Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

’If this treasure really can advance my Cultivation as Qir Feng says, then a Foundation Condensation Pill and the title of concubine are a small price to pay.’

After forcing out those words, Qir Feng anxiously studied Wei Tu’s expression. She was terrified he would agree on the spot, yet just as terrified he would refuse.

Among all the Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivators she had met, she considered Wei Tu to be a man of decent character. But one can know a face without knowing the heart. She had no way of knowing if he was a true gentleman or a vile scoundrel. She could only hope this gamble of hers would pay off.

In this state of unease, Qir Feng awaited Wei Tu’s reply. But as time passed and several cultivators had taken their turn on the stage, her heart finally sank.

’He refused?’ Qir Feng thought, disappointed.

However, just as this thought crossed her mind and she cautiously raised her head to study Wei Tu’s expression...

...a single word reached her ears, reigniting her hope.

"Alright."

Wei Tu had timed his response perfectly, firmly taking control of Qir Feng’s fragile hopes.

Compared to a veteran of the Cultivation Realm like him, Qir Feng was pitifully naive. After all, her age was but a fraction of his.

"As long as the price Miss Qir offers is right, the title of concubine and a Foundation Condensation Pill are trivial matters," Wei Tu continued, putting her mind at ease.

...

「Half a day later.」

The Underground Auction concluded.

Wei Tu led Qir Feng backstage to settle the payment in Spirit Stones.

After receiving the Earth Dragon Flesh, Wei Tu turned to Steward Yao—the same middle-aged, scholarly man he had met earlier near the Teleportation Array.

"Miss Qir served me very well during the auction. Steward Yao... I wonder if you would allow me to take her with me for a... private ’enjoyment’," Wei Tu said, his arm wrapped around Qir Feng’s slender waist, a lecherous, infatuated look on his face.

"Hmm... Taking Miss Qir isn’t out of the question. However, her background isn’t ordinary, so the price... certainly won’t be cheap..." Hearing this, Steward Yao inwardly sneered. ’Another lecher who can’t control himself,’ he thought of Wei Tu.

The Jiuyun Commerce Association had dispatched these female attendants to serve the male Foundation Establishment Cultivators for two reasons: to foster goodwill toward the association, and to sell the women for a massive profit.

—After all, what was a bit of groping in the VIP seats compared to taking one home for the real deal?

"I’m a bit short on cash," Wei Tu said with a casual laugh. "If Steward Yao’s price is too high, I’ll have no choice but to reluctantly give up and look elsewhere."

Hearing this, Steward Yao nodded and mentally lowered the asking price he had in mind.

"Tell me, Fellow Daoist Hong, are you looking for just one night with Miss Qir, or do you intend to buy her freedom?" Steward Yao inquired.

"Her freedom," Wei Tu stated concisely.

The two then began to haggle over the price.

"Seven Hundred Spirit Stones. That’s my final offer. Fellow Daoist Hong, Miss Qir is young, a prime candidate for a Furnace Cauldron. You’ll suffer no loss by taking her." Steward Yao was adamant about the price of seven hundred Spirit Stones and refused to budge.

"Fine," Wei Tu said, a look of resignation on his face as he nodded in agreement.

However, when it was time to pay, Wei Tu didn’t immediately hand his Spirit Stone Bag to Steward Yao.

He said, "Miss Qir is a descendant of a notable family, a member of the Xuanhou Qir Family. I’m curious... how did she end up in the service of the Jiuyun Commerce Association? If I’m unaware of the circumstances, taking her with me could mean I’m taking on her troubles."

Steward Yao didn’t find this suspicious. He simply figured the lengthy haggling had given Wei Tu time to transition from a state of impulse to one of calm consideration.

A male cultivator in a calmer state of mind would naturally be more thoughtful.

He chuckled and explained, "The Xuanhou Qir Family has had major business dealings with our Jiuyun Commerce Association in the past. They accrued a significant debt. After their family’s Foundation Establishment cultivator died... our association came to collect. The Qir Family then handed over Miss Qir and three other of their clanswomen to us as collateral."

Steward Yao’s tone was nonchalant, as if he were discussing something trivial and commonplace.

"I see." Wei Tu nodded, not probing for any more details.

The practice of selling daughters to pay off debts was hardly a rare occurrence, now or in the past.

Qir Feng was not the first, and she would not be the last.

He only needed to know that Qir Feng’s troubles were confined to the Jiuyun Commerce Association. There was no need to ask about anything more.

Most of the female attendants on duty today likely shared a similar history to Qir Feng’s.

The only difference was that those other attendants hadn’t encountered a "buyer" like him, or perhaps they didn’t possess some "additional value" that another Foundation Establishment Cultivator would find worthy of notice.

After paying the Spirit Stones, Wei Tu walked out of the auction hall with Qir Feng following behind him.

After they had walked some distance, Wei Tu removed his right hand from Qir Feng’s slender waist.

A yellow light flashed, and by the time Qir Feng came to her senses, she was standing on Wei Tu’s Huang Yanzhou.

Before entering the Underground Auction, Wei Tu and Kou Hongying had arranged to meet in Changzhou City, near Xiaoyao Mountain, once the auction was over.

「A quarter-hour later.」

Wei Tu and Qir Feng landed and entered an inn within the city.

’This female cultivator... she’s breathtaking!’ Qir Feng, who was half a step behind Wei Tu, was instantly captivated by Kou Hongying the moment she stepped through the door. The woman was sitting by the window.

In both aura and beauty, the woman before her, Kou Hongying, outclassed her by a wide margin.

Compared to Kou Hongying, she felt herself pale in significance.

’I can’t see her cultivation level? Could she be a Foundation Establishment Elder?’ Qir Feng wondered.

At this thought, her gaze toward Kou Hongying became tinged with awe.

"Uncle Wei, why is this junior still with you?" Kou Hongying’s brow furrowed in confusion.

She had seen Wei Tu with his arm around Qir Feng at the Underground Auction, but she hadn’t thought much of it at the time, simply assuming he was playing a part.

Such things were, after all, unavoidable in the Cultivation Realm.

However, she had never imagined that Wei Tu would actually bring the female attendant, Qir Feng, with him after leaving the Underground Auction.

’Uncle Wei rejected even Zhao Qingluo,’ Kou Hongying mused. ’There must be some other reason for him to buy this attendant’s freedom.’

Having known Wei Tu for a century, she was well aware that he was an ascetic, single-mindedly devoted to his cultivation. He would never purchase Qir Feng out of mere lust.

Upon hearing her question, Wei Tu immediately told Kou Hongying the whole story behind his purchase of Qir Feng.

—As long as the treasure in question wasn’t a Golden Core Opportunity, he felt no need to keep it a secret.

"I see." Kou Hongying breathed a subtle sigh of relief, a smile returning to her face.

"Miss Qir," Kou Hongying said, her tone warm.

With her discerning eye, she could easily gauge Qir Feng’s potential. Even with the title of Wei Tu’s concubine and the promise of a Foundation Condensation Pill, reaching Foundation Establishment within a century would be difficult for her. The most likely outcome was that she would die of old age while still in the Qi Refining Realm.

She would become just another memory in the long years of Wei Tu’s cultivation journey.

"Elder Kou," Qir Feng replied, lowering her head respectfully.

"The Xuanhou Qir Family isn’t far from Hongyan Mountain Marketplace. I can go with you and Uncle Wei," Kou Hongying said after accepting Qir Feng’s respectful bow. She then turned to Wei Tu, her tone serious.

Unlike Wei Tu, who was a Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivator, her status as a Foundation Establishment cultivator from an Immortal Sect would help them avoid a great deal of trouble when dealing with lesser powers.

With her by their side on their trip to the Xuanhou Qir Family for the Cold Crystal Flower, things would be much more efficient.

"Thank you, Hongying," Wei Tu said, accepting her kind offer.

"These are Wood Thunder Talismans I drew recently. They’re Tier Two Upper-Grade Talismans..." Returning the favor, Wei Tu then sold two of the Tier Two Upper-Grade Wood Thunder Talismans to Kou Hongying at a low price for her to use as life-saving tools.

After they completed the transaction, Wei Tu took the opportunity to tell Kou Hongying about the contents of Fu Lin’s second letter.

"Zheng Country is about to become the main battlefield?" Kou Hongying’s expression soured instantly upon hearing this.

Although she was a member of one of the Three Immortal Sects, she was merely an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator within Jingshui Pavilion. What’s more, she was being forced to the Sect’s front lines because of internal factional struggles.

As a result, she was completely unaware of the news that Jing Country had fallen.