After writing a separate reply to Bao Siyan, Wei Tu stood up, ready to head to Che Gongwei’s cave residence to visit him personally.
Since Che Gongwei had already agreed to pass on the talisman inheritance, both in reason and sentiment, he should take the initiative to visit, rather than sit at home waiting for this nominal master to come teach him.
Just as he walked out of the rear courtyard cave.
The housekeeper of the front courtyard, Du Wenshu, approached with a respectful bow, holding out a jade box with both hands.
“True Lord Wei, these are the letters you’ve received in the past month.”
Du Wenshu said softly.
Letters were divided into talisman letters and ordinary letters.
The former could be delivered automatically to a set destination, no courier needed, suitable for short-distance communication.
The latter required fixed courier stations and personnel for delivery, better suited for long-distance exchanges.
Earlier, the replies from Bao Siyan and Che Gongwei were talisman letters. These didn’t pass through Du Wenshu and were delivered directly to his cave residence entrance.Now, the letters in Du Wenshu’s jade box were ordinary letters, processed by courier stations and sent to his residence, then received by her.
“Alright.” Wei Tu nodded slightly, with a flick of his sleeve, the jade box flew into it, and he stepped out of the residence.
Ordinary letters passed through many hands and lacked confidentiality, so they usually didn’t contain secrets or important matters.
Thus, Wei Tu didn’t need to check them immediately. After handling other things, he could read them later.
If there were truly secret or important matters from afar, most cultivators would come in person to discuss face-to-face to prevent leaks.
—Generally, low-realm cultivators’ “secrets” weren’t real secrets.
Courier stations of major powers wouldn’t ruin their reputations over minor figures’ trivial matters.
Before long.
Wei Tu arrived at Che Residence.
“Qingmei Venerable Master?” As soon as he entered the front courtyard, Wei Tu saw Qingmei Venerable Master admiring flowers.
At this moment, Qingmei Venerable Master held a bronze mirror, occasionally picking a fresh flower and placing it in her hair, checking her reflection, adjusting her posture, admiring her beauty.
After more than thirty years apart, Wei Tu noticed that Qingmei Venerable Master seemed more mature, from a child of seven or eight, to about eleven or twelve—barely a young girl now.
Though her looks couldn’t compare to the famed beauties of the cultivation world, every move she made carried an innocent and lively charm.
As fellow disciples, now meeting here, Wei Tu couldn’t just walk away without a word.
He lightly cleared his throat,
reminding Qingmei Venerable Master of his presence.
“Greetings, Senior Wei.”
Startled by the cough, Qingmei Venerable Master quickly tucked the mirror into her sleeve and turned around.
Seeing it was Wei Tu, she immediately bowed and called him “Senior.”
She was inwardly annoyed—how had Wei Tu approached without a sound, not even a trace of aura, catching her off guard in such an embarrassing moment?
Thinking of this, her cheeks flushed, and her delicate little ears turned a soft red.
“Junior Sister Su, just call me Senior Brother, no need for formalities.” Wei Tu waved his hand, indicating there was no need to be so reserved.
—Qingmei Venerable Master’s real name was Su Bing’er.
“Why are you staying at Master’s residence, Junior Sister Su?” Wei Tu asked.
From Qingmei Venerable Master’s relaxed demeanor, it was clear she had been living here for some time.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so “carefree” earlier.
“Seventeen years ago, Master found a way to cure my ‘affliction’ and let me stay in the residence for treatment.”
Facing this Golden Core True Lord, Qingmei Venerable Master didn’t dare even breathe heavily. After hesitating a bit, she told him everything.
Hearing this.
Wei Tu finally remembered that when she became a disciple, Che Gongwei had promised—to do everything possible to help her restore her Profound Wood Spirit Body and assist her in forming a core.
He hadn’t expected that promise wasn’t just for show, but sincere.
Over these decades, Che Gongwei had really searched for a cure for her, and in these past seventeen years, had made real progress.
“Once Qingmei Venerable Master’s Profound Wood Spirit Body is restored, forming a core for her will be almost certain.”
Wei Tu thought.
Spirit Body cultivators had a 30% higher chance of forming a core.
That chance was equivalent to an ordinary cultivator who took a Mortal Shedding Pill.
And Qingmei Venerable Master, like him, also cultivated a third-rank technique, which could further raise her chance by 10-20%.
Additionally, while getting a Mortal Shedding Pill might be hard for her, buying a substitute like a Azure Flame Pill wasn’t difficult.
So, putting everything together, Qingmei Venerable Master had a 70-80% chance of reaching the Golden Core stage.
“An unexpected success.” Wei Tu thought to himself.
In fact, back when they became disciples, Che Gongwei didn’t think much of Qingmei Venerable Master. It was only after taking him, Hua Xianlong, and Mu Die as disciples that he accepted her—the one who had won first in practical combat.
In other words, Qingmei Venerable Master was just someone Che Gongwei took in as a follower because it was convenient.
“Looks like, in a little while, I’ll be able to call Junior Sister Su ‘Daoist Friend’ instead,” Wei Tu smiled slightly, casually flattering Qingmei Venerable Master.
But Qingmei Venerable Master didn’t take his words seriously, nor did she feel any desire to cling to this Golden Core senior brother.
She knew well about Mu Die—back then, Mu Die, feeling helpless, had once sought help from Wei Tu, the so-called “Senior Brother,” but he had been cold and heartless, ignoring her entirely.
So, though Wei Tu’s words sounded nice, she heard them but didn’t take them to heart.
“A smiling tiger!” Qingmei Venerable Master secretly judged Wei Tu.
Wei Tu, standing nearby, had no idea the impression he left in her mind was already this bad.
Of course, even if he knew, he wouldn’t care. After all, Qingmei Venerable Master was merely someone with potential to reach the Golden Core. Her Profound Wood Spirit Body was still far from fully restored.
After exchanging greetings, Wei Tu walked towards the “Talisman Room” where Che Gongwei drew talismans, knocked, and entered.
“Wei Tu, you’re here.” Che Gongwei saw him enter and stopped his talisman work. His expression turned thoughtful as he glanced over Wei Tu.
“The three conditions in my letter—are you willing to abide by them and swear never to break your word?”
Che Gongwei stared closely at Wei Tu, not relaxing for a second.
Passing on the talisman inheritance wasn’t just giving Wei Tu a way to make money—it was revealing most of his own secrets to him.
Wei Tu didn’t hesitate. He raised his hand and swore, making a heart demon oath.
To higher-level cultivators, a heart demon oath was more binding than a regular spiritual contract.
When his words were spoken,
Che Gongwei’s tense expression eased somewhat. He nodded, pulled a yellow jade slip from his sleeve, and handed it to Wei Tu.
“Most of my life’s work is in this jade slip.”
Che Gongwei said seriously.
“Thank you, Master.” Wei Tu bowed, took the yellow jade slip with both hands, and thanked him.
After taking the jade slip, Wei Tu didn’t rush to read it but stood quietly to one side, waiting for further instructions.
Seeing that Wei Tu, even after receiving the jade slip, still upheld his role as a respectful disciple, Che Gongwei nodded slightly, his impression of him improving.
There were plenty of people out there who wouldn’t even bother with such courtesy.
By comparison, this “bargain disciple” of his was already far better.
“You saw Bing’er earlier?” Che Gongwei sat down and shifted the topic.
The whole residence was under his divine sense. From the moment Wei Tu entered until now, every action he took, Che Gongwei knew.
Wei Tu nodded.
“Her injury—I’ll need about thirty more years to fully restore her Profound Wood Spirit Body.”
“You kept your distance from Mu Die and the others before because you had secrets. I understand that.”
“But now, you’ve reached the Golden Core. I hope you’ll… spend more time with Bing’er, Die’er, and the others.”
Che Gongwei spoke slowly.
Before Wei Tu became his disciple, he had investigated him, knowing Wei Tu was someone who valued relationships—only then did he decide to “trust him with responsibilities.”
Yet later, Wei Tu’s actions had deeply disappointed him.
But now, thinking back, Che Gongwei could somewhat understand Wei Tu’s aloofness.
—Over thirty years ago, Wei Tu had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage and held the precious Mortal Shedding Pill. How could he waste energy helping raise “Mu Die” and the others? He could barely avoid them as it was.
“Disciple understands.”
Wei Tu nodded, agreeing.
Getting closer to Qingmei Venerable Master and the others was just the surface meaning—what Che Gongwei really meant was for him, as his disciple, to align more with the sect in future dealings.
This was natural.
After all, Che Gongwei had now given him part of his “core inheritance.” Wei Tu was no longer just a disciple in name but practically one of Che Gongwei’s true heirs.
Hearing his reply, Che Gongwei looked satisfied. He waved and said, “I have other matters to handle, you may leave for now.”
With that,
Wei Tu couldn’t linger any longer. He bowed and left.
After Wei Tu left Che Residence,
A figure stepped out from the inner room of the talisman room and sat opposite Che Gongwei.
This man wore a green robe, a jade ornament on his forehead, looking like a refined young noble.
If Wei Tu were here, he would recognize him instantly—this was none other than the third-rank formation master he had seen days ago, Qi Chengchu.
“Wei Tu’s indeed a fine talent, but his heart isn’t dark enough,” Qi Chengchu sat and glanced at the door with a slight smile.
If he were Wei Tu, upon knowing there was a chance to take revenge on the Heshan Huang Clan, he’d have jumped at the chance to seize their inheritance.
Why would he give it up for the sake of old feelings?
“If his heart was too dark, I wouldn’t dare pass on my talisman inheritance to him,” Che Gongwei replied, shaking his head.
The third-rank talisman master inheritance involved too much.
So before passing the talisman inheritance to Wei Tu, Che Gongwei had reported it to the leader of the Jing Kingdom faction in the Loose Immortal Alliance, Qi Chengchu, and discussed it with him.
“Wei Tu hasn’t cultivated for long. It's normal for him to still have kindness in his heart.”
Qi Chengchu gave a brief comment.
Then he said, “But because of this, I also see the possibility for our Loose Immortal Alliance to truly unite.”
“As long as more Golden Core cultivators like Wei Tu don't align with any faction, the factional struggles within the alliance will eventually end.”
Though Qi Chengchu was the leader of the Jing Kingdom faction in the Loose Immortal Alliance, he deeply hated these factional struggles.
But when it came to competing interests, he couldn’t back down, only turn a blind eye, even push the factions into further conflict.
The human heart is complicated.
Weakness would only invite more attacks from the other faction, never peace.
Only by bringing in new strength could the conflict between the two factions gradually ease or even be reconciled.
Qi Chengchu understood this well.
And in his eyes, Wei Tu was that new force—a new middle-ground figure.
“Forming a Golden Core is hard, and now there's the external crisis of the demonic path's invasion. The Loose Immortal Alliance… might not last until that day.”
Che Gongwei looked worried.
Qi Chengchu’s plan was wise, a strategy for the alliance’s future. But the alliance’s problems weren’t just internal.
The demonic invasion was the real sword hanging over their heads.
“We can only take it one step at a time,” Qi Chengchu shook his head and sighed, “The demonic path must be guarded against, but the internal reforms must still proceed…”
“Who knows, maybe the demonic path will stop at Jing Kingdom.”
Qi Chengchu joked.
But Che Gongwei noticed that when he said this, there was a hint of hope in Qi Chengchu’s eyes.
…
An hour later.
Inside the cave residence, Wei Tu opened the jade box that Du Wenshu had given him that morning.
There were nearly one hundred letters inside, an absurd amount.
Wei Tu took them out one by one.
What surprised him was that over half of the letters were from cultivators he didn’t know, and more than twenty percent were from those he had only met briefly.
“Even deep in the mountains, the wealthy have distant relatives.” Wei Tu deeply felt the truth of this saying again.
Back in the mortal world, after he passed the exams and became a military officer, a bunch of distant relatives came out of nowhere, sending him letters asking for favors.
Later, after reading those letters, he simply burned them, not bothering to respond.
After all, he had no ambitions of power.
Wei Tu casually opened a few letters from unfamiliar names.
As expected, most of these were trying to establish connections.
Some Foundation Establishment cultivators even wanted to offer him a disciple’s gift to become his apprentice.
“They’re even older than me.” Wei Tu recognized a few of these names, raised an eyebrow, and thought.
Besides the letters about becoming his disciple, there were others from small factions and families offering treasures, hoping to attach themselves to him and join the Loose Immortal Alliance.
Wei Tu ignored them.
Then, Wei Tu began to handle letters from old acquaintances.
These letters were much simpler, almost identical.
All of them were just congratulating him on reaching the Golden Core.
After reading these, Wei Tu closed the jade box, intending to enter seclusion again to study the third-rank talisman inheritance he had.
But just as he stood up, he paused, sat back down, and reopened the box.
Maybe, among these so-called “gifts” from unfamiliar cultivators, there might be something useful.
With nearly one hundred letters, it wouldn’t take much time.
After reading through forty to fifty letters—
Until—
A letter signed by “Jiang Wu.”
“Zheng Kingdom will change, abandoned by the Seven Nations Righteous Alliance?” Wei Tu’s gaze sharpened as he read this line, stunned.
The words in the letter were vague, almost alarmist.
But… Wei Tu believed it.
Because the person who wrote to him wasn’t ordinary—it was Zhao Jiangwu, the Golden Core Patriarch of the Qiyue Zhao Clan.
Only, Zhao Jiangwu had left out his surname in the signature.
“But Zhao Jiangwu is really bold. He sent me this kind of letter using a regular courier? And didn’t even send a Zhao Clan cultivator to deliver it directly to Honghe Mountain?”
After reading, Wei Tu frowned.
If the Qiyue Zhao Clan could send him such a letter with such a shocking secret, Wei Tu could guess who was pushing from behind.
But what he couldn’t figure out was, if they were already revealing such a secret, why still use ordinary mail?
After all, regular letters were not only prone to leaks but also to being lost.
“I’ll just make a trip to the Zhao Clan and ask directly.”
Wei Tu shook his head, not planning to guess anymore.
The Qiyue Zhao Clan wasn’t far from the Honghe Mountain Marketplace. With his speed, it would only take two or three days.