Chapter 87: The Gold-Devouring Spirit Bees

Arriving in high spirits, departing in disappointment.

Zhou Changwang truly felt cornered now.

If it were just an ordinary cultivator—even one at the ninth level of Qi Refining—he could still muster up the courage to pay a visit and bring up the matter of the Black Needle Poison Bees. Even if the other party refused him, it wouldn’t lead to any great consequence. In the world of Immortal cultivators, unless there was some compelling interest, few would turn hostile and resort to violence for no reason. After all, they weren’t heretical cultivators or demon practitioners who murdered for materials or used wicked methods to forge artifacts.

But insect tamers—because they controlled countless spirit insects—were often unknowingly affected by the brutal, bloodthirsty instincts of their own swarms, leading to extreme and eccentric personalities. Not quite heretics, but arguably even more dangerous.

If he really knocked on that door, there was a real chance the owner would simply drag him inside and feed him to their insects… The old man’s story about a young man knocking and never coming out—he didn’t think it was an exaggeration.

“I must come up with a solution,” Zhou Changwang muttered as he trudged back toward his own courtyard.

Almost immediately, he thought of defensive formations. With a proper array, no spirit insect could get near; it would ward off the Black Needle Poison Bees and any other potential pests. But with five acres of spirit farmland and a pond in the middle, the area was simply too large. He’d need at least forty-nine array flags and the layout of several formations to cover everything.

The problem was, he hadn’t even mastered the basics of array arts. Hiring someone would be prohibitively expensive, and it would risk exposing his Thunder Spirit Rice Tree.

…

The next day, Zhou Changwang first inspected the back garden, killed two Black Needle Poison Bees, and set his little spirit dog to guard the area before hurrying out.

After pondering all night, he’d decided to fight poison with poison.

The Black Needle Poison Bees were simply too dangerous. However, Spirit Gathering Grass, which naturally attracted and concentrated spiritual energy, was irresistible to all kinds of spirit insects. Especially as the grass neared maturity—thousands of plants drawing in spiritual energy, doubling the concentration in the area—it was no wonder the Black Needle Poison Bees had been drawn in, flooding his medicinal fields.

With the spiritual energy growing thicker, more and stronger spirit insects would surely be attracted. According to the Spirit Farmer’s Manual, the main reason for reduced yields in Spirit Gathering Grass was precisely the overwhelming influx of spirit insects once the grass had accumulated enough energy.

Even that venerable spirit farmer, renowned for his pest control skills, could only guarantee a seventy percent survival rate for the Spirit Gathering Grass; many couldn’t even reach thirty percent.

He couldn’t possibly stand guard in the fields night and day, fending off the bees and other threats. So, after much thought, he came up with a method suitable for spirit farmers: raise spirit insects to guard against invaders—specifically, the Gold-Eating Spirit Bees.

These bees fed on metal spirit ores, strengthening their own bodies with what they consumed. Though smaller than the Black Needle Poison Bees, they were fierce and powerful, with astonishing biting force and a strong territorial instinct. Any spirit insect that dared approach their hive would be hunted down relentlessly.

Of course, keeping Gold-Eating Spirit Bees came with major drawbacks. Aside from their master, they would attack any outsider who came near. In the cultivation world, tales abounded of spirit farmers and friends being bitten or even killed by their own bees. A swarm of these creatures was a terrifying force, not easily handled by ordinary cultivators.

Soon, Zhou Changwang arrived at the rogue cultivators’ market. Just a few days earlier there had been a major conflict here, but now the place was bustling, filled with the constant calls of hawkers—seemingly unaffected.

It happened that some stallholders were chatting about the incident, and Zhou Changwang learned that the day after the fight, the Bai family—the cultivator clan in charge of the market—had intervened. An elder at the ninth level of Qi Refining had gone straight to the Fire Crystal Geng Iron mine, taking most of the market guards, then visited the headquarters of the Raksha and Tiger Shark gangs, demanding those responsible be handed over. In front of both gang leaders, he’d executed the offenders on the spot.

This put a real scare into both gangs, and no one dared cause trouble in the market again. Order was restored.

“The Bai family is still the true master of the market. Their inaction before didn’t mean they had lost their authority. If they get serious, those two gangs, for all their bluster, wouldn’t dare step out of line,” Zhou Changwang thought to himself.

Even though the Bai patriarch, Bai Dongxian, had been injured, his mere survival and his strength at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment was enough to deter all but the most reckless. Even the Chen family, who’d been eyeing an opportunity, didn’t dare make a move, let alone the Raksha and Tiger Shark gangs with just a couple of late-stage Qi Refining members.

For Zhou Changwang, this was good news. He didn’t want to live in constant fear every time he left his home. The safer the market, the more at ease he felt.

Lost in thought, he soon found himself at a familiar stall—a place selling young spirit beasts, run by his old acquaintance, Brother Xiu.

Brother Xiu, though from the Beast Master’s Guild and skilled in raising spirit beasts, didn’t really deal in spirit insects. What Zhou Changwang valued was his role as a broker.

“Brother Xiu, may I have a word?” Zhou Changwang stepped forward, casting a soundproofing spell as he did so.

“Oh? It’s you again. What do you want to ask this time? Or are you after some piglets?” Brother Xiu’s eyes narrowed, a glint of shrewdness flashing through them. He pointed to several newborn Borra piglets at his stall.

Borra pigs were a small breed of spirit beast, never growing more than a hundred catties, but prized for their tender, energy-rich meat—favorites among gourmets and quite expensive. Even the piglets cost at least fifteen low-grade spirit stones each.

“I wonder if Brother Xiu knows any cultivators who raise Gold-Eating Spirit Bees? I’d like to buy a hive,” Zhou Changwang asked directly.

“Gold-Eating Spirit Bees? Wait a moment…”

—

Brother Xiu paused, then took out a jade slip from his storage pouch and began checking it.

As a broker, the most important thing was information and resources. In the cultivation world, sources of information were diverse and chaotic; even with a cultivator’s memory, things could be forgotten or overlooked. So, Brother Xiu kept a special jade slip to record everything he knew or learned. Some of this information was useless, but some could be sold for spirit stones—if the buyer was interested.

After years in the business, he had accumulated a vast trove of knowledge, far too much to remember without consulting the jade slip.

After a while, Brother Xiu put away the slip and said, “There are indeed two people who fit the bill.” He said nothing more, just looked at Zhou Changwang.

Zhou Changwang knew the drill and handed over a low-grade spirit stone.

“Not enough. Both are insect tamers with very eccentric personalities. If they find out I sold their information, they could cause me trouble. So, you’ll need to pay more,” Brother Xiu said, eyes nearly closed to slits.

Zhou Changwang understood that Brother Xiu wasn’t actually afraid, but with insect tamers being so notorious for their odd tempers—especially the one he’d almost visited yesterday—it was understandable. He reached into his pouch for another spirit stone, but Brother Xiu quickly added, “But since we’re old friends, and this isn’t your first time coming to me, I won’t charge you extra. I’ll take you there myself and help with the negotiations. The price will be much better than if you went alone. But I want a commission of ten low-grade spirit stones.”

Seeing Zhou Changwang hesitate, Brother Xiu pressed on, “By the way, one’s at the fourth level of Qi Refining, the other at the fifth. Do you really think, with your third-level cultivation, you could get a good deal on your own?”

Zhou Changwang fell silent, but agreed. In the cultivation world, power was everything. Higher-level cultivators exerted a strong pressure over lower-level ones. In the market, it was one thing—at worst, they just wouldn’t sell to you. But if you went directly to someone’s door, bargaining was much harder. If they named a high price, would you dare refuse? Agree and you suffer, refuse and you might anger them, bringing even more trouble.

Even though his own strength wasn’t negligible—he had slain a fifth-level Body Refining cultivator before—he was still at a disadvantage here. But with someone of equal rank negotiating for him, a lot of trouble could be avoided.

Seeing Zhou Changwang nod in agreement, Brother Xiu called someone to watch his stall and led Zhou Changwang out of the market.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they arrived at the entrance to a courtyard.

“The one we’re looking for is named Xu Shaofeng, a fifth-level Qi Refining insect tamer. He raises a hive of Gold-Eating Spirit Bees, as well as two Venom-Faced Spiders and a hundred-legged centipede… I brought you to him first because he’s relatively normal, sometimes even helping out in the Spirit Herb Hall with pest control. He’s someone you can reason with. The other one is much more extreme—if you don’t agree to his price, he’ll actually retaliate, sending pests to ruin your fields. That’s happened before.”

Brother Xiu explained, then knocked on the door.

Zhou Changwang nodded in understanding. Just one insect tamer, and not even one targeting him, merely having their bees forage in his fields, was already a headache. If someone deliberately set out to sabotage him, his spirit fields could be devastated.

As for spirit herb cultivators hiring insect tamers for pest control? It sounded like a joke, but it was actually common. Metal Finger, Ice Silk Technique—these were decent methods, but nothing compared to an insect tamer’s expertise in luring and exterminating pests. Each profession had its own strengths.

Some pests were so troublesome that only an insect tamer could remove them without damaging the spirit plants.

“When we go in, let me do the talking,” Brother Xiu instructed, just as the door opened to reveal a pale, expressionless young cultivator—yet with a hint of handsomeness.

“What do you want?” the man asked.

“This young friend here would like to buy some Gold-Eating Spirit Bees for pest prevention. Would you be willing to part with a few?” Brother Xiu stepped forward.

Xu Shaofeng glanced at Zhou Changwang—third-level Qi Refining and, surprisingly, better-looking than himself. Not a spirit herb cultivator, but likely a spirit farmer. Could he even afford these bees? Without hesitation, Xu Shaofeng replied, “Just the worker bees? Three low-grade spirit stones each, minimum ten per sale.”

“You must be joking. How could anyone raise a hive without a queen? And a first-grade beginner queen isn’t worth three stones per worker. Last year, someone bought from you at just one stone each,” Brother Xiu said with a laugh.

“That was last year. The price has gone up. Besides, with proper care and enough spirit ore, a queen can advance in grade,” Xu Shaofeng replied, then turned directly to Zhou Changwang. “If you want a queen, a newly matured one at the first grade, that’s a hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones. I’ll give you worker bees at two stones each. How about it?”

As he spoke, an oppressive spiritual energy surged forth, pressing down on Zhou Changwang.

Zhou Changwang tensed but did not give in, merely stepping back to relieve the pressure. The gap in cultivation was real—if not for his training in the Eight Forms of Heaven’s Origin, which made his vitality robust, and daily practice with the Taiyi Diagram, which steadily strengthened his mind, he would have been in real trouble.

“Not very fair of you, friend,” Brother Xiu interjected, releasing his own sixth-level Qi Refining aura and stepping in front of Zhou Changwang.

Xu Shaofeng’s expression changed, but he snorted, “For the sake of Friend Tuoba, the queen is one hundred and twenty stones, and fifteen stones for ten worker bees.”

Only now did Zhou Changwang learn Brother Xiu’s real name: Tuoba Xiu. He realized just how wise it was to bring him along—without him, there’d be no way to bargain down the price.

—

He would have had to spend dozens more spirit stones otherwise. With only a hundred and fifty stones on hand, Xu Shaofeng’s initial price might have been unaffordable. Using talismans as payment would have drawn too much attention. Dual-class cultivators weren’t rare, but one at the third Qi Refining level was almost unheard of.

“Still too expensive. I heard every time the number of Gold-Eating Bees exceeds a hundred, a new queen is born. You’ve been raising them for five or six years, haven’t you? The more workers you have, the greater the consumption, and you have to prevent fights between queens…” Tuoba Xiu remarked with a smile.

“That’s not your concern. I’ll also provide a mind control technique with the queen, so the worker bees won’t turn on their owner. That technique isn’t cheap, but I’m not charging extra for it,” Xu Shaofeng replied, a bit awkwardly.

The two haggled back and forth until Xu Shaofeng finally relented, “A hundred stones for a queen, and I’ll throw in ten worker bees. If you want more, twelve bees for ten stones. Deal?”

“Friend Liu, you’re straightforward!” Tuoba Xiu laughed, gesturing for Zhou Changwang to proceed.

Zhou Changwang nodded gratefully and quickly stated his requirements. He needed a queen—capable of producing more workers as soon as she was settled—and a good number of workers right away to fend off the Black Needle Poison Bees.

He opted to spend twenty stones on worker bees; with the queen at a hundred, that totaled a hundred and twenty stones for one queen and thirty-four workers.

He also spent another ten stones for a small hive and a hundred catties of spirit ore—mainly black iron and purple gold ores, both favored by Gold-Eating Spirit Bees. This supply would last a month or more.

After an incense stick’s time, the two emerged from Xu Shaofeng’s courtyard.

“Brother Xiu, I really owe you for this. Without your help, I’d never have gotten the bees at such a low price,” Zhou Changwang said as he carried a wooden box containing the thirty-five bees and a hundred catties of ore.

“Don’t mention it, friend Zhou. I’m just doing my job. If I didn’t put in the effort, how could I justify taking your spirit stones?” Tuoba Xiu laughed, then hurried back to his stall.

Zhou Changwang had already paid him on the way out.

Seeing this, Zhou Changwang didn’t linger, hurrying home. This time, he’d truly spent everything—one hundred and thirty stones for the bees, one for the information, ten for the commission—a total of one hundred and forty-one stones.

Passing a talisman shop on the way, he bought two packs of high-quality spirit paper—made from spirit rabbit fur, perfect for crafting superior talismans—three stones per pack, six in all. He also picked up a bottle of snake-blood ink for three stones. All one hundred and fifty stones gone, spent to the last coin.

“After all that, I’m broke again,” Zhou Changwang sighed, entering his courtyard.

He didn’t stop in the front yard, but went straight to the back.

“Awooo!”

He soon heard the little spirit dog’s desperate howls. Without hesitation, Zhou Changwang rushed over to see it frantically chasing two Black Needle Poison Bees. Though much smaller than the dog, the bees could fly swiftly, dodging just above its head and evading every pounce. Occasionally, they’d even sting, leaving the poor dog with two large welts on its head, and more stings on its nose and lips—its face was a pitiful, swollen mess.

“Awooo…”

Upon seeing Zhou Changwang, the dog whimpered miserably, looking utterly aggrieved. It had truly suffered. The bees targeted its most vulnerable spots, and if not for its master’s command to guard the fields, it would have fled long ago.

“I know you’ve been wronged. Let me help you get revenge,” Zhou Changwang said with a chuckle, soothing the dog with a calming spell before flicking his fingers twice—knocking both bees to the ground.

He didn’t kill them outright, merely crippled their wings, knowing that the dog would enjoy taking its own revenge.

The little dog noticed the bees weren’t dead and immediately pounced, determined to torment them for a while.

Zhou Changwang paid it no mind and healed the dog with a rejuvenation spell, then inspected the fields to ensure there were no more bees.

Finally, he went to the pondside courtyard and opened the wooden box.

Inside were the thirty-five Gold-Eating Spirit Bees he’d just purchased—one queen and thirty-four workers. The small hive, about the size of a bowl, held the queen, resting quietly at its center.

…

(End of chapter)