Chapter 308 - 206: Father and Daughter’s Parting, a Ruthless Heart
Hearing this, Wei Tu breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been most afraid that his delay had caused a problem with the smuggling route to Kang Country.
He mulled over what Tao Shisheng had just said and understood that some cultivators from the Tao Family had already been successfully smuggled across.
Otherwise, Tao Shisheng wouldn’t have said the smuggling route was still open.
"Five years ago, Fellow Daoist Wei invested seven thousand Spirit Stones in this smuggling route. But you should also know, Fellow Daoist Wei, that seven thousand Spirit Stones... was just the initial investment..."
Tao Shisheng chose his words carefully.
Fearing a misunderstanding, Tao Shisheng quickly added,
"Once your family has been smuggled into Kang Country and a letter has been sent back, you can pay the remaining balance of Spirit Stones then, Fellow Daoist Wei."
Taken together, these two sentences were a frank and open statement.
Wei Tu nodded slightly in agreement.
He was well aware of how many Spirit Stones the Hann Mountain Tao Family must have spent to establish the connections needed for a smuggling route to Kang Country.
His previous investment of seven thousand Spirit Stones was not a small sum, but it paled in comparison to what the Tao Family had likely spent.
"How many more Spirit Stones are needed?"
Wei Tu asked.
"Five Thousand Spirit Stones." Tao Shisheng weighed Wei Tu’s cultivation, status, and strength, then gave a relatively low quote.
If Wei Tu hadn’t broken through in his cultivation at the Hann Mountain Tao Family’s home right before this, his quote would have been seven or eight thousand Spirit Stones.
Even without Wei Tu, the Hann Mountain Tao Family would have secretly established this smuggling route to Kang Country anyway.
That’s why his quote seemed somewhat casual.
’Five Thousand Spirit Stones?’
Hearing this amount, Wei Tu nodded to himself. He knew the Hann Mountain Tao Family wasn’t overcharging him.
Twelve thousand Spirit Stones was a hefty sum, almost the entire wealth of a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. But if it meant a safe escape from the "soon-to-collapse" Zheng Country, the price wasn’t high at all.
Besides, according to his prior agreement with the Hann Mountain Tao Family, he had five smuggling slots. Averaged out, that was only two or three thousand Spirit Stones per person.
"In half a year, my Tao Family will dispatch cultivators for a secret crossing. I hope you won’t be late this time, Fellow Daoist Wei."
Seeing that Wei Tu had agreed to the price of Five Thousand Spirit Stones, Tao Shisheng nodded and revealed the date for the next smuggling trip to Kang Country.
"My own son and daughter will be among the group being smuggled this time. You need not worry about safety, Fellow Daoist Wei."
Tao Shisheng smiled.
Hearing this, Wei Tu had a small realization. Missing the last smuggling trip because he was in seclusion had turned out to be a good thing.
The smuggling route was more established now.
It was safer than the last time.
...
Wei Tu had already decided who would be smuggled to Kang Country five years ago.
Wei Yan, Qir Feng, and Weii Xian’er.
These three were the first wave of relatives he had designated to be smuggled to Kang Country.
Wei Yan needed no further mention.
She was his biological daughter.
As for Qir Feng, she was a concubine he had taken more than twenty years ago and was also considered his kin.
Although he had originally taken Qir Feng because she had presented him with a treasure and he felt no real affection for her, the gift of the Ten Thousand Spirits Demon Infant alone earned her a spot on the smuggling trip to Kang Country.
As for Weii Xian’er...
...her inclusion was a technical investment.
Weii Xian’er’s perceptual talent was enough to raise the success rate of this smuggling operation by a significant margin.
「Six months later.」
Wei Tu brought the three women to the Hann Mountain Tao Family.
When Tao Shisheng saw that Wei Tu had brought only women and no men, he was surprised but didn’t ask any questions.
After all, it was normal for a Male Cultivator to be surrounded by women.
However, Tao Ya, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a long time when she heard Qir Feng call Wei Tu "Husband."
She had never imagined that the seemingly single Wei Tu actually had a concubine in private.
’Strange, why didn’t I see Qir Feng when I went to Cuiping Valley last time?’ Tao Ya bit her lip, wringing the fabric of her dress with her hands.
What Tao Ya didn’t know was that when she had visited Cuiping Valley, Qir Feng had been in seclusion, which was why she hadn’t seen her.
The same was true for Wei Tu.
From the time he set out from Chaning Valley until today, this was also the first time he had seen Qir Feng.
"Here are twenty Wood Thunder Talismans and Water Thunder Talismans. If you encounter danger, remember to escape at the first opportunity and save yourself."
Before their departure, Wei Tu found Wei Yan in private and gave her a Storage Bag.
Inside the Storage Bag, besides some Tier Two Upper-Grade Talismans Wei Tu had placed, there were also two Tier Two Upper-Grade Defensive Magic Artifacts and one Tier Two Middle-Grade Attack Spiritual Artifact.
These magical artifacts were "stolen goods" that Wei Tu had obtained from other cultivators by killing them and taking their possessions.
In Zheng Country, Wei Tu didn’t dare use these magical artifacts for fear of being discovered. But if Wei Yan used them in Kang Country, there would be no such risk.
Seeing Wei Yan’s confusion, Wei Tu pondered for a moment before sending a voice transmission: "If necessary, you can abandon the others. Save yourself first."
"What about Aunt Qir and Xian’er?"
Wei Yan was a Peaceful Cultivator with little combat experience. She was startled to hear such ruthless words from Wei Tu.
"Do your best to help them, but if it’s not possible, retreat immediately. Do not hesitate," Wei Tu said, shaking his head.
As a member of the older generation who had fought his way up,
he knew very well.
On the battlefield, sentimentality was the greatest taboo—trying to save this person, refusing to give up on that one.
"You are in the Foundation Establishment Realm. They are in the Qi Refining Realm. They are a burden."
Wei Tu spoke more bluntly.
However, there was one more thing Wei Tu couldn’t bring himself to say: that among the three women, only Wei Yan was the one he cherished most.
"Yes, Father." Wei Yan’s eyelashes trembled as she nodded in agreement.
"Remember, as soon as you arrive, write to me immediately. The secret phrase is..." Wei Tu continued to instruct her earnestly.
After he finished,
Wei Yan couldn’t help but smile. "Father, I’m a hundred-year-old woman now, not some young girl. How could I be so foolish?"
Though she said that, a trace of warmth spread through Wei Yan’s heart upon hearing his words.
To have a father still watching over her, able to offer guidance on her path of cultivation—this was something many cultivators could only dream of and envy.
After providing Wei Yan with these means of protection,
Wei Tu also gave Qir Feng and Weii Xian’er some life-saving measures.
「Several days later.」
Under Wei Tu’s watchful gaze, Wei Yan, the other two women, and the Tao Family cultivators set off toward Kang Country, led by the Tao Family Elder, Tao Fangde.
"Watching them go... it really leaves an empty feeling in my heart," Tao Shisheng said, standing on a peak of Hann Mountain and gazing at the departing group from afar.
His own children, Tao Jie and Tao Ya, were also in that group.
"But if we don’t do this, in these chaotic times, it’s difficult for us as parents to protect them completely," Tao Shisheng lamented.
Standing beside him, Wei Tu nodded upon hearing this.
He looked up at the sky. Ten thousand feet above, a Sky-Splitting Carving spread its wings and flew, tailing Wei Yan’s group from behind.
After Wei Yan and the others had left,
Wei Tu gave an order to the Sky-Splitting Carving: escort Wei Yan’s group to the border between Zheng Country and Kang Country, and only return once they were safe.