Chapter 45 - Chapter 45: Chapter 40: The Cultivation of Tree Sap and Termites_i

Chapter 45: Chapter 40: The Cultivation of Tree Sap and Termites_i

Translator: 549690339

He carried a basket of humus down the mountain, planning to get some Ancient Banyan Tree Blood from home to feed the Termites on the mountain.

At the very least, he could try it out and see the effect.

After all, the Green Demon mentioned that the juices of many plants could help a beehive evolve, which greatly excited him.

The Ancient Banyan Tree Blood must be a very high-grade substance.

After Qin Niu brought the humus to his poor field, he dumped it in the central area where the compost was piled.

In fact, there was already quite a lot of compost there.

With his current level of cultivation, carrying a basket of one hundred twenty or thirty catties of humus was like child’s play, absolutely effortless.

“Ah Niu, the corn you planted this year isn’t bad!” Wang Haikun, the plague, had somehow come around again.

He stood there with his burly arms crossed, eying the corn in Qin Niu’s field greedily.

“Thank you for the compliments, Kun Ye. 1 didn’t plant well last year and went hungry for a year, so naturally, I had to work hard to plant them well this time.”

Qin Niu deliberately put on a miserable face.

“Starting today, you will work in my three mu of fields, and 1’11 provide your meals.”

Originally, Wang Haikun had no land, but in recent years, he’d accumulated some wealth by deceit and robbing ordinary villagers. He then annexed an acre of good farmland from his clan relative, Wang Lishu, through forced low-price buying, and purchased two more acres from the Yan Family, finally putting together three acres of land.

If it weren’t for the fact that Wang Haikun looked down on Qin Niu’s poor field, he probably would have grabbed it a long time ago.

There weren’t many people in the village he could bully who also owned land.

Wang Furen, Xu Zhenchang, and the almost Beast Tamer Hu Lazi, these people all had backing or strength, and were not someone he could suppress.

He only dared to bully honest villagers like Qin Niu, who didn’t have much strength.

“Kun Ye, I’m really sorry about this, but I’ve been feeling unwell lately with constant stomach pains. Moreover, 1 can’t even manage my own poor field, let alone go work for you.”

Qin Niu wasn’t stupid.

How could he agree to such a thing?

Never mind that Wang Haikun only provided one meal a day without paying any wages, even if he did offer wages, Qin Niu wouldn’t go.

He never thought about taking on a job unless one day he truly couldn’t survive.

“Quit the nonsense. I’ve been nice to discuss this with you, haven’t 1? Hurry up and go work in my field, or else, if you make me unhappy, you’ll even have to fend for your own meals.”

Wang Haikun glared fiercely with his bulging eyes, emanating a fully intimidating aura.

“Kun Ye, it’s really impossible.”

What was Qin Niu’s current cultivation level?

As a mortal, he was Onefold 74.3/100. To put it boastfully, he could crush Wang Haikun with one hand.

Was he afraid of Wang Haikun throwing his weight around in front of him?

He had dared to make a move when he was weaker than Wang Haikun, and now that his strength was so much greater, if Wang Haikun really sought death, Qin Niu wouldn’t mind ridding the villagers of this menace.

Of course, he would certainly use some schemes and tactics.

“Well then, let’s do it this way. I see your manure is quite good; carry a few dozen baskets to my place.”

Wang Haikun knew that coercion wouldn’t work.

Not just him, even a big landlord like Yan Ruohai hired people with money to work his land and never even thought of forcing someone to work for free.

“Kun Ye, when I have some free time, 1’11 carry a couple of baskets to your field and give it a try. But let me say the ugly part up front: this manure only works in my poor field. In good land, it might actually cause fertilizer damage. If it hurts your crops, you can’t blame me.”

Qin Niu responded.

“Less blabber. You better bring me at least two baskets before dark today, or don’t blame this Kun Ye for his fists not recognizing anyone.”

Wang Haikun spoke arrogantly.

“If it works well, Kun Ye won’t skimp on rewarding you. Don’t try to play any tricks on me, got it?”

“It’s just carrying some mountain soil, what tricks can I play? Besides, would 1 dare to play tricks in front of Kun Ye?”

Qin Niu’s words sounded aggrieved, but inwardly he sneered.

Giving two baskets to Wang Haikun this time would ensure he’d never dare to ask for manure again.

“You better not dare!”

Wang Haikun snorted and walked away, arms still crossed.

This plague roamed around the village all day without farming, eyeing any wife or daughter he deemed pretty, desiring to steal anything he saw as valuable.

But the number of villagers he could suppress wasn’t many.

Families like the Liu Family with many men were not afraid of him—if there were any trouble, the men of the Liu Family would line up, most likely giving Wang Haikun a disadvantage. Moreover, generations of the Liu Family were lumberjacks who, having chopped wood for years, would have certainly realized some Blade Technique.

Usually used for chopping wood, it’s just as effective when it’s time to chop a person.

Then there are some families in the village whose daughters had married well, with either a prosperous large clan or connections to the Yan Family or other powerful figures. Wang Haikun couldn’t bully them either.

So, all told, there were about a dozen households in the whole village that Wang Haikun could manipulate.

Most of them were bachelors like Qin Niu, Xie Laizi, and the old drunk Zhang Banzui.

As for households with just a woman left, the situation was somewhat better if she was older, but if she was young it was quite tragic.

This was also why this world valued boys over girls.

After Wang Haikun left, Qin Niu first used the manure that had been fermenting in the field until only four or five baskets were left. He estimated that the amount he had just applied would be enough to last until the harvest of millet.

As for the remaining baskets, he tampered with them a bit.

Whoever used it would face misfortune.

Wang Haikun wanted to get his fertilizer for free, but Qin Niu would let him understand a lesson, freebies are the most expensive.

After fetching some Ancient Banyan Tree Blood from his home, Qin Niu carried the baskets back into the mountains.

By this time, it was already the afternoon, with the sun slanting towards the west.

Arriving at the Ant Nest, Qin Niu knew the Ancient Banyan Tree Blood was very peculiar, so he dared not use Fourth as the first test subject.

Instead, he allowed a Young Worker Ant to consume it.

The Young Worker Ant ate a bit of the Ancient Banyan Tree Blood and in less than ten seconds, its abdomen started to inflate rapidly, like it was being pumped full of air.

And it showed no signs of stopping.

Qin Niu inwardly exclaimed that this was bad.

Bang!

The back of its abdomen burst open, and it died on the spot.

He felt a bit of a pity for the loss of a Young Worker Ant that had just molted today.

Fortunately, the ant colony was quite stable now, birthing at least ten Worker Ants or Soldier Ants every day.

As for the Breeder Ants, the Ant Queen might have her own considerations, as Qin Niu hadn’t seen any yet.

The road to cultivation was definitely full of risks.

Sacrifices were inevitable.

“Is it because the concentration of the Banyan Tree Blood was too high and the energy contained too terrifying, causing its body to explode, or is it because the Banyan Tree Blood is inedible?”

He decided to try another Young Worker Ant.

If it failed again, he would have to wait until tomorrow.

Given the Ant Queen’s current egg-laying speed, he could only afford to test on two Young Worker Ants per day.

Too many losses would affect the subsequent development of the ant colony.

He took out a gourd with water, poured a little out, and diluted the small drop of Ancient Banyan Tree Blood that he had taken out earlier.

It was diluted by about a hundred times.

He then ordered another Young Worker Ant to eat it.

The Worker Ants wouldn’t defy their master’s orders.

After the Young Worker Ant had sipped a little, Qin Niu immediately stopped it and waited quietly.

Its abdomen began to swell again.

However, the swelling was much slower this time.

Qin Niu watched intently, his heart pounding fiercely, worried that it might explode again.

Time passed slowly.

The Young Worker Ant did not die, and its abdomen did not explode.

But it laid motionless, seemingly in great discomfort.

After observing for a while, Qin Niu returned it to the nest and instructed Fourth to watch over the Young Worker Ant, not letting it feed the Ant Queen or any other Young Ants or Soldier Ants.

In fact, this Young Worker Ant was not in a position to feed other Termites at the moment.

It remained motionless, its antennae only slightly trembling.

He decided to check on it again tomorrow.

Now he needed to deliver a basket of humus to Wang Haikun’s field.

While collecting humus, Qin Niu caught a centipede, killed it, and then fed it to the Termite colony.

He believed that feeding them a bit of toxic insects like centipedes every day should enhance the poison in the Termites..