They drank for about half a day.
Wei Fei couldn't hold his liquor. After a drunken hiccup, he slumped over the table and quickly fell asleep, snoring like thunder, looking nothing like a cultivator.
Seeing this, Wei Tu smiled faintly, shook his head, set down his cup, and walked over to Wei Fei. He quietly used his Golden Core power to treat his old friend, clearing away hidden wounds.
A body-refining cultivator at the third stage late phase has natural resistance to spiritual poisons, let alone the effects of spiritual wine. Even if Wei Tu hadn't used his power on purpose, his physical body would have kept him clear-headed the whole time.
This spiritual wine was called "Shen Yang Wine," a medicinal brew recorded in the "Heavenly Fragrance Ancient Scroll." Wei Tu had prepared it himself a few days earlier, specifically to heal Wei Fei's lingering injuries. With the wine's medicinal effects and the help of Wei Tu's Golden Core power, the damage to Wei Fei's qi and blood from his failed Foundation Establishment years ago was resolved within half an hour.
'With this treatment, even if Second Brother can't live to over four hundred years like a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, making it to nearly three hundred ninety shouldn't be a problem,' Wei Tu thought as he withdrew his power.
By now, Wei Fei's path was set. Even if Wei Tu wanted to help him advance, he couldn't do much more. If he could, he would have given everything for his only brother left.
After all, even for Yan Yu, he'd provided the "Bi Yan Pill" as a replacement for the Mortal Shedding Pill.
The older a cultivator is at the same realm, the weaker their talent and foundation. The younger, the better. That's why Kou Hongying had made such big promises and gotten her elders' support to reach Foundation Establishment decades ahead of others.
In other words, even if Wei Tu spent huge resources on Wei Fei now, his realm couldn't rise from early Foundation Establishment to its peak in just a hundred years. And a peak Foundation Establishment that's unstable—even with a Mortal Shedding Pill—would still have a tiny chance of breaking into the Golden Core.
That's why, instead of chasing an almost impossible breakthrough in a hundred years, it was better for Wei Fei to enjoy his remaining years in peace.
'Giving up the path is easy, but picking it up again when you regret it is so much harder.' Wei Tu sighed softly.
If Wei Fei had fought harder and reached late Foundation Establishment, then with some support and the right resources, he might have had another shot. But his cultivation was just too low. Even if Wei Tu wanted to help, he couldn't.
'Unless you're a child of destiny, even the best luck won't matter if you don't try. Sooner or later, you'll miss your chance for good…'
Wei Tu looked up at the distant sky.
Three hundred years on this path, it looked like he had plenty of luck, always escaping disaster, but the truth was that luck only got him so far. What mattered more was making the right choices at every step. He worked hard and took things one step at a time.
For example, over twenty years ago, he'd been dragged into the Great Void Realm by Hu Shan and Qi Chengchu. By coincidence, the "Xumi Tablet" and "Tai Miao Treasure Mirror" left by Venerable Master Shentu were the keys to the Stone Demon Tower. That stroke of luck made him the biggest winner.
But without the strength to back it up, he wouldn't have survived even the first trial. He'd have lost all his chances to others before it began.
Wei Fei, on the other hand, was blessed with luck again and again but lacked the drive to improve, content to coast through life. He made one bad move, then lost everything.
Even if Wei Tu wanted to lift him up, there was nothing left he could do.
…
The next day, Wei Fei woke up from his drunken sleep feeling refreshed all over. His qi and spiritual power flowed much more smoothly than before.
He didn't have to ask—he knew it was all thanks to his sworn brother Wei Tu.
Wei Fei was grateful in his heart. But he didn't say anything about it in front of Wei Tu. Instead, he just called out to the kitchen, "Yu Niang, breakfast!" and started talking with Wei Tu about everything they hadn't finished the night before.
There was a lot to talk about, but eventually their conversation landed on Wei Xian'er. There was no way to avoid that topic.
Wei Fei trusted that Wei Tu would take care of his daughter. That's why he hadn't brought it up the night before.
"I'd planned to bring Xian'er with me to Xiao Kingdom this time, but as luck would have it, she's at a key point in reaching late Foundation Establishment…" Wei Tu talked about Wei Xian'er's current situation, but he only shared the good news, purposely leaving out the trouble with the Mourning God.
"She's better than me!" Wei Fei was overjoyed, even moved to tears.
Now he finally understood how it felt when Kou Liang had a genius daughter. 'Dreams left unfinished, roads I couldn't walk—they'll see the sights I missed on the immortal path.'
"I've let Xian'er down." Wei Fei let out a sigh.
Not long after Zhao Ting died, he remarried. That was something hard for Wei Xian'er to accept.
"Xian'er's easygoing. She won't hold a grudge over that, Second Brother, don't worry." Wei Tu smiled, comforting him.
Normally, parents remarrying isn't something kids should get too worked up about. But if a child's cultivation and status surpass their parents, that's a different story.
While they talked, the young woman came in from the kitchen and started serving dishes, setting out eight dishes and one soup.
"There's not much at home, and we don't have any fancy spirit ingredients. I hope True Lord Wei doesn't mind our humble meal…" The young woman looked uneasy.
"Sister-in-law, you're too polite." Wei Tu smiled kindly, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating without a hint of dislike.
Seeing this, the young woman let out a huge sigh of relief, as if she'd just been pardoned. She was about to leave the living room.
"Sister-in-law, no need to be so formal. I'm sworn brothers with Second Brother, not an outsider," Wei Tu called out, motioning for her to sit and eat together. He knew that showing respect to the young woman was also a way of respecting Wei Fei, his second brother. He didn't want to make things awkward for Wei Fei.
"Ah?" The young woman froze, barely able to hide her surprise and joy. She quickly covered her mouth so she wouldn't lose her composure. Sharing a meal with a Golden Core True Lord was an unimaginable honor for her—something she could brag about for years.
Thinking of this, she looked at Wei Fei with new affection in her eyes, almost a touch of spring warmth. Compared to her tantrum yesterday, she seemed like a completely different person.
She knew clearly that the only reason Wei Tu would invite her, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, to dine with him was because of her husband Wei Fei.
"True Lord Wei, please have some food," she said as she sat down, almost ingratiating, serving Wei Tu enthusiastically.
"True Lord Wei, I already sent a message to Ping'er yesterday. He should be back in an hour or two. When he arrives, would you mind taking a look at him?" The young woman's face was beaming.
She'd overheard that Wei Fei's daughter, Wei Xian'er, had reached late Foundation Establishment. With Wei Fei's own talent, she figured her son's talent was probably similar. In her mind, if Wei Xian'er could get so far, it was surely thanks to this uncle Wei Tu's help. If he helped his niece so much, why not his nephew?
"Alright, I'll stay and meet Ping'er," Wei Tu agreed with a nod. He didn't refuse. He knew the young woman could be calculating and sometimes insulted Wei Fei for her own gain, but most of her actions were for her son. He didn't really think she was a bad person. In fact, Wei Tu admired her a little—if you don't fight for things, you'll never get them.
Going with the flow isn't always bad, but on the cultivation path, it puts you at a disadvantage. Like now, if she hadn't taken the initiative to ask for Ping'er to meet him, he probably would have left before Ping'er got back. After all, he'd already given three Condensed Foundation Pills as a greeting gift and helped set Ping'er on the Foundation Establishment path. He hadn't planned to see him in person.
But since she'd asked, he couldn't leave right away.
"Third Brother…" Wei Fei looked apologetic. He could tell what his wife really wanted—another favor from Wei Tu for Ping'er. He already owed Wei Tu so much, he didn't want to ask for more. He felt a bit ashamed.
"It's nothing, really," Wei Tu waved it off, letting Wei Fei know not to worry.
…
About half a day later, Wei Ping, who'd been out working, finally hurried back to the house and met Wei Tu for the first time.
"Third Uncle…" Wei Ping looked a little embarrassed, stumbling through his greeting. He'd never even heard of this uncle from his dad before. This was the first he knew he had a Golden Core uncle.
"Twenty-eight years old, fifth layer of Qi Refining," Wei Tu noted with approval. "Not bad at all."
Compared to himself at that age, Wei Ping's realm was ahead by more than a little. Of course, he knew this was mostly because Wei Ping had a good father to support him. Even a not-so-great Foundation Establishment cultivator can earn more than a Qi Refining one.
"Thank you for the praise, Third Uncle," Wei Ping scratched his head, a little shy. He knew his own talent was ordinary among his peers. That's why his dad named him Ping—平—which means 'average' or 'ordinary'. He figured his whole life would be just that: ordinary, with little hope for greatness on the cultivation path.
"It's hard to change a cultivator's talent," Wei Tu said, "unless you find a huge opportunity or break through to a higher realm. I can cleanse your marrow and bones, but even then, your talent will only reach the upper level of lower-grade spiritual roots."
"Thank you, Third Uncle!" Wei Ping was instantly grateful. He dropped to his knees, kowtowing deeply. Even a small improvement in talent was a huge deal for him. He knew only Golden Core cultivators and above could perform marrow cleansing for lower-level cultivators, and even for them, it cost a lot of vitality—they wouldn't do it lightly.
Wei Tu nodded and said, "Steady your mind." He placed his right palm on top of Wei Ping's head.
In the next moment, green light surged from Wei Tu's body, flowing through his hand and into every part of Wei Ping's body. Black smoke soon seeped from Wei Ping's acupoints, foul and stinking.
At the same time, Wei Ping felt pain like sharp knives tearing at his guts. His face turned white as a sheet, sweat the size of soybeans beading all over him.
"Hang in there!" Wei Ping gritted his teeth so hard his lips bled, a red line clearly showing.
As time passed, his mind grew more and more fuzzy. He had only one thought: keep enduring.
He didn't know how long it took, but eventually, the pain faded and his senses cleared. Everything was sharp again.
"Where's Third Uncle?" Wei Ping looked up. He realized that at some point, Wei Tu had disappeared.
Only his parents were left in the courtyard.
"Wei Tu… Uncle Wei…" Wei Ping slowly got to his feet, staring out across the sky above Lingyan Island, clenching his fists. He etched the name "Wei Tu" deep into his heart.