Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 9

Old Man Zhou shot Qi Ping an exasperated look. How dare this kid run into the mountain forests of the Misty Cloud Range alone!

Both the Black-Armored Killer Bees and the Burrowing Gold Marrow Bees had countless kills to their names—even mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators had fallen to these swarms.

There were even records of them killing late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators!

And yet Qi Ping, a mere first-level Qi Refinement cultivator, had recklessly charged into the woods.

Of course, Old Man Zhou knew he couldn’t blame the kid—Black-Armored Killer Bees and Burrowing Gold Marrow Bees were rare. He’d spent half his life raising Little Black Bees and had never encountered either.

After hearing Old Man Zhou’s explanation, Qi Ping suddenly understood.

No wonder the old man had been so frantic!

Under normal circumstances, any early or mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator attacked by Black-Armored Killer Bees or Burrowing Gold Marrow Bees would have almost no chance of survival.

Qi Ping glanced at the shoddy, unranked blade in the old man’s hand and his flimsy, utterly defenseless clothes, and warmth bloomed in his chest.

Old Man Zhou might act like he didn’t care about anything, but in truth, he’d passed nearly everything of value to Qi Ping—his lifelong beekeeping knowledge, the hive of Little Black Bees that had been his livelihood, and more.

And now, despite knowing the mountains likely harbored Black-Armored Killer Bees and Burrowing Gold Marrow Bees, the old man had still charged in with nothing but a common blade to search for Qi Ping.

The real daredevil here was Old Man Zhou.

After explaining the potential threat, Old Man Zhou’s expression turned grave.

“Kid, don’t go up the mountain for a while. Leave the beekeeping to me. Once I’ve dealt with this danger, you can return.”

Faced with the looming crisis in the mountains, Old Man Zhou didn’t hesitate to take the risk upon himself.

He was an old man—if he died, so be it. But Qi Ping was practically his only disciple now, and he refused to let anything happen to him.

“Old Man Zhou, it’s fine, I—”

Before Qi Ping could finish, the old man cut him off.

“What do you mean, ‘fine’? You don’t understand how serious this is! Those swarms kill people, you hear me? At your level, you wouldn’t even be a snack for them!”

This was the first time Qi Ping had ever seen Old Man Zhou angry.

Seeing no other choice, Qi Ping summoned the Burrowing Gold Marrow Bee hidden in his sleeve.

Originally, he’d planned to cultivate them for a while longer and ease into the reveal. But given the situation, if he didn’t address this now, not only would Old Man Zhou keep worrying, but he’d also never let Qi Ping back up the mountain—which meant no chance to cultivate the Blood Ginseng.

Besides, Qi Ping trusted Old Man Zhou completely. Without him, Qi Ping would’ve died long ago.

And the risk of exposing the Gold Marrow Bees was manageable.

The moment Old Man Zhou saw the golden bee emerge from Qi Ping’s sleeve, his furious tirade cut off abruptly.

His eyes nearly bulged out of his skull at the sight of the deadly insect, his heart almost stopping from shock.

“A Burrowing Gold Marrow Bee?!” he blurted in disbelief.

What was happening?

A Gold Marrow Bee had just flown out of Qi Ping’s sleeve?

These things were extremely dangerous and skittish—why wasn’t Qi Ping freaking out?!

Old Man Zhou didn’t even dare breathe too loudly, terrified that the bee might sting Qi Ping once or twice… and that would be the end of him.

Only when he saw the bee perch calmly on Qi Ping’s arm and shoulder, even nuzzling him slightly, did he finally relax a little.

Wait—nuzzling?

No way…

A sudden realization hit Old Man Zhou, and his eyes widened even further.

Had Qi Ping… contracted these bees?!

“What’s going on with these Gold Marrow Bees?” he asked, equal parts nervous and hopeful.

“I contracted the queen,” Qi Ping replied, amused by the old man’s stunned reaction.

Old Man Zhou’s mind reeled.

Qi Ping had actually contracted the swarm!

As a lifelong beekeeper, he knew exactly what this meant.

The combat power and honey-producing abilities of Gold Marrow Bees made the benefits self-evident!

But Qi Ping was only a first-level Qi Refinement cultivator—just seeing the queen without getting stung to death would’ve been a miracle. How had he managed to contract her?!

This was beyond absurd!

It defied all logic.

“How did you pull this off?” Old Man Zhou asked, still struggling to believe it.

He didn’t doubt Qi Ping’s words—after five years together, he trusted the young man completely. If Qi Ping said it, it had to be true.

“Since I couldn’t find the cause of the hive disturbance near the apiary, I ventured deeper into the mountains. After searching for a while, I stumbled upon the Gold Marrow Bee queen…”

“She noticed me, but didn’t show any hostility. So… I tried using the blood contract method you taught me. And she didn’t resist.”

“That’s how it worked.”

Qi Ping tweaked the story slightly, framing it in a way Old Man Zhou could accept.

Bee swarms that were friendly to humans weren’t common, but they weren’t unheard of. And while Gold Marrow Bees were valuable, the risk was manageable.

Things like being a Druid or transmigrating? Way too unbelievable. Qi Ping would take those secrets to the grave.

Not even his most trusted animal companions would know—the more people who knew, the greater the risk.

There were spells—illusions, dream manipulation—that could extract secrets.

“That’s it? Kid, your luck is insane!”

“Gold Marrow Bees that don’t attack humans are rare—they usually have to be raised from birth. And you just happened to find one? And she agreed to a contract? That’s a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck!”

Old Man Zhou stared at Qi Ping with amazement.

To contract a Gold Marrow Bee after just a few years of beekeeping? The kid was a natural!

Passing the apiary to him had been the right call.

And Qi Ping didn’t look down on beekeeping, either.

Old Man Zhou suspected that his previous disciple—the one with extraordinary talent—had been ashamed of having a humble beekeeper as a master. After joining a major sect and seeing the wider world, he’d scorned his humble beginnings.

“I owe it all to the blood contract method you taught me. Otherwise, I’d have missed this opportunity!”

“That was your own fortune. But if you really want to thank me, next time you’re in Greenrock Market, bring me a jug of good wine!”

“One jug? That’s not enough—make it ten!”

“Hah! Contracting Gold Marrow Bees is a cause for celebration. Ten it is—this old man’s splurging today!” Old Man Zhou laughed heartily.

But after a moment, his expression turned serious again.

“Kid, you cannot let word of the Gold Marrow Bees get out. Wang Shan came to see me not long ago—there’s been an increase in bandit cultivators around Greenrock County. If they find out, you’ll be in serious danger…”