Ghosthead Bees

“How many are there?” Yunyouzi asked. “Only one has been spotted for now,” Qin Sang said. Yunyouzi murmured thoughtfully, “We were careful in the cultivation market and made no enemies. It shouldn’t be aimed at us. I wonder whose foe was drawn here.” “Could Kong Xin have inadvertently leaked word of the Cold Metal Ore Matrix?” Qin Sang glanced up at Kong Xin’s back. The man was dutifully leading the way ahead, behaving completely submissively now. As for the woman in red and the others, their conduct showed nothing amiss, nor had Qin Sang or Yunyouzi noticed anyone leaving markers or sending messages outward. “Hard to say!” Yunyouzi pondered for a moment. “I’ll keep an eye on our rear. Brother Qin, watch Kong Xin and the rest. If it has nothing to do with us, peaceful coexistence is best. But should things go awry, we either capture the leader to subdue the rest, or flee aboard the spirit bamboo flying boat. It’s best if we can take Kong Xin with us. Wuya Valley is complex and treacherous, impossible to explain in a few words; we still need him to guide the way…” Qin Sang nodded. “Senior, just buy me time when the moment comes. As long as I can summon the talisman treasure, no matter how many monsters and ghosts come, I won't fear them.” “Good!” …… The secret passage twisted and turned, gradually slanting upward after they had walked a certain distance. Along the way, Qin Sang left several warning restrictions, none of which were triggered. After walking for a full two hours, the cave entrance finally appeared ahead. Confirming it was safe outside, the group filed out, finally emerging from the oppressive dark tunnel. The cave exit was halfway up the mountain, with the ghost nest right overhead. No one dared make a sound as they followed Kong Xin on foot through the mountains. Before they reached the foot of the mountain, Kong Xin suddenly halted, turned to the master and disciple, pointed to the left, and said in a hushed voice, “The spirit herb Fellow Daoist requires grows on the cliff over there. I will lead you two there right away. The other Fellow Daoists may rest here a moment to recover; I shall return shortly.” Gazing far into the distance where Kong Xin pointed, one could only see an expanse of chaotic crimson. It lay right beneath the ghost nest, rolling with blood miasma and deafening ghostly shrieks—clearly no safe place. Neither the woman in red nor the others had any desire to risk themselves for strangers. Just as they were about to agree, Qin Sang suddenly spoke up: “This place is on the edge of the ghost nest. When Fellow Daoist Kong returns alone later, if you run into danger, we might not be able to come to your aid in time. Going together would allow us to watch each other's backs. What do the two of you think?” Qin Sang made this suggestion not out of a wish to brave danger for the master and disciple, but rather as an excuse to test things. If Kong Xin was lying and the spirit herb wasn't there, then without a doubt, Kong Xin had an ulterior motive. Yunyouzi caught Qin Sang's intention immediately. The woman in red and Cultivator Bao exchanged glances, and after brief consideration, voiced their agreement as well. Cultivator Bao fluttered his fan and spoke to the master and disciple in a seemingly joking tone, “Fellow Daoist, you aren’t afraid we might snatch your spirit herb, are you?” The master and disciple looked at each other. The master chuckled softly. “The spirit herb this one requires is the Blood Poison Flower. Its grade is not high; it only possesses peculiar medicinal properties. Aside from curing my disciple’s affliction, it serves no other purpose, so I doubt it would catch any of your discerning eyes. If you Fellow Daoists are willing to escort us over, that is more than I could ever ask for.” Having reached a consensus, the group altered their direction. Traversing the entire mountain without mishap, they soon saw the road ahead cut off, replaced by a bottomless abyss. Within the abyss, amidst the fierce roars of ghosts, there was also a bizarre buzzing sound. Kong Xin raised his hand, pointing to the cliff on the opposite side of the abyss. “Fellow Daoists, look there. The Blood Poison Flower is right over there.” Straining their eyes to see across, they noticed a stone crevice on the opposing cliff. Growing within the crevice was indeed a strange crimson flower the size of a silver platter—the very Blood Poison Flower sought by the master and disciple. Oddly enough, suspended from the stone wall beneath the Blood Poison Flower were over a dozen colossal black spheres. When they made out the true form of those black spheres, everyone gasped. Those were beehives! The hives were as black as ink. More terrifying still, the black venomous bees that occasionally flew out from the hives were each the size of an adult's fist! The buzzing heard earlier had been produced by their flight. The venomous bees looked savage, bearing three pairs of crimson wings, and their barbed stingers gleamed with an eerie blue-green sheen—unquestionably carrying lethal venom. If it were only a single bee, it would be easy to handle, but with so many hives, there were at least thousands, if not tens of thousands, of them. Moreover, judging from the spiritual power fluctuations vibrating from their wings, these were by no means ordinary bees. Having likely dwelled in the blood miasma for countless years, they had mutated. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators like them, if inadvertently surrounded by these bees, would meet a miserable end. “Fellow Daoist, do you really plan on braving those venomous bees to pluck the Blood Poison Flower?” Cultivator Bao's scalp tingled with dread as he watched the bees buzzing around. A flicker of horror surfaced in his eyes, and he took a few steps back instinctively, terrified of drawing their attention. The master and disciple had not expected such bizarre venomous bees to be lurking around either; their faces grew grim as water. The old man said with resolute determination, “I have searched far and wide across many places for several years just to find this single stalk of Blood Poison Flower. Come what may, I must try.” Kong Xin said in a deep voice, “According to our agreement, bringing you here concludes my task. Gathering the Blood Poison Flower is up to you. As for the other half of my payment…” The old man tossed a mustard seed bag to Kong Xin and cupped his hands. “Many thanks, Fellow Daoist.” After inspecting it, a satisfied smile appeared on Kong Xin's face. “These venomous bees won't be easy to deal with, Fellow Daoist. Please be extremely careful. We still need to venture deeper into Wuya Valley, so we won't be staying around.” Right at that moment, Qin Sang, who had remained silent all this time, flickered and darted to the brink of the abyss. After pondering for a moment, he drew out the Spirit-Binding Cord. With a wave of his hand across the Spirit-Binding Cord, he concealed its gleam, then flicked his fingers, sending the cord floating silently toward the hives. Seeing Qin Sang's move, the others retreated one after another, terrified of being caught in the crossfire. Only Yunyouzi stood behind Qin Sang, summoning his magic tool and preparing to assist at any moment. Everyone was curious about the venomous bees, but none wanted to court danger by provoking these bizarre creatures. Seeing that Qin Sang was willing to stick his neck out, no one—including the old man—tried to stop him. Qin Sang paid no heed to what the others were thinking; his objective was simply to capture a few of the bees. If he had not mistaken them, these venomous bees should be a species of exotic insect known as the Ghosthead Bee. Among Old Man Dique’s relics, the jade slip left behind by that Yuling Sect Core Formation cultivator contained records of the Ghosthead Bee, which was counted among the rare exotic insects. However, these venomous bees differed considerably from the Ghosthead Bees described in the jade slip. The most distinct difference lay in those three pairs of crimson wings—true Ghosthead Bees had transparent wings. The venomous bees' bodies were also a size larger than normal Ghosthead Bees. This was the first time Qin Sang had encountered such an exotic insect since obtaining the jade slip. He did not have the energy to search the cultivation world for exotic insects like Old Man Dique, but having chanced upon them here, he naturally wouldn't let the opportunity pass.