Chapter 367: Chapter 360: A New Direction for Cultivating the War Bee Queen_1

He had long been thinking of purchasing a large amount of land to achieve the goal of making money work for him.

In time, his stash of several hundred thousand taels of silver would last forever, generating a substantial amount of rental and farming income every year.

Nearly all large families relied on this method to continually accumulate their family’s wealth.

Besides, buying shops within the city was also a decent choice.

However, purchasing storefronts carried a significant risk—it wasn’t as stable as buying land.

Even if you take a loss on land, it wouldn’t amount to much.

With a wide audience, it’s easier to rent out. If there really is no one to rent, one could cultivate it oneself.

If you make a good purchase on the storefront, that could provide for three generations.

If you don’t, you might well end up with nothing.

Moreover, the price of a shop often starts north of a hundred taels of silver, and if it is not a good investment, it might be impossible to offload.

For instance, if at the time of the purchase, a business district in the north of the city is thriving, one could rent out a shop for ten taels of silver. The cost to buy one might be two hundred and fifty taels of silver.

But after the purchase, either due to the government’s business planning or market fluctuations, that district in the north of the city could become desolate.

Rental income for the shop would plummet dramatically.

What used to fetch ten taels of silver a year would not even attract one tael now.

You’d still have to pay for annual maintenance of the property and a plethora of taxes; holding onto such a shop would not only fail to yield any income, but it would also result in losses year after year.

This is basically the equivalent of losing all your capital.

Many people would choose to cut their losses decisively and sell at a very low price.

Buying farmland doesn’t have this risk.

Even in the case of a bad year due to disasters, it might just mean no yield for that year. The next year, one can continue to cultivate or rent it out again.

And even if the fertile land that was bought for thirteen taels of silver per mu devalues, people would still buy it at five or six taels.

War is the biggest factor that causes farmland prices to plummet.

In times of fleeing from calamity, farmland can’t be taken along, and to survive, one has no choice but to sell off at a low price.

For instance, the Black Tiger Gang has been at war with the Nine Insect Gang and the Shennong Sect recently, making people anxious and surely going to cause land prices to drop sharply.

But as Shuangfeng Village sits deeply within Black Tiger Gang territory, it has not been affected too much.

After all, those landlords and farmers holding onto the land aren’t fools; they are watching the situation closely in secret.

They will only choose to sell off their land if the situation turns sour.

“Husband, do you think the land prices will drop significantly?”

Tang Caixian joined the conversation from the side.

“They should. Based on my travels from a while ago, many landlords in the border areas have already started to sell off their land at low prices and liquidate their assets. Recently, troops from the Nine Insect Gang attacked Jade Stream Town, which has already caused unrest among the locals. It’s just that those landlords and rich farmers are very shrewd, all observing the situation in secret.

The locust plague has just subsided, and other insect disasters have arisen, persisting for a while now.

I reckon they are on the brink of selling off.

If anything else were to happen, it would instantly ignite a frenzy of selling.

At that time, our old Qin Family will have the opportunity to pick up a bargain,” Qin Niu said.

Now that he had a family, Qin Niu’s mentality had undergone a significant change from when he was alone.

He would think about more long-term issues.

Because the fate of his wives and concubines, along with his maid Xiao Qing, was tied to him as their master. Additionally, he needed to make plans for his future children.

After dinner, he didn’t rush to his wife or concubines’ rooms to enjoy intimacy.

The black Gu insect lurking inside of him remained a hidden danger until it was eliminated.

If it entered his wives’ or concubines’ bodies during close contact, it would be an endless affliction.

The answer to dealing with the black Gu could most likely be found in Elder Mei’s “Myriad Insect Mastery.”

“Wan Yan, Cai Xian, I might need to concentrate on breaking through to a higher cultivation realm these days, so I won’t be able to sleep with you at night. You can rest early,” Qin Niu found an excuse and greeted his spouses.

Having just married, they obviously hoped to spend intimate time with their husband.

However, when their husband needed to overcome a bottleneck in his cultivation, both were very supportive.

“`

In this world, the real foundation isn’t honesty or money, but cultivation.

As long as one has sufficiently high cultivation, they can ensure the safety of their family.

Qin Niu first went to check on the Green Demon Bee and the swarm of bees above the grain storehouse.

The Green Demon Bee seemed to have entered a rapid growth phase.

After molting several times, it had actually formed a cocoon.

One could see that it was wrapped in a brown shell, sealed inside.

It was as if a hermetic seal was custom-made for it.

“This is great, finally reaching the cocoon stage. Once you emerge, I will have real aerial strength.”

Qin Niu was filled with joy and anticipation.

The insect that the Green Demon placed great hopes on, to turn the tide and even challenge the Hundred-Tempering Immortal Sect, could not be weak.

The Green Demon was an absolute overlord.

Not only were his actions treacherous and scheming, full of calculations, but he was also cruel and ruthless.

He deliberately used a treasure map hidden in the Green Demon Bee Breeding Classics and the ubiquitous inferior Green Demon Bees to lure treasure hunters into the mountain.

Then, he had a continuous supply of ‘food’.

Had Qin Niu not destroyed that underground cave, who knows how many more people the Green Demon would have harmed.

Given time, once the Green Demon absorbed enough energy, it might transform into a true demon.

And this Green Demon Bee would also become an adult and perhaps breed a new swarm, then help the Green Demon obliterate powerful enemies.

Since the Green Demon Bee had already formed a cocoon, there was no longer a need for War Bees to feed it.

Qin Niu placed the cocoon of the Green Demon Bee into the Hundred Treasures Insect Bag and carried it with him.

Having this Hundred Treasures Insect Bag is really nice.

It can hold any number of insects.

It is truly a divine artifact for an Insect Master.

Especially for an Insect Master like Qin Niu, who has many insects. With it, traveling and fighting become much more convenient.

He then checked on the situation of the swarm of bees.

The queen of the War Bees was still tirelessly laying eggs.

One hundred eggs each day.

As for how to upgrade her, Qin Niu was still exploring and learning.

The simplest way for any insect to upgrade is to feed them some high-level food.

Such as the corpses of other high-level insects.

Or the blood of magical trees, or the blood of human powerhouses, and so on.

Any insect that wants to advance needs an accumulation of energy. It doesn’t just upgrade out of thin air.

The dietary habits of bees are rather simple.

It seems they don’t eat insect corpses, only pollen and nectar.

The only cultivation method discovered so far is to feed them Ancient Banyan Tree Blood.

But Ancient Banyan Tree Blood is only effective the first time they eat it; it’s ineffective afterwards.

I need to figure out a way to get some high-grade pollen for them.

But where to get high-grade pollen?

The first thing Qin Niu thought of was the Ice Lotus he was cultivating.

This is a special herb, already at the level of a spiritual herb.

Letting the bees gather its pollen might bring unexpected benefits.

As for other herbs, he’s working hard at cultivating them.

Nourishing them daily with the power of the Everlasting Spring Technique.

I believe that given time, they will all become spiritual herbs.

“`