"Is it my fault?"
Wei Tu thought of the puppet he had left behind in the cave, which had sent a message to Che Gongwei.
It was very likely that after Che Gongwei learned about the changing situation in Zheng Kingdom, he leaked the information to Qi Chengchu, which caused Qi Chengchu to act prematurely against the Huang Clan of Heshan.
Did Qi Chengchu grow impatient?
"If he were to strike against the Huang Clan, the best opportunity would be during the large-scale invasion of Zheng Kingdom by the Demon Path. Could it be... Qi Chengchu has plans to stay in Zheng Kingdom?" Wei Tu mulled over the meaning of all this.
At this point, the order in Zheng Kingdom was still intact.
If Qi Chengchu were to attack the Huang Clan of Heshan, he would easily attract the attention of Zheng Kingdom's immortal sects.
Especially with Qi Chengchu's sensitive background.
He was originally from Jing Kingdom.
A Golden Core loose cultivator from Jing Kingdom destroying a Golden Core family in Zheng Kingdom would be an extremely dangerous move!
In other words, the current situation was not ideal for Qi Chengchu to act against the Huang Clan.
"That's true. Qi Chengchu is different from me. He is the leader of the Loose Immortal Alliance. Even if he were to sneak out of Zheng Kingdom, he wouldn't want to leave."
Thinking of this, Wei Tu shook his head.
—The Black Blood Marsh, a dangerous land, would be nearly impossible for him to cross with his early-stage Golden Core cultivation. But for Qi Chengchu, it shouldn't be a problem.
Not only did Qi Chengchu have late-stage Golden Core cultivation, but he was also a master of top-tier third-grade formations.
If Qi Chengchu wanted to leave, nothing in Kang Kingdom, including the dangerous borders, could stop him.
If Qi Chengchu planned to escape, he certainly wouldn't create any headlines. He wouldn't let the five immortal sects of Zheng Kingdom catch on.
Unless Qi Chengchu was confident that he could wipe out the Huang Clan without anyone noticing.
But Wei Tu didn't think that was likely.
Even a dying camel is larger than a horse.
The Huang Clan of Heshan, being a family founded on formations, surely had teleportation arrays leading out of their territory.
If they were ever in danger,
No cultivator would be able to stop the Huang Clan from sending a message to the outside world.
"There is no power that can't be destroyed. The Huang Clan's time has simply run out," Wei Tu thought to himself.
Years ago, when Qi Chengchu had asked him to help annihilate the Huang Clan, he had tried to convince him to negotiate with them instead of destroying them, out of respect for Huang Xinglie's past favor. But Qi Chengchu rejected the idea.
As for Wei Tu, because his relationship with the Huang Clan wasn't deep, and he had already returned the favor with his talisman, he chose not to interfere.
One sip, one bite.
If the Huang Clan had handled things differently back then, maintaining good relations with him, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
"After all, who could have predicted that an obscure Foundation Establishment cultivator would use a hundred years to become a Golden Core True Lord?" Wei Tu raised his head and looked at the clouds in the sky, feeling a tinge of emotion.
The fall of the Huang Clan,
It seemed to be a matter of a small mistake, not bothering to appease someone like him, a "Golden Core seed."
But in reality, the outcome had already been sealed.
Their family was steeped in improper conduct, and small mistakes accumulated over time, gradually turning into major errors. The subtle changes led to a fundamental transformation.
The mistake of driving him away was just one example of the many errors the Huang Clan made.
Otherwise, when their second ancestor, Huang Ju Zhi, betrayed the clan, he wouldn't have been able to take several Foundation Establishment cultivators with him.
Even if Qi Chengchu hadn't acted now,
Another Qi Chengchu would have appeared eventually.
...
After reading the intelligence on Zheng and Liang Kingdoms, Wei Tu turned to the intelligence on the Yunyan Merchant Guild.
This intel was far more detailed than what Che Gongwei had mentioned.
"The Yunyan Merchant Guild is formed by the alliance of Yunhe Merchant Guild, Tianlin Merchant Guild, Jiuyun Merchant Guild, and others…"
At this point, Wei Tu paused for a moment.
From his time in the Qi Realm at the Qi Cultivation stage, to the underground auction after his Foundation Establishment, his connection with Jiuyun Merchant Guild was not shallow.
He hadn't expected to encounter Jiuyun Merchant Guild again here in Zheng Kingdom.
"In the past, Jiuyun Merchant Guild didn't have the strength to participate in such high-level auctions. Looks like Master Queyue and Master Song helped a lot behind the scenes," Wei Tu squinted.
When he was in Zheng Kingdom, he had suspected that Master Queyue and Master Song were involved in selling resources from Jingguo's Mirror Water Pavilion and Great Voidan Sect through Jiuyun Merchant Guild, helping it become a major merchant guild.
Now, that Jiuyun Merchant Guild had qualified to join the Yunyan Merchant Guild, Wei Tu became even more certain of his suspicions.
"It's none of my business."
Wei Tu remained calm in his thoughts. Now that he was no longer in Zheng Kingdom and not directly involved in the battle between the righteous and demonic paths, these trivial matters didn't concern him much.
The jade slip not only introduced the structure of the Yunyan Merchant Guild but also listed some treasures that would be auctioned in their upcoming event.
"Third-tier body cultivation treasure, the Vajra Fruit."
Wei Tu's attention immediately fixated on it, deciding that if the price was right, he would acquire it.
One month passed quickly.
As promised, Wei Tu used the jade token left by Gong Shulan to meet her once again.
The two agreed to meet at a private room in a restaurant.
"Senior Xu." Gong Shulan, cloaked in her hooded robe, rose and greeted Wei Tu with a respectful bow.
"Fairy Gong," Wei Tu took a seat and returned the bow.
"This time, not only did I invite you to the auction, but I have also introduced two other friends of mine. They should be arriving shortly."
"I hope you don't mind," Gong Shulan said, smiling.
"This is not a secret matter. How could I possibly disturb Fairy Gong's plans to make money?" Wei Tu smiled and responded.
No one could tell that Wei Tu and Gong Shulan had old grievances between them.
After waiting for a little while, the other two cultivators finally arrived.
One was a middle-aged scholar with waxy, yellowish skin, and the other was a handsome young cultivator wearing a blood-red robe. Both were Golden Core cultivators.
"This is Mr. Huang, from the Heavenly Maiden Sect. This is Blood Daoist, from the Blood God Sect, also known as the Blood God Son. He is quite famous on the battlefield between the righteous and demonic paths," Gong Shulan introduced to Wei Tu, one by one.
"Long time no see, long time no see."
Wei Tu cupped his hands in a polite greeting.
In fact, even without Gong Shulan's introduction, Wei Tu was already familiar with both "Mr. Huang" and "Blood God Son."
The first "Mr. Huang" was someone he knew very well. Although they had never met, Wei Tu had seen his portrait several times in the Huang family of Heshan.
This "Mr. Huang" was none other than Huang Ju Zhi, the second ancestor of the Huang family.
As for the "Blood God Son" behind him, Wei Tu had seen him with his own eyes over seventy years ago when he sent Kou Hongying to the Hongyan Mountain marketplace. He had watched as the "Blood God Son" and the Heavenly Maiden Sect's "Ni Shihuang" joined forces to destroy the Hongyan Mountain marketplace.
At this moment, the three "old acquaintances" had gathered together, which surprised Wei Tu quite a bit.
However, after thinking for a moment, he quickly understood.
Gong Shulan and Huang Ju Zhi, despite belonging to different sects, both came from Zheng Kingdom, making them natural allies. It was only normal for them to band together in the Demon Path territory of Jing Kingdom to keep each other warm.
As for the Blood God Son...
Like Gong Shulan, he was a young cultivator at the early Golden Core stage, having only recently entered the Golden Core realm.
—If Gong Shulan invited cultivators, it was highly likely she would invite early Golden Core cultivators like the Blood God Son. It was unlikely she would approach mid or late-stage Golden Core cultivators.
This was because, in the past, those who were at mid or late Golden Core stages were too far above those of the Foundation Establishment stage like them, creating natural communication barriers.
Also, with his current experience, even if the person arriving was not "Blood God Son," there was still a good chance it was another familiar Golden Core Demon cultivator.
After all, Golden Core cultivators were rare in any sect, so encountering a familiar face wasn't too unusual.
As Gong Shulan introduced Huang Ju Zhi and Blood God Son, she also introduced Wei Tu.
Gong Shulan subtly mentioned that Wei Tu was a direct descendant of a certain Demon Sect, with an extraordinary background.
In her view, a Golden Core cultivator with the authority to bury Nascent Soul corpses must have a high status in their sect.
Otherwise, a month ago, she wouldn't have easily given him thirty high-grade spirit stones as an apology gift.
"Direct descendant?" Both Blood God Son and Huang Ju Zhi's hearts stirred, and they began to consider befriending Wei Tu.
"May I ask which sect Senior Xu hails from?" Blood God Son inquired.
"I am a loose cultivator," Wei Tu declined to reveal his identity.
Upon seeing this, Blood God Son and Huang Ju Zhi exchanged a glance, certain that Wei Tu's identity was not simple. Otherwise, he wouldn't be held in such high regard by Gong Shulan.
They had previously experienced Gong Shulan's "ability to recognize people."
...
With two days remaining before the auction began, the four of them chatted casually in the private room.
During the conversation, Gong Shulan mentioned the destruction of the Huang Clan of Heshan.
At first, Huang Ju Zhi seemed indifferent, but when Gong Shulan mentioned the corpses of the Huang Clan's ancestors, his expression changed.
Wei Tu understood Gong Shulan's words.
Gong Shulan was interested in the ancestral remains of the Huang Clan.
—Although the Huang Clan of Heshan had been destroyed, the remains of their ancestors were of no use to righteous cultivators, and it was unlikely they had been damaged.
However, for a Golden Core family like the Huang Clan, the tombs would often be located in secret places.
If someone like Huang Ju Zhi, a "traitor to the clan," led the way, Gong Shulan's search for the Huang Clan's ancestors' remains would be much easier.
"Although I have already left the Huang Clan, I will never allow the remains of my ancestors to be disturbed. Fairy Gong, this matter is not open for discussion!" Huang Ju Zhi coldly refused.
Hearing this, Gong Shulan sighed and no longer pressed the matter.
"Brother Huang, may I ask who destroyed your Huang Clan? How did it suddenly fall?" Blood God Son asked with curiosity.
In the righteous path, asking such a question could be considered adding salt to the wound.
However, in the Demon Path, such a question was considered quite normal.
Huang Ju Zhi's expression remained indifferent. After hearing Blood God Son's question, he furrowed his brows and said, "I am far away in Jing Kingdom. How could I know the details of the Huang Clan's destruction? However, if I find out who did this, I will not spare them!"
He said this with certainty.
Although he had betrayed the Huang Clan and had little affection for them, that didn't mean he would tolerate outsiders destroying the Huang Clan.
"Brother Huang, your courage is admirable!" Blood God Son laughed inwardly, but on the surface, he praised Huang Ju Zhi.
"Chances are slim," Wei Tu quietly assessed, not very optimistic about Huang Ju Zhi's revenge.
Qi Chengchu's strength was far beyond Huang Ju Zhi's. Not to mention, Qi Chengchu had the support of the Loose Immortal Alliance.
And Huang Ju Zhi was only at the early Golden Core stage, just a "stray dog" now.