Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

After a night's rest.

Qu Ye pushed open the courtyard gate and walked towards North Street.

Since I've decided to stay with the Hou family, I might as well go and explain the situation to Uncle Wang to avoid worrying him.

Stepping out onto the street, a stall selling talismans had just opened. The stall owner was a middle-aged female cultivator, who was arranging talisman papers according to their grade.

With a flick of her finger, a fireball talisman floated up and hovered in mid-air, allowing passersby to see its patterns.

He shouted, "First-grade low-level fireball talismans, two for one spirit stone, buy ten get one free."

The spiritual food shops along the street also opened their doors, with spiritual rice cakes steaming on the stoves, the steam mixed with a faint aroma of rice rising from the steamers.

Several monks sat on a bench in front of the shop, holding cakes supported by bamboo leaves in their hands, eating and talking in hushed tones.

Qu Ye bought pastries from this shop once; they were soft, delicate, sweet, and delicious, and were very popular with some women and children.

It would be impolite to visit Uncle Wang's house empty-handed.

Qu Ye stepped forward and bought two catties of spirit rice cake, wrapped it in a bamboo leaf, and put it into his storage bag.

North Street, being a commercial area, is much more bustling than the street where Qu Ye lives.

People come and go, shops stand side by side, their signs all woven from fine silkworm silk, fluttering gently in the breeze.

Several strings of spirit stones hung at the entrance of a general store, their light flickering as if beckoning customers.

Across the street was a shop selling materials for spirit beasts, with several demon beast teeth hanging on the door panel, each about the size of a thumb and gleaming white.

The air was filled with the smell of herbs mixed with the stench of meat.

After thinking for a moment, Qu Ye took the spirit rice cake out of his storage bag and held it in his hand.

He walked through the crowd and reached the entrance of Wang Meng's shop.

The shop was already open, and Wang Meng was behind the counter flipping through the account books, muttering numbers to himself while fiddling with an abacus.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up, was taken aback when he saw Qu Ye, and then smiled.

"Young Master Qu, what brings you here today?"

"I've come to see you." Qu Ye held up the bag of spirit rice cakes in her hand. "Is Aunt Chen home?"

Before Wang Meng could answer, he heard a woman's voice coming from the direction of the kitchen: "Who's here?"

"Young Master Qu," Wang Meng replied.

"Oh, Ye-ge'er is here?" Aunt Chen poked her head out from the kitchen. She had a round face, gentle eyes, a fur apron tied around her waist, and a wooden spoon in her hand.

She greeted me with a smile, "Have you eaten yet? I'm cooking now, let's eat together in a bit."

This woman was Wang Meng's wife, whom Qu Ye called Aunt Chen.

"Aunt Chen, you've already eaten." Qu Ye placed the bag of spirit rice cakes on the table. "I bought it on the way here for Xiao Bao."

"You silly child, you came all this way, why did you bring anything?" Aunt Chen said politely, but her face lit up with a smile. She turned around and called out to the inner room, "Xiao Bao, your brother Ye is here, come out and greet him."

A rustling sound came from the inner room, and then a little girl of about five or six years old ran out. She had two small pigtails, wore a little floral jacket, and was holding a string of candied hawthorns in her hand.

She ran up to Qu Ye, looked up at him with her little face, and happily called out, "Hello, Brother Ye."

Qu Ye squatted down and patted her head: "Xiao Bao has grown taller again."

The little girl's eyes lit up, and she turned to her mother: "Mommy, Brother Ye said I've grown taller!"

Aunt Chen shook her head with a smile: "You just love hearing nice things."

She came over and took Wang Xiaobao's hand. "Brother Ye, don't stand there, come in and sit down. Old Wang, pour some tea."

Wang Meng responded and went to get the teapot.

Qu Ye followed Aunt Chen into the inner room and sat down at the table.

The room was small but quite tidy. There was a small bed against the wall, with several rag dolls piled on it, sewn crookedly.

A literacy chart was pasted on the wall, depicting magical herbs and beasts with their names labeled next to them.

Wang Meng brought over the spirit flower tea, poured a bowl for Qu Ye, and sat down opposite him.

Qu Ye picked up the bowl, took a sip, and smiled, "The spirit flower tea that Aunt Chen dried is still the most fragrant."

Upon hearing this, Wang Meng gave him an annoyed look: "Couldn't it be me who dried it?"

"Haha, they all smell delicious."

"Come on, kid, you're just being cheeky." Wang Meng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked, "What brings you here today?"

"Uncle Wang, I've come here today with two things on my mind." Qu Ye put down his teacup and said seriously, "First, to thank you for your reminder some time ago; second, the Hou family's new rules have been released, and after some consideration, I've decided to stay with the Hou family."

After listening, Wang Meng nodded: "As long as you understand, that's fine. I don't necessarily want to bring you here, but I'm afraid you'll suffer over there and have nowhere to go."

"I know," Qu Ye said, "that's why I came to tell you, so you wouldn't worry."

Aunt Chen, who was listening nearby, chimed in, "Ye-ge'er, don't try to handle everything alone over there. Your uncle's shop may be small, but it's at least a fallback plan."

"Don't worry, Aunt Chen, I know."

Wang Xiaobao somehow found his way to Qu Ye and tugged at his sleeve:

"Brother Ye, could you bring me a spirit bee next time you come? I'd like to keep one too."

"Don't talk nonsense," Aunt Chen scolded. "Are the bees your pets? They're for your brother Ye to use for work."

Wang Xiaobao pouted and looked at Qu Ye with a wronged expression.

Qu Ye smiled and said, "When Xiao Bao grows up and can raise his own, I'll find you one."

"Really?" Xiao Bao's eyes lit up again.

"real."

"Pinky promise."

Qu Ye extended her little finger and made a pinky promise with Wang Xiaobao.

Wang Xiaobao was finally satisfied. He ran off with half a candied hawthorn in his hand, humming an off-key tune.

Aunt Chen looked at her daughter, shook her head and smiled, then turned to Qu Ye and said, "Your uncle is careless. A few days ago, he bought some monster materials from a rogue cultivator without checking them carefully, and ended up losing several spirit stones."

"If you have any difficulties, don't count on him, just tell me directly."

Wang Meng coughed, lowered his head to drink his tea, and remained silent.

Qu Ye knew that Aunt Chen wasn't really complaining, but just saying it casually, so he smiled and agreed with her for a few words.

After sitting for a while, Qu Ye got up to say goodbye.

"Why don't you eat before you leave?" Aunt Chen urged.

"No, Aunt Chen, I have some things to do back home," Qu Ye quickly waved her hand.

"Then I'll pack some spirit rice for you to take home and eat." Aunt Chen didn't wait for him to refuse and turned to go to the kitchen.

A moment later, she came out carrying a cloth bag and stuffed it into his hand, saying, "It's from our own harvest; it's better than what you can buy outside."

Qu Ye took the cloth bag, clasped his hands in thanks, and Wang Xiaobao poked his head out from the kitchen, waving at him: "Goodbye, Brother Ye!"

"Goodbye." Qu Ye waved to her and turned to walk out.

Wang Meng saw him to the door and patted him on the shoulder: "Take care of yourself."

"Yes, Uncle Wang."

Qu Ye responded and walked into the crowd.

The North Street was still as lively as ever, with shouts, bargaining, and the low growls of spirit beasts all mixed together.

He bypassed the stalls selling spirit fruits, turned into the alley, and took a shortcut back to his residence.

Sitting in the cultivation room, Qu Ye pondered what to do next.

The Gengjin Sword Technique is not yet fully mastered, but it will be soon.

You need to practice controlling bee swarms more; you need to become very proficient at it.

My cultivation level is still some distance from the bottleneck of the mid-stage Qi Refining stage, and I need to practice diligently.

...

A long way to go!

After making a plan in her mind, Qu Ye threw herself back into her busy and fulfilling daily routine.