Qingshi County, Cloud Mist Mountains.
It was early spring, a time when birds sang, flowers bloomed, and the world was alive with fragrance.
For bees, this was the golden season. The hive's population was booming, and workers were out in force to gather nectar, as the sources of honey were abundant.
At this moment, atop Peak 007 in District D of the Cloud Mist Mountains, stood a lush ancient pine. The warm sunlight spilled gently over its needles, casting a golden glow.
Hanging from its lowest branch was a beehive crafted from pine wood, measuring approximately five feet in length.
A swarm of bees was flying erratically around the hive, appearing to be in great distress.
This scene was witnessed by a clean-cut youth who had just arrived beneath the tree. He wore a straw hat, and his skin was slightly tanned from spending long hours in the sun.
"Eh... What's wrong with this hive?"
The youth in the straw hat looked at the chaotic swarm with confusion.
His name was Qi Ping, a bee-keeping youth living in the Cloud Mist Mountains. This hive belonged to him.
'Could they have been attacked by Golden-Patterned Tiger-Headed Bees?' Qi Ping speculated.
Nearby resided a colony of First-Order Golden-Patterned Tiger-Headed Bees. They were notorious for preying on smaller bees, and they frequently raided his precious hives, causing him no end of headaches.
However, after a careful inspection, Qi Ping found no sign of the Tiger-Headed Bees.
"No traces of them... Strange..."
He checked again, but still found nothing. Normally, even if the Tiger-Headed Bees had finished their raid and left, there would be marks left behind, and the colony should have returned to normal by now.
"Something isn't right. What happened?"
Upon closer observation, Qi Ping noticed that the flight paths of these bees were exceptionally disorganized—not at all like the patterns they used when scouting for enemies.
They were flying too wildly, without any discernible rhythm.
"Could the colony be preparing to abscond?"
At that thought, Qi Ping's expression shifted instantly.
When a swarm's flight was this erratic and aggressive, it was often a sign they were about to abandon the hive.
That simply would not do!
These bees were among Qi Ping's few assets. If he lost a whole colony, his already meager lifestyle would be pushed to the brink of ruin.
To prevent this, he hurriedly opened the hive and clipped the Queen's wings, while simultaneously installing a queen excluder to ensure she couldn't lead an escape.
However, this was merely a temporary fix. He had to find the root cause of their agitation.
'Bees usually abscond because their survival is threatened—insufficient nectar, interference from natural enemies, or the hive becoming too hot,' he mused.
Drawing on the bee-keeping knowledge he had gathered over the past few years, Qi Ping began a meticulous inspection.
"Hive temperature is normal..."
He ruled out overheating.
"Even though some First-Order flowers have withered, there are still plenty of ordinary blossoms. It shouldn't be a lack of nectar..."
This particular breed was the most common First-Order Black Little Bee. The colony was significantly weaker than even a cultivator at the first layer of Qi Refinement. Their requirements for nectar were low; ordinary flowers were more than enough. Given it was spring in the Cloud Mist Mountains, food shouldn't be the issue.
"Tiger-Headed Bees haven't appeared much lately... that shouldn't be the reason."
"Could it be mites or wax moths?"
He opened the hive again, checking every corner. Generally, a hive should not be opened frequently as it disrupts the bees' efficiency and can trigger an escape, but he had no choice.
Still, he found no traces of mites or moths.
"The combs are healthy, and there is plenty of honey for food. That's not it either..."
For the next hour, Qi Ping checked inside and out, top and bottom, but he still couldn't find the source of the distress.
"Strange... what exactly is the problem?" Qi Ping muttered, troubled.
After another hour of fruitless searching, he was forced to admit his own limitations.
"Sigh, it seems my skills are still lacking..."
"I'll have to ask that slacking old man to take a look."
With a sigh, Qi Ping headed down the mountain to seek help.
The man in question was known as Old Man Zhou, the one from whom Qi Ping had inherited his bee-keeping techniques.
Five years ago, Qi Ping had transmigrated from Earth into the body of a severely injured beggar child. Just as he was about to draw his last breath, he was discovered and saved by Old Man Zhou, who happened to be passing by.
After healing Qi Ping, Old Man Zhou passed on a basic cultivation manual to him. Over the following years, after a period of observation, he eventually taught Qi Ping everything he knew about bee-keeping.
Qi Ping once asked why he had been chosen as an apprentice.
Old Man Zhou had replied: "Because you have the lowest-grade Wood Spirit Root."
"Just because of that? You chose me because my talent is low?"
"Why else?"
"What's good about low talent? I don't even have hope of reaching the late stages of Qi Refinement. I'll never amount to anything!"
"What's the use of amounting to something? If you become some great expert, you'll never come back to see this old man. I'll have nobody to buy me wine when I'm old!"
"That's impossible. Who would be that heartless?"
"Who knows..."
Later, Qi Ping learned that Old Man Zhou had once taken in a disciple with extraordinary talent. But one day, after that disciple joined a powerful sect, he never returned and never sent word. Occasionally, news would reach Qingshi County about the great deeds that disciple had accomplished, but that was all.
As for the rest of the past, Qi Ping didn't know. He only knew that Old Man Zhou had now completely embraced a 'let-it-rot' lifestyle, losing interest in the outside world. Aside from drinking and reading travelogues, his greatest hobby was sleeping.
In Old Man Zhou's words, he didn't have many days left, so he had to enjoy the final leisure of his life.
Sure enough, as soon as Qi Ping entered the courtyard, he saw a disheveled but kindly-looking white-haired old man snoring away in a purple bamboo lounger. Nearby, a plate of fresh fruit and a jar of fragrant fruit wine sat on a sandalwood table.
"Old Man Zhou, wake up! Something's happened!" Qi Ping shouted in his ear.
The title 'Old Man Zhou' was requested by the man himself, who claimed it sounded more relaxed than the stuffy title of 'Master.'
"Something happened? What could possibly happen?"
A drowsy Old Man Zhou woke up, looking utterly comfortable. Even hearing that there was trouble, he didn't show the slightest hint of tension, acting as if he wouldn't care even if the heavens fell.
"It's that hive on the pine tree. The bees are agitated, showing signs of wanting to abscond."
"Abscond? In this season, it's usually enemies or wax moths. Just handle it yourself..."
"By the way, keep the spirit stones from the honey sales after paying the rent. Stop trying to give them to me..."
Old Man Zhou prepared to lie back down for another nap.
Qi Ping hurriedly added: "But I've checked several times and can't find the cause. Tiger-Headed Bees, mites, moths, nectar... I've ruled everything out. Everything looks normal."
This finally caught Old Man Zhou's attention. He had kept bees for half his life—could there be a situation he hadn't seen?
"You haven't missed anything in your check? You're sure?"
"I checked four or five times!" Qi Ping said helplessly.
"Now that is interesting! Fine, this old man will go have a look..."
A short while later, beneath the lush ancient pine.
The white-haired Old Man Zhou stood before the hive, his brow furrowed deeply into the shape of a mountain. He kept muttering under his breath:
"It shouldn't be... it just shouldn't be..."
"Where is the problem?"
He had raised bees for decades and had never encountered this.
An hour later, his once-tidy hair had been rubbed into a mess of tangled straw. Soon after, he rushed down the mountain to consult his ancient records.
Qi Ping watched this with a sense of novelty. It was rare to see the old man so flustered; there were few things left in this world that could pique his interest.
"If even Old Man Zhou can't find the reason, this is serious trouble!"
Qi Ping felt miserable. If the problem wasn't solved, he would be the one to suffer. As a Layer 1 Qi Refinement cultivator with a low-grade Wood Spirit Root, he had neither talent nor other crafts. If he lost this hive, he might actually starve.
With this colony of First-Order Black Little Bees, the spirit stones he earned couldn't buy many cultivation resources, but they at least guaranteed a life without worry. If he saved for a few years, he could marry a few gentle, beautiful mortal women and build a large courtyard. That was a life worth looking forward to.
Over the years, Qi Ping had accepted the reality: without some kind of miracle, his limit would be the second or third layer of Qi Refinement. In that case, inheriting Old Man Zhou's business and living a comfortable, quiet life was the best path.
Compared to adventuring outside—where the chance of death was 99.999% and the chance of success was 0.001%—he preferred to stay on this small peak and lie low for the rest of his life.
"Heaven, are you really going to smash my only rice bowl?"
If this continued, the bees wouldn't even gather nectar. Where would his income come from? He might not even be able to pay the rent to the Qingyuan Sect. The Cloud Mist Mountains were their territory, and renting this peak cost a significant amount of spirit stones.
Just as Qi Ping was drowning in worry, a voice that sent a jolt of joy through him suddenly echoed in his mind...
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[Please select your profession...]
A screen of light appeared in Qi Ping's mind, displaying twelve selectable profession templates:
Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard...