Chapter 277 - 184: Offering Oneself
However, Madam Zhuu had made a miscalculation. She had not only managed to catch up with this righteous elder, Wei Tu, but had also come face-to-face with him.
When they met, Madam Zhuu was initially worried. She feared Wei Tu would kill her for her possessions and eliminate her as if she were a Demon Cultivator.
But after seeing that Wei Tu paid her little mind...
Her worry instantly turned into a pleasant surprise. After all, righteous elders of such noble character were a rare sight, even within Righteous Territory.
In that instant,
Madam Zhuu felt the desire to befriend Wei Tu.
...
"Please wait, Elder!" Madam Zhuu shouted, activating a Godspeed Talisman as she followed from a distance behind Wei Tu.
After she called out several times,
the Escape Light ahead of her came to a halt. Wei Tu turned his head and glanced at Madam Zhuu, a look of surprise on his face.
"What can I do for you, madam?" Wei Tu asked, feigning ignorance after giving Madam Zhuu a respectful bow.
By now, Wei Tu had already guessed what Madam Zhuu was thinking.
He thought to himself, ’If Madam Zhuu knew I was Guu Jing, I wonder if she’d feel like she’s just escaped the tiger’s den only to enter the wolf’s lair?’
"Elder, I am a Family Cultivator from Jing Country. After Jing Country fell, my children and I unfortunately became slaves to a Demon Cultivator. A few days ago, you killed the Demon Cultivator who enslaved me, Lidao..."
"That is how I was able to escape."
"I’ve chased after you this time to express my gratitude and repay you for saving my life."
A grateful expression appeared on Madam Zhuu’s face. After giving Wei Tu a deep curtsy, she took out two Jade Scrolls and offered them to him as a gift of thanks.
However, as she presented the Jade Scrolls,
Madam Zhuu played a little trick. She bent forward slightly, revealing an alluring patch of her fair, tender chest.
Madam Zhuu was an exceptionally charming beauty to begin with, and marriage had added the allure of a young matron. If not for this, Jiao Qizhi would never have kept her for himself for so long.
Wei Tu’s gaze swept over Madam Zhuu’s chest, but he didn’t let it linger. He naturally averted his eyes and focused his Guardian Map Divine Sense on the two Jade Scrolls.
’Aside from the lack of a Body Refining Secret Technique, the contents of these two Jade Scrolls are identical to the other three,’ Wei Tu thought in disappointment.
However, Wei Tu hid his expression well. He accepted the gift with a slight frown, gave a curt nod, and without another word to Madam Zhuu, summoned his Escape Light and continued on his way.
’He’s leaving just like that?’
Madam Zhuu was stunned. She hadn’t expected Wei Tu to be so aloof. Her "gratitude" was merely a pretext, an excuse to connect with him; it wasn’t genuine thanks for killing the fictional Demon Cultivator, Lidao.
’Could it be that this elder has been in Seclusion for so long that he doesn’t understand social graces?’ Madam Zhuu reasoned, a look of realization dawning on her.
Some cultivators, despite their high Realm and great age, were actually less versed in worldly affairs and human relationships than a Mortal.
It wasn’t that these cultivators were foolish; rather, Cultivation consumed the vast majority of their long lives.
Furthermore, these cultivators often possessed exceptional talent, so they never had to scrape and scheme for survival like lower-level cultivators and mortals.
This would also explain why Wei Tu hadn’t shown any greed upon seeing her.
’This is an opportunity. I have to seize it,’ Madam Zhuu resolved, continuing her pursuit of Wei Tu.
"Please wait, Elder."
Madam Zhuu called out.
"You stopped me, Madam. Is there something important?" Wei Tu said, inventing a new identity on the spot.
"Elder, my children and I wish to travel to the Zheng Country Cultivation Realm. We are but a widow and her orphans. I beg you to take us with you. I will be sure to reward you handsomely afterward."
This time, Madam Zhuu didn’t beat around the bush, but stated her needs frankly.
"What kind of handsome reward?" Wei Tu fell silent for a moment, sizing up Madam Zhuu carefully. His voice was hoarse as he spoke.
"This is Celestial Spirit Water, a Spiritual Object that aids cultivators in Core Formation." Madam Zhuu wasted no words. She slapped her Storage Bag and produced a Pill Bottle in her palm.
She then gently shook the bottle, and from within came the crisp sound of jade pearls clattering on a platter.
At the same time, a Spiritual Mist condensed above the Pill Bottle. It lingered for several breaths before slowly dissipating.
All these anomalies...
proved that the Spiritual Object inside the Pill Bottle was indeed the item that aided Core Formation—Celestial Spirit Water!
’I can’t believe Zhuu Ruishan actually gave the Celestial Spirit Water to Madam Zhuu,’ Wei Tu’s brow twitched.
He recognized it at a glance. This bottle of Celestial Spirit Water was the very same one Zhuu Ruishan had shown him previously.
Even the Pill Bottle was the same.
It wasn’t that Wei Tu hadn’t considered this possibility. It was that the Celestial Spirit Water had been promised as payment to "Guu Jing." If the Celestial Spirit Water was gone... logic dictated that "Guu Jing" would not spare Zhuu Ruishan and the Zhuu Family.
But after a moment’s thought,
Wei Tu understood.
If Zhuu Ruishan’s plot were to be exposed, he would undoubtedly face the wrath of the Profound Charm Sect and Jiao Qizhi. It was highly likely that the entire family would be annihilated, with the exception of Madam Zhuu and her two children, who were away.
At that point, "Guu Jing’s" opinion would be irrelevant.
Therefore, rather than let the Celestial Spirit Water be seized by others, it was better to entrust the Treasure to Madam Zhuu and have her take it away.
’Zhuu Ruishan must have decided this. He’s willing to be ground to dust just to send Madam Zhuu and his children... out of this demonic pit.’ Wei Tu found himself admiring Zhuu Ruishan’s resolve.
To be able to do this for one’s family...
Zhuu Ruishan was truly a man of responsibility.
However, in a way, Zhuu Ruishan was also extremely selfish. After all, he had only saved his own wife and children, while the entire clan would have to bear the consequences.
"With the Celestial Spirit Water, I suppose I could escort you and your children to Zheng Country." Wei Tu’s expression showed he was tempted.
"Thank you, Elder Zhou."
Hearing Wei Tu agree, Madam Zhuu’s heart eased. She used her Magical Power to send the Pill Bottle floating over to him.
Now that she had revealed her possession of the Celestial Spirit Water, she was a walking target.
With her level of strength, resisting a Foundation Establishment Elder like Wei Tu was utterly impossible.
Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Madam Zhuu decided to hand over the Celestial Spirit Water in advance to curry favor with him.
After Wei Tu accepted the Pill Bottle,
a blush crept across Madam Zhuu’s face. She said shyly, "My husband passed away long ago, and I have been alone ever since. Seeing Elder Zhou’s righteous deed today, I wish to offer myself to you in gratitude for saving my life."
"And to find a pillar of support for my two children."
Wei Tu was taken aback.
He had just been admiring Zhuu Ruishan’s resolve, and now Madam Zhuu was claiming her husband was long dead... Even with his considerable experience, he had never witnessed such a farcical scene.
However, recalling the conversation he had overheard between Zhuu Ruishan and his wife, Wei Tu wasn’t particularly surprised by Madam Zhuu’s shrewdness.
’A Charm Skill!’ Just as Wei Tu was about to refuse her outright, Madam Zhuu’s eyes suddenly filled with an amorous light. She was secretly using the Charm Skill she had learned from Jiao Qizhi to seduce him.
Having spent so much time with a Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator like Jiao Qizhi, Madam Zhuu held no particular awe for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Besides, judging by Wei Tu’s earlier behavior, she believed that even if he discovered her little ploy, he wouldn’t treat her harshly.
A gentleman is easy to deceive by exploiting his virtues.
’This is all for my children,’ Madam Zhuu told herself.
Madam Zhuu reasoned that with her strength and foundation, she would be nothing more than an Independent Cultivator after reaching Zheng Country, with no hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment.
And without the support of someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm, it would be nigh impossible for her children to ever reach that Realm themselves.
Therefore, no matter how she looked at it,
she needed to latch onto a powerful backer like Wei Tu.
However—
Madam Zhuu had miscalculated yet again.
Wei Tu was not the gentleman she had taken him for.
Upon sensing the encroaching Charm Skill, the gentle expression on Wei Tu’s face vanished, replaced by a profound, icy chill.
’What do I do?’ Seeing the icy look on Wei Tu’s face, a chill shot through Madam Zhuu’s heart. Panicked, she tried to retract the Charm Technique she was using to entice him, but it was then she discovered that Wei Tu’s Guardian Map Divine Sense was more than a step above Jiao Qizhi’s.
She was completely unable to move.
The chill in her heart seemed to slide down her body, reaching the space between her legs and soaking her pale pink skirt.