Chapter 163: Quiet Recovery and a Day of Trading

Boss Sheep squinted at Xia Qing’s hand for a few seconds, then decided not to make her fetch the compressed rations. Instead, he dragged both wolves out by the scruff.

Xia Qing could tell Boss Sheep wasn’t feeling great either. Balancing the wolves, even he staggered as he walked.

Jumping up, Xia Qing quickly opened the security door so Boss Sheep could haul the wolves out. No sooner had he left than she heard movement by the tatami. Turning, she caught the brain-evolved wolf with the wounded waist, struggling down from the mat using his front paws, still soft and shaky.

Spotting Xia Qing’s gaze, the injured wolf froze and lifted his eyes to meet hers.

Was he… trying to avoid being dragged outside by Boss Sheep?

Xia Qing hesitated, wondering if she should lend a hand, but Boss Sheep returned at that moment with his familiar clacking steps. Without pause, he grabbed the brain-evolved wolf by the neck and started dragging him out.

Xia Qing just stared…

Well, that works. Let’s go with that.

She slipped Boss Sheep a chunk of rations for all the hard work, pulled on clean gloves, and took the reserved animal organs outside. She cut open the vacuum bags and set them in front of the Sheep Shed. “Here you go, a treat just for you two. Greenlight Chicken, Greenlight Goose, and Yellowlight Goose organs. Fresh and juicy, have a taste.”

Inside the Sheep Shed, the Wolf with the Broken Leg stared at Xia Qing with less ferocity than before, but its eyes still brimmed with caution. The brain-evolved wolf glanced at her for a moment before inching its way toward the door.

Xia Qing noticed the brain-evolved wolf could even move its hind legs now, though not with much strength yet. She used a bamboo pole to nudge the sack closer, saving the wolf a few extra steps. “Your injury’s looking much better. Congrats.”

The brain-evolved wolf inched over to the organs and dipped its head to eat, slow and careful.

Seeing his companion eat, the Wolf with the Broken Leg crawled out, moving noticeably faster. Xia Qing figured that once the splint came off, the wolf would be back on all fours again.

Her two VIP guests would be checking out soon. She wondered if the wolf pack would leave her a tip.

No, now wasn’t the time to fuss about tips. Xia Qing was more worried that, after today’s ultrasonic attack, the wolf pack might not even be able to deliver food to their injured.

After she tidied up the living room floor and laid down a fresh grass mat for Boss Sheep, Xia Qing finally felt at ease. She flopped onto a chair for a half-hour rest before dinner. As mealtime rolled around, she got up and fished out five chickens and a goose from the big pot, then took them over to Plot One for Hu Zifeng’s Squad—her thanks for helping guard her territory today.

Afterward, she climbed up the highland to the Big Chinquapin Tree, plucked some tender leaves for Boss Sheep, and mixed them with special feed. Then she tucked away a whole simmered chicken and goose for dinner before collapsing into bed.

Today’s fight hadn’t lasted long, but the ultrasonic attack did leave some invisible damage. Xia Qing’s head still throbbed. Rest was badly needed.

Two hours later, she woke up feeling a lot better. She flipped on the Lord’s Channel walkie-talkie to get the latest from around the neighboring territories.

Right away, Zhao Ze’s voice came through, full of tears over his latest losses:

“I spent the past two months taking care of them like ancestors… Just hoped the chickens would grow up and lay eggs so life would get better. Now it’s all gone.”

Zhang San always ran fair trades. The Yellowlight chicks he’d traded to Territory Four and Plot Five were both actually hens.

Kuang Qingwei, who didn’t manage to get any chicks, couldn’t resist teasing. “You can’t have eggs but at least you’ve got meat, right? Having meat isn’t so bad.”

“My crops were smashed by hail, my house torn apart by evolved birds, how can you expect me to eat meat?” Zhao Ze’s voice was thick with tears. This huge guy, nearly two meters tall, always found a reason to wail, so everyone was pretty used to it.

Hearing Zhao Ze didn’t eat meat, Kuang Qingwei perked up. “Not eating? Want to trade, then? What for?”

“I want bamboo poles and insect netting. My greenhouse was destroyed by evolved birds.”

“Deal.”

After a round of haggling, the trade wrapped up. Kuang Qingwei turned to Qi Fu. “Qi-sao, what about your chicken? Wanna trade or not?”

Both Territory Four and Five lost all their chickens to the ultrasonic attack, so there was nothing left in Plot Five either. But Plot Five made a different choice.

Yuan Yan flatly refused. “No trade.”

Kuang Qingwei replied instantly, “Chicken soup’s the best for recovery, Qi Ge’s hurt and should really take care. If you need anything just call, I’ll bring it over.”

Yuan Yan replied, and the Lord’s Channel went quiet.

After all this, Xia Qing realized just how great cellars were—not only can you hide from birds, they can also shield against some ultrasonic attacks.

Chickens and geese in Territory Four, Five, and Ten were wiped out. The reason most of hers survived was that she’d hidden them underground.

Xia Qing flexed her fingers and sat up. Even Zhao Ze, who was crying to go back to the Safe Zone in the morning, had wiped his tears and was thinking about how to fix his greenhouse. No way could Xia Qing afford to be idle.

She suited up and headed downstairs, just about to head out to the fields—then realized Boss Sheep hadn’t finished the special feed in his bowl.

That was a first. Xia Qing sat down by the tatami on the grass mat, gently patting Boss Sheep’s head. “Not feeling well, Boss?” she asked softly.

“Baa…”

Boss Sheep let out a weak bleat, barely able to keep his eyes open. Only the scabbed wound on his face still twitched—a sorry sight all around.

Her own chest and head ached, but Xia Qing could tough it out. But seeing Boss Sheep like this, she couldn’t take it. “Hang in there, Boss. I’ll whip up something tasty for you.”

Heading outside, Xia Qing found the wolves hadn’t finished the organs, and now fat flies were buzzing around. She quickly shoveled the leftovers into the snake crate.

Even the two wolves hadn’t finished a small pile of organs—clearly, both VIP guests were feeling rotten. Xia Qing had promised the Alpha Wolf she’d care for his pack, after all.

So she grabbed her basket and dashed to the hillside spinach terraces. Thanks to plenty of water and rich fertilizer, this second round of Greenlight spinach—packed with Yi element—was shooting up fast, the biggest leaves already as long as her fingers.

As precious as this high-Yi-element spinach was, it didn’t matter compared to her friend Boss Sheep. She could always grow more spinach. But if Boss Sheep was gone, she’d be left alone to run the whole territory.

Crouching by the furrows, Xia Qing picked the bigger tender leaves. She took just one from each plant, but soon her basket was already half full.

Back home, she handed Boss Sheep a few of the leaves. “Boss, these are really special. Wanna try one?”

Because she was worried Boss Sheep would eat the seedlings, Xia Qing always fenced them off with brambles. He could never reach them.

Boss Sheep sniffed the leaves, gobbled them down right away, then opened his big, sparkly sheep eyes and gazed at Xia Qing with a new shine.