"Wei Tu, I can arrange for you and Qingluo to meet in private... but the number of times will be limited."
Zhao Huamin's tone softened a bit. But Wei Tu noticed she put special emphasis on the words "in private." Right then, he understood why Zhao Huamin wanted to meet him alone this time. The Shengya Zhao Clan didn't oppose his relationship with Zhao Qingluo, but they wouldn't really support it either. Their main concern was always protecting the family's reputation.
So, for the sake of that reputation, he—the "lover" who would mess up the marriage—obviously couldn't show up in public. Once this sensitive period passed, and after the engagement between the Shengya Zhao Clan and the Heavenly Will Sect Jiao Clan was broken, then he and Zhao Qingluo could be open about things. The sensitive period, just as Zhao Huamin said earlier, was forty-five years.
Zhao Huamin believed Wei Tu would understand the clan's dilemma. After all, it was mutually beneficial if things worked out, and mutually damaging if they didn't. Wei Tu's cultivation and alchemy skill earned her respect, even admiration. From a border country's rogue cultivator, he had reached a level comparable to a Shengya Mountain core disciple—a feat family-born cultivators leaning on their ancestors couldn't match.
But in front of the Shengya Zhao Clan, these achievements still weren't enough. Today, letting Wei Tu talk as an equal was already a show of "mercy" from the clan.
But—
Wei Tu's response next caught Zhao Huamin off guard.
"I am a man and will not accept such humiliation, even if it is just acting." Wei Tu shook his head. "Please speak plainly. If there is another way to fix things, I am willing to try," he said, keeping his tone polite.
He knew the clan's reputation was important, but he didn't believe the Shengya Zhao Clan had no other choice—losing Zhao Qingluo's status to save the clan's face was simply a business transaction in their eyes.
Of course, he didn't think the clan was wrong. Zhao Qingluo herself had agreed to all this. In fact, nobody was really wrong here—neither the clan for protecting itself, nor Zhao Qingluo for choosing her future.
The only thing wrong was the timing.
Back before Yu Tong had brought Qingluo's letter to him, he and Zhao Qingluo weren't even together. At that time, Zhao Qingluo had confessed to him twice, and both times he turned her down.
The marriage offer from the Shengya Zhao Clan to Zhao Qingluo was very generous. If all she lost was her personal status but gained a promising future, even Wei Tu might have agreed in her place. Before their relationship was confirmed, Zhao Qingluo had every right to decide her own status.
She'd told him everything about this honestly in her letter, with nothing to hide. In other words, Wei Tu could choose to accept or refuse this kind of Zhao Qingluo, but he had no right to blame her for her decisions. To do otherwise would just be shameless.
So, Wei Tu chalked this up to a matter of timing—not anyone's fault.
There was another reason, too. If he was still just a low Foundation Establishment cultivator without Golden Core-level power, he probably wouldn't have even come to Shengya Mountain, let alone talked with the Zhao Clan. Only with enough strength do you have the right to fight for what you want. Without that, it's just angry, pointless flailing.
"Alchemist Wei is reasonable," Zhao Huamin said after a long silence, looking at Wei Tu with newfound respect. His reaction, though unexpected, fit her impression of him—ambitious, not your average Golden Core cultivator.
"The engagement was decided by the ancestor. I have no power to change it, but I know the consequences... If we break it off, even if the ancestor doesn't hold a grudge and lets you make up for it, Qingluo's status as a core disciple will probably end right there..."
She made it plain: Wei Tu had his pride and didn't want to accept this, but that didn't mean Zhao Qingluo was willing to give up everything. Wei Tu's resources were likely far from enough to make up for what Qingluo would lose if she gave up being a core disciple. That would mean making her give up her cultivation path. Was Qingluo really willing to do that?
In short: if Wei Tu wanted to fix things, to end the engagement, he could—but he'd have to convince Qingluo first, not the clan.
"If Qingluo isn't willing, I'll leave Shengya Mountain and never bother her about this again," Wei Tu replied, smiling calmly.
Before, he and Zhao Qingluo had no clear relationship. She had the right to handle her own affairs, even agree to the clan's engagement. But now he was here... If she wasn't willing to give it up, then there was no reason for him to pester her.
"Alchemist Wei is truly broad-minded." Zhao Huamin praised him again. If she wasn't already married, she thought she might be moved by someone with such potential.
To pick something up and be able to put it down—these words sound easy, but cultivators who can really do it are rare.
"Alchemist Wei, if Qingluo isn't the right person, our Shengya Zhao Clan still has plenty of eligible women willing to marry you," Zhao Huamin said after a moment of thought.
As the clan's main elder, she truly admired Wei Tu. At first, she only treated Wei Tu with respect because of his cultivation. Now, it was genuine respect for his character.
Wei Tu just smiled at her words and didn't answer.
"Let me arrange for you to meet with Qingluo," Zhao Huamin said as she stood up, waved her jade sleeve, and removed the sound barrier formation.
Shengya Mountain had all kinds of cultivation secret realms, and as a core disciple, Zhao Qingluo could use them for free. Most of the time, she wasn't on Shendu Island, but inside one of these secret realms training hard.
Three days later, Zhao Qingluo came back to Shendu Island. Under Zhao Huamin's careful arrangement, Wei Tu met Zhao Qingluo in a quiet, out-of-the-way room.
"It's you? Wei Tu!" Zhao Qingluo opened the door, saw him inside, and her face instantly showed a mix of emotions—joy and resentment. All those feelings finally turned into a long, soft sigh.
"Princess Qingluo." For a moment, Wei Tu didn't know what to say. After a bit, he finally squeezed out that familiar title. Even though he'd been married and had kids, his feelings for Xinghua were more like childhood friends or family, so talking was easy. But with Zhao Qingluo, there was still that awkward distance—a different kind of feeling between a man and a woman.
"If only you'd said yes to me in the Cloud Ze Secret Realm, or back on Qiyue Mountain. That would've been great," Zhao Qingluo said as she closed the door and sat down across from him, a bit unhappy.
Twenty-five years ago, she agreed to the clan's arrangement and said yes to marrying Jiao Zihua. After that, she thought she'd given up on Wei Tu forever—she didn't think she'd ever see that "liar" again. But then, at this turning point, Yu Tong from Kang Kingdom brought her Wei Tu's letter, and somehow she ended up writing back.
That was her third confession. She thought it would sink into the sea, never to return. She never imagined that, after twenty-five years, Wei Tu would actually come to Shengya Mountain to see her.
"Back then, how could I have dared to pursue the princess?" Wei Tu gave a helpless smile and rubbed his nose at her half-blaming words. The Qiyue Zhao Clan was the top immortal family in Zheng Kingdom. He'd only been a little Foundation Establishment cultivator—he never dared mess with the clan's favored daughter.
To be honest, if it hadn't been for Zhao Qingluo getting engaged and pushing him, he probably wouldn't have made things clear with her even now.
"Alright, enough about the past. Don't call me princess anymore, just call me Qingluo," Zhao Qingluo said, her face blushing as she changed how he should address her.
"Qingluo?" Wei Tu looked at her closely. Dressed in a pale moon-colored palace robe, she was elegant and stunning, like a fairy. Her beauty was just a notch below Fu Linglong, but still absolutely stunning.
'Why am I thinking about Fu Linglong now?' Wei Tu silently scolded himself and pushed that thought out of his mind. It wasn't because he was lustful, but because Fu Linglong's looks were simply unforgettable—almost like there was some Buddhist magic at work, even more effective than regular charm techniques.
"But, let's not change how we address each other just yet. There's something I need to confirm with you. If you can't agree, then just treat it as if I was never here today," Wei Tu said, tone firm.
"What is it?" Zhao Qingluo instantly went pale, forcing a smile as she looked up at him.
"Your marriage to Jiao Zihua... Before, I wasn't your Dao companion, so I couldn't interfere. But if I am your Dao companion, then I have to get involved," Wei Tu said, his voice low. "I've already spoken with Zhao Huamin. As long as you agree to cancel this engagement, I can discuss a way to make it up to the Shengya Zhao Clan."
Wei Tu knew clearly that even if Zhao Huamin and the clan agreed to compensation, it would probably be a huge, maybe even impossible, sum for him to handle, or the price would be very high. But what he really wanted was just an answer from Zhao Qingluo.
He came all this way, crossing countries and risking danger to talk to the Shengya Zhao Clan about this. Now, it was Zhao Qingluo's turn to put something on the line.
Yes, Wei Tu knew Zhao Qingluo had real feelings for him, and they weren't shallow. But in the cultivation world, Dao companions needed to help and support each other for a lifetime. Feelings alone wouldn't get you far. Zhao Qingluo loved him because he saved her several times. She had helped him too, but that was mostly support from a wealthy daughter, not a life-changing sacrifice.
Of course, in her shoes, even Wei Tu probably wouldn't give up his own future to be with someone he liked. So, no matter what Zhao Qingluo chose, he wouldn't blame her. He would only... quietly wish her well.