When it rains, it rains. When a girl wants to marry, she marries.
That's just how life is.
After all, his relationship with Zhao Qingluo had never been made clear back in the Zheng Kingdom. There had been no promises, no vows. Meaning, he had no real reason to stop this from happening.
But if she was being forced…
That was different.
"Still, Zhao Qingluo is at the Golden Core stage. No matter how arranged the marriage is, it shouldn't come down to forcing her." After calming down, Wei Tu began to doubt whether the situation was as it seemed.
In righteous Nascent Soul factions, Golden Core cultivators didn't blindly obey Nascent Soul patriarchs. Their relationship was more of a semi-cooperative one, not complete subordination.
Take himself as an example—if Divine Master Du Long tried to make him do something suicidal, he would probably run away immediately and look for another place to stay, not sit around waiting to die.
Zhao Qingluo would be the same. Even if she cared about her clan, it was hard to believe she'd sacrifice herself for it.
Besides, marriage alliances between major cultivation families were always handled with extreme care. If a bride entered the groom's family unwillingly and caused trouble, it wouldn't just damage the relationship between the two sides—it could completely ruin it. That kind of loss wasn't worth it.
Zhao Qingluo acting "foolishly"? Wei Tu didn't think so. Nor did he believe Zhao Jiangwu would be foolish enough to allow something like this to happen.
—Even someone like Yu Tong, a Kang Kingdom native, had found out that Zhao Qingluo was being forced. How could Zhao Jiangwu not know? How could the Jiao Clan of the Tianyi Sect not be aware?
Wei Tu suspected there was more to it.
Either Zhao Qingluo was someone the Jiao Clan or Jiao Zihua absolutely wanted… or this whole rumor was just a false lead.
But as far as he remembered, Zhao Qingluo didn't have any special constitution, nor had she cultivated any dual cultivation technique that would benefit male cultivators.
"Did Miss Zhao say anything else when she met with Priest Yu? Are you sure there wasn't a letter?" Wei Tu stared closely at Yu Tong and asked in a low voice.
Yu Tong had gone to the Xiao Kingdom and met with Zhao Qingluo in private. That meant her freedom wasn't restricted. And the fact that she was willing to meet Yu Tong and even help him find Vajra Fruit meant their relationship hadn't gone cold. There was no bitterness or grudge from unrequited love.
On top of that, helping to source something as rare as Vajra Fruit didn't exactly scream "clan on the brink."
Too many red flags.
"There was a letter!" Yu Tong gave an awkward chuckle, lowered his head, and avoided Wei Tu's eyes. "Miss Zhao asked me to wait and see how Priest Wei would react… If your face stayed calm, I was to assume everything was fine and not deliver it. But if there was any visible reaction, then I should hand it over."
As a friend, he should've broken his agreement with Zhao Qingluo and handed over the letter right away. But Zhao Qingluo had offered him such a good price that he couldn't help doing her this small favor.
He just hadn't expected that before he could even decide to reveal it, Wei Tu had already turned the situation on him—catching the inconsistencies in his words.
"To like someone with such a meticulous mind… I don't know whether that's a blessing or a curse for Miss Zhao," Yu Tong thought to himself, shaking his head.
Even though he and Wei Tu were in the same realm, as a much older Golden Core cultivator, he saw Wei Tu and Zhao Qingluo more like juniors.
—Those with meticulous minds don't rush into things. In a way, they're like fools—dense, unawakened. A kind of disguised genius.
Wei Tu opened Zhao Qingluo's letter.
The contents were almost the same as what Yu Tong had already told him, with only a few differences in detail.
The Zhao Clan of Shengya Mountain and the Jiao Clan of the Tianyi Sect had been marriage allies for generations. The younger generation of both families had now come of age, and it was time to renew that alliance.
Originally, the one set to marry was Zhao Zhujun. But she didn't want to go through with it. She and Shengya Mountain's Dao child, Situ Yang, had developed feelings for each other and had even secretly pledged themselves to one another.
Dao child Situ Yang, in terms of status, was not inferior to the Tianyi Sect's Jiao Zihua.
If Zhao Zhujun had informed her clan earlier, it would've been great news for the Zhao Clan. But she didn't. She kept it secret. It wasn't until after the marriage contract was signed that she told them.
The Zhao Clan of Shengya Mountain couldn't force Zhao Zhujun to marry. They had no choice but to negotiate with the Tianyi Sect's Jiao Clan and find another way to save face.
—Canceling the contract outright would only expose Zhao Zhujun's "secret affair" and turn it into a scandal. At that point, both families would lose face and be stuck in a bad spot.
So, the two clans decided to put on a show—a "real act, fake performance." They would pick another Zhao family woman, sign a new marriage contract with Jiao Zihua, and as the wedding day approached, they'd work out a quiet cancellation. That way, neither side would lose face.
It was a kind of cold handling of the matter.
And after some consideration, that substitute turned out to be Zhao Qingluo.
But unlike the rumors circulating outside, Zhao Qingluo wasn't forced into it. She had made her decision and agreed to it of her own will.
"I have long been indebted to my clan. If losing a bit of reputation can help the family grow, it is a joy, not a loss."
That's what Zhao Qingluo wrote in the letter.
Though Wei Tu still found the whole "fake engagement" idea inappropriate, Zhao Qingluo wasn't his possession. He had no right to object.
Besides, her reasoning made sense. To reach the Golden Core stage, she must've received countless favors and resources from her clan.
Now she was only sacrificing some of her reputation in exchange for the clan's benefit. If she refused, it might even come across as ungrateful.
"Seventy years from now is the wedding date." Wei Tu's eyes landed on the final sentence of the letter.
Zhao Qingluo hadn't openly confessed her feelings in the letter, but that final line made it clear—she was waiting for him to come find her in the Xiao Kingdom within those seventy years.
"Once, twice… but never a third time."
Wei Tu let out a quiet sigh.
The first time Zhao Qingluo confessed her feelings was in the Cloud Ze Secret Realm.
The second time was when he visited Cicada Cry Cliff, as a guest at Qixue Mountain. They watched the moon together. That was her second confession.
There wouldn't be a third.
Zhao Qingluo would never bring it up again. That was her pride.
If he didn't go to the Xiao Kingdom within seventy years to see her, then their "marriage contract"—unspoken or not—would be void. They'd grow old in separate worlds and never cross paths again.
"Go see her! I will go!"
A resolute light flared in Wei Tu's eyes.
He had turned Zhao Qingluo down the first and second time because he hadn't been moved. His heart wasn't firm.
But now he understood clearly. He had truly fallen for this once-proud Princess Qingluo. He had fallen for this moonlit immortal maiden who once gifted him a Minor Shift Talisman.
If he liked her, then he would go after her. He would marry her.
He pursued the immortal path, but that didn't mean he was a slave to longevity. He wouldn't throw away everything for the sake of becoming immortal.
"Xinghua, this is the second time I've ever liked someone. I hope you won't blame me."
Wei Tu looked up and quietly gazed in the direction of Nanhang City.
That was where Xinghua's grave stood.