I am a Late Bloomer in the Immortal World

As soon as Wei Fei finished speaking, Wei Tu noticed a subtle furrow in Kou Hongying's brows. Though the change in her expression was fleeting, Wei Tu immediately understood her displeasure.

One thousand spirit stones.

If he and Kou Hongying split the amount evenly, each of them would have to lend five hundred spirit stones.

For Foundation Establishment cultivators like them, this wasn't an enormous sum, but it wasn't insignificant either.

However—

The real issue wasn't the amount, but rather, whether the person borrowing it was worth it.

If the one asking was himself or Fu Zhizhou, Wei Tu believed Kou Hongying would lend the five hundred spirit stones without hesitation.

After all, the two of them had spent twenty years helping Kou Hongying reach Foundation Establishment.

Even just the five years Kou Hongying spent protecting him in seclusion during his own breakthrough was already worth far more than five hundred spirit stones.

But Wei Fei was different.

Forty years ago, when Kou Hongying had asked them to accompany her on a mission at a Righteous Society gathering, Wei Fei had been the only one who refused.

Since then, Kou Hongying never treated Wei Fei coldly or unfairly—if she could offer help, she did.

But when it truly mattered, their shallow relationship wasn't enough to make her willingly step in.

Wei Fei had been self-serving in the past, so now he couldn't blame Kou Hongying for not prioritizing him in the present.

Simply put—

The problem wasn't five hundred spirit stones being too much—it was that, to Kou Hongying, Wei Fei wasn't worth five hundred spirit stones.

There was another issue as well.

Wei Fei was alone.

Without a Foundation Establishment Pill, his chances of failing his breakthrough and dying were incredibly high.

If that happened, Kou Hongying's loan would be wasted forever.

Who would willingly give away five hundred spirit stones for nothing?

The same logic applied to Wei Tu.

Even though he could afford the five hundred spirit stones, lending them to Wei Fei left a bad taste in his mouth.

It wasn't because he was cold-hearted or stingy.

It was because Wei Fei had never taken cultivation seriously—he had always enjoyed his days in leisure, indulging in comfort and pleasure.

Now, at the last moment, he wanted to cling onto them for an easy way out…

Who wouldn't feel resentful?

If Wei Fei had at least saved up half of the cost of a Foundation Establishment Pill and needed help covering the rest, then that would have been different.

That was understandable.

Because no matter what—when asking for financial help, one must contribute the larger portion themselves.

There was one last point.

Wei Fei was still sixteen years away from reaching "double jia years" (120 years old)—he wasn't at a dead end yet.

The atmosphere became heavy, sinking into a tense silence.

The room was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.

Sitting between two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Wei Fei grew uneasy as he sensed the shift in mood.

Kou Hongying glanced at Wei Tu, waiting for him to speak.

Until the very last moment, she didn't want to outright reject Wei Fei and ruin their relationship completely.

Seeing this, Wei Tu sighed inwardly before breaking the silence.

"Second Brother, if you're asking us to lend you spirit stones, have you thought about what collateral you can offer? Or is there something you could sell?"

Wei Tu carefully chose his words, offering a subtle reminder.

If Wei Fei expected them to give him one thousand spirit stones without offering anything in return, then at most, Wei Tu would lend him three to five hundred.

But their friendship wouldn't remain the same afterward.

Back when he was in the Qi Refinement Realm, Wei Tu had carefully saved every spirit stone.

After breaking through to Foundation Establishment, those savings had been completely spent.

The four hundred spirit stones he currently had were earned by selling talismans at the Heshan Huang Clan exchange gathering.

"There is something!"

Wei Fei snapped back to reality, realizing what Wei Tu meant.

He smacked his forehead, cursing himself for being so slow, then immediately removed his storage pouch from his waist.

Clatter!

He poured out everything from his storage bag onto the Eight Immortals Table in front of them.

The collection wasn't impressive—

Three magical artifacts, five jade slips, and some loose spiritual materials.

Among the artifacts, Wei Tu immediately recognized one—

The Green Lotus Leaf, the same treasure used by Immortal Master Wu in Qingfeng City.

Wei Tu's gaze then shifted to the jade slips, picking them up one by one and scanning through them carefully.

Finally, his attention locked onto one of them.

The "Qi Pouch" crafting method.

After reviewing its contents, Wei Tu let out a breath of relief and smiled.

"This Qi Pouch crafting method—Second Brother, you only sold this to me, Hongying, and the Mei Clan before, right?"

"That means we can still resell it at an auction."

"It should be worth at least one thousand spirit stones."

"If we put it up for auction, you won't have to worry about affording the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Just moments ago, Wei Tu had only been thinking about Wei Fei borrowing spirit stones, completely forgetting about the Qi Pouch technique.

Back when Wei Fei first approached him with it, Wei Tu had already estimated its value at over a thousand spirit stones.

However, at the time, since Wei Tu hadn't reached Foundation Establishment yet, he had advised Wei Fei against selling it publicly, fearing it might draw unwanted attention.

But now, things were different.

With both himself and Kou Hongying at Foundation Establishment, the Qi Pouch technique—despite being valuable—was not considered a high-level treasure anymore.

They could easily help Wei Fei put it up for sale at an auction.

"I was already considering that!"

"It's just… I'm not good with words, so I explained it poorly at first…"

"I didn't mean to offend… Hongying…"

Wei Fei's voice grew quieter, glancing toward Kou Hongying with a bit of nervousness.

Ever since Kou Hongying broke through to Foundation Establishment, their statuses had shifted—and he had been somewhat afraid of her.

More than twenty years ago, after attending Kou Hongying's Foundation Establishment celebration, Wei Fei's unease had only grown stronger.

At that gathering, the Mirror Water Pavilion cultivators had praised Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou for their contributions to Kou Hongying's cultivation.

Meanwhile, Wei Fei had felt completely out of place.

Kou Hongying's expression carried a trace of helplessness. With a slight raise of her delicate hand, she accepted two magical artifacts, leaving behind the Green Lotus Leaf, a defensive artifact, for Wei Fei.

Then she said, "Before long, the Baibao Pavilion Underground Auction will take place. When the time comes, I'll help Uncle Wei sell the Qi Pouch crafting method along with these two mid-grade artifacts."

"Underground auction?"

Wei Tu was surprised and glanced at Kou Hongying.

He hadn't expected her to receive an invitation from Baibao Pavilion.

—He had assumed that only wandering cultivators like himself would be invited, not disciples from the Three Great Immortal Sects.

After all, underground auctions operated in secrecy.

Inviting members of major sects would not only risk exposure but also increase potential danger.

Kou Hongying saw the doubts in Wei Tu's eyes and secretly transmitted her voice to him.

"Nephew uses the alias 'Jade Rakshasa' when traveling—never my real name."

Jade Rakshasa?

Wei Tu was startled.

During the Heshan Huang Clan's exchange gathering, he had heard many cultivators discussing this name.

They spoke of Jade Rakshasa as a fearsome demon hunter who had recently risen to fame in the Demon Wolf Mountain Range.

To his surprise—

That so-called Jade Rakshasa was actually his niece, Kou Hongying.

"I've recently made progress in Talisman Dao and can now inscribe low-grade Tier-Two talismans. I can sell them to you at a discount."

Wei Tu pondered for a moment before responding.

Those who constantly walked the line between life and death needed proper protection.

Kou Hongying had been fighting demons and beasts in the wilderness. If she lacked sufficient defensive measures, she would eventually perish in the Demon Wolf Mountains.

When Fu Zhizhou had worked as an assassin, Wei Tu had frequently sold him talismans at a lower price.

Now, Kou Hongying had taken Fu Zhizhou's place.

"Good," Kou Hongying nodded slightly, warmth surfacing in her heart.

With more than a year left until the underground auction, Wei Tu didn't immediately return to Yunhe Mountain.

Instead, he rented a cave residence in Baishi Lake Marketplace and temporarily stayed there.

Kou Hongying had initially wanted Wei Tu to stay in her cave residence to save spirit stones, but he had politely refused, stating, "Men and women should keep their distance."

During his stay in Baishi Lake Marketplace, Wei Tu did not neglect his cultivation.

Just like in Yunhe Mountain, he balanced training and work—alternating between cultivation and talisman crafting to refine his skills.

Time flew by.

In just over a year, Wei Tu's success rate in drawing low-grade Tier-Two talismans had increased significantly.

From 10% to 20%.

This meant that for every five talismans he drew, at least one would succeed.

The day before leaving Baishi Lake Marketplace, Wei Tu took Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen to pay their respects at Xinghua's grave.

After the three of them finished the ritual, they returned to the Wei Family estate.

Compared to the lively atmosphere of the Kou and Fu families' estates, the Wei Family estate was eerily quiet.

Though servants still maintained the household, no members of the Wei Family lived there for long periods.

Wei Tu noticed the suppressed emotions in Wei Xiuwen's expression.

He offered a word of comfort:

"Xiuwen, your mother's wishes are understandable—she hoped for you to have descendants. But since you've chosen the path of cultivation, you should prioritize the Dao before considering worldly affairs."

"A person shouldn't live only for others—they must also live for themselves."

To Wei Tu, Wei Xiuwen's filial piety might become an inner demon when he attempted Foundation Establishment.

This issue was even more dangerous than Kou Hongying's grief over her father's death.

After all—

Kou Liang had always hoped for Kou Hongying to achieve immortality, to walk further than he ever could.

Thus, her heart carried no guilt—only a burning desire for revenge.

Once Blood Demon Elder was slain, her heartache faded.

But Wei Xiuwen's situation was different.

Xinghua, in life, had always longed for Wei Xiuwen to marry and continue the Wei bloodline.

As long as Wei Xiuwen remained childless, this guilt would only grow heavier.

Eventually, it would evolve into an inner demon, surfacing at the moment of his Foundation Establishment breakthrough.

"I understand, Father," Wei Xiuwen forced a smile, though his gaze carried sorrow.

Seeing this, Wei Tu sighed inwardly and did not press further.

Matters of the heart could not be resolved with mere words.

Only time could heal.

Wei Xiuwen still had two or three decades before attempting Foundation Establishment—he had plenty of time to resolve his burdens.

A few days later.

Wei Tu and Kou Hongying set off together for the Baibao Pavilion Underground Auction.

This time, they disguised themselves before traveling.

Kou Hongying assumed her alias "Jade Rakshasa", dressing in a striking red outfit that exuded both beauty and danger.

Wei Tu, after some thought, chose to disguise himself as a burly, dark-skinned man with sharp features.

For safety and secrecy, the two traveled separately.

Kou Hongying led the way, while Wei Tu followed at a distance.

Unlike other major auctions, Baibao Pavilion did not host this event in Danqiu Mountain or any major cultivator marketplace.

Instead, they chose a mortal territory—Canglong Mountain.

More than ten days later.

Wei Tu and Kou Hongying arrived near Canglong Mountain.

Kou Hongying entered first.

Wei Tu waited nearby for a few days.

When he saw other cultivators arriving and heading toward the mountain, he finally made his move.

After handing his invitation slip to the mountain guards, he stepped into the auction venue.

As the illusion formation at the entrance dissipated, a wide corridor appeared before Wei Tu.

At the end of the passage, he saw a vast underground chamber, spanning several hundred feet in diameter.

This cavern was supported by over a dozen jade pillars.

The ground was covered in exquisite carpets embedded with precious gems.

Above, the vaulted ceiling shimmered with dozens of fist-sized luminous pearls, casting a radiant glow across the chamber.