Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Zhou Family Banquet, Golden Horned Ant
"Taoist Friend Zhou is quite right."
"This has always been a tradition of the Zhou Family. They also have disciples cultivating within the sect, and in the future, when you meet them, you should address them as Senior Sister or Brother. There’s nothing to worry about."
Su Ya’s words dispelled Li Ye’s final concerns.
He realized that he had indeed judged others with a suspicious mind.
After all, it was because he was not particularly familiar, nor did he have the backing of an overlord-level sect.
In the future, he should indeed consider changing his perspective depending on the circumstances.
He nodded to Zhou Qiumai, "Then I shall graciously accept. If you ever need this little guy’s help in the future, Taoist Friend Zhou can find me.
This is, after all, the place of its birth."
"No need to be formal," Zhou Qiumai said with a smile full of goodwill. "You two shouldn’t just stand there! There’s still some time; go and collect some more quickly!"
Li Ye and Su Ya exchanged a smile and continued to cast their respective magic to collect the scattered Spiritual Grain powder and the occasional Wheat Pill.
Interestingly enough, Su Ya also found a beetle-like Wheat Spirit in the end.
Seeing Su Ya capture the Wheat Spirit, Li Ye quietly stopped using his Peach Blossom Divine Power.
Feigning surprise, he congratulated, "Taoist Friend Su has quite the fortune, just like me!"
Su Ya had actually noticed Li Ye quietly using his divine technique earlier.
He didn’t bring it up, but just smiled, "It seems your Qi Fortune has blessed me as well. Together, we’ve gathered thousands of pounds of grain powder and a hundred Wheat Pills. It’s truly quite the harvest!"
"Haha! You’re too kind, my friend."
And with that, the two of them burst into laughter.
Zhou Qiumai was also pleased, knowing that with such luck and divine techniques, the elder would surely reward them with treasures.
As for the Wheat Pills and grain powder... he had grown up in the Wheat fields of the Zhou Family; he wouldn’t go hungry!
...
After half a cup of tea’s time, a golden ring twirled down from the Heavenly Dome, splitting into countless golden shadows.
It encompassed the entire wheat field, capturing and absorbing all the grain powder, Wheat Pills, and any spirits that hadn’t escaped.
Soon after, dense drumming sounds echoed from unknown places, accompanied by the spirited voice of an elderly woman, "Thank you, Lord Thunder God, for your grace. The rest are offerings for the Thunder Fire Ritual!"
As her words fell, thunderous roars rolled from the Heavenly Dome.
Li Ye, having just split the spoils with Su Ya, obtaining a thousand pounds of flour and fifty-two Wheat Pills, while tucking the Wheat Spirit into his clothes, witnessed such a scene—
A purple thunderbolt struck the ground.
Immediately, Thunder Fire blazed forth.
The hundreds of acres of wheat fields, which had just been under the cover of lightning, were now filled again with Thunder Fire, the wheat burning to ashes, releasing an aromatic scent.
Compared to the divine power of the thunder, the blaze carried with it an inexplicable aura of desolation and ritual sacrifice.
Li Ye stood in the pavilion, a mere step away from the Thunder Fire, yet felt no searing heat, but rather a warm breeze with the fragrant aroma of roasted wheat.
He could even see some small creatures like field mice scampering in the fields, unaffected by the Thunder Fire, savoring the uncollected wheat spikes and ashes.
"Oh?"
"What Spirit Beasts are these field mice, Taoist Friend Zhou?"
Zhou Qiumai glanced over and replied, "These creatures have lived within these wheat fields for generations. Even we disciples must address them as Elder Mouse when we meet them.
They collect dead branches and leaves, and deal with pests. In our Zhou Family, they are beneficial beasts.
They naturally won’t be harmed."
"Let’s go, fellow Taoists. Next, our Zhou Family will prepare delicacies related to wheat for your enjoyment, and all the visiting Taoists and seniors will have items to exchange."
He opened the door at the back of the pavilion.
Beyond it lay a serene corridor over a lake, with thousands of lotus blooms and golden-red Dragon Carp swimming around.
Just a door away, on one side were hundreds of acres of Spiritual Grain fields, and on the other, such an exquisite scenery. Truly intriguing.
"Then let’s proceed."
Su Ya walked ahead, with Li Ye and Zhou Qiumai following behind, quickly reaching the Zhou Family’s Hundred-Grain Feast venue.
A series of maids, all with graceful figures and appearances, brought a stream of wheat-made delicacies.
There were buns, steamed rolls, and exquisite pastries, with noodles and pancakes in abundance, even drinks made from wheat juice. While not seemingly as lavish as some banquets...
It was truly substantial!
Each large steamed roll was twice the size of his fist.
Stale food was promptly removed.
According to Zhou Qiumai, the leftover food would be distributed to the mortals under their command, for goods made from Spiritual Grain were highly beneficial to them.
Upon arriving, Su Ya and Zhou Qiumai temporarily parted from Li Ye, as they had their matters to attend to, and Li Ye genuinely wanted to see if he could trade for any Spirit Beasts.
The situation was rather amusing.
On one hand, cultivators were eating, while on the other, some cultivators were setting up stalls. It was quite interesting, though the number of invitees was only a few hundred.
Li Ye wandered around, tasting the buns and other foods they made.
The flavors were surprisingly good, and after eating three large buns and drinking some water, he noticed a stall with items for sale.
There were ants on display.
No, to be precise, it was an anthill, made of metal, with countless golden ants busily working with golden horns on their heads, looking quite eye-catching.
[Name]: Golden Horned Ant
[Status]: Busy
[Mood]: Busy
[Bindable]: Can be assisted by any Spirit Plant capable of gathering metals.
Li Ye blinked and swallowed the last bite of the sweet and chewy bun, stepping forward.
He inquired, "What Spiritual Insect is this, Taoist friend? What can you tell me about it? They look quite charming with their golden hue."
The seller of the Spirit Ants was a female cultivator.
She had just swallowed a mouthful of firm noodles, apologetically saying, "I’m a bit hungry; please don’t mind me, Taoist friend."
"Not at all," Li Ye replied politely, for it was rare to see a cultivator eating noodles so unreservedly.
The female cultivator wiped her mouth and introduced,
"These Spirit Ants are called Golden Horned Ants, Second Tier spiritual insects. Should you want them, you must also take the anthill with you. The price is a thousand Spirit Stones, and there’s an Ant Queen inside, which can continually produce new Spirit Ants."
"As for their function... they can collect and purify certain metal Spiritual Materials. The more and precious metal Spiritual Materials they have, the more they can shed and evolve."
"However, you seem amicable, and if you have no Spirit Ore near your Cave Mansion, keeping them might be troublesome, as you must constantly prepare enough metal Spiritual Materials for them to consume."
She deftly explained the pros and cons, waiting for Li Ye’s response.