After realizing the advantages in size and location of the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth plots, Qi Ping suppressed his inner excitement and carefully examined them again.
He even sent out bees to conduct another thorough inspection.
Ensuring there were no issues, Qi Ping immediately rushed back to the Cloud Mist Hall.
“You’re back? How was it?” Manager Zhu asked with a smile upon seeing Qi Ping return.
“Not bad. I’ll take the twenty-ninth spirit land!” Qi Ping replied.
“Good. I’ve set the price for you at the lowest base rent of four hundred and twenty spirit stones per year. The previous rent was five to six hundred spirit stones!”
Manager Zhu continued:
“However, I can’t waive the thirty percent rent increase portion for you, so the total rent comes to five hundred and forty-six spirit stones.”
“Additionally, there’s the ten percent service fee, which is forty-two spirit stones. But since you already paid it this year, I’ll waive twenty-two of it for you this time. Adding the rent, that comes to five hundred and sixty-six spirit stones.”
“Also, you’ve used Peak Number Seven in the Ding District for about two months. The calculation works out to just about twenty spirit stones.”
“So, the total you need to pay is five hundred and eighty-six spirit stones.”
Hearing the final amount, Qi Ping’s eyebrow twitched involuntarily.
Good grief! Good thing he finally sold the black bee honey, otherwise he wouldn’t have had enough for the rent and would have had to barter goods instead.
In the end, Qi Ping painfully took out five hundred and eighty-six spirit stones from his storage pouch, leaving him with less than twenty spirit stones to his name.
But when he thought about the potential profits from large-scale cultivation of Hundred Spirit Grass and bee colony development, he felt it was worth it!
Manager Zhu, seeing Qi Ping’s pained expression and somewhat strained movements, guessed that this was probably all the savings Qi Ping and Old Man Zhou had.
So, he could only offer some comforting words:
“There’s no helping it. Starting from the Bing District, payment is required upfront before use. It’s impossible to pay after using it for a year. The ‘use first, pay later’ policy in the Ding District was initially to attract rogue cultivators in the early stages and was continued later. But for mid-level spirit land like this, ‘use first, pay later’ isn’t feasible.”
“But since you’ve made this choice, focus on developing it well this year. If utilized properly, earning back a few hundred spirit stones is achievable.”
“Things are chaotic outside lately. With your strength, it’s best not to wander out unnecessarily. Focus on cultivation and beekeeping. If you have a lot to sell or need to purchase frequently, I can occasionally make a trip for you if it’s on my way.”
Last time he visited Peak Number Seven and saw the courtyard covered in spiderwebs, he had been quite worried about Old Man Zhou and his disciple for a while.
So he felt he should help out a little where he could. After all, as a member of one of the three major families, he was relatively safer in the current situation.
“Thank you for your care,” Qi Ping said respectfully.
After completing the procedures and obtaining the lease contract, Qi Ping bid farewell to Manager Zhu.
Having a good relationship with Manager Zhu meant fewer troubles when renting spirit land here.
Qi Ping couldn’t help but admire Old Man Zhou’s social skills.
His cultivation wasn’t high, but he truly had many friends.
Whether it was Sister Nan, Boss Gao, or Manager Zhu, these connections were all introduced and passed on to him by Old Man Zhou. If Qi Ping had to make his way alone, he might not have been able to meet such reliable friends and contacts.
However, what Qi Ping admired most was that Old Man Zhou had lived most of his life freely and actually didn’t seem to have any enemies.
Having lived with Old Man Zhou for over five years, Qi Ping had never seen anyone cause trouble for him. On the contrary, when trouble or danger arose outside, many people would proactively inform Old Man Zhou.
This demonstrated Old Man Zhou’s capability.
Qi Ping actually wanted to be like that too, focusing peacefully on cultivation, farming, beekeeping, and pursuing longevity. Unfortunately, he found himself unknowingly at the center of a vortex.
“Given the current situation, I can only try to keep a low profile and hide my capabilities, minimizing the attention focused on me.”
Moreover, Qi Ping knew that to build his foundation, consolidate his golden core, and pursue the path of immortal ascension and longevity, contending for core techniques and essential resources was absolutely unavoidable. Wanting these things inevitably meant stepping into the vortex.
But these risks could be reduced. For example, by being cautious in all matters, using an alternate identity for certain actions, and not putting oneself in danger for the sake of showing off… and so on.
This was the way of navigating the cultivation world that Qi Ping had observed from the old man.
Holding the lease contract, Qi Ping hurried towards the twenty-ninth spirit land with excited and eager steps.
The twenty-ninth spirit land was located deeper within the Cloud Mist Mountains. Its area was four or five times larger than Peak Number Seven. Even with Qi Ping’s cultivation level, it would take him quite some time to traverse its entire length.
“The concept of area and mountain size in the cultivation world really isn’t comparable to that of my previous world.”
Qi Ping once again marveled at the vastness of the cultivation world. Just Qingstone County alone was incredibly large.
“The only slight pity is that although the area is large, the portions with spirit land-level concentration are relatively few and too scattered.”
In fact, this was true for the entire Cloud Mist Mountains. The distribution of underground spirit veins was highly irregular, some concentrated, others dispersed.
The twenty-ninth spirit land Qi Ping had just rented was one of the representative dispersed ones, which also suited Qi Ping’s intentions very well.
It was precisely this irregularity that created the secluded, rustic cultivation style and allowed various industries to flourish so vibrantly.
Now, looking at the twenty-ninth spirit land, already overgrown with weeds and vines, Qi Ping felt a sudden surge of desire and pleasure at the thought of building his own home and garden.
“Friends! Time to get moving!”
Qi Ping released all his bees and the crow, saying rather excitedly.
It was time to build the new home. But this place was so vast; having him do it all alone would be a waste of time.
So, it was the perfect time for his animal companions to play their roles.
“Buzz… (Boss, is this our new home?)”
“Buzz… (The spiritual energy is so rich!)”
“It is your new home, but it’s not built up yet!”
“Buzz… (What do you need us to do, Boss?)”
“Lots of things. Let me assign tasks first…”
“First, the High-Speed Cutter Bees are responsible for weeding and loosening the soil in these areas with high spiritual energy concentration.”
Qi Ping pointed to the spirit land areas suitable for planting Hundred Spirit Grass.
“Buzz… (Don’t worry, Boss, leave it to us. We’re the best at this!)”
All the High-Speed Cutter Bees replied in unison. They were most skilled at this work; a quick flap of their little wings and it was done!
“Buzz… (What about us, Boss?)” the other bees hurriedly asked.
“Gold Marrow Bees and Venomous Bees, follow behind the High-Speed Cutter Bees. Collect all the root fragments, seeds… everything, and give them to Ya Ya to burn into plant ash! Ink Armor Bees and Balanced Bees, you’re stronger, so you’re responsible for carrying water with large gourd leaves and following at the end to water and moisten the land.”
As for the Brewer Big-Belly Bees… Qi Ping thought it best to let them stay in the spirit beast pouch for now, lest they get lost and can’t find their way back!
“Buzz… (We guarantee to complete the task!)” the other bee types assured.
It was just the crow on Qi Ping’s shoulder who seemed confused.
“Caw? (Burn plant ash?)”
It, the current Sun Fire Crow, a future super raptor destined to soar across the heavens and earth, was being told to burn plant ash?
