The Pastoral Life of a Cultivation Master

Chapter 3029 Completely Unwilling
The three women packed all their belongings into their backpacks, and then, together with Chen Mo, arrived at the entrance to the path through the woods and bushes.

When Ouyang Nan ran into Qian Wantong on the way, she specifically told him to tell Qian Zhenghao to meet her directly at the entrance of the bush passage when he came to find her that night, and not to go anywhere else.

After putting the things down, Chen Mo said, "Aunt, Ruoxi, Nana, the three of you should go inside the defensive structure to cultivate. This thing can serve as a temporary tent here, which is quite good. I can cultivate outside."

"Well, I'll stay outside. You, Ruoxi, and Nana can go inside to cultivate," said Ouyang Nan, the oldest member of the group and also a senior member.

However, Chen Mo directly refused, saying that his strength was higher than everyone else's, and that it would be safer with him guarding outside.

After being persuaded by Chen Mo, the three women had no choice but to enter the defensive structure and begin their cultivation.

By the time Qian Zhenghao arrived, it was already midnight.

In fact, Qian Zhenghao was completely bewildered after receiving the news. He really hadn't expected that he would be involved in this.

He genuinely didn't want to continue participating in the expedition team; it was not only dangerous, but also involved working hard for nothing. The information he had gathered in the past few days was merely a perfunctory "not bad" from Elder Qian Ying, who dismissed him.

Later, because of some things, he was even criticized by Qian Wantong. Who would want to do that?
Therefore, Qian Zhenghao was truly unwilling. Having finally arrived at this canyon, he thought the exploration team had completed its mission and could disband. Unexpectedly, Qian Wantong came looking for him again and asked him to find Ouyang Nan to prepare for another expedition ahead.

This is damn good, they're telling him to die! Otherwise, why would they give such an order?

"Elder Qian, could you please send someone else? I feel like some toxins haven't been completely cleared from my body yet, and I might need to rest for another day," Qian Zhenghao could only say, making up an excuse.

Qian Wantong pursed his lips and said, "The other martial artists in the family who were poisoned by snake venom and bee venom at the beehive have almost recovered. Why haven't you recovered yet?"

Qian Zhenghao was momentarily at a loss for words when asked this question. Should he simply say he didn't want to go and was just making up an excuse? So he could only bite the bullet and say, "It's probably because of different physical conditions, so the process of clearing toxins might vary. Some people clear them quickly, while others clear them slowly. I think my body belongs to the latter category."

"Hehe, Zhenghao, listen carefully. I'm just relaying orders. These are the elders' orders. If you disobey, have you thought about the consequences?" Qian Wantong naturally understood that everything was just Qian Zhenghao's excuse, so he didn't care about the issue of physical condition. Even if it really was because of physical condition, Qian Zhenghao would still set off immediately. As long as he hadn't died, he would participate in this expedition.

Furthermore, the main contributors to the expedition team were Ouyang Nan and the young man Li Mo, while Qian Zhenghao, who was relatively weak, was not even as strong as the two girls. Therefore, his main purpose in joining the team was to act as the Qian family's eyes and ears, and his duty was to truthfully report back the findings.

Therefore, even if you suffer a minor injury, as long as it doesn't affect your running, it doesn't make a difference.

Hearing Qian Wantong's words, Qian Zhenghao felt somewhat aggrieved. He naturally knew what the consequences would be; might makes right was now a reality.

After hesitating for a while, Qian Zhenghao said again, "Manager Qian, can't we find someone else? After all, I suffered a lot before, doing my best to investigate the situation and report back on everything. Can't we find someone else this time? This kind of investigation mission should be no problem for anyone."

Qian Wantong naturally understood Qian Zhenghao's explanation, but unfortunately, when Ouyang Nan questioned Qian Ying, she directly asked whether Qian Zhenghao would participate, rather than whether the Qian family's martial artists would participate. Therefore, unless there were major problems, Qian Zhenghao had no choice but to participate.

Besides, Qian Zhenghao has already participated in the previous explorations and is quite familiar with Ouyang Nan and the others. So wouldn't it be a waste of time to send a stranger instead? It would be better to rely on Qian Zhenghao to continue participating in the exploration team.

"Zhenghao, this is an order personally given by Elder Qian. You should actively participate and complete the mission well. Besides, Elder Qian has already noticed your contributions. The reason he hasn't mentioned it to you yet is mainly because the entire team is still in the valley, where every moment is dangerous. Therefore, the elder has to consider all aspects, which is why he hasn't mentioned your contributions. But don't worry, once we return to the family, things will be handled on a case-by-case basis, and the benefits will be distributed according to everyone's merits."

Don't worry, all your contributions are remembered not only by the elders but also by me. So, you'll have to work hard on this reconnaissance mission. Once you return to the clan, you'll realize it was all worth it.

But if you don't participate, you can imagine the consequences once the elders find out. So take my advice, go on the mission, protect yourself, and return safely, bringing back the information Elder Qian needs as well.

As the manager, Qian Wantong naturally understood that every punishment must be followed by a reward. If a stubborn donkey wouldn't move, a carrot had to be dangled in front of it.

In truth, Qian Ying never mentioned any merit; it was all just Qian Wantong making empty promises. However, if Qian Zhenghao were to return to the family's base alive, Qian Wantong wouldn't be heartless and would share some benefits with him. After all, they were both martial artists of the Qian family, and it was only fair that they share some of the credit for their contributions.

Hearing Qian Wantong's words, Qian Zhenghao could only nod in agreement. He knew in his heart that he couldn't refuse. There were only a few suitable people in the entire team, but since he preferred to exploit familiar faces rather than strangers, they would naturally target him, the sheep, and fleece him relentlessly.

As for the benefits Qian Wantong mentioned, just take them with a grain of salt; who knows what the future holds? The benefits are just wishful thinking, but the downsides are predictable and will come immediately.

If he doesn't go, and Manager Qian reports it, he will be punished, and perhaps the punishment will be one he doesn't want to bear.

"Yes, Manager Qian, I'll do as you say. I'll go find Captain Ouyang Nan at midnight." Qian Zhenghao could only reluctantly agree.

"Haha, alright. Since you've agreed, then go find Ouyang Nan on time. They're at the entrance to the path through the bushes right now. I'll also report to Elder Qian, and then I'll wait for your good news," Qian Wantong said with a smile.

However, Qian Wantong's smile looked so awkward to Qian Zhenghao. He really wanted to punch him and give him a good beating, but unfortunately, these images could only flash through his mind.

After watching Qian Wantong leave, he could only take out a bottle of honey, grit his teeth, and drink it down in large gulps before starting his cultivation.

Honey is a good thing; it can increase one's strength. So, before embarking on a mission, practicing more can also improve one's strength in order to cope with the impending danger.

He didn't participate in last night's honey-gathering mission, but he joined Zhou Zixing's team. So he received three bottles of honey, and one extra bottle was given to every martial artist in the Qian family. It couldn't be used for cultivation, but was to be used as an antidote when passing through the Red Bee area later.

So he had four bottles of honey on hand, and he originally planned to finish them all in the next few days. Maybe then he could advance to the ninth level of the Acquired Realm.

Previously, after returning from the gathering mission, I had already drunk a bottle of honey and felt that my strength had improved considerably. I had probably advanced from the middle stage of the eighth level of the Acquired Realm to the late stage of the eighth level, which is a significant improvement in strength.

If one bottle of honey can boost one's strength this much, then what about two bottles? Not to mention he has four bottles of honey, and he still has three on hand.

He should seize the time to improve his own strength. If he could cultivate to the tenth level of the Acquired Realm now, he might not have to participate in these trivial matters.

After drinking a bottle of honey and cultivating for several hours, Qian Zhenghao slowly finished his practice. He felt that his strength was almost breaking through the late stage of the eighth level of the Acquired Realm and was about to advance to the peak of the eighth level of the Acquired Realm.

Feeling his own strength increase, he really wanted to get more honey. This honey was really effective; if he had a hundred or so bottles of honey, he might be able to break through to the Innate Realm.

By then, none of those people—Manager Qian, Ouyang Nan, and that guy Li Mo—will matter. They'll all be behaving according to my wishes. Thinking about it, it's actually quite wonderful!

pity……

Somewhat dejected, he crawled out of his tent, packed all his belongings, and handed them over to the team's logistics manager. Then, carrying some essential supplies, he slowly walked towards the entrance of the woods and bushes.

However, after walking for a while, they returned and found Qian Wantong, directly demanding two antidotes: bee venom and red thread fruit.

He worried about what would happen if he got poisoned while joining the expedition team. Although he had honey and red thread fruit on hand, this was a mission, so he couldn't use his own supplies; they should all be provided by the Qian family.

Thinking about this, I felt a sense of relief. If I hadn't considered this, I might not have been able to get it back when I asked for it. After all, the red thread fruit was one thing, but honey was a valuable commodity, and Qian Wantong would definitely not give it to me.

When Qian Wantong saw him and he explained that he had asked for honey and red thread fruit, Qian Wantong's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He hadn't expected Qian Zhenghao to be waiting for him there, but it was necessary, so after thinking for a moment, he told Qian Zhenghao to wait there while he went to report to Qian Ying.

Giving more red thread fruit is fine, but honey is a different story. The quantity is limited, and he can't give Qian Zhenghao a bottle of his own honey. So he can only go to Qian Ying and ask the elder for his opinion.