Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 102

Faced with Ya Ya’s desire to refine and comprehend the Beast King’s Flame, Qi Ping had no reason to refuse.

“Go ahead!”

Qi Ping condensed a wisp of Beast King’s Flame and controlled it to hover steadily in front of Ya Ya.

“Caw caw! (Thanks, Boss!)”

After expressing thanks, Ya Ya enveloped the wisp of Beast King’s Flame with its own Sunfire Flame, then flew back to a sunny spot. There, it began absorbing solar energy while simultaneously contemplating the Beast King’s Flame.

Qi Ping watched Ya Ya’s departing figure with deep satisfaction. It was truly good to have such a self-disciplined animal partner!
It worked hard to awaken its bloodline, which in turn helped him soar alongside it. In battle, it charged ahead without a second thought.

The bees also diligently searched for food everywhere, allowing Qi Ping to earn a bit more!
“Time to prepare this batch of Hundred Herb Grass according to the Spirit-Nurturing Honey recipe and hand it over to the Master Brewer Big-Bellied Bee!”

“The first batch of Spirit-Nurturing Honey won’t be large, probably worth around five to six hundred spirit stones. But the final price will depend on what the market offers.”

“The substantial batches will come later, especially the second and third ones, and particularly once the Hundred Herb Grass in Plot #28 matures. That’s when I’ll truly start making money…”

Qi Ping estimated that in about two months, his earnings from Spirit-Nurturing Honey should reach two to three thousand spirit stones.

After sorting the materials and handing them over to the Master Brewer Big-Bellied Bee, Qi Ping continued his research into the Beast King’s Flame, exploring how to use it to accelerate his comprehension of the Fire’s True Meaning.

Cultivation makes time fleeting. Immersed in studying the Fire’s True Meaning, Qi Ping only realized a full week had passed when the bees reminded him.

“Buzz buzz. (Boss! The Spirit-Nurturing Honey is ready!)” a bee said near Qi Ping’s ear.

“It’s ready?”

“Buzz buzz. (Yes, Boss! It’s all ready!)”

Hearing this, Qi Ping was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected the week to pass so quickly, and the honey to be finished already.

It seemed the intensity of the Beast King’s Flame had indeed increased noticeably.

He went to check and found that the Spirit-Nurturing Honey had indeed been fully brewed.

Furthermore, the bees had already neatly stored all the honey in jade bottles, saving Qi Ping the effort of collecting it.

“Well done!”

After praising the bees, Qi Ping stored all the finished Spirit-Nurturing Honey in his storage pouch and prepared to set off for the Greenstone Market.

As he had already made preparations beforehand, it wasn’t long before Qi Ping, transformed into a bee and carrying his storage and spirit beast pouches, quietly left Plot #29 in the乙 (Yǐ) District.

This time, Qi Ping planned to use the “Disguise and Bone-Shrinking Technique” to enter the Greenstone Market under a new identity, avoiding any unwanted attention on his real name, Qi Ping.

He had several objectives for this trip to the Greenstone Market:

• Sell the Spirit-Nurturing Honey and gauge the market conditions.

• Purchase seeds for high-grade Tier-1 fire-attribute spiritual herbs, knowledge about herb properties, and a recipe for high-grade Tier-1 fire-attribute pills.

• Buy a high-grade Tier-1 fire-attribute defensive spell.

• Ask Shopkeeper Gao to help inquire about soul-type spirit beasts. Ideally, he also wanted to visit Meng Yan once, to ask for his help in finding out about soul-type spirit beasts, while also discreetly inquiring about the recent situation in the Qingtian Domain and any news about the Qingyuan Sect.

As for the woman in green, Lin Qingshu, although Qi Ping was somewhat curious about her role as the manager of the Misty Cloud Mountains, he didn’t dare ask recklessly without understanding the relationship between Meng Yan and Lin Qingshu.

For now, Qi Ping felt there was potential for cooperation with Lin Qingshu. If he could gain the trust and support of this Misty Cloud Mountains manager, his beekeeping and money-making ventures within the mountains would proceed much more smoothly.

After leaving Plot #29, Qi Ping didn’t head straight for the Greenstone Market as usual. Instead, in his High-Speed Cutter Bee form, he carefully circled around the Misty Cloud Mountains.

He wanted to see the current state of the Misty Cloud Mountains and Qingstone County.

Previously, due to lack of strength, he had the intention to explore but didn’t dare venture recklessly.

But now, Qi Ping possessed relatively decent power. Especially with the [Natural Perception] talent allowing him to sense danger in advance, he felt more confident about his safety.
However, after spending time touring a large part of the Misty Cloud Mountains, Qi Ping couldn’t help but heave a heavy sigh.

“The Misty Cloud Mountains are already sixty to seventy percent empty…”

Compared to the peak period when even a single plot in the甲 (Jiǎ),乙 (Yǐ), 丙 (Bǐng), and丁 (Dīng) districts was hard to come by, the current scene was truly lamentable.

This was especially true in the丁 (Dīng) District. As the lowest stratum among loose cultivators, its tenants had the weakest ability to withstand risks and external threats.

“It’s getting more and more deserted…”

And this didn’t seem to be the end, as Qi Ping still saw people packing up and leaving.

Or, some had died at the hands of demonic insects or unknown human assailants, their bodies lying undiscovered in some mountain corner, warm or cold.

Where these spiritual farmers died, the spiritual plants they relied on for survival sometimes continued to grow robustly on their plots, forming a stark contrast with their owners’ lifeless corpses.

Others had been ruined or taken away, their state as desolate as their masters’…
“Sigh…”

“Is this the fate of loose cultivators in turbulent times?”

Having once been an insignificant member among them, Qi Ping was fully capable of empathizing, so his mood at this moment was rather sorrowful.

Especially when recalling the scenes of joyful laughter during past harvest times, the contrast with the current situation became even more pronounced.

Of the seventy percent of missing loose cultivators, Qi Ping estimated many had wisely left this place.

But likely, even more had perished in this chaos.

Faced with such a scene, even with his current cultivation level, Qi Ping felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

But this involved conflicts between Nascent Soul-level sects; what could he possibly do?

The only thing Qi Ping could do, and had done, was to order his bee swarm to secretly eliminate all the demonic insects they encountered in the Misty Cloud Mountains, and to save one unlucky fellow who was still unaware of the danger he was in.
Though perhaps he should be called lucky now, for having cheated death this time.

But who knew how long this luck would last? Perhaps he wouldn’t survive more than a few days either…

After leaving the Misty Cloud Mountains, Qi Ping’s mood was heavy, but a stronger resolve solidified in his heart.

He needed to become even stronger!
He refused to become one of those vanished loose cultivators, and he wouldn’t let his friends become one of them either.

For instance, regarding Sister Nan, Qi Ping had long ago discreetly sent a small group of bees to covertly station themselves on Sister Nan’s Peak #5, as a form of repayment and the help he could currently offer.

Unconsciously, having witnessed these events, Qi Ping’s mental fortitude grew firmer, and a stronger desire for the path of cultivation ignited within him.
And as Qi Ping was still pondering the affairs of the Misty Cloud Mountains, a heart dedicated to the Dao was slowly taking shape in his mind…