Chapter 19

Yunhe Daoist, it's me.

Hearing the familiar voice, Yunhe breathed a little easier.

'I went to the black market, got a bit too nervous.'

He opened the door.

He saw at the doorway a cultivator skinny as a stick, with deep-set eye sockets, a typical look of overwork.

'Daoist Li, what's up?' Yunhe asked.

This person was Li Youquan, also a resident of this shantytown area, and like Yunhe, a spirit bee farmer of the Wang Clan in the market town.

Li Youquan kept wiping sweat at the doorway, panting as he said:

'Daoist Yunhe, you must have encountered the black-ring hornets, right?'

Hearing that, Yunhe was startled, not quite understanding, but still nodded and said, 'Yes.'

Seeing this, Li Youquan immediately showed a bitter expression of 'shared suffering.'

'I don't know why, but the black-ring hornets have proliferated into a disaster; many spirit bee farmers have encountered them and suffered heavy losses.'

But soon his expression changed, and he became excited, his eyebrows dancing.

'We reported this to the Wang Clan, but it sank like a stone with no response, so we fellow Daoists decided to handle it ourselves!'

'Handle it ourselves?'

Yunhe had personally seen swarms of black-ring hornets run rampant; even a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator surnamed Shi almost got killed—how could they deal with it?

'Exactly! Led by Daoist Wei of the eastern shantytown, we've summoned the spirit bee farmers to form the Extermination Team to counter this black-ring calamity!'

'But Daoist Wei Qingfei?'

Wei Qingfei is somewhat of a celebrity among the spirit bee farmers of their River Gully market town shantytown.

The reason is simple: he is a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.

Few mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators are willing to be spirit bee farmers, making Wei Qingfei quite an oddball.

Even more, he is not just mid-stage Qi Refinement; rumor has it his cultivation base has reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement!

'It's indeed Daoist Wei!'

'Daoist Yunhe, you go ahead; I'll go gather the other Daoists.'

Saying that, he shoved a wooden token into Yunhe's hand, then hurriedly walked to another house and started knocking.

'Looking at this, it's not just a single black-ring hornet nest that's appeared.'

Yunhe lightly stroked the wooden token in his hand, hesitating slightly.

'Oh well, going to have a look won't hurt.'

If this so-called Extermination Team were actually formed and managed to slay some black-ring hornets, could he purchase their corpses from those cultivators?

Yunhe's eyes lit up.

'Perhaps it could work.'

When Yunhe arrived at the address written on the token, quite a few cultivators had already gathered here.

'Daoist Yunhe.'

'Daoist Yunhe has come too.'

'Daoist Yunhe, how's your recent harvest?'

Familiar, unfamiliar.

Known, unknown.

Yunhe returned each greeting with a smile and a clasped-hand salute.

At a glance, there were no fewer than twenty people gathered.

Moreover, more spirit bee farmers kept arriving after hearing the news.

Nearly everyone present wore plain hemp clothing, their faces tanned dark, each carrying a beehive of varying shape.

They looked less like cultivators and more like field farmers.

However, one person stood out from the crowd.

This person wore a brand-new robe, with hair, face, clothing, and accessories neat and orderly, wearing a warm smile.

Only from his hands, thick with old calluses when he clasped them in greeting, could one tell he had at least once endured hardship.

And this person was none other than the convener of this gathering, a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, Wei Qingfei!

'With Daoist Wei presiding, this matter will surely succeed.'

'Yeah, I heard Daoist Wei just recently broke through to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement; the late stage is within reach.'

'That's wrong. Not only is the late stage within reach, I see Daoist Wei surely having a chance to attain Foundation Establishment in the future.'

Wei Qingfei seemed to enjoy the feeling of being surrounded and flattered; hearing their words, his mouth almost split to his ears, yet he still smiled and said:

'Overpraise, friends, overpraise. Foundation Establishment is no easy feat; among us loose cultivators, countless are stuck at this stage, having trained a hundred years, ultimately unable to overcome a handful of yellow earth.'

'Hey! Daoist Wei is being modest; even if Foundation Establishment is hard to achieve, the late stage of Qi Refinement should surely be within your grasp.'

As for that, Wei Qingfei did not deny it again, seeming to also feel that the late stage was within his reach.

The atmosphere was heated.

As for this flattery, Yunhe neither joined in nor voiced dissent; he simply stood silently in the corner, like an outsider.

'This is the sort of person who'd rather be a chicken's head than a phoenix's tail.'

He seemed to somewhat understand why Wei Qingfei, whose cultivation base had reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement, was still willing to be a spirit bee farmer.

Excessive flattery can sometimes easily cause people to become obsessed without realizing it.

Not long after.

The spirit bee farmers gathered on site already exceeded thirty people! "Many thanks, fellow Daoists, for gracing us with your presence; I, Wei, have a word to say."

When the crowd had roughly gathered, Wei Qingfei, the convener of this gathering, stepped before the crowd, pressing his hands down while smiling and speaking.

After another round of flattery, he finally got to the point of this gathering.

"Recently, I, Wei, have heard from many fellow Daoists of the calamity of the black ring. I, Wei, also came up from the ranks of lowly spirit bee farmers, and I know well the harm the black-ring hornets pose to us bee farmers; however, the Wang Clan of the market town turns a deaf ear and offers no help, leaving me deeply worried. After much bitter thought, I have decided!"

His confident gaze swept over the entire crowd.

"Let us form our own spirit bee farmers' 'Extermination Team'! Since no one is helping, we will rely on our own strength."

Instantly, the crowd burst into uplifting cheers.

Wei Qingfei pressed his hands down again, then spoke righteously:

"Fellow Daoists present, if you wish to join the 'Extermination Team', you may register with me; if you encounter the black-ring calamity, you may also tell me the location, and I will certainly lend my aid!"

Yunhe, silently observing, pricked up his ears.

Soon, several spirit bee farmers eagerly spoke of the locations and sizes of several black-ring hornet nests.

The number of hornets in the larger nest is unknown, but it is estimated to be at least fifty or more.

And the smaller nest has no fewer than twenty black-ring hornets.

Yunhe slightly furrowed his brows.

"How did so many black-ring hornet nests appear all at once?"

According to the original owner's memory, in previous years, even if black-ring hornets appeared, there were at most one or two nests.

It has been just over a month since spring began this year, yet so many have appeared? Time flows by unnoticed.

When Yunhe left, the 'Extermination Team' had gained three more members besides Wei Qingfei himself.

Seeing their confident expressions, they seemed to think the black-ring calamity was nothing to worry about.

That night, "Whether or not he is truly vain, if the extermination of insects can truly be organized, this person has done a good deed."

Yunhe, in good spirits, rarely took out some spirit rice, mixed it with honey dregs, and made a tasty dinner.

After eating and drinking his fill.

He spent some time using the method from the Blood Insect Sacrifice Technique to sacrifice and refine the remaining six Red Pattern Spirit Bees, bringing them under his control one by one.

"'The Insect Battle Formation' requires at least ten spirit insects as a minimum; it seems tomorrow I must find a way to hunt a few black-ring hornets, at least first forming a rudimentary Insect Battle Formation to practice."

Yunhe, sitting on the futon, was just about to use his Spiritual Power to familiarize himself once more with the Golden Slaughter Sword, testing the Metal Control Art to control the sword's power, when the door was knocked on again.

"It has never been this lively before."

He muttered to himself.

He rose and opened the door.

"Brother Wei?"

Upon seeing the person standing outside the door, Yunhe was somewhat surprised.

The visitor turned out to be the Qi Condensation mid-stage cultivator who organized the Extermination during the day, Wei Qingfei!

And three or four others who appeared to be cultivators who had joined the Extermination Team.

"Brother Yun, coming here late at night, I apologize for the disturbance."

Wei Qingfei's smile remained gentle as ever, and he bowed with clasped hands.

Yunhe came to his senses, waved his hands repeatedly, and stepped aside.

"No, no, please come in, fellow Daoists."

"No thanks."

However, Wei Qingfei refused.

Yunhe did not insist, merely asking doubtfully: "May I ask what business brings you fellow Daoists here?"

Wei Qingfei smiled again.

"It's not really a big deal. Speaking of it is a bit embarrassing, but I'll be straightforward with you, fellow Daoists."

"The Extermination Team has already been formed; tomorrow we ought to resolve the black-ring calamity for you fellow Daoists. But we well know these black-ring hornets are not easy to deal with; although I possess some modest spiritual power, I also feel my strength insufficient, so I thought that if we few could obtain a little help from you fellow Daoists, we would certainly"

Hearing this, Yunhe more or less understood his meaning.

This is coming for money! What's the point of forming an Extermination Team when not a single black-ring hornet has been killed, yet they're already preparing to collect money from our own people? Yunhe felt that he somewhat understood Wei Qingfei's true purpose in organizing this gathering.

"Fellow Daoists, rest assured; I, Wei, know your lives are not easy, so what I need is not much."

"How much?"

Yunhe, suppressing his displeasure, asked.

"One Low-grade Ling Stone is enough!"

Yunhe's eyes widened.

"One Low-grade Ling Stone? Enough?!"

Today's gathered spirit bee farmers, at the very least, number close to forty, right?

If each person contributes one Low-grade Ling Stone, that would be forty in total!

Even if he collected once a year—no, looking at his posture, it doesn't seem like an annual collection.

"What a great idea, what a fine method, what clever scheming!"

He looked at the few people behind Wei Qingfei.

Those who dared to join the Extermination Team must be the spirit bee farmers present with higher cultivation and ability.

Wei Qingfei understood that even if his cultivation were high, he could not overwhelm all the spirit bee farmers by himself.

But if he wins over one group and suppresses another, things become much easier to accomplish.

To be honest, Yunhe actually somewhat admired Wei Qingfei's methods, but— noticing Yunhe's embarrassment, Wei Qingfei raised the corner of his eye.

Fellow cultivator, are you in trouble?

Yunhe drew a breath, bowed again, and with an apologetic face said: "To be frank, I cannot produce even a low-grade Ling Stone."

Oh?

Wei Qingfei gave him a once‑over, the corner of his mouth tightening.

It's fine; you can offer other items as compensation—spirit honey, spirit talismans, or even spirit rice.

This

Yunhe gave a dry chuckle.

The Black Ring blight has caused a severe failure in my spirit honey harvest, and on top of that the market taxes are exorbitant—really, really, alas.

Fellow cultivator Yunhe, life is not easy for you." Wei Qingfei's tone turned flat, and his gentle smile gradually faded.

But Yunhe indeed had no way.

His spirit stones had been completely spent on today's trip to the black market, so he truly could not produce even a low-grade Ling Stone.

Otherwise, given his preference to avoid trouble, he might actually have handed over a low-grade Ling Stone to avoid unnecessary hassle.

No matter what, this Wei Qingfei is a mid‑stage sixth‑layer Qi Refining cultivator; it's best not to offend him if possible.

I hope you can understand, fellow cultivator.

Understood, I see.

Wei Qingfei nodded, then glanced at him again.

It was my abruptness, Wei Mou; thus I will no longer bother Fellow Cultivator Yunhe.

Having said that, he gave a casual bow, and with the others turned and left.

Watching their retreating backs, Yunhe rubbed his forehead.

"When would be a bad time to come, but of all times it's now."

"Chen Fellow Cultivator, on the day Yun Fellow Cultivator paid tribute, are you certain you saw it with your own eyes?"

"Yes." Chen Zhiping hurriedly replied.

"That... Wei Fellow Cultivator, I observe that Yun Fellow Cultivator does not seem to be lying; I suppose he must have encountered some difficulty."

Clearly sensing Wei Qingfei's displeasure, those who had once been honest and diligent spirit farmers tried to explain on Yunhe's behalf.

"Hahaha——" Wei Qingfei burst into laughter, his smile returning as he patted that person's shoulder and said, "Wei Mou am I not such a petty, narrow‑minded person?"

Before they could catch their breath,

he spoke again.

"Just."

His voice, faint and drawn out, lingered long and long.

"Wei Mou has confidence in dealing with the Black Ring Hornet, but I wonder, fellow cultivators, without the aid of many fellow cultivators, what chance would you have when facing the Black Ring Hornet?"

Upon hearing this, several people's hearts tightened.

They exchanged glances, instantly grasping the stakes.

It's better to cause trouble for others than for oneself.

They all bowed together and said:

"We will follow the fellow cultivator's lead!"

Those about to taste sweetness, will they still retain that seemingly simple heart? Wei Qingfei gave a sneering laugh.

In short,

In the world of cultivation, profit reigns supreme! May I humbly ask for a few votes? Monthly tickets, recommendation tickets~~(End of chapter)