Hua Xueji was still a bit slow to react.
He had explained for a long time to the villagers, and no one believed him. Bai Shengyi, with just a few words, had managed to get them to cooperate so easily?
"Mmm," Hua Xueji's voice was as clear and cold as ice.
He truly lived up to his name, being as desolate as frost and snow. With his way of speaking, it was no wonder the villagers didn't listen to him.
Bai Shengyi had to ask further, "Isn't the other box with Xi Men Hongchun?"
The implication was that even if they found the place where the boxes were kept, without the box, wandering around here was no different than finding their teammates.
Hua Xueji glanced at Bai Shengyi.
"Outside the beehive, he encountered danger, gave me the box, and disappeared," he said.
Bai Shengyi asked a few more questions, but Hua Xueji either responded with "Mmm" or "Right." He would absolutely not say two words if one would suffice.
While Bai Shengyi was feeling weary, he pieced together the general sequence of events in his mind.
Xi Men Hongchun and Hua Xueji had traveled together and discovered a location at the beehive outside Peach Blossom Village where boxes were kept. When Xi Men Hongchun went to place it, he encountered danger. He only had time to throw the box to Hua Xueji before he vanished. Hua Xueji wanted to rescue Xi Men Hongchun, and while investigating outside the beehive, he was discovered by the Peach Blossom Village villagers. These people thought he was a threat to the bees, which led to their conflict.
"Miss, we've arrived." Granny Li's voice pulled Bai Shengyi's thoughts back.
"This is the honey I collected a few days ago. I'm giving it all to you." Granny Li brought out three large jars and placed them before Bai Shengyi and Hua Xueji.
Bai Shengyi crouched down and saw that the honey was yellowish-brown, crystal clear, with a faint sweet fragrance. Abundant earth-element spiritual energy floated on its surface.
"Granny, we agreed I would buy it. Here, we'll take all of this." Bai Shengyi took out silver coins and handed them to Granny Li.
Granny Li was unwilling to accept, but Bai Shengyi stuffed the silver into her embrace, then called out to Hua Xueji and they hurried away.
After a while, seeing that Granny Li wasn't chasing them, Bai Shengyi continued to observe Peach Blossom Village.
The village was small, with perhaps a dozen households, surrounded by peach trees. When the wind blew, fallen blossoms fluttered like a beautiful otherworldly paradise.
"Are these… useful?" Hua Xueji suddenly asked.
Bai Shengyi was a little surprised and immediately replied, "No, it's to avoid owing a favor." The effort she put into saving the old woman wasn't worth these three large jars of honey, especially since it wasn't easy for them to collect it.
Hua Xueji didn't quite understand Bai Shengyi's meaning, but he didn't have much curiosity. He nodded and continued to remain silent.
Bai Shengyi, however, gave him a surprised look. Since they had met, this person had been walking half a step behind her to her right, being remarkably taciturn.
"Ah!"
A scream suddenly shattered the village's quiet.
Bai Shengyi saw the surrounding villagers quickly run towards the source of the scream. She was about to follow when some familiar faces stopped her.
"Brother A'Liu, Brother Anshan, what are you doing?" Bai Shengyi asked with a harmless smile.
A'Liu and Anshan had blank expressions and said with stiff faces, "You can't go over there. Outsiders, leave the village quickly."
Bai Shengyi faintly saw that almost all the villagers had gathered at the location of the scream. Then Granny Li also hurried over, "Oh dear, Tao Tao, how could you be so careless? Didn't you drink water again..."
Granny Li's words were not finished when someone from outside the village ran in frantically.
"Granny Li, Brother Anshan, the bees! The guardian deity is angry! Many bees have suddenly appeared outside!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of "buzzing" erupted from all around, as if countless small bees were fluttering past their ears.
"A'Liu, keep an eye on these two," Anshan said, then quickly rushed into the crowd and pulled Granny Li aside. "Granny Li, Yingying has gone mad again. You go and coax her..."
"But Tao Tao..."
"It's fine, she won't die anyway."
"They are very calm," Hua Xueji suddenly spoke.
Bai Shengyi nodded. "Yes."
The surrounding villagers showed no concern for Tao Tao's condition, nor for the "guardian deity's" anger. The latter could be understood as great trust in Granny Li, but the former? Was it because she "wouldn't die"?
Bai Shengyi felt that this village was extremely strange and wanted to stay a little longer, but A'Liu began to coldly and sternly usher them out.
Bai Shengyi didn't want to fall out with the villagers when the situation was unclear. She frowned and left the village with Hua Xueji.
As a result, that strange feeling intensified.
There wasn't a single bee outside the village, and the "buzzing" sound was gone, as if everything they had seen inside the village was an illusion.
"To the beehive?" Bai Shengyi said, "Let's take this opportunity to look for Xi Men..."
"Careful!"
Hua Xueji grabbed Bai Shengyi's sleeve and quickly retreated a few steps, drawing his Ya Qin and raising his hand.
"Zheng..."
As the clear notes sounded, a sonic wave erupted, breaking the bee stings!
"Buzz buzz buzz buzz..."
Noisy sounds instantly filled both their ears. Countless bees suddenly appeared all around them.
Each one was the size of a fist, staring at the two of them menacingly.
"It's them who ruined my good deed! Kill them!" Yingying stood behind the swarm of small bees and roared loudly.
All the bees, with their tails hooked, stung towards Bai Shengyi and Hua Xueji.
Hua Xueji strummed his Ya Qin, blocking all the stings!
Bai Shengyi leaped into the air, transforming into a spiritual creature, and directly attacked Yingying.
After a few exchanges, Yingying saw that the situation was not good and turned to run again. But this time, Bai Shengyi was prepared. The QIngmeng Vine, woven in the darkness, formed a long, thin net, directly capturing the bee demon.
"You are despicable!" Yingying said in a hoarse voice. "You are just as despicable as those scoundrels!"
"Little bees, tell your companions to retreat quickly, or I'll roast bees," Bai Shengyi couldn't be bothered with her childish insults. Ten Directions Netherfire rose around her hand, and she threatened coldly.
Yingying sensed the terrifying flames and retracted her bee head. "Buzz buzz..."
After a few breaths, the surrounding bees scattered completely.
"Tell me, how were those scoundrels despicable? Aren't you their guardian deity?"
Bai Shengyi had long been curious. This bee demon treated the villagers of Peach Blossom Village as enemies. The attitudes between both sides were completely different.
"I would never..."
The flames suddenly rose.
"... scoundrels!"
Yingying, with teary bee eyes, added, "They are scoundrels! All the peach blossom honey we worked so hard to brew was snatched by them! They didn't just snatch it once; they guard the beehive every day, watching our companions produce honey. If they don't produce, they torture the queen..."
"If it weren't for them, our queen would have been able to transform long ago."
In Yingying's words, a completely different Peach Blossom Village was revealed.
Bai Shengyi and Hua Xueji exchanged a look. "Is your queen in the beehive?"
Yingying didn't want to say, but she was afraid of the fire, so she nodded aggrievedly.
"Shall we go take a look?"
Bai Shengyi asked Hua Xueji. She already had a guess in her mind.