Immortality: Raising an Ant Queen to Cultivate by increasing stat points

It’s often said that a man is judged by his clothing and a Buddha by his gold attire; this saying couldn’t be more true.

Having donned the Insect Master robe and hung the Bronze Fish Talisman at his waist, he had transformed, becoming a noble Insect Master whom commoners had to look up to.

With this identity, his status in Shuangfeng Village was now unparalleled.

What’s more, with the added prestige of being a Grade Two insect identifier, his status was even higher than that of an ordinary Insect Master.

He went out and spent a single Wen Money to buy ten identification papers for insects.

In fact, these were pre-copied templates, with the words “Appraiser from the Insect Master Association of Black Tiger City” written on them.

Though they were just blank identification papers of little value, the management was quite strict. Not only did you have to show your Fish Talisman and verify your identity at the time of purchase, but you also had to be registered. Qin Niu was required to fill in his name on the spot in the section for the user of each document.

This was to prevent them from being resold for others’ use.

After purchasing the papers, Qin Niu borrowed an ink brush and wrote out three identification papers on the spot.

This act dumbfounded the staff members.

“Master Qin… forgive me for being presumptuous, but these identification papers are quite authoritative, representing the reputation of both the Insect Master Association and your person. They must not be issued rashly.

Otherwise, you could be punished by the Insect Master Association.”

“I’m not issuing them carelessly; I’ve brought the insects with me. I’ve examined each one and can be responsible for the identification papers issued.”

Saying this, Qin Niu took out a Jin Chan to show the staff member.

“I apologize, 1 spoke out of turn!”

The staff member smiled apologetically.

This was the most impressive country boy she had ever seen stage a comeback.

In just one day, he had gone from a mere commoner to an Insect Master and a Grade ‘Two insect identifier; truly enviable.

It’s good to be capable.

Qin Niu left the Insect Master Association’s guildhouse and arrived at the same spot where he had set up his street stall last time.

Not far away, the Market Administrator, who was comfortably flirting with the shopkeeper while lounging in a chair, saw an Insect Master setting up a stall and hurriedly got up to curry favor.

“Respected Insect Master, hello. Are you planning to set up a stall?”

He nodded and bowed, with a smile plastered all over his face.

He even dared not raise his head to take a good look at Qin Niti’s face, lest it be misconstrued as disrespect to an Insect Master.

“What, you want to collect a management fee?”

Qin Niu’s brows rose slightly.

“Alt… how, how could it be you?”

The administrator recognized the familiar voice and Qin Niu, who was carrying a basket, appearing familiar so he took a chance and rounded to the front. Raising his head to see Qin Niu’s face, the administrator was as if he’d seen a ghost in broad daylight.

This respected Insect Master was none other than the country boy he had previously chased away.

Only now, this boy had transformed into someone he had to look up to.

“Previously I was ignorant and offended you. 1 apologize! In my job, I can only work by the rules, please don’t take it to heart!”

The Market Administrator was merely an idler; his status was far lower than Qin Niu’s current one.

If Qin Niu really wanted to deal with him, it would be a very simple matter.

His cushy job could be gone in an instant.

“I’m setting up my stall now, make some space!”

Qin Niu saw the man standing in front, causing his brow to furrow.

His tone also grew a bit discourteous.

“Yes, yes, yes!”

The administrator quickly sidestepped, still wearing a smile on his face, like a fawning dog.

“My name is Bu Lei, one of the five administrators of the market. If you want to set up a stall to sell insects, 1 can help you find a good spot. The foot traffic is too sparse here,” said the administrator, eagerly offering his services.

“Lead the way!”

Qin Niu had many other matters to attend to.

Though he now had the identity of an Insect Master, and was no longer afraid of being caught by the patrolling soldiers after dark before leaving the city, he still wanted to finish his business early and return home.

The Ant Queen and Fourth had been brought out with him, and he worried that a prolonged absence might cause issues.

It had not been easy to develop a semblance of scale and appearance for the ant colony, and he could not afford any mishaps because of applying for an Insect Master certification.

Any loss to the ant colony was something he didn’t want to see.

Bu Lei was tall with a somewhat fierce appearance, and as a middle-aged man, he gave off a greasy, sleazy, and cunning vibe. He led the way with his head down, not caring in the least about the vendors’ opinions of him.

The kind stall-owner who had previously given Qin Niu a friendly warning, now looked on in shock as Qin Niu transformed into an Insect Master.

When Qin Niu walked past his stall, the uncle bowed slightly towards Qin Niu, nodding and squeezing out a servile smile.

He now needed to ingratiate himself with Qin Niu as much as he could.

But he didn’t dare to initiate communication.

“Bu Lei, take good care of this uncle in the future. He is my friend,” Qin Niu said to Bu Lei leading the way.

The stall-owner, a man in his forties, beamed at Qin Niu’s words, his voice choking up with gratitude as he bowed deeply to Qin Niu and said, “Thank you, thank you, Insect Master!”

He didn’t know Qin Niu’s name, so he could only address him this way.

“No problem, if you’ve instructed it, I will definitely provide him with some help within my power in the future,” Bu Lei said after looking at the stall-owner.

He was shrewd and could tell the stall-owner had only just met Qin Niu and couldn’t even name him, clearly indicating a casual acquaintance rather than a close friend.

Bu Lei inwardly envied the vendor’s good fortune.

He couldn’t understand how the vendor had managed to ingratiate himself with the Insect Master so quickly.

Bu Lei led Qin Niu directly to the place where this side street intersected with the main road.

“Move over there!”

Bu Lei’s manner of speaking to the vendors was very assertive, his tone cold and even somewhat aggressive.

This person was naturally inclined to be obsequious to the higher-ups and bully to the lower-downs.

If he were in the Emperor Palace, he would likely be a eunuch.

Very quickly, a stall space about one meter wide was cleared.

“Insect Master, do you think this width is sufficient?”

“Hmm, it’s totally sufficient! Thanks for the effort!”

Qin Niu did not stand on ceremony and began to set up his stall directly in the vacant spot.

“It is my honor to serve you. Should you need anything, just call me—I’ll be right over there,”

Bu Lei seemed very pleased to have successfully helped Qin Niu with one thing.

After he left, the other vendors all looked at Qin Niu with admiration or awe.

Status has nothing to do with age.

Even a six or seven-year-old child, if blessed with a powerful father, could boss around a crowd of people like servants.

Although Qin Niu was only a youth, once he donned the Insect Master robe, no one dared to look down on him.

Choosing to wear the conspicuous Insect Master robe to sell insects was meant to dispel any concerns buyers might have.

And hasten the sale of the insects.

“Insects for sale, insects for sale, every one a special insect, take your pick!”

Owing to Qin Niu’s special identity and premium location at the gold dock, many people quickly gathered around to see what he had.

The quantity was not large, only three in total.

Each one came with an appraisal from a Grade Two appraiser.

“How much for this Green Demon giant hornet?”

A woman in a black robe approached.

She was also an Insect Master.

But she wore a veil hat, and the white gauze that hung down concealed her entire head.

Her specific age and appearance were indiscernible.

From her voice, which was a bit husky, she seemed young—probably in her twenties or thirties.

The bronze Fish Talisman at her waist indicated she was also a low-grade Insect Master.

“How much are you willing to offer?”

Qin Niu had never sold insects before, and after looking around the market, he found it impossible to apply other people’s pricing to this unique Green Demon giant hornet.

Because it was not an Ant Queen, he thought the price wouldn’t be too high.

“Ten silver money!”

“Not selling!”

Qin Niu had now become a shrewd merchant himself.

When he heard her somewhat tentative offer, he flatly refused it.

Truth be told, getting ten silver money for the giant hornet was already beyond his expectations.

Because if he wanted to, he could simply breed another thousand, or even ten thousand of them—wouldn’t that make him rich?

However, he didn’t plan to do so.

He only intended to breed a few and make a big profit.

Rarity commands a premium—and since such bees were not seen in the market, that’s why they fetched a high price.

If he were to flood the market with Green Demon giant hornets, the price would undoubtedly plummet dramatically.

“This is a female hornet that has not fully developed. Although it has some special qualities, its value is limited. Ten silver is already not low,”

The female Insect Master tried to bargain aggressively, showing a strong desire to buy.

“While it’s true that this female hornet is not fully developed, it is capable of laying eggs, which could then be hatched into male hornets for mating with an Ant Queen, and certainly breed a noteworthy special bee species,”

an older man nearby said lightly.

This old man, dressed in a gray robe with white hair and a beard, appeared no different from the average commoner.

But he seemed quite knowledgeable about bee breeding.

He might be a prospective Insect Master.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to become an Insect Master.

Breeding a Grade Three insect is not easy; luck, opportunity, one’s own insect breeding experience, and knowledge are all very important.

“Mind your own business!”

The female Insect Master turned angrily and glared at the old man.

Even with her face covered by the gauze, one could still feel the murderous aura emanating from her.

“We are supposed to engage in fair trade within the market, and whoever offers the highest price will get it. How am 1 interfering?”

“This young man is also an Insect Master. Without my reminder, he would know the value of this female hornet as well. 1’11 pay fifty silver money,” the elderly man stated, raising the bid fivefold and ignoring the woman’s intimidation.

“Are you deliberately trying to go against me?”

The woman’s voice contained a lethal intent, and it was chilling to the bone.

But the huskiness was gone; she sounded to be around twenty years old.

It seemed that the hoarseness of her voice before had been a disguise. Many people liked to hide their identities when buying cultivation materials, to avoid attracting the attention of those with ulterior motives.

“You fancy this bee, and so do 1. How could it be considered going against you?”

The old man remained calm and composed.

If the woman had slightly more experience in the ways of the world, she would surely have reassessed the identity of the old man.

Because he was indifferent to the threat of an Insect Master.

Either he was foolishly ignorant of the dangers of the world, or he possessed even greater power.

If he belonged to the former category, he wouldn’t have lived to his current age.

He might have met an untimely death centuries ago.

Thus, the latter was more likely.

“Don’t force me to release my insects to bite you to death!”

In a fit of rage, the female Insect Master took off her insect pouch and opened the lid.

It frightened the surrounding people into retreating.

Insect Masters held high status precisely because the insects they kept could easily kill a mortal master of tenfold strength.

Even more formidable warriors could be killed.

For instance, the Green Demon had killed the Seven Star Sect Master.

Therefore, everyone equated Insect Masters with venomous snakes and murderous insects..