Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

Lingfeng Field wasn't far from Cicada Cry Mountain, and even though Qu Ye deliberately slowed down, the group quickly arrived at their destination.

Arriving at the two corpses, Hou Fangping glanced at Qu Ye with some surprise, then waved his hand, and two disciples stepped forward to examine them.

The two Hou family disciples first took out two portraits from their pockets and compared them with the features of the corpse one by one.

After confirming that everything was correct, Chao Houfangping nodded.

Hou Fangping's eyes flashed with surprise, but he did not draw any conclusions.

He patted his storage bag, took out a disc, and poured his magic into it, causing the disc to glow faintly.

Immediately afterwards, he squatted down beside the two corpses, took two drops of blood, and dripped them onto the plate.

Looking at the scene before him, Qu Ye guessed that the disc was most likely a special investigative method used by the Hou family.

Soon, the blood on the plate completely disappeared, leaving only two small, slightly red spots that resonated with the two locked auras in the plate.

Hou Fangping stared at the disc for a moment, confirming that the two drops of blood perfectly matched the aura locked in the disc, before standing up and putting the disc back into his storage bag.

Although Hou Fangping remained calm, Qu Ye inexplicably felt that the other person seemed to have unloaded a heavy burden and was completely relaxed.

"It is indeed those two," Hou Fangping said confidently. "Xiao Qu, you did a great job this time!"

Qu Ye gave a self-deprecating laugh: "I just happened to be there. Manager, you flatter me."

"That's not how it works." Hou Fangping said with a smile as he watched his disciples wrap the corpse in a shroud and put it into a bag.

He led Qu Ye aside, remained silent for a moment, and then whispered:

"I won't lie to you, these two are quite important to me, Hou Fangping, as they concern my future."

"So whether you were lucky or not, you have made a great contribution, and the Hou family will certainly not treat you unfairly. If you have any needs, I, Hou Fangping, can help you out."

Qu Ye bowed and said, "Thank you, Steward Hou."

Hou Fangping waved his hand and said, "It's my duty. You rest for a while longer. Come with me to the Hou family later. After I report to the clan elders, the reward will be given."

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and walked happily toward the disciples, without mentioning a word about the valuables on the two robbers.

Qu Ye straightened up and watched Hou Fangping's retreating figure, feeling a sense of relief.

really.

His actions this time were somewhat risky, but the risks were not significant.

For the Hou family, truly precious spirit beasts would certainly be guarded extremely closely, so this earth rock tortoise probably wasn't that important.

It was only because two cultivators conspired with a spirit worker to steal it that he lost face, which led to the investigation. After a month of fruitless searching, he gave up.

Although Qu Ye learned from the interrogation of the strong man that there was someone else behind it all.

However, the forces behind the scenes did not reveal themselves. They only provided the two scholars with some information, and even their communication tools were destroyed after use. Clearly, it didn't matter whether the two scholars lived or died.

In this power struggle between two forces, one is in the mid-stage of Qi Refining and the other is in the early stage of Qi Refining. Who would expect them to cause much trouble?

This already avoids the vast majority of dangers.

"Fellow Daoist, the steward said the body has been collected and sent me to fetch you."

A disciple of the Hou family walked over and spoke to Qu Ye.

Qu Ye followed him to the side of the crowd. Hou Fangping, seeing that everyone had arrived, clapped his hands and announced, "Let's head back!"

By the time everyone returned to the Hou family home, it was nearly evening.

Upon entering the main hall, Hou Fangping turned to Qu Ye and said, "Wait here for a moment, I will go and inform the clan elders."

He pointed to the chairs inside the hall, "You can sit down and rest for now."

Qu Ye responded and sat down on a chair in the main hall, while Hou Fangping, along with two disciples, hurriedly carried the corpse to the back hall.

The candlelight flickered on the table, casting dappled shadows. Qu Ye leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes to rest.

After waiting for about half an hour, footsteps were heard outside the hall.

Qu Ye opened her eyes, and Hou Fangping walked out from the back hall with a smile on his face.

He walked up to Qu Ye and sat down in the main seat. "The elders have already checked and confirmed that it is those two people."

"You've done a great service this time, and the clan elders intend to reward you."

He took a storage bag from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards him.

"Thirty spirit stones, three Qi-Boosting Pills, and this storage bag is a bonus for you."

Like the Qi-Boosting Pill, the Yuan-Enhancing Pill is a spiritual pill that can improve cultivation. However, the Yuan-Enhancing Pill is a mid-grade first-level pill and is more suitable for cultivators in the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Qu Ye was secretly delighted, but kept a straight face. He stood up and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you, Steward Hou, and thank you, Elder."

Hou Fangping hummed in agreement. "No need for formalities. Besides, there's also my personal way of expressing my gratitude. If you have any needs, please let me know."

Qu Ye had already made up his mind, but he pretended to hesitate for a moment before speaking:

"Steward Hou, I have been beekeeping for many years, and now that I have broken through to the mid-stage, the income from beekeeping can no longer support my cultivation."

"I've heard that the Clan's Fiery Cloud Steed is quite extraordinary, requiring a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation level to raise, so I plan to..."

Hou Fangping stared at him for a few moments, then suddenly laughed: "Are you sure you want this? With your contributions this time, I would even give you a mid-grade magic weapon."

Qu Ye shook his head and said modestly, "I was only trying to protect myself this time. I am already very grateful to have received the rewards from the steward and the clan. How could I dare to ask for more?"

"Okay, okay."

Hou Fangping stroked his beard with satisfaction, becoming increasingly pleased with the sensible young cultivator before him.

"In that case, I'll inform you tomorrow. Once you've recovered from your injuries, you can report to the Spirit Horse Farm. I'll take care of all the paperwork for you."

He paused, then added, "If you encounter any problems, feel free to come to me. I still have some influence here at the Spirit Beast Arena."

Qu Ye knew Hou Fangping was just being polite, but she still acted as if she was flattered and thanked him repeatedly.

After thanking him, he asked, "Manager Hou, what about the spirit bee farm I'm currently in charge of? The worker bees and queen bee are already familiar with my scent. If we rashly replace them..."

After listening, Hou Fangping pondered for a moment:

"That makes sense. In that case, the horse farm I've planned for you is surrounded by dense woods, so you can move the Spirit Bees there to help look after them."

"However, the spirit tax will still be paid. Once this queen bee reaches the end of her life, no new queen bee will be provided to you. Do you have any objections?"

"No." Qu Ye shook his head.

"Is there anything else?"

Qu Ye shook his head again.

"Very well, then go back and recover from your injuries. Remember, you must keep the spirit bees in check after the migration. If they injure the Fierce Cloud Steed, there will be punishment."

Upon hearing Hou Fangping's order to leave, Qu Ye rose, clasped his hands in farewell, and withdrew from the main hall.

After Qu Ye left, one of Hou Fangping's disciples stepped forward and hesitated before saying, "Uncle Fangping, we didn't find any storage bags on the corpse. Could it be...?"

Hou Fangping interrupted the other party.

He glanced around at the disciples and said calmly, "This person deserves some reward for killing the thieving cultivator. Let's not mention this matter again!"

He then snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, turned and left the main hall, leaving several disciples looking at each other in bewilderment.

Hou Fangping did not reveal his true thoughts.

Three months have passed, and most of the spirit beasts have been dealt with by the two thieves. Otherwise, where would the leader of the thieves have gotten the resources to advance to the mid-stage?

There's no need for the other party to raise a spirit pet that currently lacks combat capabilities.

As for the valuables in the storage bag, how many spiritual items could two low-level cultivators who had spent all their spirit stones and then returned to rob and kill the spirit contract worker possibly have?

In any case, he had already accomplished his mission, and the clan elders praised him highly.

It's better to avoid trouble than to dwell on it. It's better to have fewer problems than to make a fuss about it.

As long as the result is good, that's fine.

After marveling at his own cleverness and resourcefulness, Hou Fangping was in a good mood and leisurely went to his concubine's residence.

The rustling sound of changing clothes was followed by a soft cry.

Next comes the scene of a pair of lovers in the quilt, with a pear blossom overshadowing a crabapple.