"This time, our garrison troops, under County Captain Xu's command, were dispatched to Si Yang Town to suppress the unrest…"
"During this campaign, I managed to make a little money."
Wei Tu casually explained.
"So that's what happened." Wei Hong nodded thoughtfully.
A few days ago, when the garrison suddenly left the county in the dead of night, even taking along the bodyguards and martial instructors from some of the wealthier households, she had already heard rumors of something big happening.
However, she hadn't expected that County Captain Xu would actually take Wei Tu and the others to Si Yang Town to quell a rebellion.
"Were you hurt at all, Wei Ge'er?" After a few moments, Wei Hong regained her composure and quickly asked with concern.
Wei Tu shook his head. "My position as Military Commandant didn't require me to fight at the frontlines, so I wasn't injured. Thank you for your concern, Second Aunt."
In reality, his right abdomen had suffered minor injuries from the Iron Hammer Giant's attack. However, thanks to his internal cultivation, he had been able to heal within a few days through controlled circulation of his Qi.
Since it was nothing serious, he saw no need to mention it to his Second Aunt.
"You are the pillar of our Wei family. It took so much effort for our family to produce a rising military star like you. You must take good care of yourself…"
"You cannot afford to get injured."
As Wei Tu was about to leave the Huang family residence, Wei Hong personally escorted him to the gate, her tone filled with earnest reminders.
Before he could respond, she added, "Wei Ge'er, if you ever find yourself short on money again, just come to your Second Aunt and Uncle. Your uncle does good business—he's not short on silver."
Hearing this, Wei Tu cupped his hands in gratitude.
At the same time, he couldn't help but reflect on how much things had changed.
The first time he visited the Huang family, he had been made to wait in an outer chamber for half an hour before even meeting Wei Hong. When he asked for help, she had been dismissive and impatient, barely willing to even accept his gifts.
This time, he had merely come to repay thirty taels of silver, and yet Wei Hong hadn't even bothered counting the money. She had simply handed it off to a maidservant and personally walked him out of the estate.
"This is how times change," Wei Tu mused as he stepped onto the bustling street.
After leaving the Huang family, Wei Tu returned home, picked up fifty taels of silver, and made his way to the Wei family residence.
Under normal circumstances, since he and Wei Fei had fought side by side in Si Yang Town, he could have simply returned the money during their journey home.
However, Wei Tu had his own considerations.
Back when both he and Wei Fei needed to forge their armor, neither of them had fifty taels of silver on hand.
To help him, Wei Fei had personally gone to his adoptive father—the leader of the Qinghu Gang, Wei Jinghai—to ask for a loan.
But an adoptive father was not the same as a real father.
And within a gang like the Qinghu Gang, the title of "adoptive father" held even less weight—it was more about cultivating loyal followers than forming genuine familial bonds.
Wei Jinghai wasn't short on biological sons of his own.
For Wei Fei to borrow fifty taels in this manner, he had undoubtedly taken on a significant risk.
Therefore, Wei Tu chose to personally return the money at Wei Fei's home, in full view of the gang members.
This way, he not only helped Wei Fei save face, proving that befriending him was a wise decision, but also elevated Wei Fei's status within the gang.
Half an hour later.
Wei Tu left the Wei residence after repaying his debt.
Inside the main hall of the Qinghu Gang, Wei Jinghai, dressed in scholar's robes, slowly scanned the room before resting his gaze on Wei Fei.
A look of approval appeared on his face.
"Fei'er, in the martial examination, you've already proven your ability. Now, in building relationships, you've also shown your worth."
"When my time is up, the position of leader of the Qinghu Gang will belong to you."
"…Yes, Adoptive Father."
Wei Fei's face lit up with joy as he bowed his head.
Although the Qinghu Gang was nominally controlled by the local government, with three-tenths of its profits going to the officials, the remaining seven-tenths was still a substantial sum.
If he could become the leader, the benefits were self-evident.
Half a month after returning to the county, Wei Tu received news from the garrison office. The campaign led by Grand Governor Wang against Martial Luck Pavilion had been a resounding success.
The headquarters of Martial Luck Pavilion, along with seven of its branch locations, had been completely eradicated.
In just half a month, this once-prominent martial sect had been wiped out entirely from Southern Mountain Dao by the authorities.
That night, Wei Tu received a letter from Kou Liang, inviting them to Xuanhe Tower on the thirteenth of this month for a reunion.
"The thirteenth… that's in seven days."
"Second Brother, have you made up your mind about Five Yuan Spirit Body manual, this immortal cultivation technique?"
That evening, Wei Tu and Wei Fei met at Cuiyun Tower, where they booked a private room to discuss the matter in secret.
"I've thought it through."
Wei Fei sighed. "I've spent the past half-month at home studying the intricacies of this technique, but no matter how many books I reference, I still can't make sense of it."
"Instead of letting this immortal cultivation technique rot in my hands, it's better to share it—let the four of us study it together."
"If any one of us succeeds, it would be a blessing for all of us."
Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded in agreement.
Since returning to the county, he had attempted to cultivate the Five Yuan Spirit Body manual in secret.
However, unlike Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation, Tiger and Crane Twin Form Fist, or Marrow Refining Sutra, his Late Bloomer destiny did not manifest any cultivation progress when he practiced it.
In other words, this Five Yuan Spirit Body manual had some kind of threshold—without grasping its key principles, he couldn't even begin.
"The wisdom of one man is limited, but with four minds working together, we can complement each other. It's far better than struggling alone."
Wei Tu smiled.
Seven days later.
The four brothers reunited at Xuanhe Tower.
This time, Fu Zhizhou arrived earlier than Wei Tu and Wei Fei—he had reached Private Room No. 3 half an hour before their scheduled meeting.
"This gathering isn't for anything urgent," Kou Liang said, exchanging pleasantries before getting to the point.
"It's been two years since we last saw each other, and I thought it was time we had a proper reunion."
"Besides, our original oath was to support and assist each other in the official world."
"Now that Martial Luck Pavilion has been wiped out, all of us will likely receive promotions. We should discuss which official positions will allow us to best support one another moving forward…"
Normally, promotions were decided by the local authorities, with little input from the officers themselves.
However, nothing was absolute—as long as one had the right connections and maneuvered skillfully, it was possible to transfer into more favorable positions.
One could turn a miserable post into a comfortable one.
"You're absolutely right, Eldest Brother. We should come up with a proper plan." Fu Zhizhou nodded firmly.
"I contributed to the destruction of Martial Luck Pavilion's headquarters, so I will likely be assigned as a captain at a county magistrate's office…"
"I'll try my best to transfer somewhere close to you all."
After Fu Zhizhou finished, the others shared their plans as well.
Then, everyone turned their eyes toward Wei Tu, waiting for him to speak.
"Eldest Brother, my path is different."
Wei Tu shook his head and explained, "My martial prowess has improved significantly. I plan to participate in this year's provincial martial examination, earn a title, and secure a higher official rank from there."