Chapter 332: The Wolves’ Deal

No way a single Yi Stone could have made Crippled Wolf’s protective suit bulge like that.

It didn’t just show up with its wolves and some Yi Stones to help move a door. As soon as Xia Qing turned her thoughts around, she figured out what the wolves really wanted.

She made up her mind, bent down to look Crippled Wolf in the eyes. Just this simple gesture set off the seven wolves outside the yard—their claws and fangs bared, on high alert. To them, Xia Qing’s approach was a threat.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t scared.

Doing her best to stay calm, Xia Qing asked seriously, “Cool Wolf, do you want me to take off your protective suit and get the stuff from your pocket?”

Crippled Wolf responded with action. It shifted its position, moving the bulging right pocket of the protective suit close to Xia Qing’s hand.

No need to remove the suit, just take the items.

“Alright.” Xia Qing reached into the right pocket on Crippled Wolf’s suit. As she started to fish things out, the wolves outside the yard let out a low, chilling growl.

Old Goat heard the angry, threatening howls from the wolves and instantly stepped in front of Xia Qing, flashing its spiral horns at the pack. Er Gou came over too, standing between Xia Qing and the wolves.

Lame Wolf? It was still rooted beside the overturned water basin, too scared to move after getting scolded.

The rain grew heavier, adding tension to the standoff between humans, sheep, and wolves.

From beneath the eaves, Alpha slowly stood up. It growled low at the wolf pack, baring sharp white fangs.

The seven wolves outside, and even the ones inside—Crippled Wolf, Lame Wolf, and Er Gou—dropped their heads and tucked their tails at Alpha’s command, showing complete submission.

Alpha’s authority was absolute—no one dared defy it.

Alpha’s orders had to be followed.

With her heart pounding, Xia Qing pulled two walnut-sized Yi Stones from Crippled Wolf’s side pocket.

What did it mean to have two walnut-sized Yi Stones weighing around 160 grams? It meant that, unless new needs popped up, she’d have enough for the entire year if she kept using them as before!

But there was more—Crippled Wolf turned around, signaling Xia Qing to check its left pocket. This time, she fished out a huge bundle of medicinal herbs, roots and all.

Yi Stones and medicinal herbs—clearly, the wolves treated this exchange as a big deal.

Taking a long breath to steady herself, Xia Qing asked, “Cool Wolf, what do you want in return this time?”

Crippled Wolf, its paws freshly washed, surprised Xia Qing by heading for the kitchen instead of the main room. It carried out the drinking basin used by Er Gou and Old Goat.

It set the basin in front of Xia Qing, then carefully dropped what it had in its mouth into the bowl, staring at her with intense focus.

Xia Qing realized what it wanted, but was still taken aback. Crippled Wolf had actually been holding a needleless syringe in its mouth the whole time—where did it even find that?

“You want to trade those Yi Stones for premium nutrient shakes?”

Seeing that Xia Qing understood, Crippled Wolf slipped into the bathroom, rested a paw on the bath barrel, then looked back at her.

Not just trading for premium nutrient shakes—it wanted a medicinal bath too.

Whether it understood her or not, Xia Qing still explained, “Are you asking for all the wolves you brought to take a bath?”

Crippled Wolf bared its snowy little fangs in a grin, looking downright ferocious.

That smile sent chills down Xia Qing’s spine. A whole pack of powerful evolved wolves, all wanting restorative baths and nutrient shakes—what were they planning?

A fight. No doubt about it, these wolves were prepping for a battle—makes sense they’d pay such a steep price, bringing out two massive Yi Stones and a whole bundle of herbs at once.

But against whom? Was it the bear pack or snake pack that had badly hurt them in July? Or maybe they were gunning for both?

If that was the case, it wouldn’t be right to let so many wolves share the same medicinal bath I’d already used four times and left overnight.

The wolves who bathed later might not get any real healing—their injuries might not improve, and without their bodies in top shape, they could lose or even die in the upcoming fight.

Xia Qing took a long breath. “Hang on a second, Cool Wolf. Let me make a call before I agree to this exchange.”

Xia Qing pulled out her phone and called Da Ya. “Brother Ya, can you talk right now? Or should I try Third Brother instead?”

“Give me a second.” Da Ya didn’t even need her to explain—he already knew what she wanted Zhang San for.

About five minutes later, Xia Qing got a call from Zhang San, who sounded groggy and annoyed from being woken up. “Xia Qing, you’re calling me in the middle of heavy rain and ruining my sleep?”

Xia Qing apologized quickly. “Sorry, Third Brother, but it’s urgent. The wolves entered my territory yesterday and found out the medicinal bath here is something special. Now there are eleven wolves inside, offering a massive bunch of herbs in exchange for a bath. Third Brother, the bath mixture I used last night already treated two wolves and a sheep. Will it still work for nine more wolves?”

Zhang San sounded intrigued. “All evolved wolves?”

Xia Qing answered firmly, “Yes, all of them. Some are even bigger than the one with the injured waist.”

“Then there’s no way it’s enough,” Zhang San replied. “You’ve still got a pack of pesticides left, don’t you?”

“That’s right.” Da Ya had given Xia Qing a month’s supply—three packs in total. She’d already used up two; only one remained.

“When the rain stops, bring me the herbs the wolves gave you. In six days, Da Ya will deliver more medicine to you. In the meantime, don’t throw out the used bathwater; split your last pack of pesticide into nine portions—add one portion and some warm pure spring water each time a wolf bathes. And make sure the wolves wash off all the mud before getting in.”

Idol needed time to secretly prepare more medicine without Ji Li and the others noticing.

After sincerely thanking him, Xia Qing told Crippled Wolf, waiting in the bathroom, “I agree to the trade. But I want to move the bath barrel out to the yard. Cool Wolf, can you have your pack bathe out there instead?”

Even if the wolves were paying customers, Xia Qing wasn’t about to let a whole bunch of wild, evolved wolves loose inside her house. If it weren’t raining so hard, she’d have them bathe outside the yard entirely.

Seeing no objections from Crippled Wolf, Xia Qing hauled the bath barrel out under the eaves and set it down firmly. “Hang tight, Cool Wolf. I’ll heat up the water and mix in some spring water and medicine.”

She went inside, grabbed the last of her body-repairing medicine from the storage room, added some to the bath barrel, then poured in pure spring water and brought it to the right temperature. “Alright, it’s ready. Each wolf gets an hour.”

Xia Qing figured Crippled Wolf would be first in line, since it ranked just beneath Alpha. But to her surprise, Crippled Wolf called all the wolves into the yard, had the rest gather in the sheep shed, and led the strongest gray-brown evolved wolf up to the bath barrel.

This wolf stood as tall as Xia Qing with its head raised. When it locked eyes with her, the pressure was immense—it was definitely a powerhouse among evolved wolves.

If it came to hand-to-hand, Xia Qing wouldn’t stand a chance. With the sniper rifle, she had the edge at range—but up close, the wolf would win.

She found herself respecting Alpha even more.

To command such a terrifyingly strong evolved wolf, Alpha’s power had to be out of this world. If Alpha ever fought at full strength, even Yang Jin—the top fighter of the Azure Dragon Squad—might not be a match!