Chapter 282: A Swallow’s Rest and Green Mint Fortune

After Tan Junjie left, Xia Qing made her way back to her territory, carefully examining the two stalks of Greenlight Mint she had just received.

Mint was a common herb, useful in many ways, and always listed among the collection quests on the mission board. Every time Xia Qing entered the Evolved Forest, she kept an eye out for it.

But these two weren’t just Greenlight Mint—they were an evolved variety bursting with verdant vitality and a rich, fresh aroma. They looked lush, with three clusters of pale purple flowers. Beneath each floral canopy, where the petals had faded, tiny seeds already nestled among the stalks.

Most insects were driven off by the pungent scent of evolved mint. Planted near the house, it made a natural pest barrier. If she nursed these two well, by next year she’d have a whole protective green belt from dividing and sowing the seeds.

Xin Yu deserved her reputation as the kind of person who lived in a three-story villa, kept roses, and raised birds—truly generous. Definitely someone to consider for resource trading.

Cradling the blooming, seed-laden mint in her arms, Xia Qing walked gingerly, worried each bump might shake off the precious seeds.

Old Goat, sprawled in the shade, watched Xia Qing return with a pot of unfamiliar greens. He lifted his nose, sniffed the air, and immediately got up, ready to chomp down.

Xia Qing hoisted the pot overhead with one hand and plucked off a single leaf for him. Old Goat chewed noisily and blinked those big eyes with a clear plea for more.

She wasn’t falling for his begging act. Xia Qing pointedly explained, “This is Evolved Greenlight Mint—it’s rare. See the flowers? Those are all seeds. We can’t eat it now. We need the seeds to ripen so we can plant a whole field next year.”

Come to think of it, once she had Greenlight Perilla, Greenlight Alfalfa, Greenlight Frostgrass, and now Greenlight Mint, next year both her meals and Old Goat’s fodder would see a big upgrade. Grinning, Xia Qing hugged the flowerpot tighter and continued home.

When Old Goat realized he was getting nothing else to eat, he flopped back down and resumed chewing his cud.

Xia Qing set the Greenlight Mint out on the second floor balcony. Her eyes drifted to the Greenlight Foxtail Frostgrass beside it, and she let out a sigh.

Originally, she’d planned to trade with Crippled Wolf after migration season and ask him to help her collect Greenlight Frostgrass seeds. Now she doubted that was happening.

“Chirp, chirp. Tweet, tweet.”

Hearing the birds, Xia Qing peered out the window and saw four swallows perched atop the ruins of a nearby building, happily preening their feathers.

Ever since her vision evolved, Xia Qing noticed swallows weren’t pitch-black—they shimmered blue-black with a metallic gleam in the sun. These little migrants would fly off tomorrow. Next spring, in March, would be their next visit. She let her gaze linger for a while longer.

But the next morning, as Xia Qing and Old Goat lugged water tanks uphill to irrigate the terraces, swallows were still darting through her territory, snatching up mosquitoes and flies. Eyes shining, Xia Qing thumbed her walkie-talkie. “Qi-ge, you there?”

Qi Fu answered quickly, “Yep, I’m here.”

“Qi-ge, do you know how many bugs a swallow eats in a single day?”

“Honestly, I’ve got no idea. But with their evolved size, they probably eat even more than before.”

Li Si chimed in, sounding like the expert. “If you measure in larvae, a standard evolved swallow eats ninety to a hundred and twenty stinging caterpillar larvae—about two centimeters long—every day.”

“Thanks, Sister Si.” Just one swallow ate a hundred. With twenty or more, that meant over a thousand bugs gone daily! They’d lost two bug-eating wolves but gained a crack team of insect terminators instead. It really was a good trade-off.

Li Si asked, “Are the swallows that escaped the sparrow hawk still there? There aren’t actually that many of them. If they decide your territory is safe, they might stick around a few days, waiting for another migrating flock before heading out together.”

Zhao Ze added, “Most of the migratory flocks have already passed. If they can’t find another group, will the swallows spend winter here in our territory?”

Kuang Qingwei replied, “Don’t think so. Winters here are almost ten degrees colder than before the calamity. Swallows never overwintered here, and now they’re even less likely to.”

Li Si stepped in with another pro tip. “Swallows migrate for food and weather. Even evolved swallows prefer catching flying insects midair. They won’t stay through winter if there’s not enough to eat. If you want to keep them, you’d have to provide insect meal feed.”

Before Assistant Xiao Liu from Territory Nine could jump in to promote his territory’s exclusive insect meal, Xia Qing pressed the button. “Winter’s just not suitable for swallows here. I’ll be content if they hang around for a few days.”

Every extra day meant another thousand mosquitoes and flies wiped out. That was better insect control than any crows or magpies.

Xia Qing grinned as she hefted the now water-filled, three-hundred-pound tank and trekked up the slope in one go. Behind her, Old Goat carried two more, each weighing over two hundred pounds.

Soon Old Goat was crunching on a cucumber, watching the terraces as Xia Qing wandered between rows, catching bugs.

Red and green chili peppers clustered thickly on their branches—there was no way Xia Qing could eat all the Greenlight veggies herself; the sweet potatoes in the dirt had plumped up so much their mounds heaved; the white and green radishes had swollen so much they were thicker than her arm. Sunflowers drooped, each seed arranged perfectly and ripening by the day; there were a few new pumpkins ready for harvest and the storage room.

At the lower slope terraces, Xia Qing moved aside the rock blocking the Pure Spring Water’s mouth and filled a twenty-liter tank. She screwed the lid on tight, slipped it into her backpack, and carried it up to irrigate the high-yi element Greenlight Spinach field.

The Greenlight Spinach was starting to bolt, almost ready to flower. Judging from the first batch, this field could yield as many as thirty thousand seeds. Considering they had a yi element content of six parts per ten thousand, each seed was worth a hundred points. Subtracting the 2,600 seeds she’d traded to Yang Jin for weapons and diesel, and holding back what she needed for next spring, Xia Qing could still sell the rest for over 2.5 million points!

And that didn’t even count the spinach plants themselves, which could be turned into top-tier nutrient solution. If things ever got too tough, all those points could build her territory’s defensive wall and set up an electric grid!

With those numbers spinning in her mind, Xia Qing felt even more fired up. She hauled the heavy tanks with fresh energy, which in turn spurred Old Goat into a race, lugging his own water barrels.

Even after irrigating more than twenty terraces, these two power-evolved lords weren’t finished—they dug their feet in, challenging each other for another round.

Without a word, Xia Qing rolled up her sleeves and charged. But before she could even reach Old Goat, she suddenly heard a string of clucks from the village.

That was the proud cackle of a hen announcing she’d just laid an egg. Xia Qing’s face lit up. “Old Goat, our hen laid an egg! We’ve got eggs today! Old Goat!”

“Moo—”

Old Goat, who never ate eggs, was so rattled by Xia Qing’s excitement, he gave her a good-natured headbutt that sent her flying.