Chapter 21

"Whether it succeeds or not, it's up to heaven's will; anyway, I've already done everything I can currently do."

"The hastily made fertilizer's effect is unknown, but it's everything Yunhe can do in his demonic beast state."

"Fortunately, the Hundred Herbs Record mentions how to make fertilizer from demonic beast meat; although it's only briefly mentioned, making it isn't too complicated, and using demonic power and spiritual energy is much simpler than the mortal method."

'"Let's observe for two days; if the paired thunder juice fruit continues to deteriorate, then we can only minimize loss and eat it in advance."'

"After doing all that, Yunhe checked the condition of the jade water snails in the pool."

"Amid the tangled, messy dead leaves in the pool, he faintly saw some elusive green specks."

"He felt a sudden delight."

'"Could it be that they've reproduced?"'

"Actually, his expectations for raising jade water snails weren't high to begin with."

"Occasionally throwing in some meat chunks lets them survive; compared to the paired thunder juice fruit, they're extremely easy to manage."

"But unexpectedly, as he raised them, the jade water snails actually produced baby snails and began to reproduce!"

"Feeling quite delighted, Yunhe tossed in several chunks of demonic beast Black Fish meat one after another."

"Since they've started reproducing, their food demand will surely increase."

"After doing these, Yunhe, in a decent mood, crawled toward the cultivation chamber."

"Sizzle!"

"The air transmitted a piercing sound, occasionally mixed with the sharp whistle of sword qi cutting through the air, and the surrounding air trembled slightly."

"Between the flashes of the sharp blade's edge, two halves of the black-ringed wasp silently fell to the ground."

'"Indeed worthy of being a magical artifact."'

"After five days of sacrificial refining and polishing, he finally became completely familiar with the Golden Slaughter Sword."

"Using the 'Metal Controlling Technique,' its power already exceeds that of the 'Water Arrow Technique' by more than a notch."

"Buzz—"

"Two Red Pattern Spirit Bees flew out from the thicket, each carrying half of a black-ringed wasp's corpse back to Yunhe."

"Just then he lightly flipped his palm, and the Golden Slaughter Sword as well as that black-ringed wasp corpse vanished into thin air."

'"I never imagined that one day the limit on my raising Red Pattern Spirit Bees wouldn't just be the black-ringed wasp, but even spirit bees."'

"Thinking about his current number of spirit bees, Yunhe rubbed his forehead."

"In his beehive, only a total of 12 ordinary spirit bees remain."

"Because in these past few days, freed from the constraints of the Bee Controlling Technique, he has extensively cultivated Red Pattern Spirit Bees, now reaching a full twenty!"

"A modest scale!"

'"Let's go to the market tomorrow to get another batch; otherwise, relying only on 12 spirit bees, next month's spirit honey might not be payable."'

"Originally, obtaining spirit bees was simple—just go to the market and purchase them."

"But not long ago he had just taken in a batch; even using the black-ringed calamity as an excuse, suddenly bringing in a large number of spirit bees would indeed be rather conspicuous."

'"First take in a little less to stabilize spirit honey production; then see if we can get a share from others."'

"He lifted his head to glance at the sky, then Yunhe waved his hand again."

"The spirit bees hidden among the flowers and grasses, as well as the Red Pattern Spirit Bees, all flew back."

"Shouldering the bamboo box, he walked toward the shantytown district."

"His shadow stretched longer and longer between the field ridges."

"Perhaps because he didn't pay the 'public fee' to the Extermination Team, he offended Wei Qingfei."

"On his way back, Yunhe clearly felt that the peak farmers' attitude toward him had changed, shifting from familiarity to a desire to avoid him at all costs."

"As for this, Yunhe appeared quite indifferent, even secretly finding it amusing."

"Reducing useless socializing, which was already pointless, is not only not a bad thing for him but actually saves him a lot of time."

'"If this is all Wei Qingfei has against me, that would be great."'

"Returning home, he put the beehive on the ground, took out a set of clothes from the cabinet, and Yunhe muttered to himself with some regret."

"What he fears is that his goals go beyond this."

"Actually, if we put ourselves in his shoes, if Yunhe stood from Wei Qingfei's perspective."

"As someone who wants to exploit the black-ringed calamity to consolidate the shantytown spirit bee farmers for profit, a person like Yunhe who doesn't pay the 'public fee' yet lives freely is a denial of his and the Extermination Team's 'authority'."

'"Should we pretend to be a bit hardship to suit his wishes?"'

"While changing clothes, Yunhe's movements hesitated slightly."

"Offending a mid-stage Qi Practitioner cultivator is not what he wishes, but there's indeed nothing he can do."

'"What I fear is that they won't think you're suffering and will instead kick you when you're down."'

"He put on a wooden mask."

"After all, it's simply that his strength is insufficient; in others' eyes he's a soft persimmon."

'"When I have fifty Red Pattern Spirit Bees, the Insect Battle Array reaches minor success, or my Cultivation Base advances further, then I won't need to worry so much."'

"Rattle—"

"He draped the wide robe over his body."

"Stepping on the last glow of sunset, Yunhe quickly slipped out the back door and ran toward a certain direction."

"Since the incident with the Shi-surnamed cultivator last time, he has learned his lesson."

"Simply put, he no longer goes hunting black-ringed wasps in the guise and appearance of a spirit bee farmer Yunhe; this at least greatly reduces the chance of being targeted."

"However, after silently leaving the shantytown district, Yunhe did not head toward the black-ringed wasp nest near his beekeeping site."

"In fact, these past few days he hasn't gone there at all."

"First, because the Shi-surnamed cultivator died right there; if someone had been staking out the place, they'd very likely be caught red-handed."

Secondly, it's because that black-ringed wasp's swarm is actually quite large; given his current demand for black-ringed wasps, if he hunts them recklessly, it might provoke the entire swarm to riot.

And the place he is currently heading to is a location of a black-ringed wasp swarm that is obviously much smaller.

This is thanks to the Spirit Bee farmers' gathering convened by Wei Qingfei that day.

At that time, many Spirit Bee farmers complained bitterly about their hardships, and Yunhe quietly noted down the locations of some black-ringed wasp swarm activities.

The last glimmer of sunlight was completely blocked by the western mountains, and Yunhe finally arrived near his destination.

He looked around in all directions.

Insect chirps rose gradually, faint glows flew out slowly from the thickets, and the occasional frog croak sounded especially jarring.

A gust of wind blew.

Amid the rustling sounds, something occasionally flashed by.

Yunhe held his breath and focused his spirit intensely.

"After coming back and forth five times, the number of black-ringed wasps has clearly decreased a lot."

He approached the wasp nest's location step by step, cautiously.

Yet today, he surprisingly failed to encounter even a single patrolling black-ringed wasp.

Soon after.

A small mound of earth, noticeably looser and lighter in color than the surroundings, came into view.

"Is this the black-ringed wasp's nest? I'm seeing it for the first time too."

Unlike most Spirit Bees, black-ringed wasps hide their nests underground.

Buzz—

Finally, the familiar buzzing of wasp wings sounded.

Yunhe's eyes narrowed, and as he turned his palm, a long sword glowing with cold light appeared in his hand.

He lightly shook his wrist, forming a seal with one hand.

"Go!"

Whoosh—

He saw the long sword leave a silver-white trail in the night sky; the black-ringed wasp that had just appeared didn't even have time to lock onto the enemy's position before being split in two.

It might have been that the black-ringed wasp transmitted information before dying.

Or perhaps the noise attracted attention.

When that black-ringed wasp was slain, the rising and falling wasp wing buzz sounded a 'buzz'.

The next second.

Several black-ringed wasps the size of fists flew out from the hole in the earthen slope.

"Has this nest of black-ringed wasps finally been cleaned up seven‑eight‑eight?"

He had already reached the black-ringed wasp nest and slain their companions, yet fewer than ten black-ringed wasps flew out from the nest.

"Huh?"

The next moment, beneath his mask, Yunhe's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Buzz, buzz buzz—

He saw the mouth of the hole in the earthen slope suddenly crack with fine patterns, then the soil exploded.

A black-ringed wasp, about twice the size of an ordinary one, with brighter black markings and a fiercer aura, shot out fiercely.

Wasp Queen!

Perhaps sensing the aura of the black-ringed wasp queen, the Red Pattern Spirit Bees attached to Yunhe's body also became somewhat restless.

Yunhe even doubted that, if he were still using the previous "Bee Control Technique," he might not be able to command the Red Pattern Spirit Bees to attack at this moment.

But his current connection with the Red Pattern Spirit Bees is much tighter than before.

Right hand gripping the sword, left hand forming a seal.

Buzz buzz buzz—

Spirit Bees covered entirely in blood-red patterns flew out from his cuff.

The black-ringed wasp queen hovering in mid‑air saw the fleeing Red Pattern Spirit Bees and her movement hesitated slightly.

Her dim compound eyes swept over.

She seemed also a bit unable to comprehend what kind of creature the Red Pattern Spirit Bees were.

They seemed both like food and like a natural enemy.

Instinctively feeling uneasy, the black-ringed wasp queen fiercely flapped her wings, emitting a sharp 'hiss'.

The surrounding black-ringed wasps, as if receiving some order, charged toward Yunhe and his companions.

Seeing this, Yunhe let out a light laugh.

He slightly altered the seal with his left hand.

The Red Pattern Spirit Bees, like individually trained soldiers, neatly formed ranks, linked left and right, creating a simple battle formation, resembling a net.

They did not take the initiative to attack, but waited for a few black-ringed wasps to ram head‑on into them.

In the instant of clash, all Red Pattern Spirit Bees simultaneously revealed their stingers, and the 'net' contracted!

Ding!!

At the same time, the queen moved.

However, before it could advance, it was met with a gleaming sword blade.

The queen's stout stinger collided with the sword blade, producing a clear metallic tremor.

Outmatched, the queen was blown backward.

"Is it an early first‑rank demon beast?"

Yunhe, who had personally felt the bee king's strength, raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Even if the bee king without its swarm is strong, it's no more than a toothless tiger."

His gaze narrowed.

He increased the output of his spiritual power.

Whoosh—

The bee king, still airborne and not yet steady, saw a flash of icy sword light through its faceted eyes.

Crack!

Accompanied by a crisp sound.

The bee king's vibrating wings gradually stilled.

After a brief pause in midair,

It crashed heavily to the ground, its body severed.

"A small hive, the strength of the black-ring hornet king is only at the level of an early-stage first-rank demon beast."

While Yunhe muttered to himself, the Red Pattern Spirit Bee had already slain all the black-ring hornets.

Thanks to the Battle Insect Formation, not even one was injured.

He collected the corpses of the black-ring hornets and the bee king.

"I wonder what benefits eating the bee king will bring to the Red Pattern Spirit Bee?"

Yunhe felt a hint of anticipation.

He walked to the small dirt mound.

Buzz—

The Red Pattern Spirit Bee fluttered about.

Soon the surface soil was cleared, revealing a three-layer hive built of honeycomb beneath.

"Buzz—"

Suddenly.

The five-pattern Red Pattern Spirit Bee became somewhat excited and restless.

It circled around the base of the hive frame, wandering back and forth.

With some doubt, Yunhe moved aside the upper hive frame.

He saw the royal platform, and also saw

"Bee royal jelly!"

(End of chapter)