The Zhou Family Banquet, Golden Horn Ant

"Fellow Daoist Zhou is right."

"This has always been a tradition of the Zhou Family. They also have disciples cultivating within the sect; when you meet them in the future, you'll have to address them as senior sister or senior brother. There's no need to worry."

Su Ya's words dispelled Li Ye's last reservations.

He felt that he really had been judging a gentleman's heart with a petty man's mind.

In the end, they simply were not especially familiar with one another, and he had no overlord-level sect standing behind him.

He truly would have to adjust his way of thinking according to the circumstances in the future.

He nodded to Zhou Qiumai. "Then I shall humbly accept. If you ever need this little fellow's help in the future, Fellow Daoist Zhou, you may come find me. After all, this is where it was born."

"Easy enough, easy enough." Zhou Qiumai's face brimmed with smiles. "What are you two standing around for? There's still some time left—hurry and collect more!"

Li Ye and Su Ya exchanged smiles, then continued using their respective spells to gather the flour drifting through the sky, along with the occasional Wheat Pellet.

It was quite a "coincidence" that Su Ya also found a ladybug-like wheat spirit in the end.

Only after seeing Su Ya seize that wheat spirit in one grab did Li Ye disperse the Peach Blossom Divine Power he had been secretly using.

Feigning surprise, he congratulated him. "Fellow Daoist Su, your luck is no worse than mine!"

Su Ya had actually noticed Li Ye secretly using his divine power just now.

He did not expose him, merely smiling. "It seems your fortune has been shared with me as well. Between us, we collected several thousand jin of wheat flour and a hundred Wheat Pellets. What a bountiful harvest!"

"Haha! You flatter me, Fellow Daoist."

The two of them looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Zhou Qiumai, standing nearby, was delighted as well. The two people he had been tasked with receiving possessed such luck and divine powers; the ancestor would surely reward him with Treasures later.

As for the Wheat Pellets and wheat flour... he had grown up in this wheat field of the Zhou Family. Could he possibly go without food?

After half the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, a golden ring came spinning down from the heavens, splitting into countless golden phantoms.

It encircled the entire wheat field, capturing and drawing away all the wheat flour, Wheat Pellets, and spirits within that had not fled.

Immediately afterward, a dense roll of drums sounded from somewhere unknown.

Accompanied by an elderly yet spirited woman's voice: "We thank Lord Thunder God for His grace. What remains is Your offering, Lord Thunder God! For the Thunderfire Offering!"

As her words fell, rumbling thunder rolled across the heavens.

Li Ye had just divided the harvest with Su Ya, receiving a thousand jin of flour and fifty-two Wheat Pellets, and had tucked the wheat sprite into his clothes when he witnessed this scene—

A bolt of violet lightning struck the ground.

Then thunderfire abruptly surged upward.

Just moments ago, these several hundred mu of wheat fields had been shrouded in lightning. Now they were filled with thunderfire instead. The wheat turned to ash within the flames, yet a rich fragrance overflowed from it.

Compared to the divine might of the lightning just now, the burning sea of flames gave him an inexplicable sense of desolation and bleakness. It was clearly some sort of sacrificial rite.

Li Ye stood within the pavilion, separated from the thunderfire by only a single step, yet he felt none of its scorching heat. Instead, it was like a warm breeze brushing his face, carrying the charred fragrance of wheat.

He could even see small creatures like field mice darting about within the wheat field, treating the thunderfire as if it were nothing as they enjoyed the uncollected wheat ears and the ashes of the wheat.

"Eh."

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, what kind of spirit beasts are these field mice?"

Zhou Qiumai glanced over and answered, "These little fellows have lived in this wheat field generation after generation. Even we descendants must address them as Senior Mouse when we see them.

"They gather dead branches and fallen leaves, then deal with insect infestations. They have long been beneficial beasts in our Zhou Family.

"Of course they won't be harmed."

"Come, Fellow Daoists. Next, our Zhou Family will prepare all manner of wheat-related delicacies for everyone to enjoy. Moreover, the fellow Daoists and seniors will also bring out their own items for exchange."

He pushed open the door behind the pavilion.

Beyond it was unexpectedly a secluded corridor spanning a lake. Ten thousand lotus blossoms bloomed upon the water, while several golden-red dragon carp swam among them.

Separated by only a single door, one side held several hundred mu of spiritual wheat fields, while the other offered such an exquisite view. It was rather interesting indeed.

"Then let us go."

Su Ya walked in front, with Li Ye and Zhou Qiumai following behind. Before long, the three arrived at the site of the Hundred Wheat Banquet prepared by the Zhou Family.

Beautiful maidservants, lovely in both figure and face, brought over an endless stream of delicacies made from all kinds of flour.

There were steamed buns and mantou, delicate pastries, noodles and flatbreads of every kind. Even the drinks were made from pressed wheat juice. Though it did not look as lavish as certain banquets, it was...

Truly substantial!

Each enormous mantou was twice the size of his fist.

Whenever any food was no longer fresh, it would be removed.

According to Zhou Qiumai, the leftover food would be distributed to the mortals under their command. Food made from spiritual wheat was extremely beneficial to mortals.

After arriving here, Su Ya and Zhou Qiumai temporarily parted ways with Li Ye. They had their own matters to attend to, while Li Ye truly wanted to see whether he could trade for some spirit beasts.

Come to think of it, it was rather amusing.

On one side, cultivators were eating with food in hand; on the other, some cultivators had set up stalls. It was quite interesting. There were not many people—only a few hundred could be invited by the Zhou Family.

Li Ye wandered around for a while and even sampled steamed buns and other foods made by the others.

The taste was genuinely quite good. He ate three big steamed buns and drank some water before noticing what was being sold at a certain stall.

Ants covered its display.

No, more accurately, it was an ant nest. Inside a clearly metal-crafted nest, golden ants bustled about busily. Each had a pair of golden horns on its head, making them exceptionally eye-catching.

Name: Golden Horn Ant

Status: Busy

Mood: Busy

Bindable: Any spiritual plant capable of helping them gather metal.

Li Ye blinked, swallowed the last mouthful of sweet, chewy steamed bun, and stepped forward.

He asked, "Fellow cultivator, what kind of spirit insect is this? Does it have any particular qualities? It looks so golden and rather pleasing."

The one selling these spirit ants was a Female Cultivator.

She had just swallowed a mouthful of springy noodles she had made herself and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I was a little hungry. I hope fellow cultivator will not take offense."

"Of course not." Li Ye was very polite. Cultivators who disregarded their image enough to eat noodles here were truly rather rare.

The Female Cultivator wiped her mouth and introduced them, "These spirit ants are called Golden Horn Ants, second-rank spirit insects. If fellow cultivator wants them, you will need to take the nest with you as well. The price is one thousand Spirit Stones. There is an Ant Queen inside, and she can continuously produce new spirit ants."

"As for their use... they can gather and refine certain metallic Spiritual Materials. The more abundant and precious the metallic Spiritual Materials, the more they can help the ants shed and evolve."

"However, you seem like a decent person, fellow cultivator. If there is no spirit mine near your cave abode, raising them will be somewhat troublesome. You must always have sufficient metallic Spiritual Materials prepared for them to devour."

In one breath, she laid out all the pros and cons clearly, then waited for Li Ye's answer.

Thank you all for your support with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. If possible, this little brother would shamelessly like to ask for some bookmarks and continued reading. Thank you, thank you!