Chapter 414: A Night of Storms and Secrets

Honestly, Xia Qing wanted to ask her idol if she called anyone else with this kind of question. But her idol was sleepy, so Xia Qing didn’t dare disturb her. She quickly said goodnight and hung up.

Why was she so cautious?

She used to worry about getting blocked by her idol. Now, on top of that, she feared upsetting her and having an evolved rat snooping around her territory.

If Tang Zhengsu ever found out that Territory Seven sent an evolved rat, he’d probably send a silk banner to whoever blew up his helicopter…

So who should Territory Two’s banner go to?

Munching on her flatbread, Xia Qing thought it over by process of elimination, and in the end, there was only one answer left: the ruthless, quiet lord of Territory Eight, Xin Yu.

That brain-evolved raven of hers—perfect for stealthy night missions like this.

Once Xia Qing finished her flatbread, her phone rang again. This time, it was Yang Jin calling.

Xia Qing listened to the background sounds and guessed Yang Jin was deep inside the Evolved Forest. She could hear the howling wind through dense trees. From the sound, Yang Jin must be wedged behind a big rock, shielded from the wind, making this call.

If Yang Jin was reaching out to her now, something big must be up.

And sure enough, after a polite opener, Yang Jin got right to the point. “An evolved bear on Hill Fifty got wounded by a group of refugees—and poisoned by a Devastation Snake. If we don’t detox it, the bear won’t survive this year’s Devastation Snow. If it loses control and rampages through our territory, it’ll get killed, and that’ll really tick off the bear pack. So we need to cure it.”

Yang Jin was a top Speed Evolver, the best person to stop the refugee squad from hunting bears on Hill Fifty. Xia Qing had figured he’d go, but she didn’t expect Sufeng Squad to play dirty and actually poison the bear!

She asked straight out, “How many leaves do you need?”

Yang Jin was contacting her for the antidote—the Devastationweed.

“Five leaves. Cut them and pack them up, leave them outside the Northern Gate. I’ll send Hu Zifeng to pick them up.” Yang Jin laid out the rest of the plan. “Territory Two has already dispatched a scout bird. Hu Zifeng will put out an extreme weather warning in the lords’ channel soon. Drop the rain cover before you cut the grass.”

Once the rain cover was down, people outside—and the cameras on scout birds—couldn’t see what Xia Qing was up to inside the greenhouse.

“Got it.” Xia Qing checked, “Still cutting from the first plant? That way at least one survives without getting hurt.”

They shared ownership of the Devastationweed, so they had to consult each other.

“Got it.” Yang Jin told her how the credits would be handled. “I’ll make sure Blazing Fire and Sufeng pay us triple to cover the loss. Two from the six-person refugee squad are from the Blazing Fire Squad.”

Xia Qing’s anger flared. She lowered her voice, “Territory Two’s helicopter—was that us?”

Hearing her ask, Yang Jin immediately knew Xia Qing hadn’t blown up Territory Two’s helicopter. “My contact in Sufeng Squad didn’t even get a chance to act before the chopper exploded…”

Glancing at a surveillance feed handed over by his subordinate, Yang Jin told Xia Qing, “The scout bird sent to Hill Sixty-One just reported: the two evolved bears are already down from the mountain, headed south.”

“I’m heading out now!” After hanging up, Xia Qing told Er Gou and Old Goat to watch the place. She slung her gun and her basket, then left to patrol the territory.

When she reached the edge of the greenhouse, Hu Zifeng posted an announcement:

“Everyone—cold fronts from both the northwest and northeast have appeared near our territory. Based on current wind direction and speed, these air masses may collide over our area in the next 4 to 10 hours, causing local temps to drop by more than 10°C. Please take precautions.”

During years of natural disasters, these sudden bouts of extreme weather happened all the time. Territory One, equipped with weather monitoring gear, often sent out kind warnings in the lords’ channel to help everyone’s crops avoid hail, torrential rain, and fierce winds.

Xia Qing paused, raising her head to scan the sky, then glanced at the sky over Territory Two. It was pitch black—she couldn’t tell if any scout birds were flying overhead.

“Oh crap, a 10-degree drop?” Zhao Ze was the first to yelp. “Qi, will our wheat and rapeseed make it?”

Qi Fu replied, “Just in case, everyone should lower the rain cover. With it blocking the wind, the greenhouse will always be a few degrees warmer than outside.”

Yue Haiying, acting agent for Territory Fifteen, chimed in, “Qi, one of our greenhouses isn’t done yet. Is it okay to just lay the rain cover right on the ground?”

Kuang Qingwei was surprised. “Brother Yue, when did you sneak in here?”

Yue Haiying laughed, “I got in this evening. Wanted to say hello but never found the right moment. No one in Territory Fifteen really knows this stuff, so I thickened my skin to come learn some farming tips from you all.”

So much had happened tonight—not exactly the best timing for Yue Haiying’s entrance.

“Welcome, Brother Yue!” Zhao Ze was the first to warmly welcome him.

After Xia Qing, Kuang Qingwei, and Shizhong gave their welcomes, Qi Fu answered Yue Haiying’s question. “Rain covers aren’t breathable. If you put them right on the ground, you might suffocate the seedlings. Best to use dry straw to cover the soil and weigh it down with sticks or bricks so the wind doesn’t blow it away.”

Yue Haiying asked, “Okay. What about straw curtains? We haven’t had time to put rain covers over ours yet.”

At Hui Three Base, winters were humid and rainy. Straw curtains on the greenhouse needed an extra layer of rain cover for waterproofing.

Otherwise, once the straw got soaked and heavy, it’d be hard to roll up each day—and could even crush the greenhouse.

Qi Fu replied, “Straw curtains work too.”

Xia Qing had about two and a half mu of wheat and one mu of rapeseed—four greenhouses, all built last summer. After covering each greenhouse with rain covers, she casually asked, “Qi, are fruit trees sensitive to the cold?”

Qi Fu said, “Fruit trees are tougher than wheat seedlings or rapeseed, but a little extra protection never hurts.”

“Got it.” Xia Qing answered, then moved on to lay down the rain cover for the lower slope greenhouse.

Li Si popped online. “Xia Qing, you’ve got fruit trees in your territory?”

Xia Qing rolled her eyes and answered calmly, “Didn’t Assistant Liu mention it? I swapped for Sichuan pepper and passion fruit seedlings at the summer Crop Trade Fair.”

Li Si’s voice was cool and sharp. “Maybe they did. Passion fruit isn’t cold-resistant. Take every precaution.”

Xia Qing seized the chance to ask, “Thanks, Si. Any tips for keeping passion fruit safe in the cold?”

“You can build an insulated shelter, use thermal coverings…”

As Li Si explained, Xia Qing finished lowering the rain cover on the lower slope greenhouse. She quickly moved the stone away from the Spring Cave entrance, cut five Devastationweed leaves, packed them in a test tube, and sealed it tight.

Then she climbed up, dropped the rain cover on the upper slope greenhouse, and as she passed through, slipped the test tube—sealed in a small black bag—at the designated spot.

Once home, Xia Qing got a message from Yang Jin: after leaving Hill Sixty-One, Alpha and Broken Back led more than twenty wolves into the giant python’s territory.