The pills Wei Tu gave weren't just any random items—they were "Xiao Jing Pills" he had refined more than sixty years ago for Daoist Wolfslayer. These pills could burn a cultivator's vital essence to temporarily boost their power during combat, making them top-quality lower third-grade pills.
But times had changed.
Now that Wei Tu was in late Golden Core stage, these pills were practically useless to him. Still, the Xiao Jing Pills weren't trash either. As a third-grade pill, they still carried respectable value.
Giving them to Nan Zi as a congratulatory gift for her Golden Core breakthrough was a perfect choice.
First, the pills were rare enough to show sincerity without making Wei Tu feel like he was losing something precious.
Second, Nan Zi's cultivation was at early Golden Core stage. If she faced danger, she could use these pills to unleash their full potential, giving her a life-saving trump card in a crisis.
'Hah, I knew it—this Senior Brother Wei is a real catch. He's rich and generous!' Nan Zi thought proudly as she held the jade bottle, convinced that Wei Tu might have feelings for her. After all, he had come bearing gifts—two third-grade pills no less—and he clearly wasn't asking for any favors.
Back when they parted ways in Zheng Kingdom, whether it was letting her breed the Wind Cleaving Eagle without mentioning its bloodline mutation or taking Qiu Buchen under his wing and sending him to her, Nan Zi had been laying the groundwork for rekindling their bond.
Nan Zi understood well how much a young third-grade rogue talisman master like Wei Tu could help her along her cultivation path.
What she didn't know was that the Xiao Jing Pills were self-made and basically worthless in Wei Tu's eyes—just something ordinary.
"I wonder what brings Senior Brother Wei to our Beastmaster Sect this time?" Nan Zi asked casually, glancing behind Wei Tu but finding no sign of Qiu Huaisu. That only made her more confident in her suspicions. Why else would Wei Tu travel alone across kingdoms just to see her?
"Back in Zheng Kingdom, I promised Miss Nan I'd bring the Wind Cleaving Eagle to have it bred again here…" Wei Tu said with a straight face after a moment of thought. At the time, Nan Zi had failed twice to breed the eagle. To avoid her damaging her Dao heart, he'd casually promised to bring the eagle again someday.
He hadn't taken that promise seriously, since he considered Nan Zi just a friend. But there was no need to spell things out now—better to play along.
"Wind Cleaving Eagle breeding?" Nan Zi's eyes lit up immediately, and she smiled brightly, ushering Wei Tu into her cave residence.
But just as Wei Tu stepped through the door, Nan Zi's expression turned cold. She snapped at Qiu Buchen, who had been about to follow them inside. "Stop right there! When elders speak, juniors should stay silent. Go back and cultivate properly."
"Master, I…" Qiu Buchen stammered awkwardly, at a loss for what to do. He'd hoped to ask Wei Tu about his sister Qiu Huaisu.
But Qiu Buchen could read the situation. He didn't argue. He nodded obediently, then flew off into the sky.
'How long will Senior Wei stay inside Master's cave? Alone with her like that…' Qiu Buchen thought nervously as he glanced back at Nan Zi's cave from midair. A mix of hope and worry churned inside him.
Over a hundred years ago, when they left Jing Kingdom for Zheng, Qiu Buchen had sensed his sister Qiu Huaisu's quiet affection for Wei Tu. Now, as an adult, he understood those were the stirrings of a girl's first love.
He felt he had no right to interfere. After all, he was just her younger brother, and Wei Tu was practically their immortal benefactor. Apart from the gap in seniority, Wei Tu was perfect in every way.
He secretly wished that if Wei Tu formed an open relationship with someone else, it might make his sister give up her naive hopes—saving everyone some heartache.
But he also feared that if Wei Tu and his master Nan Zi really did end up together, it would shatter his sister's heart beyond repair. That thought filled him with guilt, like he'd somehow ruined his sister's chance at happiness.
Just then, his spiraling thoughts were interrupted by a voice.
"Junior Qiu? I heard there's a male cultivator here to see Fellow Daoist Nan. Who is he, and what's his relationship with your master?"
Startled, Qiu Buchen quickly looked up and saw a tall, handsome young man striding toward him with inky-black hair and sharp features.
"Elder Yu," Qiu Buchen said, bowing low in greeting while his heart sank with dread.
This was none other than Yu Jianglong, head of the Northern Moon Yu Clan—a branch the Guangyuan Yu Clan had established within the Beastmaster Sect after moving to Chu Kingdom a century ago. Back then, Yu Jianglong had joined the sect while still in Foundation Establishment stage, becoming the founding ancestor of the Northern Moon Yu line.
After that, Yu Jianglong kept advancing in his cultivation, and 50 years ago, he formed his Golden Core, becoming a Golden Core True Lord.
Another 50 years later, Yu Jianglong's path didn't stall. He recently broke through to the mid-Golden Core stage.
The reason Qiu Buchen felt a sinking feeling was because, ever since his master Nan Zi formed her core, Yu Jianglong had persistently pursued her. He kept trying to rope her in, wanting Nan Zi to become the matriarch of the Northern Moon Yu family and his dual cultivation partner.
Everyone in the Beastmaster Sect knew what the Yu family was up to.
Ever since the Beastmaster Sect got the Shengyang Mountain spiritual land, they'd been wary of Guangyuan Yu family. They definitely wouldn't let the Yu family lure away one of their sect's Golden Core female cultivators.
And Nan Zi herself knew Yu Jianglong's intentions were anything but pure. If she agreed, her future prospects in the sect would be severely limited.
But since she had accepted his gifts before, she couldn't just outright reject Yu Jianglong's advances…
Now that Yu Jianglong was asking about Immortal Master Wei, Qiu Buchen could guess with his toes alone that Yu Jianglong wasn't up to anything good.
"Qiu Shizhi, I asked you a question," Yu Jianglong said. He looked refined and wore a polite smile, but his words sent a cold chill through the air.
"Uh…" Qiu Buchen's mind spun quickly, trying to come up with a good excuse. He was determined to stall Yu Jianglong so he wouldn't ruin the good thing between Immortal Master Wei and his master.
Even though he respected Wei Tu immensely, Qiu Buchen knew all too well how hard a rogue cultivator's path was.
He figured that Wei Tu's cultivation was at most mid-Golden Core, the same level as Yu Jianglong.
But when it came to combat power, a rogue like Wei Tu would almost certainly be weaker than Yu Jianglong, a core child of a major clan.
"This person is just an old friend of my master's. He came by to ask my master for a small favor…" Qiu Buchen said carefully. "Elder Yu, you know how it is—disciples of a major sect like ours often get pestered by rogue cultivators looking for help with trivial matters. It's hard to avoid…"
He used his words to paint Wei Tu as a "poor relative" coming to beg Nan Zi for help, hoping Yu Jianglong wouldn't get jealous and see Wei Tu as a rival.
"I see…" Yu Jianglong's eyes flashed with a trace of disdain, and he let out a breath.
From what his spies reported, he'd worried he'd gotten a new competitor for Nan Zi's affection.
But it turned out it was just a broke cultivator coming to ask a favor. Not worth his time.
"Of course, if he were really close to Nan Zi, she wouldn't just send a disciple to greet him. She'd have greeted him herself…" Yu Jianglong mused inwardly.
"If he's just an old friend seeking a favor, then he's also a guest of our Beastmaster Sect…" Yu Jianglong continued, glancing at Qiu Buchen with a thoughtful look. "Since I'm close with your master, you should take me to her cave residence. If there's something within my means, I'd be happy to help her out."
Yu Jianglong's eyes gleamed. He wanted to show off in front of Nan Zi, to win her heart by flaunting his power, wealth, and status.
"Help…" Qiu Buchen froze, unable to come up with a good response.
No matter how he racked his brain, he couldn't find a polite way to refuse Yu Jianglong.
Feeling helpless, he could only nod and agree, moving ahead to lead Yu Jianglong to Nan Zi's cave.
"I just hope Master and Immortal Master Wei are actually talking business right now… Otherwise this is going to be a disaster," Qiu Buchen prayed silently as he flew toward the spiritual peak where Nan Zi's cave was located. He took out a talisman and sent a message inside as he worried.
At the same time, he noticed Yu Jianglong was using his spiritual ears, trying to eavesdrop as the talisman entered the mountain's defensive formation.
Clearly, Yu Jianglong didn't fully buy his explanation.
From Qiu Buchen's view, Yu Jianglong's ears suddenly stretched longer, and his earlobes started swaying rhythmically.
This was a secret Beast Transformation technique of the Beastmaster Sect—using beast bloodlines to gain some of their innate abilities.
But Qiu Buchen couldn't tell which beast bloodline Yu Jianglong had refined.
Moments later, sounds drifted into Yu Jianglong's extended ears.
"Senior Brother Wei, I can't believe it's been a hundred years, and your eagle has grown so majestic—almost twice as big as before…" Nan Zi's voice came through. "It's a pity it can't breed. Otherwise, those last few attempts at breeding would have succeeded."
Hearing those words, Yu Jianglong's expression darkened instantly.
But as the leader of the Guangyuan Yu family, he quickly regained his calm, making sure Qiu Buchen didn't notice anything.
The next moment—
The spiritual peak's formation opened, and Yu Jianglong darted inside ahead of Qiu Buchen, rushing straight for Nan Zi's cave.
But as soon as he reached the entrance, he was hit by a surge of fierce, dense beastly pressure.
"A mid-third-tier demon beast?" Yu Jianglong's face changed. He stopped and raised his defensive aura.
But it was already too late.
Several blades of green wind, condensed from demonic power, shot out and pierced his defensive shield, sending him flying back violently.
"Pu!" Yu Jianglong tumbled through the air, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
"Using your spirit ear technique to eavesdrop on my conversation with Miss Nan? That's really beneath your station," came a cold voice.
A man in green robes stepped out of the cave, looked at Yu Jianglong with icy eyes, and spoke calmly.