Two Years

After returning from paying respects at the Dan family home.

A month and a half passed.

Wei Tu received a wedding invitation from Dan Yangong, announcing the taking of a concubine.

Upon seeing the address on the invitation was the Dan Residence in the Prefectural City, Wei Tu couldn't help but sigh at Madam Shan Min's skillful maneuvering. He wondered how she had persuaded Dan Yangong's wife to agree to him taking a concubine.

During the several months he had stayed at the Dan Residence the previous year, he knew that although Dan Yangong's wife appeared gentle and not as fiery as Dan Fang, she possessed a strong will deep down.

Otherwise, Dan Yangong wouldn't have waited until now to take a concubine.

"What a coincidence. My eldest brother, Kou Liang, just sent a letter inviting me and Wei Fei to Xuan He Tower to catch up..."

Wei Tu glanced at the date on the invitation and mused to himself.

Nearly a year had passed, and as Fu Zhizhou had mentioned at the Prefectural Yamen, Prefect He's transfer was nearing.

These past few days, this rumor had spread throughout the County Yamen.

Wei Tu guessed that Kou Liang's letter, gathering the four brothers, was likely to discuss this matter.

Wei Tu found Wei Fei, and they agreed on a time to travel to the Prefectural City together.

Several days later.

Xuan He Tower, Room Tian Zi No. 3.

"Second brother, third brother." Upon hearing Wei Tu and Wei Fei talking outside the door, Kou Liang proactively went out to greet them.

He smiled, patted Wei Tu and Wei Fei on the shoulders, and exchanged pleasantries.

"Eldest brother."

Wei Tu and Wei Fei exchanged a look, bowed slightly, and clasped their fists in greeting to Kou Liang.

Over a year had passed, and Kou Liang hadn't changed much. Dressed in white practice attire, he was tall and broad-shouldered, exuding vigor.

However, Wei Tu and Wei Fei noticed a subtle hint of weariness in Kou Liang's eyes, a sense of unfulfilled ambition.

The two immediately understood that Kou Liang, like them, was also being suppressed by the local government of Xiao Yi Prefecture.

But compared to their mutual support and shared struggles, Kou Liang was undoubtedly much more alone.

"Where's fourth brother?" Wei Fei entered the private room, scanned it, and seeing no sign of Fu Zhizhou, frowned slightly.

On the way.

He and Wei Tu had practically traveled non-stop to arrive at Xuan He Tower before the appointed time.

Since Fu Zhizhou was their sworn fourth brother, there was no reason for him to keep his three sworn elder brothers waiting and be late himself.

"Fourth brother has been recognized by Governor Wang and is now one of his personal Imperial Guards. He's usually busy, so we'll have to wait a bit longer."

Kou Liang sat on a stool, shook his head, and explained.

"Second brother, let's have some wine first to quench our thirst."

Wei Tu also sat on a stool. He gave Wei Fei a look, signaling him not to rush and to wait patiently.

He understood the reason for Wei Fei's impatience.

Since receiving Fu Zhizhou's first letter, they hadn't received any further correspondence from him in the past six months.

Fu Zhizhou... seemed to have forgotten their sworn alliance, forgotten his two sworn brothers.

The three waited patiently.

The waiter at Xuan He Tower brought pot after pot of wine.

Until evening—

The crisp sound of armor clashing finally echoed from outside the door.

Hearing the sound, the three in the private room simultaneously looked towards the door, finally seeing the long-awaited Fu Zhizhou.

Fu Zhizhou was clad in gleaming silver armor, his helmet adorned with a red tassel, looking imposing and possessing the demeanor of a great general.

The contrast between him and the three in the room was stark.

The former was successful, the latter were not.

"Eldest brother, second brother, third brother..."

Fu Zhizhou removed his armor, revealing a dark inner garment, clasped his fists, and bowed to the three, his attitude respectful and without any arrogance.

Seeing this, Wei Tu and the other two breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts beginning to accept their "early-flying" fourth brother once more.

The four exchanged greetings.

At this point, Kou Liang signaled the Xuan He Tower waiter, who had been waiting, to serve the dishes and warm the wine.

"I apologize for making my three sworn brothers wait so long. I've been on assignment recently, so I've been at the Governor's Mansion..."

"To maintain secrecy, I dared not send anyone to deliver a message. Therefore, I hope you will forgive any inconvenience I may have caused my three sworn brothers."

Fu Zhizhou seemed to have noticed the concerns of Wei Tu and the other two, and proactively explained the reason for his neglect over the past year.

"A mission?" Kou Liang's heart stirred upon hearing the word, and his gaze towards Fu Zhizhou became inquisitive.

If Fu Zhizhou were merely an Imperial Guard military official of the Governor's Mansion, he wouldn't have reached the point of "severing all contact" with the three of them for such a reason.

"Since Big Brother is asking, then your Fourth Brother will speak frankly."

"I only hope that once the three sworn brothers know, they won't spread it around."

Fu Zhizhou thought for a moment before gritting his teeth.

—He understood that if he didn't clarify things today, after this banquet, the four of them would surely go their separate ways.

When it came to brotherhood, Fu Zhizhou felt he hadn't reached the point of sharing life and death with Wei Tu and the other two yet, but since they had made a pact, sworn a blood oath, and become brothers…

Then they should share life and death!

Feelings… could be cultivated slowly later.

"If Fourth Brother has something difficult to say, you can choose to keep it hidden. There's no need to force yourself…"

Seeing this, Wei Tu quickly spoke to stop him. He knew that sometimes, knowing too much wasn't necessarily a good thing.

He didn't want to suffer undeserved disaster and invite a deadly calamity.

"Third Brother speaks wisely."

"If Fourth Brother has something difficult to say, you don't need to tell us."

Kou Liang and Wei Fei, upon hearing this, immediately understood Wei Tu's meaning and nodded repeatedly.

If the secret were leaked, and an Innate Realm Martial Master used mental secret techniques to deal with the aftermath, it wouldn't just be Fu Zhizhou who would be punished.

They would also be implicated, and it would extend to the three of them.

Hearing this, Fu Zhizhou shook his head and explained, "This matter is closely related to the future prospects of the three sworn brothers. If you don't know this intelligence, you'll inevitably be caught off guard when it involves you in the future."

"Moreover, with my current status, as long as the three sworn brothers keep it a secret and don't speak carelessly, the government won't easily trace it back to me."

As his voice fell.

Wei Tu and the other two exchanged glances, and finally agreed to let Fu Zhizhou reveal the "secret" he knew.

"Last year, the four of us, because of the matter concerning Wu Yun Tower, resisted Prefect He, and thus we formed the Righteous Society, swore a blood oath, and vowed to support each other and advance and retreat together from now on."

"The secret matter I am about to tell you is also related to Wu Yun Tower."

"Governor Wang agreed to Prefect He's dispatch of a Martial Scholar to Wu Yun Tower for undercover work last year. This was just an overt move; Governor Wang had already laid down the real hidden chess…"

"Waiting for the day Wu Yun Tower commits a crime and the net is closed…"

"At that time, Shannan Dao will likely mobilize the local garrison troops to attack Wu Yun Tower together, and the three brothers, being skilled in martial arts, will naturally be within the scope of conscription."

"Governor Wang's Imperial Guard will be the elite force for this attack on Wu Yun Tower."

"And this timing, at the earliest, will be in three to four months, and at the latest, in one to two years."

Fu Zhizhou said slowly.

"Attack Wu Yun Tower?"

This piece of intelligence was not unfamiliar to Wei Tu and the other two.

As early as last year, they had anticipated that the government would inevitably take action against Wu Yun Tower. Wu Yun Tower was a sinking ship.

But they hadn't expected that Governor Wang would also involve the local garrison troops in the attack on Wu Yun Tower.

Wei Tu and the others knew best what the local garrison troops were like. They were almost all ruffians and vagrants. If they encountered a strong enemy, they would collapse at the first blow.

If the local garrison troops were conscripted, they, as military officials of the garrison troops, would definitely not be able to escape.

"This is an opportunity for us to earn merit. If we return to the county town and diligently train our soldiers, we might even get a chance for promotion and advancement."

Kou Liang and Wei Fei were full of fighting spirit and were very optimistic.

In contrast, Wei Tu was a little worried.

Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to lightly step onto the battlefield. After all, swords and spears have no eyes, and it would be bad to die on the battlefield.

"After the three sworn brothers receive this news, go back and secretly train your soldiers, purchase fine armor, and when the war breaks out, you will surely achieve success and establish your careers."

Fu Zhizhou smiled.

Providing this piece of intelligence was also his way of fulfilling his promise from last year to help Wei Tu and the other two when he found an opportunity.

"Thank you, Fourth Brother."

Wei Tu sighed inwardly, collected his emotions, and thanked Fu Zhizhou along with Kou Liang and Wei Fei.

He was the "Commander," and although he had a few soldiers under him, they were not an organized army, so training soldiers was not something he could do.

This opportunity to achieve success and establish his career had little to do with him.

"However, knowing this intelligence in advance is still a good thing for me. If I prepare fine armor in advance, it can save my life at a critical moment on the battlefield…"

Wei Tu thought to himself.

Half an hour later.

Fu Zhizhou donned his bright silver armor, offered an apology, and left the private room, exiting Xuan He Tower to return to his post at the Governor's Mansion.

Afterward.

The three of them also left one by one.

Returning to the Dan Residence in the Prefectural City.

Wei Tu stayed for two to three days. After the wedding banquet for Dan Yangong's new concubine concluded, he and Wei Fei returned to Qingshan County Town.

Upon returning to the county town.

This time, Wei Tu no longer hesitated about borrowing money and owing favors. For a set of fine armor, he approached Wei Fei and borrowed fifty taels of silver from him.

Next, Wei Tu approached the Huang family again, wrote an IOU, and borrowed thirty taels of silver from his Second Aunt, Wei Hong.

A total of eighty taels of silver.

Wei Tu took this money to the garrison troops' blacksmith shop, requesting the blacksmith to forge him a set of meticulously crafted armor with thorough defenses.

Time slowly passed.

In the blink of an eye, it was the Year 26 of Qing'an.

This year.

It was the fifth year of Wei Tu's cultivation of the "Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique."

In the small courtyard, after Wei Tu finished practicing the twelfth set of the Health Cultivation Technique's stance training, he suddenly felt a trace of free-flowing energy within his meridians.

This free-flowing energy was completely different from the warm currents that surged within his body during his usual stance training.

He seemed to be able to control this free-flowing energy with his mind, guiding it out of his meridians and beyond his body.

Seeing this, Wei Tu understood immediately.

He had finally cultivated his first wisp of internal energy through the Health Cultivation Technique, working from the outside in.

With this thought, Wei Tu immediately immersed his consciousness into his "Late Bloomer" Destiny to observe the changes in the inscription on this Golden Purple Destiny.

"Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique (100/100): Nine practices a day, completed in five years."

"Finished!"

"Not only did I enter the Qi Sensing Realm ahead of schedule, before the five-year mark, but I also managed to significantly boost my strength before the government attacked Wu Yun Tower..."

Wei Tu's face showed joy.

He clearly remembered starting to cultivate the Health Cultivation Technique in the late autumn of the Year 21 of Qing'an, and now he had entered the Qi Sensing Realm in the summer of the Year 26 of Qing'an.

The time difference of several months, though not long, was enough to prove that his efforts were effective.

He could complete the progress on his "Late Bloomer" Destiny ahead of time, without necessarily waiting for the fixed timeframe indicated by the inscription.

PS: This chapter is three thousand characters long, and the update is a bit late. Please continue to read.