Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

"Ya'er, while Elder Wei is off looking for Shang Ming, we should leave quickly. We can't wait here," Tao Jie said to his sister, Tao Ya, as soon as he saw Wei Tu disappear from sight.

In his eyes, both Shang Ming and Wei Tu were untrustworthy outsiders.

Now that Wei Tu had left, it was the perfect opportunity for them to escape.

"Second Brother, we can't escape now." Tao Ya smiled wryly upon hearing Tao Jie's somewhat naive words. "Second Brother, do you really think Elder Wei is such a good person that he would just leave abruptly without placing some kind of tracking method on us?"

"I noticed just now. When Elder Wei left, he headed straight in one direction. That means he already knew where Shang Ming was..."

"For all we know, Elder Wei had already struck a deal with Shang Ming the moment he abandoned us. If I hadn't told the truth just now and persuaded Elder Wei otherwise... if he had simply left..."

"...we'd probably be facing Shang Ming by ourselves right now."

Tao Ya explained her analysis.

While Tao Jie and Wei Tu were talking, she had pieced together a rough assessment of Wei Tu's personality from his few words—he was a shrewd man, and not an easy one to get along with.

Therefore, when Tao Jie lied and Wei Tu took no punitive action, she immediately sensed the danger.

She guessed his reasoning: 'It wasn't that Wei Tu wouldn't punish them, but that he didn't want to dirty his own hands over it. It would be far more convenient to throw them to Shang Ming and let their enemy deal with them.'

That was why, just as Wei Tu was about to leave, she had spoken up quickly and bluntly, telling the truth to make him stay.

'Wei Tu not wanting to dirty his hands meant he valued his own status.'

'A Cultivator who valued his status was unlikely to be a Tribulation Cultivator. He would be a better candidate for negotiation.'

"Ya'er, I thought of that too. But you can know a person's face without knowing their heart." Tao Jie shook his head. "What if Elder Wei thinks just like Shang Ming? Where would that leave us?"

"How about this: you leave first and head to Hann Mountain to get help. I'll stay here and wait for Elder Wei to return."

Tao Jie proposed a feasible plan.

"Second Brother, you should be the one to go. As a woman, I won't suffer too much at Elder Wei's hands." Hearing Tao Jie's words, Tao Ya was tempted to leave, but out of love for her brother, she offered the chance to escape to him instead.

"Ya'er, you go first!"

Tao Jie frowned and scolded her sharply.

However, just as the Tao siblings were arguing over who should go, Wei Tu, who had left only a quarter of an hour before, suddenly returned.

Seeing this, Tao Jie and Tao Ya were stunned. They looked at each other in dismay, no longer daring to even think about escaping.

Because hanging from Wei Tu's waist was a Storage Bag stained with Shang Ming's blood.

And yet, Wei Tu wore a completely relaxed expression.

It was as if killing Shang Ming, a Cultivator of the Same Realm, had taken him no hard work at all.

'A Foundation Establishment Cultivator who could return from the front lines of a battlefield is truly not to be underestimated. He's not someone to be trifled with,' Tao Jie thought, inwardly alarmed.

'Given the combat prowess Wei Tu just displayed, no one from the Tao Family of Hann Mountain could handle him unless the Golden Core Ancestor personally intervened.'

This also meant that he had far fewer bargaining chips to negotiate with Wei Tu.

"I have already spoken with Fellow Daoist Shang and confirmed that what you two said is true."

"You two may leave."

Wei Tu raised a hand and beckoned. The Sky-Splitting Carving circling high above let out several cries and instantly descended onto his shoulder. Its slightly crimson eyes looked down upon the Tao siblings.

A torrential wave of Demon Qi, so thick it was almost tangible, crashed down on the Tao siblings, making it hard for them to breathe.

In less than half a breath, Tao Jie, who was already severely injured, was drenched in sweat, his face deathly pale.

Beside him, Tao Ya's dress was also soaked in cold sweat, revealing her curvaceous Jade Body.

Seeing this, a hint of satisfaction flickered in Wei Tu's eyes. With a flick of his sleeve, he dispersed the Sky-Splitting Carving's Demon Qi, then rapped the carving on its head and casually scolded, "You wretched beast, how can you be so rude?"

A moment ago, the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth he had left behind had already relayed the details of the Tao siblings' conversation after he left.

That was why Wei Tu had used the Sky-Splitting Carving to punish the siblings a little.

'Since I'm showing my true face, I can't be too arrogant or rude; I have to be mindful of my status.'

'If I were acting in Disguise, I wouldn't have been so polite.'

"Thank you for your help, Elder." Tao Jie was complaining bitterly on the inside, but on the surface, he still had to thank Wei Tu.

"Thank you for your help, Elder," Tao Ya echoed, hastily using her Magical Power to dry her dress.

"You two may leave now."

Wei Tu recalled the Sky-Splitting Carving into his Spirit Beast Bag, glanced at the Tao siblings, and gave them a reminder.

"My strength is meager. I wish to temporarily follow you, Elder Wei. I hope you won't take offense."

Tao Jie said, knowing what was good for him.

Against Shang Ming, he and his sister still had a sliver of hope for escape.

But against Wei Tu, it was a dead end.

Even if Wei Tu didn't act himself, they would be no match for the Sky-Splitting Carving, a creature at the Peak of Middle-Stage Tier Two, on its own.

...

「Five days later.」

Wei Tu brought the Tao siblings to Cuiping Valley.

After briefly exchanging pleasantries with the Mei Family Cultivators, Wei Tu ventured deep into Cuiping Valley to meet with the siblings, Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen, who were hidden away.

Separated for ten years, Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen couldn't hide their emotions upon seeing him again. They clung tightly to their biological father, each one holding an arm, and cried for a while.

Ten years ago, when they parted.

They had thought that departure would be the last time they would ever see Wei Tu.