Chapter 167: Rare Find in the Wolf Pack

“Thanks for the pangolin, Your Majesty. And thank you for all your hard work,” Xia Qing said as she picked up the little pangolin and carried it inside for inspection. The alpha wolf stayed true to form, still showing a steady greenlight.

The small pangolin weighed over six pounds. Its scales were noticeably lighter than those of the bigger one in the yard, and its head was already caved in, probably from a rock.

Xia Qing wasn’t at all surprised the wolves used a rock to kill their prey this time—no claws, no teeth required. After all, these were the same wolves who once bullied a yellow weasel into plucking out its own fur. Smashing a pangolin with a rock? Hardly impressive for them.

Truth be told, Xia Qing had no clue how to eat this thing, and she wasn’t planning to try. She meant to use it for trade.

This time, instead of contacting Ji Li from Territory Seven, Xia Qing messaged Luo Pei.

An evolved pangolin was valuable—it could even be used as medicine. Luo Pei had been poisoned with the Xiang toxin for five months now. His skin was still slightly red, which meant the poison hadn’t fully gone.

With the Azure Dragon Unit’s strength and Luo Pei’s position in it, there was no way it was lack of money or doctors stalling his recovery. What he was missing was a crucial medicine.

She wasn’t sure if this pangolin was what they needed. If not, she’d just trade it later with Territory Seven.

If this deal didn’t work out, Xia Qing could always swap with Territory Seven.

Just a few minutes after she sent her message, Luo Pei called her. His tone was gentle and casual as he asked, “Xia Qing, what time is it now?”

“It’s 4:26,” Xia Qing answered promptly. She responded to the coded question so Luo Pei would know she wasn’t being threatened.

Only then did Luo Pei believe she’d really landed a pangolin. He asked, “The wolf pack actually delivered a Greenlight pangolin to you?”

“Yeah, it’s just over six pounds. There’s a bigger one too, but the wolves brought that one to feed two of their injured.”

Unbelievable…

They’d searched everywhere with no luck, but Xia Qing found one while barely lifting a finger.

The three leaders of the Azure Dragon Unit exchanged glances. Yang Jin made the sign of the cross to Luo Pei.

Luo Pei nodded and answered calmly, “The evolved Greenlight pangolin can be used to detoxify poison. This is exactly what I’ve been searching for everywhere. I’ll offer a hundred thousand points—could you trade me the whole little pangolin? Or, if you need something else in exchange, just name it.”

A hundred… thousand? One dead Greenlight pangolin was worth as much as five evolved cats?!

Xia Qing instantly agreed, “Of course, Luo Ge. Which part do you need for the medicine? If it’s the scales, I’ll save the big pangolin’s scales too after the wolves finish off the organs.”

Luo Pei laughed. “Yes, the scales are what we need. If you can get the big pangolin’s scales as well, I’ll trade three hundred thousand points for both. How about that?”

Of course! How could she say no to that?

Xia Qing kept it polite. “If it’ll help you recover, Luo Ge, I’ll definitely get it for you. Don’t worry about the points—just deduct it from what I still owe you for the land.”

Business is business. Last night, she and Yang Jin made a deal: spinach juice for a protective mask and suit. That’s separate from this morning’s pangolin.

Up to now, Xia Qing still owed the Azure Dragon Unit over 750,000 points for helping her buy land. The reason it dropped by 40,000 last month was that she traded some spring water with them at their agreed price—the deduction came out of her 800,000 point debt.

Who would’ve guessed pangolin scales were so valuable? Two pangolins caught by the wolves could knock three hundred thousand off her debt. All it took was one well-aimed rock.

Incredible!

Now that she thought about it, every time Yang Jin said something was going up in price, it did. Shouldn’t her pollution-free spring water be worth more now, too?

She needed to find out what price the Blazing Fire Unit was selling their spring water for these days. If they’d raised prices, she’d have to do the same next time she traded with the Azure Dragon Unit.

Luo Pei replied with a smile, “I’ll send Hu Zifeng over to pick it up. Thanks, Xia Qing.”

“Alright,” Xia Qing said. “Let Captain Hu come over in twenty minutes. I’ll need to wait until the wolves finish eating before I can get the big pangolin’s scales.”

After Luo Pei agreed, Xia Qing heard Yang Jin’s voice through the phone: “Luo Ge, tell Xia Qing—those two pangolins the wolf pack caught were probably Sufeng Squad’s tamed beasts.”

Luo Pei chuckled and asked, “Hear that?”

“Heard it. I’ll get rid of the evidence right away,” Xia Qing replied, then pressed for gossip, “Luo Ge, were those Sufeng Squad pangolins any good?”

Luo Pei didn’t answer directly, handing the phone off to Yang Jin. “Jin, she’s asking you.”

Yang Jin answered, “They’re excellent. Sufeng Squad bought them for a fortune last month, just to search for Yi Stones. This was their first time out on a mission.”

Xia Qing nodded, putting the pieces together. “So they suspected there was a Yi Stone mine on Mountain 49. While you were away from the territory and everyone was distracted by the evolving bird flock, they snuck the pangolins in to dig. But it just so happened Captain Tan hit the monkey-eagle with an ultrasonic wave—the pangolins got scared, bolted, and ran right into the wolf pack’s jaws.”

A third, young voice piped in with a laugh over the line. “Qing-jie, great minds think alike.”

Luo Pei introduced them. “That’s Xie Yu. You two haven’t met yet.”

Four in the morning and all three Azure Dragon leaders already together? Xia Qing quickly greeted him, “Captain Xie, just call me Xia Qing.”

She was younger and far less capable than Xie Yu—there was no way she could take the title “Jie.” She heard someone slap someone else in the background before Xie Yu continued:

“Alright, Xia Qing. Thanks for thinking of Luo Ge’s injury the moment you got such a rare item. Allow me to thank you with a thousand rounds of ammo. And don’t listen to Instructor Luo’s teasing; taking down seven birds in your first evolved flock fight without a scratch is impressive. By the way, could I ask a favor?”

A thousand rounds?! People joked that Xie Yu was bald not just from being smart but from being so generous it made his hair fall out! Xia Qing replied warmly, “Go ahead, Captain Xie.”

Xie Yu made his request. “Could we have Chang Li come to your territory and Area Three of Mountain 49 to search along the route for any pangolin scales the wolves might’ve dropped?”

Yang Jin reminded her, “If those pangolins belonged to Sufeng Squad, someone with an evolved dog or advanced scent abilities is probably already on their way.”

Now Xia Qing felt even more urgency. “Can you have Dr. Chang come over with Captain Hu? The sooner we clean things up, the better.”

Chang Li was a level nine scent evolver—her nose was as sharp as a military dog’s.

After the call, Yang Jin, Xie Yu, and Luo Pei shared a knowing smile.

Xie Yu scratched his messy hair and exclaimed, “Luo Ge, sometimes you just have to believe in fate. I swear, Xia Qing’s your lucky star.”

Luo Pei asked, “Should we warn Xia Qing ahead of time?”

For farming lords, every unexpected rain is cause for worry.

Yang Jin shook his head. “No need. The fewer people know, the easier it is to conceal the truth. Not even Hu Zifeng and the others need to know.”

Luo Pei nodded. “All the more reason I need to teach her well, so she can survive in this world of disasters.”

Yang Jin started planning ahead. “I checked—the clouds are gathering around Mountain 49. Once Chang Li’s search is done, let it rain to wash all traces away.”

Back in Territory Three, Xia Qing sealed up the little pangolin and sat by the window, watching the wolves devour meat out in the yard.