Chapter 473: Home’s Shelter: A Night of Ice and Wolves

Finally back on her own territory, in her own home, surrounded by her companions. Xia Qing truly felt happy. The pain, however, was just as real.

The pain after drinking the Evolution Element stim shake was nothing like soaking in pesticide. Soaking brought a raw ache that spread from skin to bone, while the stim shake made every vein and nerve in her body throb with her heartbeat.

Xia Qing managed to tough it out until now, but once she relaxed there was no holding it back anymore.

She slumped against a bundle of straw, looking out over the yard where the ground was thick with dirty yellow Devastation Snow. Turning to the smartest animal in the sheep shed, she pleaded, “Crippled Wolf, handsome wolf brother, can you go inside and close the window for me? I don’t think I can move anymore. I’m completely out of strength.”

Crippled Wolf dropped his playful grin, watching Xia Qing with thoughtful eyes.

Xia Qing’s hand trembled as she pointed at the window in the east room on the first floor. “Look, the wind’s blowing the Devastation Snow straight inside. Just pull it shut so the wind can’t get through. I know you can do it, handsome wolf. Please?”

Following her finger, Crippled Wolf looked at the open window. He seemed to understand and padded across the yard through the Devastation Snow, stopping beneath the eaves. Propping his front paws on the windowsill, he scratched until he managed to pull the window shut. Then he looked back at Xia Qing as if waiting for approval.

Xia Qing gave him a weak thumbs-up, her voice quiet but sincere. “You’re amazing, handsome! You’re the smartest wolf on Blue Star, the handiest, and the most thoughtful. Could you close the rest of the windows for me too?”

Crippled Wolf flashed a sharp-toothed grin, wagging his tail as he happily set off to close the other windows.

At last, Xia Qing let herself relax, sinking back into the straw. In her heart, she promised herself she’d rest here for a while, gather a bit of strength, then go inside to sleep.

Even if the room stank, she’d still go back—this cold was just too much, and she wasn’t exactly covered in fur.

Once he’d finished closing all the windows on the first floor, Crippled Wolf climbed upstairs. He checked the front and back windows—both closed. Up in the attic, same story. A little disappointed, he trotted back down to the sheep shed only to see Xia Qing already asleep, squeezed between Er Gou and Old Goat.

He stared at her shoes for a while, and the moment he stretched out a paw, Xia Qing’s fluffy ears twitched.

At the same moment, Alpha and Handsome Huge Wolf flicked their own ears, lifting their heads warily.

Both Xia Qing and Er Gou were so drained they slept like logs. Old Goat, on the other hand, wouldn’t bother keeping watch so long as there was a real powerhouse in the territory. When he heard noises, he just pretended to sleep.

A few seconds later, Alpha stood up and moved to Xia Qing’s feet, curled up, and went back to sleep. Handsome Huge Wolf by the door rested his head on his front paws. But Crippled Wolf quietly left the shed, nudged open the security door, and slipped into the living room.

On the living room table, the lord communicator crackled with voices. “Didn’t the weather report say this year’s Devastation Snow wouldn’t be that bad? Why is the first wave already at red alert?”

Qi Fu answered Kuang Qingwei’s question, “Could it have something to do with us building a fire wall to stop the beast tide?”

Shizhong chimed in, “If fire was the cause, the snow should be gray, not red.”

Tan Junjie made an announcement. “Inspection Team checked the Devastation Snow—it’s definitely red level and full of corrosive elements. Clean it up at least every hour. All lords, plan your time and people accordingly. Call if you need help from the team.”

“Territory One received.” Tang Zhou replied.

“Territory Two received.” A stranger’s voice answered.

“Section Three received.” Hu Zifeng confirmed.

As everyone reported in, Tang Huai from Territory Twelve came online. “Maniac, Xia Qing isn’t back in Section Three yet?”

At the mention of her name, Crippled Wolf paused, looking up sharply at the communicator.

Hu Zifeng couldn’t be bothered to respond to Tang Huai, but heard Zhao Ze’s mother from the neighboring territory ask, “Captain Hu, do you have enough people? If you can’t keep up, we can come help clear the snow.”

“The snow’s piling up fast. If we don’t shovel it soon, it’ll crush the greenhouses,” Kuang Qingwei added. “I can send a couple people to help, too.”

Everyone in the Lords’ Alliance worried that Devastation Snow would ruin Xia Qing’s crops.

Qi Fu spoke up as well, “Xia Qing’s greenhouse has a metal frame so it’s pretty sturdy, but her other sheds use bamboo and can’t take much weight. Captain Hu, instead of going outside, just use a wooden rake from inside to shake the snow off the bamboo roofs—it’ll slide off that way.”

Hu Zifeng thanked everyone. “Alright, thanks for the tips. We’re fine for now, but I’ll ask if I have questions. Xia Qing already made it back and is resting. She’s had a long day.”

Hearing Xia Qing was home, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When the beast tide was nearly over, Yuan Yan, patrolling near the territory sign, had seen Xia Qing faint outside Territory Seven and warned, “It’s nearly minus twenty now. Captain Hu, don’t forget to light the fireplace and cover Xia Qing with a warm quilt—don’t let her catch cold.”

Crippled Wolf, fiddling with the communicator, stopped abruptly to stare at the pitch-black fireplace. Ignoring the communicator, he slipped upstairs, nosed open Xia Qing’s bedroom door, grabbed her blanket, and dragged it all the way back to the sheep shed to tuck it over her.

Yue Haiying joined the chat. “I’ve spotted Devastation Evolution wheat sprouts. Anyone else got them in their fields?”

Kuang Qingwei sighed, “My rapeseed’s infected too. Barely any sprouts survived, and once the Devastation Snow’s done, this whole plot will be wiped out.”

Zhao Ze replied, “Same here. Qi, do we need to pull up the Devastation Evolution wheat roots as well?”

Qi Fu answered, “Better to clear them out roots and all. If any turn out dangerous, we’re in trouble.”

While other lords searched their greenhouses and cleared out Devastation Evolution wheat and rapeseed, Hu Zifeng’s squad in Section Three was doing the same.

Unlike other territories growing large swathes of wheat, Section Three had just two and a half acres. Half an acre was protected by Yi Stone, so there was no risk of Devastation Evolution there.

That made things much easier for Hu Zifeng’s team.

For the first time, Xiao Jiang witnessed how amazing Yi Stone was for farming. In his mind, only two words fit: pure magic.

“With weather this cold, the python is definitely hibernating now. If the wolf pack raids the python lair, they’ll hit the jackpot. Once Sister Qing trades python for a couple more Yi Stones, she’ll be able to shield all her wheat and rapeseed.”

The Xia Qing and wolf pack Xiao Jiang admired so much were now fast asleep, huddled under a blanket in the sheep shed.

Xia Qing, wracked with pain even in sleep, whimpered softly. Old Goat grumbled and rolled over, turning his back to her to keep on snoring.

Deep inside a great pine tree on Zone Three of Hill Forty-Nine, Red Squirrel curled up in a nest of dry grass, still shivering violently in the cold.

On Third Peak of Hill Fifty, Devastation Snow poured down the mountain’s crevices into a hidden valley, where stalks of Scourge Grass slowly sprouted from the damp earth.

Where Devastation Snow covered the poison gas bomb zone, brightly colored Scourge Grass burst through the snow before your eyes, growing at a wild, impossible speed.