Chapter 425: Chaos at the Village Gate

Da Ya glanced around as he followed, relieved to find only a single sheep in the courtyard. “Huo, you handle cutting the meat. I’ll take care of the guts. Xia Qing, you and Yan Long go do your thing.”

All this python meat—hundreds of pounds, organs and all—was headed to Territory Seven. Xia Qing didn’t stand on ceremony. “Thanks for the help, Ya and Huo. Sister Yan, how do you want to measure this?”

“Come with me,” Yan Long said, turning to head outside.

“Alright. Boss, you coming?” Xia Qing called out, but Old Goat just guarded the cabin door, clearly not planning to follow. So Xia Qing trailed after Yan Long.

Once past the courtyard, Yan Long suddenly broke into a sprint westward. Xia Qing caught on—she wanted to test her running speed—so she dashed after her at full throttle.

They’d barely cleared the village when Yan Long screeched to a halt, spinning and lunging straight at Xia Qing.

Was she about to test Xia Qing’s combat skills too?

Xia Qing tried to slow, but hadn’t even planted her feet when Yan Long’s leg swung in. Dodging now was out of the question—she twisted just in time, shielding her vitals and raising her arms against the incoming kick.

She hadn’t bargained for Yan Long’s sheer strength. Xia Qing was sent flying. Luckily, all that brawling with Old Goat meant she’d mastered midair recovery and landed in one piece.

But before she could fully steady herself, Yan Long already leapt high, her iron fist cutting through the wind straight for Xia Qing’s chest. Xia Qing barely had time to defend, arms up, before she realized—Yan Long’s punch was just a feint. There was no chance to dodge her sweeping leg.

“Bang!”

“Boom!”

Yan Long’s kick sent Xia Qing crashing into a half-collapsed wall by the road, knocking it down completely.

Yan Long moved so fast, her momentum was overwhelming. Not even someone with advanced Strength Evolution like Xia Qing could put up a fight.

So this is what a real expert looks like? She’s incredible!

Blood pounding, Xia Qing pushed the clay and bricks off her body, already set to retaliate. But she heard the pounding of hooves nearby.

“Moo—”

“Moo—”

Old Goat, having heard the commotion, rushed out to see Xia Qing slammed into the wall. He bellowed and charged over to defend his little underling.

Old Goat was so loud, folks from Territory Two were bound to hear!

Xia Qing scrambled upright and raced toward her companions. “Boss, calm down, nothing happened! We’re just sparring!”

“Sister Qing…”

But before she could reach Old Goat, Er Yong’s urgent voice blared over the earpiece. At that, Xia Qing’s heart dropped—she remembered the Wolf Pack in Wolf Valley. She spun north in time to see Alpha vault over the iron mesh wall at an impossible speed, charging their way.

“Your Majesty, wai—” Xia Qing had no time for Old Goat. She shouted, sprinting to intercept Yan Long, but before she took more than a few steps, Alpha landed—his paws kicked up stones that stung her arm.

Tsss—

Damn, that hurt!

Thank goodness Alpha wore shoes. Bare paws would’ve hurt even more!

“Your Majesty…”

“Bang!”

Before Xia Qing could stop Alpha, Old Goat barreled straight at Yan Long. Yan Long sidestepped fast, letting Old Goat crash through the house ruins and get buried.

“Moo—”

From under the broken boards and bricks, Old Goat bellowed, knocking debris away. He broke free to stand behind Alpha. “Baa…~…~”

A sheep shouldn’t be able to sound this aggrieved—just one bleat carried more twists and turns than a soap opera.

It was the first time Xia Qing had ever heard Old Goat sound so wronged.

Alpha planted himself between Xia Qing and Old Goat, murder in his eyes. He swung around, facing Yan Long head-on, tail out stiff and body low. His sharp claws dug into the stones and broken wood underfoot with a crunch.

The wolf’s fighting spirit fired Yan Long up—her fists crackled as she locked eyes with the ferocious Alpha.

Broken Back, Lame Wolf, and Black Wolf raced over from Wolf Valley toward Section Three. At the same time, Huo Zhun bounded out of the village, coming to stand back-to-back with Yan Long.

The three charging wolves joined Alpha and Old Goat, surrounding Yan Long with her twin blades and Huo Zhun, machete in hand. All eyes were on Alpha, waiting for her command. Two people versus four wolves and a sheep. The showdown was about to erupt.

Lame Wolf, looking fierce, jerked her chin at Xia Qing, then glanced at an open spot by her side. She was giving battle-rookie Xia Qing a hint:

Move yourself! I left you a perfect side position—come fill it already!

“Sister Qing, four wolves breached your territory. You need backup?”

Er Yong’s belated offer sounded in Xia Qing’s ear.

“No need.” Xia Qing had no pride to lose and threw her arms around Alpha, gently coaxing him down.

“Your Majesty, Yan and Huo aren’t enemies. Yan was just sparring with me. I lost because I’m weak, not because they attacked me. Old Goat thought I was in danger, that’s why he got mad. Alpha, don’t be angry. If we fight, everyone will come running to check it out—that’ll cause way too many problems.”

“Your Majesty, if you and Yan want a real match, don’t do it here. Take it into the Evolved Forest. If enemies show up, we’ll be in real trouble. Lame Wolf still hasn’t healed up!”

Alpha was starting to get annoyed at being shaken and lifted his head with a huff. Broken Back, Lame Wolf, and Black Wolf all stepped back, easing the siege. Only Old Goat was left, pawing the ground and showing off those spiral horns.

Yan Long unclenched her fists. Huo Zhun could only stand there, dumbstruck.

Wait a minute—is this Xia Qing’s combat team? Was there any way he could join a group like that?

After all that commotion, there was no point in continuing the test. Xia Qing asked Yan Long and Huo Zhun to return to the village while she stayed to calm Old Goat and the Wolf Pack.

“Boss, you charged in the moment you saw Yan and me sparring, thinking I was in danger. I’m honestly touched.”

“And Alpha, when you heard Boss bellow, you tore out of Wolf Valley like lightning—totally heroic…”

Not far away, Huo Zhun contemplated his own ability to express himself. Joining this team looked like a real challenge.

Back at Xia Qing’s place, after Huo Zhun hacked off huge chunks of meat, he couldn’t help but marvel. “That wolf missing an ear is insane!”

Da Ya, stuffing the snake gall into an ice box, gave him a surprised look. “Wolf? Wasn’t it the sheep that rushed out? Xia Qing’s wolf came back?”

Huo Zhun explained, “The sheep drew four evolved wolves over—we almost had a war on our hands. Good thing Ya’s quick on the uptake and the gear you brought is solid. Otherwise, folks in Territory Two would’ve heard the whole brawl.”

Da Ya grinned. “It wasn’t my reflexes—it’s all your fancy equipment doing the job.”

After washing up, Yan Long started cutting the python. “I’ve seen that Alpha twice. Once was when Xia Qing first took the two injured wolves to Territory Seven—Alpha was tailing them the whole way. The second time was with Yang Jin collecting herbs.”

Huo Zhun’s eyes lit up. “Is that the same one who carried Yellow Weasel on its back?”

Who would’ve guessed Xia Qing’s team had another absolute powerhouse!