Mountain God’s Forest Farm – CH59

Chapter 59: Hunting Wild Bees

Whether it was the divine power that had worked, or the folk remedy Ying Kongtu had used, no one knew.

The Ural owl he treated gradually began to recover. At the very least, it was no longer on its last breath, looking as though it might die at any moment.

The moment the frail little Ural owl improved even slightly, it immediately activated its frantic eating mode.

Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan sat on either side of it, feeding it strips of meat with chopsticks.

It swallowed one strip in one bite, desperately gulping them down.

The two of them took turns feeding it, yet they still nearly could not keep up.

“All right, you can’t eat any more.” Ying Kongtu held the Ural owl and felt its belly.

Its stomach and crop were both bulging. Its crop in particular was visibly swollen, and when pinched, one could clearly feel the soft strips of meat inside.

“You really are enthusiastic about eating,” Ying Kongtu sighed. “With you like this, you definitely won’t starve to death.”

The Ural owl opened its pair of round eyes and looked at Ying Kongtu with a clear, innocent gaze.

The Ural owl was gradually getting better, but it still could not reach the standard for release in the short term.

Ying Kongtu reported the situation to the people from the forestry bureau.

After they came over to check on it, they thanked Ying Kongtu repeatedly. Their leader even specially approved medical expenses and food expenses for the Ural owl.

After confirming that the Ural owl’s skin disease was not contagious, Ying Kongtu brought it home.

Ying Kongtu specially held the Ural owl and let Tiaozhu and the others sniff it one by one. “This is the new little friend. Don’t fight, and don’t bully the new little friend.”

Tiaozhu lazily glanced at him. It could not be bothered to bully a bird.

Xian Niao, however, answered softly, “Awooo.”

The Ural owl soon began playing with Dart and the others.

Because it was still being medicated, its wings were wrapped in gauze, and it could not fly.

Now, it was used to running around after Dart and Jingwei on its two long legs, like a lively free-range chicken.

Ying Kongtu saw this through the window and shook his head helplessly.

After the cold wave passed, the weather in Changchuan County warmed up.

Outside the county, large fields of rapeseed flowers bloomed one after another. The golden flowers carried a faint and special scent, attracting great swarms of golden honeybees to gather nectar.

The rapeseed flowers in Ying Kongtu’s little vegetable garden had also bloomed.

Because his mountain was nourished by faint divine power, the quality of the plants grown there was higher.

The bees liked this batch of rapeseed flowers on the mountain very much. Even from far away, they were willing to fly over and buzz around, gathering nectar.

Unfortunately, he had no plans to press rapeseed oil this year. There was not much rapeseed planted in the little vegetable garden either, only two ridges.

Earlier, he had only thought of planting some rapeseed to eat the stalks, while the extra leaves and stalks could conveniently be used to feed the pigs.

Now that there were more bees, their family’s rapeseed was somewhat insufficient.

Even so, many bees still loved coming to this little vegetable garden.

In the morning, Ying Kongtu brought vegetable leaves up the mountain to feed the pigs and stopped by the vegetable garden on the way.

There were also many bees in the garden today, buzzing as they flew around and worked hard to gather nectar.

He and Wen Zhongshan were both non-human. The bees did not sting them, but neither were they afraid of them. They simply flew back and forth before their eyes as if the two did not exist.

“These bees are really nice.” Ying Kongtu looked at the bees and could not take his eyes off them.

“Are we going to raise bees on the mountain? Should we buy some from beekeepers?”

The rapeseed flowers in Changchuan County were blooming well. Quite a few beekeepers had heard the news and driven trucks with their bees to this area to place their hives.

The bees they were seeing now were probably also brought over by outsiders.

Now that there was plenty of nectar and the bees had entered their breeding season, if they went to negotiate, the beekeepers should be willing to sell them bees.

Ying Kongtu extended a finger, letting a bee land on his fingertip.

The bee was round, plump, and rather fat.

Ying Kongtu looked at it and said, “They’re all ordinary little bees. Asking them to brew flower honey containing divine power would really be too hard on them.”

“Then what kind of bees do we need to buy? Do you have any idea?”

“This time, I don’t plan to buy bees.” Ying Kongtu smiled at Wen Zhongshan.

Ying Kongtu had already bought on credit once. He did not want to do it a second time.

He also did not have anything good on hand that he could exchange for high-quality bees.

If he bought them directly with money, it would probably cost a large sum.

Spending money was one thing, but he might even have to add a few favors on top of that.

Wen Zhongshan was surprised. “If we don’t buy them, are we going up the mountain to catch them?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.” Ying Kongtu smiled. “I haven’t hunted honeybees in many years. This time, let’s give it a try.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“You definitely have to. I can’t manage it alone. I need your help.”

Ying Kongtu personally nailed together six beehives, all fine hives made from hardwood.

After being polished smooth, the beehives were exquisite and fresh, carrying the unique clear fragrance of wood.

Ying Kongtu tied straw into torches and carefully scorched each beehive once.

“Bees really hate strange smells, and they’re also very cautious. After burning the beehives with fire once, they won’t be as wary.”

Wen Zhongshan nodded.

Ying Kongtu looked at the six freshly scorched beehives. “The best result for this trip would be selecting the best of the best and hunting six colonies back. If we really can’t find enough, the lowest target is three colonies.”

“There are many bees in the wild. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

Wen Zhongshan had rich experience living outdoors and knew that there had always been plenty of bees in the mountains.

“Ordinary bees won’t do. We need extraordinary bees.” Ying Kongtu lowered his voice slightly and said to Wen Zhongshan, “We have to catch bees like the Ai fish—bees that have stepped beyond the category of ordinary creatures.”

Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan were going into the mountains to hunt bees, so there would be no adult humans at home.

Although Xian Niao and Tiaozhu were both there, Ying Kongtu still felt a little uneasy.

Ying Kongtu specially entrusted matters at home to Xing Chang, asking him to look after things for a few days. At most, they would be back in ten days.

Xing Chang did not mind, but he asked, “Will King Tiaozhu and King Xian Niao agree?”

“……” Ying Kongtu looked at him. “Where did you learn such strange wording?”

Xing Chang held the lazy Dart and chuckled twice. “They aren’t human. I can’t exactly call them ‘my lord,’ right? Calling them king sounds so imposing.”

Ying Kongtu could not be bothered to correct him. “They don’t mind you.”

Xing Chang was flattered. “They only accept me? Then I’ll take good care of them these next few days.”

“You don’t really need to take care of them. Just keep an eye on things a little. Xian Niao and the others can look after themselves. I’m telling you just in case something unexpected happens.”

Xing Chang nodded repeatedly. “Leave it to me.”

Tiaozhu and Xian Niao were, after all, a golden cat and a wolf. If anything happened, Xing Chang and the Special Management Bureau behind him were there, so at least nothing too major would go wrong.

Ying Kongtu also specially instructed Tiaozhu and Xian Niao, asking them to guard the mountain forest.

The two of them were already mature little mountain gods and were very skilled at their work. Leaving the mountain forest to them temporarily gave Ying Kongtu nothing to worry about.

After arranging matters at home and on the mountain, Ying Kongtu pulled Wen Zhongshan into the mountains.

Ying Kongtu wanted to go to the primeval forest.

Only in primeval forests, far from humans, would extraordinary creatures appear.

They first drove to the end of the road, then each carried beehives on their backs and entered the mountain.

“The primeval forest is a bit difficult to walk through.” Ying Kongtu led the way in front. “We’re not in a hurry. Let’s go slowly.”

Although this was not his territory, as a mountain god, his understanding of the forest was far deeper than that of ordinary people.

When he walked through the mountains, he could always find the easiest and safest path.

Wen Zhongshan glanced up at the canopy above.

In a true primeval forest, the trees covered the sky and blocked out the sun. After entering, not to mention telling direction, one could barely even see much sunlight.

When Wen Zhongshan walked here, he had to rely on certain special electronic devices to guide the way. Now that he did not have them, he could only rely on Ying Kongtu.

However, following Ying Kongtu made him feel very at ease. There was nothing bad about it.

Wen Zhongshan asked, “Have you been here before?”

“A very long time ago. Back then, I also came with friends.” Ying Kongtu turned to look at Wen Zhongshan. “This kind of mountain forest is too dangerous. Even I wouldn’t dare to come in rashly.”

“Because of the beasts in the mountain? Especially those beasts that have left the state of ordinary animals? I remember there used to be quite a few tigers and bears, and among them, some were very powerful. Ordinary ability users couldn’t beat them at all.”

“Not entirely. There are also threats like poisonous plants, poisonous insects, getting lost, and hypothermia. In the mountains, if you’re alone and something happens, it’s very troublesome. With a companion, it’s much safer.”

Ying Kongtu opened the way in front, turning back to look at Wen Zhongshan. “Of course, bringing along a non-human as powerful as you makes it even safer.”

Wen Zhongshan reached up and touched his nose, looking a little embarrassed.

After coming to Changchuan County, Wen Zhongshan had been very low-key. He almost never showed his non-human side and had never truly made a move.

Ying Kongtu could still sense that he was actually extremely powerful, no weaker than the upper-level gods Ying Kongtu had seen before.

The two of them went deeper and deeper into the forest. There were no signs of people around, but wild animals gradually increased.

Aside from animals, they also saw all kinds of rare plants.

Many of these plants had once existed on Ying Kongtu’s mountain, but had now disappeared.

Whenever Ying Kongtu saw such plants, he would search nearby for seeds and take them away.

Directly digging up plants would cause great damage to the local ecology. Simply taking a few seeds did not cause that kind of trouble. He only picked up a few seeds, so the legal risk was also small.

While collecting seeds, Ying Kongtu also kept paying attention to the bees around them.

Wen Zhongshan observed with him.

The two of them saw several colonies, but none were the extraordinary bees Ying Kongtu wanted.

“I’m tired. Let’s sit down and drink some water.”

Ying Kongtu found an open area and signaled for Wen Zhongshan to sit. He took out water, rice balls, and dried meat, planning to eat something and replenish their energy.

“The temperature here is even lower than on our mountain,” Wen Zhongshan said, sitting under a tree and sensing the surroundings.

Ying Kongtu took a sip of water and nodded. “That’s normal. This place has a higher altitude, denser vegetation, and the forest is wetter. The local microclimate is definitely different.”

The two sat and rested, enjoying the mountain wind as they ate and drank. Gradually, they did not feel like moving anymore.

“Sleepy?” Ying Kongtu patted Wen Zhongshan’s thigh and looked in a certain direction. “There should be plants blooming over there. I can feel their vigorous vitality. We’ll go over and take a look in a bit.”

“What nectar sources are there at this time?”

“Mainly rice-ball flowers, Lindera flowers, Corydalis flowers, and the like.” Ying Kongtu sniffed the scent in the wind. “There should be a patch of rice-ball flowers ahead. I can smell them. They’re quite fragrant.”

After resting a little longer, Ying Kongtu led Wen Zhongshan out again, heading toward the rice-ball flowers he mentioned.

Before they had walked far, Wen Zhongshan also smelled a special clear fragrance, a slightly cool scent.

He immediately remembered. “We have rice-ball flowers on our mountain too.”

“Yes. Baogu Mountain and Xiwu Mountain both have them. They’re blooming now too, but there aren’t many.”

“It smells very familiar,” Wen Zhongshan said.

Trying to find tiny honeybees in a vast forest was far too difficult for them.

If they first found nectar-source plants, then waited nearby for bees to come gather nectar, then followed the bees to locate their nest, the difficulty would be much lower.

The two soon found the place where the rice-ball flower trees were growing.

The trees that bore rice-ball flowers were called rice-ball flower trees. They grew together in a patch and emitted a very pleasant clear fragrance.

Bees were shuttling among the rice-ball flower trees, buzzing as they gathered nectar.

The moment Ying Kongtu saw those bees, his spirits lifted. He grabbed Wen Zhongshan’s shoulder and lowered his voice beside his ear. “Found them. Look ahead!”

Wen Zhongshan followed his gaze and indeed saw bees on the rice-ball flowers.

These bees were bigger and rounder than ordinary bees they had seen, with fuller colors. They looked different at first glance.

Ying Kongtu said, “Let’s go over and take a look.”

Ying Kongtu pulled Wen Zhongshan over.

As a mountain god, he could to some extent represent the mountain forest and nature. The bees did not reject him.

Soon, he found an opportunity and placed his finger beside a branch of rice-ball flowers.

After gathering nectar, a bee naturally landed on his finger.

He sensed it for a moment, and joy burst across his brows and eyes.

“Come.” Ying Kongtu said softly to Wen Zhongshan, “Give me your hand.”

Wen Zhongshan stretched out his palm.

Ying Kongtu guided the bee to land on his hand, then turned his bright eyes sideways to look at him. “Isn’t it different?”

This bee was heavy, practically like a solid metal pellet. It looked full, and its body was glossy.

If not for the fact that it could move, it would almost look like a handicraft made by humans.

Wen Zhongshan waited until the bee naturally flew up from his hand, then withdrew his hand and asked quietly, “Do we follow the bees that finished gathering nectar back to their nest now?”

“Yes.” Ying Kongtu narrowed his eyes and nodded. “This will be the first colony we find.”

Very soon, a bee on the rice-ball flowers finished gathering nectar, spread its wings, and flew toward its nest.

The bees on this patch of rice-ball flower trees were all this special type of bee.

Wen Zhongshan guessed that they might have driven away the ordinary bees. This entire patch was their territory.

The bees buzzed as they flew, crossing mountains and ridges. It took them a full half hour before they reached their nest.

It was a crack in a rock.

The bees had built their nest inside, creating honeycombs and brewing rich, sweet honey.

Wen Zhongshan looked into the crack in the rock and said softly, “Why is the honey black?”

“Rice-ball flower honey is like this.” Ying Kongtu sniffed. “So sweet. This colony is really big, and very healthy too.”

“Do we act now, or wait?”

“Not yet. Let’s set up a tent nearby and put our things down. Using this simple camp as the starting point, we’ll see if we can find a second and third colony nearby.”

Ying Kongtu knew the way and possessed the unique skill of navigating in deep forests and old woods.

They could put their things down and travel light to search nearby.

Ying Kongtu said quietly, “If the environment here is suitable, there should be a second colony of this special bee nearby. Once their numbers exceed a certain point, they’ll swarm. One colony splits into two, and the new swarm flies elsewhere to settle.”

They set up the tent, but the process of finding a second colony did not go so smoothly.

When the sky was almost dark, Ying Kongtu brought Wen Zhongshan back to camp.

The two of them had been tired all day. It was not suitable to keep moving through the night. They had to rest properly.

Fortunately, the mountains might lack many things, but they had plenty of food.

Ying Kongtu took Wen Zhongshan to catch some river shrimp, gather some wild vegetables and wood ear mushrooms, and dig some yams.

That night, they directly lit a bonfire and set the pot above it to stir-fry their food.

Although they did not have enough seasonings, being able to eat mountain delicacies handpicked by a mountain god in the depths of the mountains still left the two of them extremely satisfied.

“All right, get ready to sleep.” Ying Kongtu tidied up briefly and yawned.

There was a stream nearby. They simply washed up, feeling fresh and clean, then got into the tent and lay on the moisture-proof mat, feeling extremely comfortable.

“Make do for tonight.” Ying Kongtu took off his coat and pants, unzipped the double sleeping bag, crawled in, then moved farther inside to make room for Wen Zhongshan.

Wen Zhongshan also took off his coat and pants, crawled in, and lay shoulder to shoulder with Ying Kongtu.

Both of them were tall. Once the sleeping bag was zipped up, even the enlarged double sleeping bag seemed a little cramped.

The two pressed close together, intimate without any gap.

Ying Kongtu turned slightly sideways and placed his hand on Wen Zhongshan’s chest. “You’re so warm.”

Wen Zhongshan held him and asked in a low voice, “Are you cold?”

“No. But being warm and cozy is always especially comfortable.” Ying Kongtu said, “Going out with you is the best.”

Their surroundings were very quiet, though distant howls came from far away.

With their strength, the two of them had no need to worry about safety. Those howls were just white noise.

The sleeping bag was comfortable, and his lover was in his arms. Ying Kongtu soon fell asleep against Wen Zhongshan’s shoulder.

Wen Zhongshan, however, watched his sleeping face for a long time by the faint starlight.

The next day, Ying Kongtu climbed up feeling refreshed. Looking at Wen Zhongshan, who was already outside lighting a fire and boiling water, he asked, “Did you sleep well last night?”

“Very well.” Wen Zhongshan said, “I picked some old hawk tea leaves and brewed tea. You can drink it.”

Ying Kongtu’s mood became even better. He went over and bent down to rub his head against Wen Zhongshan’s. “I’ll go wash up. Later, we’ll keep looking for bees.”

When Ying Kongtu returned from washing up, breakfast was ready too.

Conditions in the mountains were limited. In the morning, they could only eat dried meat boiled with yams.

However, the yams had been boiled until very soft. Some had even melted into the soup, making it thick and sweet. The dried meat, after being cooked, released its saltiness and savory flavor, while its fat melted into the soup, making the whole dish fragrant and rich.

“Delicious.” Ying Kongtu praised, “Eating this in the morning feels so comfortable.”

Wen Zhongshan poured him a bowl of tea.

Tea brewed from fresh leaves was especially clear and fragrant, gentle with a sweet aftertaste. It was particularly comfortable to drink in the morning.

Ying Kongtu took a sip, then looked at the tea soup and said, “Later, I’ll take some old hawk tea tree seeds back and plant a few on the mountain too.”

“We can also buy saplings after we go back.”

“Then let’s look first. If there aren’t suitable seeds, we’ll buy saplings after we return.”

After breakfast, the two cleaned up the camp, left some supplies there, and went back into the mountains to search for bees.

Bees were living creatures. They could not be sealed inside beehives for too long. They had to find the other bees first, then come back to collect this first colony.

Extraordinary bees truly were not that easy to find. They walked farther into the deep mountains for several days. On the third day, they found the second colony of bees, and only on the seventh day did they find the third colony.

They had agreed to return in about ten days. They could not continue searching in the deep mountains.

Ying Kongtu took out the beehive. “Let’s stop here this time. We can’t be greedy.”

Wen Zhongshan asked, “Do we collect the bees now?”

“I’ll do it. Stand farther away. If the bees are disturbed, they may attack you.” Ying Kongtu directed Wen Zhongshan to step back. Only after he had retreated far enough did Ying Kongtu prepare to act.

As a mountain god personally collecting bees, Ying Kongtu did not have much trouble.

He chiseled open the rock, drove the bees into the beehive, cut off the honeycomb as well, and placed it inside.

In order to soothe the bees, Ying Kongtu also carefully placed some pollen and nectar he had collected from his own mountain inside, then sealed the beehive.

The bees could still breathe, but they could not fly out.

“All done.” Ying Kongtu put away the beehive and rubbed the sweat from his shoulder. “Let’s go back along the route and collect the second colony.”

Wen Zhongshan took the back basket from his shoulder. “I’ll carry it.”

Ying Kongtu did not object. He only broke the small piece of honey he had specially left into two halves and stuffed one piece into Wen Zhongshan’s mouth. “Try the honey from our extraordinary bees.”

“So sweet,” Wen Zhongshan said.

Ying Kongtu savored the honey and narrowed his eyes. “The fragrance is rich too. I can taste the scent of so many flowers.”

“I can taste it too.”

The two followed the path back.

Because they had a clear goal, their return speed was much faster. In just over two hours, they returned to the location of the second colony.

With the first experience, the second time went smoothly. Ying Kongtu successfully collected the second colony into the beehive as well.

“Now we’ll go collect the last colony, then go home.” Ying Kongtu lifted the back basket onto his back. “I really miss Tiaozhu and the others.”

Wen Zhongshan was just about to say, “Me too.”

Ying Kongtu turned back to look at him and added, “Luckily, you came out with me. Otherwise, I’d miss all of you terribly. I wouldn’t even be able to stay in the mountains for three days.”

Wen Zhongshan paused. After realizing what he meant, he took Ying Kongtu’s hand and said softly, “Me too.”

Author’s Note:

The stray cat who mocked Dart for losing its balls was, that very day, brought to the vet by Dart, who had grown bold from anger and dragged Wen Zhongshan along with it. The stray was sent to have its own balls removed.

The little strays glared furiously at Dart: Human lackey cat!

Wen Zhongshan: Dart is protecting the local ecology. Dart is good.

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