'Once my exclusive territory is built, I can find a way to bring Old Man Zhou back. When that time comes, I'll likely leave that old slacker wide-eyed with shock.'
As Qi Ping grew increasingly familiar with illusion and concealment arrays, he knew that day was fast approaching.
Old Man Zhou had stayed in the mortal world for a long time. Given the thinness of spiritual energy there, his lifespan would begin to dwindle once his resources were exhausted. Qi Ping did not want some accident to cause Old Man Zhou to pass away in solitude; if that happened, he would carry the guilt for a lifetime.
The old man had already lost one disciple like that. If Qi Ping did the same, no matter how open-minded Old Man Zhou was, he would likely be utterly disappointed.
Thinking of this, Qi Ping's research into arrays became even more urgent.
However, just as he was diligently studying the Mid-Grade First-Rank Illusion Array, an uninvited guest arrived.
A beautiful woman dressed in luxurious red robes, exuding an air of nobility in every gesture, descended upon Qi Ping's peak accompanied by several maids.
The moment Qi Ping saw her, he recognized her identity.
She was the mysterious alchemist who had been collecting information in the Qingshi Market using Spirit-Soul Pills as bait!
Qi Ping recognized her because Manager Gao had later shown him a portrait of this mysterious woman. Dressed in red, with a beauty that could topple kingdoms—there was likely no one else like her in Qingshi County.
Qi Ping couldn't help but sigh. This group had found him after all. Manager Gao's previous worries and warnings had finally come to pass. The traces he had left behind to purchase Ya Ya had finally blown up in his face.
However, Qi Ping felt no panic.
The highest cultivation level among the group opposite him was only the ninth level of Qi Refinement. They posed no threat to him. His Natural Perception talent sensed no danger, which further proved they lacked the ability to harm him.
Yet, what puzzled Qi Ping the most was that his Natural Perception talent was faintly sensing that a good thing was about to happen!
This piqued his curiosity. If not for that sensation, he would have transformed into a bee and fled long ago, or perhaps even considered a bit of "robbing the robbers." Even if the opponent was a wealthy alchemist, Qi Ping did not want to enter a life-and-death struggle unless absolutely necessary.
Of course, if there were a mandatory reason to fight, or if they provoked him, he would never be soft-hearted—and he never had been.
While killing and looting might bring a sudden burst of wealth, its appeal to Qi Ping was limited. Aside from the high risk, the fundamental reason was that he preferred to accumulate spirit stones through farming.
Furthermore, a Druid was simply too well-suited to accumulating wealth through commerce!
The only current difficulty was that the production of Spirit-Nurturing Honey had reached a limit. It wasn't that he couldn't expand, but rather that a further increase in yield would bring excessive risk. Qi Ping did not want to be targeted by high-level cultivators for that reason.
Therefore, the steady way forward was to produce other items for sale—and they couldn't be honey. Honey production had to be kept at a level corresponding to his own strength, ensuring that if any enemies were lured in, he would have a hundred-percent certainty of killing them.
Fortunately, he had awakened the Shepherd of Trees profession. He could use the Tree-Spirit Contract ability to create spiritual trees that produced lunar essence, spiritual liquids, or mineral essences. He could then sell these diverse resources to earn spirit stones. As long as he used different identities to sell these items, he wouldn't be targeted by high-level powerhouses for being too wealthy.
He only needed to find the corresponding spiritual trees and spells. Currently, the most suitable for him was the Star-Spirit Wood and the Spirit-Gathering Art.
The Spirit-Gathering Art could significantly increase the Star-Spirit Wood's ability to converge spiritual energy, creating a steady stream of power to forge spirit lands.
However, Qi Ping's primary curiosity right now was why the red-robed woman before him triggered a "joyous occasion" sensation from his Natural Perception. This talent had been with him for a long time, but this was the first time it had triggered in such a way.
Just as he was wondering, the next second broke his train of thought.
"The Mistress wishes to ask a question! Get over here at once!" a maid barked at Qi Ping.
As she spoke, the spiritual power of the ninth level of Qi Refinement swept toward Qi Ping in an instant, intending to seize him for questioning.
Qi Ping's face darkened immediately.
A joyous occasion? This was the good thing that was supposed to happen? Was his Natural Perception failing him?
He had tested this talent many times and was certain there were no issues. So how was he to explain the current situation?
Just as Qi Ping's gaze chilled and he prepared to strike, the maid's actions were interrupted.
"Xiao Lan, do not be rude!"
The noble, red-robed woman gave a light shout and moved to block the spiritual power of the ninth-level maid. Immediately following that, a heavy slap landed on the maid's face.
The maid named Xiao Lan was sent reeling, spitting out blood mixed with teeth as one side of her cheek swelled up instantly.
This sequence of events slightly startled Qi Ping. This red-robed woman's strength was not ordinary!
Both were at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, yet she had moved much later and still managed to intercept the attack. Her strength was likely on par with Meng Yan's. No wonder Manager Gao said that even Meng Yan was quite wary of this woman.
After striking the maid, the woman turned to Qi Ping and bowed slightly.
"My maid is arrogant and ignorant for offending Young Master Qi. This humble one apologizes on her behalf. I hope the Young Master will not take offense."
As she spoke, the woman took a specially crafted jade box from her storage ring. She used spiritual power to wrap the box and a jade talisman, placing them at a distance that was neither too close nor too far from Qi Ping.
This was a safe distance for strange cultivators to exchange items, as no one could be sure if the offered item was dangerous.
"These are two Soul-Nurturing Grass plants, a specialty of my family. Please accept them as compensation for my maid's rudeness. I insist that Young Master Qi accepts them."
The red-robed woman bowed again, using the corner of her eye to observe Qi Ping with surprise.
She didn't do this out of kindness. It was because the moment the maid attacked, a massive sense of dread and crisis had enveloped her heart. Therefore, she had immediately intervened, punished the maid, and offered the valuable Soul-Nurturing Grass. She saw that Qi Ping seemed to enjoy planting spiritual herbs, so she chose two living Soul-Nurturing Grass plants rather than refined pills.
Her choice was correct. Only after she presented the herbs did the sense of crisis in her heart gradually dissipate. She let out a secret sigh of relief.
Good heavens, she had almost died!
The meaning of the jade talisman was also clear—it was an offer of friendship. Her family stood on commerce; they were best at making friends with potential across the world. This was the key to their family's growth. Qi Ping was younger than her, yet he could bring her such a severe sense of crisis. That alone made him worth befriending.
As for the secrets Qi Ping carried, she had no intention of coveting them. One of her family's mottos was to never offend someone like Qi Ping. If one accidentally caused offense, they had to apologize immediately and do their best to form a bond. If the other party still refused to let go of the grudge, only then would they notify the family to decide whether to continue apologizing or to exert full force to eliminate the threat.
This was the experience her family had summarized through generations of business and judging people, and it was the reason they remained prosperous to this day.
Qi Ping looked at the Soul-Nurturing Grass delivered to him and was quite surprised. The apology was very sincere. However, while these herbs were valuable, they shouldn't have been enough to trigger Natural Perception in that way. He could have obtained them through Meng Yan himself.
'Could it be because of this jade talisman?'
Having read many books, Qi Ping naturally understood that this was an invitation for future communication and friendship.