'So that is how it is!'
Hearing Fatty Zhou's answer, Qi Ping felt the pieces of a larger puzzle falling into place.
'The Demon Insect Chapter, Blood Ginseng, Blood-Iniquity Insect venom, Streaming Light Grass, and Black Spirit Ducks...'
One or two coincidences might mean nothing, but such a concentrated cluster of related elements forced Qi Ping to suspect the secrets hidden behind them. He began to wonder if, in the distant past, the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range had once been home to a powerful sect specializing in beast or insect taming.
Qi Ping's suspicion began with his Druid skill, Animal Speech.
(Animal Speech: You can understand the language of animals and communicate with them.)
Through this skill, he managed to decipher several critical pieces of information from the intermittent cries of the Black Spirit Ducks.
"Quack... (Big blood-colored bugs!)"
"Quack... (Pain!)"
"Quack... (Need the glowing grass! Detoxify!)"
Had Qi Ping not obtained the Spirit Beast Cultivation: Demon Insect Chapter, he might have only known they were poisoned without ever identifying the specific cure. He certainly wouldn't have known about the Blood-Iniquity Insect venom or the deeper connections involved.
According to the manual's section on Blood-Iniquity Insects, a specific toxin appeared wherever these creatures dwelled. This toxin caused livestock like Black Spirit Ducks to fall into a state of lethargy, refusing food as their blood-vitality slowly withered away. The simplest cure was to boil Streaming Light Grass in water. A mere fragment was enough to neutralize the peculiar venom.
In Qi Ping's memory, the raising of Black Spirit Ducks had been prevalent in Qingshi County since ancient times. If there had indeed been an insect-taming sect here long ago, it made sense for the manual to specifically mention these ducks. Fatty Zhou's mountain stream was exactly the kind of environment where these ducks thrived most.
Under such circumstances, it was highly probable that Streaming Light Grass would grow wherever the Blood-Iniquity Insects were found. Its presence would serve as further evidence for Qi Ping's theory.
'It all fits. Blood Ginseng, Streaming Light Grass, the manual, Blood-Iniquity Insects, and Black Spirit Ducks. The primary ingredients for the Bloodline Mutation Potion are Centennial Blood Ginseng and fifty-year-old Streaming Light Grass...'
'With all these factors stacked together, it cannot be a coincidence!'
'Even the Golden Marrow Bees and the Blood-Iniquity Insects seem to have appeared recently. Then there is the mysterious spiritual energy gushing from beneath the Blood Ginseng, and the Secret Realm Lin Chaoyang mentioned... are these truly accidents? Or are they omens of a major event?'
Connecting these threads filled Qi Ping with a sudden surge of unease. If a catastrophe were to occur, a small figure like him would be powerless to resist. A single misstep could lead to total annihilation.
The feeling of urgency intensified in his heart.
'I must increase my strength as quickly as possible!'
He already possessed the Blood Ginseng. If he could buy a couple of Streaming Light Grass plants from Fatty Zhou, he wouldn't have to risk another trip to the Qingshi Market. Not only would it be safer, but he could also begin nurturing the Golden Marrow Bees immediately. By the time the bees were successfully evolved, his Druid level would likely have reached Level 2, allowing him to contract a second companion.
However, after learning of the Blood-Iniquity Insects, he was more hesitant about his choice for that second slot.
'I will wait to see how the Golden Marrow Bees transform after the potion, then check the information Boss Gao provides before making a final decision.'
He wasn't distressed by the choices; having options was a luxury. The Blood-Iniquity Insect was a Mid-Rank First-Order spirit insect with combat potential slightly higher than that of a Golden Marrow Bee. It possessed great potential for growth, lacking the honey-making utility but excelling in flexibility and raw aggression.
One problem remained: while the Blood-Iniquity Insects were herbivorous, they were notoriously ferocious. Qi Ping wasn't entirely certain if his status as a Beast King Druid would be enough to successfully contract one.
"Yes, Streaming Light Grass should be able to solve the ducks' problem!" Facing Fatty Zhou's questioning gaze, Qi Ping gave a firm nod.
"Great! Follow me!" Fatty Zhou cried, overjoyed.
Qi Ping and Sister Nan followed him, quickly navigating a stretch of jagged rocks until they reached a hidden corner of the stream. Three emerald-green blades of grass grew there, their leaves tinged with a golden hue and emitting faint ripples of light.
It was undoubtedly the Low-Grade First-Order Streaming Light Grass. However, unlike the thriving Blood Ginseng, these plants appeared slightly malnourished due to the sparse spiritual energy in the area, their stalks remaining small and thin.
"This is it. I saw they weren't growing well, so I didn't harvest them. I wanted to wait until they were larger," Fatty Zhou explained.
"Size doesn't matter for this. We only need a small piece of a leaf to boil. A little for each duck will be enough."
"Should we take more just in case?" Fatty Zhou asked, clearly worried.
"No need. A piece the size of a fingernail is plenty. Anything more would be a waste."
With the efficiency typical of cultivators, the three of them soon returned to the duck pens with the boiled medicinal water. Fatty Zhou couldn't wait. He immediately used his spiritual power to guide two spoonfuls of the liquid into the mouth of a duck, terrified his precious livestock might starve to death at any moment.
Once the duck swallowed the medicine, the three of them watched with bated breath. Fatty Zhou's anxious expression mirrored that of a father waiting outside a delivery room.
Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long. The duck began to struggle to its feet, its trembling legs eventually steadying as it waddled toward the feed and began to eat ravenously.
"Quack! (Saved! Hungry!)"
Seeing this, Fatty Zhou—a man weighing two hundred pounds—actually burst into tears like a child. Who could truly understand the crushing weight of his anxiety over the past few days? If the ducks died, such a massive loss would leave him with nothing to support his family. If he couldn't pay the rent, he might be dragged off to the mines. If he were alone, he could accept death, but he had two wives and four children depending on him.
But the priority now was saving the rest of the flock. Casting aside his emotions, he resumed feeding the medicine. Qi Ping and Sister Nan didn't stand idly by, stepping forward to assist him. Before long, every duck had been treated.
Watching the ducks eating their fill, Fatty Zhou's eyes blurred with tears once again. After a long moment, he walked over to Qi Ping and Sister Nan and bowed deeply.
"Little Qi, Sister Nan, thank you so much!"
"Little Qi, you have saved my entire family's lives today."
The scene became a bit too sentimental for Qi Ping's comfort, but such was Fatty Zhou's nature. He and Sister Nan had expected as much.
When it came to the reward, Qi Ping only asked for a single Streaming Light Grass plant. However, Fatty Zhou insisted on giving him two, saying that if he needed more later, he would just buy them from the market. He then tried to press a bag of spirit stones and several ducks into Qi Ping's hands, and even prepared a portion for Sister Nan, though it wasn't as generous as Qi Ping's.
Both Qi Ping and Sister Nan refused. Fatty Zhou had already spent a lot trying to fix this mess and had a large family to support. He would likely have to sell some of the ducks just to make the rent. His situation was far from stable. Having just looted the marauders, Qi Ping and Sister Nan were far better off, so they naturally declined the stones and livestock that the man so desperately needed.
For Qi Ping, obtaining two Streaming Light Grass plants was already an unexpected windfall. He now had the two primary ingredients for the Bloodline Mutation Potion. All he had to do was use his Plant Growth skill to age them to a century for the ginseng and fifty years for the grass, and then he could begin evolving his Golden Marrow Bees.