"Well then, since Alchemist Wei says so, the three of us won't stand on ceremony," said Yu Gongshou with a big grin as he accepted the pill refining contracts Wei Tu handed over.
These three pill refining contracts weren't ordinary scraps of paper. They were the extra reward Wei Tu had promised them earlier. From now on, with these contracts, the three of them could come to Wei Tu anytime to have a pill refined for free.
The value of these contracts, if auctioned off, would easily fetch over 10,000 spirit stones. After all, this was a favor from a mid-grade third-tier alchemy master.
But for Wei Tu…
He was actually quite willing to sell or give away a certain number of these pill refining contracts. On the surface, they looked like a burden, but in another sense, they were a great way to build connections.
"We don't have any pressing matters back in our clan. If Alchemist Wei doesn't mind, we'd like to accompany you on the cloud boat and see you off on this final stretch," Yu Gongshou said, after exchanging glances with the other two.
According to the spirit contract they'd signed with Wei Tu's clan, their task would be complete once they escorted him safely onto the boarding cloud boat. There was no need to go any further.
But now, they had a different idea in mind—they thought it was very worthwhile to strengthen their relationship with Wei Tu.
First, because Wei Tu was generous and straightforward, without the usual arrogance of other alchemists. Second, because Wei Tu's cultivation was strong and he clearly had the potential to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
By escorting him just a bit further, even if it wasn't exactly helping him in a desperate time, it was still a heartfelt gesture beyond mere courtesy. This was a perfect opportunity for Wei Tu to remember their goodwill.
Miss this chance, and there wouldn't be another.
And spending a bit more time and paying for some extra boat tickets was a small price to pay.
'Earn a Golden Core future for our descendants!' the three thought to themselves.
Wei Tu was still young, far from his peak. In another 200 years or so, when they were on their deathbeds, he would just be reaching his peak. By then, even if he couldn't change the rise or fall of the Yu family, his cultivation and alchemy skills would still directly affect the path of their descendants.
For example, the Mortal Shedding Pill was one of the ten types of pills the Yu family planned to ask Wei Tu to refine in a century's time. Only a top-tier third-rank alchemist could confidently make it. By then, as the alchemist, Wei Tu would also have a say in who in the Yu family got to take the pill.
"I wouldn't mind at all," Wei Tu said with a slight smile and a nod.
Having Yu Gongshou and the other two escort him would not only give him extra security, but also lend him a bit of prestige when he returned to the Ying Ding Tribe.
After all, wearing fine clothes in the dark was never as satisfying as returning home in glory.
…
Five days later.
Wei Tu and the three bought their tickets and boarded the cloud ferry to Kang Kingdom the next day.
The journey passed uneventfully.
All four arrived in Kang Kingdom safe and sound.
But this time, the cloud ferry didn't stop in the Moon Condensation Palace region. Instead, it docked in the territory of Earth Sword Mountain, one of the "One Palace, Two Mountains."
Wei Tu hadn't had much interaction with Earth Sword Mountain.
On the contrary, he had quite a few friends and connections in Ancient Sword Mountain, Earth Sword Mountain's long-time rival.
A century ago, when the Loose Cultivator Alliance crossed south from Zheng Kingdom to Kang Kingdom, it was Ancient Sword Mountain that took them in and gave them Golden Dragon Valley, a third-tier spiritual land, to stay in temporarily.
"Ancient Sword Mountain and Earth Sword Mountain share the same origin. Ten thousand years ago, the ancestor of Ancient Sword Mountain split from Earth Sword Mountain after a falling-out with the sect leader's line, taking his disciples to establish the Ancient Sword Mountain lineage…" Wei Tu explained.
As the host, he felt it proper to give Yu Gongshou and the others a basic overview of Kang Kingdom's political situation, so they wouldn't accidentally cause trouble later.
After this brief explanation, Wei Tu stopped talking and focused on rushing toward Moon Condensation Palace at full speed.
This trip to a foreign land had taken him a full 18 years, much longer than he'd originally planned. Even though he'd prepared for a long stay in Xiao Kingdom before leaving—like setting aside a Mortal Shedding Pill for Wei Yan's breakthrough and telling Kou Hongying to look after Wei Yan more closely—there was always that chance something could go wrong. The temptation of a Mortal Shedding Pill was no small thing. If Wei Yan started her breakthrough without him there to help and protect her, how could Wei Tu possibly feel at ease?
"Let's hope Yan'er has only finished preparations and hasn't actually started breaking through yet," Wei Tu prayed silently.
After several days of flight, just as Wei Tu was about to pass through Earth Sword Mountain's territory and enter Ancient Sword Mountain's sphere of influence, he suddenly sensed intense waves of mana up ahead, only a few dozen miles away. At least five Golden Core cultivators seemed to be fighting fiercely, shaking the heavens and earth.
"Could it be a clash between Ancient Sword Mountain and Earth Sword Mountain?" Wei Tu raised an eyebrow slightly.
These two sects were bitter enemies. Both were sword cultivator lineages known for their ferocity, clashing every 10 years with a minor battle and every 100 years with a major one. So stumbling on their Golden Core cultivators fighting was perfectly normal.
But soon, Wei Tu picked up on a couple of familiar auras among the Golden Core cultivators.
"Master? Junior Sister Su?" Wei Tu's eyes went wide. He suddenly remembered that the spiritual land Golden Dragon Valley, which Ancient Sword Mountain had given the Loose Cultivator Alliance a century ago, was right here—smack in the middle of the two sects' disputed zone.
Back then, Ancient Sword Mountain's "gift" of Golden Dragon Valley to the Loose Cultivator Alliance wasn't purely out of generosity or a sense of justice. They'd hoped to use the alliance's rogue Golden Core cultivators to counter Earth Sword Mountain's pressure.
With a quick thought, Wei Tu realized Ancient Sword Mountain's century-long plan had finally paid off. Today's battle had forced the Loose Cultivator Alliance's Golden Core cultivators into becoming Ancient Sword Mountain's pawns against Earth Sword Mountain.
Seeing his own sect involved, there was no way Wei Tu would just sit back. He told Yu Gongshou and the others what he'd sensed, then flew straight for the battlefield dozens of miles away.
Hearing this, Yu Gongshou and the other two didn't hesitate at all. They exchanged looks, then followed Wei Tu's light, determined not to fall behind.
Yu Gongshou, a peak Golden Core cultivator himself, even outpaced Wei Tu and was first to reach the scene.
At the battlefield, spells lit up the air. All kinds of magic tools and weapons clashed, locked in a chaotic brawl with no clear winner. The fighting was fierce beyond belief.
Wei Tu focused his eyes and saw three Golden Core cultivators from the Loose Cultivator Alliance and a young man in white robes fighting together against what looked like a sword cultivator couple.
The couple wore yellow Daoist robes with the Earth Sword Mountain emblem embroidered on the cuffs—they were clearly Golden Core cultivators from Earth Sword Mountain.
As for the three Loose Cultivator Golden Cores, they were all old acquaintances of Wei Tu: Che Gongwei, Su Bing'er, and Yan Qing, the third-tier artifact craftsman who once helped Wei Tu make the Fixing Light Orb.
"Wei Hua?" Wei Tu's gaze sharpened as he recognized the young man in white. This was the old enemy of Ancient Sword Mountain elder Situ You—the same man who'd once come looking for him to refine pills.
Now, seeing Wei Hua fighting alongside Che Gongwei, Yan Qing, and Su Bing'er against the sword cultivator couple, Wei Tu couldn't help but think deeper. Decades ago, he'd refined Golden Marrow Pills for Situ You, boosting his strength and no doubt earning the lasting hatred of Wei Hua, Situ You's sworn enemy.
Seeing Wei Hua here now, Wei Tu decided not to act immediately. He wanted to watch a bit longer first.
After all, if there was a traitor among them, he could only save Che Gongwei's group once—he couldn't guard them forever. Besides, with his cultivation, he was confident he could step in at the last moment to keep Che Gongwei and Su Bing'er safe from mortal danger.
"Let's wait and see," Wei Tu told Yu Gongshou and the others, signaling them to stay put for now.