Chapter 182: A Sick Wolf’s Struggle and the Value of Greenlight Veggies

The frail Sick Wolf paid no attention to the snake and, after devouring the evolved locust, awkwardly drank a few sips of spring water before trembling back to the dried grass to lie down.

Xia Qing was just about to get on with her other tasks when she saw the wolf totter out again, stumbling toward the burning animal latrine.

Does it need to go again?

“Hey, there’s a fire over there, you’d better not—”

“Ugh…”

Before Xia Qing could finish, the Sick Wolf stretched out its neck and threw up all three locusts it just ate. The pale yellow slime glistened, wriggling with parasite threads.

These were Yellowlight Locusts! Why did it throw them up?

Xia Qing rushed over and steadied the Sick Wolf’s feeble body just as it began to collapse. She dragged it back to the Sheep Shed. “Wait here. I’ll get you some medicine. You’ll feel better after taking it.”

She’d already fed the medicine from Territory Seven, but the Sick Wolf was still so weak—it needed energy. Xia Qing dashed out the door without a second thought.

Guan Tong and Liangzi, who were patrolling Territory Three, saw Xia Qing sprinting their way and hurried over. “Qing-jie?”

“I’m fine. Just grabbing some veggie leaves.”

They watched as Xia Qing bolted toward the vegetable greenhouse near the reservoir. Liangzi sighed. “Qing-jie seems to have gotten faster.”

Guan Tong nodded. “Definitely faster. Do you think she’s off to pick spinach leaves again?”

Liangzi shook his head. “No way. She’s already stripped the spinach bare. Maybe it’s sweet potato vines or pumpkin blossoms. Didn’t Kuang Qingwei’s wife say fried pumpkin blossoms are delicious?”

But sure enough, Xia Qing was going for spinach.

The terraced plot’s spinach, rich in Yi element, couldn’t be picked anymore—but this was urgent. So Xia Qing made her way to the plot she’d traded with Zhang San.

She’d planted three hundred spinach seeds here. Only two sprouted. Having promised to save half the spinach leaves for Zhang San and not knowing when Zhang San would return, Xia Qing had left these two hundred seedlings untouched until now.

Today, to save the wolf, she only took leaves from thirty seedlings. It wasn’t breaking her deal.

Once she finished, Xia Qing rushed home to juice the leaves, added medicine, and carefully fed the Sick Wolf using a syringe. The wolf was so weak she only dared give it half the dose she gave Boss Sheep. Then, gently massaging its belly, she whispered, “This medicine will quickly replenish your strength. You’re in the parasite expulsion phase now. Hang in there for a couple days. Once the worms are gone you’ll feel better.”

Though the Sick Wolf’s breathing was shallow as it lay flat, at least it hadn’t thrown up the spinach juice. Thirty minutes later, when Xia Qing saw it finally asleep, she sprayed repellent around the Sheep Shed and went to check on Boss Sheep’s farmland irrigation.

Boss Sheep was hard at work, having already irrigated two greenhouses. Guan Tong had sealed up the ditches on the watered fields, and the waterwheel was sending river water to the next greenhouse in need.

Feeling cheerful, Xia Qing handed the enthusiastic, bike-pedaling Boss Sheep two small spinach leaves. “Boss, your wolf friend isn’t doing well. I made it some spinach juice, but I’m not sure if it’s just sleeping or unconscious. I can’t help worrying.”

The one who was truly worried was Xia Qing. Boss Sheep, on the other hand, was in great spirits with its spinach treat, pedaling even faster, setting water gushing.

After a few words with Boss Sheep, Xia Qing’s mood lifted. Inspecting the terraced fields, though, she found her seedlings drooping from thirst. They needed watering today.

So Xia Qing went to the shed, brought out the water tank, and fetched water from the reservoir to irrigate the terraces.

Guan Tong immediately ran over to help. “Qing-jie, your arm isn’t healed yet. Let me handle this.”

“Alright.”

She didn’t put up a front—her hand wasn’t better yet. “Besides the spinach field, water all the other terraced plots on the highland. I’ll give you two pounds of Greenlight veggies as payment.”

Greenlight vegetables started at fifty points per pound. Xia Qing’s may not have looked perfect, but the taste was incredible. If she traded them in the Safe Zone, even the oddest looking ones would fetch at least eighty points a pound. Two pounds was one hundred sixty points.

Hauling water from the hillside to irrigate eleven small plots, all for one hundred sixty points—a fantastic deal for a Strength Evolver!

Guan Tong instantly straightened up and agreed. “Thanks, Qing-jie! I’ll do the low slope terraces too!”

“Deal.” Xia Qing grinned, appreciating the initiative. “You can skip the third and fourth plots on the low slope. When you’re done, you’ll get three and a half pounds of Greenlight veggies. Pick whatever you like.”

Hu Zifeng’s squad was always hanging around on Xia Qing’s land, so they knew exactly what she’d grown. Yang Jin had ordered that any food Hu Zifeng’s squad took from Xia Qing’s land was strictly for their own or family consumption. If anyone traded with outsiders, they’d be kicked out of the Azure Dragon Unit.

So Xia Qing could make deals with Hu Zifeng’s squad without concern.

After Xia Qing left, Guan Tong lugged the water tank away, grinning from ear to ear. He struck a deal with Vision Evolver Peng Jian. “Jian-ge, help me keep an eye on my area. Let me know right away if you spot anything. I’ll give you a Greenlight cucumber. How about it?”

Keeping watch over one extra area was nothing for Peng Jian, but he couldn’t help teasing the goofy guy. Holding up two fingers, he bargained, “Two tomatoes.”

Greenlight tomatoes grown by Xia Qing tasted amazing and Guan Tong hated parting with them. Gritting his teeth, he haggled, “One and a half!”

Peng Jian agreed at once. “Deal!”

……

For a moment, Guan Tong felt he was being taken for a ride, but what did it matter—besides those tomatoes, he still had over three pounds of Greenlight veggies!

Greenlight veggies!

The Azure Dragon Unit ranked second in Hui San Base, so its members never lacked food—but only enough to fill their stomachs. Fresh, delicious Greenlight food like this? Core members like Guan Tong and Peng Jian only got to taste it a few times a month.

Peng Jian looked on with envy as Guan Tong dashed off, jealous of Guan Tong’s strength Evolver status, quietly wishing he were one too.

Before taking on the mission to protect Territory Three, Guan Tong had actually been the weakest Strength Evolver in Hu Zifeng’s squad. But here on Xia Qing’s land, strength was in demand. Evolver types with other powers wanted to trade for food but just couldn’t compete.

Why couldn’t they help?

That water tank in Territory Three held four hundred pounds. Could they even lift it?

Xia Qing’s weeding hoe weighed ten pounds. Sure, they could lift it, but could they actually clear more than a patch or two swinging a tool that heavy?

Even if they brought a lighter hoe from Plot One, two of them combined still couldn’t work faster than Xia Qing alone. Would they really have the nerve to ask for food?

Liangzi, the level-six Hearing Evolver, muttered into the walkie-talkie, “I can’t believe Qing-jie’s fields don’t even get bugs underground. If they did, I’d be digging up worms for veggies just like Tang Huai!”

Peng Jian chuckled. “We can get soil insecticide for Plot One anytime; don’t you think Qing-jie can too?”

Zhang San loved Greenlight spinach from Territory Three. Even though Xia Qing’s new batch wasn’t ready, what she’d sent recently to Territory Seven was enough to trade for loads of insecticide from Zhang San.

With Boss Sheep irrigating the fields, Guan Tong watering the terraces, and Peng Jian’s team keeping birds at bay, Xia Qing finally had nothing urgent left and went home to rest and tend her injuries.

Back home, she found several buzzing evolved flies circling inside the Sheep Shed, all swarming around the Sick Wolf. A few had already landed on its body, but the wolf was so weak it couldn’t even swat them away.