At the base of Peak 007, District D of the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range.
There stood an ancient courtyard with weathered walls and an inner garden. The mottled surfaces were covered in the traces of time. The entire property was very clean, clearly well-maintained. Many types of flowers were planted outside, where hundreds of Black Little Bees were industriously gathering nectar.
This was the courtyard Old Man Zhou had built with his own hands in his youth, and it had stood for over fifty years.
Currently, inside the courtyard at a red sandalwood table, Old Man Zhou was drinking tea with a slightly portly man wearing a golden spirit robe.
When Qi Ping entered, he found that this person was indeed Manager Zhu, the man responsible for rent collection in the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range. Manager Zhu belonged to the Zhu family, one of the three great families of Qingshi County. He oversaw parts of District D.
He had been in this position for decades. Because his status within his clan was not particularly high and he was a friendly person, he actually got along quite well with loose cultivators like Old Man Zhou. Every time he visited, he would linger for a chat.
"Manager Zhu! Old Man Zhou!"
Qi Ping entered and cupped his fists. As a minor figure, Qi Ping naturally did not dare to be negligent toward someone from the three great families. At the very least, he had to maintain basic etiquette. If he offended the man, a small abuse of power could cause Qi Ping endless trouble. This was the survival philosophy of the lower-tier cultivators.
Fortunately, Manager Zhu was quite amiable and did not carry the arrogant, condescending attitude common among many noble family members toward loose cultivators.
"I was just about to go call you. Manager Zhu has come for the rent," Old Man Zhou said cheerfully.
"You really do get taller every year!" Manager Zhu looked at Qi Ping, who had grown quite a bit, and felt a sense of nostalgia. Time truly flew; the youth was growing up fast.
"Yes. I have the rent ready."
Qi Ping handed over one hundred and ten spirit stones. One hundred was for the rent, and the extra ten was the customary ten-percent "tea money." This was industry standard; even if Manager Zhu was on good terms with Old Man Zhou, this fee could not be waived.
However, Manager Zhu did not take the stones. Instead, he let out a heavy sigh and handed a jade plaque to Qi Ping, using his spiritual power to float it over.
Qi Ping felt a flicker of confusion. What kind of trick was this? At the same time, an ominous feeling crept into his heart. He took the plaque and scanned it with his divine sense. His face instantly soured.
The information recorded on the plaque was explicit:
[Rent for the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range has increased by thirty percent across the board.]
The plaque also bore the contract seal of the Qingyuan Sect. There was virtually no chance it was a forgery.
"What's wrong? Let me see!" Old Man Zhou saw Qi Ping's expression and found it strange. Once he saw the plaque, his smile froze as well.
"Manager Zhu, why the sudden increase?" Old Man Zhou asked in bewilderment.
He had been here for decades without the rent changing. Why a sudden thirty-percent hike? Had something happened?
"Sigh... to be honest, you might not believe it, but my expression was exactly like yours when I received the order. I reported to my superiors that a thirty-percent increase would be unaffordable for many and cause a lot of trouble. But the attitude from above was firm. If you can't pay, they'll seize your assets to cover the current term. After that, you pay a relocation fee equal to half a year's rent and leave. If you can't pay that... sigh..."
Manager Zhu didn't finish, but Qi Ping knew the consequences. Manager Zhu himself was frustrated; the rent didn't go to him, yet he had to deal with all the trouble, and the "tea money" wasn't much anyway.
"Manager Zhu, do you know what is happening with the Qingyuan Sect? For the past few years, they've allowed marauders to run rampant, and now they are suddenly hiking the rent."
Manager Zhu shook his head helplessly. "Don't ask me. I don't think even my Clan Head knows for sure. The marauders and the rent hikes have negatively affected our family's income too. The Clan Head wanted to step in and solve it, but the higher-ups in the Qingyuan Sect are suppressing us, refusing to let us interfere."
"We are somewhat friends, so my only advice is this: start thinking of a way out. Do your best to protect yourselves in the coming days!"
Hearing this, both Qi Ping and Old Man Zhou fell silent. Old Man Zhou didn't care much for his own life, but this situation was bad for Qi Ping and the bee business. The bees and Qi Ping were among the few things he still cared about.
Qi Ping remained silent for a moment before putting on a "strained" expression, acting as if it were a struggle to scrape together the extra stones. He handed over one hundred and forty-three spirit stones to Manager Zhu and received a receipt. After all, pulling out that many stones too easily would arouse suspicion.
Once the transaction was done, Qi Ping didn't stay to chat. He bid them farewell and returned to the forest. Back under the canopy, his brow furrowed deeply.
What was happening to the Qingyuan Sect? It had once been a sect that managed its territory, spirit herb industries, and trade with perfect order. Now, it was falling apart.
Allowing marauders to destroy the industrial environment was one thing, but raising the rent was another. Crucially, this seemed to benefit no one in the long run. The short-term thirty-percent gain was pittance compared to the direct and indirect losses caused by the instability.
'Perhaps if I knew who the ultimate benefactor of all these events was, I could understand the reason. Unfortunately, my strength and status are too low to reach that level...'
'Manager Zhu must know something, otherwise he wouldn't have warned us to find a way out.'
'Could this be related to that mysterious Beast Taming Sect or Insect Taming Sect?'
'Next time I see Sister Nan, I should ask where she got that Demon Insect Cultivation Manual. It might help me judge the situation.'
The matter was too complex, and information was scarce. After thinking for a long time, Qi Ping still couldn't untangle the cause and effect. He could only summarize it in three words: Chaos is coming.
As someone at the bottom of the hierarchy, the only thing he could do was increase his strength and prepare countermeasures.
'I need to focus on my power... if the Golden Marrow Bees evolve a powerful bloodline and the colony takes shape, I will at least have the strength to resist a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. Maybe even stronger.'
'Once they finish their transformation, I can focus entirely on my own cultivation level.'
'If my second Animal Companion is also powerful enough, it would be perfect!'
Thinking this, his anxiety and sense of powerlessness eased. After meditating for a while, he received word from the bees that Manager Zhu had left. Qi Ping immediately took the five portions of Bloodline Mutation Potion and headed for the hive.
The time to consume the potion had arrived! The extent of the bees' evolution would be decided now...