CHAPTER 283: GOAL ACHIEVED, FIFTY YEARS OF WAITING

After confirming his feelings, Wei Tu didn’t rush to leave Yuhe Market and head for the Xiao Kingdom.

First, the transaction was close at hand. The Earth Essence Ganoderma in Fairy Shuang’s hands from the Moon Condensation Palace was something he absolutely had to obtain. If he missed this chance, it wouldn’t come again.

Second, while trade routes between the Kang Kingdom and Xiao Kingdom were open, passing through the border without a merchant guild’s backing wasn’t easy.

During this time, he needed to pull some strings.

Of course, he could still sneak across if he had to. But with inspections being relatively relaxed now, there was no need to go that far.

Third, time was still on his side. Seventy years wasn’t urgent.

Wei Tu planned to first absorb what he had gained and wait until his cultivation broke through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core Realm before traveling to the Xiao Kingdom.

Sharpening the blade doesn’t delay the chopping.

From early-stage to mid-stage Golden Core—it might look like a small step, but from the outside world’s perspective, it made a big difference.

—A mid-stage Golden Core cultivator could hold their own in a major power. An early-stage Golden Core, however, would still be lumped in with the “junior” crowd.

At the very least, he had to finish handling everything regarding the Fen Shan Tribe before he left.

Hold the post, bear the duty.

Right now, he was the High Priest of the Fen Shan Tribe.

...

Over ten days later.

After several months of planning, Kou Hongying finally succeeded in establishing a connection with Fairy Shuang of the Moon Condensation Palace. Their relationship had leapt from mere acquaintances to the border of familiarity and friendship.

Kou Hongying also found an opportunity to introduce Wei Tu, her close elder, to Fairy Shuang.

“A third-rank alchemist? A third-rank talisman master?” When Fairy Shuang heard of Wei Tu’s many titles, a trace of curiosity flickered in her almond eyes. She was now interested in befriending Wei Tu.

Inside the Moon Condensation Palace, while there were also third-rank alchemists and talisman masters like Wei Tu, these people were all aligned with different factions within the sect. If she asked them to refine pills or craft talismans, her own foundation would be laid bare before those factions, as if she were made of glass. ℞ἁ𐌽ǑβÊᶊ

Compared to those in-house alchemists and talisman masters, Wei Tu might be less trustworthy, but his discretion was much better.

“Coincidentally, Uncle Wei will be visiting Yuping Mountain in a few days to see me and buy some spiritual herbs. If you’re free, Sister Shuang, I can introduce you.”

“Uncle Wei doesn’t just sell pills—he also has a good number of low-priced third-rank talismans.”

Kou Hongying gave Fairy Shuang a glance and saw that she was clearly tempted. She pressed the advantage right away.

Low-priced third-rank talismans?

Hearing that, Fairy Shuang’s beautiful eyes immediately lit up.

If befriending Wei Tu helped expand her network, then buying those low-priced talismans was simply profitable. It would be foolish not to go.

Everything was going according to plan.

A few days later.

Under Kou Hongying’s arrangement, Wei Tu met with Fairy Shuang—one of the two famed twin fairies of the Moon Condensation Palace—in a private room at an inn in Yuhe Market.

You can’t eat hot tofu in a hurry.

During the meeting, Wei Tu focused on chatting with Kou Hongying, acting like he couldn’t care less about Fairy Shuang. He only chimed in here and there to avoid awkward silence.

Fairy Shuang didn’t mind.

A young True Lord with mastery in both alchemy and talismans had every reason to be proud. She had seen many disciples from prestigious sects pass before her eyes like a stream of fish. A bit of coldness toward her was hardly unusual.

The fame of the Moon Condensation Palace’s twin fairies wasn’t impressive to someone like Wei Tu.

It only caught the attention of low-level cultivators.

“I came to Yuhe Market this time to gather spiritual herbs. Hongying, here’s the herb list. Please ask your fellow disciples from the Mirror Water Pavilion if they have any of the items on this list.”

After the banquet, Wei Tu got down to business. He handed Kou Hongying a jade slip as he spoke.

“Herb list?”

Hearing this, Fairy Shuang’s heart stirred.

Kou Hongying could ask the Mirror Water Pavilion disciples to help gather herbs, and she herself could ask her fellow disciples in the Moon Condensation Palace to do the same and earn a markup.

It was just a small effort and wouldn’t take up much of her time.

“If Fellow Daoist Wei doesn’t mind, I’d be happy to help with this small task,” Fairy Shuang said with a gentle smile, bowing politely.

If outsiders had seen this, their jaws might’ve dropped. The reason Fairy Shuang earned her nickname was her cold and proud nature.

It was rare for her to take the initiative like this.

“In that case, I’ll trouble you, Fairy Shuang.”

Wei Tu hesitated visibly before finally taking out a blank jade slip, copying the list, and handing it to her.

Fairy Shuang eagerly checked the list of herbs as soon as she received it.

“Di Gong Grass, Shy Sun Flower… Earth Essence Ganoderma…”

She read each one.

The list didn’t just have the names of the herbs—it also included suggested purchase prices, varying in range.

“Earth Essence Ganoderma, four thousand spirit stones per stalk?” Fairy Shuang’s beautiful eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat.

As it happened, she had purchased three stalks of Earth Essence Ganoderma at an auction a few years ago.

Earth Essence Ganoderma was the main ingredient in the Moon Condensation Palace’s exclusive pill, the “Jade Seed Pill.”

The Jade Seed Pill was a second-rank pill that helped female cultivators enhance beauty and maintain fair skin. After taking it, the skin appeared as if it had been “planted with jade,” hence the name.

Over the years, she had been working hard to collect herbs for the Jade Seed Pill. But after seeing the prices on Wei Tu’s list, Fairy Shuang began considering selling her three stalks of Earth Essence Ganoderma.

She had paid only three thousand spirit stones at auction for all three stalks. If she sold them to Wei Tu, she would make a clean profit of nine thousand spirit stones.

It was a deal too good to pass up.

After all, the Jade Seed Pill wasn’t essential.

What Fairy Shuang didn’t know was that Wei Tu had deliberately raised the listed price for Earth Essence Ganoderma on the herb list, just to make her voluntarily agree to the trade.

All the months of effort by Wei Tu and Kou Hongying had led to this moment.

“To be honest with you, Fellow Daoist Wei, I happen to have three stalks of Earth Essence Ganoderma,” Fairy Shuang said softly.

As the words left her mouth, both Wei Tu and Kou Hongying finally let out a breath of relief.

The two exchanged a glance. Relaxed smiles spread across their faces—they could finally unwind.

...

With his goal achieved, Wei Tu didn’t leave right away. He kept his promise and brought out a batch of third-rank talismans, which he sold at low prices to both Kou Hongying and Fairy Shuang.

Seeing this, Fairy Shuang’s eyes sparkled. Her gaze toward Wei Tu changed a little.

A wealthy, capable, and generous dual-skilled master in pills and talismans—who wouldn’t like that?

“Hongying-jie, does Fellow Daoist Wei have a Dao companion?” Fairy Shuang asked, a hint of matchmaking intent in her voice.

She was thinking of tying Wei Tu—the golden bachelor—firmly to her side’s faction.

Three-legged toads might be rare, but a Golden Core True Lord in the Moon Condensation Palace without a Dao companion was not hard to find.

And Wei Tu wasn’t an ordinary alchemist or talisman master. He had mastery in both. Securing Wei Tu was like getting a two-for-one deal—a hugely profitable arrangement.

Hearing that, Kou Hongying’s face stiffened slightly. She had just scolded her own disciple earlier for having improper thoughts. Now Fairy Shuang was coming in from the side—it felt like she couldn’t guard against anyone.

“For now, no,” Kou Hongying replied after a moment of thought, giving a vague answer.

“Hongying-jie, my martial uncle—Jiang-shishu—has recently been thinking about finding a Dao companion. If you don’t mind, I’d like to introduce Fellow Daoist Wei to her,” Fairy Shuang whispered.

At this, Kou Hongying nearly choked. She quickly took a sip of tea to soothe her throat.

She hadn’t expected Fairy Shuang to move this quickly—she was already planning to play matchmaker.

“Shuang-mei, Uncle Wei… well, Uncle Wei and my shifu already carry twin resonance jades,” Kou Hongying said carefully, choosing her words with intention.

Twin resonance jades were dual cultivation artifacts used between a man and woman. Having these was nearly equivalent to being Dao companions.

“What? Fellow Daoist Wei and Qin-shishu?” Fairy Shuang’s eyes widened with gossip-fueled curiosity. She leaned in, clearly wanting details.

“Ahem.”

Just then, Wei Tu cleared his throat a few times, interrupting their whispered conversation.

Over fifty years ago, his divine sense was already on par with a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. In recent years, after cultivating the Upper Evolution Secret Scripture, his divine sense had grown even stronger.

So Kou Hongying and Fairy Shuang’s secret talk couldn’t completely escape his notice.

Their conversation stopped immediately.

“I’ll take my leave,” Wei Tu said, rising to his feet and bowing before leaving the private room.

—He really wasn’t used to having others talk about his love life behind his back.

At this moment, Wei Tu also realized the benefit of having a Dao companion—at the very least, they could help ward off all the buzzing bees and butterflies.

Golden Core True Lord.

Third-rank alchemist. Third-rank talisman master.

All these titles and auras made him incredibly appealing to single female cultivators.

After all, once someone reached the Golden Core Realm, if they didn’t want to “marry down,” their choices for partners became very limited.

As an unaffiliated cultivator with no attachments and proven skills, he had indeed become a hot commodity in the eyes of many elite female cultivators.

...

Later on.

Kou Hongying apologized to Wei Tu, saying she shouldn’t have talked about him behind his back with Fairy Shuang.

Wei Tu shook his head slightly at that.

He said, “I know your way of handling things, Hongying. I can tell—it was Fairy Shuang who steered the conversation. You don’t need to blame yourself.”

They had supported each other on the cultivation path for over two hundred years and were already as close as family.

There was no room for misunderstandings between them.

“Uncle Wei, there’s something I’m not sure if I should say,” Kou Hongying hesitated before continuing. “You always do things perfectly, leaving no gaps. That’s precisely why people like Huaisu have developed feelings for you…”

“Maybe… you could consider showing a bit of imperfection.”

She offered the suggestion.

“Showing imperfection?” Wei Tu raised an eyebrow at that and smiled. “I won’t need to, very soon.”

With that, he turned into a streak of light and vanished from Yuhe Market without a trace.

Won’t need to?

Kou Hongying blinked, unable to figure out what Wei Tu meant by that.

...

Elsewhere.

After Wei Tu left Yuhe Market—

A fox-faced female cultivator suddenly appeared outside the market, holding a middle-aged man in merchant’s robes by the collar. A playful smile curled at her lips.

If Wei Tu had been here, he would’ve recognized the merchant right away—Manager Tian of the Muli Merchant Guild, the same man he had bribed months ago.

“Wei Tu, I waited fifty years for this. You’ve finally left Yingding Tribe. Took you long enough.”

Her voice was laced with a chilling softness.