Chapter 39: Green Bamboo Bee

“Fellow Daoist Lu, if I discover spirit herbs later, may I also exchange them with you for medicinal pills?”

Wang Yuan’s eyes lit up, and the others looked over as well. Most of them, upon obtaining spirit herbs, could only sell them to the various pill workshops in Wangyue City that specialized in procurement, as they themselves did not know how to refine pills. They would then have to purchase pills from those workshops, which involved many unnecessary complications in the process. This was especially true with only a few months left before the major immortal sects began recruiting disciples; as the number of adventurous rogue cultivators increased, medicinal pills in Wangyue City became scarce. It wasn't a matter of simply having enough spirit stones to secure sufficient supplies.

Spirit herbs were sometimes subject to price gouging by unscrupulous shopkeepers in the pill workshops, but a Qi Gathering Pill could be exchanged for at least four spirit stones anywhere, and in Wangyue City, it could even reach five.

“Naturally,” Lu Xiaotian nodded. The area within the barrier was still quite vast, and stockpiling some spirit herbs might prove useful at an unpredictable time in the future.

Having witnessed Luo Qing’s successful exchange, the others, after their initial envy, also began to take the idea seriously.

“Haha, my luck has arrived!” After descending the slope and nearing the bamboo forest, Zhang Guang discovered a fist-sized piece of copper essence ore and several low-grade spirit stones nestled between some lush green bamboo. He beamed with joy, fearing others might snatch it away; after all, everything discovered along the way belonged to him.

However, everyone present was a cultivator, and their vision was incredibly sharp. Almost as soon as Zhang Guang took his first step, the others followed Zheng Wen's gaze and spotted the scattered items among the emerald bamboo.

“Watch out, it’s a trap!” Fan Qing’s expression changed, and he shouted sharply.

“Brother Zhang, get back!” Zheng Shiqi also yelled.

Lu Xiaotian felt a jolt of alarm. He saw several sharpened spirit bamboos shoot out from between the rustling leaves with a *whoosh*, flying straight toward Zhang Guang.

“Brother Zhang, be careful!” Zheng Shiqi was as close to Zhang Guang as a brother. Seeing him in peril, his face contorted with panic, and he attempted to rush forward to help, only to be pulled back by Fan Qing’s whisk.

“What are you doing?” Zheng Shiqi snapped at Fan Qing.

“If we don't go to save Fellow Daoist Zhang, he might still have a chance to survive if he can endure it. This is clearly a trap. If we charge in as well, and an injured Zhang loses his backup, that will be a true death sentence. Look, what is inside the bamboo forest?” Fan Qing’s expression darkened. After releasing Zheng Shiqi, he pointed into the distance.

Lu Xiaotian and the others followed Fan Qing's finger and saw indeed that shadows were moving within the bamboo forest.

“A few bamboo sticks can't do anything to me!” Zhang Guang also realized the danger was imminent. He roared defiantly, drawing the spirit saber from his waist, but he noticed that the sharpened spirit bamboos seemed to lack precision, as they were shooting several feet above his head.

*Bang!* The spirit bamboo seemed to strike something. This was immediately followed by a low buzzing sound.

“Not good, Green Bamboo Bees! Everyone, retreat!” He Tuozi suddenly remembered a type of demonic insect in the bamboo forest and roared, his face turning pale.

Fan Qing didn't even bother to stop Zheng Shiqi this time; with a flick of his whisk, he turned and sprinted rapidly away from the bamboo forest.

*Buzz...*

As the struck spirit bamboo swayed, a massive beehive was revealed. From the nest, fist-sized green bees with striped abdomens flew out in swarms, most of them rushing toward the nearest target, Zhang Guang.

Instantly, Zhang Guang’s fire-spirit shield, shimmering with spiritual light, was nearly covered by the Green Bamboo Bees. The sharp stingers on the tails of the fist-sized bees extended one after another, stabbing relentlessly against his shield.

Zhang Guang swung his spirit saber in shock, large plumes of flame erupting from the blade. Dozens, then hundreds of Green Bamboo Bees that touched the flames were incinerated to death, falling to the ground with a burnt stench. However, the death of their kin only drove the other bees into a frenzy, swarming Zhang Guang even more aggressively. Releasing Yang Fire through the spirit saber consumed a vast amount of spiritual energy; after a moment, a layer of dead bees covered the ground, but the flames on the saber began to fade.

“Ah! Help! Help me!” Before long, Zhang Guang’s panicked voice drifted from within the fire-spirit shield, which was now completely enveloped by the swarm.

“Ah!” Wang Yuan, running at the back of the group, cried out in surprise. She cast a "Whirlwind Technique," blowing away dozens of bees that were lunging toward her.

Lu Xiaotian was running at the front of the group. Only two Green Bamboo Bees had landed on his Vajra Shield, attempting to sting him with their tail needles, but he simply knocked them off with his short sword. Looking back, he saw Zhang Guang collapsed on the ground, rolling in agony and wailing. Lu Xiaotian’s heart tightened; whoever had designed this trap was truly sinister.

Fortunately, after chasing them for a distance and realizing they were getting further from the forest, the Green Bamboo Bees abandoned the pursuit and returned to the bamboo grove.

“Stop!” Fan Qing, running at the front, suddenly waved his hand and said with a face as cold as water, “Friends ahead, come out. You certainly went to a lot of trouble to make such a scene.”

“As expected of Daoist Fan, the Blood Sand Hermit; even this couldn't ensnare you.” From the small hill Lu Xiaotian and the others had just passed, seven or eight Qi Refinement cultivators emerged one after another. Their cultivation levels were similar to theirs, ranging from the early to middle stages of Qi Refinement. The leader was short and stout with a forehead that protruded more than normal, but his voice was incredibly resonant.

Fan Qing sneered, “So it is the Big-Forehead Freak. I wonder who had the audacity to plot against me, Fan. Since a grudge has been formed, why don't you name your terms? We can settle this with a fight right now.”

“Yeah, let's have a go at them. I don't believe these guys can do anything to us.”

Having been ambushed out of nowhere, Luo Yuan was also fuming with rage. However, Lu Xiaotian could hear in Fan Qing's tone that he didn't actually want to engage in a real conflict. Wang Yuan, He Tuozi, and Wang Ping also showed little interest.

Although Zheng Shiqi was burning with anger, his mind was still on Zhang Guang, who was surrounded by the bees; he had no desire to fight at this moment.

“Forget it. A winner won't be decided in a short time, and I won't waste time with you here. There will be plenty of chances later. Let's go!”

The Big-Forehead Freak gave a hollow laugh, waved his hand, and led his squad onto another path, disappearing from sight in an instant.

“They've left. Let's charge back and rescue Brother Zhang!” Zheng Shiqi said, his heart filled with anxiety.

“What's the rush? It's not certain if they've truly left,” He Tuozi snorted, clearly unwilling to provoke the frenzied Green Bamboo Bees again.

“What do you mean? Brother Zhang is in trouble, and you want to stand by and watch him die? We are a squad. If we can't even do this, I think this squad should just disband!” Zheng Shiqi glared at He Tuozi with bloodshot eyes.

“Fellow Daoist Zheng, there is no need to be overly anxious. Firstly, those people might indeed return. If we hadn't acted quickly to escape the swarm without consuming too much essence, the Big-Forehead Freak certainly wouldn't have let us go easily. Since our strength is intact, he is unwilling to engage in a bloody battle and waste his energy. Secondly, there are thousands of those Green Bamboo Bees. If we charge back now, we won't just fail to save Brother Zhang; we will make the situation worse by infuriating the swarm, making it even harder to handle.”

Seeing the instability within the squad, Fan Qing hurriedly explained.

“Then we just watch Brother Zhang suffer the torment of the swarm?” Zheng Shiqi knew Fan Qing had a point, but he remained defiant.

“Green Bamboo Bees are wood-element demonic insects. Their tail stingers are exceptionally sharp and possess a certain level of toxicity, though it is not immediately fatal. Once they calm down, they will return to their nests. We should patrol the surroundings first to ensure the Big-Forehead Freak isn't playing more tricks. Once the swarm settles, we will rescue Brother Zhang. Additionally, I have a few spirit herbs that can be used to refine Serum Pills, but I am unsure if young friend Lu can refine them now. Although the toxicity of the Green Bamboo Bees isn't strong, Brother Zhang has been attacked too many times. If the poison accumulates in his body for too long, it will indeed become a major problem.”

Fan Qing turned his gaze toward Lu Xiaotian.

“Brother Lu, I beg you! As long as you can save Brother Zhang, I'll do whatever you ask in the future!” Zheng Shiqi looked at Lu Xiaotian imploringly.

“Brother Lu, what do you think? Brother Zhang is a straightforward person. Though he is a bit reckless, he is indeed someone worth befriending,” Luo Yuan added.

*This man named Fan has the ability to make someone of Luo Yuan's cultivation step aside and let him lead,* Lu Xiaotian thought to himself. *From the ambush until now, he has remained calm under pressure. Although Zhang Guang made a reckless mistake, and even though Wang Yuan and He Tuozi were unwilling to help, as a leader, if Fan Qing couldn't provide a powerful solution, the squad members would inevitably grow divided. Now, Fan Qing has diverted everyone's attention to himself, and all he has to pay is a few spirit herbs to resolve this crisis while simultaneously testing his capabilities. His depth of calculation is extraordinary.* Lu Xiaotian thought privately before speaking calmly.

“I want to help him as well, but I do not have the recipe for Serum Pills. I have no idea how to refine them.”

“The reason I mentioned Serum Pills is, naturally, because I have prepared the recipe.” Fan Qing smiled broadly and reached into his storage bag, producing three spirit herbs and a piece of yellow paper. The recipe for the Serum Pill was written on the paper.

“Daoist Fan is indeed very thorough. In that case, I shall give it a try.”

In the cultivation world, having seen much deception, Lu Xiaotian actually admired the bond of friendship shown by Zhang Guang and Zheng Shiqi. Even if Fan Qing hadn't suggested it, he would have stepped in.

Thus, Lu Xiaotian did not decline further. In fact, he had prepared dozens of types of detoxification pills within the barrier, including Serum Pills—some he had refined himself, and some he had purchased before departure. They were common antidotes for the toxins found in the outskirts of the Wangyue Mountains. Lu Xiaotian didn't believe that no one else in the squad had prepared anything; they simply weren't willing to reveal it.

Since Fan Qing was so certain, Lu Xiaotian wanted to test him, but he hadn't expected Fan Qing to be so well-prepared. However, for someone who wasn't a professional alchemist to have not only the recipe but also the prepared herbs was somewhat suspicious; it wasn't impossible that they were spoils from a kill.

Hearing this, Zheng Shiqi thanked him repeatedly. Soon, the squad split into several groups. Fan Qing coordinated from the center, Lu Xiaotian took charge of refining the pills, while the Luo siblings, Wang Yuan, and He Tuozi were responsible for guarding in different directions to prevent other squads from setting more traps.

A short while later, Zheng Shiqi went to the bamboo forest. Taking advantage of the moment the frenzied bees were returning to their nests, he secretly carried out the unconscious Zhang Guang, whose body was already covered in dark, bruised stings.