain, he finally set off, presented his invitation to the cultivators guarding the mountain, and entered the auction site.
As the Illusion Array at the mountain pass opened, a wide path appeared before Wei Tu. At the end of the path was an underground cavern several hundred zhang in circumference.
The cavern was supported by more than ten White Jade Pillar Stones. The ground was covered with expensive, jewel-encrusted carpets, and dozens of fist-sized Luminous Pearls were embedded in the ceiling.