Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

"The Qir Family has one, too?"

Hearing Qir Feng’s words, Wei Tu’s first thought was disbelief. A Body Refining Secret Medicine was not something easily obtained. With the Xuanhou Qir Family’s strength alone, it would have been nearly impossible for them to acquire one.

It was more likely that Qir Feng was saying this to latch onto him, a powerful figure, and was just trying to trick him.

’Judging from the Jiuyun Commerce Association’s attitude toward Qir Feng, she and the Qir Family must be under their thumb, held by some kind of leverage.’

Compared to the Jiuyun Commerce Association, he, a mere Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivator, was undoubtedly an easier person to deal with.

However, Wei Tu didn’t dismiss the possibility that the Qir Family truly possessed a Body Refining Secret Medicine.

Prejudice is a great mountain.

Who knew? Perhaps Qir Feng really did have a Body Refining Secret Medicine.

"What kind of Body Refining Secret Medicine is it? You can speak freely. If it’s suitable, I can consider helping you and the Qir Family with your troubles," Wei Tu sent via voice transmission.

Upon hearing Wei Tu’s promise, Qir Feng’s heart leaped with joy. She hurriedly replied, "Elder Hong, the Body Refining Secret Medicine the Qir Family possesses is called the Cold Crystal Flower. This flower was once the companion Spirit Grass of our clan’s Guardian Spirit Beast, the Profound Frost Monkey."

"Later, the Profound Frost Monkey was forced to submit to our Qir Family’s Ancestor, and the Cold Crystal Flower fell into our hands as well."

"But..." Qir Feng’s face showed hesitation. "But the Cold Crystal Flower was picked over four hundred years ago. Its medicinal properties have likely diminished a great deal."

All things in the world struggle to resist the great power of time, withering and decaying beneath its influence.

Spirit Grass was no exception. Unless preserved by special methods, its medicinal properties would drain away over time, becoming greatly reduced.

The Xuanhou Qir Family’s Cold Crystal Flower had been stored for over four hundred years. Wei Tu didn’t have to think hard to know that the Spirit Grass’s medicinal properties must have decayed to a pitiful state.

Hearing this, Wei Tu didn’t hide the disappointment on his face. He mulled it over for a moment before replying, "This Cold Crystal Flower... I will assess its value and give you a corresponding reward, Miss Qir. You need not worry about that."

Right now, he was in a position where he had to take any chance he could get, no matter how slim.

Even if the Cold Crystal Flower’s efficacy was greatly reduced, its effects should still be better than several years of his own bitter Cultivation.

"Elder Hong, I do not want Spirit Stones! I only wish to stay by your side and serve you as a handmaiden," Qir Feng said anxiously upon hearing his words.

She understood the difference between one full meal and a lifetime of them.

With the Qir Family and the Jiuyun Commerce Association, her future was precarious. Right now, she was still a female attendant to a Foundation Establishment Elder, but in a few years, she might be sold off to the Jiuyun Commerce Association’s Luanfeng Pavilion to entertain clients.

The Elder "Hong Wen" before her, despite his dark skin and plain face, possessed a Foundation Establishment Cultivation. That alone could provide her with the security she needed in these chaotic times.

"Serve me as a handmaiden?" Wei Tu’s expression turned cold. He didn’t reject her outright, instead saying in a low voice, "If your Cold Crystal Flower, Miss Qir, proves valuable enough to me, then I don’t mind helping you this once. But if it doesn’t..."

Wei Tu didn’t finish his sentence, but his meaning was perfectly clear: everything depended on the value Qir Feng could offer him.

As a Foundation Establishment Family that had lasted for nearly a thousand years, the Cold Crystal Flower was likely just one part of the Xuanhou Qir Family’s heritage. Perhaps there were other Treasures, similar to the flower, that Qir Feng hadn’t mentioned.

He was offering Qir Feng a safe way to trade her treasures. If she trusted him, he would gladly accept, give her a corresponding reward, and solve her problems.

’Providing Qir Feng with a safe place for Cultivation would not be a difficult matter for me.’

But if Qir Feng didn’t trust him, or if her wealth was limited, then the deal would be for nothing more than a single Cold Crystal Flower.

Qir Feng naturally understood the unspoken meaning in Wei Tu’s words. Her expression flickered, a trace of hesitation showing in her eyes.

Half an incense stick’s worth of time passed, and Qir Feng still hadn’t made a decision. She worried that after driving away the tiger that was the Jiuyun Commerce Association, she would only fall into the hands of the hungry wolf that was Wei Tu.

But then, a thought of the horrors of Luanfeng Pavilion crossed her mind. She steeled herself and said resolutely, "Elder Hong, while the item I am about to speak of cannot help you attain the Golden Core, it can certainly help you advance your Cultivation to the next level."

"This item is related to the very foundation upon which my Qir Family was built. If not for... the death of our Ancestor and the Qir Family’s fall to its current state, I would never have revealed this, no matter what."

"As for what I ask in return, it is not much. First, I implore you, Elder, to take this humble woman as your Concubine. This is my first time serving anyone, and my body is pure; I will not bring you dishonor. Second, I implore you, Elder, to grant me a Foundation Condensation Pill after you obtain this item."

Having said this, Qir Feng took the opportunity to state her demands.

Her demands were much higher than before, escalating from a handmaiden to... a Concubine with official status.

"Of course, if you are not interested in women, Elder, I will not pester you," Qir Feng added after a moment, recalling Wei Tu’s earlier "coldness." "My only desire in becoming your Concubine is to have a stable environment for my Cultivation, free from outside disturbances."

She knew that in the Cultivation Realm, many Male Cultivators were ascetics, single-mindedly pursuing longevity and shunning the company of women.

For such Male Cultivators, taking a Concubine was a major headache.

"A Concubine..."

Hearing this, Wei Tu fell silent. He had to consider the future consequences of taking Qir Feng as a Concubine.

After all, he wasn’t exactly a nobody.

However, Qir Feng’s talk of the "foundation upon which her clan was built" had truly piqued his curiosity, making it hard for him to resist.