Hearing this, Wei Tu let out a sigh of relief.
What he feared most was missing the timing and causing trouble with the route for smuggling into the Kang Kingdom.
He thought over what Tao Shisheng had just said and realized that someone from the Tao family had already successfully crossed over.
Otherwise, Tao Shisheng wouldn’t have said that the smuggling route was still open.
"Five years ago, you invested seven thousand spirit stones into this smuggling route, but you should know, that’s just the initial cost..."
Tao Shisheng chose his words carefully.
As if afraid that Wei Tu would misunderstand, he quickly added after that.
"Once your family has safely crossed into the Kang Kingdom and sent back word, then you can pay the rest of the spirit stones."
These two sentences together made things clear.
Wei Tu nodded slightly in agreement.He knew how many spirit stones it must have taken the Tao family to build a smuggling route into the Kang Kingdom, bribing people at every level along the way.
Last time, his investment of seven thousand spirit stones wasn’t small, but compared to what the Tao family spent, it was nothing.
"How much more?" Wei Tu asked.
"Five thousand spirit stones." Tao Shisheng, weighing Wei Tu’s cultivation, status, and strength, gave a relatively low price.
If Wei Tu hadn’t broken through right here at the Tao family’s place, the price would’ve been seven or eight thousand.
Even without Wei Tu, the Tao family would’ve worked on opening this route secretly.
So, this price was more casual.
Five thousand spirit stones?
Hearing that number, Wei Tu nodded inwardly, knowing they weren’t overcharging him.
Twelve thousand spirit stones wasn’t a small sum—almost everything a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator had—but if it meant safely escaping from Zheng Kingdom, which was on the brink of collapse, then the price wasn’t high at all.
And based on his previous deal with the Tao family, he had five spots. Split evenly, each spot cost two to three thousand spirit stones.
"Half a year from now, my Tao family will secretly send people across. I hope you won’t miss it this time."
Seeing Wei Tu agree to the five thousand spirit stones, Tao Shisheng nodded and told him the date of the next crossing.
"My two children will also be among those crossing this time. You don’t need to worry about safety."
Tao Shisheng smiled.
Hearing this, Wei Tu understood a bit more. Last time, because of his closed-door cultivation, he missed the crossing, but now it seemed like a blessing in disguise.
This route was now more established.
Safer than before.
...
The people to cross into the Kang Kingdom had already been chosen by Wei Tu five years ago.
Wei Yan, Qi Feng, Wei Xian'er.
These three were the first group of his family he had decided to send.
There was no need to say much about Wei Yan.
That was his own daughter.
Qi Feng was a concubine he had taken twenty years ago, so she was considered family too.
Even though he took Qi Feng because she offered him a treasure, and there was no real affection between them, just for the "Myriad Spirits Demon Infant" alone, she deserved a spot to cross into the Kang Kingdom.
As for Wei Xian'er...
She was more of a technical investment.
Wei Xian'er's talent in sensing would raise their chances of success even higher.
Wei Yan, having lived peacefully with little battle experience, was startled by how ruthless her father sounded.
"Help them if you can, but if not, retreat immediately. Don’t hesitate," Wei Tu shook his head and said.
As someone who had fought his way through countless battles, he knew full well.
On the battlefield, the worst thing was being soft-hearted—trying to save everyone.
"You’re in the Foundation Establishment Realm, but they are only in the Qi Refinement Realm. They’ll drag you down."
Wei Tu made things even clearer.
But there was one thing he didn’t say—of the three, only Wei Yan was truly precious to him.
"Yes, Father." Wei Yan’s lashes trembled slightly as she nodded.
"Remember, once you arrive, write me a letter right away. The secret phrase is..." Wei Tu continued to give her careful instructions.
When he finished.
Wei Yan couldn’t help but laugh, "Father, I’m already a hundred-year-old woman, not some silly little girl. How could I be that foolish?"
Even though she said that, these words left a warm feeling in her heart.
To have her father still alive, watching over her, guiding her on her path—that was something many cultivators could only dream of.
After making sure Wei Yan was prepared.
Wei Tu also gave Qi Feng and Wei Xian'er each some items for protection.
A few days later.
Under Wei Tu’s watchful eyes, Wei Yan, along with the two women and the Tao family cultivators, set off for Kang Kingdom, led by Tao Shisheng’s elder, Tao Fangde.
"This parting... really leaves a hollow feeling," Tao Shisheng stood on a peak in Hanshan, watching the group vanish into the distance.
His own children, Tao Jie and Tao Ya, were among them.
"But if we didn’t do this, in these chaotic times, how could we, as their parents, keep them safe?" Tao Shisheng sighed.
Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded.
He looked up at the sky, where far above, the Wind-Cleaving Eagle spread its wings, following behind Wei Yan and the others.
After they left.
Wei Tu gave the Wind-Cleaving Eagle its command—to escort Wei Yan and the group to the border of Zheng and Kang Kingdoms, and once they were safe, return.