Blue Rock County, Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
Early spring, birds sang and flowers bloomed, with all kinds of flowers in full blossom.
This was the best season for Honeybees, as they had abundant nectar sources for swarming and collecting honey.
At this moment, on Peak Seven in Area D of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, stood a lush, ancient pine tree.
The warm sunlight gently shone upon it, casting a golden glow.
On its lowest branch hung a beehive made of pine wood, about five feet long.
Around the beehive, a swarm of Honeybees flew chaotically, as if they had encountered trouble.
This scene was coincidentally spotted by a clear-faced young man who had just walked under the pine tree.
The young man wore a straw hat, and his face was somewhat tanned, probably from being out in the sun too much.
"Hmm… what's wrong with this box of Bees?"
The straw-hatted young man looked at the chaotic swarm of Bees with some surprise.
His name was Qi Ping, a young Beekeeping Cultivator from the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, and this beehive belonged to him.
"Could it have been attacked by Gold-Striped Hornets?" Qi Ping speculated.
There was a swarm of First Level Gold-Striped Hornets nearby that loved to feed on Honeybees, and they would occasionally attack his precious Honeybees, which gave him a particular headache.
However, after Qi Ping carefully checked, he did not find any traces of the Hornets.
"It seems there are no traces of Hornets? Strange…"
Then Qi Ping checked again carefully, but still found nothing.
Logically, even if the Hornets had attacked and left, they should have left traces, and the Honeybees should have returned to normal by now.
"Something's not quite right… what happened?"
Under Qi Ping's careful observation, he discovered that the Bees' flight paths were abnormally chaotic, unlike the flight paths when scouting for enemies.
They were flying too chaotically, without any discernible pattern.
"Could the Bee swarm be preparing to abscond?"
Thinking of this, Qi Ping's expression suddenly changed.
The Bees' chaotic and agitated flight posture was very likely a sign of absconding.
This would not do!
This swarm of Bees was one of Qi Ping's few possessions; if he lost a swarm, his already not-so-rich life would become even worse.
So, to prevent this from happening, Qi Ping hastily opened the beehive, clipped the Bee Queen's wings, and placed a queen excluder to prevent the Bee Queen from escaping.
However, this was only a temporary solution; he had to find the reason for the Bee swarm's agitation or absconding.
"Bees abscond usually because their survival is threatened, such as insufficient nectar sources, natural enemy interference, overheating beehives… and similar situations."
Based on the Beekeeping knowledge he had learned over the past two or three years, the young Beekeeping Cultivator Qi Ping carefully checked.
"Beehive temperature is normal…"
So, the reason for an overheated beehive could be ruled out.
"Although many of the First Level flowers have withered, there are still many ordinary flowers, so it shouldn't be a problem of insufficient nectar sources…"
This swarm of Bees was the most common First Level Black Little Bee variety; the Bee swarm was much weaker than a Qi Refining First Level Cultivator and did not require much nectar, as ordinary flowers were sufficient.
Especially since it was still spring, there were many flowers in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, so it shouldn't be a problem with nectar sources.
"Gold-Striped Hornets haven't appeared much recently, so they shouldn't cause the Bees to abscond…"
"Could it be bee mites and wax moths?"
Thinking of this, Qi Ping carefully opened the beehive again and checked it thoroughly.
Normally, beehives should not be opened frequently, as it would affect the Bees' normal life and collection efficiency, and could even lead to absconding, but now he had no other choice.
However, Qi Ping did not find any traces of bee mites or wax moths.
"The bee frames are sufficient, and there's enough honey for food, so it's not this reason either…"
Over the next half an hour, Qi Ping meticulously checked inside and out, up and down, many times, yet still could not find the root cause of the Bees' agitation.
"That's strange, what exactly is the problem?" Qi Ping was a bit troubled.
Another half an hour later, Qi Ping still hadn't found any clues.
At this point, he could only blame himself for not being skilled enough.
"Sigh, it seems my skill is still lacking…"
"I'll have to ask that lazy old man to take a look!"
After a sigh, Qi Ping went down the mountain to seek help.
…
That lazy Old Man was known as Old Zhou, and Qi Ping's Beekeeping skills were inherited from him.
Five years ago, Qi Ping Transmigrated from Blue Star, Transmigrating into the body of a severely injured beggar.
Just as Qi Ping was about to die, he was discovered and rescued by Old Zhou, who happened to be passing by.
After healing Qi Ping's injuries, Old Zhou passed on the Cultivation Technique he had learned to him.
Over the next few years, after a period of observation, Old Zhou eventually passed on all of his Beekeeping skills to Qi Ping.
Qi Ping once asked Old Zhou why he chose him as his Legacy recipient.
Old Zhou told Qi Ping this:
"Because you have the Low Grade Wood Spiritual Root Aptitude."
"Because of this? You just want me for my low Talent?"
"Otherwise?"
"What's so good about low Talent? There's no hope of even Breakthrough to Qi Refining Late Stage; you'll be a nobody your whole life!"
"What's the use of so much ambition? If you succeed in Cultivation, you'll never come back to see an Old Man like me, and no one will buy me wine when I'm old!"
"How could that be? Who would be so heartless?"
"Who knows…"
…
Later, Qi Ping learned that Old Zhou had taken in a remarkably talented Disciple when he was young.
But one day, after this Disciple joined a powerful Sect, he never returned and never sent any word to Old Zhou.
Only occasionally would news of this Disciple making a name for himself be heard in Blue Rock County.
As for more past events, Qi Ping did not know.
He only knew that Old Zhou had now completely become a lazy, unkempt Old Man who didn't care much about anything in the outside world.
Aside from drinking and reading travelogues every day, his greatest hobby was sleeping.
In Old Zhou's words, he didn't have many days left, so he had to enjoy the last leisurely moments of his life.
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Sure enough, as soon as Qi Ping entered the courtyard, he saw a casually dressed, benevolent-looking white-haired Old Man snoring in a lounge chair made of purple bamboo.
Not far away, on a zitan table, there was a plate of fresh fruit and a pot of clear wine with a fruity aroma.
"Old Zhou, wake up, something's happened!" Qi Ping called out in his ear.
Old Zhou was the name he requested, saying it sounded more relaxed, and "Master" made him uncomfortable.
"Something happened? What could happen?"
The groggy Old Zhou woke up and said comfortably, seemingly having slept soundly.
Hearing Qi Ping say something happened, there was no hint of tension in his expression, as if the sky could fall and he wouldn't care.
"The beehive on the pine tree has a problem; the Bee swarm is agitated, and it seems like they're trying to abscond."
"Absconding? In this season, it's usually due to natural enemies or wax moths; you can handle it yourself…"
"By the way, after you pay the rent with the Spirit Stones from selling honey, you can keep the rest; don't always give it to me…"
Old Zhou finished speaking and lay back down, preparing to go back to sleep.
Seeing this, Qi Ping hurriedly said:
"But I've checked many times, and I can't find the reason. Gold-Striped Hornets, bee mites, wax moths, nectar sources… everything has been ruled out, and everything looks normal."
Qi Ping's words successfully caught Old Zhou's attention; he had been Beekeeping for half his life, and there was still a situation he hadn't seen?
"What you said seems to be complete; are you sure you've checked everything?"
"I've checked four or five times!" Qi Ping said, full of helplessness.
"This is interesting! Then I, this Old Man, will go take a look…"
…
A moment later, beneath the lush, ancient pine tree.
The white-haired Old Zhou stood before the beehive, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, muttering constantly:
"It shouldn't be, it shouldn't be…"
"Where is the problem?"
He had been Beekeeping for almost half his life and had never seen such a situation.
Half an hour later.
Old Zhou's once neat hair had been kneaded into a tangled mess by himself.
Soon after, he hurriedly went down the mountain to consult ancient texts.
This scene struck Qi Ping as quite novel.
This Old Man's hurried appearance was rare; there weren't many things left in the world that could pique his interest.
The last time Qi Ping gave Old Zhou a bag of Spirit Stones, he disdainfully pushed them away, saying that too much wealth invited disaster.
"Even Old Zhou, who's been Beekeeping for half his life, can't find the reason; this is real trouble!"
Qi Ping was feeling a bit distressed now; if the problem wasn't solved, he would be the one suffering.
As a Qi Refining First Level Cultivator with a Low Grade Wood Spiritual Root, he had neither Talent nor skill; if he lost this beehive, he might truly have to starve.
With this beehive of First Level Black Little Bees, although the Spirit Stones earned couldn't buy much Cultivation resources and eternal life was out of reach, it could at least guarantee he was well-fed and clothed.
He could save money for a few years, then marry several well-educated, plump, beautiful, gentle, and virtuous Mortal women, and build a large courtyard.
This way, life would have a goal.
Over these past few years, Qi Ping had already come to realize a truth: without a Golden Finger, Qi Refining Second and Third Level Cultivators would be his peak.
In this situation, inheriting Old Zhou's business well, peacefully Beekeeping to ensure his own well-being, and marrying a few beautiful wives was the best choice.
Compared to venturing out (99.999% chance of death, 0.001% chance of success), Qi Ping was still willing to stay on this small mountain peak in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range and live a comfortable, laid-back life like Old Zhou.
"Oh, Heaven, are you trying to break my only rice bowl?" Qi Ping was a bit distressed.
If this continued, the Honeybees wouldn't even collect honey, so where would his income as a capitalist come from? He might even be unable to pay the rent to the Qingyuan Sect.
The Cloud Mist Mountain Range was the Qingyuan Sect's territory, and renting this small mountain would cost a lot of Spirit Stones each year.
Fortunately, as Qi Ping was troubled, a surprising voice suddenly sounded in his mind…
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[Please select your profession… ]
On a light screen in Qi Ping's mind, twelve selectable profession templates appeared:
Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard…
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