Chapter 172 - Chapter 172: Chapter 167 Yan Family in Urgent Trouble 1

Chapter 172: Chapter 167 Yan Family in Urgent Trouble 1

Translator: 549690339 |

Having dealt with the Green Silkworm eggs, Qin Niu’s gaze couldn’t help but turn once more to the bronze canister that imprisoned the Corpse Bee.

It was extremely agitated inside, climbing and biting everywhere in a frenzy, with its black Poison Stinger stabbing wildly.

Being stung by it would likely cost one half their life immediately.

It could even result in instantaneous death.

One must know, it emitted a foul stench like that of rotting corpses, and it was very likely that it fed on such carrion regularly. The probability that its body contained corpse poison was extremely high.

The venom of an ordinary hornet was already formidable, and the venom of the Corpse Bee would only be more terrifying.

Since it couldn’t be tamed, the only option was to find a way to extract its other values.

It had a Poison Stinger, indicating it was a female bee.

More precisely, it was an undeveloped female worker bee.

Old Master Huang certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to send out the Queen Bee.

Its utilitarian value lay in finding a way to make it lay eggs, and then hatching its progeny. The eggs produced by a worker bee were unfertilized, so only male bees could hatch from them.

This was very similar to honey bees.

The male bees, aside from eating, drinking, and frolicking, were nearly useless; their sole purpose was to mate.

Under normal circumstances, even if Qin Niu caught this Corpse Bee, it wouldn’t be of much use.

Because it wouldn’t obediently lay eggs at his command.

These creatures, once bonded by contract, had extremely strong wills to resist; they would rather die than yield to manipulation or inducement.

But Qin Niu had a special Termite unit at his disposal, which was the Puppet Ants.

He could control this Corpse Bee using the Puppet Ants, making it lay bee eggs.

He planned to have the termites handle this task upon heading up the mountain.

The sky gradually brightened, and Xiao Qing returned as well.

Like a diligent little honeybee, she began to busily cook and clean.

Qin Niu washed up inside the house, hearing the sound of a carriage driving rapidly outside and then stopping at his doorstep.

“Darn, that Old Master Huang is probably here,” he feared.

He immediately took out his Ink Blade and hid it on his person.

Hopefully, Old Master Huang’s most powerful methods revolved around insects, and his own cultivation wasn’t very strong.

“Master Qin, may I ask if you are home?”

The shout of Steward Yan Qi came from outside the house.

Qin Niu breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense nerves relaxed considerably.

“Xiao Qing, go open the door for the guest,” he instructed.

Soon, Steward Yan Qi entered.

Carrying some gifts.

Anyone slightly aware of social etiquette would bring along a small gift when visiting friends or leaders.

” What brings Steward Yan Qi to my place today? Please, have a seat!”

“Alt, the locust plague has been getting worse and worse, and we can’t seem to stop it; our entire Yan Family is anxious. The two Insect Masters we hired are limited in their abilities and are gradually getting overwhelmed. The Young Master of the Yan Family is so distressed that he can’t eat or sleep, and he sent me to see if you could come today to help our Yan Family deal with the locusts. Now, everyone especially envies the villagers of Shuangfeng Village; this place is like a pristine land, unaffected by the plague.

Lord Yan has mentioned several times that it would be great if the Yan Family also had an Insect Master as powerful as Master Qin.”

Steward Yan Qi looked at the young man before him with mixed feelings.

He had watched Qin Niu grow up.

Later, the young man’s fortunes soared as he became a respected Insect Master.

In the past, he considered himself an inspirational figure, a role model among the young, the pinnacle among servants.

But compared to Qin Niu, he was nothing.

“I can understand the Yan Family’s difficulties and anxiety, and I deeply empathize with your family’s situation. This evening, I will be there on time to help the Yan Family with pest control. Just have someone direct me to prioritize which fields need cleaning,” Qin Niu promptly agreed.

To bite the hand that feeds one is ungrateful, and to not repay one who has supported you is stingy.

The Yan Family had just delivered several sets of valuable furniture to him, and now that they were facing a catastrophe, it would be wrong for him to stand by idly.

Going to the Yan Family’s fields to eliminate pests at night would provide a good excuse to avoid Old Master Huang, and it could also earn him some money.

At the same time, he could repay some of the Yan Family’s kindness.

This was indeed killing several birds with one stone.

After receiving a definite answer, Yan Qi happily went back to report.

After breakfast, Qin Niu went up the mountain with the Corpse Bee.

Being a Grade Four insect, Fourth would have a hard time controlling it alone for long. He could only rely on the power of the Termite Army to accomplish this task.

“Your only task is to find a way to make it lay eggs,” Qin Niu commanded the ant colony, and then left them to it.

With the Corpse Bee confined in the bronze canister, there was no need to worry about it escaping.

It had a set mechanism for entering the egg-laying phase, and it wasn’t something that could happen in a day.

Since he needed Fourth to act as the general commander, and he was also concerned that Old Master Huang might track him down through something like the scent of the Corpse Bee, he dared not just leave it unattended.

He personally stayed nearby, chopping down trees and practicing his Blade Technique.

He was also stocking up on some dry wood for the winter.

The ever-present threat of being hunted down by Old Master Huang also forced him to work hard to improve his self-preservation abilities.

The Slash Martial Skill and Sweeping Martial Technique were both very practical moves.

If he could improve them, Qin Niu would have a better chance of facing Old Master Huang.

He kept busy until the sun began to sink in the west.

Qin Niu checked the time and realized it was about right, so he went to the place where he kept the Corpse Bee, which lay motionless inside the bronze canister.

Seeing this familiar scene, Qin Niu felt a surge of quiet elation.

This was a sign that laying eggs was imminent.

From activating the egg-laying mechanism to laying the bee eggs, it would take about a week.

“I must guard against Old Master Huang following the trace of this Corpse Bee to my door. Placing it near the Ancient Banyan Tree might be a good idea.”

No real man is untouched by poison.

Qin Niu knew that this Corpse Bee could likely release pheromones like a common wasp, attracting other Corpse Bees.

By then, Old Master Huang might be able to trace it here.

Placing it near the Ancient Banyan Tree would confuse Old Master Huang if he wasn’t familiar with the terrain and could easily be led astray.

However, this man was also an Insect Master with unfathomable strength.

Even if trapped within the banyan tree’s maze, he could find his way out by letting insects lead the way, just as Qin Niu had done.

This was a possibility Qin Niu had to consider.

The Ancient Banyan Tree was his greatest treasure at the moment, and he definitely didn’t want anyone else to get their hands on it.

“If he really does come, then let’s fight. As long as I exterminate his insects, he naturally won’t be able to leave.”

A cold light flashed in Qin Niu’s eyes.

This mountain region had now become his personal domain, and with a bit more time, he would be able to arrange even more insects.

He chose a rather tall tree next to the Ancient Banyan Tree, dug a hole, and hid the bronze canister inside.

After finishing all this, he took a large number of termites down the mountain, preparing to help the Yan Family eradicate locusts at night.

As soon as he got home, he saw a familiar carriage stopped in front of Wang Furen’s house.

It was Steward Yan Qi’s carriage.

“Master Qin, our Young Master of the Yan Family has sent me to fetch you. We’ve prepared a dinner and are just waiting for you to join us.”

The Yan Family was in dire straits, burning with urgency.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so ‘enthusiastic’.

“Alright, I’ll put my things away and join you immediately.”

After putting his things away, Qin Niu boarded Steward Yan Qi’s carriage.

On the way, locusts could be seen rampaging everywhere, but not yet in a dense mass.

Perhaps the two Insect Masters hired by the Yan Family had played a role, holding back most of the locust invasion.

The disaster in Daoyuan Village was also mostly under control.

Actually, as long as the mass migration of the Locust Army could be blocked, the infestation could be controlled.

The three thousand ducks Qin Niu lent to Daoyuan Village were living happily, now visibly fatter and larger than a few days before.

Their plumage was becoming lush.

Feasting on a plentiful supply of nutritious locusts every day, how could they not grow fast?

Seeing this trend, if he let them feast like this for about another half month, Qin Niu could consider selling them for a good price.

The carriage gradually approached the Yan Family’s territory, where from afar, a large cluster of buildings could be seen – that was the Yan Family compound.

The innermost buildings were inhabited by the direct lineage of the Yan Family, while the outer ones housed the side branches and servants. This layout had a significant advantage: if an enemy invaded, the perimeter would make contact first and immediately sound the alarm.

The Yan Family could then organize forces to exterminate the intruders.

Don’t think this world is at peace; there are plenty of greenwood heroes who engage in banditry and robbery.

They typically target the wealthy for their crimes.

Wealthy individuals with a bit more power will hire Protectors.

It’s not the thieves that you fear, but their continual scheming.

Many of these robbers would buy off lookouts in the villages to keep a close watch on every move made by the landlords. As soon as an opportunity arose, the bandits would spring into action.

“On my way here, I didn’t see too many locusts, which implies the Yan Family has gotten the locust disaster under control! Why are they in such a hurry then?”

Qin Niu asked inquisitively to Steward Yan Qi.

“Alt, that’s just the surface. Now we can see tiny grasshoppers hatching everywhere in the fields, and I’m afraid lots of eggs have been laid in the soil. Once they hatch in batches, an internal and external attack will commence, and the insect defense lines established by the two Insect Masters will collapse immediately, putting the Yan Family’s crops in danger.”

Steward Yan Qi spoke with a worried tone.

As a high-ranking servant of the Yan Family, his own well-being would certainly be adversely affected if misfortune befell the family.

Qin Niu had originally thought the Yan Family’s crops had been devastated by the locusts.

Now, after seeing the situation firsthand, he gained a new understanding of the self-preservation capabilities of such a large family.

Despite days of disaster, the crops the Yan Family planted had suffered only minor damage.

Thinking about it, they had twelve top-class farmers being supported. They would have surely reported the initial outbreak of the locust disaster to Yan Ruohai at the earliest opportunity. Afterward, a series of preventative measures would have been taken to ensure crop safety.

Moreover, the Yan Family was deep-rooted and extensive, with many clan members entering various professions within the Black Tiger Gang or Black Tiger City, making them far more informed than ordinary people.

Steward Yan Qi had warned Qin Niu early on to be wary of an insect disaster this year.

Once the Yan Family learned of locust disasters occurring elsewhere, they would inevitably prepare immediately, stocking up on insect repellent materials, medicines, and the like.

The carriage drove through the Yan Family compound and stopped in front of the welcoming building.

It was a grand mansion the Yan Family had built specifically for hosting guests.

It also helped keep guests from entering deeper into the Yan Family compound, preventing outsiders from prying into the internal layout and secrets of the family.

“Haha, we’ve finally waited for Master Qin! We’ve prepared a modest meal and light wine and hope Master Qin won’t think too little of it.”

The Young Master of the Yan Family personally came out to welcome.

A few people were already seated at the banquet.

Among them were two individuals dressed in the robes of Insect Masters, likely the ones the Yan Family had invited from the city.