Chapter 41

Zhou Shouxin, who stood frozen like a wooden chicken, did not have a calm heart matching his outward composure at this moment.

He concealed his cultivation base! It's actually Qi Refinement Fifth Layer! First Stage Middle!

But merely at First Stage Middle, he actually managed to kill a First Stage Late Goldthread Black-shell Scorpion?!

Wei Qingfei, could Wei Qingfei's disappearance possibly be related to him?

Besides being shocked, he couldn't help but think of the missing Wei Qingfei.

Back then, he never imagined that Wei Qingfei's disappearance could possibly be related to Yunhe, this 'weak' and 'bullyable' Spirit Bee farmer.

But before he could think further, Yunhe, holding the Gold Killing Sword, walked toward him with a squinting smile.

Only then did he suddenly recall.

It seemed that just now, to avoid the Goldthread Black-shell Scorpion's pursuit, he had used the scheme of diverting disaster eastward.

"Cough, cough-cough."

Zhou Shouxin tried to speak, but only spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Although he escaped death, that pincer of the Goldthread Black-shell Scorpion indeed left him severely wounded.

He watched Yunhe draw ever closer.

He struggled, swallowing.

Finally, he managed to force back the surging blood in his throat.

"I"

"Swish!!"

Zhou Shouxin only felt a chill at his neck, then a tight, scalding liquid spurted from his throat, after which he could say nothing more.

With intense reluctance and still-unfaded disbelief, he feebly grabbed at Yunhe before slowly collapsing to the ground.

Yunhe sheathed the Gold Killing Sword and gave it a light shake.

"Sorry, I actually don't harbor much malice." Yunhe said softly, "It's just that your not dying leaves my thoughts unresolved."

He took Zhou Shouxin's storage bag, but did not immediately try to erase the spiritual power imprint; instead, he first returned to the corpse of the Goldthread Black-shell Scorpion.

Although the Goldthread Black-shell Scorpion's lingering aura here deters ordinary beasts, one cannot be sure whether equally powerful or even stronger demonic beasts still lurk in this mountain forest.

Yunhe attempted to use the Gold Killing Sword to segment the Goldthread Black-shell Scorpion's carcass.

Even though the Goldthread Black-shell Scorpion was dead, and he was cutting the soft cartilage at the joint of its carapace, it still felt extremely hard and unusually difficult to cut.

"The Gold Killing Sword's grade is ultimately a bit low."

As his cultivation base rose, a First Stage low-grade Magical Artifact began to feel somewhat insufficient for him.

"It's also time to replace it."

With the help of the Red Pattern Spirit Bee, after spending a little extra time, he completed the disassembly of the Goldthread Black-shell Scorpion.

He obtained five relatively large and intact pieces of dorsal carapace.

A pair of hard and powerful pincers.

And a tail heavier than an iron chain.

"I don't know if I can forge a weapon in addition to crafting a defensive Magical Artifact."

Gazing at the pair of pincers and the scorpion's tail, Yunhe fell into thought.

But soon he himself gave a negative answer.

Being able to forge a decent Magical Artifact from a single intact demonic beast carcass is already good; splitting it into two might result in both artifacts being somewhat inferior.

"Good thing I have many storage bags."

Yunhe felt that perhaps after a while he could become the legendary 'Eight-Bag Elder'.

After filling two and a half cubit storage bags and then loading part of the remainder into two cubit bags, he finally stored the entire Goldthread Black-shell Scorpion carcass.

If it weren't for the Red Pattern Spirit Bee having eaten most of the scorpion meat, there probably wouldn't have been enough space.

After tidying up and simply cleaning the scene, Yunhe rose and swiftly departed.

Nightfall descended in the west.

The night in the mountains always arrives earlier.

"Where to?"

As Yunhe weaved through the trees, he couldn't help but think.

"Return to River Stream Bazaar?"

That was the first thought that flashed through his mind.

"No, what if Wang Jinglan hasn't returned or is dead? If I go back, I'm afraid there'll be no good outcome."

Many people knew that Wang Jinglan had taken those four Spirit Bee farmers away.

If Wang Jinglan died, then no matter how he explained it to the Wang Clan upon his return, they likely wouldn't listen and would instead take out their anger on him.

"Not returning to River Stream Bazaar. How about going to Hongye City?"

The place nearest to River Stream Bazaar where cultivators are active is Hongye City.

But having witnessed today the perilous mountain forest teeming with demonic beasts, Yunhe greatly doubts whether he can safely reach Hongye City.

You should know, Liu Hongyuan, the elder brother of Liu Hongyong, a First Stage high-grade Seal Master, died on the road to Hongye City.

"So, perhaps I should indeed first try to find Wang Jinglan."

Facing a First Stage Middle giant python, Wang Jinglan, who possesses a decent Magical Artifact, should not be unable to defeat it.

"Goo-goo-goo—"

The owl's cry rang out, announcing the formal arrival of night.

Yunhe's steps gradually slowed.

"Rather than pondering what to do afterward, it's better to first think about how to get through tonight."

The mountain forest at night is far more dangerous than during the day.

Yunhe raised his hand, and a Red Pattern Spirit Bee flew up close, landing in his palm.

Listening to the information transmitted by the Red Pattern Spirit Bee.

He let out a light sigh.

"Good."

With a wave of his hand, the Red Pattern Spirit Bee landed ahead of him, leading the way.

The moon was bright, the stars sparse.

The clear moonlight draped the forest in a thin white veil, and under the dappled leaves, scattered white specks fell.

Guided by the Red Pattern Spirit Bee, they soon arrived at a mountain hollow.

What appeared before them was a cave concealed by dense vegetation, revealing only a few dark cracks.

"The grass above is disordered with no footprints, the covering vines are naturally grown; this cave is unlikely to be a demon beast's den."

He approached slowly.

He gently pushed aside the blocking vines and leaves, and a strand of moonlight shone in.

Buzz—

Suddenly, a familiar wing-beat sound came from inside the cave.

Immediately, a spirit bee the size of a fist appeared in Yunhe's sight.

Seeing the spirit bee, Yunhe froze slightly.

Soon, more and more buzzing sounds came from within the cave.

"So the spirit bee nest is here."

After reacting, he felt somewhat surprised.

"Is it because spirit bees naturally have some attraction to the aura of Red Pattern Spirit Bees, allowing them to find this place?"

This was a good thing for Yunhe.

The spirit bees are not strongly aggressive; their combat ability is negligible compared to Red Pattern Spirit Bees, and the cave they inhabit indicates there is no other danger inside.

That was the thought.

Yunhe made a hand seal and summoned the Red Pattern Spirit Bee.

Red mist gathered, and the spirit bees inside the cave became visibly agitated.

As the red mist invaded, the buzzing inside the cave never ceased.

Standing outside the cave, Yunhe looked up at the moon.

Thin clouds rolled and dispersed, yet they could never block the moon's brilliance.

"The Moon Palace descends to the mortal world, its splendor delicate and fine. It weaves all things into life, weaving wisdom into awakening."

Yunhe, who possessed a Demon Beast Body, couldn't help but sigh.

The moon is an indispensable existence for most demon beasts.

Soon, the cave returned to calm.

Only then did Yunhe gather his scattered thoughts and walk into the cave.

He saw red mist swirling around a huge hive, the Red Pattern Spirit Bee Queen hovering before it in the mist, gazing at the hive, her wings vibrating powerfully, seeming eager.

Yunhe chuckled.

"Does the spirit bee queen's jelly and the queen herself also hold such great attraction for you?"

Immediately, a flying sword shattered the hive.

A large amount of spirit bee honeycomb was caught by the Red Pattern Spirit Bees.

These honeycombs can also be made into spirit honey, usable for the market tax later.

"I don't even know if I'll still have to pay taxes in the future."

He walked up close.

From the broken hive, he found that large, white spirit bee queen that looked overfed.

Not only was it lacking in aggression, it appeared rather frail.

"Is this the spirit bee queen?"

It paled in comparison to the black-ringed wasp queen.

However, the earlier spirit bees differed somewhat from those bought from the Wang Clan.

And this difference might be the change brought by the Wang Clan's special beekeeping method.

He flipped his hand and stored the spirit bee queen into his insect pouch.

Because he discovered that the Red Pattern Spirit Bee Queen's attention was not on the spirit bee queen.

After taking away the spirit bee queen, it still stared fixedly at the hive.

Following its gaze, Yunhe quickly noticed something different.

With a soft 'eh,' he crouched down and dug open the honeycomb near the royal platform.,

Beneath it actually revealed a clump of milky white substance resembling an elixir, faintly exuding a medicinal aroma.

"Like an elixir left too long, it naturally melted into a lump."

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

Looking at the white object in Yunhe's hand, the Red Pattern Spirit Bee Queen became excited again.

"What you want is actually this?"

After a brief ponder, Yunhe tossed it to the Red Pattern Spirit Bee Queen.

Although I don't know what it is, since the spirit bee queen placed it beneath the royal platform to absorb day and night, it should not be harmful to bees.

Obtaining what they wanted, the Red Pattern Spirit Bee Queen excitedly let out a low cry.

It also did not hesitate.

Surrounded by the Red Pattern Spirit Bees, it eagerly began to eat.

「Dust Avoidance Talisman! 」

Yunhe then pulled out a talisman and infused it with Spiritual Power.

Whoosh—

Ash dust rose without wind, dirt wrapped around grit and stone, rolling toward the cave exterior.

「Huh? 」

Just as Yunhe was about to sit cross-legged on the ground, he noticed something off about the ground.

He took a closer look.

It turned out to be a white bone!

Regardless of looking at the bone's shape or size, it resembled

「Human bones? 」

He furrowed his brows.

「Let's dig it up and have a look. 」

From the red cloud, dozens of Red Pattern Spirit Bees separated out, and after a bout of digging on the ground, a corpse appeared before his eyes.

Indeed it was human bone, unknown how long it had been buried.

But the bone quality remained solid, and not only did it lack any yellowish tinge, it instead faintly flashed with several specks of crystal luster.

It is a cultivator's bone, and moreover it is probably

「A Foundation Establishment cultivator's skeleton? ！」

Yunhe's pupils contracted.

A cultivator's Foundation Establishment involves three stages; after passing the qi‑blood stage, the cultivator's body receives a qi infusion, and part of that qi will be injected into the bones.

「In that case, the elixir cluster wrapped in the hive likely comes from this Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator! 」

But how could a proper Foundation Establishment cultivator die in this mountain ditch?

「The soil has turned black, yet there is not a trace of decay—could it be death by poison? 」

「Wait a moment! 」

Yunhe suddenly realized.

「Since he is a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator, he ought to have a storage bag! 」

「Buzz!! 」

But before he could search, the red cloud beside him suddenly surged.

He saw that, amidst the encirclement of a Red Pattern Spirit Bee, the Red Pattern Spirit Bee Queen's body curled into a ball, its wings twitched, and a faint red light emanated from its body, accompanied by strands of demonic power dissipating.

「Is it about to break through? 」 Yunhe raised an eyebrow.

This morning I had something come up, so the update is late, sorry——bow——

(End of chapter)