"Madam is wise—truly the virtuous wife of our Zhu family." Hearing Madam Zhu's sharp and clear analysis, Zhu Ruishan was overjoyed. He couldn't help but pull her into his arms and kiss her several times.
Madam Zhu's cheeks flushed when she was held, a trace of hidden longing surfacing. Ever since being taken by Jiao Qizhi, she had rarely shared any intimacy with her husband.
A short while later, the two undressed and embraced.
…
At the Zhu family medicine shop.
Now that Wei Tu had grasped Zhu Ruishan's situation, with just a little pressure in his tone, Zhu Ruishan obediently handed over the three jade slips that he had received from Madam Zhu.
Wei Tu took only what he needed and didn't push further to demand the Zhu family's second-rank pharmacist inheritance.
He already had in hand the third-rank alchemist inheritance from Alchemist Shu, which he hadn't even begun to study.
Compared to that, the Zhu family's second-rank pharmacist inheritance held little value.
The two of them then signed a spirit contract.
Zhu Ruishan carefully observed Wei Tu's every move, worried he might pull some trick during the signing.
However, Zhu Ruishan's cultivation was ultimately too low.
He couldn't see through Wei Tu's sleight of hand.
Wei Tu had prepared in advance for this spirit contract. While Zhu Ruishan had stepped away, Wei Tu had concealed a drop of Lü Yuanli's blood essence on his fingertip. When it came time to inscribe his name, he used that blood instead.
Back during the ambush, Wei Tu had used Shadow Thread to sever one of Lü Yuanli's legs. When retreating, he didn't discard the severed limb but kept it sealed in his storage pouch.
In the cultivation world, there were methods to track someone using their blood relatives' blood. Wei Tu had kept the limb as a safeguard against the Golden Core True Lord of the Mosha Sect, Lü Xiuxian.
As it turned out—
Lü Yuanli's blood was now proving useful.
"Farewell." Once the contract was signed, Wei Tu stood up, cupped his hands toward Zhu Ruishan, and prepared to leave.
From the contents of the three jade slips, Wei Tu had mostly confirmed that Madam Zhu was indeed a descendant of the Immortal Master Wu's former wife.
In his will, the Immortal Master Wu had instructed Wei Fei to seek revenge after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage—to kill that adulterous couple and resolve his lingering hatred.
Previously, when Wei Tu had spoken with Wei Fei at the Mei family on Mist Cliff, and learned of this matter, he had felt no particular obligation to avenge the Immortal Master Wu. Their friendship hadn't reached that level.
But now that the matter had landed in his lap—
Wei Tu certainly wasn't going to "help the wicked" by actually fulfilling the agreement with Zhu Ruishan to "drive away" Jiao Qizhi.
Taking money and doing the job—that was one thing.
But the jade slips in Madam Zhu's possession were originally heirlooms of the Immortal Master Wu, passed down from the Hongri Sect.
They were things Wei Fei should have inherited.
Wei Tu had already shown mercy by not killing Madam Zhu to avenge the old grudge—this alone was the Zhu family's good fortune.
Moreover, Zhu Ruishan had misled him. His true goal wasn't to drive away Jiao Qizhi but something else entirely. Wei Tu wasn't about to let himself be played like a pawn by the Zhu family.
"Zhu will see Senior Gu out." Zhu Ruishan smiled as he escorted Wei Tu out of the medicine shop.
Once Wei Tu had left—
Zhu Ruishan's expression immediately turned cold. He waved to summon the shopkeeper.
"Has someone already been sent to inform Jiao Qizhi?"
The shopkeeper was his cousin.
Also one of his most trusted confidants.
"Third Brother, already done." The shopkeeper nodded with a grin. "When Jiao Qizhi heard that Gu Jin dared to talk big and planned to bypass him and seize the Zhu family's assets, he flew into a rage. He's now looking for this Gu Jin to teach him a lesson and drive him out of Fragmented Star City."
"This is all thanks to Gu Jin making such bold claims in the main hall of the shop—saying he wasn't afraid of the Xuancha Sect."
"Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to provoke Jiao Qizhi."
The shopkeeper said slowly.
However—
What Zhu Ruishan and the shopkeeper had expected never came to pass.
By the time Jiao Qizhi, elder of the Xuancha Sect, came looking for Wei Tu, the latter had already left Fragmented Star City and was well on his way back to Cicada Cry Cliff.
Still—
Wei Tu's brief appearance had given the Zhu family a much-needed window to breathe.
Shortly after Wei Tu's departure, Madam Zhu quietly slipped out of Fragmented Star City, disguised as a slave cultivator, taking her two daughters with her.
It's worth noting—
Because Wei Tu and Madam Zhu followed roughly the same route, Madam Zhu didn't run into any real danger along the way.
Even the threats she might have faced were all cleared out beforehand by Wei Tu—viewed as mere stepping stones for him to rack up battle merits.
Halfway through the journey, Wei Tu became aware of this coincidence. But seeing that Madam Zhu was just a helpless woman with two young girls, he didn't pursue the matter or go out of his way to eliminate them.
After all, he had no deep-seated grudge against her family.
If not for the Immortal Master Wu's old grudge, Wei Tu's deception of the Zhu family this time would have seemed rather unscrupulous. But in the world of cultivation, schemes and deceit were par for the course.
Had he truly kept his word, he would've fallen into Zhu Ruishan's trap and found it hard to leave Fragmented Star City.
As for the treasures Madam Zhu carried—
Wei Tu didn't care.
He wasn't a robber cultivator who killed for treasure.
Besides, with how wealthy he was now, he hardly lacked for whatever little valuables Madam Zhu had on her.
Wei Tu paid her no mind.
But Madam Zhu had taken a liking to this "clearing the path" Foundation Establishment senior.
When she first left Fragmented Star City, she didn't know Wei Tu's whereabouts. It was only later on the road that she heard word of a righteous cultivator slaying demonic cultivators ahead of them. Realizing the direction matched Wei Tu's, she immediately followed.
To keep pace with Wei Tu—
Madam Zhu didn't hesitate. She burned through several second-rank Swiftstride Talismans, treasures from her clan's reserves.
What she hadn't expected was that not only would she catch up with this righteous cultivator, but she would even meet him face to face.
When they met, Madam Zhu was initially worried. She feared Wei Tu might see her as a target, assume she was aligned with demonic cultivators, and try to kill her for loot.
But upon seeing how indifferent Wei Tu was to her presence—
That fear quickly turned into pleasant surprise. After all, such upright and noble cultivators were rare even in the righteous sects.
In that moment—
Madam Zhu suddenly wanted to befriend Wei Tu.
…
"Senior, please wait!" Madam Zhu activated another Swiftstride Talisman, chasing after Wei Tu from a distance and shouting out to him.
After calling out several times—
Wei Tu's light stopped in midair. He turned around, his expression slightly puzzled, and glanced at Madam Zhu.
"What does Madam need?" Wei Tu acted as though he didn't recognize her. After offering a courteous nod, he asked calmly.
At that moment, Wei Tu had already mostly guessed her intentions.
He thought to himself, "If she finds out I'm the one who posed as Gu Jin, would she feel like she's just escaped a tiger's den only to fall into a wolf's lair?"
"Senior, this humble woman is a clan cultivator from Jing Kingdom. After Jing Kingdom's fall, my children and I were captured and made into slaves by demonic cultivators. A few days ago, it was you, Senior, who slew the demon named 'Li Dao' who enslaved me…"
"Only then was I able to escape."
"I followed Senior this far to thank you—to repay your life-saving grace."
Madam Zhu's face was full of gratitude. She gave a graceful salute, then took out two jade slips and held them out as a gift.
But as she handed over the jade slips—
Madam Zhu played a little trick. She bent slightly, revealing a glimpse of her soft, fair chest.
She was already a stunning beauty, and after marriage, had acquired a mature, sultry charm. If not for this, Jiao Qizhi wouldn't have kept her to himself for so long.
Wei Tu glanced once at her exposed chest but quickly withdrew his gaze, focusing his divine sense on the two jade slips.
"These are identical to two of the three slips from before… only missing the body refinement secret technique." Wei Tu felt a pang of disappointment.
Still, he kept his expression neutral. He furrowed his brow slightly, accepted the gift, gave a small nod, and without saying more, summoned his escape light and continued on his way.
"He just left?"
Madam Zhu froze for a moment. She hadn't expected Wei Tu to be so cold and indifferent. Her so-called "thanks" had merely been an excuse—the real purpose had been to find a reason to stay close and build a connection.
"Could it be this senior has been in seclusion too long and doesn't understand worldly ways?" Madam Zhu tried to explain it to herself, gradually coming to an understanding.
Some cultivators might have high realms and long lifespans, but when it came to social interaction, they were less adept than mortals.
It wasn't that they were stupid. It was just that most of their years were spent immersed in cultivation.
And those with great talent didn't need to deal with the kinds of petty dealings common among lower-tier cultivators or mortals.
This also explained why Wei Tu, despite her revealing gesture, didn't show any greed.
"This is an opportunity. I must seize it." Madam Zhu made up her mind and resumed her pursuit of Wei Tu.
"Senior, please wait!" she called again.
"Madam calls for Zhou—what is the matter?" Wei Tu casually made up another identity for himself.
"Senior, I and my children wish to go to the Zheng Kingdom's cultivation territory. But the three of us… we're just a mother and two children. Please allow us to travel with you. I will surely repay your kindness in the future."
This time, Madam Zhu didn't beat around the bush. She directly stated her need, her tone straightforward and sincere.
"What kind of reward are you offering?" Wei Tu paused, gave Madam Zhu a serious look, and asked in a raspy voice.
"This is a spirit item that assists cultivators in forming their Golden Core—Heavenly Spirit Water." Madam Zhu didn't waste words. She slapped her storage pouch and took out a pill bottle with a flip of her palm.
She gave the bottle a gentle shake, and instantly, a crisp sound like jade beads falling into a tray echoed from within.
At the same time, a mist of spiritual energy gathered above the bottle, lingering for several breaths before gradually dispersing.
These signs—
Confirmed that the bottle indeed contained the Golden Core–aiding spirit item, Heavenly Spirit Water!
"Didn't expect that Zhu Ruishan actually gave the Heavenly Spirit Water to Madam Zhu." Wei Tu raised his brows slightly.
With one glance, he recognized it was the very same bottle of Heavenly Spirit Water Zhu Ruishan had shown him earlier.
The bottle hadn't even been changed.
It wasn't that Wei Tu hadn't anticipated this possibility. It was just that, since the Heavenly Spirit Water had been promised as compensation to "Gu Jin," if it suddenly went missing, it would make no sense—"Gu Jin" wouldn't have let Zhu Ruishan or the Zhu family off easily.
But after thinking a bit—
Wei Tu found it understandable.
Once Zhu Ruishan's scheme was exposed, he'd face the wrath of the Xuanchan Sect and Jiao Qizhi. Very likely, everyone in the family except Madam Zhu and the two children who fled would be killed.
By then, there'd be no point worrying about "Gu Jin's" opinion.
So rather than let the Heavenly Spirit Water fall into enemy hands, he might as well entrust it to Madam Zhu to take away.
"Zhu Ruishan's resolved to face death, but make sure Madam Zhu and the children escape the demon's pit." Wei Tu was moved by Zhu Ruishan's resolve.
To do this much for his family—
Zhu Ruishan could be considered a man of responsibility.
Then again, from another angle, he was also supremely selfish. In the end, he only saved his wife and children, while the rest of the clan would be left to suffer the consequences.
"If there's Heavenly Spirit Water, then this Zhou might be willing to escort you and your children to Zheng Kingdom," Wei Tu said, his expression showing slight interest.
"Many thanks, Senior Zhou."
Hearing Wei Tu's agreement, Madam Zhu let out a breath of relief. She used her spiritual power to float the bottle toward Wei Tu.
At this point, she had already exposed the fact that she possessed Heavenly Spirit Water, which made her a target.
Given her cultivation, there was no way she could resist a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Wei Tu.
So, after weighing the risks, Madam Zhu made her decision—she offered the Heavenly Spirit Water up front to curry Wei Tu's favor.
After Wei Tu accepted the bottle—
Madam Zhu's face turned rosy. She lowered her head shyly and said, "My husband passed away long ago. I've been alone ever since. Today, seeing Senior Zhou's noble character, I am willing to offer myself in gratitude for your life-saving grace."
"I also wish to find a man who can be a pillar for my two children."
Wei Tu was taken aback.
He had just finished admiring Zhu Ruishan's courage… and here Madam Zhu was claiming her husband had died long ago?
Even for someone as experienced as him, the scene was downright absurd.
Still, thinking of the earlier conversation he had eavesdropped on between the Zhu couple, Wei Tu wasn't too surprised by her calculating behavior.
"Charm technique!" Just as Wei Tu was about to refuse directly, Madam Zhu suddenly cast him a flirtatious look, secretly activating a seduction technique she had learned from Jiao Qizhi.
After being around a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator for so long, Madam Zhu had long lost any fear of those in the same realm.
Besides, judging from Wei Tu's earlier behavior, even if he noticed her tricks, he wouldn't punish her harshly.
A gentleman could be taken advantage of by appearing righteous.
"It's all for the children," Madam Zhu told herself.
She knew that with her current strength and foundation, once she reached Zheng Kingdom, she would be just another rogue cultivator, with no hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment.
As for her two children, if they didn't have the support of someone at Foundation Establishment, their chances of advancing were slim to none.
So from any angle—
She had to cling to Wei Tu.
However—
Things didn't go as Madam Zhu expected.
Wei Tu wasn't as "gentlemanly" as she assumed.
The moment he sensed the charm technique, the warmth in his expression completely vanished. It was replaced with a chilling coldness.
"What do I do?" Madam Zhu panicked at the icy expression on Wei Tu's face. Her mind went blank with fear. She tried to withdraw the charm, but found to her horror—
Wei Tu's spiritual sense was far superior to Jiao Qizhi's.
She couldn't move at all.
The chill in her heart spread downward… until it soaked the soft white hem of her dress.