Immortality: Raising an Ant Queen to Cultivate by increasing stat points

“Of course! Having taken the Fang Family’s money, I must do my utmost to save that medicinal herb.”

Qin Niu had received fifteen hundred taels of silver money last time, a giant sum.

Enough to make an ordinary person wealthy for a lifetime.

He was certainly going to help the Fang Family heal that herb.

“Haha, Master Qin is a man of integrity, and I admire that about you. However, every time I ask you to exert yourself for the Fang Family, naturally, I won’t let you toil in vain. A payment of one hundred taels of silver money for each visit, you will not be shortchanged. Those medicinal herbs are delicate, each prone to this or that problem, so there will invariably be many more times when we must trouble Master Qin!”

So this was the Fang Family’s plan all along.

No wonder the young master of the Fang Family had personally come to meet him.

Long-term collaboration is a good thing.

Currently weak in strength, what Qin Niu feared most was that the Fang Family would silence him forever.

But now that the herb had been revived, the Fang Family no longer had to worry about the matter leaking and bringing a great crisis, there was no need to kill him at all.

On the contrary, with Qin Niu’s displayed strong cultivation prowess in planting, it would be most beneficial for the Fang Family to collaborate with him over the long term.

Young Master Fang led Qin Niu deep into the Fang Family Forbidden Land.

This time, upon entering, those five old ancestors of the Fang Family seemed very composed, all meditating with closed eyes, not pressuring him with their gazes as they had before.

Qin Niu certainly did not believe these five old fellows were truly oblivious to worldly affairs.

If he dared any subterfuge within the forbidden land, they would likely kill him on the spot without hesitation.

Such beings must have terrifying cultivation, capable of crushing him to death with a single finger.

He stepped forward to inspect the medicinal herb, pleased to see that its vitality had recovered quite well.

New tender shoots had grown about half an inch.

For such an ancient medicinal herb, growth was generally very slow.

Qin Niu hadn’t planned to cure it all at once, but to treat it gradually. Currently, cultivating the Everlasting Spring Technique with the mist spraying from the pool seemed just right. Based on his experience, cultivating the Everlasting Spring Technique in such mist would result in slow progress.

The special energy dissipating would accordingly diminish.

This was ideal for achieving a steady, gradual effect.

After cultivating for about six hours, he stopped.

Inspecting the herb before him, its vitality was clearly much stronger and fine buds had sprouted above the waist.

Those tiny green shoots were exceedingly comforting to behold, like the finishing touch to a dragon painting.

“Today’s treatment concludes here for now. As long as its current growth environment is maintained without disturbance, it should recover quite a bit more by the time I visit again,” Qin Niu stood up and said to Young Master Fang.

“Thank you for your hard work! Seeing its vitality slowly return brings me such joy. A luxurious banquet has been prepared outside, please, Master Qin, join us,” Young Master Fang, pleased with the critical medicinal herb’s recovery under Qin Niu’s treatment, extended the invitation.

Young Master Fang never even considered that Qin Niu might be intentionally withholding his full ability.

This time, he had only exerted a fraction of his skill.

Leaving the forbidden land, Qin Niu was led to the same elegant room as before.

Once again, two beautiful maids were attending him attentively at his sides.

The banquet was very lavish as well.

Unlike last time, Young Master Fang also took his seat at the banquet to dine and drink with him.

Two other beauties whom Qin Niu had never seen before were serving Young Master Fang.

Contrary to Qin Niu’s restraint and propriety, Young Master Fang happily accepted the two maids’ attentions, clearly accustomed to having his every need attended to without lifting a finger.

However, he did not make any overstepping gestures.

Perhaps in Young Master Fang’s eyes, even the most beautiful ordinary maid was not worthy of his intimate attention.

Compared to the Insect Masters hired by the Yan Family, who had been handsy and embarrassing with the serving maids, embracing and kissing them, Young Master Fang conducted himself with dignity and class, a cut above by several degrees.

This was Qin Niu’s first time dining with a true noble young master.

He learned quite a lot from Young Master Fang’s demeanor.

They continued to drink and dine, enjoying the banquet at a leisurely pace.

“You may leave now,” Young Master Fang instructed the four maids.

After their departure and the doors were closed, it was clear that Young Master Fang had something to discuss with him.

“Master Qin, with your help the last time, I was able to successfully uncover that the cultivating master employed by the Fang Family had been bought by our enemies, secretly sabotaging that rootless water plant, leading to its mutation. It was an issue that went unnoticed, and without your reminder, it would have been nearly impossible to discover. This cup, I toast to you, I thank you for helping us eliminate a major hidden danger for my family.”

Young Master Fang raised his cup in a toast to Qin Niu.

“I just casually mentioned a few things, the ability to find the problem is entirely thanks to Young Master Fang’s strategic wisdom,” Qin Niu raised his cup to clink with the other in reply.

He dared not take credit for this feat.

If he wasn’t mistaken, it must have been that Master Pang who was bought off.

As to how the Fang Family dealt with Master Pang, outsiders had no way of knowing.

“The Fang Family has always been trying all kinds of ways to recruit powerful cultivating masters. Our family also cultivates talent in this area, but there isn’t a single one who can replace Master Pang. The territory of the Black Tiger Gang is only so large, and top-tier cultivating masters are few and far between. Whenever any family discovers talent in this area, they recruit them vigorously and never let go.

Master Pang of my Fang Family being corrupted and covertly bought by our enemies is a huge loss for us.”

One betrayal, a lifetime of disuse.

Our Fang Family can no longer trust Master Pang and have yet to find a suitable replacement. After extensive consideration and investigation, Master Qin is currently the most fitting candidate to take over Master Pang’s position.

As the chief cultivation master for my Fang Family, not only can you become a top patron of our family, but you also have the right to mobilize the Fang Family’s power to assist you in your affairs.

Moreover, the annual salary is at least one thousand taels of silver or more.

For the three festivals and two anniversaries, additional rewards are given.

If you are willing to join the Fang Family, you can even be granted our Cultivation Techniques and unique skills, with a status equivalent to that of a direct descendant.”

Every single one of these treatments is enticing.

Qin Niu used to think that an annual income of thirty taels of silver for a high- level farmer was already a high salary in the industry.

Now he realized that compared to the annual salary of a planting master, it was dozens of times less.

“Thank you, Young Master Fang, for the high regard, but I am too inexperienced and not up to such an important position. Besides, as a simple villager, I am used to idleness and prefer a free and unrestrained life. Please seek another skilled individual, Young Master Fang.”

Had Qin Niu wished to be a wealthy servant, he would have been recruited by the Yan Family long ago.

“Won’t you reconsider, Master Qin? With your abilities, you are entirely capable of serving as the chief cultivation master for the Fang Family. As for not liking restraints, in Black Tiger City, you may live wherever you wish. As long as you complete your primary duties, you can arrange the rest of your time as you like. If you fancy beautiful women, the Fang Family can provide you with two fresh beauties every month.”

Young Master Fang was making a great effort to secure his acceptance of the position.

“Sorry, I have no interest in this position, please arrange for someone else, Young Master Fang. The hour is also getting late, and as I seldom come into the city, I still have some matters to attend to, so please excuse me.”

Qin Niu stood up to take his leave.

“Well, everyone has their aspirations, and I can understand Master Qin’s reluctance to serve under others. Here is a silver note for a hundred taels, as a token of our gratitude for your treatment of that medicinal herb for the Fang Family. If there’s ever anything you need from us, feel free to come see me or send someone with a message.”

Seeing that he could not persuade him, Young Master Fang did not insist.

“The fifteen hundred taels previously given is more than enough! I cannot accept this hundred taels with a clear conscience,” Qin Niu declined.

“Alt, the past is the past, and this is now. When our Fang Family employs someone, we never shortchange them. We will undoubtedly need to trouble Master Qin again in the future.”

The sum of a hundred taels was forcefully entrusted to him.

“Then, thank you, Young Master Fang! I’ve become greedy for money!”

Qin Niu accepted the silver note, thinking to himself that the Fang Family was indeed very generous.

“The medicinal herb should recover completely with one or two more treatments. If there is nothing out of the ordinary, we can arrange for the next treatment in a month’s time.”

“Alright, I’ll have Uncle Heizi pick you up then.”

“By the way, I noticed you do not have a mount; if you don’t mind, you may select one from the Fang Family’s stables. It will make your travels much easier.”

Young Master Fang was very eager to win him over.

However, Qin Niu did not wish to owe any favors to the Fang Family and politely refused.

After some time, that lazy ox should also evolve completely.

Qin Niu was considering using it as his mount.

After leaving the Fang Family, he was dropped off in an alley by Uncle Heizi’s carriage.

The drop-off location was different from the last time.

By doing this, the Fang Family was also providing him protection.

The people who had their eyes on the Fang Family were not only small families but also some powerful families comparable to the Fangs.

If they knew how important Qin Niu was to the Fang Family, they could resort to any measure.

Qin Niu was all too aware of this fact.

Therefore, he was extremely cautious every time he entered or left the Fang premises.

He first stopped by the Miaodan Pavilion and entrusted the task of elixir crafting to Master Zi Zhou.

Master Zi Zhou told him it would take about seven to ten days, at which point Qin Niu could come to collect the elixir. However, elixir crafting carried high risks, and if it failed, Master Zi Zhou could not be held responsible.

The Miaodan Pavilion would not assume liability.

Master Zi Zhou’s success rate of creating Beast Cores was about 30%. This was already an extremely high rate of success.

Qin Niu was willing to take the gamble.

For if he succeeded, he could use the elixir to break through and advance to the next realm.

As his cultivation level rose, he could increasingly feel that the difficulty of advancing was also increasing.

It was said that breaking through the Acquired Realm was hellish in difficulty.

Even with the treasure of the Ancient Banyan Tree, he could not say he was fully confident.

Spending more than a hundred and forty taels of silver and a Beast Core on this risk was still within his capacity to endure, even if it failed.

Normally, had he the time, he would have stayed to oversee the process.

However, given the reputation of the Miaodan Pavilion and the integrity of Master Zi Zhou, it was unlikely they would tarnish their reputation for such a small gain.

With Old Master Huang still at large, like a sharp sword hanging overhead, Qin Niu couldn’t rest easy.

He had finally caught a prized bee, which amounted to pinching a soft spot on the other party.

Naturally, he intended to seize this opportunity.

This time, he planned to buy even more sturdy Insect Jars, so he would never have to worry about the bee escaping again.

He had quite a few tasks to accomplish in the city this time.

Looking up at the sky, he hastened his pace.