Green Bamboo Bee

"Fellow Daoist Lu, if I find any Spiritual Grass later, can I trade it with you for Pills?"

Wang Yuan's eyes lit up, and the others also looked over. Most of them could only sell the Spiritual Grass they found to the various Pill Refineries in Moon Gazing City, as they couldn't refine pills themselves. Then, they would have to buy pills from the refineries. This process involved many troubles. Especially with the major Immortal Sects' disciple recruitment only a few months away, the number of adventurous Rogue Cultivators increased, making pills in Moon Gazing City scarce. It wasn't that you could buy enough pills just because you had Spirit Stones.

Spiritual Grass was sometimes undervalued by unscrupulous shopkeepers at the Pill Refineries. However, a Qi Gathering Pill could be exchanged for at least four Spirit Stones anywhere, and here in Moon Gazing City, it could even fetch five.

"Naturally," Lu Xiaotian nodded. The barrier was still quite spacious, and stocking up on some Spiritual Grass might prove useful someday.

With Luo Qing's successful pill exchange experience, the others, after their envy, also perked up.

"Haha, my luck has arrived!" Zhang Guang exclaimed as they descended the slope and were about to pass through the bamboo forest. He spotted a fist-sized piece of copper essence ore and several Low-grade Spirit Stones among some lush green bamboo. He was overjoyed, fearing others might snatch them, as all the Spiritual Materials found along the way belonged to him.

However, the cultivators present had incredibly sharp eyesight. The moment Zhang Guang took his first step, the others followed his gaze and saw the scattered items among the green bamboo.

"Careful, it's a trap!" Fan Qing's expression changed, and he shouted sternly.

"Brother Zhang, come back!" Zheng Shiqi also shouted.

Lu Xiaotian's heart leaped. With a whoosh, several sharpened Spirit Bamboo sprang from the rustling bamboo leaves, shooting towards Zhang Guang.

"Brother Zhang, be careful." Zheng Shiqi, who was as close as a brother to Zhang Guang, turned pale seeing him in danger and wanted to rush forward to help. To his surprise, Fan Qing pulled him back with a flick of his Fly Whisk.

"What are you doing?" Zheng Shiqi glared angrily at Fan Qing.

"If we don't go save Fellow Daoist Zhang, and if he can hold on, he might still have a chance to live. This is clearly a trap. If we also rush in, the injured Zhang Guang will lose his support and be truly doomed. Look at what's inside the bamboo forest?" Fan Qing's expression turned grim. After releasing Zheng Shiqi, he pointed into the distance.

Lu Xiaotian and the others followed Fan Qing's gaze. They saw figures moving within the bamboo forest.

"A few bamboo stalks, what can they do to me?" Zhang Guang also realized the impending crisis, but he roared defiantly, drawing the Spirit Blade from his waist. However, he noticed that the sharpened Spirit Bamboo seemed to be slightly off target, shooting towards a spot several feet above his head.

Bang! The Spirit Bamboo seemed to hit something. Immediately, a buzzing sound followed.

"Not good, Green Bamboo Bees, retreat quickly!" He Tuozi suddenly remembered a type of Yao insect in the bamboo forest, his face changing drastically as he roared.

Fan Qing no longer bothered to stop Zheng Shiqi. With a flick of his Fly Whisk, he swiftly turned and sprinted away from the bamboo forest.

Buzz.

As the shot Spirit Bamboo swayed, a huge beehive appeared. Fist-sized Green Bamboo Bees with striped patterns on their abdomens flew out from the hive, most of them rushing towards Zhang Guang, who was the closest.

Instantly, Zhang Guang's Spirit Light-covered Fire Spirit Shield was almost covered in Green Bamboo Bees. The fist-sized Green Bamboo Bees extended their stingers from their tails and repeatedly stabbed at Zhang Guang's Fire Spirit Shield.

Zhang Guang, shocked, waved his Spirit Blade. Flames erupted from the Spirit Blade, burning dozens, even hundreds, of Green Bamboo Bees on contact to death, scattering them on the ground with a smell of burning. However, the tragic deaths of their kin only made the other Green Bamboo Bees attack Zhang Guang more fiercely. Using the Primordial Yang Fire released from the Spirit Blade consumed a lot of spiritual energy. In a short while, a layer of dead Green Bamboo Bees littered the ground, but the flames on the Spirit Blade gradually faded.

"Ah, save, help!" In less than a moment, Zhang Guang's panicked voice could be heard from within the Fire Spirit Shield, which was surrounded by the bee swarm.

"Ah!" Wang Yuan, running at the back of the group, also cried out in surprise. She cast a Whirlwind Technique, sweeping away dozens of attacking Green Bamboo Bees.

Lu Xiaotian, running at the front of the group, only had two Green Bamboo Bees on his Diamond Shield, their stingers furiously piercing. Lu Xiaotian directly knocked them off with his short sword. When he looked back, Zhang Guang had already collapsed on the ground, howling and rolling. His heart chilled; the person who designed this trap was truly malicious.

Fortunately, the Green Bamboo Bees chased for a while and then, realizing they were getting farther from the bamboo forest, gave up the pursuit and returned to the forest.

"Stop!" Fan Qing, running at the front, suddenly raised his hand and said with a grim expression, "Friends ahead, come out. You went to such great lengths, truly meticulous."

"As expected of Blood Sand Daoist, Daoist Fan. You still couldn't be tricked." Seven or eight Qi Refining Stage cultivators, with cultivation levels ranging from early to mid-stage, similar to theirs, appeared one after another on the small hill they had just passed. The leader was short and stout, with a forehead that protruded more than a normal person's, but his voice was very powerful.

Fan Qing sneered, "So it's the Big Forehead Monster. I was wondering who had the guts to ambush me, Fan. Since the enmity is established, let's just get straight to the point and have a fight now."

"Yes, let's fight them! I don't believe these guys can do anything to us."

Having been ambushed for no reason, Luo Yuan was furious. However, Lu Xiaotian could tell from Fan Qing's tone that he didn't really want to conflict with the other party. Wang Yuan, He Tuozi, and Wang Ping also showed little interest.

Although Zheng Shiqi was burning with rage, his mind was still on Zhang Guang, who was surrounded by the bee swarm. He had no intention of fighting the other party now.

"Forget it, we won't be able to decide a winner anytime soon. I won't waste time with you here. There will be opportunities later. Let's go!"

The Big Forehead Monster chuckled, waved his hand, and led his team onto another fork in the road, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"The other party has left. Let's go back and rescue Brother Zhang," Zheng Shiqi said anxiously.

"What's the hurry? It's not certain if they've really left," He Tuozi snorted, clearly unwilling to provoke the rampaging Green Bamboo Bees again.

"What do you mean? Brother Zhang is in trouble now, and you're just going to stand by and watch? We're a team. If we can't even do this, I think this team should just disband," Zheng Shiqi glared at He Tuozi, his eyes red.

"Fellow Daoist Zheng, there's no need to be so anxious. Firstly, those people might indeed return. If we hadn't reacted quickly and escaped the Green Bamboo Bees' entanglement, and if we hadn't consumed too much Origin Energy, the Big Forehead Monster would not have let us go easily. Now that our strength is intact, he is unwilling to fight us to the death and waste his energy. Secondly, there are quite a few Green Bamboo Bees, thousands of them. If we go back now, not only will we not be able to save Fellow Daoist Zhang, but the situation will worsen, and angering the bee swarm will make things even more difficult."

Fan Qing saw that the team's morale was unstable and quickly explained.

"So we're just going to watch Brother Zhang suffer from the bee swarm?" Zheng Shiqi knew Fan Qing's reasoning was sound, but he still grumbled.

"Green Bamboo Demon Bees are Wood Element Yao insects. Their tail stingers are particularly sharp and have a certain toxicity. However, it's not enough to be fatal in a short period. They will return to their nest after they calm down. Let's patrol the surroundings first to prevent the Big Forehead Monster from playing any more tricks. After the bee swarm calms down, we can rescue Fellow Daoist Zhang. Also, I have some Spiritual Grass here that can be used to refine Blood Clearing Pills. I'm just not sure if Junior Lu can refine them now. Although the toxicity of the Green Bamboo Bees isn't strong, Fellow Daoist Zhang has suffered too many attacks. If the poison accumulates in his body for too long, it will indeed be a big problem."

Fan Qing's gaze fell on Lu Xiaotian.

"Brother Lu, please! As long as you can save Brother Zhang, I'll do anything you ask in the future," Zheng Shiqi pleaded with Lu Xiaotian.

"Brother Lu, what do you think? Brother Zhang is straightforward. Although he's a bit reckless, he's truly a person worth befriending," Luo Yuan also said.

This Fan, who could make Luo Yuan, a cultivator of comparable strength, take second place and become the leader, indeed had some skills. From the ambush to now, he had remained calm. Although Zhang Guang had made a reckless mistake, and Wang Yuan and He Tuozi were unwilling to help, as the leader, if he couldn't come up with a viable solution, the team members would inevitably become estranged. Now, Fan Qing had shifted everyone's attention to him. All it would cost was a few Spiritual Grass to resolve this crisis, and it would also serve as a test of his abilities. His cunning was extraordinary, Lu Xiaotian thought to himself, and then said calmly.

"I want to help him too, but I don't have the Pill Recipe for Blood Clearing Pills. I have no idea how to refine them."

"The reason I mentioned Blood Clearing Pills is that I naturally have the Pill Recipe ready," Fan Qing said with a smile. He extended his right hand and took out three Spiritual Grass and a yellow paper from his Storage Bag. The yellow paper contained the method for refining Blood Clearing Pills.

"Daoist Fan is indeed very well-prepared. In that case, I'll give it a try."

In the Cultivation World, having seen all sorts of deceit, Lu Xiaotian admired the camaraderie between Zhang Guang and Zheng Shiqi in times of crisis. Even if Fan Qing hadn't brought it up, he would have stepped in.

Thus, Lu Xiaotian no longer refused. In fact, he had prepared dozens of detoxification pills within the barrier, including Blood Clearing Pills. Some were refined by him, and some were purchased before they set off. They were all detoxification pills for common poisons found in the outer regions of the Moon Gazing Mountain Range. Lu Xiaotian didn't believe that none of the other team members had prepared any; they were just unwilling to take them out.

Fan Qing's words were convincing, and he wanted to test the other party. He hadn't expected Fan Qing to be so well-prepared. However, for someone who wasn't a pill refiner to have not only the Pill Recipe but also the prepared Spiritual Grass was somewhat intriguing, perhaps even the spoils of a murder.

Zheng Shiqi repeatedly thanked him. Soon, the team members divided into groups. Fan Qing coordinated from the center, Lu Xiaotian was responsible for refining the pills, and the Luo siblings, Wang Yuan, and He Tuozi were stationed in different directions to maintain vigilance and prevent other teams from causing trouble.

A moment later, Zheng Shiqi was responsible for going to the bamboo forest. Taking advantage of the rampaging Green Bamboo Bees returning to their nest, he secretly carried out Zhang Guang, who was already covered in black and blue from the stings and had fainted.