Inside the Spirit Beast Bag, there is a space where pet beasts can live and cultivate, the higher the quality of the Spirit Beast Bag, the larger the space inside.
Even the smallest Spirit Beast Bag can easily accommodate a swarm of Golden Marrow Bees.
Correspondingly, Spirit Beast Bags that can hold living creatures are much more expensive than Storage Bags.
Unless Qi Ping sells Blood Ginseng or Golden Marrow Honey, he wouldn't be able to afford even the most ordinary Spirit Beast Bag.
"It's definitely impossible to get a Spirit Beast Bag now, this can only be considered later..."
"How should I carry the Golden Marrow Bees then?"
The outside is too dangerous, without the Golden Marrow Bees, Qi Ping feels no sense of security.
Therefore, bringing the Golden Marrow Bees is absolutely necessary for Qi Ping.
For this reason, Qi Ping racked his brains and finally came up with a relatively feasible plan.
"I can quietly arrange for a portion of the Golden Marrow Bees to follow me from a distance on the roadside, especially on more secluded roads where Tribulation Cultivators appear most frequently..."
"Just let the Golden Marrow Bees wait outside the Cyan Stone Marketplace; there are quite a few late-stage Qi Refining cultivators there, even ones at the Foundation Establishment Stage, the risk of exposing the Golden Marrow Bees is too high, but generally, the safety inside the market is assured..."
The Cyan Stone Marketplace is managed jointly by several immortal cultivation clans from Qingshi County and the Cyan Origin Sect.
Though it's unclear why the Cyan Origin Sect allows Tribulation Cultivators to appear in the Qingtian Realm, these markets are significant sources of income for the Cyan Origin Sect and various families, and under normal circumstances, they would never allow Tribulation Cultivators to meddle.
"Then for carrying, I still need to keep about a hundred Golden Marrow Bees on me..."
Qi Ping's own strength is too weak; if unexpected danger arises, the distant Golden Marrow Bees might not be able to rescue him in time.
"Although there is still the risk of being discovered, as long as I disguise the Golden Marrow Bees as being on the verge of death, adding a touch of something like poison disguise, even if found, others would think they were caught, and unless closely inspected, no one would find any issue..."
This disguise isn't difficult for Qi Ping; over the years, to save his own life, he has accumulated various types of poison even though he hasn't gone out much.
He doesn't have many powerful poisons, but he does have a whole bunch of ordinary ones.
After some operations, a hundred Golden Marrow Bees seemed poisoned, lying there on the verge of dying, then Qi Ping put the Golden Marrow Bees into a sturdy bag...
...
"Before going to the market, first go to the association's courtyard and meet with the others, exchange recent news; if there's someone going to the market together, go with them, this way there's mutual support, and the chances of being targeted by Tribulation Cultivators are smaller..."
Old Man Zhou casually instructed Qi Ping, who came to say hello, while sipping on some wine.
His face, full of wrinkles, was slightly reddish due to the alcohol, and his whole person appeared a bit dazed.
In his hand, he was holding a tattered ancient book titled "Record of Strange Creatures of Mountains and Seas," absorbed in reading, and it was unclear if he could concentrate on it.
Qi Ping didn't mind; Old Man Zhou had always been like this.
After replying, Qi Ping said goodbye to Old Man Zhou and headed to the courtyard where the Fusheng Association was located.
...
The Fusheng Association's location is an ordinary courtyard at the foot of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, built years ago by Old Man Zhou and others.
The location was chosen at the foot of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, relatively close to all Fusheng Association members.
Since the Fusheng Association consists of people from Zone D and some nearby Spirit Fields in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, there is a certain level of trust between them.
Everyone agreed to have a large gathering once a year, where generally everyone would be present if there were no urgent matters.
Other times, it's once a month, when it's time, if anyone wants to exchange news, seek help, or go to the Cyan Stone Marketplace together, they can choose to come here, and if there's nothing, they don't have to come.
When Qi Ping arrived early at this familiar courtyard, there were already two people sitting by the stone table in the courtyard, waiting.
One was Wang Mountain, whom Old Man Zhou had mentioned before, a mature and responsible elderly brother.
With cultivation at the Fourth-Layer of Qi Refining, he has the image of a mature and kind middle-aged man, with a bit of a paunch.
He raises dozens of Tier One Golden Feather Chickens in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range; the meat is good, and he also raises a considerable number of non-tier Blue Feather Chickens, probably a hundred or two.
Every holiday, Wang Mountain would gift a plump Blue Feather Chicken to every member of the Fusheng Association, so everyone has a pretty good impression of Wang Mountain.
Plus, Wang Mountain is helpful and doesn't like to put on airs; if there's danger, he tries to notify everyone, making him someone most members of the Fusheng Association trust implicitly.
Qi Ping has tasted those Blue Feather Chickens four or five times, and indeed, the taste is quite good, suitable for steaming, kiln-baking, or roasting.
Sometimes, when the holidays come around, people also go to Wang Mountain to buy some for the occasion.
The other person is known to everyone as Sister Nan, unlike some female cultivators who appear ethereal and beautiful, Sister Nan dresses somewhat like a village woman, with freckles on her face that look like dirt.
But don't underestimate her because of this appearance; Sister Nan's cultivation level is said to be nearing the Fifth-Layer of Qi Refining, with combat power even stronger than Wang Mountain.
Old Man Zhou once told Qi Ping that Sister Nan is a very smart woman and used to look pretty, but later, for unknown reasons, she gradually changed to this appearance.
She cultivates a patch of Tier One lower-grade Spirit-Storage Fruits on peak number 005 in Zone D of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, just a peak away from Qi Ping's peak number 007.
She knows a secret recipe for making spiritual fertilizer, buys raw materials to make her own, and can provide the spiritual energy needed by the Spirit-Storage Fruit trees at a low cost.
In Qi Ping's mind, Sister Nan is a rather mysterious woman, very smart, and her strength is quite admirable among ordinary low-level cultivators.
"Brother Wang, Sister Nan! Long time no see!"
After entering the Fusheng Association's simple courtyard, Qi Ping greeted them warmly.
Since Qi Ping joined the Fusheng Association with Old Man Zhou's introduction, the two have taken quite good care of him.
Last time, when Qi Ping's black little bees got lost, apart from Old Man Zhou, these two were the ones who searched the hardest; Qi Ping saw all this.
"Little Qi, it's been nearly half a year since you last came, take a break from cultivating sometimes, come out for a walk more often, and come to Brother Wang's place for some chicken when you're free!"
Seeing Qi Ping appear, Wang Mountain was also quite happy.
These words were not in the least bit perfunctory.
Five years ago, when Old Man Zhou brought Qi Ping over, many people in the Fusheng Association had a good impression of Qi Ping, this sincere and sensible young man, so they took quite good care of him.
Qi Ping also felt that many people in the Fusheng Association treated others sincerely, and this small group always followed the principle of mutual help, without the intrigue seen in many neighborhoods.
This might be because the initial group that founded the Fusheng Association had high requirements for the temperament of those joining, but it's also why the Fusheng Association has struggled to grow large.
However, he quite likes this atmosphere, as low-level cultivators need to group together for warmth to better survive in the dangerous world of immortal cultivation.
Sister Nan wasn't as warm as Wang Mountain, just nodded in response.
Qi Ping also knows Sister Nan's personality, which is cold on the outside and warm on the inside; she may not appear enthusiastic, but when something happens, she will definitely help to the best of her ability.
After chatting with Wang Mountain about his recent personal situation, Qi Ping led the conversation to more serious matters:
"Brother Wang, I heard from Old Man Zhou earlier that Tribulation Cultivators have reappeared in our Qingshi County, how's the situation now?"
This question concerns personal safety, and it's what Qi Ping is most worried about right now.
And after hearing Qi Ping's question, Wang Mountain and Sister Nan's expressions suddenly turned serious...