The old man Zhou looked at Qi Ping with annoyance, thinking, How could he dare to run into the forest of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range alone!
The Black Armored Murder Bee and the Earth Cavity Golden Marrow Bee both had numerous records of killings; several mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators had died at the hands of these two kinds of bee swarms.
They even had records of killing late-stage Qi Refining cultivators!
And Qi Ping, only a first-layer of Qi Refining cultivator, dared to recklessly run into the forest.
Though he also knew this couldn't be blamed on Qi Ping; after all, the Black Armored Murder Bee and the Earth Cavity Golden Marrow Bee were quite rare. He had raised bees for half his life and had never seen them.
After hearing the old man Zhou's explanation, Qi Ping suddenly understood.
No wonder the old man Zhou was so anxious!
Under normal circumstances, if ordinary early-stage and mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators were attacked by the Black Armored Murder Bee and the Earth Cavity Golden Marrow, there was basically no escape.
Qi Ping looked at the worn old man holding that non-ranked Mortal Blade, with clothes offering not even a trace of defense, and he couldn't help but feel warm inside.
This old man Zhou, while saying nothing matters anymore, actually passed on everything valuable, from the life-saving bee-keeping skills he had been honing since his youth to the hive of black little bees that sustained his livelihood, to Qi Ping.
This time old man Zhou, knowing there would likely be Black Armored Murder Bees and Golden Marrow Bees in the forest, still dared to rush in with a Mortal Blade to find Qi Ping. It should be said the bravest one was old man Zhou.
After mentioning the possible presence of Black Armored Murder Bees and Golden Marrow Bees, old man Zhou said sternly,
"Qi boy, don't go up the mountain these days. Leave the bee-keeping to me for now. Once I resolve this hidden danger, you can go back to bee-keeping on the mountain..."
Faced with the potential great danger in the forest, old man Zhou didn't hesitate to take on the bee-keeping responsibility himself.
He was just an old bag of bones, and if he died, so be it. But Qi Ping was his only disciple now, and he naturally didn't want anything to happen to Qi Ping.
"Old man Zhou, it's fine, I..."
However, before Qi Ping could finish his sentence, old man Zhou interrupted him.
"Fine, my foot! You don't realize the severity of the situation. If you encounter those two bee swarms, they could kill you! Your cultivation wouldn't even be enough to block their teeth..."
This was the first time Qi Ping had seen the old man Zhou angry.
Faced with this situation, Qi Ping had no choice but to call out the Golden Marrow Bee hidden in his clothes.
Originally, Qi Ping had planned to nurture it a bit before gradually revealing it to old man Zhou.
But seeing the old man's current stance, Qi Ping realized that without solving this problem, the old man would continue to worry unnecessarily. The bigger issue was that the old man would definitely not allow him back on the mountain, which meant he couldn't cultivate the Blood Ginseng.
Moreover, to Qi Ping, old man Zhou was entirely trustworthy. Without him, Qi Ping would have died long ago.
Additionally, the risk of exposing the Golden Marrow Bee was within a controllable range.
As soon as old man Zhou saw the Golden Marrow Bee fly out from Qi Ping's sleeve, his angry words came to an abrupt halt.
He widened his eyes at the golden bee exuding a strong aura of danger, almost scaring his heart to a stop.
"Earth Cavity Golden Marrow Bee!" old man Zhou exclaimed in shock.
What was going on?
An Earth Cavity Golden Marrow Bee flew out from Qi Ping's sleeve?
This was an extremely dangerous and timid Earth Cavity Golden Marrow Bee! Why did it fly out of Qi Ping's sleeve, and Qi Ping seemed unfazed!
Old man Zhou didn't dare even to breathe deeply, fearing that he'd disturb the Golden Marrow Bee, and it would sting Qi Ping to death.
Not until he saw the Golden Marrow Bee land steadily on Qi Ping's arm and shoulder, even showing a bit of affection, did his heart slightly relax.
Wait, affection?
No way!
Seemingly realizing something, old man Zhou's eyes widened suddenly.
Was it possible that Qi Ping had formed a contract with this group of Golden Marrow Bees?
"What's the situation with these Golden Marrow Bees?" old man Zhou asked, nervous but hopeful.
"I made a contract with the Bee King of the Golden Marrow Bees..." Seeing old man Zhou's loss of composure, Qi Ping replied with a wry smile.
Hearing Qi Ping's words, old man Zhou's heart surged with waves of shock.
Qi Ping actually formed a contract with this group of Golden Marrow Bees!
Being a beekeeper, old man Zhou naturally understood what this meant.
The contract benefits with the Golden Marrow Bees, given their combat power and honey-making ability, did not need more explanation!
But Qi Ping was merely a first-layer of Qi Refining cultivator; just surviving a meeting with the Bee King of the Golden Marrow Bees without getting stung to death was lucky enough. How did he manage to contract the Bee King?
It was too unbelievable!
This was beyond old man Zhou's understanding.
"How did you do it?" old man Zhou asked in disbelief.
He didn't doubt Qi Ping's words, having developed enough trust in him over these five years.
Since Qi Ping said it, it had to be true.
"Because I couldn't find the cause of the disturbance near the beehive, I went deeper into the Cloud Mist Mountain Range. After searching for a while, I encountered the Bee King of the Golden Marrow Bees..."
"Then the Bee King also noticed me, but it didn't show hostility towards me. So, I tried to use the Blood Covenant technique you taught me to form a contract with the Bee King, and it didn't resist."
"After that, I smoothly succeeded in forming the contract..."
Qi Ping adjusted his narrative about forming the contract with the Golden Marrow Bees so that old man Zhou could understand.
Although bee swarms that were friendly to humans were rare, they weren't nonexistent, and although Golden Marrow Bees were precious, the risk was within controllable limits.
The whole concept of Druids and traveling was so shocking that Qi Ping would never mention it.
He wouldn't even tell his most trusted animal companion, because the more people knew, the higher the risk.
Some Illusion Techniques and Dream Realms could extract secrets.
"Is it really that simple? Qi boy, you sure got lucky!"
"It's rare to find Golden Marrow Bees not hostile to humans; usually, they require nurturing from a young age. Yet, you stumbled upon them and they agreed to a contract with you, truly a stroke of luck!"
After hearing Qi Ping's explanation, old man Zhou looked quite astonished at Qi Ping.
Qi Ping, who had only been beekeeping for a few years, contracting with Golden Marrow Bees, was practically born for bee-keeping!
He hadn't made a mistake in passing down the bee-keeping trade to Qi Ping.
And Qi Ping didn't despise the bee-keeping business.
Old man Zhou thought that his gifted former disciple probably found having a master who was just a beekeeper of black little bees embarrassing. After witnessing the vast realms of a large sect, he began to look down on his past as a small-time figure.
"This is all thanks to the Blood Covenant technique you taught me. Otherwise, I would have missed this opportunity!"
"This is your fortune. If you want to thank an old man like me, just remember to bring me a good bottle of wine next time you go to the Cyan Stone Marketplace!"
"One bottle? That's not enough! At least ten bottles!"
"All right, contracting with Golden Marrow Bees is a grand event, ten bottles it is, I'll indulge this time!" old man Zhou chuckled.
But after a hearty laugh, old man Zhou's face suddenly grew serious, and he said gravely,
"Qi boy, you absolutely must not reveal the matter of the Golden Marrow Bees. Wang Mountain came looking for me not long ago. There have been several sightings of Tribulation Cultivators recently in Qingshi County. If they find out about the Golden Marrow Bees, you'll be in danger..."