After digesting the knowledge concerning [Brewing Artisan], Qi Ping turned his gaze toward the Golden Marrow Bees, who had just emerged from the peculiar state of the contract.
Because they had willingly become his companions, Qi Ping and the swarm were now each other's most trusted partners. With a single glance, Qi Ping discovered that every bee in the swarm shared a profoundly close connection with him. Even with his eyes closed, he could clearly feel that bond.
Communication had also become effortless. He no longer needed to speak; he could relay information directly through this special link.
"How do you feel?" Qi Ping asked.
"Buzz... (Boss, our bodies seem to have changed a lot. They feel much clearer!)" The Queen was the first to answer.
"Buzz... (Comfortable! Comfortable!)"
"Buzz... (Our perception of things has become stronger!)"
Through their feedback, Qi Ping grasped the changes brought by the contract. Under the influence of [Beast King's Grace], the bees' overall talents had improved significantly—particularly in terms of spiritual energy flow and sensory perception.
On this foundation, the difficulty for the bees to level up and evolve in the future would surely be reduced. Thus, Qi Ping's promise to make their tribe stronger was already halfway to completion. The improvement of talent was both the hardest and most fundamental step.
Additionally, after the contract, the difficulty of communicating with the bees had plummeted. Qi Ping wasn't sure if this was due to the special bond or if their intelligence had actually increased.
"Good, very good!"
'Now the Golden Marrow Bees can threaten the middle layers of Qi Refinement. Their strength will likely increase rapidly from here. If I command them properly, they can exert power far beyond what they could achieve through spontaneous fighting. If that's the case, they might even have a chance to threaten late-layer Qi Refinement cultivators.'
'The increased communication efficiency also makes it easier to direct the swarm in battle.'
After reviewing all the changes, Qi Ping felt extremely satisfied. His own personal strength hadn't changed much, but having such extraordinary companions gave him a newfound sense of confidence in this world.
"Are there spirit flowers or spirit herbs nearby?" Qi Ping continued to ask the bees.
Golden Marrow Bees were often found near high-grade spirit flora.
"Buzz... (Yes, about two miles in that direction, there is a patch of Blood Ginseng. Every once in a while, we gather some of their sap without harming the plants...)"
"Buzz... (We used droppings and leaves to hide them so other animals wouldn't find them...)"
'I knew it!'
Qi Ping was delighted. It seemed that reading so many books with Old Man Zhou was the right call; otherwise, he might not have discovered this secret for a long time.
Blood Ginseng was a relatively precious mid-tier First-Order spirit herb. It offered immense benefits for body tempering and increasing cultivation, and it fetched a high price on the market. One could say that as long as he had enough Blood Ginseng, Qi Ping could break through to the middle layers of Qi Refinement within a few years, despite his low talent.
Thus, his excitement upon hearing this news was understandable. Even more critical was the fact that Qi Ping possessed the [Plant Growth] skill, which could help him accelerate the development and reproduction of the ginseng!
He could obtain more Blood Ginseng in a shorter period! Moreover, with the [Brewing Artisan] talent, the honey brewed from Blood Ginseng would retain—or even enhance—the herb's special effects.
'Next, as long as I'm responsible for using [Plant Growth] to stimulate them, and the Golden Marrow Bees handle the brewing, both I and the bees will have an ample supply of high-grade honey to improve our physiques and cultivation. At the same time, I can increase my Druid experience and the proficiency of my skills.'
From now on, all Qi Ping had to do was continue his quiet life of bee-keeping and farming, and his strength would slowly rise. His lifespan would also increase significantly.
"Where is the Blood Ginseng? Take me to see it."
"Buzz... (Alright!)"
"Buzz... (Follow me, Boss!)"
Led by the bees, Qi Ping soon arrived at the location of the spirit herbs. The patch was nestled within a cluster of weeds, their leaves so well-blended with the surrounding grass that they were incredibly difficult to distinguish.
Had Qi Ping not been looking closely, he could have walked past them ten times without noticing. Beneath the dead leaves on the ground, various insect and animal droppings had been placed, emitting a strange odor. The smell wasn't overpowering, but it was just enough to mask the scent of the ginseng without appearing suspicious.
'These bees are quite clever... they know how to harvest sap sustainably and how to keep the ginseng protected.'
Qi Ping carefully brushed aside the weeds and did a thorough count, finding sixteen stalks of Blood Ginseng. Three were seedlings, while the other thirteen were about the size of a thumb. Their ages likely ranged from ten to forty years.
Seeing so many stalks, Qi Ping was undoubtedly thrilled. Given his current net worth, he would likely have to sell his entire Black Little Bee operation just to afford one or two stalks of Blood Ginseng. This was nothing short of a sudden windfall.
However, a nagging doubt also rose in his mind. The spiritual energy in this forest wasn't particularly dense, and the Qi in the earth veins was not high. How could such a large quantity of Blood Ginseng grow here?
The higher the grade of a spirit plant, the higher its requirements for the soil. If the conditions were poor, the plant would either be malnourished or simply fail to grow. Yet these sixteen stalks were in exceptionally good condition, which did not align with the fundamental state of this forest.
"Strange... the concentration of spiritual energy in the air is no different from anywhere else."
"If that's the case, the reason must be underground..."
Qi Ping pressed his palm to the earth near the ginseng and probed carefully with his spiritual sense. Augmented by the Jungle Druid's perception in the forest, he finally discovered an anomaly.
Beneath the patch of ginseng, there truly was a surge of extraordinary spiritual energy. However, this energy was being actively absorbed by the ginseng from deep underground, which was why the surrounding vegetation showed no signs of benefit.
'Could there be some secret hidden beneath this soil?'
Qi Ping fell into deep thought. After a long while, he shook his head, temporarily suppressing his desire to investigate. There was a high probability that something was down there—it could be a great opportunity, or it could be a deadly crisis.
After weighing the options, he felt his current strength was too low; it wasn't wise to touch something that might harbor such danger. The Blood Ginseng alone was enough to make him wary. If whatever was beneath them were to be unearthed and draw in uncontrollable threats, he would be in real trouble.
'I'll first stimulate a large batch of Blood Ginseng to increase my and the bees' strength. Once I have sufficient power, I'll come back to explore what's underneath.'
Knowing when to stop and taking things one step at a time—that was Qi Ping's style. Besides, the ginseng had been here for decades, and the underground Qi was still being absorbed, so there was no rush.
Qi Ping took a deep breath to calm his racing heart.
'Phew.'
'Let's test the effect of [Plant Growth] first!'
Qi Ping centered his mind. Drawing on his understanding and knowledge of the skill, he used his consciousness to hook into the mysterious energy he perceived and gathered it into his hands. After about a dozen breaths, a cluster of emerald energy gradually took shape in his palms.