Old Man Zhou gave Qi Ping a frustrated look. A lone youth dared to go running into the Cloud Mist Mountains!
Black-Armored Killer Bees and Subterranean Golden Marrow Bees had numerous records of kills; many mid-layer Qi Refinement cultivators had died at their hands. There were even records of them taking down those at the late layers!
And Qi Ping was but a Layer 1 cultivator, yet he had the audacity to blunder into the deep woods. Although the old man knew he couldn't entirely blame the boy—given that both species were rare and he himself hadn't seen them in decades of bee-keeping—it still terrified him.
Qi Ping was struck with a sudden realization after hearing the explanation. No wonder Old Man Zhou was so anxious! Normally, an early or mid-layer cultivator caught by those bees would have no hope of survival.
Qi Ping looked at the unranked mundane blade in the old man's hand and his thin, unarmored clothes. His heart warmed. This old man claimed to care for nothing, but in truth, he had already given Qi Ping everything of value he owned—his techniques, his tools, and his livelihood.
This time, even knowing that lethal bees likely lurked in the woods, Old Man Zhou had charged in with a kitchen knife just to find him. The truly 'brave' one here was Old Man Zhou.
After explaining the danger, Old Man Zhou said solemnly:
"Little Qi, don't go up the mountain for a while. Hand the bee-keeping tasks back to me. Once I've cleared this threat, you can go back up."
Faced with a lethal crisis, Old Man Zhou did not hesitate to take the burden back onto himself. He was an old man; if he died, he died. but Qi Ping was his only disciple, and he refused to let the boy come to harm.
"Old Man Zhou, it's fine, I..."
Before Qi Ping could finish, the old man cut him off.
"What do you mean 'it's fine'? You still don't understand the gravity of the situation! If you run into those swarms, you'll be dead before you know it! With your cultivation, you wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth!"
This was the first time Qi Ping had seen Old Man Zhou truly angry.
Faced with this, Qi Ping had no choice but to call out the Golden Marrow Bees hidden in his sleeves. He had planned to wait until they were stronger and slowly break the news, but at this rate, the old man would worry himself to death—or worse, keep Qi Ping away from his Blood Ginseng.
Moreover, Old Man Zhou was completely trustworthy. Without him, Qi Ping would have died long ago. The risk of exposing the bees to him was manageable.
When the bees flew out of Qi Ping's sleeve, the old man's scolding came to a jarring halt. He stared wide-eyed at the golden bees emitting a strong aura of danger. His heart nearly stopped.
"Subterranean Golden Marrow Bees!" he shrieked.
What was going on? Why were Golden Marrow Bees coming out of Qi Ping's sleeve? These were incredibly dangerous and shy creatures! Why was Qi Ping acting like nothing was wrong?
Old Man Zhou didn't even dare to breathe, fearing he would startle them into stinging Qi Ping. It was only when he saw the bees land gently on the boy's shoulder and arm—even acting affectionately—that he began to relax.
Wait, affectionately? No way!
Old Man Zhou's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as a thought occurred to him.
"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and hope.
"I contracted the Golden Marrow Bee Queen," Qi Ping replied, suppressing a smile at the old man's shock.
The news hit Old Man Zhou like a tidal wave. Qi Ping had actually contracted the swarm!
As a veteran bee-keeper, he knew exactly what that meant. The combat power and production value of these bees were beyond words. But Qi Ping was just a Layer 1 cultivator! He should have been stung to death just looking at the Queen, let alone contracting her!
It was too preposterous. It defied everything Old Man Zhou knew.
"How did you do it?" he asked, his voice full of disbelief. He didn't doubt the truth; over five years, he had come to trust Qi Ping implicitly.
"I couldn't find the reason for the agitation near our hives, so I looked deeper into the mountains. After searching for a long time, I found the Queen..."
"She saw me, but she didn't show any malice. So, I tried using the Blood Contract method you taught me, and she didn't resist. Then, the contract was a success."
Qi Ping adjusted the story slightly, putting it in terms the old man could understand. While friendly swarms were rare, they weren't unheard of. Keeping the 'Druid' and 'transmigrator' parts secret was non-negotiable; some things were too dangerous to share with anyone.
"Just like that? Little Qi, your luck is far too good!"
"Golden Marrow Bees that aren't hostile to humans are extremely rare—usually they have to be raised from birth! To stumble upon them and have them agree to a contract... you've truly been blessed by fortune!"
Old Man Zhou looked at Qi Ping with newfound wonder. To contract such bees after only a few years of learning... the boy was a natural-born bee-keeper! He hadn't chosen the wrong heir after all.
Furthermore, Qi Ping didn't look down on the profession. Old Man Zhou suspected his previous talented disciple had simply found it embarrassing to have a common bee-keeper as a master once he saw the wider world.
"It's all thanks to the Blood Contract technique you taught me, otherwise I would have missed this chance!"
"That is your own destiny. If you want to thank this old man, don't forget to bring me a jar of good wine next time you go to the Qingshi Market!"
"One jar? How is that enough? At least ten!"
"Fine! Contracting Golden Marrow Bees is a cause for celebration. Ten jars it is. This old man will indulge himself for once!" Old Man Zhou laughed heartily.
However, his laughter soon faded, replaced by a grave expression.
"Little Qi, you must never tell a soul about the Golden Marrow Bees. Wang Shan came to see me recently; many Robber Cultivators have appeared near Qingshi County. If they find out you have these bees, you will be in grave danger..."