After saying goodbye to Fatty Zhou, Qi Ping and Sister Nan hurried back together.
Since they only had one mountain peak between them, it was on the way home.
"Little Qi, how did you figure out so quickly that the symptoms of the Black Spirit Duck were related to the Blood Fiend Insect Poison? I wouldn't have realized it if you hadn't pointed it out!"
Sister Nan looked at the young beekeeper, whose face still retained some boyish features, with surprise. She thought, this whelp, picked up by Old Man Zhou, seemed to have grown up in the blink of an eye and has become so formidable!
She had read the Demon Insect Cultivation Manual more times than Qi Ping, but only after Qi Ping mentioned it did she realize...
Qi Ping's mind was strikingly keen.
"Well... it might be because I just finished reading it?" Qi Ping thought for a moment, somewhat unsure.
The fact was, thanks to the druid skill [Animal Communication], he understood the language of the Black Spirit Duck.
The Black Spirit Duck almost spelled out the answer on Qi Ping's face; how could he not know?
"That's possible..."
After listening to Qi Ping's explanation, Sister Nan also found it reasonable.
But she still couldn't deny that Qi Ping had a remarkably clever mind.
She could no longer treat Qi Ping as a mere boy as she used to.
Now, Qi Ping was already pretty formidable, both in strength and intelligence!
...
As they chatted idly, it wasn't long before they each returned to their respective mountain peaks.
After Qi Ping returned, he immediately handed the fine wine, fruits, and some spirit rice and other living supplies he bought this time to Old Man Zhou. After exchanging a few simple words, he went back into the dense forest.
Qi Ping didn't tell Old Man Zhou about the troubles he encountered today. Meeting with a Tribulation Cultivator, encountering an Ink Cicada—such dangerous situations would only make Old Man Zhou worry, and there was no use in that.
If possible, Qi Ping still hoped that Old Man Zhou, who had given up on many things, could continue to enjoy his old age in peace and happiness.
So when Old Man Zhou asked Qi Ping how things were today, Qi Ping replied that it was the same as usual, with the Tribulation Cultivators still rampant, but as long as he was careful, it wouldn't be a big problem.
After returning to the dense forest, Qi Ping inquired about the recent honey-making situation of the Golden Marrow Bees.
Finding the honey-making situation to be good and that the Golden Marrow Bees' food was still sufficient, he had them fill a bottle.
With a sufficient supply of Blood Ginseng, the honey-making speed of the Golden Marrow Bees was indeed impressive. It not only was enough to support the expansion of the bee colony and the improvement of individual bee strength but also provided plenty of surplus for Qi Ping to use for cultivation and other matters.
After acquiring this bottle of Golden Marrow Honey, Qi Ping swiftly brought the promised Golden Marrow Honey to Sister Nan.
Considering their current level of trust, it was also a good thing for Qi Ping if Sister Nan broke through to the Fifth-Layer of Qi Refining.
Even when Sister Nan was in the Fourth-Layer of Qi Refining, she could go toe-to-toe with that Fifth-Layer Tribulation Cultivator and even seized the opportunity to poison him. If it weren't for the Ink Cicada, Sister Nan likely would have won.
Thus, her strength can be considered formidable.
Once she breaks through to the Fifth-Layer of Qi Refining, coupled with her poison skills, her combat strength might directly challenge the Sixth-Layer of Qi Refining. Moreover, Sister Nan has a danger-sensing talent, which has substantial potential.
And with Qi Ping living so close to her, they could conveniently take care of each other and resist any enemies together if trouble arises.
...
Upon returning to the dense forest, Qi Ping tirelessly planted the two Flowing Light Grass in the place with Blood Ginseng.
Being a precious resource for crafting Bloodline Mutation Potions, no unexpected accidents could be allowed.
After planting them, Qi Ping immediately and continuously performed the Plant Growth skill to help the two Flowing Light Grass establish their roots here.
After casting the [Plant Growth] skill five times in a row, Qi Ping finally stopped, feeling slightly mentally exhausted.
Seeing the rejuvenated brightness of the two Flowing Light Grass, a relieved smile appeared on Qi Ping's face.
"It feels pretty nice to farm like this, peacefully..." Qi Ping sighed deeply from the heart.
Although he was out only for half a day this time, Qi Ping felt more tired than when he had been busying himself on the mountain for more than half a month.
Especially thinking about those two extraordinarily capable Tribulation Cultivators, Qi Ping still felt a lingering fear.
Because they ambushed him while hidden, if it weren't for the Jungle Druid's perception boost in the forest and his own caution, noticing something was slightly off early, he might have truly been dealt a fatal sneak attack!
Even though he could detect the enemy ahead of time, they still possessed a lethal weapon like the Ink Cicada. Luckily, they didn't plan to use it from the start.
More importantly, Qi Ping felt that among the Tribulation Cultivators lurking in Qingshi County, there must be those more powerful and with more means compared to those two black-robed Tribulation Cultivators.
If he wasn't careful and ran into others who are stronger, more devious, or more stealthy, any of those factors could cost Qi Ping his life.
Thinking of these things made Qi Ping even more cautious about venturing out.
"If there's nothing urgent, it's better to stay on the mountain farming and beekeeping..."
At this moment, Qi Ping finally felt some sense of safety in his familiar forest.
Perhaps due to the life-or-death battle he experienced, or perhaps because he had cast the [Plant Growth] skill multiple times, Qi Ping, mentally exhausted, soon fell asleep leaning against a tree trunk, under the watchful guard of the Golden Marrow Bees...
Qi Ping initially slept uneasily, his brow furrowed tightly, still gripping the Middle Grade Magical Artifact Long Saber he had seized, not daring to remove the black Lower Grade Magical Robe he wore.
The Golden Marrow Bees seemed to sense their leader Qi Ping's unease, staying vigilant and guarding the surroundings closely, alert to any movement.
It wasn't until Qi Ping had been asleep for almost half a day that he gradually relaxed and drifted into deep sleep.
...
Qi Ping slept for nearly ten hours before slowly waking up.
"Did I sleep for so long?"
Looking at the sky, Qi Ping only then realized that he had slept for almost an entire day.
Stretching lazily, Qi Ping felt incredibly refreshed throughout his body.
"It feels good!"
This kind of life suited him!
Although the adventurous life of swordlights and dramatic events was exciting, the danger, panic, and anxiety involved were not what Qi Ping wanted to experience.
How great it is to steadily cultivate Blood Ginseng and keep bees to increase his strength each day without taking risks…
Moreover, the role of Blood Ginseng and the Spiritual Land beneath it still hasn't been fully utilized and still has a lot of potential.
"Let's continue cultivating the Blood Ginseng and Flowing Light Grass so they reach the age required for brewing Bloodline Mutation Potions sooner..."
"A beautiful day starts with speeding up the growth of Spiritual Medicine!"
"Buzz buzz... (Good morning, boss!)"
"Buzz buzz... (Boss, you slept for so long, even I haven't slept as much as you did in three days combined!)"
"Buzz buzz... (Yeah, yeah...)"
...
"Good morning..."
After greeting the Golden Marrow Bees that had been guarding him, Qi Ping immediately began casting [Plant Growth] to accelerate the growth of the Blood Ginseng, which was an urgent matter that could not be delayed.
One of the Blood Ginseng had almost reached its hundred-year medicinal maturity, and with another one or two days of cultivation, would fulfill the requirement for the Bloodline Mutation Potion.
After performing Plant Growth, Qi Ping busied himself with other tasks, such as caring for the Black Little Bees, tending to the flowers on the mountain, cultivating Sun Essence Flower and Moon Sleep Flower... and so on.
[You have planted flowers, Druid Level Experience +1]
[You have had deep communication with the Black Little Bees, Druid Experience +1]
"The sources of Druid Experience are quite diverse. As long as you practice the philosophies of the Beast King Druid and Jungle Druid, the Druid Experience will continuously grow..."
A day later…
A Blood Ginseng under Qi Ping's cultivation finally reached a hundred-year medicinal maturity.
A week later…
[Druid Level increased to Level 2...]
[Generating Druid Level 2 Skills...]