"While negotiating, the key is to figure out why Ji Zhang is following the Fu siblings and what his goal is."
Wei Tu's eyes were cold. He quickly came up with a rough plan of action in his mind.
A short while later, Ji Zhang flew over and landed next to Fu Dalu. Together they stood opposite Wei Tu, facing him from afar.
Like Fu Dalu, Ji Zhang had no good way to rescue Fu Linglong, who was still being held by Wei Tu. After a brief pause, he started negotiating.
"Wei Tu, you know very well that Linglong's identity isn't simple. If you kill her, Jinglian Convent will definitely come after you. Just like me—even if I'm a bandit, when core interests are involved, Tianyi Sect will protect me…"
Ji Zhang kept his words brief and to the point.
After his threat, Ji Zhang took a deep breath and pulled out a storage pouch.
"This storage pouch has 100,000 spirit stones inside. If Brother Wei agrees, they'll be the ransom for Linglong. I also promise that I will never be your enemy for the rest of my life."
"The same goes for the Fu siblings!"
Ji Zhang's voice was deep.
His meaning was clear.
If Wei Tu accepted the deal, he'd get the 100,000 spirit stones and gain Ji Zhang as an ally instead of an enemy.
Better to resolve a grudge than keep it alive.
But if he refused, he'd make himself the enemy of all three of them. And there'd only be one outcome—death.
"Wei Alchemist, I swear, if you let my sister go, we two will never cause you trouble again."
Fu Dalu raised his hand, swearing an oath.
"I… promise too, I won't trouble Alchemist Wei…" Fu Linglong, still in Wei Tu's arms, forced herself to speak despite the pain coursing through her body, her breathing shallow.
But when Wei Tu heard these words, his face didn't show a hint of emotion. He swept a cold gaze across the three and let out a mocking laugh.
Oaths sworn to the heart demon might restrain cultivators a bit, but they weren't unbreakable.
The worst outcome for breaking one was a stronger Nascent Soul tribulation, making it harder to survive.
However, if someone reached Nascent Soul after swearing an oath in the Golden Core stage, violating it later would bring almost no consequence—or at most something so subtle it wouldn't matter.
And Ji Zhang was at the peak of Golden Core, just one step from Nascent Soul.
"Your words make sense, Ji Zhang. If I killed Miss Fu, I'd definitely be hunted by Jinglian Convent's Abbess Jinglian. But what if I don't kill her?"
"See, I've been alone for a long time. I could use a concubine to warm my bed. Miss Fu is the number one beauty in Liaozhou. She came all this way just to chase after me—her feelings truly touch my heart…" Wei Tu said glibly, spouting nonsense.
As he spoke, Wei Tu grabbed Fu Linglong's left hand and tore off the black veil covering her face, revealing her stunning beauty in full.
At the same time, his large hand squeezed her delicate face, fingers sliding slowly from her forehead, brushing over her fair cheeks and rosy lips, then moving lower.
His hand was clearly heading for the curves of her chest.
"Stop!" Fu Linglong's eyes widened in horror, her face going pale with fright.
She couldn't bear being humiliated like this in front of the man she loved.
"Wei Tu, stop right now!"
At that moment, Ji Zhang finally lost his composure. His face turned dark, and a ball of dazzling pale-purple lightning fire flared in his palm as he lunged toward Wei Tu.
"Boss, are you crazy?" Fu Dalu was shocked to see Ji Zhang suddenly explode with rage and attack.
If fighting broke out and Wei Tu killed their hostage—his sister Fu Linglong—what would they do?
Until there was no other choice, Fu Dalu didn't want a life-or-death clash with Wei Tu.
As for his sister's purity…
A bit of groping from Wei Tu wouldn't actually harm her.
Their family's safety was what truly mattered!
"Purple Capital Thunderfire?" Seeing the attack, Wei Tu's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
He hadn't expected that just a little fondling of Fu Linglong would drive Ji Zhang into such a furious rage, making him unleash the "Purple Capital Thunderfire"—a signature technique of Tianyi Sect's direct lineage—straight at him.
But Ji Zhang's reaction happened to confirm some of Wei Tu's earlier suspicions.
Facing Ji Zhang's charge, Wei Tu had no intention of fighting head-on. He flicked his sleeve, throwing out more than a dozen talismans, then quickly retreated several hundred steps.
Even though he held Fu Linglong hostage and had the upper hand, the fight still affected him a bit.
It weakened his combat power.
"Fu Dalu, stop Ji Zhang!" As he retreated, Wei Tu sealed Fu Linglong's mouth and shouted this command to Fu Dalu.
Wei Tu knew exactly how much Fu Dalu doted on his sister. Fu Linglong was basically his only weakness.
Hearing this, Fu Dalu's face flickered. He hesitated only briefly before gritting his teeth, raising his gray bell magic treasure again, and charging at Ji Zhang, who was momentarily trapped by dozens of talismans.
The two immediately started fighting.
"Idiot!"
"Even if Wei Tu had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare kill Linglong. Now, with you and me fighting each other, Wei Tu just sits back and reaps the benefits."
Ji Zhang cursed angrily.
"But what if…"
"What if Wei Tu really kills Linglong…" Fu Dalu mumbled weakly.
In front of Ji Zhang, his boss, he didn't have the guts to insist.
"How interesting!" Far away, avoiding the battlefield, Wei Tu watched the two clash, and a small smile curled his lips.
With his combat experience, it was obvious the so-called fierce fight between Ji Zhang and Fu Dalu was nothing but an act for his benefit.
But after Ji Zhang's earlier reaction, Wei Tu had already figured out how to deal with all three of them.
"Miss Fu, are you and Ji Zhang lovers?"
Wei Tu unsealed Fu Linglong's mouth and looked at the beauty in his arms with a faint smile.
"Hmph! Shameless scoundrel." Fu Linglong didn't answer. She shot him a cold glare, then turned her head away.
"Miss Fu, you don't have to say it. I can guess. But from what I see, it looks like you're the one in love, while Ji Zhang doesn't really care."
"Just now, when I barely touched you, Ji Zhang couldn't hold back, attacking recklessly without caring about your safety."
"If Ji Zhang truly cared, would he risk your life over a little flirting?"
Wei Tu spoke in a soft, coaxing tone.
Of course, he wasn't exactly lying—he was simply stating the truth he'd just analyzed.
Hearing this, Fu Linglong's face changed slightly. She bit her red lips, clearly torn inside.
She couldn't figure it out anymore—did Ji Zhang actually like her or not?
If he didn't like her at all, he wouldn't have followed so closely behind her, ready to protect her the moment she was in danger.
But if he truly liked her…
His reckless attack just now could have easily put her life at risk.
"Miss Fu, with Jinglian Convent backing you, it's unlikely I'd dare kill you and invite trouble. At worst, I'd demand some ransom and let you go."
"But today's situation is a perfect chance to test whether Ji Zhang really loves you."
"Blessings and misfortunes come hand in hand."
Seeing Fu Linglong waver, Wei Tu's eyes grew gentler, and he pressed his advantage.
In truth, what he said was all true.
With Ji Zhang here, killing the Fu siblings was pointless. He had no guarantee he could also kill Ji Zhang to keep things quiet.
And if word got out, killing Fu Linglong would bring far greater trouble than just robbing them.
That would be a huge loss for him!
"What do you mean?" Fu Linglong turned her head back, frowning as her bright eyes met Wei Tu's.
"Unlike you, Miss Fu, I'm a rogue cultivator. I have to be much more careful in everything I do."
"If I'm right and Ji Zhang doesn't truly love you but has some other plan, then his coming here to the Chu Kingdom at such risk means he's after something else entirely."
"I don't know what that is, but if Ji Zhang rescues you, his true ambition will show."
"And that ambition might be useful to me. At that point, the three of us could even join forces!"
Wei Tu spoke calmly and confidently.