"Jiexiu?"
"Jiexiu is coming again?"
Qi Ping couldn't help but frown when he heard what Old Man Zhou said.
This is not the first time that Jiexiu has appeared.
In recent years, Jiexiu has been rampant from time to time, specifically targeting independent cultivators.
What's more unusual is that the cultivators of Qingyuan Sect are like blind people, only occasionally sending people to suppress Jiexiu when things get out of hand.
This would never have happened in the past!
In Qingtian Domain a few years ago, under the governance of Qingyuan Sect, the planting and breeding industries of the entire Qingtian Domain were quite developed, and the trade industry was also quite prosperous.
Qingshi County is under the jurisdiction of Qingtian Domain. Black bees, golden-feathered chickens, and Yunling fruit are typical representatives of the industry here.
Qingyuan Sect also relied on prosperous agriculture, animal husbandry, and commercial transactions to obtain a large amount of spiritual stone tax revenue.
When Qi Ping first came to the world of cultivation, he was also shocked by the Qingtian Domain under the governance of Qingyuan Sect.
The industry was prosperous, and law and order were well maintained!
The gap with the chaotic world of cultivation depicted in many novels was too large!
It was not easy for lower-level cultivators, but their lives were acceptable. They could make a decent living by raising bees, growing fruits, etc.
This is how Old Man Zhou has lived most of his life. There weren't so many life-and-death disputes, and his life was still enjoyable.
Unless there was a disease or animal disaster.
When encountering these disasters, the initial investment of ordinary cultivators would not only be wasted, but they would also have to pay several years of rent. However, such situations were not frequent.
Generally speaking, they could still make a living. If there was a good harvest, they could even make a small profit.
But starting from two or three years ago, everything seemed to change!
The robbery cultivators appeared!
As soon as they showed up, they began to plunder the wealth of the lower-level casual cultivators.
The casual cultivators who were plundered had worked diligently for many years, and their wealth was stolen in one day. Sometimes, even their lives were lost!
However, when the robbery cultivators first appeared, although everyone was worried, they were not panicking.
Everyone believed that Qingyuan Sect would definitely capture and kill these robbery cultivators and restore law and order in Qingtian Domain.
No one believed that Qingyuan Sect would allow robbery cultivators to wreak havoc in its own back garden.
At first, Qingyuan Sect did take action and began to send disciples to intensify patrols and secure Qingtian Domain.
Everyone felt relieved.
But before they could relax for long, Qingyuan Sect withdrew the disciples responsible for security patrols!
And this situation has continued for two or three years—until now!
Without the protection of Qingyuan Sect, the robbery cultivators gradually became unscrupulous, appearing and plundering every once in a while.
However, the rent and taxes that everyone paid to Qingyuan Sect every year never decreased—in fact, they increased!
For a while, resentment boiled over, but it didn't have much effect.
No one understood why Qingyuan Sect acted like this. Was it due to internal problems? Or was there external pressure?
As low-level casual cultivators, they had no way of knowing. They could only accept their fate—like fish on the chopping block.
When Qingyuan Sect was willing to maintain public order and develop industries, casual cultivators could eat meat.
But when they didn't maintain it, although everyone was dissatisfied, they didn't dare to say anything.
What could a weak cultivator do if he was dissatisfied?
He still had to live his life.
At least compared to the huge number of cultivators, only a small part of them were robbed, and slowly, everyone got used to it.
But life became more vigilant.
They also gradually began to organize their own cultivator alliances to deal with possible dangers together.
Like Wang Shan mentioned by Old Man Zhou—in fact, including Old Man Zhou and Qi Ping—they all belonged to a cultivator alliance called Fushenghui.
The Fusheng Association is not large, with only more than ten members, and it was established decades ago.
This alliance was formed by several nearby casual cultivators who helped each other and supported one another.
The name "Fusheng Association" implies deep blessings and prosperity of livestock—a symbol of hope for ordinary cultivators' lives.
The people in the Fusheng Association are generally friendly and familiar with each other, always ready to lend a hand.
Once, Qi Ping's black bees escaped, and he couldn't find them after searching for a long time. It was only with the help of everyone in the Fusheng Association that they were eventually recovered.
Wang Shan is a mature and steady middle-aged elder brother in the Fusheng Association. He is an expert in raising first-level golden-feathered chickens and has dozens of them.
Qi Ping's impression of him is that he is calm, meticulous, friendly, and kind. Many things in the Fusheng Association are led by him.
"Don't worry, Old Zhou. Don't you know me? I won't tell anyone except you."
Facing Old Zhou's admonition, Qi Ping patted his chest and promised not to tell anyone else, so as not to worry him.
"Well, you are down-to-earth and careful in doing things. I wasn't worried before, but there are too many robbery cultivators recently, so I have to be extra careful!"
"It doesn't matter for an old man like me who only has ten years left to live, but Qi boy, you are still young. You have to live well and carry forward the beekeeping business."
At this point, Old Zhou's tone gradually relaxed.
"Just relax! I guarantee you'll have enough wine in the future. I haven't even married yet." Qi Ping grinned.
"You young people—your heads are full of this nonsense! I won't bother with you. I'm going to sleep. Don't disturb me if there's nothing urgent."
After that, Old Zhou stretched and returned to his usual lazy state.
Turning around, he walked back to the yard slowly at a leisurely pace.
The golden marrow bees that had caused the black bees to be agitated had been successfully contracted by Qi Ping, so the agitation problem was naturally solved.
Qi Ping could figure out the rest on his own. Old Man Zhou was too lazy to worry about it.
Moreover, now that Qi Ping had contracted the golden marrow bees—with their extraordinary combat power—he could basically guarantee his own safety.
If he encountered an enemy that even the golden marrow bee colony couldn't defeat, then his old bones wouldn't be much help anyway.
In Old Man Zhou's impression, Qi Ping was always careful in doing things, so there wasn't much to worry about. In fact, worrying was useless.
So, having thought through it, Old Man Zhou returned to his relaxed mindset.
Just let them rob if they want to. Life and death are determined by fate. If you live longer, enjoy it. If you don't—so be it.
After eating a few bites of fresh fruit on the table, Old Man Zhou lay back on the purple bamboo recliner.
Not long after, snoring could be heard quietly.
Don't worry about anything!
Qi Ping looked at Old Man Zhou's relaxed figure walking away and couldn't help but feel amused.
Just now, the old man was so shocked his jaw almost dropped, and now he had already returned to his carefree state.
Living so openly-minded… wasn't bad.
"But I'm not at the point of giving up yet!"
Qi Ping had just awakened the Druid profession and contracted the golden marrow bee. Now was the time to be full of energy—how could he slack off?
"First, tell the black bee colony that the golden marrow bee issue has been resolved, so they don't need to be afraid anymore. Then, start refining the golden marrow honey and improve your cultivation as soon as possible...!"
(End of this chapter)