Chapter 121: Pumpkin Vines, Hungry Sheep, and the Cat That Got Away

The moment word got out that Xia Qing’s pumpkin vines had finally bloomed, the once-quiet channel buzzed with excitement. Lords who’d been tormented by pumpkin vines for months bombarded her with questions: How many buds are there? What do they look like? Are they normal? How did Xia Qing manage it?

Xia Qing tapped a pumpkin bud with a stick and glanced at the portable toxin detector on her wrist before hitting the button. “Looks normal so far. I didn’t really do anything, just cut a basketful of pumpkin vines to eat the day before yesterday.”

Xia Qing never mentioned who ate them or how, but the lords immediately got her meaning. After a brief silence, Zhao Ze pressed the button. “You really don’t hold back.”

Just imagine—a strength-evolved sheep that’s inedible, and yet Xia Qing’s willing to feed it Yellowlight crops.

Over in Plot One, Guan Tong whispered, “Feeding sheep pumpkin vines is nothing. If Boss Sheep wanted cucumbers, Qing-jie would snatch some right off the vine to chop up and feed it, no hesitation.”

Hu Zifeng, who’d personally heard Xia Qing coaxing Boss Sheep, agreed. “If Boss Sheep wanted Greenlight stuff, she’d give it up too.”

Greenlight cucumbers, huh…

Guan Tong and Hu Zifeng shared a silent look—their urge to join Territory Three as sheep only grew. Not that either of them would say it out loud.

In the Lord’s Channel, Zhang San finally spoke up with casual ease. “Xia Qing just lucked into it. After chopping off part of the pumpkin vines, flower buds appeared. The vines probably grew too wild before and sapped too many nutrients.”

Eager to learn, Xia Qing asked, “Have your pumpkins flowered yet, Third Brother?”

“I don’t like pumpkin, so I never planted any.”

Xia Qing…. Well, that’s a very Third Brother answer.

Qi Fu jumped in for advice. “So, Third Brother, should we chop some vines too?”

Zhang San answered, “It’s worth a try.”

With Zhang San’s nod, Qi Fu was over the moon. “Thanks, Third Brother! Xia Qing, once my pumpkins start growing, let your wife fry some pumpkin pancakes for you.”

Xia Qing was basking in the good vibes when Zhang San spoke up again. “Hu Zifeng, you there?”

Hu Zifeng immediately responded. “I’m here, Third Brother!”

Zhang San’s voice was cool. “Come pick up your kitten and take good care of it. If I ever find out you’ve hurt the little thing, whatever you did will come back to you a hundred times over.”

“Yes, Third Brother, you can count on me. I’ll take care of it, I promise!” Hu Zifeng’s voice rose with excitement.

Xia Qing’s bubble of joy popped with a single, silent burst.

Just when Xia Qing was feeling at her lowest, someone had to pour cold water on her. Zhao Ze asked, “Don’t you need to pick up a kitten too, Xia Qing?”

“Xia Qing and this litter of kittens just aren’t meant to be. Maybe next time.”

Tears pricked Xia Qing’s eyes. Only her idol, Zhang San, could reject her and still save her dignity.

Li Si chimed in at once. “Third Brother, can I adopt another kitten? I swear I’ll take good care of it.”

Zhang San refused. “The other little one is my favorite. No trades. If one of my cats wanders into your territory and causes trouble, please don’t hurt them. I’ll pay double for any losses. Captain Tan, could you pass this along to all the lords in the area?”

“Captain Tan’s not here. Inspection Team got the message—we’ll spread the word,” Su Ming’s voice echoed in the Lord’s Channel. Xia Qing figured Tan Junjie was probably playing with his daughter.

Thinking of the Tan family made Xia Qing remember the floating-heart flower Tan Qi had given her. Honestly, she’d tried adding it and some sugar to her porridge, but aside from a bit of extra sweetness, she couldn’t taste anything special. Would Zhang San like it? Maybe she’d try introducing it next time. If he did, she’d have a new Greenlight plant on hand.

The moment double compensation was mentioned, Kuang Qingwei spoke up. “Cats wander to catch mice anyway. Don’t worry, Third Brother, I won’t get in their way.”

Qi Fu, who kept a chicken, was more cautious. “What do Third Brother’s cats look like? I don’t want to mix them up with wild or feral cats.”

Zhang San replied, “There’s a big and a small tabby, both brown with golden tracking collars.”

Hu Zifeng quickly added, “Mine’s a tabby too, with four white paws and a white ruff, also collared. Same deal—if my kitten causes any trouble, I’ll double-compensate as well.”

By now, Xia Qing was in the vegetable garden, viciously chomping down on a Greenlight cucumber. Her precious Little Fifth was now Hu Zifeng’s cat. As for Wolf, she really wanted to teach him a lesson!

That afternoon, Xia Qing asked Hu Zifeng to send over some squad members to help guard her territory. Frustrated, she decided to hit the private training ground and blow off some steam.

When Luo Pei arrived at Zone Three on Mountain 49 and saw Xia Qing’s gloomy face, he burst out laughing. “You want a cat that badly? I can get you one from the Safe Zone.”

If Xia Qing really wanted a cat—or more Greenlight plants—she could always trade with the Azure Dragon Unit. But for safety’s sake, she didn’t want any deals that would attract attention. “My territory smells like wolf. Any cat would be scared off. Luo Ge, teach me more combat today.”

After flooring Zhao Jie and his crew on her last trip back, Xia Qing’s appetite for fighting had soared—especially after being thrashed by Luo Pei time and again.

Luo Pei turned serious. “Spar with Chengdong first. Let’s see how you do before we move on.”

“Alright.” Xia Qing set her knife and gun on a nearby rock, limbered up, and squared off with Wei Chengdong.

Wei Chengdong was a Level 4 defense-evolved—basically, he could take four times the punishment of a normal person, plus years of training and real combat. Naturally, Xia Qing was outmatched. Five minutes in, and he had her pinned facedown, arms twisted behind her back and knee in her spine.

Once Wei Chengdong let her go, Xia Qing got up, stretching out her arms and legs. She saw Luo Pei eyeing her blade, so she explained, “I picked this up at Huo’s Blade Shop last time I was in the Safe Zone.”

Luo Pei picked up the mid-sized knife—over thirty centimeters long—gave it a swing, and took down a pine tree as thick as an arm. “This is a handmade blade by Huo Lei himself. You’re lucky to have it.”

Xia Qing grinned. “I’ve always been lucky.”

Ten years of disasters, and she was still so optimistic—rare, truly. Luo Pei sheathed the blade and started instructing her again. “You’ve got the strength, but your speed is lacking, and your aim needs work. You also need to get better at predicting your opponent’s moves…”

Under Luo Pei’s guidance, Xia Qing trained hard all afternoon. By the time she collapsed on the ground for a break, Luo Pei’s phone was already ringing.

Thanks to her advanced hearing, Xia Qing caught the voice on the other end. “Luo Ge, the brothers stationed in Zone One on Mountain 49 spotted hundreds of birds taking off at once from the southern slope of Mountain 55.”

Luo Pei asked, “Any disaster weather alerts from the weather bureau?”

“None.”

Luo Pei replied, “Must be a big evolved creature fight on Mountain 55. Send two squads over to check it out. Be careful—keep me posted.”

“Will do.”

After the call ended, Xia Qing stood up. “Go ahead, Luo Ge. I’ll train on my own.”

Luo Pei nodded. “Stay away from the north slope, keep your phone on. From now on, I’ll double the guards on this mountain.”

North of Mountain 49 lies Mountain 52, and northeast past that is Mountain 55. Sounds distant, but if a massive fight breaks out between evolved animals, the losing side could flee this way. At their speed, they’d reach Mountain 49 in an hour.

If the animal packs are strong enough, their stampede could set off a full-blown beast tide. Anyone who’s lived through one knows how terrifying and hopeless it feels—you’d never wish it on anyone.

With Luo Pei gone, Xia Qing’s muscles ached, but she kept up her recovery routine, turning over everything she knew about the situation on Mountain 55.

Her gut told her the wolf pack was involved in the fight on Mountain 55, but the winner was still a mystery.

If, by chance, the wolf with the notched left ear led its pack and they lost, would they try to take over her territory?

That was far more likely than a beast tide.