After selling all the monster parts he acquired from the trial in the Red Snake Mountains to Zhang Li, a high-class shopkeeper in the Spirit Beast Market, Yang Wei pocketed over 200,000 high-grade spirit stones.

However, the bulk of his earnings came from selling a single sixth-grade Blood Strengthening Pill alongside said monster parts.

In the system of spirit stones, there were four grades: low, mid, high, and peak.

Each hundred stones of a lower grade equated to one of the next higher grade.

So, Yang Wei’s haul represented a hefty sum, equivalent to a quarter of what an average middle-class sect might make bi-monthly.

With that sort of wealth, one could buy access to forbidden or restricted cultivation realms, ancient cultivation manuals imbued with the wisdom of ancient cultivators, or even divine artifacts with immense power, such as divine swords or heavenly talismans.

What Yang Wei did with all that wealth might seem like a mystery at first, but it became crystal clear once one knew the answer.

…

On a crisp morning in Red Lantern Village, Wu Fengtian donned his worn-out work robes, the perfect attire for his early morning labor alongside his father. He assumed a martial arts stance and delivered a powerful punch, shattering a thick tree trunk effortlessly.

BOOM!

With a grin, he dusted off his hands, well-amazed by his growing strength.

“Who would’ve thought I’d become this powerful?” Wu Fengtian mused to himself as he approached his father, Wu Shu, who was diligently chopping the felled trees into logs with a hefty axe.

“Feng, my boy, bring the next one over,” Wu Shu instructed, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Sure thing, Father,” Wu Fengtian replied, heaving another massive trunk onto his shoulder and maneuvering it over to his father’s chopping area.

With a swift swing, Wu Shu’s axe made short work of the tree trunk. “This axe that Wei’er spirit-refined for me is simply divine,” he commented, admiring the sharpness of the blade. “It makes this job a whole lot easier, for me…” he placed a hand on his lower back, “…and my back,” a small chuckle left his mouth.

Yang Wei had spirit-refined the axe only once so that Wu Shu would be able to wield it efficiently.

Leaving the axe buried in the thick wood, Wu Shu straightened up, wiping sweat from his forehead. “Feng, when are you going to learn to spirit-refine properly like your elder brother?” he asked playfully.

“He’s not my senior brother,” Wu Fengtian replied, his tone a touch defensive. He hesitated, then continued, “Well, he’s not my senior brother… in that sense.”

Seeing the frustration etched on his son’s face, Wu Shu offered a reassuring smile as he gently placed a hand on Wu Fengtian’s head. “Why would you think that?” he asked softly.

“With the kind of talent Senior Brother Yang has, I’m sure he’ll leave us… me, behind eventually and focus solely on rising to the top in this world dominated by superior women. I don’t stand a chance at advancing with him.” With each word Wu Fengtian spoke his fists got tighter and tighter.

Wu Shu nodded understandingly, his expression empathetic. “I understand your concerns, my son. But remember, everyone has their own path to walk. You have your strengths too, and I believe in you.”

“R-, really, Father?”

The father gave his son the most confident nod in history, and told him, “Yes.” He pat Wu Fengtian’s head again. “But I also believe, Wei’er will not abandon you… I can bet my life on that.”

Wu Shu clearly had more to say to his son at that moment. It appeared that with Wu Fengtian living in the sect, he never really had the chance to have that important heart-to-heart chat with his son, the kind that could help him grow in life. Just as he was about to speak, Wu Meixiang burst out of the house, calling for their attention.

“Father! Father! Feng! Feng! Father!” Meixiang’s urgent cries cut through the quiet morning air, startling both men.

They turned towards her, watching as she sprinted toward them like a mad woman. When she reached them, she doubled over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath as if on the verge of collapse.

Wu Shu’s concern was pronounced. “Mei, what sort of madness is this?!”

Struggling to catch her breath, Meixiang managed to gasp out a reply. “It’s Xinqi, her illness… it’s acting up again…”

The mention of their ailing sister’s name sent a jolt of fear through both Wu Shu and Fengtian. Without a word, they exchanged worried glances before dashing toward the house, their feet pounding the ground as they raced to reach Wu Xinqi.

…

It didn’t take long before the two men burst into the room where Wu Xinqi lay. They found Wu Yifei at her bedside, tears streaming down her face, her hands trembling with fear.

Wu Shu hurried to his wife’s side, gently helping her to her feet. “You need to calm down,” he said, his voice strained with worry. Before he could finish, Wu Yifei cut him off, her voice filled with anger and pure desperation.

“Stop telling me to calm down! What are we supposed to do?! Our daughter is dying, and we can’t afford her medication! We have no lands, no assets… just, no nothing!” she cried, pointing at Wu Xinqi, whose body was marred with black veins, coughing up blood.

Wu Shu was at a loss for words, the weight of helplessness heavy on his shoulders.

She’s right, and this is all my fault… for being such a useless and incompetent father.

Meanwhile, Fengtian knelt beside his sister’s bed, clutching her frail hand. “Xinqi? Xinqi? Please, say something,” he pleaded, his voice choked with emotion. He was trying his hardest not to cry; however, his eyes couldn’t fight back the tears that were forcing themselves out.

Xinqi managed a weak smile despite her condition. “Don’t cry, Feng Feng. I’m *cough cough* okay, really.” While she said this, her weak, raspy voice couldn’t hide the amount of pain she was suffering at that moment.

Just seeing how his little sister was trying to hold it together to avoid causing any worry only made him shed more tears. He buried his face into her and cried quietly.

If I just had enough money… I’d be able to, to… *sob sob* to do something… at least!

Meanwhile, Wu Yifei collapsed into her husband’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably. She felt a mix of frustration, anger, and vulnerability.

As for Wu Shu, he simply stood there, embracing his wife while gazing at his ailing daughter.

All hope is lost, it seems…

Out of nowhere, Wu Meixiang rushed into the room, her breath ragged from all the running she’d been doing.

“Father! Mother!”

All eyes turned to her as she entered.

Wu Yifei, who had been crying into her husband’s chest, lifted her head, wiping away tears slowly as she spoke. “Mei, what’s that matter?” she asked, her voice still trembling from her presently sorrowful state; she was scared it was some more bad news.

Please, let it be good news… I can’t take any more of this.

Panting between her words, Wu Meixiang pointed behind her. “Th-, there’s… *pant pant* something strange happening outside,” she explained.

Wu Fengtian was the first one to dash out of the house, and as he reached outside, he had to steady himself, nearly stumbling because of his haste. What he beheld left him utterly stunned…

It was a Cloud Carriage.

This luxurious mode of transportation was typically reserved for the wealthiest merchants, nobles, and royals. A heavenly cloud pulled by flying beasts and powered by spiritual energy; it looked like something befitting an Immortal.

“H…huh?”

Wu Fengtian couldn’t make sense of it.

What would such a high-profile carriage be doing in a remote place like the Red Lantern Village?

Soon, the rest of his family emerged from the house, with Wu Shu carrying Wu Xinqi in his arms. “Feng, what’s happening?” Wu Shu asked, looking very concerned.

Before Fengtian could respond, a man dressed in a fancy formal attire stepped down from the carriage, clearing his throat in a posh manner. “Ahem,” he began, adjusting his collar with unneeded swagger. “Allow me to explain.” Even his accent was posh and snobbish.

The man brought out a scroll from within his robes.

Unfurling the scroll, it stretched out to a length of 10 meters, containing a wealth of information.

The man then began to read aloud from it.

“The esteemed Star Disciple of the Dragon Blossom Sect, Cultivator Yang Wei, gifts the Wu family with a considerable fortune of 90,000 high-grade spirit stones. Additionally, he has bestowed upon them twenty farming lands and thirty-three plots in populated regions across the Northern Continent.”

He paused for a breather, then continued.

“Alongside these, he has provided high-quality livestock including spirit cattle, chickens, and pigs, as well as a sizable spirit beast farm in Imperial Orchid Village and two smaller ones in Dragon Ridge Township. Furthermore, he arranged for guards to protect the Wu family and their property from potential threats.

Not stopping there, he contributed to the development of Red Lantern Village by financing the village’s Community Infrastructure Team to construct a bridge spanning the entire Thousand Monsters Forest, thereby facilitating better trade between Red Lantern Village and other surrounding settlements…”

The man stopped to look Wu Fengtian.

“Lastly, he also ensured that Master Fengtian received some valuable assets.”

A group of burly men stepped off the carriage lugging countless massive wooden chests filled with the most expensive herbs available in the market, along with several golden pill furnaces and medicinal manuals.

“W… what?!” Wu Fengtian uttered.

Approaching Wu Fengtian, the man handed him a tightly bound scroll.

“This is from Cultivator Yang Wei… he says it’s meant for only your eyes.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep