"If possible, Second Brother hopes you can forgive Fourth Brother and take him back in. After all… on this vast immortal path, only you and him are left of the four of us."
Seeing that Wei Tu didn't show any resistance upon hearing about Fu Zhizhou, Wei Fei hesitated briefly before speaking up to persuade him.
"Take him back?"
Wei Tu was momentarily stunned.
He remembered, back when they were still martial officials, Wei Fei had been unhappy with how close he and Fu Zhizhou were. After they formed the Righteous Society, Wei Fei had remained the most distant from Fu Zhizhou.
Now, with death approaching, he was trying to persuade Wei Tu to reconcile with Fu Zhizhou. It all felt a bit ridiculous—life sure was absurd.
"If there's a chance, I will."
Wei Tu nodded and agreed.
Their paths and status were already vastly different. Even if Fu Zhizhou had reached the Golden Core realm, his life trajectory would likely remain separate from Wei Tu, a Nascent Soul patriarch. They were just two parallel lines with no real overlap.
So really, there was no such thing as forgiveness or reconciliation. The truth was, they probably wouldn't meet again for the rest of their lives.
Besides, with Wei Fei on his deathbed, even if Wei Tu still held a grudge against Fu Zhizhou, this wasn't the time to show it and let Wei Fei pass away with regrets.
"With those words, I can rest easy."
Wei Fei smiled at first, then, as if recalling something, tears slowly welled up in his cloudy eyes.
At the same time, Wei Tu felt Wei Fei's grip on his hand grow a little stronger.
…
After a brief conversation with Wei Fei, Wei Tu gave the rest of the time to Wei Fei's daughter—Wei Xian'er.
Although Wei Fei technically had about half a year of life left, this span was really just him holding on by sheer willpower. The moment he had no lingering regrets, that breath could slip away at any moment.
Which meant, his time could run out not only in half a year, but possibly in the next few days, or even sooner.
"Old Demon Zhu, are you sure there's absolutely no way for my Second Brother to cultivate this Blood Puppet Rebirth Technique?"
After leaving the room and walking into the courtyard, Wei Tu frowned slightly and spoke with a trace of gloom in his voice as he addressed the Longli Pearl in his sleeve—Ancestor Chìlóng.
When he first obtained the Blood Puppet Rebirth Technique, he had hoped there might be a chance Wei Fei could practice it.
But just now, after asking Ancestor Chìlóng, he got a flat-out rejection.
"Friend Wei, you're in the Nascent Soul realm too. How could you not see the cultivation requirements for this Blood Puppet Rebirth Technique? Strictly speaking, only cultivators above the Golden Core realm can practice it."
"Even if we relax the standards a bit, it would still require a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with talent in soul arts."
"Your Second Brother is only at early Foundation Establishment. How could he possibly meet the requirements?"
Ancestor Chìlóng replied carelessly.
"I know that much, but aren't there thousands of demonic secret arts? It can't be that hard to find one that could extend his life."
Hearing this, Wei Tu's face darkened, and his tone turned a few degrees colder.
He and Ancestor Chìlóng were merely in a cooperative relationship. He didn't need to defer to the old demon on everything. If the man wasn't willing to hand over a fitting technique, Wei Tu wouldn't be polite about it.
"Heh, sure, there are ways. But the few I've got would either turn your Second Brother into a demon ghost or a refined corpse… or they'd require you to pay a massive price and delay your cultivation path…"
"And even those techniques would take time to cultivate. But your Second Brother is dying—he won't last more than a few days. Even a clever woman can't cook without rice."
Ancestor Chìlóng answered blandly.
Hearing this, Wei Tu was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to argue.
Turning Wei Fei into a demon ghost might work. But after being refined, whether Wei Fei could retain his consciousness was anyone's guess.
Besides, although demon ghosts lived long, they weren't immortal either. Once transformed into such a being, Wei Fei would never have another chance to advance.
In other words, this method would at best let him linger a little longer in the world.
Of course, it wasn't like demon creatures had no future at all. But there was a big difference between becoming one through self-cultivation versus being forcibly refined by someone else.
Take Bai Zhi, for example. She turned to cultivating ghost path techniques. Though the road is rough, she still has a chance of reaching the Dao.
But with Wei Fei's current condition, switching to ghost cultivation would be nearly impossible.
As for the second option...
Wei Tu figured that even if he started practicing those techniques ahead of time, when it came time to use them for Wei Fei, he might still hesitate.
The cost was just too steep.
No matter how close they were, he wasn't going to keep paying the price for Wei Fei's life decisions.
"Friend Wei, everyone has their fate. Sometimes, you just can't force things. Your Second Brother can't keep up with your pace—he's still at early Foundation Establishment... This is Heaven's way of telling him it's his time to die," Ancestor Chìlóng said in a calm, comforting tone.
Hearing this, Wei Tu frowned slightly. He waved his sleeve and directly cut off the spiritual link with Ancestor Chìlóng.
Even though he understood that the old demon wasn't wrong, the words were still too cold—too heartless, too demonic.
…
Whether to cling to life or not—
Wei Tu left the choice to Wei Fei.
He told him plainly: he could refine him into a demon ghost or a walking corpse, some kind of demonic creature. That would extend his life, but the price—he might no longer be himself after going through the pain of refinement.
But to Wei Tu's surprise, Wei Fei was completely at ease about it.
He showed no fear of death. He chose, without hesitation, to sit and pass peacefully at the end of his road.
"Now that Xian'er and Ping'er are both on the right path of cultivation, if I, their father, feared death, they'd probably look down on me."
Wei Fei laughed heartily.
Back then, he had fallen behind the other members of the Righteous Society because he feared hardship and pain. Now, he'd been left in the dust.
So, for the sake of his children, Wei Fei would rather die than become some coward who clings to life.
"Second Brother, that's admirable."
Wei Tu's face showed his respect as he spoke.
After all, in this world, there were very few cultivators who could face death as calmly as Wei Fei.
Even a righteous path elder like Venerable Master Shen Tu hadn't truly let go. At the moment of death, he still held onto some obsession. He transformed into a ghost infant, waiting for a greedy cultivator to show up so he could take over their body and start over.
After speaking, Wei Tu turned his gaze to the siblings, Wei Xian'er and Wei Ping, sitting across from each other in the courtyard, chatting quietly.
Their names—Xian and Ping—clearly reflected Wei Fei's hopes and perspective toward the path of cultivation. One noble like an immortal, the other grounded and steady.
'He once dreamt of soaring like a great swan, but upon returning, realized he was still a humble sparrow, just a mortal man.'
Wei Tu sighed silently.
If it weren't for his own Late Bloomer destiny that gave him a foundation in Dao, he might've ended up living exactly like Wei Fei.
…
In the days that followed, Wei Tu didn't leave.
He stayed quietly by Wei Fei's bedside along with Wei Xian'er and the others, waiting for the day his Second Brother's life would finally come to an end.
During that time, Wei Tu also gave Wei Xian'er and Wei Ping some pointers on their cultivation.
Compared to Wei Fei, Wei Ping wasn't much more gifted, but his perseverance impressed Wei Tu. It reminded him of Fu Zhizhou back in the day.
The boy had real drive. He was just as determined as Fu Zhizhou, who once took the risk of becoming a ghostblade for the sake of cultivation.
Only after asking around did Wei Tu learn that ever since Wei Ping successfully reached Foundation Establishment, he had been working as a fisherman on Lingyan Island, going out to sea to hunt spirit beasts.
"This is the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art and the Ninefold Golden Lock Art that I once practiced. I'm giving them to you."
After a short pause, Wei Tu pulled the two manuals from his sleeve and handed them to Wei Ping.
One was a second-rank body-refining technique, the other a secret method from the Hongri Sect. Both were perfect for Foundation Establishment cultivators who wanted to cultivate the body.
Especially the Ninefold Golden Lock Art. It looked unremarkable at first glance, but its true value was easily worth over 10,000 spirit stones.
Normal Golden Core forces wouldn't even have a chance to acquire a body-refining secret like that.
If Wei Tu hadn't gotten lucky and stumbled across a descendant of the Wu Immortal Master back then, he wouldn't have gotten this technique either during his Foundation Establishment days.
After gifting Wei Ping the cultivation methods, Wei Tu turned his gaze to Wei Xian'er, whom he'd spent much more time with.
As her uncle, he couldn't be generous with one and stingy with the other.
But unlike Wei Ping, Wei Xian'er had the High Priestess Tiya as her master. She lacked nothing when it came to cultivation techniques.
"Xian'er, your cultivation has already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. Soon, you'll have a real chance to break through. But as for the Mortal Shedding Pill… even though I'm a divine master of the Ying Ding tribe, I can't promise it lightly."
"However, I can promise you this—once you gather 30,000 spirit stones, I'll personally help you exchange for one within the clan."
Wei Tu spoke after a brief pause.
Relationships have degrees—some are close, some distant.
For Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen, his own children, he would find a way to borrow, steal, or beg for a Mortal Shedding Pill to help them step into the Golden Core realm.
But with Wei Xian'er, things were different.
He could help pave the road, but she'd have to walk it herself.
After all, if he helped everyone, even as a Nascent Soul elder, he'd burn himself out.
And while his words might sound cold—making her collect the 30,000 spirit stones herself—the truth was, this opportunity alone was something countless Foundation Establishment cultivators could only dream of.
Mortal Shedding Pills had a price, but you couldn't find them in any market.
For those without powerful backing, getting even one was basically impossible.
Wei Xian'er clearly understood how generous this promise was. Her heart lit up with joy, and she immediately accepted, expressing her thanks with a smile.
But before she could get too excited, Wei Tu poured cold water over her enthusiasm.
"However, before attempting the breakthrough, Xian'er, you need to refine your spiritual power as much as possible. Otherwise, your chances of succeeding are slim."
Wei Tu reminded her earnestly.
Don't be fooled by how easily Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen succeeded with the Mortal Shedding Pill.
That's because both of them had side paths in the immortal way—one followed her stepfather's legacy and became a second-rank talisman master, and the other inherited the Mei family's craft and became a second-rank artificer.
Their cultivation realms and spiritual power were all gradually refined through making talismans and crafting tools.
But Wei Xian'er wasn't the same.
Her master was the high priestess Tiya, and the path she practiced was the "Spiritual Path," not the Immortal Path. While progress was faster in the Spiritual Path, one's realm and mana tended to be unstable and hollow.
This weakness might not show before the breakthrough, but during the breakthrough itself, it could be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
"Yes, Uncle Wei."
Wei Xian'er nodded obediently, clearly taking the warning to heart.
…
While Wei Tu taught Wei Xian'er and Wei Ping cultivation, time slipped by quietly.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
It was the day of Wei Fei's passing.
That day, everyone close to him gathered at his bedside, waiting for that final moment when he would close his eyes.
"People always say, when you die, it's like a light going out. Everything becomes like a dream. But, Third Brother, I still want to ask you for one last favor."
Wei Fei clutched Wei Tu's hand, his eyes almost pleading.
A deathbed request?
Wei Tu's mind instantly ran through the possibilities.
"Second Brother, say it. If it's something I can do, I won't refuse." Wei Tu patted his chest, making a firm promise.
Death should be respected.
Even if it was a heavy responsibility, paving a Golden Core path for Wei Xian'er and Wei Ping wasn't that hard for someone like him.
Of course, once he agreed to this, his ties with Wei Fei's descendants would gradually fade. After all, relationships based on favors usually ended when the favors stopped.
"Thank you, Third Brother."
Wei Fei didn't sense the thoughts running through Wei Tu's mind. He closed his eyes slightly and made his request.
"After I die, please take my bones back to Zheng Country. Bury me in Qingmu County."
"When a man dies, he should return to where he came from. Home is Qingmu County."
He said it slowly, word by word.
Qingmu County?
Wei Tu was momentarily dazed.
He hadn't expected Wei Fei's final request to be so… simple.
All he wanted was for Wei Tu, a Nascent Soul master, to carry his remains back to Qingmu County and bury them in his hometown.
But after thinking it through, Wei Tu understood.
For a cultivator like him, who still had hope on the immortal path, going home wasn't such a big deal.
But for someone like Wei Fei, whose cultivation had stalled, who had likely spent the second half of his life clinging to memories of the first—his hometown probably meant everything.
Only now, at the end, did he finally dare to speak the thought aloud.
Because with his strength, he had no way to cross thousands of miles and return to Zheng Country by himself.
"Second Brother, don't worry. I'll make sure it's done."
Wei Tu promised.