Chapter 298 197: Mu Die's Plea
As expected, Wei Tu's worries were justified.
「Three days later.」
None of the twenty-odd female carvings Nanzi had brought had become pregnant.
"Three days is too short. It must be due to the difference in our Cultivation. Within a month, the impregnation should be successful." Beads of sweat formed on Nanzi's forehead as she panted, explaining the situation to Wei Tu.
To make the Sky-Splitting Carving cooperate, she had been constantly using her Beast Taming Skill through her flute music for the past three days, consuming a great deal of Magical Power.
The effort was far more exhausting than battling a Cultivator of the Same Realm.
She never imagined the impregnation would fail this time.
However, Nanzi wasn't discouraged. The Spirit Beasts within the Beast Taming Sect were strange and varied, so unusual situations were not uncommon. At worst, she would just have to spend more time on it.
"A difference in Cultivation?" A flicker of light passed through Wei Tu's eyes.
He suspected it was because the Sky-Splitting Carving had consumed too much Immortal Spirit Dew, causing a Bloodline Mutation. This was likely why it was difficult for it to produce offspring with female carvings of the same species. After all, under normal circumstances, a Demon Beast's bloodline was as difficult to advance as a Cultivator's Spirit Root.
A Demon Beast with a Bloodline Mutation had a certain chance of becoming reproductively isolated from other Spirit Beasts of its own kind.
Thinking of this, Wei Tu decided to turn the tables and blame the Sky-Splitting Carving's inability to reproduce on Nanzi. This would prevent the Immortal Spirit Dew and Ten Thousand Spirits Demon Infant from being exposed.
He said, "Miss Nan is still young. It's normal to make a mistake now and then."
At first glance, this sounded like a comforting remark.
But upon closer listening, one could discern the underlying meaning. It was an expression of Wei Tu's distrust in the professional abilities of Nanzi, a member of the Beast Taming Sect.
As soon as he finished speaking, Nanzi bristled with anger. She stared fixedly at Wei Tu for a few moments, then huffed, "I studied under Elder Hongzhi of the Beast Taming Sect. Elder Hongzhi is an expert in… breeding. I am her star Disciple. How could I possibly fail at breeding the Sky-Splitting Carving…?"
However, after she finished speaking, Nanzi began to feel a little less confident in her own Beast Taming Skill.
After all, her youth was an undeniable disadvantage.
No matter how profound her attainments in the Beast Taming Skill were, she didn't have much practical experience to draw upon, especially when it came to breeding.
Hearing this, Wei Tu gained a better understanding of Nanzi's personality and knew how to proceed. He frowned and said, "I am not questioning Miss Nan's abilities, but… the Sky-Splitting Carving is my combat beast. It would be terrible if its Primordial Qi was greatly damaged because of this."
"Just now, Miss Nan herself said that under normal circumstances, the breeding would succeed in three days."
"For safety's sake, I must ask Miss Nan to inform your esteemed Sect and ask them to send someone more skilled," he added.
"We will see the results in one month!" Provoked by Wei Tu, Nanzi angrily made a solemn pledge.
"If it doesn't work, I will compensate Fellow Daoist Wei's Spirit Beast with a Nourishing Mushroom Pill. This pill will be enough to restore your Spirit Beast's Primordial Qi."
Nanzi said in a low voice.
The Nourishing Mushroom Pill was a secret medicine of the Beast Taming Sect. It could not only restore a Spirit Beast's Primordial Qi but also had a certain purifying effect on its bloodline.
Back at Chaning Cliff, Wei Tu had become quite familiar with Zuo Kui, a Cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect. He had long since heard about the famed Nourishing Mushroom Pill from him.
"It's a deal."
Wei Tu smiled faintly. "If Miss Nan can complete the Sky-Splitting Carving's breeding ahead of schedule, I am willing to gift Miss Nan a Tier Two Upper-Grade Spirit Talisman."
Previously, as the Sky-Splitting Carving's master, it was reasonable for him to question Nanzi's skills. Therefore, the matter was unlikely to make an enemy of her.
Now, by adding a "reward" and offering Nanzi a Tier Two Upper-Grade Spirit Talisman, he was showing his intention to befriend this Celestial Pride of the Beast Taming Sect.
'More Fellow Daoists mean more paths to walk.'
Hearing Wei Tu's words, Nanzi's tense expression relaxed slightly. She nodded and said confidently, "Within a month, I will definitely complete the Sky-Splitting Carving's breeding. The Beast Taming Sect will not waste any more of Talisman Master Wei's time on this matter…"
...
Having been provoked by Wei Tu into making a solemn pledge, Nanzi did not rashly use her Beast Taming Skill to continue forcing the Sky-Splitting Carving to breed.
Three days of tireless work had left Nanzi mentally and physically exhausted. Furthermore, using the Beast Taming Skill for the next month would also be a significant drain on her.
"I will visit Yunyan Residence again in five days." Nanzi left after making this arrangement with Wei Tu.
After Nanzi left, the enervated Sky-Splitting Carving woke up. It stared at the surrounding mess, looking dazed for a long time.
The exhaustion of the past three days felt like a surreal dream.
The Sky-Splitting Carving savored the memory of the past three days. At the same time, a sense of longing for the sound of the flute grew in its heart.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door of Yunyan Residence.
The Sky-Splitting Carving's Spirit perked up. It leaped up from the ground, went near the entrance of the Cave Mansion, and glanced outside.
But one look was enough for an expression of disappointment to cross the Sky-Splitting Carving's eagle-like face. The person outside was not the girl in the black dress who loved to play the flute from its memory.
Wei Tu was unaware of the Sky-Splitting Carving's thoughts.
He was momentarily stunned when he saw through the Cave Mansion's Array that the visitor was Mu Die.
Only then did Wei Tu remember that when True Monarch Che went into Seclusion, he had entrusted his Junior Sister, Mu Die, to his newest disciple, Wei Tu, asking him as her "Senior Brother" to look after her.
However, for various reasons, Wei Tu had not spent much time at the Red River Mountain Marketplace and had only returned a few days ago.
"Senior Brother Wei." Mu Die entered and gave a slightly reserved curtsy to Wei Tu.
Wei Tu nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"May I ask why Junior Sister Mu is looking for me?" Wei Tu asked in an easygoing manner after Mu Die had taken a seat.
"I have recently encountered some difficulties in Talisman Making. Hearing that Senior Brother Wei had returned to his residence, I came specifically to ask for your guidance." Mu Die pursed her lips, turned her palm over, and handed a Jade Scroll to Wei Tu.
Wei Tu was slightly surprised to see this.
He wondered what Mu Die was up to.
With a wave of his sleeve, he accepted the Jade Scroll from Mu Die. Then, he used his Guardian Map Divine Sense to carefully examine its contents.
After reading for a while, Wei Tu put down the Jade Scroll. His gaze toward Mu Die was now filled with admiration.
The contents of the Jade Scroll were not some trivial matter; they were filled with Mu Die's questions about her Cultivation and Talisman Making.
Over the years, Wei Tu had been asked for Cultivation advice by other Juniors, but none of them had been as down-to-earth and serious as Mu Die, who had clearly tried her best not to be a bother when asking her questions.
'If Mu Die is always like this, it wouldn't be a waste of time to guide her,' Wei Tu thought.
Next, Wei Tu patiently took on the role of "Senior Brother" and began to address the Cultivation questions Mu Die had listed in the Jade Scroll.
Wei Tu was a Dharma and Body Dual Cultivation practitioner.
He also possessed the Late Bloomer Destiny Chart.
Therefore, his understanding of Cultivation surpassed that of many of his peers, reaching the level of the Peak of Foundation Establishment.
He was more than qualified to guide a Qi Cultivation Junior like Mu Die.
Two days had passed by the time he finished his guidance.
Mu Die imprinted all the cultivation insights onto her Jade Scroll, then rose and thanked Wei Tu.
"There is something… I'm not sure if I should say it or not." Mu Die looked at Wei Tu with her almond-shaped eyes, her expression hesitant.
"What is it?" Wei Tu asked, puzzled.
Mu Die bit her lip gently, her eyes welling up. "Senior Brother Wei, because you… were away some time ago, I went to Senior Brother Hua to ask for guidance on my Cultivation. But… Senior Brother Hua seems to have ill intentions toward me. He wants to pursue me…"
"I had no choice but to seal my Cave Mansion and pretend to be in Seclusion."
"If Senior Brother Hua finds out that I came to ask Senior Brother Wei for guidance today, there will inevitably be trouble."
Mu Die said, on the verge of tears.
Seeing this, Wei Tu thought, 'It's possible Hua Xianlong didn't just pursue Mu Die. He might have also gotten physical or even threatened her.'
"For this matter, Junior Sister Mu can go to Senior Brother Gao or… Senior Brother Chen. Neither of them has any conflict of interest with Junior Brother Hua, and their Cultivation is higher than his," Wei Tu said, shaking his head and deflecting the issue.
He wasn't the type to fly into a rage for a woman's sake.
Besides, his relationship with Mu Die wasn't very deep. Apart from being fellow disciples, they had only met twice.
The Senior Brother Gao and Senior Brother Chen he mentioned were, respectively, his own Immortal Guide, the Fake Pill True Monarch Gao Chen, and Mu Die's Immortal Guide, the Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator Chen Gu.
Both of them had the status and power to restrain Hua Xianlong.
—Besides, on the surface, his current Cultivation was a notch weaker than Hua Xianlong's. Logically and reasonably, Mu Die should not have come to him for help.
"I'm not trying to get Senior Brother Wei to step in and solve this. I just wanted to warn Senior Brother Wei to be careful of Senior Brother Hua…" Seeing that Wei Tu had misunderstood, Mu Die felt a pang of disappointment but quickly tried to explain.
Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
He didn't know if Mu Die was telling the truth or not, but he knew that beautiful women inevitably attracted unwanted attention, especially a Qi Cultivation Female Practitioner like Mu Die, who had high potential but no family background to protect her.
"I will take my leave." Mu Die curtsied and left Yunyan Residence.
"What a pity."
Watching Mu Die's departing figure, Wei Tu shook his head. He was not optimistic about her future prospects.
In the face of circumstances and the grand tide of events, an individual's fate was pitifully small. The slightest misstep could see one crushed to dust.
From the moment Mu Die became True Monarch Che's disciple, her life had started on the "wrong" foot.
It was true that True Monarch Che was a Golden Core True Monarch.
But the difference between an Independent Cultivator Golden Core and a Sect's Golden Core… was immense.
This difference wasn't one of Cultivation, strength, or resources, but one of mindset.
From True Monarch Che's series of arrangements, it was easy to see. Compared to an Immortal Seed with an Upper-Grade Spirit Root like Mu Die, True Monarch Che placed more importance on Foundation Establishment Cultivators like them, who had joined him with pre-existing skills.
The reason was simple.
It wasn't that True Monarch Che was biased.
Rather, Mu Die's growth cycle was too long. It would be three to five hundred years before True Monarch Che could possibly see a return on his investment.
Only a Sect could afford to wait that long.
An Independent Cultivator Golden Core could not.
Moreover, during this time, he would also have to ensure that Mu Die did not perish.
Therefore, any discerning person could see that investing in Mu Die was a thankless task. It could easily all come to nothing.
Wei Tu was one of those people.
If Mu Die had the potential to reach the Golden Core realm within a hundred years, Wei Tu's attitude toward her today would have been completely different. He would have dared to challenge not just Hua Xianlong, but even a Fake Pill True Monarch like Gao Chen.