Chapter 494: Reunion with Hu Yao, A Trade Initiated
Wushan Kingdom bordered the Chu Kingdom.
Wei Tu didn’t even take a full month before arriving at Abyssal Marsh Immortal City in Wushan Kingdom, where the main headquarters of the Flying Immortal Alliance was located.
But for safety’s sake, Wei Tu didn’t go looking for Alliance Leader Tan right away to trade the three Yinchen Stones in his possession.
Instead, after changing his appearance and clothes, he stayed patiently in the same rental cave dwelling he'd used the last time he was in Abyssal Marsh Immortal City, waiting for the annual secret market trade fair hosted by the Flying Immortal Alliance to begin.
"Wonder if I’ll run into Ancestor Tianxie, Gong Shulan, or the group from Hu Shan again this time."
After settling in, Wei Tu released his divine sense, carefully monitoring everyone coming and going on the nearby streets.
Over forty years ago, it was here that he’d accidentally caught sight of Gong Shulan and her two companions.
So he figured the chance they’d pass through this street again during the secret market event shouldn’t be too low.
Of course, he wasn’t tailing them with any bad intentions. He wasn’t nearly strong enough to provoke someone like Ancestor Tianxie.
What he really wanted was to buy some Curse Ghosts from Gong Shulan.
Disciples of the Soul-Capturing Sect never lacked in ghostly spirits captured from other cultivators and spirit beasts.
After all, he’d already made a big enemy out of the Six Desires Daoist, and going back into the demonic regions to hunt down more demonic cultivators or beast spirits wasn’t exactly realistic anymore.
Months ago, when he’d faced off against Ji Yifeng, the reason he didn’t flee immediately was that all of his Curse Ghosts had been exhausted while escaping from Lüqiu Jinyuan’s clone.
To avoid ending up in that situation again, getting more Curse Ghosts was now a must.
As for grudges...
'Better to resolve them than let them fester.'
Back in the Great Void Realm secret realm, because of the Demon Lord Gui Luo, he had once briefly worked together with Gong Shulan and Fairy Hu Shan.
On top of that, he also wanted to see if he could learn anything from her about the current whereabouts of Qi Chengchu.
Decades ago, he’d promised Huang Ju Zhi that when the time was right, he would kill Qi Chengchu and avenge the extermination of the Huang Clan of Heshan.
But all of that hinged on one thing—Ancestor Tianxie not being around Gong Shulan. If he was, there’s no way Wei Tu would dare reveal his identity or speak to her directly.
"Got lucky."
Half a year later, after constant surveillance, Wei Tu finally spotted Gong Shulan and her group passing through the street once more.
This time, Ancestor Tianxie wasn’t with her. Only her senior brother, the Hu Shan Immortal, accompanied her.
Like Wei Tu, they had also concealed their identities.
But their disguises were no match for Wei Tu’s Ghost-Eyed Demon Spider and Sun-Gazing Golden Eyes.
What did surprise him a little, though, was that after more than forty years, Gong Shulan—just like Fu Linglong—had stepped across the threshold and reached the Nascent Soul stage.
But after thinking about it for a bit, he was no longer surprised.
Gong Shulan, like Fu Linglong, was born with a spiritual root body. And her master, Ancestor Tianxie, was far more powerful and respected than Fu Linglong’s master, Master Jinglian.
Besides, Gong Shulan had plenty of opportunities.
Back in the day, she’d beat him to one of the only three Nascent Soul cultivation caves inside the Stone Demon Tower.
So if she’d taken too long to reach Nascent Soul, that would've been the strange part.
Wei Tu continued to trail Gong Shulan with his divine sense for a while. Once he confirmed that Ancestor Tianxie wasn’t hiding at her residence, he finally felt at ease and initiated contact.
...
"A message talisman?"
"Who would send me a talisman here?"
In a quiet courtyard within Abyssal Marsh Immortal City, Gong Shulan was sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed when she suddenly sensed a talisman at the door. Her expression turned uneasy and suspicious.
After all, this time she’d already used a disguise technique in advance to hide her identity.
Only one person knew where she was staying—her senior brother, Hu Shan Immortal.
Other cultivators might have a chance of recognizing her, but… how strong would they have to be to see through her disguise?
In an instant, a few late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, along with a few well-known mid-stage Nascent Soul devil cultivators, flashed through her mind.
"Let’s check the message first." Gong Shulan took a deep breath to calm herself. She reached out and used a spell to draw in the message talisman from outside the courtyard.
But the moment she read it, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"It’s a letter from Wei Tu?" she murmured, surprised by the signature.
She remembered—Wei Tu’s cultivation was just like hers, a newly advanced Nascent Soul.
He had merely broken through a few decades earlier than she did.
With a newly formed Nascent Soul, there was no way he could’ve seen through her disguise and figured out her real identity.
"This handwriting… no doubt it’s Wei Tu’s."
Gong Shulan thought for a moment and then took out a letter Wei Tu had written her years ago, back when she used to go by "Hu Yao." She compared them carefully.
"Just not sure if this letter is genuine…"
Her almond eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced toward the neighboring courtyard where Hu Shan Immortal was staying.
In the cultivation world, people could fake faces so convincingly—what was faking handwriting?
To her, the chance of this letter coming from Hu Shan Immortal seemed greater than it coming from Wei Tu.
After all, two centuries ago, Hu Shan had witnessed her moment of vulnerability when she’d learned the "news" of Wei Tu’s death.
He knew how much Wei Tu meant to her—and he also knew her real identity now.
Even with all her doubts, Gong Shulan thought it over for a while and still decided to meet this “Wei Tu” as the message talisman requested.
After all, she wasn’t like ordinary cultivators. With the Ghost Spirit Jade in her possession, she had dual-soul embodiment. Even if she did fall into a trap, she could escape easily.
Simply put, she had room for error.
Besides, even if this was all Hu Shan’s doing...
Back in the Great Void Realm, she hadn't feared her senior brother then. Why should she be wary now, after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage?
...
A few days later.
Wei Tu arrived early at the designated location, waiting for Gong Shulan—or rather, “Hu Yao,” the old acquaintance—to show up.
He had deliberately chosen this particular immortal inn. It had formation barriers and array wards, so he didn’t need to worry about eavesdropping or being spied on.
"Wei Tu?"
Moments later, Gong Shulan arrived. She pushed open the wooden door of the private room. When she saw Wei Tu's face, surprise flickered across her delicate features.
It was like she couldn’t believe the one who asked to meet her was really Wei Tu, not someone impersonating him.
She still recognized Wei Tu’s aura. She could tell if he was real or fake.
"Fellow Daoist Wei, how did you learn of my true identity and where I’m staying in Abyssal Marsh Immortal City?"
After the initial shock, Gong Shulan collected herself. Her gaze grew sharp and wary as she stared directly at him.
Over two hundred years ago, when she had heard the news of Wei Tu’s death, she did indeed fall out with Hu Shan and tried to avenge him.
But Gong Shulan also knew full well—she had once deceived Wei Tu, joined the demonic path, and had long since become an enemy in his eyes.
Having an enemy know her secrets and whereabouts? That was far more terrifying than any trap Hu Shan might’ve set for her.
After her voice fell silent, Wei Tu didn’t answer right away. He paused for a moment, then lifted his head to look at her. His eyes gleamed, flashing with golden light.
"A spirit-eye technique?"
Seeing this, Gong Shulan suddenly understood and let out a big sigh of relief.
She could tell Wei Tu had cultivated that spirit-eye technique to a high level. With that, it wasn’t strange if he’d coincidentally seen through her disguise and learned her identity.
"Fellow Daoist Wei, your spirit-eye technique must be the Sun-Gazing Golden Eyes from the She Ri Tribe, right?"
Gong Shulan smiled gently, just like when she used to interact with Wei Tu as “Hu Yao.”
"That’s right. This technique is exactly the Sun-Gazing Golden Eyes from the She Ri Tribe. I’ve always had a good relationship with Immortal Master Jinxia from the tribe. He gave it to me some time ago."
Wei Tu lied smoothly, giving a light laugh.
Then he got straight to the point. He explained he’d come to buy the spiritual essences of late Golden Core stage or higher cultivators and spirit beasts from her.
"The Soul-Capturing Sect is a demonic sect, known for slaughtering demonic elites. Miss Gong, you probably have no shortage of such items on hand."
At that, Gong Shulan frowned slightly. She couldn’t help but wonder if Wei Tu had also stepped onto a demonic path—why else would he be asking to buy such sinister materials?
Items like these had almost no use in orthodox cultivation methods.
Still, business was business. As a demonic cultivator herself, she had no right to lecture him. After thinking briefly, she said:
"I do have some cultivator and spirit beast essences, but those from late Golden Core stage or higher... are extremely rare."
"Fellow Daoist Wei should know how rare late Golden Core cultivators and beasts are."
Her meaning was simple—if he wanted to buy such high-level spirit essences, he’d have to pay a high price. Ordinary items weren’t going to cut it.
But Wei Tu had come prepared.
He smiled calmly and said, "I have deep pockets. That’s one thing you don’t need to worry about, Miss Gong."
As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve. A withered, clawed hand appeared on the table.
"This is...?" Gong Shulan blinked, unsure what Wei Tu was getting at. From his earlier words, she’d expected spirit talismans, pills, or spirit stones—standard trade items.
"A remnant of a quasi-Divine Transformation cultivator."
Wei Tu said it plainly.
This item was one of the gruesome skeletal claws he had gotten from Yan Gongcheng—what that man had called a “Holy Ancestor’s Remains.”
In the Donghua Demon Kingdom, only Divine Transformation cultivators could be honored with the title “Holy Ancestor.”
However, based on Wei Tu’s investigations afterward, this “Holy Ancestor’s Remains” in Yan Gongcheng’s possession were, at best, from a quasi-Divine Transformation cultivator—still a ways from actually reaching that realm.
It was like the gap between Ji Zhang and himself.
After thinking it through, Wei Tu decided to use this idle “Holy Ancestor Remains” as his bargaining chip with Gong Shulan.
A real Divine Transformation cultivator’s remains? A Nascent Soul cultivator like him selling that might bring serious trouble.
But remains of a failed breakthrough candidate? No such risk.
No late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would be interested in the bones of someone who failed to reach Divine Transformation.
But unlike Wei Tu, Gong Shulan had a Ghost Spirit Body that could control puppet corpses.
For him, the item was basically useless. For her, it was nearly the perfect puppet material.
In short, using this to trade with Gong Shulan would let him push the price high without underselling himself.
"What? Quasi-Divine Transformation remains?"
Gong Shulan was stunned. Her eyes lit up as she stared at the bone.
A quasi-Divine Transformation cultivator was nothing to a true Divine Transformation expert, but to most Nascent Soul elders, they were already overwhelming figures.
She had just stepped into the Nascent Soul stage herself. If she could get her hands on such remains, it would massively boost her power.