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“Sure, no problem. Please tell me the name of the deceased and the names of the descendants. It’s already late today and we don’t have enough time. After I have someone make it tomorrow, I’ll bring it over and bury it,”

To set up a tombstone at the head of a grave, it must be partially buried in the ground.

The owner was very professional; as long as there was silver money, he made sure everything was taken care of properly.

“Xiao Qing, what was your grandfather’s name?”

“His name was Tang Qian.”

Qin Niu turned his head to look at the funeral service owner.

“Her name is Yao Xiaoqing, the granddaughter of the deceased, whose name was Tang Qian,”

The owner recorded it one by one.

“I’m entrusting this matter to you then. Will it be ready by tomorrow?”

Qin Niu might have been just sixteen years old, but he was careful and shrewd in his actions.

Worried that the owner might take the silver money and not complete the task, he definitely needed to remind him.

“Yes, it will definitely be ready by tomorrow,”

The owner’s answer was very definitive.

“I’ll come by to check in a couple of days. You know what I do for a living, and if you take the money but don’t get the job done, don’t blame me for turning a cold shoulder.”

“Of course not! In our line of work, competition is fierce. If we had no integrity, we wouldn’t last long. Besides, how dare I offend someone like you, Insect Master? Even with three times the courage, I wouldn’t dare.”

The owner, around forty-five or fifty-six years old, was visibly sweating from his forehead with just a slight threat from Qin Niu.

In this world, the powerful were always respected.

You see, Insect Masters belonged to the privileged class. Dealing with a commoner like him was far too easy.

“Xiao Qing, let’s go! Next time, I’ll bring you back to pay respects to your grandfather,”

Qin Niu had no attachment to the old man.

It was entirely for Xiao Qing’s sake that he had helped with the funeral arrangements.

He had ended up spending a total of seven pieces and five maces of silver money on this old man—truly as if he owed him from a past life.

And after all that, he still had to bring home an extra mouth to feed.

Since the child was still young, and the Cultivation Technique, jade token, and the piece of cloth with blood-written characters were all entrusted to Qin Niu for safekeeping.

Wearing the garb of an Insect Master was too conspicuous, so he simply took it off.

It felt more comfortable to wear his patched coarse cloth clothes.

Xiao Qing was very well-behaved, following right behind him, matching his pace step for step.

“Hungry?”

Qin Niu turned to look at her.

“Not hungry!”

She shook her head.

“Come, let me hold your hand. The journey is rather long. If you get tired, just tell me and we’ll sit down and rest our legs before we continue,”

Qin Niu looked up at the darkening sky.

Getting home would surely mean arriving late at night.

If only he had a mount.

This time, having acquired both low-level and mid-level Contractual Talismans, the issue of getting a mount should soon be resolved.

He planned to prioritize training that calf.

Although oxen can’t match the sprinting speed or back strength of horses, their endurance and pulling strength are extraordinary.

On the road, it was common to see ox carts laden with cargo, a single ox pulling a full load with ease.

It was just that they were much slower than horse-drawn carts.

Holding her little hand, he could feel the roughness and the thick calluses.

This child must have had her fair share of hardships living with her grandfather.

To Qin Niu, enduring hardships was beneficial.

Only children who have suffered can truly mature and learn to cherish a hard- earned life.

The two of them walked along the official road, covered in dust. At first, Qin Niu deliberately slowed his pace to accommodate Xiao Qing.

After all, she was just a child.

Unexpectedly, she walked with vigorous steps, not at all slower than him.

“Can you keep up at this pace?”

“Yes! I’m used to walking in the mountains with my grandfather.”

She didn’t seem to find it very difficult.

“Heh, that’s good,”

Qin Niu tried to quicken his pace, and indeed, she kept up with him.

“Are you also practicing the Medicine King Sutra?”

“Yep!”

“What’s your level of cultivation now?”

“Around the peak of the second realm of mortals!”

He hadn’t expected such a young child to have achieved a strong level of cultivation.

“How long have you been at this stage?”

“It seems to have been over a year now, but I’ve always been unable to break through. My grandfather has bought me no less than ten Elixirs.”

Xiao Qing’s tone always carried a hint of sorrow when she mentioned her grandfather.

“Don’t worry for now. Once I’m back, when I get the chance, I’ll properly research the Medicine King Sutra. If there’s really a problem with this Cultivation Technique, I’ll teach you another one to practice,”

Qin Niu said to her.

By the time the two returned to the village, it was deep into the night, probably around ten in the evening.

This was only because Xiao Qing could keep up with Qin Niu’s pace that they managed to return so quickly.

“My house is a bit shabby, I’m not sure if you’ll be able to get used to it.”

Qin Niu opened the gate to the courtyard, and she followed him in.

“It doesn’t matter where I live, as long as I’m with you, I feel good about it. Before, when my grandfather was alive, wherever grandfather was felt like home to me. Now that he’s entrusted me to you, wherever you are is where I consider home. A broken temple, under a tree, in a cave… I don’t mind any of those,”

She said sincerely.

You could sense that she genuinely considered Qin Niu a family member.

She had developed a bond with him.

“Heh, you’re just a little child, yet your words… why do they move me so much?”

Qin Niu patted her head.

Having an extra person in the house was a good thing.

It was just one more mouth to feed, wasn’t it?

With his various abilities to make money, supporting her was entirely within his means.

“Moo!”

The calf, noticing its owner return, excitedly stretched its neck and bellowed.

With a livestock animal in the dilapidated courtyard, it felt a little less desolate.

“Oh, Master, you’ve also got a calf! It’s so cute!”

The little girl seemed especially delighted upon seeing the calf.

Children seem to have a natural affinity for animals.

“From now on, you should just call me brother!”

Qin Niu always felt there was something slightly odd about the title ‘master’.

“My grandfather, on his deathbed, told me to serve as your maid or servant girl. Aren’t you my master then?”

She asked, puzzled.

“You could be my sister instead!”

“That would be inappropriate. You are a noble Insect Master, it’s already quite good that you’re willing to shelter me. I am willing to serve as your maid, wash clothes, cook – I can do any work.”

“Isn’t it better to be sisters?”

“I still think it’s better to serve as your maid; it makes me feel secure. Otherwise, I worry that one day you might not want me.”

She insisted on being Qin Niu’s maid.

The little girl was very sensitive, probably having seen too much of the cruel and dark side of society.

She always felt that she needed to create some value for Qin Niu in order to stay by his side without being cast away.

“Alright, if that’s what you like, we’ll have it your way!”

Qin Niu no longer objected.

Perhaps getting along in a master-servant relationship would be more harmonious.

Xiao Qing, though young, was very clever and had her own concerns and thoughts.

“Let’s go inside! You can start getting used to it. Over there is the toilet and that way is the backyard, there’s a well. Oh, and the Dogtail Grass next to the well is one I am tending, don’t pull it out. Over here is the bedroom; men and women sleep separately, you’ll sleep in that bed. Tidy up a bit later. Tonight, is wild boar meat okay with you?”

Qin Niu had hunted two wild boars, enough to feed both master and servant for a while.

“Okay!”

She felt curious and excited at the prospect of having pork to eat.

Normally, she probably didn’t eat very well.

Qin Niu cut off five or six jin of meat and handed it to her.

“You get the fire going and cook. I need to step out. Take this for self-defense.”

Qin Niu handed her a short blade he used to carry.

Now that he had the Treasured Sword, the short blade was unlikely to see much use anymore.

Once the door was properly shut, he left the house.

Likely due to a shift in his mindset, the Wang family’s house didn’t seem so unattainable anymore as he passed by it.

Now with the status of an Insect Master, his earning ability had improved as well.

Before long, he would be living in a more splendid abode.

“Miss Wang!”

Qin Niu called out as he looked up.

The light on the second floor swiftly came on, and the window opened to reveal Wang Wanyan’s head.

“It’s all taken care of,”

Qin Niu said to her.

“Thank you!”

Her pretty face immediately beamed with a joyous smile upon hearing this.

A basket quickly descended; she often used this method to covertly send Qin Niu some food.

Qin Niu placed the items in the basket, and she promptly pulled it back up.

“This… how come you didn’t sell…”

She appeared extremely surprised.

The price of three Tempering Elixirs wasn’t cheap, and in the package Qin Niu gave her, besides the elixirs, there was also her gold bracelet.

“Presumably, this item holds significant sentimental value for you, so I took the liberty of keeping it for you. When you have money in the future, you can pay me back then.”

He said with a smile.

In the past, when his status was low, he always felt somewhat inferior when speaking to Wang Wanyan.

Now, perhaps even he hadn’t realized, he was becoming confident and carefree.

“Thank you!”

She must have been deeply touched, her voice slightly trembling.

Qin Niu waved his hand and strode away, guided by the moonlight.

“Are you going into the mountains so late?”

“Hmm!”

“Be safe.”

Her voice followed, filled with concern.

Although she didn’t know why Qin Niu was heading into the mountains so late, she knew he must have had important reasons.

“Okay!”

Qin Niu walked away without looking back.

Now possessing considerable strength, venturing into the mountains had become relatively safe.

As long as he didn’t court death by venturing too deep into the mountains, he would be fine.

The ordinary fierce beasts he encountered were just additional meals for him now.

With one more person to feed at home, he didn’t mind hunting a few more wild beasts.

Cured meat could last over a year, although its taste was slightly inferior to fresh meat.

Once he had a swarm of bees, the entire mountain would gradually become his hunting ground.

A group of special bees that could track wild beasts would significantly increase his hunting efficiency.

The current task was to wait patiently.

In another ten days or so, the first group of Worker Bees would hatch.

In the deep silence of the night, the mountain tranquility was broken only by the intermittent chirping of insects.

For someone like him who regularly traversed the mountains, the only dangers to be mindful of were two: poisonous snakes and fierce beasts.

Now, ordinary fierce beasts could hardly threaten him anymore.

There should be no demons in the outer areas of the mountains; they usually lurk deep within their dens, cultivating. They rarely expose themselves to humans.

Otherwise, attracting the notice of human Cultivators, they would be quickly subdued or killed.

Either they’d become beast pets for humans, end up on the dining table, or be processed into elixirs.

Hence, demons acted far more cautiously than one might expect.

Everything was fine at the Ant Nest, and Qin Niu let out a sigh of relief. He returned the termites, like Fourth and the Ant Queen, who had performed well, back to their nest.

Some termites were still evolving, and the process would likely be complete by tomorrow.

He would come back then to check.

As the ant colony grew stronger, he could start exploring their new abilities, such as capturing unusual insects or even attempting bolder experiments.

For example, the Puppet Talisman he had seen at the Bei Bing talisman shop had given him a lot of inspiration.

Would a hundred Puppet Ants be able to easily control a single insect, then capture it? Could this extend to small wild beasts?

Like squirrels, snakes, and so on, which were usually difficult to catch?