Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 32

At the foot of Peak 007 in the Cloudmist Mountains’ District D stood an aged, courtyard-style house with weathered walls bearing the marks of time. The entire compound was clean and well-kept, clearly tended to regularly.

Outside the courtyard grew various flowers, where hundreds of small black bees diligently gathered nectar.

This was the home Old Man Zhou had built with his own hands in his youth—over fifty years ago.

Inside the courtyard, Old Man Zhou sat at a red sandalwood table, sipping tea with a slightly plump man dressed in golden robes. When Qi Ping entered, he recognized the man as Steward Zhu, the official in charge of rent collection in the Cloudmist Mountains.

Steward Zhu was a member of the Zhu family, one of the three great clans of Qingshi County. He oversaw parts of District D in the Cloudmist Mountains and had been collecting rent for decades. Due to his middling status within his clan and his amiable nature, he got along well with wandering cultivators like Old Man Zhou. Every time he visited, he would chat for a while.

“Steward Zhu! Old Man Zhou!”

Qi Ping clasped his hands in greeting as he entered.

As a lowly cultivator, Qi Ping knew better than to slight someone from the three great clans. At the very least, he had to maintain surface-level courtesy—otherwise, a petty display of authority could bring him endless trouble.

This was the unspoken survival code for those at the bottom.

Fortunately, Steward Zhu was relatively kind, unlike many other high-born clan members who looked down on wandering cultivators with an air of superiority.

“I was just about to call for you. Steward Zhu is here to collect the rent,” Old Man Zhou said cheerfully.

“You’ve grown even taller this year!” Steward Zhu remarked, sighing as he observed Qi Ping’s increased height.

Time truly flew.

Youth grew up so fast.

“Right, I’ve already prepared the rent.”

Qi Ping handed over 110 spirit stones—100 for the rent and an extra 10 as a customary “tea fee,” an unspoken rule of the trade.

Even though Steward Zhu got along with Old Man Zhou, this extra payment couldn’t be skipped.

However, Steward Zhu didn’t take the stones. Instead, he sighed heavily and pushed a jade token toward Qi Ping with a pulse of spiritual energy.

A flicker of suspicion arose in Qi Ping’s heart, along with a vague sense of foreboding.

When he checked the token’s contents with his spiritual sense, his expression darkened.

The token clearly stated:

[Cloudmist Mountains rent increased by 30%]

The seal of the Qingyuan Sect was imprinted on the token, making forgery nearly impossible.

“What’s wrong? Let me see!” Old Man Zhou, noticing Qi Ping’s reaction, reached for the token.

After reading it, his smile froze.

“Steward Zhu, why the sudden rent hike?” Old Man Zhou asked, puzzled.

In all his decades here, the rent had never changed. What could have prompted such an increase?

“Sigh… When I first received this order, my reaction was the same as yours,” Steward Zhu said wearily.

“I even argued with my superiors that a 30% increase would make it unaffordable for many, causing all sorts of problems. But their stance was firm—if people can’t pay, they can forfeit their belongings to cover the last payment, then pay half a year’s rent as a relocation fee before leaving. If they can’t even do that… well…”

He trailed off, but Qi Ping understood the unspoken consequence.

Steward Zhu himself was helpless. The rent wasn’t his to keep, and the extra trouble barely made the meager “tea fees” worth it.

“Steward Zhu, do you know what’s happening in the Qingyuan Sect? First, they ignore the rampant banditry, and now they’re raising rents?”

But Steward Zhu could only shake his head.

“Not even I know—and I doubt our clan leader does either. The bandit problem and rent hikes have hurt our clan’s income too. The clan leader wanted to intervene, but the Qingyuan Sect’s higher-ups suppressed it.”

“Since we’re friends, my only advice is to plan an exit strategy. Protect yourselves while you can.”

The words left Qi Ping and Old Man Zhou in heavy silence.

Old Man Zhou had long stopped caring about his own life, but this would severely impact Qi Ping and the beekeeping business—two of the few things he still valued.

After a moment, Qi Ping forced a strained expression and scraped together 143 spirit stones, handing them to Steward Zhu and requesting a receipt.

If he paid too easily, it might raise suspicions.

Once the transaction was done, Qi Ping excused himself and returned to the forest without further conversation.

Back among the trees, his frown deepened.

What was happening to the Qingyuan Sect?

Once a well-governed sect that maintained public order, managed spirit herb and beast industries, and fostered commerce, it had now descended into chaos.

Bandits running rampant was one thing, but now even rent was being raised.

And who actually benefited from this? The short-term gain from a 30% rent hike was negligible compared to the long-term losses.

“If I could identify the ultimate beneficiary, I might understand the reason. But my status is too low to access that level of information…”

“Steward Zhu might know something—why else would he warn us to prepare an escape?”

“Could this be related to that mysterious Beast Taming Sect or Insect Control Sect?”

“Next time, I should ask Sister Nan where she got that insect cultivation manual—it might offer clues.”

The situation was too complex, and information was scarce. After much deliberation, Qi Ping could only conclude one thing:

Turmoil was coming.

As a lowly cultivator, the only thing he could do was strengthen himself and prepare for the chaos ahead.

“Focus on improving my strength…”

“Once the Golden Marrow Bees evolve and the swarm matures, they should be able to fend off late-stage Qi Refining cultivators—maybe even stronger.”

“After their mutation, I can fully devote myself to advancing my own cultivation.”

“If my second contracted beast companion is also powerful, that’d be perfect!”

With these thoughts, his anxiety and sense of helplessness eased slightly.

After meditating for a while, Qi Ping received word from the Golden Marrow Bees that Steward Zhu had left.

Immediately, he took the five vials of Bloodline Mutation Elixir and headed for the bees’ nest.

It was time.

The elixir would be consumed—and the extent of the Golden Marrow Bees’ evolution would soon be revealed…