As expected.
Wei Tu's worry was spot on.
After three days, none of the more than twenty female eagles brought by Nan Zi became pregnant.
"Three days was too rushed. It's probably because of the difference in cultivation. Within a month, it should succeed." Nan Zi's forehead was beaded with sweat, and she took a deep breath, explaining to Wei Tu.
To keep the Wind-Cleaving Eagle cooperative, she had used her flute to control it with beast-taming techniques nonstop for the past three days, spending a lot of her energy.
This exhaustion was worse than fighting a cultivator of the same realm.
She hadn't expected the breeding to fail this time.
But Nan Zi wasn't discouraged. The spirit beasts in the Beastmaster Sect were strange and varied—problems like this weren't rare. At worst, she'd just have to spend more time on it.
"Difference in cultivation?" Wei Tu's eyes flickered slightly.
He suspected that the Wind-Cleaving Eagle had consumed too much Immortal Spirit Dew, causing a mutation in its bloodline, making it hard to mate with regular females of its kind. Just like how a cultivator's spiritual roots rarely advanced, beast bloodlines also didn't evolve easily.
A mutated beast might even face reproductive isolation from its species.
Thinking of this, Wei Tu decided to shift the blame, pinning the failure to breed on Nan Zi, to avoid revealing the Immortal Spirit Dew or the Myriad Spirits Demon Infant.
He said, "Miss Nan, you're still young. A mistake now and then is normal."
At first, this sounded like a kind reassurance.
But on closer thought, there was a different meaning—this was Wei Tu subtly expressing doubt in Nan Zi's abilities as a disciple of the Beastmaster Sect.
As soon as he finished, Nan Zi's brows shot up. She stared at Wei Tu for a moment, then snorted, "I'm a disciple of Elder Hongzhi from the Beastmaster Sect. She's the most skilled in breeding techniques… I'm her most favored pupil. How could I possibly fail to breed a Wind-Cleaving Eagle…"
But as she spoke, even Nan Zi started to lose some confidence in her skills.
After all, her youth was a real weakness.
No matter how talented she was in beast-taming, she lacked real experience, especially in something as tricky as breeding.
Hearing this, Wei Tu had a clearer sense of her character and kept it in mind. He frowned slightly and said, "I'm not doubting your abilities, Miss Nan. It's just… the Wind-Cleaving Eagle is my battle beast. If it gets seriously weakened from this, it wouldn't be good."
"You did say before, that under normal conditions, it should succeed in three days."
"For safety's sake, I ask that you inform your sect to send someone more experienced."
"In a month, we'll see the results," Nan Zi, irritated by Wei Tu's words, snapped back.
"If it still fails, I'll give your spirit beast a Nourishing Ganoderma Pill. That will fully restore its energy."
Nan Zi spoke firmly.
The Nourishing Ganoderma Pill was a secret medicine of the Beastmaster Sect. It could not only restore a beast's strength but also help refine its bloodline.
Back at Cicada Cry Cliff, Wei Tu had gotten familiar with Zuo Kui and had already heard about the fame of this pill.
"It's a deal."
Wei Tu smiled. "If you can finish this earlier, I'll gift you a top-grade second-rank talisman."
Earlier, as the owner of the Wind-Cleaving Eagle, his doubts about her skills were justified, so this wouldn't cause any real grudge between them.
Now, by offering extra reward—a top-grade second-rank talisman—he showed he was willing to befriend Nan Zi, this prodigy of the Beastmaster Sect.
More allies meant more paths forward.
Hearing this, Nan Zi's tense expression eased a bit. She nodded confidently, "Within a month, I'll make sure the Wind-Cleaving Eagle mates successfully. I won't let the Beastmaster Sect waste your time again, Master Wei…"
…
Triggered by Wei Tu's words, Nan Zi didn't rush to continue forcing the Wind-Cleaving Eagle to breed with more beast-taming techniques.
Three sleepless days had already drained her, and the techniques she'd need to use over the next month would cost her even more.
"I'll come back to Cloudsmoke Residence in five days." Nan Zi left after making this arrangement with Wei Tu.
After she was gone.
The exhausted Wind-Cleaving Eagle finally came to its senses. It looked around at the mess, stunned for a long while.
Three days of effort… felt like a dream.
As it recalled the sensations of those three days, it also started to feel a strange longing for that flute melody.
Suddenly.
At that moment.
There was a knock at Cloudsmoke Residence.
The Wind-Cleaving Eagle perked up, flapping its wings and flying to the entrance, peeking outside.
But when it looked, disappointment filled its sharp eyes. The person outside wasn't the black-robed girl who played the flute.
Wei Tu didn't know what the Wind-Cleaving Eagle was thinking.
Through the formation, he saw it was Mu Die at the door, and he froze for a moment.
At that moment, Wei Tu recalled that when Master Che had gone into seclusion, he had entrusted this junior sister, Mu Die, to him, the newly accepted senior disciple, to look after.
But due to various reasons, Wei Tu hadn't spent much time in Red River Mountain Market and had only returned a few days ago.
"Senior Brother Wei." Mu Die entered, her expression slightly uneasy as she gave a formal salute.
Wei Tu nodded slightly in return.
"What brings you here, Junior Sister Mu?" Wei Tu asked casually after she sat down.
"I've recently encountered some difficulties in talisman crafting. Hearing that Senior Brother Wei had returned, I came to seek your guidance." Mu Die bit her lip, then turned her palm, presenting a jade slip to Wei Tu.
Seeing this, Wei Tu was a bit surprised.
He wasn't sure what she was up to.
With a wave of his sleeve, he took the jade slip and examined its contents carefully with his divine sense.
After a while, Wei Tu set the jade slip down, and his gaze toward Mu Die now showed some appreciation.
The contents of the jade slip weren't anything else—they were all questions and confusions Mu Die had encountered in her cultivation and talisman crafting.
Over the years, Wei Tu had been asked for advice by younger cultivators before, but none had been as earnest and thoughtful as Mu Die, who clearly tried not to trouble others more than necessary when seeking help.
"If she always behaves like this, taking some time to guide her won't be a waste," Wei Tu thought.
Next, Wei Tu patiently, in his role as senior brother, started addressing Mu Die's questions from the jade slip.
Wei Tu cultivated both body and energy.
With his Late Bloomer destiny as well, his understanding of cultivation surpassed many of his peers, reaching the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.
Guiding someone like Mu Die, still in the Qi Refinement stage, was more than within his ability.
By the time he finished, two days had passed.
Mu Die transcribed all the insights into another jade slip, then stood up and thanked Wei Tu.
"There's something… I don't know if I should say it or not," Mu Die looked at Wei Tu with hesitant eyes.
"What is it?" Wei Tu asked, puzzled.
Mu Die bit her lip, her eyes shimmering slightly. "Senior Brother Wei, when you… left some time ago, I went to Senior Brother Hua for guidance. But… he seems to harbor ill intentions, wanting to pursue me..."
"I had no choice but to shut myself in my cave dwelling, pretending to be in seclusion."
"Now that I've come to you for help, if Senior Brother Hua finds out, there might be trouble."
Mu Die's eyes welled up.
Seeing this, Wei Tu thought that Hua Xianlong might not just be pursuing her, but had probably tried something more, maybe even using threats.
"You can go to Senior Brother Gao or… Senior Brother Chen. Neither of them has ties to Hua, and their cultivation is higher than his." Wei Tu shook his head, declining.
He wasn't the type to get angry for a beauty.
Besides, his relationship with Mu Die wasn't deep. Aside from being fellow disciples, they'd only met twice.
And the Senior Brother Gao and Senior Brother Chen he mentioned—Gao Chen, a Pseudo-Core cultivator and his own introducer to the sect, and Chen Gu, a Foundation Establishment cultivator and Mu Die's introducer—both had the authority and strength to deal with Hua Xianlong.
—On the surface, his current cultivation was still weaker than Hua Xianlong's. By reason and strength, Mu Die shouldn't have come to him for help.
"I wasn't asking you to confront him, Senior Brother… I just wanted to warn you about him," Mu Die quickly explained, seeing that Wei Tu had misunderstood her, though she felt a bit disappointed.
Wei Tu nodded slightly, indicating he understood.
Whether what Mu Die said was true or not, he knew that beautiful women attracting unwanted attention was inevitable, especially someone like Mu Die, with high potential but no background to protect her.
"Farewell, Senior Brother." Mu Die gave a polite bow and left Cloudsmoke Residence.
"What a shame."
Watching her graceful figure as she left, Wei Tu shook his head. He didn't think much of Mu Die's future.
In times of turmoil, personal fate was pitifully small. One careless step, and you'd be crushed by the tides of change.
From the moment Mu Die became a disciple of Master Che, her path had already gone "wrong."
Master Che was a Golden Core cultivator, true.
But a rogue cultivator with a Golden Core and a sect cultivator with a Golden Core… there was a world of difference.
And it wasn't just in power, skill, or resources—but in mindset.
From Master Che's arrangements, it was clear. Compared to Mu Die, a promising disciple with superior spiritual roots, he valued more those Foundation Establishment disciples who had joined him with skills already in hand.
No wonder.
It wasn't favoritism.
It was because Mu Die's growth would take too long. Three to five hundred years before she could potentially repay his investment.
Only sects could afford to wait that long.
A rogue cultivator couldn't.
And within that time, she had to survive.
So, anyone could see that investing in Mu Die was thankless and risky.
Wei Tu included.
If Mu Die had the potential to reach Golden Core within a hundred years, he'd treat her very differently. Never mind Hua Xianlong—even Gao Chen, that Pseudo-Core cultivator, he'd dare to challenge.