Qingshi County, Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
Early spring, the birds sing and flowers bloom in abundance.
It's the best season for bees, with plenty of honey sources for bee swarms and honey gathering.
At this moment, on the number seven peak of Zone D in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, there stood a lush ancient pine. The warm sunlight gently bathed it, casting a golden hue.
A beehive made of pine wood was hanging from the lowest branch, about five feet in length.
A swarm of bees was flying chaotically around the beehive, as if encountering a problem.
This scene happened to be noticed by a delicate-looking teenager who had just walked under the pine tree.
The teenager was wearing a straw hat, with a slightly tanned face, likely from too much exposure to the sun.
"Hmm... What's wrong with these bees?"
The straw-hat-wearing teenager curiously observed the disorderly bees.
His name was Qi Ping, a young beekeeper of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, and this beehive belonged to him.
"Could it be an attack by the Gold-striped Tiger-head Wasps?" Qi Ping speculated.
Nearby, there was a swarm of tier-one Gold-striped Tiger-head Wasps that favored bees as food, occasionally attacking his precious bees, which troubled him greatly.
But after Qi Ping carefully examined, he didn't find any traces of the Tiger-head Wasps.
"No signs of the Tiger-head Wasps, strange..."
Qi Ping checked again thoroughly but still found nothing.
Logically, even if the Tiger-head Wasps completed an attack and left, there should have been traces at the scene, and the bees should have returned to normal by now.
"Something seems off... What happened?"
Upon careful observation, Qi Ping noticed that the bees' flight patterns were unusually chaotic, unlike when they are scouting for enemies.
They were flying too erratically, with no pattern at all.
"Could it be that the swarm is preparing to flee?"
Upon thinking of this, Qi Ping's expression suddenly changed.
The erratic and agitated flight of the bees was likely a sign of impending fleeing.
This couldn't be allowed!
This swarm of bees was one of Qi Ping's few assets, and losing a swarm would worsen his already not-so-prosperous life.
So to avoid such a situation, Qi Ping quickly opened the beehive, clipped the Bee King's wings, and placed a queen excluder to prevent the Bee King from escaping.
However, this was only a temporary fix; he had to find out the reason for the swarm's agitation or impending flight.
"Bees typically flee when they sense a threat to their survival, such as a lack of honey sources, predator interference, overheating of the hive... such situations."
Based on the beekeeping knowledge he learned over the past two to three years, the young beekeeper Qi Ping diligently checked.
"The hive temperature is normal..."
So the overheating of the hive could be ruled out.
"Even though many of the tier-one flowers have withered, there are still plenty of ordinary flowers, so it shouldn't be a lack of honey sources..."
This swarm was the most common tier-one black honey bee, weaker than cultivators at the First-Layer of Qi Refining, with low demands on honey sources, satisfied with ordinary flowers.
Particularly since it's still spring, and there are many flowers in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, it shouldn't be an issue with honey sources.
"The appearance frequency of the Tiger-head Wasps has been low recently, so that shouldn't cause the bees to flee..."
"Could it be Varroa mites and hive beetles?"
Thinking of this, Qi Ping carefully opened the hive and examined it.
Under normal circumstances, the hive shouldn't be opened frequently, as it might affect the normal life and foraging efficiency of the bees, possibly even causing a swarm's flight, but now it was necessary.
Yet, Qi Ping still found no traces of Varroa mites or hive beetles.
"There's plenty of honeycomb, and there's enough honey as food, so that's not the reason either..."
For the next half-hour, Qi Ping meticulously checked inside and outside, up and down several times, but still couldn't find the root cause of the bees' agitation.
"It's strange, what exactly is the issue?" Qi Ping was a bit troubled.
After another half-hour, Qi Ping still found no clues.
At this point, he could only blame himself for lacking in skill.
"Sigh, it seems my skills are not yet mastered..."
"Better ask that lazy old man to take a look!"
With a sigh, Qi Ping went down the mountain to seek help.
...
That lazy old man was known as Old Man Zhou, from whom Qi Ping inherited all his beekeeping skills.
Five years ago, Qi Ping transmigrated from Blue Star, entering the body of a severely injured beggar.
Seeing Qi Ping nearing death again, he was rescued by Old Man Zhou who happened to pass by.
After healing Qi Ping's injuries, Old Man Zhou imparted his Immortal Cultivation Technique to him.
In the following years, after a period of observation, Old Man Zhou ultimately passed all his beekeeping techniques to Qi Ping.
Qi Ping once asked Old Man Zhou why he chose him as the inheritor.
Old Man Zhou explained to Qi Ping:
"Because you have the lowest grade Wood Spirit Root aptitude."
"Because of that? You just wanted my low talent?"
"What else?"
"What's good about low talent, with no hope of breaking through to the late-stage Qi Refining, living a life without progress!"
"What's the point of having so much ambition? After becoming successful in cultivation, they never visit me, the old man, not even once, and I'm left without anyone to buy liquor for me when I'm old!"
"How could that be? Who would be so heartless and ungrateful?"
"Who knows..."
...
Later, Qi Ping found out that Old Zhou had taken a talented disciple in his younger days.
But one day, after this disciple joined a powerful sect, he never returned and never sent any word to Old Zhou.
Only occasionally, news of the disciple's growing fame would reach Qingshi County.
As for more of the past, Qi Ping didn't know.
He only knew that now Old Zhou had completely turned into a lazy old man who didn't care much about anything in the outside world.
Apart from drinking and reading travel notes, his biggest hobby was sleeping.
According to Old Zhou, there wasn't much time left, so he had to enjoy the last leisurely days of his life.
Sure enough, when Qi Ping entered the courtyard, he saw a casually dressed, kindly faced, white-haired old man snoring on a lounge chair made of purple bamboo.
Not far away, a dish of fresh fruit and a pot of fruit-scented sake sat on a purple sandalwood table.
"Old Zhou, wake up, something's happened!" Qi Ping called out in his ear.
The name Old Zhou was his own request, saying it sounded more relaxed; being called 'mentor' made him uncomfortable.
"Something happened? What could possibly happen?"
A sleepy Old Zhou awoke with a face of comfort and ease, apparently having just had a good nap.
Hearing that something happened, he showed no sign of worry, as if he didn't care even if the sky were falling.
"There's a problem with the beehive on the pine tree; the bee colony's a bit restless, and it looks like they might escape."
"Escape? It's usually due to predators or hive bugs in this season; just handle it yourself..."
"Oh, right, after paying the rent with the Spirit Stones from selling honey, just keep the rest for yourself, don't always give it to me..."
After saying this, Old Zhou lay back down, ready to continue his nap.
Seeing this, Qi Ping hastily said:
"But I've checked many times, can't find the cause. Hornets, bee mites, hive bugs, nectar sources... all ruled out, everything seems normal."
Qi Ping's words successfully captured Old Zhou's attention. Even after keeping bees for most of his life, a situation he hadn't seen before?
"You didn't overlook anything, are you sure you checked everything?"
"I've checked four or five times!" Qi Ping said, looking helpless.
"This is interesting! Then old me will go take a look..."
...
A moment later, beneath the lush ancient pine.
Old Zhou, with graying hair, stood before the hive, his brows knit into a deep furrow, muttering constantly:
"Shouldn't be, shouldn't be..."
"Where's the problem?"
He'd never encountered such a situation after raising bees for half his life.
Half an hour later.
Old Zhou's once neat hair was now a tangled mess he'd made himself.
Soon, he anxiously rushed down the mountain to consult the records.
This scene was quite novel to Qi Ping.
It was rare to see the old man's anxious demeanor; there wasn't much in the world that interested him anymore.
The last time Qi Ping offered Old Zhou a bag of Spirit Stones, he'd disdainfully refused, saying too much wealth invites disaster.
"Even Old Zhou, who's raised bees for half a lifetime, can't find the cause, this really is a problem!"
Qi Ping felt troubled now; if the problem wasn't solved, he'd suffer for it.
As a first-layer Qi Refining cultivator with a lower-grade Wood Spirit Root, without talent or skill, losing this beehive might leave him with nothing.
Having this tier-one small black bee colony meant that while he couldn't buy cultivation resources or hope for immortality, he could at least ensure food and clothing.
After saving for a few years, he could marry a few educated, plump, beautiful, gentle, and virtuous mortal women and build a big yard or something.
Such a life could be something to work towards.
Over these years, Qi Ping had come to terms with a fact, without a golden finger, being a Qi Refining second and third cultivator was his ceiling.
In such a situation, inheriting Old Zhou's trade, settling down to keep bees for sustenance, and marrying a few pretty wives was the best choice.
Compared to venturing out (death probability 99.999%, takeoff probability 0.001%), Qi Ping preferred to stay on this small mountain in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, living comfortably like Old Zhou for life.
"Oh heaven, are you trying to smash my only livelihood?" Qi Ping felt troubled.
If things went on like this, the bees wouldn't even gather nectar, where would he, the capitalist, get his income? He might not even afford the rent for Cyan Origin Sect.
The Cloud Mist Mountain Range was the territory of the Cyan Origin Sect, renting this small mountain cost quite a bit of Spirit Stone each year.
Luckily, while troubled, a voice that surprised Qi Ping suddenly sounded in his mind...
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[Please select your profession...]
A light screen in Qi Ping's mind showed twelve profession templates to choose from:
Barbarian, Bard, Priest, Druid, Warrior, Martial Monk, Holy Knight, Ranger, Wanderer, Bloodline Mage, Evil Mage, Mage...