Recognizing the geographical and spatial advantages of plots twenty-eight and twenty-nine, Qi Ping suppressed his excitement and inspected them once more. He even sent out his bees to perform a meticulous sweep of the area. Once he was certain there were no hidden issues, he hurried back to the Cloud-Mist Great Hall.
"You're back? How was it?" Manager Zhu asked with a smile.
"Not bad. I'll take plot twenty-nine!" Qi Ping replied.
"Very well. Regarding the price, I'll set it at the lowest base rent of four hundred and twenty spirit stones per year. Usually, it goes for five or six hundred!" Manager Zhu continued. "However, I can't waive the thirty percent rent increase mandated by the sect, so the total rent comes to five hundred and forty-six spirit stones."
"Additionally, there is the ten percent service fee, which is forty-two spirit stones. But since you already paid for this year, I'll waive twenty-two of that for you. Including the rent, that makes five hundred and sixty-six spirit stones."
"Furthermore, you used Peak 007 in District D for about two months. Calculated out, that's exactly twenty spirit stones."
"The final total you need to pay is five hundred and eighty-six spirit stones."
Hearing the final number, Qi Ping's eyelid twitched. Good heavens. It was fortunate he had sold the Black Little Bee honey at the last minute; otherwise, he wouldn't even have had enough for the rent and would have had to barter items to cover the cost.
Ultimately, with a heart aching for his funds, Qi Ping produced five hundred and eighty-six spirit stones from his storage bag. After the transaction, he had fewer than twenty spirit stones left on his person. But when he thought of the profits that planting Hundred-Spirit Grass and expanding his colony would bring, he felt it was worth it.
Seeing Qi Ping's pained expression and somewhat tight movements, Manager Zhu assumed this was the combined savings of both Qi Ping and Old Man Zhou. He offered some comfort.
"There's no other way. Starting from District C, rent must be paid upfront. It's impossible to pay at the end of the year. District D only allowed payment afterward to attract rogue cultivators in the beginning, and that tradition just stuck. But for mid-grade spiritual lands, upfront payment is non-negotiable."
"But since you've made this choice, work hard this year. If you use the land well, you can definitely earn back several hundred stones."
"The outside world is very chaotic lately. With your strength, don't go wandering off. Just focus on your cultivation and your bees. If you have many things to sell or buy, I can occasionally help you when I'm passing by." Manager Zhu remembered the spiderwebs in the courtyard of Peak 007 and had been worried about the master and disciple for some time. He felt that since he was part of the three major families, he could offer a little protection in these times.
"Then I thank you for your care," Qi Ping said respectfully.
After completing the procedures and receiving the lease contract, Qi Ping bid farewell to Manager Zhu. Having a good relationship with the manager would save him a lot of trouble. He couldn't help but admire Old Man Zhou's way of handling people. The old man's strength wasn't high, but his circle of friends was vast. From Sister Nan to Boss Gao and Manager Zhu, these connections were all part of the legacy Old Man Zhou had left him. Without them, Qi Ping would have struggled much more to find such reliable people.
What Qi Ping admired most was that Old Man Zhou had lived a carefree life for decades without making a single enemy. In the five years Qi Ping lived with him, he had never seen anyone come looking for trouble. Instead, whenever there was danger or news outside, people would proactively inform the old man.
Qi Ping truly wanted to become such a person—peacefully farming, raising bees, and seeking immortality. Unfortunately, he had already been pulled into the eye of the storm.
'For now, I can only keep a low profile and hide myself, minimizing the attention focused on me.'
He knew that if he wanted to reach Foundation Establishment or form a Golden Core, he would inevitably have to fight for core techniques and resources, which meant stepping into the vortex. But the risks could be mitigated by being cautious, using a different identity, and never putting himself in danger just to show off. This was the philosophy he had observed in the old man.
Clutching the lease contract, Qi Ping rushed back to plot twenty-nine with hurried, excited steps. Plot twenty-nine was deep in the mountains and four or five times larger than Peak 007. Even with his cultivation, it took quite a while just to traverse the entire area.
'The scale of mountains in the cultivation world truly cannot be compared to the concepts in my previous life.' Qi Ping marveled once again at the vastness of this world; even a single Qingshi County was incredibly large.
'The only pity is that while the area is huge, the spots with spiritual energy concentration are somewhat scattered.'
In fact, the entire Cloud-Mist Mountain Range was like this; the spiritual veins underground were distributed irregularly. Plot twenty-nine was a prime example of this scattered distribution, which suited Qi Ping's needs perfectly. It was this very irregularity that allowed for a diverse "farming" ecosystem to flourish.
Looking at the overgrown weeds and vines on plot twenty-nine, a sudden urge to build and cultivate surged within Qi Ping.
"Companions! It's time to move!" Qi Ping released all the bees and the crow, speaking with excitement. It was time to build a new home, but the area was so vast that doing it alone would be a waste of time. This was the perfect moment for his animal companions to shine.
"Buzz buzz... (Boss, is this our new home?)"
"Buzz buzz... (The spiritual energy is so thick!)"
"It is your new home, but it hasn't been built yet!"
"Buzz buzz... (What do you need us to do, Boss?)"
"Many things. Let me assign tasks..."
"First, the High-speed Ring-cutter Bees are responsible for clearing weeds and loosening the soil in these areas with high spiritual energy." Qi Ping pointed to the spots where Hundred-Spirit Grass could be planted.
"Buzz buzz... (Leave it to us, Boss. We're the best at this!)" The High-speed Ring-cutter Bees replied in unison. This was their specialty—a flick of their wings and the job was done!
"Buzz buzz... (What about us, Boss?)" the other bees asked hurriedly.
"The Golden Marrow Bees and Toxic Bees will follow behind the Ring-cutters. Pick out all the roots and seeds and give them to the Crow to burn into plant ash! The Ink-Armor Bees and Balanced Bees have more strength; you'll use large gourd leaves to carry water and follow at the back to dampen the soil."
As for the Brewer Pot-bellied Bees, Qi Ping felt it was better to keep them in the spirit beast bag for now, lest they get lost!
"Buzz buzz... (Task guaranteed to be finished!)" the various bee types promised.
Meanwhile, the Crow on Qi Ping's shoulder looked a bit bewildered.
"Caw caw... (Burn plant ash?)" It, a Sun-Fire Crow, a super predator destined to roam the heavens, was being asked to burn weeds for ash?