Chapter 569: The Strange Insect
Chapter 569: The Strange Insect
A few days later, at the Qing Li Swamp, the Fei family's estate.
The Fei family's territory was an extensive complex of interconnected buildings, and its depth was unknown.
From Fang Xing's perception, the array formations and other defensive measures within the layered courtyards were undoubtedly much stronger than those in the Paper Slave Valley.
After all, the Paper Slave Valley was nominally under the Blood Shadow Sect, but in reality, it was on the very outskirts.
Fang Xing rarely took off his beast skin clothing, but today, he had changed into a normal blue robe, looking elegant and otherworldly. He followed Old Man Lu closely, appearing calm and collected.
"Let's go see the manager of the medicine garden, Fei Cai. He's a seventh-tier Qi practitioner." Old Man Lu instructed.
They entered a small courtyard, where a delicate young woman greeted them, calling out to her grandfather. She was likely the granddaughter who had married into the Fei family.
Led by Old Man Lu's granddaughter, Fang Xing and Old Man Lu entered another courtyard.
In the courtyard, a middle-aged man was cultivating his Qi.
Dark, sinister Qi surrounded him, forming a chilling wind.
'A seventh-tier Qi practitioner with sinister Qi! He has refined his own Qi into a special sinister Qi, allowing his cultivation to carry a trace of sinister power... With this, he can easily suppress Qi practitioners in the initial and intermediate stages without using any spells or artifacts.'
Fang Xing's heart stirred.
"It's Xiao Cui. You've brought your grandfather, and you've brought a gift too." Xiao Cui spoke a few words, and Fei Cai happily accepted the gift from Old Man Lu.
Fang Xing noticed a hint of pain on Old Man Lu's face.
'The Five Friends of Floating Clouds have connections, but they are truly poor...'
Recalling Old Man Lu's careful selection and purchase of the gift, Fang Xing couldn't help but smile.
"Well, Old Man Lu, if this Herbalist you recommended can save the Dragon King Ginseng, you'll definitely receive a Pioneer Order."
Fei Cai had been worried about this matter, so he gave his assurance.
"This... We don't know for sure what we can do. We can only take a look first."
Old Man Lu didn't dare make any promises.
"Your name is Fang Xing?" Fei Cai looked at Fang Xing, exuding an air of superiority.
Unfortunately, it was like a joke to Fang Xing.
"Yes..."
He replied calmly.
"Do you have the confidence to cure the Herbalist?"
"I've never seen it before, so I can't guarantee anything." Fang Xing spoke honestly.
"Well, he's not one to boast. Follow me!"
Fei Cai strode forward, leading Fang Xing and the others to the medicine garden.
The garden wasn't large and was located in a small valley with a hot spring.
'Nature's creations are truly marvelous...'
Fang Xing couldn't help but admire the valley's landscape.
Along the way, they encountered various patrolling cultivators, but they all retreated upon seeing Fei Cai.
Finally, Fei Cai led Fang Xing deep into the valley, where they saw several old wooden stumps surrounded by bamboo fences.
A lush green ginseng plant was partially hidden among the roots.
On its stems and leaves, there were small black spots.
"Well?"
Fei Cai asked.
"It's somewhat similar to fire poison..."
Fang Xing was naturally gifted in herbalism, and he carefully considered his answer, "But to truly understand it, I need to examine it further..."
"Hmm."
Fei Cai's expression remained neutral as he took out a token and waved it.
The bamboo fence parted, revealing a path.
As Fang Xing entered, he felt the dense plant essence, ten times more concentrated than outside. He took a deep breath, and his natural affinity for plants stirred.
He reached out and touched the Dragon King Ginseng's leaves, communicating with it to gain some vague information.
Then, Fang Xing stepped out of the bamboo fence, already looking confident.
"Well?"
Old Man Lu asked anxiously, and even Fei Cai, with his hands clasped behind his back, tensed up.
"I won't fail you..."
Fang Xing smiled.
"Really? The family has invited several herbalists to examine it..."
Fei Cai was skeptical.
"I can only treat the symptoms..." Fang Xing didn't elaborate, "They also noticed the fire poison spots on the Herbalist, so they prescribed cold-attribute medicines. Some provided temporary relief, while others worsened the condition, right?"
"Indeed," Fei Cai suddenly had more confidence in Fang Xing.
"This Dragon King Ginseng has developed fire spots, but it's not fire poison. It's self-generated fire poison... It's like an evolution or a self-defense mechanism."
Fang Xing continued.
"Self-defense? Could it be..." Fei Cai looked at the medicine garden, "...there are pests?"
"Yes."
Fang Xing also felt a bit lucky. Druids were skilled in communicating with plants and animals, giving them an advantage in this situation over traditional herbalists.
"Please help, young friend. The Fei family will reward you handsomely."
Fei Cai's expression turned solemn.
"Of course..."
Fang Xing approached an old tree stump, and his druidic senses extended, locating several extremely weak life forces.
Although insects had low intelligence, they were still smarter than plants.
Simple commands like 'come' and 'eat' were understandable to them.
Rustle!
Rustle!
Soon, Fei Cai saw strange ants emerging from the ground.
He recognized the ant species at a glance, but to his surprise, he couldn't identify it.
"It seems like a 'Spirit Devouring Ant,' the most common pest in spirit fields, but it has mutated..." Old Master Lu muttered.
Fang Xing took out a bamboo tube, drilled a small hole in it, and collected the mutated Spirit Devouring Ants inside.
"It's all in Chapter 169 of the book!"
"Well... These ants like to gnaw on the roots and stems of spirit plants. The Dragon King Ginseng has already developed spiritual consciousness and increased its fire toxicity to protect itself. Now that the stimulus is gone, we can use some cold-attribute medicine and wait for a while to see the effects."
He stood up and clapped his hands.
"How long will it take?" Fei Cai asked, a bit doubtful.
"Seven days will be enough..." Fang Xing slightly sensed the state of the Dragon King Ginseng, communicated with it, and made a judgment.
Without stimulation, whether it's humans or plants, they tend to follow existing paths. This is path dependency; no one would mutate out of boredom.
"In that case, why don't you stay at the Fei family for a few more days?"
Fei Cai seemed very enthusiastic, "Old Master Lu, you can spend more time with your granddaughter..."
Old Master Lu showed some hesitation, but Fang Xing directly refused, "I still have things to do."
"Forget it. In that case, I won't keep you. After seven days, if the Dragon King Ginseng is fine, the Pioneer Order will naturally be delivered to you. But if there's any deception..." Fei Cai's voice turned cold, "...you should know the consequences."
"Of course."
Fang Xing readily agreed.
...
"Sigh... Brother Fang, why did you have to say that last sentence? You've seriously offended the Fei family's manager."
After leaving the Fei family, Old Master Lu started complaining.
It's just a matter of waiting a few more days.
"I prefer the wilderness and nature... Moreover, these mutated Spirit Devouring Ants, although harmful to spirit plants, aren't that powerful. How did they appear in such a well-guarded ginseng garden?"
Fang Xing played with the bamboo tube containing the mutated ants and asked in return.
"Are you saying there's a traitor? Why?"
Old Master Lu was puzzled, but then he seemed to think of something, shivered, and remained silent, no matter how Fang Xing questioned him.
Seeing this, Fang Xing stopped asking, but he couldn't help but smirk inwardly:
'It seems that the Dragon King Ginseng liquid, which can be exchanged for treasures, is likely related to breaking through the Dao Foundation... This is a major matter.'
'Old Master Lu must have thought of something and is afraid to speak... He even regrets getting involved.'
'But now that we're already in it, it's not easy to back out...'
...
After parting ways with Old Master Lu, Fang Xing went to an uninhabited area, suddenly spread his arms, and transformed into an owl, holding the bamboo tube and his clothes, and flew off with flapping wings.
This was his newly learned Wild Transformation ability! It proved that flight was crucial when he was weak.
Among the cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, only those who could use talismans or had reached the eighth level with a condensed gourd of true Qi could fly using their own true Qi.
Even then, they couldn't sustain it for long.
To truly fly with one's physical body, one must break through the Dao Foundation!
...
In the wilderness, there was a simple wooden hut.
The owl transformed back into Fang Xing's form.
He put on his animal skin clothing and went to the side to check on the acorn seeds that had started to sprout. Nodding in satisfaction, he picked up a gourd filled with monkey wine and took a hearty gulp.
"The Druid's path is nature..."
Looking around, he couldn't help but smile, "It's nature that makes me feel closer..."
After a brief rest and some berries and jerky, Fang Xing turned his attention to his spoils of war.
"Mutated Spirit Devouring Ants?"
A slight smile curved his lips, "They do look similar... But the life force I sense in them is far beyond what any ordinary pest could match... Little guys, I can sense the wildness and ferocity hidden deep within your bloodline... That's the powerful bloodline of the wilderness, of the untamed lands..."
Druids possess an animal domain, and learning to tame beasts and insects comes easily to them.
With these unique insects in hand, Fang Xing felt he could purchase a few books on insect taming and gain some insights.
After communicating with the little ants for a while and feeding them their favorite food, Fang Xing settled the mutated ants and returned to reading and cultivating...
Unknowingly, seven days passed again.
...
Yun Lai Fang.
Fang Xing didn't immediately join the Five Friends of Floating Clouds but instead sought out the stall owner who had sold him the oak seeds last time.
"Friend, you're here? How about this 'Green Spirit Bamboo'?"
The gray-robed stall owner smiled upon seeing Fang Xing and opened a jade box.
Inside was a section of bamboo with its roots still attached, covered in fresh soil.
Fang Xing sensed its vitality and nodded in approval, "Not bad..."
This Green Spirit Bamboo was the most suitable plant he had found for the Qingli Marsh in the outer regions.
He had only mentioned it briefly, but the stall owner had managed to find it.
(End of Chapter)
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