"And who is Ah Qin?"
Ma Wu led Li Banfeng to Ah Qin’s room.
Ah Qin was in her room playing the piano.
She appeared to be a woman in her late twenties.
Big eyes, thin eyebrows, a high nose bridge; she was quite handsome.
There were two antennae on her forehead, but they did not detract from her overall beauty.
The lower half of her body was slightly sturdier, but she had two long, shapely legs.
Those legs were particularly well-formed, just a little thin.
Li Banfeng asked Ma Wu, "Is she a grasshopper?"
Upon hearing the word "grasshopper," Ah Qin was displeased and glared at Li Banfeng. "Wulang, who is this person?"
Ma Wu reminded Li Banfeng to watch his tone. "Ah Qin is a senior, a genuine Sixth Layer Body Cultivator, and she has cultivated at the Three-way Fork."
Li Banfeng asked in a low voice, "Was her original form human?"
Ma Wu remained silent.
Ah Qin stood up. She was about one meter sixty tall and very much resembled a human, but her original form was indeed that of a grasshopper.
Ma Wu reminded Li Banfeng again, "Senior Ah Qin is no ordinary person; she is Wen Hongyan’s master."
Ma Wu explained the situation to Ah Qin.
Ah Qin moved her antennae and said indifferently, "When do we make our move?"
"The sooner, the better."
Ah Qin immediately stood up without any preparation.
"Wulang, tell me who that woman is later. There’s no need for you to act; leave the rest to me."
Ma Wu was somewhat apprehensive. "I’ll bring Old Zuo along as well."
"He’s not needed. Zuo Wugang keeps staring at me. I find him disgusting."
Ma Wu set off with Ah Qin. When they arrived at the territory being opened for cultivation, Ma Wu didn’t see Lu Xiaolan, nor the other Pioneer.
But he saw the land light up.
"No harm done," Ma Wu gritted his teeth. "Let’s wait for them to start cultivating the land tomorrow. We’ll make our move then. We absolutely can’t let them succeed in cultivating this plot."
Ah Qin shook her head. "Wulang, before the cultivation begins, I can do as I please. Even after it’s successful, I can find an opportunity to act. But during the cultivation, I must not interfere recklessly; I have an agreement with Qiu Luoye."
"What agreement?"
"You could say I’m under Qiu Luoye’s command. If someone is cultivating on his turf, I can go inspect them, but only with his permission. Otherwise, I can’t enter the plot at will."
Ah Qin’s situation was like that of the wild boar and the Centipede Woman: they could come and inspect Li Banfeng and Ma Wu, but only if Shui Yongquan permitted.
The pioneer assessment is a test of one’s ability to take on a parcel of land. A tract of one *li* is not much to speak of, and Qiu Luoye would never allow a Sixth Layer cultivator to oversee the assessment of a Pioneer. That’s against the rules of pioneering.
Ah Qin couldn’t go, but Ma Wu had other methods.
Ah Qin was not at ease. "Yanzi is still young. That girl lacks Tempering. I’m afraid she won’t be able to handle this properly."
Ma Wu was taken aback. "Young? Lacks Tempering? Ah Qin, which Yanzi are you talking about?"
"Wen Hongyan, of course, my disciple. When she was learning from me, she wasn’t spared the rod. Her peach is covered in welts. I’ll have her show you sometime."
Ma Wu laughed. "I’m talking about our Yanzi, not the Chu Family’s Chief Custodian."
Ah Qin was not amused. "Why do you keep bringing up that shameless wretch!"
Ma Wu quickly embraced Ah Qin, soothing her. "We’re all family here. In the end, we should be harmonious."
Ah Qin shrugged her shoulders. "I can’t get along with her."
"Alright, Ah Qin, let’s not dwell on it. I’ll listen to you play the piano when we get back."
"Wulang, I wasn’t able to help you with this. You can’t be mad at me."
"I’m not mad, but you’ve got to make it up to me properly."
"Then you’ve got to cherish me a bit more."
...
「The next day, the pioneering began.」
Ma Wu brought Yanzi and Ah Qin to the land.
Lu Xiaolan might not be there, as the owner of the land could hire others to pioneer it. Ma Wu was prepared for this. If Lu Xiaolan was pioneering the land herself, he would have Yanzi drive her away, and Ah Qin would finish her off. If Lu Xiaolan wasn’t there, Yanzi would just disrupt the pioneering.
On the way, Ah Qin and Yanzi bickered constantly.
"Little Brother, why did you have to bring this grasshopper along? I could handle such a small task on my own."
Ah Qin snorted coldly. "It’s because you’re clumsy, and he’s worried you’ll mess things up."
"Old woman, who are you calling dumb? Believe it or not, I’ll break your legs!"
"You try it, and I’ll break your teeth first."
Ma Wu laughed awkwardly. "Focus on the task at hand, the task at hand."
As they neared the plot, they saw several Pioneers gathered around a fire, eating. Ma Wu didn’t spot Lu Xiaolan among them.
Ma Wu instructed, "Yanzi, drive them out!"
Yanzi gave Ah Qin a dismissive look. "Old woman, it’s not your turn this time."
Ah Qin quivered her antennae but said nothing.
Yanzi slithered into the plot, sending the Pioneers into a trembling frenzy.
With a smile, Yanzi approached the men and overturned one of them with her antennae. "You lads are quite handsome. If I weren’t already spoken for, I’d love to have some fun with you.
Since I’m in a good mood, you’d better scram now. If you’re too slow, you’ll lose your lives."
The group of Pioneers scattered. Yanzi returned to Ma Wu’s side, rubbing against him coquettishly.
Ah Qin looked down silently, while Ma Wu observed the plot with a slight smile.
...
「That evening, Shui Yongquan came knocking.」
"Brother Ma Wu, I heard you brought a Bagworm Moth and chased away the Pioneers?"
Ma Wu neither confirmed nor denied. "Manager Shui, Bagworm Moths aren’t bound by the rules of pioneering. Whether this matter involves me or not, if a Bagworm Moth disrupts pioneering, that’s not a problem, right?"
Shui Yongquan sipped some tea. "That’s the theory, but not how things work in practice."
Li Banfeng commented from the side, "Then enlighten us. How exactly do things work?"
Shui Yongquan said, "It wasn’t easy for me to make peace with Qiu Luoye, agreeing to no more fights. No one has ever succeeded in pioneering on his territory. Now that we finally have someone willing to try, you go and cause trouble. Aren’t you just forcing him to turn hostile again? Let me be clear with both of you: if Qiu Luoye does turn hostile, he’s sure to strike again. And if he does, you’ll be the first to suffer. My message is delivered; it’s up to you to weigh your options."
Not long after Shui Yongquan left, Chuanzi ran over with a message. "Someone’s pioneering again, still on Qiu Luoye’s territory!"
PS: Why do Local Deities value Pioneers so much?