Chapter 23: A Pleasant Collaboration

Before long, Ji Xun and the black bear spirit had devised a plan. The black bear spirit would act as a decoy, charging ahead to lure away most of the bee swarm. Ji Xun, playing the role of an assassin, would dash forward, confront the remaining bees, and cut off a piece of the hive. Once Ji Xun had severed the hive, the black bear spirit would rush back, catch it, draw off a great number of golden-armored bees, and escape into the water. Finally, once the bees departed, he would reunite with Ji Xun.

It sounded simple enough, but should any danger arise, Ji Xun would immediately employ his secret technique—a method born from the Tiger-Crane Double-Form Fist, combined with Yi Xuan techniques and other martial arts texts, creating the Crane Feather Escape. The changes were not drastic, but the skill was tailored to fit Ji Xun's own style.

…

The black bear spirit’s short, thick legs moved astonishingly fast, as the whole bear barreled into the tree where the hive hung. Countless yellow leaves fluttered down. The hive, dangling from the tree, trembled violently but showed no sign of falling—unexpectedly, it seemed to have shock absorption.

Soon after, a swarm of golden-armored bees burst from the hive, led by more than a dozen ninth-grade bees, charging at the black bear spirit. He bolted away, his seemingly lumbering form moving with incredible speed. Once he had drawn the bees far enough, Ji Xun gripped his fang-bladed dagger, pushed off with his feet, and covered several yards in an instant.

He was light as a feather, graceful as a crane, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived near the hive. With his arrival, another wave of golden-armored bees surged from the hive. Ji Xun drew a deep breath, focused his mind, blood and energy coursing through him, his skin gradually reddening.

Facing the swarm above, he unleashed the full force of his beastly vitality, shifting from crane form to tiger form. With terrifying explosive power, Ji Xun pressed on, channeling demon energy, forcing his way through the swarm, and in a few strides, he reached the tree.

Just as his feet settled on a branch, the bees surged in, a storm of poisonous stingers shooting toward him. Ji Xun employed the secret technique of the Tiger-Crane Double-Form Fist, manifesting both tiger and crane forms at once.

His left arm, fierce as a tiger, swung and lashed, sending dozens of golden-armored bees flying. His right hand, sharp as a crane’s beak, fingers gathered, demon energy concentrated at his fingertips, snatching poisonous stingers out of the air.

Most of these golden-armored bees were unranked, their stingers unable to pierce the demon energy shielding his right hand. Still, if the poison struck Ji Xun, it would have an effect. After all, the essence of demon poison was demon energy, and extracting that energy was akin to neutralizing the toxin.

But too much demon poison made it slow for the Demon Refining Vessel to absorb. Once the swarm was repelled, Ji Xun gripped his fang-bladed dagger in one hand, demon energy shielding him as he faced the oncoming bees.

He circled the hive, slicing with the dagger, and despite its sharpness and toughness, it proved surprisingly difficult. At last, a basin-sized chunk of hive was cut free.

Yet something felt wrong—within the hive, two distinct demonic energies confronted each other. One was of the seventh grade, pure but sparse, with an aged, declining aura. The other, eighth grade, was vigorous and abundant, its energy surging endlessly. Lesser energies hovered around them.

“Is this a swarming event?”

Swarming occurs when too many bees are raised in the hive. As the old queen ages or falls ill, a new queen is cultivated in the queen cell. The new queen crushes other unhatched queens in the cell. Eventually, the old and new queens compete, and the loser leaves with part of the golden-armored bees. The departing bees, each carrying honey, quickly build a new hive.

These were the habits of golden-armored bees, slightly different from the honey bees Ji Xun had seen in his previous life.

While Ji Xun pondered, the two demonic energies began to turn toward him. He tightened his hold on the severed hive and leapt from the tree.

In the next instant, the golden-armored bees that had been chasing the black bear spirit returned, swarming toward Ji Xun. He immediately shifted into tiger form, the yang energy from his beast blood faintly manifesting as a fierce tiger.

Drawing strength from his feet, twisting his waist, rotating his hips and shoulders, his powerful arm swung fiercely. With all his strength, he hurled the hive.

“Old Black, catch!”

The distant black bear’s eyes were bloodshot, its body swollen from countless stings. This time, ignoring the venom, it charged forward, brought its massive paws together, and caught the hive.

In the next moment, its colossal form fled into the distance, snapping two trees with a thunderous crash.

Ji Xun, now facing fewer bees, quickly left the forest.

He made his way to the river downstream from the village, where Big Yellow was already waiting. This was the rendezvous point he had agreed upon with the black bear spirit, who would soon dive into the water.

Golden-armored bees loathed water and wouldn’t pursue relentlessly. Ji Xun was confident the black bear spirit would come; after days of interaction, he’d found the bear to be honorable and forthright. The blood ginseng gift to Big Yellow had proven that.

Most importantly, the black bear spirit was farsighted, understanding that cooperating with Ji Xun and Big Yellow would yield more supplies for winter.

After some time, the black bear spirit, chased by a swarm, emerged utterly swollen. Its barely open eyes shone with longing for honey.

With a splash, the thousand-pound bear plunged into the water, sending up waves several yards high.

A number of golden-armored bees even followed it in, but the bear’s swimming skills were remarkable. The bees couldn’t stay submerged for long and soon burst back to the surface.

The swarm hovered above the water, waiting for the bear to reemerge. These ferocious golden-armored bees were only marginally more intelligent than ordinary bees; without their numbers and strength, survival in the forest would be difficult.

Meanwhile, the black bear spirit, relying on its superb swimming, had already drifted further downstream.

...

At dusk, Ji Xun looked at the swollen, unrecognizable black bear spirit, who gazed back at him expectantly.

In his hand was a basin-sized piece of hive. Originally, the plan was for Ji Xun and the black bear spirit to split the spoils forty-sixty, with Ji Xun’s share including a portion for Big Yellow.

But seeing the bear’s swollen body, Ji Xun ultimately cut the hive in half, giving one part to the black bear spirit.

“These five shares are yours. You did most of the work, holding off the main swarm.”

The bear’s huge paws took the hive, broke off a piece, and stuffed it into its mouth, humming with delight.

“Humming” sounds kept coming from its mouth, and when it finished eating, it licked its paws contentedly.

Ji Xun himself had been stung dozens of times. Even though the Demon Refining Vessel slowly drew out most of the demonic energy, neutralizing the poison, the effects lingered, requiring time to recover. He felt sore and itchy all over—almost unbearable.

The bear, with its swollen body, showed no sign of pain, licking its paws happily. Ji Xun could not help but suspect the creature was less sensitive to pain than humans.