After a brief moment of contemplation, Wei Tu made up his mind. At this crucial moment, he decided to pull Kou Liang up instead of letting him fall behind.
First, he would uphold the oath they made when they became sworn brothers and avoid setting a precedent for abandoning one's allies.
Second, he would honor the brotherhood they had built over the past twenty years.
If, even after this, Kou Liang still couldn't keep up with them, then they could discuss whether to part ways later.
But to be so ruthless as to not even give him a single chance? That was too cold-blooded.
Besides—
Who could say for sure?
Perhaps the one falling behind today might surpass the rest tomorrow.
With this thought, Wei Tu's expression grew solemn. Sweeping his gaze over his three sworn brothers, he declared,
"Since Fourth Brother has reached Xiantian and decided to help Second Brother, then as someone who has also stepped into Xiantian—I, too, cannot just stand idly by."
"If there is an opportunity, and if it is within my power, I will do my best to help our Eldest Brother also reach Xiantian."
The road to immortality is long.
It was inevitable that some would be left behind, but Wei Tu didn't want those who had advanced further to simply kick the others away without even trying.
They had spent twenty years supporting each other. Even if some of them fell behind in cultivation, at least when they faced challenges, they would still have trustworthy allies and not become isolated.
As soon as he spoke—
A heavy silence fell over the private booth.
The air became so still that even the faintest pin drop could be heard.
Everyone was surprised—
Not just by the fact that Wei Tu had reached Xiantian, but by the fact that he was willing to help Kou Liang.
It was widely known among them that—
Among the four of them, there were varying levels of closeness.
Kou Liang was closest to Fu Zhizhou, followed by Wei Fei, with Wei Tu being the most distant from him.
Now, Fu Zhizhou was openly considering leaving Kou Liang behind, yet Wei Tu was doing the exact opposite, offering him a hand.
This was completely unexpected.
Even Kou Liang himself had not anticipated this.
"Thank you, Third Brother."
Kou Liang's expression was a mix of conflicted emotions. It took him a long while before he was able to muster a response.
After a brief pause, he added, "If Third Brother helps me, I will not forget this kindness. I swear I will repay you someday."
With that, the tense moment passed.
Under the hopeful gazes of the others, Wei Tu shared his insights on breaking through to Xiantian, as well as his discovery of the presence of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.
—
A quarter-hour later.
As the meeting drew to a close, Fu Zhizhou hesitated briefly before revealing another piece of important news.
"Recently, I have heard reports that the bandits in Guangyuan Prefecture have become increasingly aggressive. They have repeatedly defeated government troops, and there is a real possibility that they could soon advance on Qingfeng Prefecture."
"For the sake of safety, we should relocate our families as soon as possible."
"If the prefectural city is besieged, we—with our martial skills—will be able to escape unharmed."
"But our families will not be so lucky."
"Guangyuan Prefecture bandits?"
Hearing this familiar term, Wei Tu's expression darkened.
Guangyuan Prefecture bordered Qingfeng Prefecture, and both were under the jurisdiction of Southern Mountain Dao.
For the past six months, like Fu Zhizhou, Wei Tu had heard many rumors about Guangyuan's rebels—or, rather, Guangyuan's uprising forces.
However, he had never imagined that the situation had deteriorated to the point where evacuating their families was necessary.
During his twenty-plus years as an official, Wei Tu had heard countless reports of "bandit raids" and "peasant uprisings."
At the very least, he had heard about thirty to fifty such incidents.
But without exception—
Every single one of those rebellions was swiftly crushed by government forces before they could become a real threat.
Now, however—
A full-scale rebellion that had overtaken an entire prefecture was unprecedented.
"With mere peasant strength alone, an uprising of this scale should be impossible…"
"Any single Xiantian martial artist could infiltrate their army and assassinate their leader, ending the rebellion before it grew this large."
"Which means—"
Wei Tu's eyes gleamed sharply as he turned to Fu Zhizhou, waiting for his explanation.
—If his suspicions were correct, then this rebellion in Guangyuan Prefecture might be an opportunity for both him and Fu Zhizhou.
An opportunity to come into contact with the immortal cultivation world—as well as the Xiantian martial artists of the imperial court.
"Third Brother, it seems you've already figured it out," Fu Zhizhou spoke at the right moment.
"This rebellion in Guangyuan Prefecture, led by King Xiaoshan, Wu Yishan, is being supported by a force that does not belong to the imperial court. "
"And within this force, there is at least one Xiantian martial artist. Maybe... even an immortal sect."
"Because of this, we must prepare in advance and plan our next moves carefully."
—
Relocating their family members was a matter of utmost urgency.
After the meeting at Xuanhe Tower, Wei Tu returned home and immediately ordered Xinghua to begin packing their valuables, preparing for evacuation at the right moment.
All four of them were government officials and held military ranks, meaning their families had long been monitored by imperial spies.
Their daily comings and goings would not raise suspicion—
But if they suddenly relocated their entire households, the imperial court would surely take notice and question their motives.
Several days later—
The four of them finalized their evacuation plan:
On the night of the seventh day, at the first quarter of the hour of the Tiger (寅时), the three families would depart through the western gate, escorted by Fu Zhizhou.
The official reason? Traveling to Xiaoyi Prefecture to pay respects to their elders.
Once settled in Xiaoyi Prefecture, the dust would settle.
As long as they kept a low profile during this time, the imperial court—following the principle of "fewer problems, better stability"—would not deliberately make things difficult for them.
—After all, they were not the only officials in Qingfeng Prefecture who had caught wind of the danger and begun moving their families out.
However—
Wei Tu had never expected that on the fifth night of preparations, an elderly woman, dressed in tattered clothes with graying hair, would suddenly appear at the back gate of the Wei household.
"First Madam?!"
Xinghua recognized the old woman immediately.
After she was led inside by a servant, she gasped in shock and called out in astonishment.
"I will fetch Master Wei right away!"
Xinghua quickly composed herself.
She did not immediately question how Li Tongshi had ended up in such a dire state, nor did she pry into what calamity had befallen the Li family.
Instead, she calmly ordered the maidservants to serve tea before promptly leaving the hall to find Wei Tu.
Under Wei Tu's protection, it was almost impossible for the Li family to have ended up in such ruin.
Clearly, the Li family must have suffered some great misfortune, forcing Li Tongshi to seek out Wei Tu in desperation.
—
Shortly after—
Wei Tu entered the main hall, where he found Li Tongshi seated anxiously in a guest seat, hands gripping her teacup tightly.
"First Madam, what brings you to my residence?"
Wei Tu did not bother with pleasantries.
He simply cast a calm gaze at Li Tongshi before asking directly.
It had been nearly thirty years, and whatever favors he owed to the Li family, he had long since repaid in full through County Captain Xu.
If anything—
He had done far more than necessary.
Three years ago, had he not stepped in, the Li family would have already fallen into ruin.
Hearing his words, Li Tongshi lowered her head, holding her teacup tightly.
She spoke in a subdued voice—
"It's about Xingye."
"Two months ago, Xingye left home and pledged allegiance to Ming Province King as an advisor under his command..."
"When the imperial court learned of this, they immediately arrested all thirteen members of the Li family—detaining, interrogating, and torturing us day and night..."
"If not for an old acquaintance of yours in the county office, I would have never escaped..."
"I would have never made it here—to beg for your help."