Chapter 1002: Trouble Brewing Over Soybeans

According to the notice from the Territory Management Department, Magnetic Sense Evolvers only patrol the cultivated farmland areas in each territory for free. If a lord wants them to check other regions inside their territory, they’ll have to pay.

This rule is meant to push lords to speed up farmland development.

Naturally, Xia Qing wasn’t about to waste credits hiring them to wander around her territory, so after Geng Min and Wang Jun finished checking Section Three’s greenhouses—identifying two abnormal corn plants and five abnormal rice plants—the Inspection Team and Ninth Center Security took them to patrol the farmlands of Territory One.

Sharing the same Type B Magnetic Sense ability, Xia Qing was completely satisfied with Geng Min and Wang Jun’s results. They’d found every target in the fields Xia Qing had marked using Magnetic Sense.

Once she’d seen them off at Section Three, Xia Qing pressed the lord communicator, shutting down a heated lords’ channel debate about just how powerful magnetic sense could be. She asked, “Third Brother, are you there?”

When they heard Xia Qing call for Zhang San, everyone perked up, waiting to listen in.

Half a minute later, Zhang San finally responded, sounding listless. “Go ahead.”

Knowing her idol was in a foul mood, Xia Qing treaded carefully. “Third Brother, while those two Magnetic Sense Evolvers were checking my territory, they found eight soybean plants with abnormal magnetic fields. When you have a moment, I’d like you to take a look and see what’s wrong with these plants.”

Zhang San brushed off some of his laziness and continued, “Haven’t you already harvested your soybeans?”

“Most have been, but there are still over thirty plants that aren’t fully ripe yet. I plan to harvest them the day before the third Devastation Rain,” Xia Qing answered.

That arrangement made perfect sense. After all, with the fields cleared, the soil could dry out before planting winter crops, so there was no rush.

Tang Huai couldn’t help but exclaim, “Eight abnormal plants out of just thirty? Isn’t that way too high? Xia Qing, are these the Green Lantern soybeans you got from Fourth Sister last year?”

Everyone in the Alliance knew Xia Qing had Green Lantern soybeans, and they’d all lined up to trade for Section Three’s soybean seeds. Now, hearing such a high rate of Devastation Evolution in her plants, no one was feeling very confident anymore.

And then there was the name “Fourth Sister”—just hearing it made everyone feel like they’d stepped back in time.

Thinking of her brought back memories of last winter’s beast tide before Devastation Snow, the emergency disaster protocols triggered during that snow, and the way wheat and rapeseed—rampant with Devastation Evolution—shot up like crazy in the fields.

In short, the entire Alliance was in a pretty grim mood.

Xia Qing answered calmly, “Not all of them.”

“Have you checked the quality of the soybeans and plants you already harvested?” Zhang San pressed.

“Most of what I’ve harvested are Yellow Lantern beans, already dried. The leaves on the soybean stalks were fed to my sheep, and the stalks were shredded up with other plant matter for fertilizer.”

Everyone: So diligent!

Tang Huai sounded frantic. “There’s no way the soybean stalks your sheep ate didn’t include some of the abnormal ones. Did anything strange happen after the sheep ate them?”

Nerves tightened all around. Everyone knew how much Xia Qing treasured that strong, field-plowing sheep in Section Three.

But nobody dared to suggest Xia Qing send the sheep to Territory Seven too, so Third Brother could check it over.

Even Zhang San sobered up. “How many pounds of soybeans did you harvest, and how much did you eat yourself?”

“Twenty-five pounds of Green Lantern soybean, ninety-six of Yellow Lantern, twenty-one of Red Lantern,” Xia Qing reported accurately. “I only ate boiled Yellow Lantern edamame twice, and I gave you a pound of Green Lantern edamame as well. Right now, I’ve set aside a pound of each kind for testing—I’ll bring them all over.”

“Bring every last one. Don’t leave even a single bean behind.”

Zhang San’s tone made it clear he thought Xia Qing’s soybeans were a problem. After half a year’s work, was Xia Qing’s Green Lantern harvest going to be a wash—just like last year’s Iron Soybeans, where she couldn’t even eat a single one?

The other lords felt for Xia Qing. She deserved better.

“Alright, I’ll bring them right over. Sorry to trouble you, Third Brother.”

But Xia Qing’s voice held a bite of anger, and even Tang Huai—the usual chatterbox—kept quiet.

No sooner had Xia Qing hung up than Xin Yu called. “All your seeds are from Fire Phoenix.”

“Yes,” Xia Qing replied evenly.

Xin Yu reminded her, “Have Third Brother check your health thoroughly, too.”

Xia Qing agreed, then called Hu Zifeng and asked him to send someone over to watch the territory for her.

Tan Junjie was leading a team surveying farmland in Territory One. As soon as Xia Qing’s situation was reported, Hu Zifeng made arrangements and hurried straight to Section Three.

But as he reached Section Three’s Northern Gate, he saw Xia Qing driving her off-roader into the Southern Wild Grass Wall. With how fast that car was moving, Hu Zifeng got a little anxious.

Standing beneath the Territory Two signpost, Tang Huai spotted Xia Qing racing off to Territory Seven—the car door left wide open. He rushed over to close it for her, nerves churning the whole way.

Everyone knew Xia Qing wouldn’t dare lose her temper in front of Third Brother, no matter how heated she was, but still, Qi Fu spoke up for her in the lords’ channel. “Last year Xia Qing found over twenty Yellow Lantern soybean plants in her territory, cared for them for half a year, only for all the beans to be hard as rocks—not a single one edible.”

“I remember that too,” Zhu Li logged on right away. “That’s why last October, Sister Qing used Green Lantern hatching eggs to trade with Fourth Sister for three hundred and fifty Green Lantern soybeans.”

Madam Shi joined in. “But three hundred fifty beans wouldn’t produce so many plants. Maybe some of Xia Qing’s seed beans came from other trades and those were faulty.”

“Could be. Fourth Sister’s an expert, so the beans she provided should be fine,” Zhao Ze agreed.

High-stability Green Lantern soybeans from Fire Phoenix are one of their top sellers, so no one dared suggest this was Fire Phoenix’s fault. Neither Xia Qing nor anyone else wanted to mess with them.

Wen Nengjie caught on. “If I ever find out which bastard gave Sister Qing tainted seeds on purpose, I won’t let them off!”

After parking at Territory Seven’s South Gate, Xia Qing spotted Yue Haiying walking out from Territory Fifteen. She hopped out, nodded to him, then finally lifted a hundred-pound grain sack from the back seat.

Yue Haiying stepped forward to help, but Ji Li—now a Level Seven Speed Evolver—was already at the car, hand outstretched. “Let me take that.”

“Careful, Ji. This one’s light,” Xia Qing said, handing over the black bag with the abnormal plants. She herself took the massive sack of soybeans and closed the car door.

Ji Li didn’t move, just held his hand out again. “Give me the grain bag, too.”

Xia Qing frowned slightly, lifting her head to meet Ji Li’s stern gaze. Her voice stayed level. “No need, Ji. I can carry it myself.”

Neither was willing to back down. Ji Li kept his hand out, Xia Qing refused to hand over the sack. She replied, cool as ever, “I want to hand it to Third Brother myself.”

Reading the tension, Yue Haiying quickly closed in. Over in Territory Six, Zhu Li’s heart skipped a beat. Watching through her binoculars, Tang Huai realized things were going sideways and instantly called Tan Junjie.

Yue Haiying moved quickly, but Ji Li was faster. He tossed the black bag to one of his men, then in a flash grabbed Xia Qing’s wrist as she lugged the grain sack.

Since she didn’t have any weapons with her (they weren’t allowed into Territory Seven), Xia Qing clenched her right fist in warning. Instantly, four Territory Seven guards rushed over and leveled their guns at her. Yue Haiying stepped between Xia Qing and the guards, drawing his own gun and aiming it right at Ji Li’s head.

At that moment, Tan Qi, Zhang Hongda, and Yu Shou, along with five people from inside Territory Seven—all of them armed—came running out. Zhang Hongda and Yu Shou raised their guns, Tan Qi brandished his twin sabers, radiating deadly intent.

Zhu Li hurriedly retreated and pulled out her phone to call for backup, only to discover there was no signal at all.

The signal here—it was jammed!