Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

They watched as True Monarch Gongg departed.

Wei Tu and Kou Hongying then hurried to meet up with Fu Zhizhou.

After giving Fu Zhizhou a copy of the Tier Two Puppetry Skill Inheritance, Wei Tu and Kou Hongying evenly divided the wealth from Chentang's Storage Bag.

When they were done,

Wei Tu received the Tier Three Demon Beast Bone and eight hundred Spirit Stones, while the remaining miscellaneous items went to Kou Hongying.

——Most Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivators, aside from those like Alchemist Shu who had a specialized skill, were dirt poor.

Scrounging up wealth worth nearly two thousand Spirit Stones from Chentang's Storage Bag was already considered a good haul.

Along the way,

Kou Hongying parted ways with them, heading for Bai Shihu Marketplace.

Meanwhile, Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou traveled together toward Qiyue Mountain, the home of the Qiyue Zhao Family.

Qiyue Mountain, like Cloud Crane Mountain, possessed a Tier Three Spirit Vein, making it one of the finest blessed lands in the Zheng Country.

Upon learning that Fu Zhizhou wished to join the Qiyue Zhao Family, the Zhao Family Patriarch, Zhao Tinghai, immediately came out to personally welcome them, inviting both Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou to the seats of honor.

He also had his daughter, Zhao Qingluo, join them as a hostess.

Much like the Hee Mountain Huang Family, while the Qiyue Zhao Family had more Foundation Establishment Cultivators, their number still didn't exceed twenty.

For the Qiyue Zhao Family, which was in the middle of war preparations, Fu Zhizhou's decision to join was a development they could not afford to ignore.

During the course of their conversation,

Wei Tu made it clear that he, Fu Zhizhou, and Kou Hongying were in an alliance. He stated that Fu Zhizhou was his sworn brother and a close, respected elder to Kou Hongying, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator from an Immortal Sect.

This was a point Wei Tu felt was crucial to mention.

If he failed to mention this, and the Qiyue Zhao Family treated Fu Zhizhou as mere cannon fodder in the coming war, he would regret it endlessly.

"To have known each other as mortals and now to walk the Immortal Path together after both achieving Foundation Establishment."

"The bond between Fellow Daoist Wei and Fellow Daoist Fu is truly something to be envied."

Zhao Tinghai praised.

At that moment, Zhao Tinghai mentally raised Fu Zhizhou's status by several notches, even ranking him higher than several of his own family's Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

'A Foundation Establishment Cultivator from my own family is weak and isolated. If one of them dies, they die. No one will come to me seeking retribution.'

'But if Fu Zhizhou were to die, I would have gravely offended two Foundation Establishment Cultivators with considerable potential.'

'Especially Kou Hongying—'

Zhao Tinghai knew that Kou Hongying was a Golden Core Seed from Jingshui Pavilion, one with a high chance of reaching the Golden Core realm.

She was not someone he could afford to offend.

"On another matter, does Clan Leader Zhao know of the Shuyun Alliance from Danqiu Mountain?"

After a moment's thought, Wei Tu decided to offer this piece of intelligence to the Qiyue Zhao Family as a way to bolster Fu Zhizhou's standing.

"The Shuyun Alliance?" Zhao Tinghai raised an eyebrow, clearly unfamiliar with this particular Independent Cultivator Alliance.

His unfamiliarity was much the same as his ignorance of the "Yee Society" formed by Wei Tu, Fu Zhizhou, and Kou Hongying.

As long as they didn't recruit members openly, how could anyone know that this group of Independent Cultivators had secretly formed an alliance?

Wei Tu glanced at Fu Zhizhou, who was seated beside him, gesturing for him to be the one to speak.

Fu Zhizhou chose his words carefully, then revealed the matter of the Shuyun Alliance's cooperation with the Chisong Jia Family.

"So that's what's happening." Upon hearing this, Zhao Tinghai's expression changed instantly. He rose from his seat and began to pace back and forth.

Ordinarily, the Shuyun Alliance wouldn't even register on the radar of a Golden Core Family like theirs.

But at such a critical moment, if the Shuyun Alliance were to join forces with the Chisong Jia Family, the Qiyue Zhao Family would be at a significant disadvantage.

"For this, I am in your debt, Fellow Daoist Fu. When the time comes to select a Tier Two Inheritance, I will permit you to choose an additional one."

"Furthermore, I will gift you a Green Splendor Pill, Fellow Daoist Fu."

Zhao Tinghai declared.

"Thank you, Clan Leader Zhao." A faint smile appeared on Fu Zhizhou's face upon hearing this.

Unlike Wei Tu, he was only entitled to select one Tier Two Inheritance upon joining the Qiyue Zhao Family, not two.

But now, as a reward for the intelligence he had provided, Zhao Tinghai was allowing him to pick two Cultivation Techniques—which meant he could now choose the Body Refining Technique that Kou Hongying had recommended.

"I have urgent matters to attend to."

"Qingluo, you will be in charge of making arrangements for Fellow Daoist Wei and Fellow Daoist Fu."

A short while later, Zhao Tinghai stood up, excused himself, and left the hall.

Zhao Qingluo nodded in acknowledgment and escorted Fu Zhizhou to the Cave Mansion where the clan's Tributors resided.

On the way back,

Wei Tu took the opportunity to announce his departure.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, do you think... do you think the Shuyun Alliance sided with the Chisong Jia Family because of me? Was it I... who pushed Alchemist Shu too far, causing him to join the Jia Family?"

Zhao Qingluo ignored Wei Tu's farewell. With a listless and dejected expression, she confessed her inner turmoil to him.

Wei Tu was baffled. 'On the surface, my relationship with Zhao Qingluo isn't this close.'

He surmised that it was likely due to her unpleasant, arrogant, and domineering personality that so few people could get along with her.

As for him, ever since they had met, he had always gone along with her wishes. He might have grumbled to himself, but he never openly contradicted her, always feigning compliance.

'Besides,' he thought, 'the business with Alchemist Shu is also related to his apprentice, Geng Wen... and I was the one who started the feud between Geng Wen and Zhao Qingluo in the first place...'

"Princess Qingluo, I'm not sure about this matter either. After all, I'm not a mind-reader who knows what Alchemist Shu is thinking."

Wei Tu said, shaking his head.

He was well aware that outside of a father-son relationship, one should never lecture another person, no matter how close they were—even if the words were true.

Zhao Qingluo fell silent.

The two of them walked on in silence.

When they reached the exit of the Qiyue Mountain clan lands, Wei Tu gave Zhao Qingluo a cupped-fist salute, then with a flick of his wide sleeves, he soared into the sky and departed.

...

After leaving Qiyue Mountain, Wei Tu's Escape Light veered toward a nearby Tier One Spiritual Land—the Bauhinia Forest.

A few years prior, after getting married and having children, Weii Fei had moved to the Bauhinia Forest to live with his wife's family.

"Third Brother, you're here!" Seeing Wei Tu arrive with gifts, Weii Fei was overjoyed and called for his wife, Zhao Ting, to prepare a meal for their guest.