Chapter 397: A Night of Peace and Good Food in Section Three

“Sure. But you can’t bring any cameras, recording, or listening devices. And I want to be clear up front—my wolves and sheep don’t have the best temperaments. You can look but don’t touch. If you can’t agree to that, the deal’s off.”

“Of course, no problem! I get the rules!” Tang Huai, who’d been eyeing Section Three’s wolves and sheep for nearly a year, was practically buzzing with excitement. “I know your animals hate visitors. I’ll just look, no touching. How about I drop it off tomorrow at noon? The temperature will be perfect then.”

After sealing a deal that would even make the infamously stingy Yang Jin bow in admiration, Xia Qing happily headed back to her territory. She scooped up Old Goat—who was already stamping impatiently—and glanced at Er Gou beside them. “Hey Er Gou, how about a race home? Let’s see who gets there first!”

Without waiting for Er Gou’s response, or caring how much Old Goat struggled, Xia Qing hugged the sheep tight and dashed down the mountain path.

Wolves have incredible night vision—even after dark, they can run at full speed. Er Gou wagged his tail, happy for the challenge, and quickly gave chase.

Naturally, the four-legged Er Gou claimed victory in the end.

Still grinning, Xia Qing set Old Goat down in the courtyard. Just as he started pawing the ground in a fit of rage and looked ready to pick a fight, Xia Qing soothed him with a gentle voice. “Hey Old Goat, wanna have some toon sprouts tonight? Remember all those I dried in spring? I’ll soak a handful and mix them with grain just for you.”

“Baa-aa!” Old Goat’s fury was instantly washed away by the promise of good food. He let out a rare, high-pitched bleat.

“Hold on, I’ll grab it.” Xia Qing smiled and headed to the underground pantry. She brought back a sealed bag of dried toon sprouts and, right in front of Old Goat, soaked them in a bowl of water. “Let them soak a while and they’ll be nice and soft—ready to eat.”

This time of year, the toon tree leaves on the high slope had all fallen, making toon sprouts even more precious. The familiar aroma put Old Goat in an especially good mood—he completely forgot his anger and any thoughts of a fight.

With Old Goat hooked, Xia Qing washed up and changed, then fetched a fat slab of frozen meat from the upstairs fridge. She held it out for Er Gou. “Hey, Er Gou, this is wild boar—frozen, just how you like it. I’ll cook it up for you with a Green Lantern Egg tonight. Sound good?”

Er Gou wagged his tail, mouth open in a wolfy grin.

Humming a little tune, Xia Qing soaked the meat in pure spring water to let it thaw.

Tonight, she planned to treat herself to tomato scrambled eggs and a hearty potato stew. For the main course, she’d bake corn flatbread.

Once the vegetables were prepped, Xia Qing took out two pounds of corn and one of wheat, ran them through the flour mill, then sifted the flour through the finest mesh she had.

The bran and corn husks she collected went two ways—some mixed into Old Goat’s grain, the rest added to chicken feed. Then Xia Qing combined the flour into a dough and kneaded it smooth.

When the wild boar thawed, she split it in half. One half boiled in a small pot just for Er Gou. The other half she diced, browned in the cauldron, then poured in boiling pure spring water and seasonings. Rounds of corn dough were pressed against the rim to bake, then the pot was covered for a slow simmer.

The kitchen glowed with warm light. Old Goat stood next to his soaking toon sprouts, eyes fixed on the bowl. Xia Qing and Er Gou lounged by the stove, watching the flames dance in the cozy heat.

She didn’t bother turning on the walkie-talkie or the radio—she simply sat quietly by the stove, listening to the spring water boiling and the occasional crackle of firewood, breathing in the delicious scents and running her hands through Er Gou’s fur.

After five straight days in Evolved Forest, handling defense and talking with all sorts of people, Xia Qing’s body was still at its peak thanks to daily Premium Nutrient Shakes, but mentally, she was running on fumes.

So she cherished this moment of peace and warmth even more—it was just what she needed to soothe away the exhaustion in her mind.

Ten years into the Cataclysm, Xia Qing had carved out a territory secured by iron mesh walls. With precious pure spring water, her companions, and plenty of Green Lantern food within, she felt at ease.

All of this filled her with a deep sense of security and happiness. Right now, Xia Qing felt like the luckiest human on all the wild, evolved Blue Star.

Meanwhile, the other five territories in the Lords’ Alliance were also putting together feasts tonight.

But unlike Xia Qing’s quiet dinner, their meals were loud with laughter and lively chatter.

Surviving five days of hard labor in Evolved Forest would have been a miracle for ordinary people with no evolution.

Though a few suffered minor injuries from inexperience, not a single one was attacked by large evolved beasts. They all made it out alive—and even hauled piles of yellow clay and thornwood with them.

Who would ever believe that if you just said it out loud?

It turns out, with powerful evolved people watching your back, even regular folks can come out of the Evolved Forest with supplies.

It turns out, Xia Qing was even stronger than they thought.

Allying with Xia Qing was absolutely the right move! Tomorrow, the plan was clear: drop everything and rush to Section Three to help finish her greenhouse. That way, Xia Qing would see joining forces was good for her too.

The next day at noon, the temperature warmed up to fifteen degrees Celsius.

All morning, Qi Fu, Shizhong, Kuang Qingwei, and Zhao Ze showed up with workers from their territories. Working together, they finished the greenhouse wall in Section Three before heading off to build their own.

Section Three was left in near silence—just the sound of wind, water, and a chorus of birds and insects.

After lunch, Xia Qing took Old Goat and Er Gou up to the high slope. The two animals settled down to rest in the wild scrub behind the toon tree while Xia Qing slipped out the Northern Gate. She spotted Tang Huai coming her way, carrying a wooden tray covered in mesh.

Noticing Xia Qing had actually come out to greet him, Tang Huai waved in excitement and hurried over, a bit out of breath as he grumbled, “Your territory’s big enough already—why fence off a whole mountainside too? What’s the point?”

Why? Because this was Old Goat’s turf, with a Green Lantern Toon Tree standing guard and a lush strip of high Evolution Element crops watered by a spring.

But of course, Xia Qing had no intention of telling Tang Huai the truth. Not that he expected her to—he was used to her silent ways. He just handed her the tray. “Here, a hundred live worms. Enough for you?”

At the price he and Zhang San had agreed on, this tray of worms was practically worth three thousand credits—very generous. Xia Qing loved working with someone so straightforward. She accepted the tray and thanked him earnestly. “More than enough, thanks.”

“Hmph!” Tang Huai sniffed. “Glad you know what’s good for you!”

After handing off the tray, Tang Huai started taking off his protective suit before Xia Qing could even stop him.

He ditched the mask, jacket, and pants, tossing them aside till he stood there in just a long-sleeved tee and comfy pants. He spread his arms, spun around, and declared, “See? No listening devices whatsoever.”

Xia Qing stared at him.

Truth was, this really wasn’t necessary.

“Alright, put your suit back on.” This spot was right by the quarantine zone, only about forty meters from Evolved Forest. Xia Qing couldn’t help worrying—what if an evolved venomous insect appeared out of nowhere and bit him? She’d never be able to explain that to Tang Zhengbo.