Chapter 423: Bartering in Winter Shadows

“Xia Qing, thank you for putting up with Tang Huai these past six months. It’s been a blessing for both him and our entire Tang family to have you as our neighbor.”

Tang Zhengbo knew full well why Xia Qing sought him out. He’d wanted to befriend her for a while but hadn’t found the chance, so before Xia Qing could even speak, he shared the information she wanted. “I heard Territory Two sent a surveillance bird last night—their scouts were watching your territory?”

Tang Zhengbo skipped any negotiation and got straight to the point. He clearly wanted to build a good relationship. Xia Qing dropped any pretense herself. “Yeah, they suspect I blew up Territory Two’s helicopter. Like I’d have the guts or skills for that.”

Skills? You actually have a grenade launcher that could blow up a helicopter.

Guts? You took down two of Su Feng Squad’s surveillance birds. That takes some nerve.

Tang Zhengbo shared what he was able to. “After nine last night, Tang Zhengsu stayed with Blazing Fire Squad for talks. It was Xu Pin’s idea to keep watch on Section Three. Xu Pin doesn’t think you bombed the helicopter; he just thinks you’re vulnerable. They’re planning to use you as a scapegoat, to make a spectacle.”

When he finished, Tang Zhengbo warned, “Don’t leave your territory this winter. Especially stay away from the Evolved Forest. Don’t give them an opening.”

“Thanks for the heads up, Uncle Tang. Right now I’m too scared to go anywhere. I’ll just lie low, tidy up my greenhouse and plant some vegetables.” After confirming her hunch from Tang Zhengbo, Xia Qing called Xin Yu and went straight to the point:

“Xin Yu, I got my hands on some top-tier evolved Green Lantern animal meat. Devastation Element content’s at 2.3 per mille, but it’s from one with Hardness Evolution. Do you want it?”

Since Xia Qing once borrowed Xin Yu’s bird to scatter wolf dung and send Jiang Xiong Squad on a wild goose chase, Xin Yu knew about her deal with the Wolf Pack. So on hearing about the high-grade evolved meat, Xin Yu cut to the chase, “That python the Wolf Pack hunted last night, it was a Green Lantern? They handed it to you?”

Xia Qing wasn’t surprised Xin Yu knew about the python—after all, she had a brain-evolved bird. With all that noise last night, no way she’d miss it. Xia Qing answered directly, “Yep. You want it?”

Xin Yu watched Yang Jin fly through the Evolved Forest on her laptop screen and asked, “What do you want in exchange?”

Xia Qing named her terms. “Do you have a plan to take out Su Feng Squad’s deputy captain, Xu Pin? Tang Zhengsu’s furious about the helicopter blast, and Xu Pin wants to make me the scapegoat to calm him down.”

If it were up to her, Xia Qing would rather just take out Tang Zhengsu. But he was a high-level Speed Evolver, always surrounded by bodyguards, so a sneak attack was near impossible. Xu Pin was a more realistic target.

If Xu Pin dared to use her as a scapegoat, Xia Qing was ready to take his life—cutting off a right-hand man and half of Tang Zhengsu’s brainpower.

Xin Yu, the one who actually bombed Territory Two’s helicopter, spoke up. “One hundred catties of python meat and a full snakeskin jacket. I’ll get my shot at him when he leaves the territory, but the target’s alive. I can’t guarantee one hundred percent success.”

A snakeskin jacket? Now that’s good taste. But Xia Qing replied, “I’ve already traded away the snakeskin. Can I throw in more meat instead?”

Xin Yu refused. “I don’t need more meat.”

High-grade evolved Green Lantern meat and she’s still not interested? Impressive. Xia Qing tried to negotiate, “Hang on, let me get back to you in a bit.”

It was so rare to find high-level Hardness Evolution snakeskin. Xia Qing couldn’t bear to trade away her own jacket.

Steeling herself, she called Huo Lei to ask if they could make another snakeskin jacket, and cut in before he could start cursing, “Uncle Huo, this python’s a Green Lantern. The bones make a great tonic if you put them in soup! I’ll throw in twenty more catties of meat too. How’s that?”

Huo Lei, simmering with anger, grunted back after a long pause, “Thirty catties!”

“Deal. Thanks, Uncle Huo. I’ll hand both the meat and the skin over to Huo-ge.”

…

Is farming supposed to make people smarter? How did this stubborn girl get even sharper than before?

Xia Qing had expected to pay fifty catties of python meat but managed to settle for just thirty in exchange for another set of snakeskin jacket. In high spirits, she called Xin Yu back.

“One hundred catties of python meat and a snakeskin jacket. I’ll send the meat over with the Inspection Team in a bit. The jacket will take a while to make, so I’ll send you a form—fill in your exact measurements and send them back.”

With that, Xia Qing reminded her, “I’d rather word about the Green Lantern python meat didn’t spread.”

“Got it,” Xin Yu replied crisply, then hung up.

After hanging up herself, Xia Qing skipped out to the yard and started skinning the python.

Suddenly, Zhou Xun made an announcement over the lord communicator: “Our task team just found a herd of sheep in the Evolved Forest on Mountain 51. Any Strength Evolvers willing to help us haul out the loot? We’re offering one hundred credits or two catties of Yellow Lantern sheep meat. Shi Du, Xia Qing, interested?”

Yeah, right.

Two catties of Yellow Lantern meat?

Right at that moment, while skinning a Green Lantern python weighing a ton, Xia Qing had one of her own several-hundred-pound Green Lantern sheep press the button on the walkie-talkie.

“Sorry, I need to till the greenhouse today and plant crops, so I can’t join the task.” Xia Qing’s tone was tremendously polite, as if she’d been frightened silly by Territory Two’s watchers.

Shi Du responded, sounding a bit sheepish, “Sorry, our greenhouse still isn’t done. We’re working on it right now.”

Before Zhou Xun could try again, Yang Jin unexpectedly chimed in, “I’m interested. I’m already at Mountain 51 and heading over.”

Hearing Iron Rooster’s frosty voice, Zhou Xun wished he could just bury himself. He forced a reply, “Sorry Captain Yang. We need Strength Evolvers, not Speed Evolvers.”

Xia Qing sliced off a chunk of tough python meat with her sharp machete, her mind wandering to what model walkie-talkie Yang Jin was using—how did he get a signal all the way out on Mountain 51?

“Xia Qing.” Suddenly Zhang San’s lazy drawl came through on the walkie-talkie. “Looking for me?”

Xia Qing got his meaning immediately, and had Old Goat press the button. “Third Brother, I’d like to trade Green-Lamp Pine Nuts with you for some anti-eavesdropping equipment.”

“Sure,” Zhang San lazily agreed. “Yang Jin, what the hell are you all up to on the Northern Barrier?”

Yang Jin replied politely, “Last night the Inspection Team caught four suspicious people near the Northern Barrier. We’re just being thorough—checking and spraying to make sure the training field’s safe. Sorry to disturb you, Third Brother.”

Zhang San snorted. “Xia Qing, go open the South Gate.”

“Will do. Thanks, Third Brother.”

As soon as Xia Qing thanked him, Xin Yu’s icy voice crackled through again. “Xia Qing, how many Green-Lamp Pine Nuts do you have left?”