Old Man Zhou gave Qi Ping a displeased look; how could he dare to venture into the forests of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range alone!
The Black Armored Murder Bees and the Earth Cavity Golden Marrow Bees have numerous records of killings, and many mid-stage Qi Refining Cultivators have perished at the hands of these two bee swarms.
They even have records of killing late-stage Qi Refining Cultivators!
And Qi Ping, being just a first-layer Qi Refining Cultivator, dared to recklessly dash into the forest.
Though he knew he couldn't blame Qi Ping, because after all, Black Armored Murder Bees and Earth Cavity Golden Marrow Bees are relatively rare; he'd raised bees for half his life and never seen them.
After hearing Old Man Zhou's explanation, Qi Ping suddenly realized.
No wonder Old Man Zhou was so anxious!
Under normal circumstances, ordinary early-stage and mid-stage Qi Refining Cultivators wouldn't stand a chance if attacked by Black Armored Murder Bees and Earth Cavity Golden Marrow Bees.
Qi Ping looked at the mortal blade in that laid-back old man's hand and his attire that offered no defense, and couldn't help but feel warm inside.
This Old Man Zhou seemed indifferent verbally, yet he had passed down almost everything valuable to Qi Ping—his beekeeping skills honed over a lifetime, and his existence was secured by that box of black little bees...
This time, Old Man Zhou knew well there would likely be Black Armored Murder Bees and Golden Marrow Bees in the forest, yet he still dared to charge into the forest with just a mortal blade to find Qi Ping. Clearly, the bravest one was Old Man Zhou.
After elaborating on the potential presence of Black Armored Murder Bees and Golden Marrow Bees, Old Man Zhou sternly stated:
"Qi Boy, don't go up the mountain for now. Leave beekeeping to me until I solve this hidden danger, then you can resume beekeeping..."
Facing the potential crisis in the forest, Old Man Zhou, without hesitation, took on the responsibility of beekeeping.
He was old, and if he died, so be it, but Qi Ping was his only apprentice, and he naturally didn't want anything to happen to him.
"Old Man Zhou, it's okay, I..."
However, before Qi Ping could finish, Old Man Zhou interrupted him.
"What do you mean 'it's okay'? You don't realize the seriousness of the matter. Do you know if you encounter either bee swarm, you really could die? Your cultivation isn't enough to even fill the gaps between their teeth..."
It was Qi Ping's first time seeing Old Man Zhou angry.
In this situation, Qi Ping had no choice but to summon the Golden Marrow Bee hidden in his clothes.
Originally, Qi Ping planned to nurture it for a while before breaking the news to Old Man Zhou.
But seeing how things stood now, leaving the problem unresolved would keep Old Man Zhou worried, and more significantly, Old Man Zhou definitely wouldn't let him up the mountain, meaning he couldn't cultivate the Blood Ginseng.
Besides, Old Man Zhou was someone Qi Ping could completely trust; without him, Qi Ping would have already perished.
Additionally, the risk of the Golden Marrow Bee being exposed was within a controllable range.
But when Old Man Zhou saw the Golden Marrow Bee flying out of Qi Ping's sleeve, his angry words abruptly halted.
His eyes widened at the golden bee exuding an intense aura of danger, nearly frightening him to death.
"Earth Cavity Golden Marrow Bee!" Old Man Zhou exclaimed in shock.
What's going on?
The Earth Cavity Golden Marrow Bee flew out of Qi Ping's sleeve?
This was an extremely dangerous and skittish Earth Cavity Golden Marrow Bee! Why did it fly out of Qi Ping's sleeve? And Qi Ping acted as if nothing happened!
Old Man Zhou didn't dare breathe heavily, fearing to startle the Golden Marrow Bee, who might give Qi Ping a sting, which could then be fatal.
Not until he saw the Golden Marrow Bee steadily landing on Qi Ping's arm and shoulder and even showing a hint of affection did his tightly strung heart ease a little.
Wait, affection?
No way!
Old Man Zhou, seeming to realize something, widened his eyes.
Could it be that Qi Ping had made a pact with this group of Golden Marrow Bees?
"What's the situation with these Golden Marrow Bees?" Old Man Zhou asked nervously with a touch of expectation.
"I made a pact with the Bee King of the Golden Marrow Bees..." Seeing Old Man Zhou's surprised demeanor, Qi Ping answered somewhat amusedly.
Upon hearing Qi Ping's words, Old Man Zhou's heart surged with waves of shock.
Qi Ping had truly made a pact with this group of Golden Marrow Bees!
As a beekeeper, Old Man Zhou naturally understood what this meant.
With the combat power and honey-making ability of the Golden Marrow Bees, the benefits post-pact were self-explanatory!
But Qi Ping was merely a first-layer Qi Refining Cultivator. Seeing the Bee King unscathed should be considered lucky, so how did he manage to make a pact with the Bee King?
It was utterly absurd!
This indeed exceeded Old Man Zhou's understanding.
"How did you do it?" Old Man Zhou asked, a bit incredulous.
He did not doubt the authenticity of Qi Ping's words, as in the five years, he had come to trust Qi Ping fully.
Since Qi Ping had spoken out, it must be true.
"Because I couldn't find the cause of the hive's turmoil near the hive box, I ventured deeper into the Cloud Mist Mountain Range. After searching for a long time, I encountered the Bee King of the Golden Marrow Bees..."
"Then, the Bee King noticed me, but it showed no hostility. So, I attempted to use the Blood Covenant Technique you taught me to make a pact with the Bee King, who didn't resist."
"And so I successfully formed the pact..."
Qi Ping adjusted the narrative of forming the pact with the Golden Marrow Bees in a way Old Man Zhou could understand.
Bee swarms friendly to humans aren't common, yet they do exist; although the Golden Marrow Bees are valuable, the risks were controllable.
The concepts of a Druid or crossing over were too shocking, Qi Ping would never disclose this.
Even his most trustworthy animal companion wouldn't be told, as the more people knew, the greater the risk.
Interesting techniques like Illusion or Dream Realms could extract secrets.
"Is it really that simple? Qi boy, your luck is simply unparalleled!"
"Golden Marrow Bees that aren't hostile to humans are rare and often need to be nurtured from a young age. Yet you stumbled upon them, and moreover, they agreed to make a pact with you. Truly, you've struck gold!"
Upon hearing Qi Ping's explanation, Old Man Zhou looked at Qi Ping with significant astonishment.
In just a few years of beekeeping, Qi Ping made a pact with the Golden Marrow Bees, definitely born for beekeeping!
Transferring the beekeeping business to Qi Ping indeed proved the right choice.
Moreover, Qi Ping wasn't disdainful of beekeeping.
Old Man Zhou thought about his former prodigious apprentice who probably felt embarrassed to have an ordinary beekeeper with little black bees as a master, and after seeing the vast world of a major sect, started looking down on the experiences of being a small figure in the past.
"Thanks to you teaching me the Blood Covenant Technique, or I would have missed this opportunity!"
"This is your destiny. If you wish to thank old me, just bring me a pot of good wine next time you go to the Cyan Stone Marketplace!"
"How can one pot be enough? At least ten!"
"Fine, making a pact with the Golden Marrow Bees is a grand affair, ten it is, I'll indulge this time!" Old Man Zhou laughed heartily.
However, after a burst of laughter, Old Man Zhou's face suddenly turned serious, saying gravely:
"Qi boy, you must not disclose the matter about the Golden Marrow Bees. Recently, Wang Mountain sought me out not long ago, and there have been sightings of many Tribulation Cultivators around Qingshi County. If they find out about the Golden Marrow Bees, you'd be in grave danger..."