abcnovels
Chapter 200 - 195: Want to Plant a Spy?_i
Chapter 200 - 195: Want to Plant a Spy?_i
Chapter 200: Chapter 195: Want to Plant a Spy?_i
Translator: 549690339 |
The true strength of the Yan Family had always been a mystery to Qin Niu.
The minimum threshold for hiring a protector in the Yan Family was a mortal with a twofold cultivation.
With Qin Niu’s current cultivation level, even a hundred protectors with a twofold cultivation would be no match for him. The Everlasting Spring Technique and the Medicine King Sutra might not be suitable for combat, but when the level of cultivation was laid bare, it couldn’t be too bad.
Not to mention, he had now cultivated both techniques to the Acquired Realm.
Having both in the Acquired Realm was certainly stronger than just one.
Qjn Niu speculated that the Yan Family must also possess experts in the Acquired Realm. After all, Wang Yue definitely had a ninefold mortal cultivation and was a candidate for the Black Armored Army, boasting both status and cultivation. Yet, the Yan Family had never regarded Wang Yue seriously.
Although Wang Haikun bullied both men and women, he was as docile as a pug in front of Yan Family’s house slaves.
The adult world was very realistic.
If it weren’t for a lack of strength, how could Wang Haikun, so arrogant and domineering, suddenly turn into a pug?
Even though Qin Niu had become an Insect Master, Wang Haikun, albeit fearful, was far from the fear he showed towards the Yan Family.
Moreover, the Yan Family held such a large enterprise but never seemed to be extorted or bullied.
The Yan Family was definitely a plump sheep in the local area.
There had to be many who coveted their assets.
Wiry did those people not dare to make a move? It was naturally because the Yan Family possessed formidable strength that instilled fear in them.
Therefore, Qjn Niu surmised that the Yan Family must have experts in the Acquired Realm.
He wanted to become the second prominent family in the region, so it was vital to understand the strength of these local powerhouses.
Otherwise, if one had wealth but insufficient strength and dared to show it, they would be devoured to the point where nothing was left.
Even the powerful Fang Family had adversaries eyeing their assets; the so- called laws and rules of this world were all established upon strength.
Yan Qi was a loyal servant of the Yan Family, and both parties’ interests were tightly interwoven. Trying to pry the family secrets from Yan Qi was a futile thought.
This matter could not be rushed; the only option was to wait for an opportunity and discreetly investigate or observe.
The carriage soon arrived at the Yan residence, and the Young Master of the Yan Family appeared even more attentive than the day before.
Yesterday, he only came down the stairs upon seeing the carriage.
Today, he was already waiting at the entrance.
“Master Qjn, I’ve been anxiously awaiting your arrival. After establishing a new defense line last night, not a single high-level locust has crossed the border. Your strength is just like this,” the Young Master of the Yan Family raised his thumb. “Both Master Mo and Master Shi have said, as long as we can maintain this state, they can firmly hold the second defense line. Whether my Yan Family’s crops can be saved depends entirely on you three,” he said.
“I will do my utmost, please rest assured, Young Master Yan,” Qjn Niu responded.
Qjn Niu had accepted exquisite furniture as a gift from them, so now that the Yan Family was in trouble, it was indeed only natural for him to reciprocate.
This was a common human sentiment.
“Master Qjn, please come inside and see what Young Master Yan has prepared for you!”
As Master Mo Sang saw Qjn Niu, he too rose up to greet him.
He struggled to deal with those special locusts, but for Qjn Niu, it was seemingly like child’s play.
The difference in their strength was immediately evident.
One must always hold a sense of awe towards the powerful.
“Maid Chen Xue pays respects to Master Qjn!”
A beautiful girl about sixteen or seventeen years of age stood there, dressed in a pink short blouse, her delicate and lovely appearance enchanting. Upon seeing Qin Niu enter, she immediately bowed deeply in salute.
Her graceful figure, delicate features, fair skin, and the youthful vitality radiating from her every move were enough to make one’s heart skip a beat.
“Dispense with the formalities,” Qjn Niu said, raising his hand in a dismissing gesture.
“Master Qjn, Chen Xue here has been specially prepared for you. Having been orphaned at a young age, she was bought by my Yan Family; we had professionals teach her singing, dancing, poetry, painting, as well as how to serve men. She has, until now, never served anyone. If Master Qjn is pleased, she can be exclusively dedicated to serving you from here on out. Following Master Qjn would also be a good outcome for Chen Xue,” explained Young Master Yan.
Young Master Yan could tell that Qjn Niu had extremely high standards, not at all like Masters Mo Sang and Shi who would pounce on any young girl they saw.
To win over Qjn Niu, he had carefully selected a beautiful maid who had yet to serve anyone.
The implication was clear: if Qjn Niu liked her, she would be given to him directly.
However, maids like her, trained by large families from a young age and then given to powerful individuals, were still inclined towards the Yan Family in their hearts.
They treated the Yan Family like their natal family.
In critical moments, if the Yan Family needed them, they would influence their masters with whispered advice and speak well of the Yan Family.
Some even reported back their master’s hobbies, private information, and thoughts, all to the Yan Family in secret.
They were more akin to beautiful female spies.
Masters Mo Sang and Shi were lustfully eyeing Chen Xue, wishing that the Yan Family had curried favor with them instead.
Such a top-tier maid was not something the Yan Family would easily offer up.
Because once used, she would no longer be untouched, and her value would greatly diminish. Essentially, she was like a high-grade, one-time use strategic asset.
“Thank you for your kind intentions, Young Master Yan, but I grew up accustomed to poverty and prefer living alone,” Qjn Niu politely declined.
“Does Master Qjn find this servant unattractive?” Chen Xue canvassed, running her hand through the hair at her forehead and looking as if she was about to cry.
Her behavior made it even less likely for Qjn Niu to keep such a spy from the Yan Family by his side.
“Miss Chen Xue is overthinking it; no matter who stood here today, my response would be the same,” he said, deflecting any further attempts at persuasion.
“Young Master Yan, I need to eat quickly and then hurry off to the fields to check things out. In case the number of special locusts has increased, the defense line I set up could be breached, which would really cause trouble.” Qjn Niu reminded Young Master Yan of his foremost concern.
Indeed, as soon as this matter came up, Young Master of the Yan Family said to Chen Xue directly, “Go down first!”
Having Chen Xue leave first was also to prevent Mo and Li from getting any ideas.
Both of them had their eyes fixed on Chen Xue and hadn’t looked away.
Now that Qjn Niu was not taking this servant girl, if Master Mo opened his mouth to ask for her, Young Master of the Yan Family would actually find it hard to agree.
To give her away would be difficult because it was not easy for the Yan Family to train a servant girl.
Not to give her away would definitely upset Master Mo, and then he would not be so dedicated to pest control for the Yan Family.
The best solution was to let her leave first.
“Master Qjn, there is only one servant girl of Chen Xue’s caliber in my Yan Family. After hearing your inspiring story, she was deeply touched and volunteered to serve you. There is no rush for this matter now, and I will strive to reserve her for you. Whenever you need such a servant girl, just let me know, and I’ll provide her to you,” said the Young Master of the Yan Family.
The Young Master’s words were quite skillful.
They could put an end to the thoughts of Mo and Li, while also making Qjn Niu feel valued.
After finishing dinner, Qjn Niu didn’t dare to stay a moment longer and hurried to the fields.
He was afraid that Young Master of the Yan Family was not giving up and would forcibly send that Miss Chen Xue into his arms.
Upon arriving at the fields, Qjn Niu checked on the termites that were left to guard, as well as the corpses of the locusts on the ground.
There were a total of one hundred and forty-seven of those special locust corpses.
Good heavens, it seemed that locusts preferred to be active during the day, not at night.
In one day, these termites had earned him nearly one tael and five coins of silver money.
Initially, he was somewhat concerned that termites were not suited for daytime combat, so he had made arrangements for a shade canopy to be built.
Now it seemed that only ordinary termites couldn’t fight during the day. Grade Two or higher special termites were fully capable of all-weather combat.
He had observed this point from the behavior of Fourth.
Long ago, when he took Fourth on to fight hornets, it was during the day.
Fourth and the other special Grade Two termites were not affected in the slightest.
At that time, he realized that the termites were fully capable of all-weather combat.
“The Ant Queen has now evolved to Grade Four, and the range of its pheromone radiation has become wider. These termites don’t necessarily have to be brought back to the nest every day now,” he mused.
In the beginning, termites couldn’t stay away from the nest too long.
Otherwise, problems would arise.
Now, as the strength of the Ant Queen and the termite colony continued to grow, it became more convenient for Qjn Niu to lead them into battle outside.
As night fell, the sound of locusts “shasha shasha” nibbling on plant leaves added a peculiar tranquility to the mountain fields.
Qjn Niu, too, was sitting cross-legged under the moonlight, cultivating the Everlasting Spring Technique.
Although the speed of his power increase was slow, the experience of the Everlasting Spring Technique was steadily growing.
“Huh, cultivating the Everlasting Spring Technique seems a bit different today!” he noticed.
He discovered that the speed of his power growth was much faster than usual.
The experience of the Cultivation Technique was still twofold.
The moonlight was no different from usual.
What exactly was causing his power growth to accelerate?
After careful analysis, he realized it was likely that during the process of the Medicine King Sutra’s power breakthrough to the Acquired Realm, his will had become firmer, and he began to possess the beginnings of a Dao heart.
This was only his personal speculation, and he wasn’t sure if it was indeed the case.
To ordinary people, the Dao heart was beyond understanding.
But the higher the cultivation, the more important the role of the Dao heart.
Simply put, it was the heart that aspired to the Dao.
Every expert who had achieved some measure of success in cultivation had an indomitable and firm Dao heart.
If Qjn Niu, when attempting the breakthrough to the Acquired Realm of the Medicine King Sutra, had feared death by body explosion and chosen to give up, he would have had a hard time acquiring a Dao heart.
Feeling the rapid growth of his power and the experience of the Cultivation Technique, he immersed himself in it, focusing on cultivation.
The night grew colder, but it didn’t affect him in the slightest.
Cultivation itself is an act against the heavens. Only those who can endure loneliness, who are willing to endure hardship, and who persist will have the possibility of achieving success in cultivation.
Close to the fifth watch of the night, his ears picked up an unusual fluttering sound.
It was akin to the sound of birds flapping their wings.
Qjn Niu slowly ended his cultivation and opened his eyes to look.
At this time, the dark moon was setting and the stars were dim, with still some time before dawn. This was the time of day when people were most sleepy, deeply asleep in their dreams.
And those with wives were even more immersed in the bliss of marital warmth.
“These are not birds; these are locusts!”
Qjn Niu’s eyes widened in shock, gazing ahead.
He saw a locust as big as a knife handle leading a dense swarm of locusts flying in this direction.
They were rising and falling, moving forward continuously.
One special locust after another followed closely behind, each emitting its own chirping sound, leading groups of ordinary locusts to fly forward together.
They were like an enemy army launching a night attack.
“Taking advantage of people’s deep sleep to make a sneak attack, these locusts really have a mastermind behind them.”