Chapter 357: Bargaining for Pecans and Secrets

Spinach seeds have a two-month dormancy period. The seeds harvested now can’t be planted until January next year. What Yang Jin really wants are the first batch of spinach seeds Xia Qing harvested back in May. No wonder he’s Captain Yang—he always knows how to seize an opportunity.

Xia Qing pulled a notebook from the pocket of her protective suit, checked the spinach seed inventory, then replied, “I can give you six hundred seeds for now.”

She’d already traded four hundred of the first batch of spinach seeds to Zhang San, then sowed another twelve hundred in July. Now there were just over twelve hundred left, and she couldn’t give all of them to Yang Jin.

With disasters happening every year, there was always a risk something could go wrong. Even though the spinach on the terraces looked set for a bumper harvest, nobody dared guarantee nothing would happen in the next two weeks that might wipe out the entire second crop. That’s why Xia Qing needed to keep some summer-harvested seeds as a backup.

Besides, once the harvest was done and the greenhouse built, Xia Qing still needed to plant another plot of spinach. Giving half her stock to Yang Jin was already as generous as she could be.

“Only six hundred seeds, huh?” Yang Jin dragged out his words, deliberately looking dissatisfied before adding, “Alright then. How about throwing in eighty pounds of Green Lantern Pecans instead?”

What?!

Those pecans were precious—even her idol only asked for forty pounds, and now Yang Jin wanted double that?

Who does he think he is, just because he’s good-looking?

Noticing the rare flash of emotion on Xia Qing’s usually serious face, Yang Jin chuckled—and that smile of his was seriously dangerous. “Evolved Green Lantern Pecans are a rare chance to nourish the brain. Xie Yu has been burning through mental energy and needs it, and I took a blow to the head collecting Devastationweed at Bai Seven Base—I could use a boost too. Is that alright?”

Unbelievable. To help his buddy, this guy was actually turning on the charm with her again…

Eager to strike a deal with Xin Yu and worried Yang Jin might refuse to prepay her with credits if she didn’t give a little extra, Xia Qing started probing the value of the pecans to settle her asking price. “Green Lantern Pecans really help with brain evolution?”

Yang Jin answered seriously, “Even though that rumor’s everywhere, no one’s actually triggered or advanced brain evolution just by eating pecans. What is proven is this: Green Lantern Pecans can treat dizziness and headaches caused by mental overexertion in brain evolvers.”

Even her idol never claimed it sparked brain evolution—just called it ‘good for the brain,’ same as Yang Jin. Makes sense. If Green Lantern Pecans really did boost brain evolution, the price cards around the Safe Zone would be ten times higher.

Brain evolution! Who didn’t want to get smarter?

Xia Qing started haggling, bargaining with Yang Jin over the number. “You’re not a brain evolver. The pecans won’t do you much good. Forty pounds—deal?”

That’s plenty for your buddy. I’m already giving you extra—don’t push your luck.

Xia Qing was sure, even without confirmation, that her idol had to be a brain evolver—and he had only wanted forty pounds. That proved forty was definitely enough.

Yang Jin looked straight at Xia Qing with complete sincerity. “Strictly speaking, I am a brain evolver. But my mind was already sharper than normal before the disasters started—keen observation, strong reasoning skills.”

Xia Qing searched his eyes, trying to figure out if he was lying or actually telling the truth.

Everyone’s hidden abilities are their trump cards. Would Yang Jin really give away his secrets just for a few pounds of pecans?

If he truly was a brain evolver, then he was probably a three-system evolver too. Xia Qing had figured from her experience being carried by the Huge Wolf that advanced speed evolvers had to have evolved vision as well.

“My vision evolved too,” Yang Jin confessed again.

“You stared into my eyes, looking shocked—I know you wanted to see if I was lying, and you also wanted to confirm I’d evolved my vision. Researchers have tested speed evolvers and found that over sixty percent also have evolved vision. I fall into that majority.”

“The truth is, the human brain controls far more than just the six main abilities. It runs everything—language, movement, hearing, sight, emotions, even digestion and breathing. So every kind of evolver has advanced brain development, at least a little. You haven’t had a brain scan, have you?”

Xia Qing shook her head slowly.

Yang Jin guessed, “You’re a high-level three-system evolver. I bet your brain development is way higher than someone with just one or two systems. Do you ever get headaches or dizzy spells?”

Xia Qing shook her head again. “Only when I’m absolutely exhausted or hit with ultrasonic attacks.”

Yang Jin smiled. “Then you probably haven’t reached intermediate brain evolution yet.”

Xia Qing nodded gravely. “That’s for sure.”

She didn’t bother asking how Yang Jin knew she was a three-system evolver. After all, if he really was a brain evolver, he could easily figure out a lot by simply observing and thinking.

Xia Qing resolved to say as little as possible around Yang Jin, and show even less emotion—never letting him see her true thoughts.

Yang Jin had already guessed that once Xia Qing knew the truth about him, she’d be even more guarded around him.

Any rational person would say Yang Jin should keep his brain evolution secret—especially with someone as guarded and distant as Xia Qing.

But today was a rare chance. Yang Jin wanted her to see the real him. When it came to Xia Qing, all his cool logic just fell apart. That’s why, after barely surviving the past five years, the first thing he’d always do after returning to base was sneak a glimpse of her from afar, even if it meant nothing more.

Seeing her fighting to survive with everything she had, Yang Jin would feel his injured body and numb heart fill with strength again—the science just couldn’t explain it.

Xia Qing was the only tenderness and emotion in his evolved mind. Meeting her again on a chaotic Blue Star after all that had happened felt like the luckiest thing in his life.

Right now, the girl who made him feel so lucky—the one with six big bags of pecans—sat across a narrow table, head bowed, working out just how many pounds she could spare, and whether she could get Yang Jin to pay her credits in advance.

Yang Jin already knew she was pretty, but he hadn’t expected how good she’d look after getting healthier and finally washing away that protective layer. She was gorgeous—everywhere he looked.

She really was good-looking from every angle—no matter how he looked, she took his breath away…

Yang Jin quickly tore his gaze away, leaning back in his chair in case his face turned red again.

After mulling it over for a moment, Xia Qing named her limit. “Sixty pounds. That’s all I can do.”

You can’t just give whatever the other side wants—you’ve got to bargain hard. Sixty pounds was truly her max. Yang Jin was only a mid-tier brain evolver and his head injury was just physical. He didn’t even have symptoms like headaches or dizziness. He’d never need forty pounds, let alone more.

If Yang Jin refused, she’d just go to Xin Yu to trade Green Lantern Chestnuts for the iron mesh instead.

Yang Jin laughed. “Deal.”

Xia Qing…

She’d let her guard down—she should have pushed him even lower.