"Junior Zhao Guanlou greets Senior."
The well-dressed elder stepped forward to meet the figure in blue, bowing respectfully.
But he couldn't help being confused. This Golden Core senior wasn't any elder from the main family he recognized. The face was unfamiliar, and there was no Zhao clan insignia on the robe.
"And you are?" The blue-clad figure stopped, frowned a little, and looked at the elder.
"I am Zhao Guanlou, a steward of the eastern part of Lingyan Island, responsible for managing the affairs on the island…" The elder quickly reported.
After he finished, Zhao Guanlou lowered his voice and asked, "May I ask Senior to reveal your identity? If you need anything, I can help with some arrangements."
Hearing this, Wei Tu realized that this elder was an island steward. No wonder he'd stopped him as soon as he arrived. After coming to Lingyan Island, Wei Tu had only asked around for Wei Fei's address and made his way straight here, without asking anyone to guide him.
As for Fu Dalu… Since this was Zhao clan territory and not open to outsiders, and Wei Tu also wanted to keep a low profile, he had Fu Dalu wait outside the island instead of following along.
"My surname is Wei, and I have old ties with the Zhao clan." Wei Tu casually took out a token and handed it over with a touch of spiritual power.
This was the guest elder token Zhao Huamin gave him when he left the Shengya Zhao clan.
"So you are True Lord Wei." Seeing the guest elder token, the steward became even more respectful. He held the token in both hands and bowed deeply as he returned it to Wei Tu.
The Shengya Zhao clan was one of the top cultivation families in Xiao Kingdom. Their guest elder token was only given to those of high status or extremely promising Golden Core cultivators. Wei Tu having such a token meant his status was much higher than the typical guest elders of the Zhao family.
"I've come here to see an old friend, Wei Fei. Please lead the way, Steward Zhao," Wei Tu nodded and stated his purpose.
There was a barrier formation on Lingyan Island. Although he could force his way in with his divine sense, as a guest, he naturally had to observe proper etiquette.
"Wei Fei?" The steward was a little shocked.
When he heard the first half of Wei Tu's words, he was jealous of whoever had the luck to be friends with such a promising Golden Core True Lord. But hearing the second half, he found it hard to believe.
Wei Fei was famous on Lingyan Island for being a failure at Foundation Establishment.
Normally, any Foundation Establishment cultivator would reach the mid stage by the time they hit three hundred years old, even with poor aptitude. But Wei Fei was still stuck at early Foundation Establishment, nowhere near the next stage.
And in the various immortal crafts, he was totally untalented—none of his skills had even reached second rank.
Spiritual cuisine, immortal brewing, and so on were considered among the easier skills compared to the four great immortal crafts: pills, talismans, tools, and arrays.
'Truly lucky,' the steward couldn't help but feel envious.
A cultivator's status came from not just their own power, but also their connections. If a Golden Core True Lord with status like Wei Tu was willing to call Wei Fei a friend, Wei Fei's status would rise sky-high.
"True Lord Wei, please follow me." After the moment of surprise, the steward bowed and began leading Wei Tu inside.
…
With the steward guiding him, Wei Tu soon arrived at the Wei residence on Lingyan Island and saw a young woman sitting on the ground crying, and the plump old man with a face full of embarrassment.
"Second Brother?" Wei Tu saw the old, tired face of Wei Fei and was stunned for a moment before calling out softly.
He'd already guessed how Wei Fei's life might look before coming here. But guessing was one thing; seeing it with his own eyes was another.
When they parted, Wei Fei was still dashing, carefree, freshly advanced to Foundation Establishment. Now, after all these years, Wei Fei was already in old age. His youthful pride was gone, replaced by the exhaustion of life.
"Let Third Brother see a joke." Wei Fei forced a smile, glared at the young woman and scolded, "Get up, stop making a scene." Then he invited Wei Tu inside to sit down.
"And this is…?" Wei Tu asked, glancing at the young woman.
With his eyesight, he could tell she was the wife Wei Fei had married after his first wife Zhao Ting passed away. But he wasn't sure if she was a proper wife or just a concubine. If she was just a concubine, he wouldn't need to pay her much mind.
"She's my wife." Wei Fei sighed, admitting her status.
With his situation, being able to remarry a Qi Refinement female cultivator as his wife was already very fortunate—there was no way she'd be made only a concubine.
"So you're my sister-in-law," Wei Tu nodded sincerely, without any sign of disrespect.
The young woman behind Wei Fei, Wei Tu, and Zhao Guanlou beamed at those words, her eyes shining with delight.
She could see that Wei Tu's status was extraordinary, otherwise even "Steward Zhao"—who usually put on airs—wouldn't be so polite and eager to please.
To be called "sister-in-law" by someone like Wei Tu was a huge honor for her.
Soon, the four entered the sitting room.
"Daoist Wei, you take the main seat," Zhao Guanlou said with an awkward smile, taking a lesser seat to the side.
Seeing this, Wei Fei was both shocked and inwardly delighted, even a little proud.
He felt like he'd finally gotten back at all those years of being looked down on since the old clan leader Zhao Tinghai's death.
Even his current wife often resented him for being weak and useless.
"Second Brother, what were you and Sister-in-law arguing about? If you need my help, just say the word." Wei Tu spoke up, standing up for Wei Fei.
'When a couple is poor, every little thing becomes a sorrow.' Wei Tu didn't need to ask much to guess that most of their arguments were about not having enough money. If Wei Fei was well-off and making good money, these kinds of fights would happen a lot less, maybe never at all. But since he wasn't, conflict kept happening—like what Wei Tu walked in on today.
'Looks like True Lord Wei really cares about Wei Fei,' Zhao Guanlou thought to himself. 'From now on, I should watch out for Wei Fei.' A powerful cultivator seeing an old friend again and actually helping out—those are two different things. Lots of big cultivators meet old friends and get nostalgic, but when it's time to actually spend money, they pretend not to notice. What Wei Fei needed now was real help, not just a few sentimental words.
"This…" Wei Fei hesitated, not knowing what to say.
But the young woman spoke up for him. She glanced at Wei Tu a few times, a little nervous, and said, "Brother Wei—no, True Lord Wei—it's about Ping'er. We were fighting because I wanted him to ask the clan leader for a favor, to get a supervisor job at the Puppet Workshop. But he wouldn't go…"
"Ping'er?" Wei Tu's heart stirred. He realized this must be the son born to Wei Fei and his current wife. In the past, Wei Fei and Zhao Ting had only one daughter, Wei Xian'er, and no other children. So this Ping'er couldn't be Zhao Ting's son—if he was, the young woman definitely wouldn't work so hard for him.
"In that case, since Second Brother doesn't want to ask for help, I'll overstep a little and visit the head of the Qiyue Zhao clan myself." Wei Tu smiled.
"Thank you, True Lord Wei!" The young woman was overjoyed and thanked him right away. On the surface, what Wei Tu was doing seemed like the same thing as Wei Fei, but the result was very different. If Wei Fei went to ask for a favor, the clan leader might not care, or just give him the bare minimum. But if Wei Tu asked, and the clan leader only gave Wei Fei a small job, it'd be an insult to a Golden Core True Lord.
"As for Ping'er's Foundation Establishment, I'm just a humble alchemist and don't have any Foundation Establishment Pills on hand, but I do have a few Condensed Foundation Pills…" Wei Tu waved his sleeve, and a small bottle labeled "Condensed Foundation Pill" appeared on the table.
"These three Condensed Foundation Pills are my gift to Ping'er—Second Brother, don't refuse." Seeing that Wei Fei looked like he wanted to say no, Wei Tu added this with a firm tone.
That left Wei Fei with no excuse. Tears shimmered in his eyes and he was filled with gratitude.
Wei Tu hadn't meant to be overly generous with the Condensed Foundation Pills. It was just that in Xiao Kingdom, three Condensed Foundation Pills were about as valuable as one Foundation Establishment Pill. By giving three, he meant for Wei Fei to trade them for a Foundation Establishment Pill for his son. And he said all this in front of Zhao Guanlou—obviously hoping Zhao Guanlou would help out.
'With just a few words, True Lord Wei added another Foundation Establishment cultivator to the Wei family—his generosity is incredible,' Zhao Guanlou thought, feeling a little envious. His own kids were still struggling in Qi Refinement and hadn't even gotten the chance to attempt Foundation Establishment.
"For the rest of the time, I'd like to catch up with my Second Brother. Thank you for your help, Steward Zhao." Wei Tu glanced at Zhao Guanlou, signaling that it was time for him to leave.
"I won't disturb you, True Lord Wei," Zhao Guanlou quickly bowed and left Wei residence.
…
After Zhao Guanlou left, the young woman made an excuse to cook for the two of them and left the sitting room, giving Wei Tu and Wei Fei some space.
The brothers started to catch up, talking about everything that had happened over the past century.
"What? That Yue Jing became a fourth-rank general? His children and grandchildren became nobles? He used to be just a servant. He did better in the mundane world than us."
"Haha, the Yue family sure knows how to spot talent—they even put up your portrait in the courtyard, Third Brother, thinking you'd do great things one day. Hic~"
"So the Qinglong Gang was destroyed too…"
The two of them drank and laughed, finishing a few pots of spirit wine in no time and getting a little tipsy. The thing they talked about the most was all the changes in Aoki County after Wei Tu returned a hundred years later.
Back then, two hundred eighty years ago, they were both serving in the garrison—one as a registrar, the other as the chief instructor…