Tao Ya wasn't the most gifted among the core members of the Hanshan Tao Clan—her talent placed her somewhere between the first and second tier. Still, because of her old acquaintance with Wei Tu, she had been a key figure the Tao Clan invested in during these decades in Kang Kingdom.
Pleasing him with charm, though frowned upon by some, was often the most effective strategy for large clans in times of crisis.
This time, Tao Fangde called Tao Ya forward exactly so she could make an impression on Wei Tu and raise his regard for her.
Beyond that, having Tao Ya—who had a close relationship with Wei Tu—open the storage pouch left by Ancestor Tao Chongzhou served two more purposes.
First, it showed the clan's trust in Wei Tu, proving they held no suspicion toward him.
Second, even if Wei Tu had already opened the pouch, Tao Ya could cover for it and downplay anything unfavorable. She might even deepen their bond because of it.
This way, the Tao Clan could get through this vulnerable time without the support of their ancestor.
Returning the corpse and storage pouch while secretly pocketing valuables—though unlikely—wasn't entirely out of the question.
...
"Yes, Elder." Tao Ya, in the early Foundation Establishment stage, nodded slightly and stepped forward, lifting her skirt with decorum.
She used her spiritual power just as Tao Chongzhou had instructed and attempted to open the pouch on the table.
But as soon as her divine sense entered, she sensed a strong restrictive seal locked tightly inside.
"Elder, there's a restriction. It's the 'Beichen Restriction' left by the ancestor. The power is too great—I can't break through it."
Tao Ya looked at Tao Fangde.
"There's a restriction?" Tao Fangde's heart lifted slightly. That meant Wei Tu was an upright man and hadn't tampered with the pouch before them.
A Golden Core cultivator like Wei Tu could easily lay down a restriction of his own after the fact. But replicating the Tao Clan's ancestral Beichen Restriction wasn't something just anyone could do.
"This is the unlocking method for the Beichen Restriction."
Tao Fangde thought for a moment, then pulled out a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Tao Ya.
While most Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't unlock restrictions set by Golden Core cultivators, family techniques like the Beichen Restriction were an exception.
Tao Ya took the jade slip and studied it carefully. Then she bit her fingertip, letting a drop of blood float into the air.
She cast several hand seals onto the drop of blood.
In an instant, the drop of blood shimmered with a vivid purple light as if infused with spirit.
As the purple glow touched the storage pouch, the Beichen Restriction began to melt away like ice meeting flame.
After half a quarter of an hour, the restriction was completely lifted.
Still, Tao Ya didn't rush to act. She waited for instructions from Tao Fangde and the rest of the clan elders.
The intact restriction proved that Wei Tu had acted honorably and hadn't taken anything from their ancestor's belongings.
But now another dilemma faced the Tao Clan: should they fully reveal the contents of the pouch in front of Wei Tu?
After all, wealth could stir greed. If the pouch held rare treasures and Wei Tu, a Golden Core cultivator, took interest, that would be trouble.
"Ya'er, go ahead. Senior Wei is not an outsider."
Tao Fangde didn't hesitate. Maybe he had already expected this exact situation and spoke decisively.
Wei Tu nodded slightly at those words, a trace of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
If the Tao Clan had chosen to open the pouch privately, away from him, he wouldn't have blamed them—it would've been normal behavior.
But…
His future support would've definitely been minimal.
Given the favor he had just shown them, if they still didn't trust him, it meant they weren't worth helping and didn't know how to repay kindness. That alone would prove the Tao Clan's leadership foolish—short-sighted and unworthy of assistance.
Hearing Tao Fangde's order, Tao Ya no longer hesitated. She sent her divine sense into the storage pouch and began moving out the items one by one.
In moments, the room filled with all kinds of spiritual items.
The quantity and value of the items were roughly what Wei Tu had expected when he first found the pouch in the Black Blood Marsh.
Most of it was second-rank materials, with only a few above third rank.
Besides some magic tools and third-rank artifacts, there were over twenty thousand spirit stones. Altogether, the rest of the items totaled around sixty to seventy thousand spirit stones—about the equivalent value of someone like Daoist Zhanlang.
There was nothing among them that truly caught Wei Tu's interest.
"This is the ancestor's final letter." At that moment, Tao Ya pulled out a letter from the pouch and handed it to Tao Fangde.
The ancestor's last words?
The moment the words left her mouth, the eyes of every Tao Clan member in the room focused on the sealed letter.
If Ancestor Tao Chongzhou had left final words, he would likely name his killers. He might even have included instructions for the inheritance.
Nearly a hundred years had passed. Their standings within the clan had changed—some had risen, others fallen.
Take Tao Ya, for example. Originally just an ordinary core member of the Tao Clan, she had gained more clan resources simply because of her connection with Wei Tu, a Golden Core cultivator, and her ability to speak with him.
However, Tao Chongzhou would not distribute the inheritance based on their current roles, but by how things were a hundred years ago.
This could be an opportunity.
A chance to restore what was out of balance.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Tao Fangde's expression turned grave. He wiped away the restriction on the letter and slowly began to read its contents.
"The letter only names the enemy who killed our ancestor. It doesn't mention anything else."
Tao Fangde spoke solemnly.
Then he handed the letter to Wei Tu and said, "Senior Wei, please take a look. May we ask you to oversee the Tao Clan's affairs on our ancestor's behalf."
Wei Tu caught the subtle implication—it was almost as if Tao Fangde meant to hand over control of the Hanshan Tao Clan to him.
"I'll read the letter first," Wei Tu replied, not responding directly. He took the letter Tao Fangde handed him.
The cultivators here were the elite of the Hanshan Tao Clan. Used wisely, they were easily as valuable as a Golden Core cultivator's inheritance. But that value hinged on whether he could truly take control, and whether the Tao Clan itself didn't carry too much baggage.
"Ji Ting, Qian Zheng…"
Wei Tu saw two names listed first—these were the ones who had traveled with Tao Chongzhou and betrayed him. Greedy at the sight of treasure, they had plotted to rob and kill Tao Chongzhou. Forced to flee into the treacherous Black Blood Marsh, he had perished there.
In the letter, Tao Chongzhou explained that Ji Ting and Qian Zheng were rogue cultivators from the Liang Kingdom. Back in his Foundation Establishment years, they had once shared life-and-death trials together.
Tao Chongzhou also described their appearances in detail. He clearly hadn't expected the letter to reach the Tao Clan. So he treated the possessions in his pouch as payment, begging whoever found his corpse to avenge him.
That was where the letter ended.
Just as Tao Fangde had said, it named the killers but didn't include any arrangements for Tao Chongzhou's affairs after death.
'Something's off,' Wei Tu thought. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the last few lines of the letter.
The spiritual signature on the final lines differed slightly from the earlier part. It looked hastily added, not part of the original.
Only Tao Ya, Tao Fangde, and Wei Tu himself had touched the letter. And only Tao Fangde had the chance to alter it—when removing the restriction.
But Tao Fangde… was the one elder in the Tao Clan most friendly to him.
Wei Tu had no intention of exposing him.
Just then, Tao Fangde spoke again.
"Our clan's younger generation is weak. We can't avenge the ancestor. As the letter says, the items in the pouch should go to the one who helps seek justice…"
"Senior Wei not only has the strength, but is respected far and wide. And to personally return the ancestor's remains from so far away—our Hanshan Tao Clan is deeply grateful."
At that, Tao Fangde bowed low to Wei Tu.
"We will not keep a single item from the ancestor's belongings. Please accept them as our token of thanks."
Tao Chongzhou's possessions weren't small in number, but dividing them among the entire clan wouldn't leave much for anyone. At best, it would be a windfall for a few.
And if the shares weren't fairly split, the unity within the Tao Clan could collapse into infighting.
So Tao Fangde had decided that Wei Tu, a righteous and honorable Golden Core cultivator, should take control of this large inheritance instead.
He didn't believe Wei Tu would embezzle anything. As a third-rank alchemist and talisman master, Wei Tu had no trouble earning money. Reputation mattered far more to him than material wealth.
If he hadn't taken anything in the Black Blood Marsh, he certainly wouldn't now.
And even if Wei Tu accepted the offer and took Tao Chongzhou's legacy as payment, Tao Fangde would only be overjoyed—not disappointed.
With such a generous offering, as long as Wei Tu remained alive, the Hanshan Tao Clan would have a solid path to grow and thrive.
"Tao Clan and I go way back. I brought Tao Chongzhou's remains out of duty, not for reward."
Wei Tu glanced at Tao Fangde. Of course, he could guess what the man was aiming for, so he didn't respond to the offer.
"In that case, if you won't accept the full inheritance, please at least take these twenty thousand spirit stones. Consider it a token of gratitude from our clan."
This time, Wei Tu didn't decline.
Twenty thousand spirit stones wasn't a small sum, but it wasn't extravagant either. Accepting it wouldn't spark any gossip.
If he rejected everything, it might make the Tao Clan uneasy instead.
"As for the remaining items," Tao Fangde added, "we elders will first discuss a fair process with Senior Wei. Then we'll divide them for the use of our clan's cultivators."
With that, he started clearing the room.
Soon, only three late-stage Foundation Establishment elders remained, along with Wei Tu—now seen by the entire Tao Clan as a neutral overseer.
The three elders exchanged glances and sighed.
To outsiders, this legacy seemed like a great boon. But as the Tao Clan leadership, they knew that handled poorly, it could turn into a disaster.
Once again, Tao Fangde stepped forward, a bitter smile on his face.
"Senior Wei, with our current strength, the clan cannot protect this wealth. It'll only attract others with greedy eyes."
"Our thought is: please hold onto it on our behalf. When our clan needs it—or has the strength to claim it—then we'll come retrieve it."
With no juniors present, he stopped beating around the bush and spoke openly.
After he finished, an elder with silver hair steeled his expression. Gritting his teeth, he added, "And from now on, we will also ask Senior Wei to guide us in cultivating our younger disciples."
It sounded like a polite request, even a burden. But in truth, it meant only one thing: the Tao Clan was pledging itself to Wei Tu.
They weren't just cooperating anymore. They were surrendering their independence.
Hearing that, Wei Tu was finally moved.
The Tao Clan might seem weak at the Golden Core level, but at the Foundation Establishment level, they had the full foundation of a Golden Core family.
And he truly needed a faction loyal to him—to follow orders, run errands, and serve him wholeheartedly.
The strength of the Fen Shan Tribe wasn't bad, but it ultimately served the royal court through the Ying Ding Tribe. As a newly appointed High Priest with shallow roots, he had limited sway over them—at most, occasional command.
Wei Tu would never let the priests of the Fen Shan Tribe get involved in truly confidential matters.
The Tao Clan, unlike the Fen Shan Tribe, was a cultivator family from the Zheng Kingdom that had smuggled its way into Kang Kingdom. They had no one to serve here, no allies to rely on. Other than him, they had nowhere to turn.
Seeing Wei Tu's thoughtful expression, Tao Fangde and the other elders quickly seized the opportunity and handed him a list of the clan's priority cultivators.
At the very top was Tao Ya—the Tao Clan's female cultivator who had long admired Wei Tu.
"I'll take care of it," Wei Tu said after looking through the list.
Accepting the Hanshan Tao Clan as a subordinate force didn't cost him much. All he had to do was provide the protection they needed to grow stably. No extra resources needed.
Turning reputation into real power—it was a win-win for both him and the Tao Clan.
Of course, if he hadn't gone out of his way to return Tao Chongzhou's remains and belongings, the Tao Clan probably wouldn't have trusted him enough to pledge their loyalty.
…
No one in the Tao Clan objected to Wei Tu managing the ancestor's legacy.
They had seen his character firsthand.
If he'd wanted their things, he had already had countless chances to take them.
That same day, Tao Ya, while cultivating at home, learned from Tao Fangde that she would be one of the clan's top Golden Core candidates for the next century.
"This was approved personally by Senior Wei," Tao Fangde said bluntly.
The meaning was clear. Without Wei Tu's support, there was no way Tao Ya would've been selected for such training based on her own merits.
If outsiders heard this, they might start wondering if Tao Fangde's last name was Tao… or Wei.
But Tao Fangde understood perfectly well.
Even if the Tao Clan managed to produce a Golden Core cultivator in the next hundred years, their influence and power would still fall short compared to Wei Tu.
As long as Wei Tu lived, the Tao Clan wouldn't surpass the Wei family for at least a thousand years.
And Wei Tu had already survived a battle with two peak Golden Core cultivators—Hu Shan and Qi Chengchu. Tao Fangde didn't think anything in the future could pose a real threat to him.
So the elders shifted strategy. Instead of training male cultivators who might make Wei Tu wary, they would train female cultivators and aim to become the Wei family's in-laws.
That way, the Tao Clan could be bound tightly to the Wei family and bask in Wei Tu's rising power.
"Yes, Elder."
Tao Ya's cheeks turned pink as she nodded obediently.
A hundred years ago, she and her brother Tao Jie had been hunted by the rogue cultivator Shang Ming. It was Senior Wei who had saved her life.
There were some unpleasant things that happened afterward, but she had already been captivated by his strength.
"Over ten years ago, Mei Zhen passed away, and Wei Xiuwen now lacks a partner," Tao Fangde continued. "So aside from training you, the clan will also train Wen Zhi, hoping she can become Wei Xiuwen's Dao companion."
"Spend more time with Wen Zhi. Don't let rivalry grow between you. The Tao Clan's future rests on the two of you."
Tao Fangde saw that Tao Ya understood and quietly let out a breath of relief.
What he feared most was that Tao Ya would become arrogant, thinking all her achievements were earned solely by herself, ignoring the bigger picture.
Luckily, Tao Ya wasn't difficult. She followed the clan's instructions earnestly.
"Wen Zhi?"
Tao Ya's mind conjured up a vague figure.
She remembered that Tao Wenzhi wasn't particularly talented. She had only made it to Kang Kingdom because she was part of the main family line. Even now, she hadn't reached Foundation Establishment.
"Wen Zhi resembles Mei Zhen about seventy percent," Tao Fangde explained. "The clan has already decided to fund her Foundation Establishment."
Funding someone of poor talent just because she looked like Wei Xiuwen's late wife—that would be absurd in any normal clan.
But Wei Xiuwen was the son of Wei Tu.
To the three Tao Clan elders, it was completely worth it.
"Wei Xiuwen is different from his father. He's not indulgent in women, but he doesn't oppose taking a new partner either. If Wen Zhi becomes his Dao companion, it'll also help your marriage into the Wei family."
Tao Fangde laid out the strategy.
In his view, the odds of Tao Wenzhi marrying into the Wei family were higher than Tao Ya's.
"What about Wei Changshou?" Tao Ya suddenly asked. He was the third generation of the Wei family and still unmarried.
"He's already taken care of."
Tao Fangde stroked his beard and smiled. "Wei Changshou isn't as worldly as his father or grandfather. We've already selected several promising candidates from the clan. It's just a matter of who he likes."
As a thousand-year-old cultivator clan, the Tao family had deep experience. They knew how to get close to power without making people uncomfortable.
"Tao Clan… Wei Clan…"
Tao Ya sighed softly, lost in thought.
A hundred years ago, Wei Tu had just been a powerful rogue cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Back then, the Tao Clan respected him but didn't go out of their way to curry favor.
Now, a century later, the entire Tao Clan had to throw everything they had into winning over the rising Golden Core cultivator.
That bitterness—only someone who had seen the family's highs and lows could understand it.
"Senior Wei…"
Tao Ya murmured his name softly.
Compared to her earlier admiration, her feelings now carried the full weight of her clan's future.
"Three generations—you, Wen Zhi, and the younger ones. At least one of you must succeed. Otherwise, even if I die, I won't rest in peace."
Before leaving, Tao Fangde looked seriously at Tao Ya and said in a firm tone.
If the Tao Clan failed to become the Wei family's in-laws, then their status as a subordinate family would eventually lead to total ruin—even as a thousand-year-old cultivator clan.