Just as Wei Tu had expected.
Back then, Bai Zhi set up a third-rank concealment array for Yan Xiaolan, but over ten years ago, it had already been discovered by a small immortal sect near Feng Prefecture called the Hanwang Sect.
The reason for the discovery wasn't because the array had obvious flaws, but because one of the sect's cultivators noticed that the surrounding spiritual energy would randomly vanish whenever they passed by.
This oddity was similar to what ancient texts described as the aura of places hiding rare heavenly treasures.
Because of that, Hanwang Sect cultivators mistakenly believed Yan Xiaolan's hiding place was the site of some hidden treasure. They began pouring in huge amounts of manpower and money to excavate the area.
Though Hanwang Sect was small and weak, it still had a Golden Core cultivator and several Foundation Establishment True Persons within its ranks.
Faced with this, Yan Xiaolan didn't dare reveal herself or confront them directly. So, when the moment was right, she used the disguise technique Wei Tu had given her and secretly escaped.
By the time Wei Tu arrived in Feng Prefecture of the Xiao Kingdom, what had once been the "third-rank concealment array" had already turned into a ruined wasteland.
After some inquiry, he pieced together what had happened.
Although anger simmered in his heart, Wei Tu didn't place too much blame on Hanwang Sect. After all, their actions made sense—this outcome was just the result of an unfortunate coincidence.
'In this vast world, finding Yan Xiaolan won't be easy. But with her smarts, and considering she's still carrying the spiritual poison, she won't be moving around recklessly,' Wei Tu thought to himself.
He guessed that Yan Xiaolan was most likely still in the region near Feng Prefecture, or perhaps somewhere in Cao Prefecture, where her family was based.
He leaned toward the latter because...
Even though Yan Xiaolan had abandoned her family to follow him, she was still a cultivator of the Yan clan. If she truly found herself at death's door, going back to her family for help wouldn't be a bad option.
"Let's check around Feng Prefecture first."
Wei Tu thought for a moment, then took out a drop of Yan Xiaolan's blood from his sleeve. Using its aura, he started searching the surrounding area.
The Blood Guidance Secret Art could pinpoint a cultivator's hiding place—but only within a certain range.
Beyond that, it wouldn't work.
And Feng Prefecture was large—almost covering half the territory of any one of the three bordering kingdoms.
Even as a Nascent Soul elder, Wei Tu couldn't hope to locate her in just a day or two.
Half a month passed.
Wei Tu had searched every corner of Feng Prefecture but still found no sign of Yan Xiaolan. So he simply turned toward Cao Prefecture, heading to her family home to try his luck there.
He made up his mind—if he still didn't find her in Cao Prefecture, he'd let her go.
After all, he couldn't search all thirteen prefectures of the Xiao Kingdom just for one woman.
If she chose to run off, there was no reason for him to cling to old promises.
Luckily—
This time, Wei Tu didn't return empty-handed.
He found traces of her at the Yan family's headquarters under Lougao Sect.
But Yan Xiaolan's situation wasn't great—she was being kept locked away in an underground chamber by the Yan clan.
Still, it wasn't as bad as how the Huang clan in Heshan had treated Huang Ju Zhi. She wasn't being tortured or having her cultivation crippled—just confined, with her freedom restricted.
...
Lougao Sect was only a pseudo-Nascent Soul power and didn't have any Nascent Soul elders guarding it.
So Wei Tu had no need to hold back. With a flick of his sleeve, he bypassed all of the Yan clan's layers of restrictions and went straight to the underground chamber where Yan Xiaolan was being held.
"Who are you?" Yan Xiaolan was startled when she saw an unfamiliar man appear. She quickly backed into a corner and shouted.
As the direct daughter of the Yan family, she recognized not only the high-ranking members of her clan but also nearly 99% of the higher-ups within Lougao Sect.
Yet this green-robed cultivator before her—she had absolutely no recollection of him.
"Who am I?"
Wei Tu smiled faintly at her question. With a flick of his sleeve, his appearance instantly shifted into the pale, sickly-looking middle-aged cultivator from his earlier disguise.
At the same time, his voice also turned hoarse.
"Master Cui Dan?" Seeing this, Yan Xiaolan's face lit up with surprise, and she called out instantly.
She hadn't imagined that the gamble she took over seventy years ago had actually paid off today?
And now, Wei Tu had shown up in person to see her, and even managed to sneak into Lougao Sect unnoticed. What that meant—she couldn't be clearer.
"Nascent Soul elder!" Yan Xiaolan softly mouthed those four words to herself.
In that moment, she felt weightless, like she could float. She wanted to rush out of this underground cell and shout at the Yan clan cultivators that she, Yan Xiaolan, now held an extraordinary position—as the concubine of a Nascent Soul elder.
But with Wei Tu standing right there, she forced herself to hold back her excitement and stay composed.
"Master Cui Dan, have you truly reached the Nascent Soul realm now?" Yan Xiaolan asked softly, still finding it hard to believe.
She had to be sure her guess was correct.
"Would I lie to you about something like that?"
Wei Tu chuckled and shook his head.
After dealing with so many high-level cultivators, seeing someone like Yan Xiaolan—low-ranked and utterly captivated by his cultivation level—did bring him a strange sense of satisfaction.
In the end, the pursuit of status in the immortal path wasn't all that different from chasing fame and wealth in the mortal world. The only difference was that cultivation promised longevity.
"Concubine greets Elder Wei."
Hearing that, Yan Xiaolan beamed and respectfully gave a graceful bow.
She clearly understood that "Master Cui Dan" was just a false identity. So she naturally switched to calling him by his real name.
"No need for all the formality," Wei Tu said, waving his hand.
Then, with another motion of his sleeve, he drew her into his embrace using his spiritual power.
"Elder… dual cultivation at this moment feels a bit too sudden. This is still the place I've been imprisoned, and Yan clan cultivators are monitoring it…"
Held in Wei Tu's arms, Yan Xiaolan's face turned red. Her voice dropped to a barely audible murmur.
Though she had always been the one pursuing Wei Tu, hoping to catch this "senior," the truth was—she was still a virgin.
She had never touched a man before.
"And… Elder, could you switch back to your original appearance? Compared to your current look in disguise, I prefer how you looked earlier."
Yan Xiaolan added.
Wei Tu's real appearance wasn't anything handsome or charming—average, really—but it was still better than this yellow-skinned, deathly look of the disguise.
Given the choice, of course Yan Xiaolan would rather look at the real "Wei Tu."
"What are you thinking? I'm only here to remove the spiritual poison from your body."
Wei Tu raised an eyebrow at her words, slightly speechless at how forward she was being.
Still, as they talked, he casually neutralized the poison he had planted in her decades ago.
And at that moment, hearing her suggestion, a thought stirred in Wei Tu's mind.
After hundreds of years of focused cultivation, he had long since grown numb to physical desire.
Last time, outside the Cloud Ze Secret Realm, if not for the potential fallout from taking Ni Meixian as a concubine, he might've already given in to her temptation.
'Fine. Since you're already my concubine, fulfilling our duties as husband and wife is only natural.'
"As for the Yan clan's surveillance, no need to worry. With my spiritual power shielding us, no one will see a thing."
Wei Tu held Yan Xiaolan close, slid his right hand into her clothes, and gently caressed her jade-like back.