Wei Tu had no idea what Ji Zhang was scheming. All he could see were the strange things Ji Zhang did after showing up this time.
His arrival point was odd…
His reaction to Fu Linglong was strange…
So, when Wei Tu tried to sow doubt in Fu Linglong's mind, it was a shot in the dark.
But there was no harm in trying.
"Fine! I promise you—if Ji Zhang tries anything funny with me, I'll team up with you!"
Fu Linglong's beautiful face turned frosty, and she nodded.
After Wei Tu's analysis, she was now on guard against Ji Zhang, too.
After all, if Ji Zhang had really meant to help her, he would've made peace with her along the way, not waited until the battlefield to show up at the last second and act like they were reunited.
Trying to rob Wei Tu wasn't a joke!
With Ji Zhang's old bandit ways, he should've plotted with her and Fu Dalu many times before making a move.
So, in Fu Linglong's eyes, if Ji Zhang truly had ulterior motives, then he was a thousand, ten thousand times more hateful than Wei Tu.
After all, she and Wei Tu were strangers. Wei Tu tricking her was normal between enemies—there was no deep personal hatred.
…
Once he settled things with Fu Linglong, Wei Tu turned to negotiating again with Ji Zhang and Fu Dalu, discussing the ransom price for Fu Linglong.
"Ji Zhang, I didn't leave Beastmaster Sect unprepared…"
Wei Tu took the chance to pull out the sub-disk of the Dinggui Compass and revealed the presence of Yu Gongshou's trio to Ji Zhang.
With those three backing him, Wei Tu instantly flipped from being "alone and weak" to having "a firm upper hand."
"Also, Ji Zhang, Tianyi Sect just got forced by the major merchant guilds back in the Xiao Kingdom. If you keep acting like a bandit now… even if the Tianyi Sect head is your father, he'll be under huge pressure."
Wei Tu added coldly.
The moment he finished speaking, Ji Zhang's face turned dark as iron. He realized things weren't going to end peacefully today.
Wei Tu's demand wasn't just the 100,000 spirit stones anymore.
If Yu Gongshou's trio hadn't been here, Ji Zhang could've risked Fu Linglong getting killed and tried to force Wei Tu to release her by fighting.
But now, with Wei Tu backed by three Golden Core helpers, Ji Zhang's rescue plan had no chance of success.
Four against three—the advantage was firmly with Wei Tu!
"What do you want?"
Ji Zhang gritted his teeth, trying to keep his rage in check.
Since he stepped onto the path of cultivation, he'd almost never lost face to someone at the same level. Wei Tu was the first to make him eat dirt.
"What I want is simple: something valuable enough to ransom Miss Fu."
Wei Tu smiled faintly.
Compared to some rare treasure that could advance his cultivation, 100,000 spirit stones were nothing.
Plus, Wei Tu knew that whether he asked for spirit stones or something precious, it would inevitably make Ji Zhang his mortal enemy.
So why not make the enmity even deeper?
"Wei Tu, since you know we're from the Six Desires Sect, then you should've seen this 'Instant Transmission Array' before. Take it as ransom for Linglong."
Ji Zhang gave Wei Tu a long, cold look, then slapped his storage pouch and tossed out a hexagonal array disk.
He did have treasures even more precious than the Instant Transmission Array.
But every single one of those was critical for his current realm or for breaking through to Nascent Soul.
Weighing the pros and cons, giving up the Instant Transmission Array would affect him the least.
After all, once he reached Nascent Soul, having or not having the array wouldn't matter anymore.
"Instant Transmission Array?"
Hearing those words made Wei Tu's heart leap with joy.
Back on Little Cold Mountain, if he'd had this Instant Transmission Array, he wouldn't have needed to be so terrified of an attack from Master Jinxia.
Both the Minor Shift Talisman and the Instant Transmission Array were space-type escape treasures.
But the former only let you dodge Golden Core pursuers, not Nascent Soul cultivators.
The latter was a whole different story.
Its teleport range covered several hundred li, easily escaping the range of a Nascent Soul ancestor's divine sense.
"Refreshing!" Wei Tu flicked his sleeve, catching the hexagonal disk. After inspecting it carefully and confirming there were no tricks, he smiled in satisfaction.
Then, Wei Tu had Ji Zhang and the other two swear a heart demon oath that they'd never be his enemies or seek revenge on him.
Even though he didn't fully trust a Golden Core cultivator's oath, having an extra layer of safety didn't hurt.
At least until Ji Zhang broke through to Nascent Soul, he couldn't make a move against him.
"Though who knows if Ji Zhang can even reach Nascent Soul before me…" Wei Tu sneered inwardly.
He already had all the chances he needed for Nascent Soul. Once he reached the peak of Golden Core and mastered the Zheng Qing Divine Power, he could break through anytime without waiting.
As for Ji Zhang, although he was currently two minor realms ahead, that didn't mean he'd finished all his preparations for Nascent Soul.
"Miss Fu, farewell."
Once Ji Zhang finished swearing the oath, Wei Tu stuck to their deal and let Fu Linglong go.
Once the binding talisman was undone, Fu Linglong's spiritual power immediately returned. She turned and glared at Wei Tu with a venomous look. Spiritual light surged from her body, as if she intended to take revenge on him.
But soon, something seemed to occur to her. She flicked her jade sleeves, stomped her foot, and flew back to Ji Zhang and Fu Dalu's side, distancing herself from Wei Tu.
Seeing this, Wei Tu couldn't help but shake his head.
With Fu Linglong's nature, she must hate him to the core right now. However, with the binding oath in place, as long as he reached Nascent Soul before her, there wouldn't be any future problems.
…
After the transaction was complete, Ji Zhang quickly took Fu Linglong and Fu Dalu and flew away from the battlefield, disappearing without a trace.
Once the three of them had left, Wei Tu took out the sub-disk of the Dinggui Compass again and contacted Yu Gongshou's trio to come meet him.
"Master Wei, I sensed the fluctuation of a battle just now, but I don't see any sign of the bandits…"
Yu Gongshou flew over and glanced at the traces of the battle on the ground, somewhat confused.
According to the usual plan, Wei Tu should have contacted them immediately for support when he found the bandits, not made them wait outside and slow down.
After all, why should the employer fight the battle himself?
"These people were just small fry, too weak. I sent them off," Wei Tu smiled slightly and didn't explain much.
Although Yu Gongshou was still confused, he didn't ask further and pushed the doubt to the back of his mind.
After a brief rest, Wei Tu, with the protection of Yu Gongshou's trio, continued flying toward the direction of Lin Kangdu.
However—
Halfway there, Wei Tu received a talisman from Fu Linglong.
"Just as I thought! Ji Zhang has ulterior motives for the Fu siblings, which is why he's been following them all the way to Chu Kingdom," Wei Tu thought to himself upon reading the message.
In the talisman, Fu Linglong didn't say much. She simply asked Wei Tu if he would fulfill their earlier agreement and join her in uncovering Ji Zhang's intentions.
"I will not hesitate!" Wei Tu immediately responded, sending a reply to the talisman's address.
With the binding oath in place, he wasn't concerned at all about Fu Linglong plotting against him.
Besides, he now had the Instant Transmission Array that Ji Zhang had previously given him.
Even if a Nascent Soul-level power intervened, he could still handle the situation without much worry.
The next day, Fu Linglong responded again.
In her message, she told Wei Tu where she and Ji Zhang would meet.
"Outside Qingyu Gate, in Panyang Mountain."
Wei Tu silently murmured the location to himself.
…
The political landscape of Chu Kingdom was different from the other four inland kingdoms. It was ruled by seven major Nascent Soul families and two great sects, rather than by many sects.
Qingyu Gate was one of those two great sects.
This sect was also one that Ji Zhang's father, Ji Yifeng, had told him about before Ji Zhang left Tianyi Sect—a sect in alliance with Tianyi.
A few days ago, after rescuing Fu Linglong, Ji Zhang had taken the opportunity to confess his deep affection for her and expressed his wish to cultivate together during his breakthrough to Nascent Soul to increase his chances of success.
Fu Linglong didn't refuse him. She readily agreed without hesitation.
So, after everything was prepared, Ji Zhang chose Qingyu Gate as the place to retreat during his breakthrough to Nascent Soul.
"Ji Lang, I will wait outside. Once you break through, I will come to help you through the Qiling tribulation with my Buddhist heart."
Fu Linglong lowered her head slightly, her face flushed pink. She bit her red lips lightly and whispered softly.
"Linglong, once we succeed in becoming Nascent Soul, we'll prepare the Dao companion ceremony and become true Dao partners."
"From then on, we will travel the world together."
Hearing these words, Ji Zhang was overjoyed and began to paint a beautiful future for the two of them as Dao companions.
Fu Linglong smiled and nodded in agreement, showing a hint of expectation.
In that moment, they appeared like a couple deeply in love.
However, Ji Zhang couldn't help but feel slightly dissatisfied. When he tried to get closer to her, Fu Linglong seemed to resist, distancing herself from him as if avoiding a snake or scorpion.
'Maybe Linglong is still getting used to this relationship. But it doesn't matter. As long as she agrees to cultivate with me, that's enough.'
Ji Zhang suppressed his displeasure and thought to himself.
Once he succeeded in reaching Nascent Soul, Fu Linglong would have to flatter him, no matter how proud she was.
It would be up to him whether to accept her or discard her.
After talking for a while, Fu Linglong respectfully left Ji Zhang's retreat and walked out of the cave.
The moment she stepped outside, a look of disgust flashed in her eyes.
"Ji Zhang, you want to use me?"
"I'll make you regret your decision today!"
Fu Linglong cursed inwardly.
If it had been any other female cultivator who had seen through Ji Zhang's plans, she might have cried and silently walked away. But she was different—she was the type to get revenge no matter what.
If she didn't avenge this grudge, she wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
After making up her mind, Fu Linglong flew away from Qingyu Gate, heading toward the meeting spot with Wei Tu—Shengyang Mountain.