After taking a sip of tea, Wei Tu looked at Kou Hongying, who was quietly preparing another pot.
Only after parting ways with Fu Zhizhou today did he truly understand Kou Hongyingâs worthâdespite her high status, she had never acted arrogantly and always remembered to repay past kindness.
âMaybe⊠Hongying is the only one in Righteous Society who can truly walk this immortal path with me to the end.â
A hint of melancholy flickered across Wei Tuâs face.
He had thought that person would be Fu Zhizhou, with his resolute Dao heart. With the support of the Ninefold Golden Lock Art, Fu Zhizhou could have compensated for his lack of talent.
But it turned out they could share hardship, yet couldnât enjoy fortune together. From today on, their paths would diverge for good.
As for Wei FeiâŠ
Wei Fei had only built his foundation at over one hundred fifty years old. His potential was already exhausted, and just like Master Yu Kui, reaching the mid Foundation Establishment Realm might be his limit.
Kou Hongying said nothing. She didnât offer any comforting words, simply sitting silently by Wei Tuâs side, waiting for him to come to terms with it.
She understood that her presence was already the greatest comfort she could offer him.
It meant⊠he wasnât alone on his immortal journey.
âŠ
The next day.
Wei Fei agreed to Wei Tuâs proposal, deciding to let Wei Xianâer travel with Wei Yan and the others to Kang Kingdom by clandestine passage.
Wei Fei trusted Wei Tuâs judgment.
The Zheng Kingdom was in chaos. Although the intensity of the war between righteous and demonic factions wasnât at its peak, they could still survive for now. But ten, twenty years from now⊠things might not be the same.
Given that, it was better to prepare early. While the route for clandestine passage was still open, it was wiser to leave, rather than be caught off guard and left waiting to die in Zheng Kingdom.
Once he got Wei Feiâs answer, Wei Tu didnât linger near the Qiyue Zhao Clan. After bidding farewell to Kou Hongying, he returned to Red River Mountain Marketplace.
Before leaving.
Wei Tu shared some details about Madam Zhu with Wei Fei, and also handed him copies of the three jade slips he had acquired from Hongri Sect.
When Wei Tu had tricked them out of those jade slips, he believed he was honoring Immortal Master Wuâs will, not owing anything to Zhu Yuanli and his wife. Now, naturally, he intended to do the right thing and return the techniques to Wei Fei, Immortal Master Wuâs disciple.
âWhat a pity about Fourth Brother.â Wei Fei sneered as he looked over the Ninefold Golden Lock Art.
If Fu Zhizhou had not betrayed their brotherhood, Wei Tu wouldâve willingly given him this technique. He wouldnât have begrudged it.
With this body-refining secret art, Fu Zhizhouâs dual cultivation of body and Qi wouldâve progressed far smoother.
âAs for Madam ZhuâŠâ Wei Fei took the jade slips and shook his head. âEndless revenge only leads to more suffering. What my master resented was Ye Hongâs betrayal, not her descendants.â
âBesides, theyâre just a widow and an orphan now.â
âIf we went after them, it would be beneath us as men of honor.â
Righteous and demonic cultivators alike could be greedy and ruthless, killing for treasures. But the difference was, righteous cultivators didnât always go to extremes. Without great enmity, they wouldnât wipe out entire families.
The journey was uneventful.
A month later, Red River Mountain Marketplace.
Wei Tu had just returned to Cloudsmoke Residence when a talisman letter dropped in front of him.
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âItâs finally here.â Wei Tu glanced at the Beastmaster Sect's seal on the talisman and murmured to himself.
This time, after becoming a disciple, he had immediately left Red River Mountain Marketplace for the Mei Clan at Fragrant Cliff.
Part of it was because he missed his children, but more importantly, he wanted to buy time, giving the Wind-Cleaving Eagle enough time to recover, so the Beastmaster Sect wouldnât notice anything unusual.
âAfter removing the Black Finger Bone, the Wind-Cleaving Eagle had suffered serious injuries.
âSoon, itâs going to be tough on you.â After replying to the letter, Wei Tu released the Wind-Cleaving Eagle from the beast pouch and gently patted its head.
The Wind-Cleaving Eagle perched on Wei Tuâs shoulder, tilting its head to receive his touch. It didnât understand why Wei Tu had been so kind to it over the past year.
Not only had he taken something strange from its belly, but he had also fed it lots of tonics during this time.
An hour later.
The Wind-Cleaving Eagle understood everything.
It looked at more than twenty of its kind, all showing clear mating signals, and its eyes filled with fear. It flapped its wings, trying to flee.
But just thenâ
A tune played on a flute.
The eagleâs sharp eyes grew dazed. It locked onto one of its kind and pounced.
âMiss Nanâs beast-taming skills are indeed superb.â Standing nearby, Wei Tu glanced at the young girl in black robes, her red lips gently pressed to the flute, and praised her.
This black-robed girl was named Nan Zi, a prodigy among the younger disciples of the Beastmaster Sect.
The matter of the Wind-Cleaving Eagleâs breeding was entirely in her hands.
âYou flatter me, Master Wei.â Nan Zi lowered her flute, smiling softly.
âHow long will this breeding process take? Though Iâm in Red River Mountain Marketplace now and have no immediate need for battle⊠I wouldnât want the Wind-Cleaving Eagle to suffer too much and lose its strength,â Wei Tu asked after a moment of thought.
âItâs hard to say for sure.â Nan Zi glanced at the Wind-Cleaving Eagle now engaged with one of its kind. A faint blush rose on her pale face. âIf Master Wei trusts me and lets me hold its Beast Token, I can use more refined beast-taming techniques.â
âThen both the time and the energy loss for the Wind-Cleaving Eagle will be much lower.â
âBeast Token?â Wei Tuâs eyes narrowed in caution.
The Wind-Cleaving Eagleâs Beast Token had been carefully crafted by the Beastmaster Sect. It recorded not only the beastâs species and bloodline level but also a unique identification number.
His Wind-Cleaving Eagleâs token clearly bore the words âXuan-rank bloodline.â
But the Beastmaster Sectâs cultivators, like Zuo Kui, all believed it to be Di-rank.
âSuch a vital item⊠I canât hand it over.â Wei Tu rejected her outright.
Hearing this, Nan Ziâs eyes flickered. She wondered: could there be some secret behind this?
The Beastmaster Sect was a major sect with a solid reputation.
And Wei Tu was now a Golden Core disciple, an important member of the Loose Immortal Alliance, no longer just an ordinary rogue cultivator.
Logically, the Beastmaster Sect wouldnât risk its reputation over a mere mid Foundation Establishment beast.
So his refusal seemed strange.
âMaybe Iâm overthinking it. No need to rush.â Nan Zi calmed her doubts, deciding to probe further in the future.
âThese twenty or so Wind-Cleaving Eagles were specially selected and raised by me, and Iâve used arousal techniques to ensure theyâre in heat. Normally, the breeding should be done within three days.â
âIf things donât go smoothly, it could take up to a month.â
After a moment of thought, Nan Zi finally answered Wei Tuâs earlier question.
âNormal?â Wei Tu frowned. What he feared most was the Wind-Cleaving Eagle not being normal, causing the breeding to fail.
After all, it hadnât advanced naturally, nor had it broken through the bloodline limit in the usual way.