Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 1

Qingshi County, Misty Cloud Mountain Range.

Early spring—a season alive with birdsong, fragrant blooms, and flowers in full splendor.

For bees, this was the best time of year. Swarming, foraging, and honey production were all at their peak, with ample nectar sources everywhere.

At this moment, atop Peak D-007 of the Misty Cloud Mountains stood an ancient pine, lush and towering. The warm sunlight spilled gently over it, casting a golden glow.

Hanging from its lowest branch was a pinewood beehive, roughly five feet in length.

Around the hive, a swarm of bees flitted about in agitation, as if troubled by something.

This scene caught the attention of a young man who had just arrived beneath the tree—a boy with delicate features, wearing a straw hat. His slightly tanned face hinted at long hours spent under the sun.

“Huh… What’s wrong with this hive?”

The straw-hatted boy frowned at the chaotic swarm.

His name was Qi Ping, a young beekeeper of the Misty Cloud Mountains, and this hive belonged to him.

“Could it be an attack by golden-striped hornets?” he wondered.

A colony of first-tier golden-striped hornets lived nearby, notorious for preying on honeybees. They often raided his precious bees, much to his frustration.

But after a careful inspection, Qi Ping found no trace of the hornets.

“No sign of them… How strange.”

He checked again—still nothing.

Even if the hornets had attacked and left, there should have been evidence—and the bees should have calmed down by now.

“Something’s not right… What’s going on?”

Upon closer observation, Qi Ping noticed the bees’ flight patterns were unusually erratic, unlike the organized movements of scouts tracking an enemy.

They were flying wildly, without any discernible pattern.

“Could the swarm be preparing to abscond?”

The thought made his expression darken.

Agitated, chaotic flight was often a sign of an impending swarm exodus.

This couldn’t be allowed!

These bees were among Qi Ping’s few valuable assets. Losing even one colony would worsen his already meager livelihood.

To prevent this, he quickly opened the hive, clipped the queen bee’s wings, and inserted a queen excluder to stop her from fleeing.

But this was only a temporary fix. He needed to find the root cause of the bees’ distress.

“Bees usually abscond when their survival is threatened—lack of nectar, predator interference, overheating…”

Drawing on the beekeeping knowledge he’d acquired over the past few years, Qi Ping methodically checked each possibility.

“Hive temperature is normal…”

So overheating was ruled out.

“First-tier flowers may have withered, but there are plenty of ordinary blooms. It can’t be a nectar shortage…”

These were common first-tier black dwarf bees, weaker than even a first-level Qi Refining cultivator. They didn’t require high-quality nectar; ordinary flowers sufficed.

Especially now, in spring, when the mountains were rich with blossoms.

“The hornets haven’t been active lately, so that’s probably not the cause…”

“Could it be mites or wax moths?”

Carefully, he reopened the hive to inspect.

Normally, frequent hive inspections were discouraged—they disrupted the bees’ routine and foraging efficiency, even risking absconding. But he had no choice.

Yet again, he found no trace of mites or wax moths.

“Plenty of comb, enough stored honey… Not that either.”

For the next hour, Qi Ping meticulously examined every inch of the hive, inside and out—but still, no answers.

“Weird… What’s the problem?” He scratched his head in frustration.

Another hour passed with no progress.

At this point, he could only blame his own lack of expertise.

“Sigh… Guess my skills aren’t up to par yet.”

“Better go ask that lazy old man for help!”

With a resigned sigh, Qi Ping headed down the mountain.

…..

That “lazy old man” was known as Old Man Zhou—the one who had taught Qi Ping everything about beekeeping.

Five years ago, Qi Ping had transmigrated from Earth, waking up in the body of a severely injured beggar.

On the brink of death once more, he was discovered and saved by Old Man Zhou, who happened to pass by.

After healing him, Old Man Zhou imparted his cultivation techniques to Qi Ping.

Years later, after some observation, the old man finally passed down his full beekeeping knowledge to the boy.

Once, Qi Ping had asked why Old Man Zhou chose him as his successor.

The old man’s reply was simple:

“Because you have the lowest-grade Wood Spirit Root.”

“That’s it? You picked me for my terrible talent?”

“What else?”

“What’s good about low talent? I’ll never even reach late-stage Qi Refining! No future at all!”

“What do you need a future for? Those who achieve greatness never look back. Who’ll buy me wine when I’m old and forgotten?”

“That’s not true! Who’d be that heartless?”

“Who knows…”

…..

Later, Qi Ping learned that Old Man Zhou had once taken in a prodigious disciple.

But after that disciple joined a powerful sect, he never returned—not even a word.

Occasionally, news would drift back to Qingshi County about his former disciple’s rising fame.

Beyond that, Qi Ping knew little of the old man’s past.

All he knew was that Old Man Zhou had long since given up on the world, content to laze around with no cares.

These days, his only hobbies were drinking, reading travelogues, and napping.

As the old man put it: “Not many days left. Might as well enjoy the peace while I can.”

Sure enough, when Qi Ping entered the courtyard, he found a white-haired old man in rumpled clothes, snoring away on a bamboo recliner.

A plate of fresh fruit and a pot of fragrant fruit wine sat on a nearby sandalwood table.

“Old Man Zhou! Wake up! There’s trouble!” Qi Ping shouted near his ear.

The old man had insisted on being called just that—“Old Man Zhou”—claiming “Master” sounded too stuffy.

“Trouble? What trouble?”

Bleary-eyed, the old man stretched leisurely, clearly having enjoyed his nap.

Even at the mention of trouble, he showed no concern—as if the sky itself could collapse without ruffling him.

“It’s the hive on the pine tree. The bees are agitated, like they might abscond.”

“Absconding? This time of year, it’s usually predators or wax moths. Handle it yourself.”

“Oh, and keep the spirit stones from the honey sales after rent. No need to keep giving them to me…”

With that, Old Man Zhou reclined again, ready to resume his nap.

Desperate, Qi Ping added:

“But I’ve checked everything—hornets, mites, wax moths, nectar sources… Everything seems normal. I’ve looked five times!”

This finally piqued the old man’s interest. In decades of beekeeping, he’d never encountered such a mystery.

“You didn’t miss anything?”

“I checked every possibility!” Qi Ping sighed.

“Now that’s odd. Alright, let’s take a look…”

…..

Soon, beneath the ancient pine, the white-haired Old Man Zhou stood before the hive, brows furrowed like knotted rope.

“This shouldn’t be… This shouldn’t be…” he muttered.

“Where’s the problem?”

Despite his decades of experience, he’d never seen anything like this.

Half an hour later, the old man’s neatly tied hair was now a wild mess from constant head-scratching.

Finally, he rushed down the mountain to consult his books.

Qi Ping watched in amusement.

It was rare to see the old man so worked up. Few things could stir his interest these days.

The last time Qi Ping had tried to give him a bag of spirit stones, Old Man Zhou had pushed it away, grumbling that “too much wealth invites disaster.”

“If even Old Man Zhou can’t figure it out, this is serious!”

Qi Ping’s heart sank. If the problem went unsolved, he’d be the one suffering.

As a first-level Qi Refining cultivator with a low-grade Wood Spirit Root, he had no exceptional talents or skills. Losing this hive would leave him destitute.

With these first-tier black dwarf bees, the spirit stones he earned—though not enough for cultivation resources—at least ensured food and shelter.

A few more years of saving, and he could marry a few gentle, well-mannered, and beautiful mortal women, maybe even build a spacious house.

That was the future he envisioned.

Over the years, Qi Ping had accepted the truth: without a cheat-like advantage, reaching even the second or third level of Qi Refining would be his limit.

In that case, inheriting Old Man Zhou’s trade, living comfortably, and settling down with a few lovely wives was his best path.

Compared to venturing out (where death odds were 99.999%, and success 0.001%), staying on this little mountain peak and lazing through life like Old Man Zhou sounded far better.

“Heavens, are you really going to take my only livelihood?” Qi Ping groaned.

If the bees stopped foraging, how would he, the capitalist, earn his keep? He might not even afford the rent to the Green Yuan Sect.

The Misty Cloud Mountains were their territory, and leasing this small peak cost a fair sum yearly.

Just as despair set in, a voice suddenly echoed in Qi Ping’s mind—

[DND Game Modified Version loaded successfully…]

[Loading time: Only 5 years, 3 months, 7 days, 7 hours, 21 minutes, 36 seconds. Please leave a good review~]

[Please select your class…]

Before him, a screen displayed twelve class options:
Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard…