Chapter 255: Trading Cotton with a Sly Squirrel

Xia Qing couldn’t hear anything unusual, only proving once again that the sick wolf’s hearing was sharper than hers—completely normal since wolves and dogs naturally have better hearing than humans.

Pretending not to notice the red squirrel, Xia Qing kept picking cotton. The sick wolf, seeing that the squirrel didn’t pose a threat, flopped down and continued warming its belly.

The red squirrel, realizing it was being ignored by both Xia Qing and the wolf, slowly crept forward to the rooftop, eyes locked on the cotton.

Here for a free haul of cotton again?

Xia Qing stood up and said, “Er, keep an eye on the cotton here and don’t let that red squirrel steal it. I’m going to grab something.”

She quickly returned with two peanuts and two chestnuts, then sat back down to continue picking. Seeing that both Xia Qing and the sick wolf still didn’t care about it, the red squirrel stopped about three meters away, just out of reach even if either of them made a sudden move. It seemed to know exactly how far was safe.

Feeling the time was right, Xia Qing set a pale yellow tuft of cotton nearby. “This one’s for you,” she said.

Gotta bait the hook first—let the red squirrel in on the benefits of cotton before broaching a trade.

The red squirrel squatted in place, unmoving. Thinking it was afraid she’d grab it, Xia Qing took a few steps forward, only to find that the squirrel was already nearly by the pale yellow cotton—but it kept staring longingly at the pure white cotton in her hands.

Xia Qing got it then: this little guy turned its nose up at the yellow, slightly stinky cotton!

So she plucked a snowy white tuft, placed it beside her, and said to the squirrel, “Here, this one’s for you.”

The sick wolf thought she was talking to it and got up, lumbering over to the cotton and placing a big paw on it before settling down to bask some more. Xia Qing said nothing, just picked another white tuft, placed it on the other side, pointed at the red squirrel, then at the cotton. “Red squirrel, this white cotton is for you.”

After shifting her spot a bit, Xia Qing watched as the hiding red squirrel stared at the white cotton for a while before suddenly dashing over, grabbing it, and racing off.

Once the red squirrel scampered off, Xia Qing started a silent countdown: one, two, three…

Not even a minute later, the little guy was back, fluffy tail swaying and tiny paws rubbing together as it hungrily eyed the pure white cotton in her hands.

Looking to mooch again? Not interested in the smelly stuff but really want the nice clean white kind? Sorry, waving your tail won’t win you another one!

Even the wolf, staying here to heal with the help of Yishi Stone, has to hand over edible meat every day. Xia Qing picked a fresh white tuft, pulled out a peanut with its shell on, and said, “Want this cotton? Then trade for it with a peanut.”

Sure enough, when Xia Qing held out the peanut, the red squirrel switched its attention from the cotton to the nut. Smiling, Xia Qing peeled the peanut, popped the nuts into her mouth, and tossed the shell onto the roof.

Watching her eat the peanut, the red squirrel hopped around in frustration for a moment before darting away.

Grinning, Xia Qing finished picking cotton, secured the insect-proof netting, and headed downstairs with the sick wolf in tow. Even after she returned to her room, the red squirrel didn’t show up again.

She hadn’t managed to trade cotton for a peanut, which meant today’s barter was a bust—but Xia Qing wasn’t disappointed. Not every animal gets smarter after evolving, or else humans really wouldn’t have a shot at survival on Blue Star.

It didn’t matter that the red squirrel didn’t bring a peanut. Xia Qing planned to check the squirrel’s burrow daily; once she found its stash, she’d just follow and collect the peanuts.

As long as it wore a tracker, that red squirrel was her personal food-finding scout.

Xia Qing fetched the Yellow Lantern Rabbit she’d stored in the fridge that morning, sliced half of it, chopped it into chunks, and simmered it in uncontaminated spring water. Then she sent a message: “Captain Yang, do you have some free time? I have a business proposal for you.”

Since leaving the Evolution Forest, Yang Jin hadn’t shown his face once.

Ding! A faint droplet notification chimed in a snow-white tent, seven thousand miles north of Huìsan Base and even farther past White Seven Base, where everything outside was buried in endless white snow.

Yang Jin took his phone from an inner pocket. A scruffy grin spread across his bearded face as he drank boiled snow water. Then Yang Jin called Xia Qing directly. “Xia Qing, found something new lately?”

Wind battered the tent on Yang Jin’s end, hinting he was somewhere outside. The fierce wind meant he must be far from Huìsan Base. But since he’d called, the timing was right. Xia Qing explained simply, “I found a Green Lantern Chestnut tree. Its Qiang element content is over two per thousand, and it tastes great. Third Brother from Territory Seven says a pound could fetch at least 400 points. I want to partner with you to cultivate Green Lantern Chestnut saplings.”

Yang Jin caught on instantly. “You found the chestnut tree in District Three of Mountain Forty-Nine?”

Xia Qing nodded. “Right. The edible chestnut tree’s leaves have evolved to be super sticky, trapping insects and even forming a symbiotic relationship with evolved hornets. A mature tree can yield about a hundred pounds of chestnuts a year.”

Recalling the area in Mountain Forty-Nine he’d explored, Yang Jin remembered a grove full of hornets. Back then, he’d only cared about finding uncontaminated spring water and hadn’t noticed they were chestnut trees.

Were chestnuts hanging on them back then? Yang Jin gripped the Yishi Stone’s protective shell, a tired smile lighting his eyes. “Once this tree is cultivated, we’ll have food and a natural barricade. How many seeds do you have?”

How many seeds? Ha.

Holding back a smile, Xia Qing replied calmly, “These evolved chestnuts are over twice the size of pre-calamity ones, about thirty per pound. I’ve got twenty-five pounds of Green Lantern and over six hundred fifty pounds of Yellow Lantern.”

Yang Jin let out a husky laugh, a sound that was surprisingly pleasant. “Just this deal alone will cover your points for buying a mountain.”

Way more than that—she’d even traded for medicine worth eight hundred thousand, enough to heal serious injuries. In a great mood, Xia Qing asked, “So, you’re agreeing to the partnership?”

Hearing her use the formal ‘you’ again, Yang Jin squeezed the Yishi Stone’s shell. “Of course. We’ll talk details when I get back. This has to go through Territory One, not the battle squad, or else the Alliance will surely interfere.”

That made Xia Qing happy. “Alright, you get busy, I’ll chat with Brother Luo.”

Luo Pei is the lord of Territory One.

Yang Jin objected. “Brother Luo shouldn’t be troubled right now. Wait until I return.”

“Okay.” Xia Qing pressed on, “If you still need herbs for treatment, just send me the pictures and I’ll negotiate with the wolf pack.”

“Only one more herb to go till I’ve got them all, but the wolf pack can’t reach this area anyway.” Yang Jin didn’t keep secrets. “That herb grows deep in the Evolution Forest, north of White Seven Base. I’ll bring it back in a few days.”

White… White Seven?! Yang Jin was currently well beyond the Safe Zone, deep in the Evolution Forest at the very northern end of Huaguo?!

Xia Qing was shocked. “I remember the broadcast saying that area belongs to evolved tigers and brown bears.”

Yang Jin laughed. “Yeah, not just tigers and bears, there are snow wolves, snow foxes, and roe deer too. The roe deer are still as goofy as ever, even after evolving. There’s one right now just outside my tent, craning its neck to watch the fun.”

Inside the tent, Wang Liang glanced at the massive, imposing, yet ridiculously silly evolved roe deer outside, then looked at his boss’s beaming face and silently stared at the tent ceiling.

Xia Qing couldn’t help but grin as she pictured that dopey roe deer, and hung up with a smile still lingering.