Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

"Ten years ago, when I parted ways with Princess Qingluo, she gifted me this talisman. Now… my term as the Defending Cultivator at Chaning Cliff is over. This 'Small Shifting Talisman'… I must ask Clan Leader Zhao to take it back and return it to Princess Qingluo on my behalf…"

Wei Tu took the "Small Shifting Talisman" from his sleeve, bowed slightly to Zhao Tinghai, and then held the Jade Talisman out in Zhao Tinghai's direction with both hands.

Originally, he had planned to return the Small Shifting Talisman to Zhao Qingluo in person. But he hadn't expected Zhao Tinghai to refuse to let him see her again and tell him to become a "stranger" in her life.

So now, he felt it would be improper to hold onto this Small Shifting Talisman and wait to return it at a later date.

"A Small Shifting Talisman?" Zhao Tinghai was startled. While inwardly cursing Zhao Qingluo for favoring an outsider, he also felt a sincere admiration for Wei Tu's character.

'If it were me, I would return a small fortune, but a rare Treasure like a Small Shifting Talisman? I would absolutely keep it for myself.'

'And I wouldn't feel the slightest bit of guilt for keeping it.'

'After all, the Small Shifting Talisman was a gift. There was no obligation to return it.'

"That won't be necessary." Zhao Tinghai shook his head, not taking the Jade Talisman from Wei Tu's hands. He turned, clasped his hands behind his back, and gazed toward the Cave Mansion where Zhao Qingluo was in Seclusion. In a deep voice, he said, "Though the Small Shifting Talisman is valuable, it was a gift to you from Qingluo. It would be improper for me to take it back…"

"Fellow Daoist Wei, you should keep this Small Shifting Talisman."

He paused, his tone firm. "The Qiyue Zhao Family is not the Cloud Crane Huang Family. The Zhao Family… we are not a greedy people. We do not take back what has been given!"

After he finished speaking, a moment of silence fell.

Wei Tu was at a loss for words. He said no more, simply placing the "Small Shifting Talisman" back into his Storage Bag before giving Zhao Tinghai a deep bow.

A breath later, when Wei Tu finished his bow and looked up, Zhao Tinghai had already vanished into the clouds. Before him was only a full moon, seeming to descend from the heavens to rest upon the summit of Qiyue Mountain. Its light connected with the pavilions and terraces below, blanketing the ground in a silver frost until heaven and earth were all one color.

At this moment, the world was bathed in a single color.

'Last time, was it a crescent moon?' Wei Tu recalled the view from his previous visit, when Weii Xian'er had taken him to the Moon Viewing Platform.

...

Wei Tu descended the mountain and left Qiyue Mountain.

In fact, given his connections to Fu Zhizhou and Weii Fei, Zhao Tinghai would not have stopped Wei Tu from entering Qiyue Mountain, and it would not have been difficult for him to lodge there for a few days.

But Wei Tu could take a hint.

He did not overstay his welcome; after Zhao Tinghai departed, he set off, flying down Qiyue Mountain to find lodging elsewhere.

After settling in nearby,

Wei Tu sent a Talisman to Weii Fei and another to Fu Zhizhou.

「One month later.」

「Yujing, the capital city of Zheng Country.」

「Gathering Immortals Tower, third floor, Private Room Heaven One.」

Weii Xian'er, standing guard outside the door, could not hide the look of stunned admiration in her eyes as a Female Cultivator approached. The woman, dressed in a pale blue gown, possessed an elegant and transcendent grace.

"Sister Hongying," Weii Xian'er said, giving a respectful curtsy.

From a generational standpoint, she and Kou Hongying were peers, so she technically didn't need to be so humble. But seniority was just seniority. They were not close; in fact, this was their first time meeting.

Since they were not close, their interactions were naturally dictated by their respective statuses in the Cultivation Realm.

—Kou Hongying was a lofty Foundation Establishment cultivator from an Immortal Sect, a status far higher than her father, who was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. At this Yee Society banquet, the only one who could match her was her "Uncle Wei."

At the thought of Uncle Wei, a glimmer of admiration appeared in Weii Xian'er's eyes.

As an Independent Cultivator herself, she knew full well how much effort it must have taken for Wei Tu to get this far with only a Lower-Grade Spirit Root.

"Xian'er?" Kou Hongying raised her gaze, looking Weii Xian'er over with curiosity.

In her correspondence with Wei Tu, she recalled him mentioning that Weii Fei had a daughter named Weii Xian'er.

"This is a greeting gift." After a moment's thought, Kou Hongying casually retrieved a Tier One Upper-Grade Magical Artifact from her Storage Bag and handed it to Weii Xian'er.

"Thank you, Sister Hongying."

Weii Xian'er accepted the gift with delight, thanking her again.

At the same time, Weii Xian'er felt a surge of secret gratitude toward Wei Tu for bringing her to the Gathering Immortals Tower. If not for him, it was highly unlikely she would have received a greeting gift from a peer like Kou Hongying, whom she had never met.

—Weii Xian'er knew that her father, Weii Fei, and Kou Hongying were not close.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have only learned today that she had a peer who had reached Foundation Establishment in an Immortal Sect.

"Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer at forty-one years old. Your aptitude isn't bad," Kou Hongying said, offering Weii Xian'er a few words of encouragement.

Although Weii Xian'er only had a Lower-Grade Spirit Root, making her aptitude just a bit better than that of the older generation like Wei Tu and Weii Fei, the starting point for juniors like her was vastly different from that of their elders.

Their resources—techniques, companions, wealth, and land—might not have been abundant, but compared to the older generation like Wei Tu, they had practically everything they needed.

Therefore, at the same age, Weii Xian'er's Cultivation level far surpassed what older-generation Cultivators like Wei Tu and Weii Fei had achieved.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Weii Xian'er, Kou Hongying pushed open the door to the private room and stepped inside, lifting her skirts as she went.

She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Wei Tu was unharmed and looked relaxed.

She herself had once served as a Defending Cultivator at Hongyan Mountain Marketplace for a time, so she knew the hardships and dangers of the position.

If she hadn't gone to an Underground Auction held by the Jiuyun Commerce Association during her tenure, thereby avoiding a fated Death Tribulation, she would have perished long ago—another soul claimed by a Demon Cultivator.