After thinking about these things, Wei Tu felt a bit excited.
Kou Hongying had the confidence to break through to the Full Qi Refining stage within twenty years... His environment wasn't as good as Kou Hongying's, but even if it took a little longer, extending it to thirty years, he would still be ahead of many rogue cultivators.
After all, more than ninety percent of Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators only succeed in forming their foundation after they turn a hundred years old.
"However, the premise of all this is... after breaking through to the Full Qi Refining stage, I need to immediately get a Foundation Establishment pill to advance my cultivation…"
Wei Tu calmed himself down.
For rogue cultivators, Qi Refining was easy, but Foundation Establishment pills were rare.
Even if he, like Kou Hongying, reached the Full Qi Refining stage in twenty years, without a Foundation Establishment pill, it would be useless.
"Tai Xuan Sect regulations state that as long as a rogue cultivator possesses two Foundation Establishment spiritual items, they can go to the service office to exchange for a Foundation Establishment pill."
"I signed a spiritual contract with Kou Hongying, so within twenty years after her Foundation Establishment, I can get one Foundation Establishment spiritual item…"
"Now, just one more is needed."
Wei Tu thought to himself.
The reason he asked Kou Hongying to sign the spiritual contract and promised to give her a "Foundation Establishment spiritual item" in return was for this purpose.
Back then, he had already started planning for his path to Foundation Establishment after reaching the Full Qi Refining stage.
"As for the other Foundation Establishment spiritual item…"
Wei Tu's gaze shifted as he looked towards the shack district several miles away.
He remembered that Master Wang had mentioned that Gong Shulan had a Foundation Establishment spiritual item.
It was precisely because of this Foundation Establishment spiritual item that Master Wang was later harmed by Geng Wen and died.
"If the opportunity arises, I will seize it!"
Wei Tu made up his mind.
He was no longer the innate martial artist who had just entered Danqiu Mountain.
There was no need to be afraid of the potential disasters that might come from interacting with Gong Shulan.
...
A few days later.
Wei Tu emerged from seclusion.
Both of his neighbors on Yunque Street came out of their houses, carrying gifts to congratulate him.
In addition to Helian Xiong and Tong Peipei,
There was also Fu Zhizhou.
Clearly, Fu Zhizhou had received a letter from Helian Xiong and had come to congratulate him.
"Congratulations, Third Brother, on reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining."
Fu Zhizhou smiled and said.
The sounds of congratulations from everyone filled the air, making the entire courtyard on Yunque Street feel warm and joyous.
"Today, I will treat everyone. Please come to Jingyun Residence."
Wei Tu smiled and cupped his hands.
After speaking, he placed the three gifts inside the house, locked the door, and led the three of them to Jingyun Residence.
"Helian, this sweet and sour carp tastes great. You should try it."
During the banquet, Tong Peipei suddenly raised her chopsticks and served a piece of fish to Helian Xiong.
Wei Tu, who was sitting nearby, raised an eyebrow when he saw this.
As an "old monster" who had entered the Immortal Path from the mortal world, he could immediately tell that Tong Peipei had special feelings for Helian Xiong.
"Such a pity…"
"I have feelings, but the other party has no intention."
Wei Tu glanced at Helian Xiong again and saw a slight impatience on his face. He shook his head.
Soon, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and the gathering ended.
"Fourth Brother, how was the prescription that Doctor Chen gave you? How's the effect after you took it?"
On the way back, Wei Tu actively walked over to Fu Zhizhou, who was a bit behind, and patted him on the shoulder, asking.
Wei Tu had already noticed the disappointment on Fu Zhizhou's face when they were in the courtyard, but he hadn't brought it up because the occasion hadn't been right.
As for Fu Zhizhou's disappointment, Wei Tu could also guess why.
After all, for over twenty years, Fu Zhizhou's cultivation had always been ahead of his.
When Wei Tu was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, Fu Zhizhou was already at the sixth level, just one step away from the late stage of Qi Refining.
However, five or six years had passed.
Now, Wei Tu's cultivation had caught up to Fu Zhizhou's, and he even had a chance to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining before him.
Wei Tu thought to himself that if he were Fu Zhizhou, he might feel a little frustrated too.
As for Doctor Chen, he was an elderly medicine master from Mirror Water Pavilion whom Kou Hongying had asked to assist Fu Zhizhou using her connections.
"Doctor Chen gave me some pills, and with these, if I refine my cultivation for another four or five years, I should be able to break through this bottleneck."
Fu Zhizhou gave a forced smile.
He wasn't jealous of Wei Tu's breakthrough, as he had always seen Wei Tu's hard work.
In the end, it was his own greed for quick success that led him to face this bottleneck.
"That's good."
Wei Tu nodded.
After a pause, Wei Tu thought for a moment and comforted him, "Fourth Brother, you're two years younger than me. In three or four years, maybe you'll lead me and break through to the late stage of Qi Refining first."
"You're right, Third Brother," Fu Zhizhou said, regaining his confidence with a smile. "We, brothers, will break through to the late stage of Qi Refining together."
The two chatted and walked.
Before long, they reached the small courtyard on Yunque Street.
As they entered, Wei Tu's gaze shifted, and he saw an unexpected guest standing at his door.
"Wei Fushi!"
"You've just returned, and I've been waiting for you."
Zhao Qingluo frowned slightly, a look of impatience on her face.
Wei Tu remembered that Zhao Qingluo had always kept to herself in this small courtyard for cultivation, so she hadn't informed him in advance and had directly come to visit.
However, this time, she came up empty.
Wei Tu had already grown immune to Zhao Qingluo's "lack of manners." He cupped his hands and asked, "I wonder what brings Princess Qingluo to visit Wei today?"
Two years ago, while returning to Danqiu Mountain, he had learned about the specific war situations between the two major mundane forces—the Feng Dynasty and Zheng Kingdoms.
The war between the two countries had ceased, with Feng Dynasty losing and being forced to cede a province.
Since the two mundane forces had already agreed to peace, Wei Tu speculated that the Qiyue Zhao family and the Chisong Jia family must have reached some kind of agreement, thus ending the hostilities.
After all, no matter how powerful a Golden Core family was, they could not sustain the endless consumption of years of warfare.
Therefore, Wei Tu was a bit confused about why Zhao Qingluo had come to find him.
Previously, when Zhao Qingluo had personally visited to purchase his talismans, it was because the Zhao family had too many members mobilized for the war and couldn't spare any manpower, so they had sent Zhao Qingluo in her stead.
"A few days ago, an official who defected from Feng Dynasty, named Dan Xianshou, is said to be connected to you…"
Zhao Qingluo's brows furrowed as she slapped her storage pouch and took out a letter, which she sent directly to Wei Tu's hand using magic.
"Dan Xianshou?"
Wei Tu was stunned for a moment.
He searched through his memories and then recalled that Dan Xianshou was the grandson of his master, Dan Wu Ju, and the legitimate son of Dan Yanguo.
After Dan Wu Ju's death, Dan Yanguo moved to Sanyuan Township and settled in the Dan family's compound, no longer returning to the capital city.
When the rebel forces of King Fan were about to attack the capital, he had considered moving the Dan family members along with his own family.
But Dan Yanguo, unwilling to leave his ancestors' estate, had refused his offer.
Later…
After entering the Immortal Path, due to the establishment of Feng Dynasty and the blocked communication, he gradually lost contact with Dan Yanguo.
More than twenty years had passed.
Wei Tu didn't expect that, after all this time, he would receive a letter from Dan Xianshou through Zhao Qingluo in the Immortal Path.
"This person is a descendant of my mundane martial arts master, and I ask Princess Qingluo to request leniency from the court on his behalf."
Wei Tu took the letter, glanced at it briefly, then cupped his hands and spoke to Zhao Qingluo.
At that moment, he had a bit of a change in opinion toward Zhao Qingluo. She wasn't entirely arrogant and unreachable as he had originally thought.
Though delivering the letter was a trivial task for Zhao Qingluo, her willingness to do so was commendable.
In the eyes of many cultivators, ordinary mortals were almost like livestock, let alone someone from a prestigious Immortal family like Zhao Qingluo.
"It's a small matter."
Zhao Qingluo nodded in agreement, then turned her body and was about to leave with a flick of her skirt.
"You've broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining?" Zhao Qingluo suddenly stopped, turned, and carefully examined Wei Tu, her tone filled with a hint of surprise.
She remembered that a few years ago, Wei Tu was still at the fourth level of Qi Refining, making no progress whatsoever.
How was it possible that in just a few years, he had made such rapid advancement and broken through two more levels?
"I switched my cultivation method a few years ago and focused on talisman crafting, which delayed my progress," Wei Tu explained evasively.
He suspected that his cultivation realm had yet to fully stabilize, which led Zhao Qingluo to notice his current level.
"A few years ago, I said this, and it still holds true. If Wei Fushi is willing, with your current cultivation and talisman rank, you qualify to become a son-in-law of my Qiyue Zhao family."
Zhao Qingluo brought up an old topic.
Her tone was calm, as if she genuinely believed that becoming the son-in-law of the Zhao family was some kind of reward for Wei Tu.
After all, even though the son-in-law's status was low, it depended on which family you belonged to.
The son-in-law of the Qiyue Zhao family, though not as prestigious as a direct descendant, would still be far more honored than one of the collateral branches.
In terms of social standing, they were only second to the disciples of immortal sects.
"Thank you for your kindness, Princess."
"I do not wish to."
Wei Tu spoke briefly, directly rejecting her offer.
"What a pity," Zhao Qingluo sighed, then turned and left without trying to persuade him further.
...
After Zhao Qingluo left, Wei Tu collected his thoughts and returned to his room. He sat cross-legged to continue solidifying his cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Refining.
By now, he had become an old hand in the Immortal Path and understood the opportunities involved in the offer of becoming Zhao Qingluo's son-in-law.
The Qiyue Zhao family was a Golden Core family, and within their clan, the system was similar to that of immortal sects. As long as one completed enough contributions, they could exchange for a Foundation Establishment pill.
This was an excellent opportunity to rise quickly.
However, Wei Tu had his own considerations.
He didn't believe that the Qiyue Zhao family's Foundation Establishment pills were easy to obtain, especially not for someone like him, an outsider.
Moreover, if he became a member of the Zhao family, he would lose the freedom he had as a rogue cultivator. The profits from his talisman crafting would also have to be shared with the Zhao family.
...
After stabilizing his cultivation, Wei Tu began to complete the first sect task given to him by Kou Hongying—drawing one hundred first-rank lower-grade talismans, "Earthquake Talismans."
Earthquake Talismans were of the lower-grade variety.
With Wei Tu's current talisman expertise, it only took a few months of practice to become proficient.
Three months passed.
Wei Tu drew fifteen Earthquake Talismans, bundled them up, placed them in an envelope, and prepared to send them to the Danqiu Mountain post station for delivery to Baishi Lake Marketplace.
"Daoist Wei, you've come at the right time. I've got a letter for you."
The post station attendant saw Wei Tu and cheerfully called out to him, handing him a letter.
"Letter?" Wei Tu took the letter and noticed the "Mirror Water Pavilion" seal on it, his expression turning serious.
—Kou Hongying rarely sent him letters.
"Big Brother… is gone?"
After opening the letter, Wei Tu read halfway through it before a look of sorrow crossed his face.