Chapter 333: Wolf Pack Medicinal Bath Day

Standing by Alpha’s side with borrowed authority, Xia Qing pointed at the giant wolf’s filthy paws and legs. “You need to wash off all that mud first,” she said. “Otherwise, the medicinal bath won’t work as well.”

Idol had told them to clean up before soaking, and luckily they’d come in through the rain, their bodies already rinsed clean. Only their paws and legs needed a quick wash. Honestly, Xia Qing had no idea what she would’ve done if they’d still been dirty.

Er Gou was a pro at this. He led the giant wolf to the wooden tub and had it scrub the mud off its legs before letting it step into the bath barrel.

After ten minutes, the giant wolf soaking in the barrel grew restless and tried to climb out. One sharp warning from Alpha got it to lie back down and stay put.

Seeing that Her Majesty could keep the giant wolf in line, Xia Qing relaxed. She headed indoors to put away the Yi Stone and medicinal herbs, then brought out food for Old Goat and Er Gou. “Lunch is ready, you two,” she called, “Eat before it goes cold.”

Old Goat, who’d been lying next to Alpha, hustled over for food first. Er Gou brushed against Xia Qing before starting to eat under the watchful eyes of the whole wolf pack. Xia Qing returned inside for her own breakfast.

What a nerve-wracking morning. Even the chickens in the coop and the little swallows under the eaves were too scared by the wolves to make a sound. Xia Qing needed an extra helping of breakfast just to recover.

By the time she finished washing the dishes, it was almost time for the first wolf to finish its medicinal soak. She brought out a pail of pure spring water and the heating rod, heading into the yard to let Alpha know.

“Your Majesty, time’s up. The wolf in the bath can come out and let the next one in,” she called.

The evolved wolves were all smart. Alpha gave a low rumble, and the soaking wolf, who’d been barely hanging on, leapt out of the barrel and shook water everywhere under the eaves, looking none the worse for wear.

Xia Qing stood there, drenched and covered in medicinal splashes…

“For crying out loud!”

Who’d taught this wolf manners anyway? After that stunt, how much medicine was even left in the barrel? How were the rest supposed to soak now?

If the medicine can’t heal their injuries and boost their strength, what’s the point of even fighting?

She didn’t even have to remind Alpha. With an angry growl, the leader pounced and knocked the just-soaked giant wolf into the muddy yard, pinning it down with a paw.

The giant wolf lay squashed on the ground, limbs pulled in, belly exposed in full surrender.

Watching the scene, Xia Qing felt her blood boil. She wanted to learn from Her Majesty—she wanted to be that badass, too!

Xia Qing poured two buckets of pure spring water into the barrel, heated it up, then added the medicine again. She turned to Crippled Wolf nearby and said seriously, “This is the only dose we’ve got. If the next wolf wastes it like that, there won’t be any left for the rest.”

For once, Crippled Wolf actually walked over and rubbed against Xia Qing’s leg to say thank you.

But the next to climb into the bath wasn’t Crippled Wolf, it was Lame Wolf.

The second Lame Wolf touched the medicine, he threw his head back, ready to howl. Xia Qing quickly grabbed his snout and warned, “Don’t make a sound. If people nearby hear wolves on my land, they’ll come with weapons and poison to catch you.”

While Alpha disciplined the mud-streaked giant wolf, Crippled Wolf stood guard by the barrel, giving Lame Wolf a couple of guttural whines. Lame Wolf immediately settled down.

Xia Qing let go of his mouth. Since he wasn’t shivering, it clearly wasn’t that painful—this rascal just liked to show off and get attention.

After teaching the unruly giant wolf a lesson, Alpha returned under the eaves and lay down on straw to rest. He had just finished his own bath and was still weak.

Crippled Wolf stood watch at the barrel, never taking his eyes off Lame Wolf as he soaked.

Judging by the two evolved wolves’ behavior, Xia Qing figured only Alpha could keep the giant wolf in check; the rest, even Crippled Wolf, could restrain the other wolves.

With nothing left for her to do, Xia Qing greeted Crippled Wolf and Old Goat, then slung the water pail over her shoulder and hiked up the hill for fresh spring water. On her way, she took advantage of the time to pick all the ripe mung bean pods to bring home.

According to last night’s weather forecast, the rain would finally stop today. Xia Qing had to finish picking every mature bean pod before the sun broke through; if she didn’t, the pods would dry out in the heat and burst open.

This was the second round of crops planted after the summer harvest: a full acre of Yellow Lantern mung beans and half an acre of Green Lantern mung beans. But the third torrential rainstorm had wiped out a good chunk, leaving 4,000 Yellow Lantern and 2,240 Green Lantern plants. Picking all of them would take some time.

Still, Xia Qing kept to a tight schedule. Every hour, she’d haul back a pail of spring water so the soaking wolf could get out, then she’d top up the barrel, reheat the water, add more medicine, and start the next wolf’s turn.

Lame Wolf’s pain tolerance was way lower than that of the giant wolf or Alpha. After Crippled Wolf dragged him out of the barrel, he lay on the straw under the eaves and shuddered nonstop.

By three in the afternoon, all eight wolves that Crippled Wolf had brought over had finished their medicinal soaks. Xia Qing added more medicine and heated the water, then quietly called out to Crippled Wolf so she wouldn’t wake the pile of sleeping wolves in the sheep shed and under the eaves. “Your turn, handsome.”

Crippled Wolf just stared at Xia Qing, clearly having no intention of taking a bath himself. He continued to guard the pack with Er Gou and Old Goat.

That’s when Xia Qing realized the clever, bare-patched wolf had actually bathed last night.

That made way more sense.

Yesterday, the two wolves had come to swap for protective suits and doors, determined to bolster the pack’s defense rather than boost their offense.

After Crippled Wolf tested the medicine last night, the two evolved wolves changed their plan—one stayed behind with the bath barrel while the other rushed back to bring the pack into human territory for soaked medicine baths, exchanging premium nutrient shakes for the chance.

Both Er Gou and Crippled Wolf had used premium nutrient shakes before, so they knew it could quickly restore strength. With their muscles and bones in peak condition, the whole wolf pack’s combat abilities would get a big boost.

Things they couldn’t normally accomplish were suddenly possible.

Watching these two evolved wolves act, Xia Qing found her understanding of Blue Star’s post-cataclysm animal intelligence taken to a whole new level.

Before the disasters, humans with advanced weapons and tech only had to deal with normal animals, so we sat atop the food chain.

But during the catastrophe years, the disasters took away humanity’s tech advantage, dragging us into the primal struggle for survival where we now rivaled super-powered animals for our place in the world.

If just a few highly intelligent carnivores or birds of prey teamed up and waged war on humans during the killing rain, they could wipe out eighty percent of Safe Zones on Blue Star in a few short years.

No wonder humans are strictly forbidden from provoking large predators. That rule was one hundred percent the right call.

By nine that night, the evolved wolves who’d bathed in medicine slurped down 15 milliliters of fresh premium nutrient shake each. Fully recharged, their fighting spirits were off the charts.

Even Er Gou lined up for a nutrient shake, standing tall among the pack.

Xia Qing had expected Er Gou to join the others, but seeing it become reality still made her nervous. Compared to the other evolved wolves, Er Gou was still physically weaker.

Still, Xia Qing couldn’t stop an evolved wolf from going into battle. She called Er Gou over, helped him into his protective suit, ruffled his head, and whispered, “Come straight home after the fight. If you’re hurt I’ll patch you up. If you’re hungry I’ll cook you some meat.”