Chapter 57: Growing Stronger: Summer’s Green Deal

After going down to the basement to retrieve the agreement and contracts, Xia Qing presented three points she wanted to revise after carefully considering everything:

First, change the mountain’s lease term from five years to two. When the two years are up, if both parties are willing, they can negotiate a renewal; if not, there’s no need to sign a new lease.

Second, add a clause: while Azure Dragon Unit rents the mountain as a training base, any resources harvested from the mountain belong to them. But if any Green Light Foods are found, Xia Qing has the right to know and gets first dibs to buy.

Third, clarify the area being leased further: everything belonging to Mountain 49, except for the territory north of Plot One, Plot Three, and Territory Four by 1.5 kilometers as shown on the land certificate, is being rented to the Azure Dragon Unit. Any dangers or clean-up of evolved creatures in the parts not being leased will be Xia Qing’s responsibility alone.

Her reasoning was simple—she wanted to keep her own territory free from people on the mountain watching her or threatening her with sniper rifles. She had two more reasons she didn’t say out loud: this section might have uncontaminated spring water running through it and could become farmland, and she needed a bit of Evolver Forest to serve as her personal training ground.

She was determined to become stronger.

Twenty-five days later, while munching on a fresh cucumber she’d just picked, admiring the little jujube buds and those fuzzy green apples barely bigger than a thumbnail, Xia Qing got a message from Luo Pei: The mountain is bought. Yang Jin wants to come at eight tonight to sign the contract. Is that okay?

Already? Xia Qing almost wanted to say this was the most sensitive time—they’d just bought the mountain, all eyes were on them, and now Yang Jin, this living legend, was coming to Plot Three. Wasn’t he worried about getting noticed?

But then she remembered the tunnel they’d dug—from Plot One straight to Plot Three for delivering supplies. Still chewing on her cucumber, she replied: Sure! The cucumbers in my field are finally ready. Tonight, I’ll bring some for Luo Ge and Captain Yang to taste.

Once she hung up, Xia Qing grabbed her slingshot and shot an evolved locust diving straight into her terraced field’s peanut sprouts, its wings flapping wildly. These evolved locusts had stronger jaws—if she didn’t handle them quick, they’d bite through her insect net and get inside within minutes.

After Xia Qing shot down the locust, Boss Sheep raced in faster than the birds scrambling for a meal, trapping the locust’s body under his hoof.

“Nice one, Boss!” Xia Qing grinned, cucumber between her teeth, hopping down two terraces. She pushed the cucumber end into Boss Sheep’s mouth as a treat and picked up the locust’s headless corpse and dropped it into the grass pouch hanging around his neck. “You didn’t squish it to mush this time, so you get a reward. Boss gets the cucumber, and the locust will feed the fish.”

Boss Sheep squinted in contentment, crunching on cucumber amid the noisy birds, then ambled down the hillside to the fish pond to deliver the locust.

Xia Qing picked up every steel ball she shot, wiped them clean, then popped them back into her ammo pouch. Steel balls were bought with points—she couldn’t afford to let even one get lost.

Retrieving those high-speed steel balls was practically impossible and time-consuming unless you were a top-level Vision Evolver or Scent Evolver.

Vision Evolvers could spot fast-moving targets, Scent Evolvers could track any smell. Xia Qing was not just a high-level Vision Evolver but also had enhanced hearing. For her, this was nothing.

When the time came, Xia Qing carried five cucumbers, heading out boldly to sign the first and second contracts of her life.

At that exact moment, in the same small house, how did it feel to be in the presence of the two top leaders of the Hui San Base Azure Dragon Unit? Luo Pei was out and about again—Xia Qing was glad for that. Yang Jin, unbelievably, was even more handsome now, which made Xia Qing want to feed him all her best food…

She steadied herself and handed over her basket. “Captain Yang, Luo Ge.”

Yang Jin took the basket calmly, while Luo Pei’s face was tinged pink, with a faint smile.

Don’t get the wrong idea. Luo Pei’s blush wasn’t from shyness or excitement. The effects of the Xiang Synthesis Poison still hadn’t faded completely. Xia Qing’s skin was always a dark red—so she had a red face in front of anyone, any time.

Gazing at the fresh cucumbers in the basket, Luo Pei asked, “Why’d you bring so many?”

“I got nineteen cucumber plants to grow. Once the vines took off, a new leaf meant a new cucumber. The only downside? Not many Green Light ones this time—these here are all we can eat today.” Xia Qing was so proud just talking about her vegetable patch.

Yang Jin couldn’t help but smile seeing Xia Qing brimming with joy at her farming harvest. He explained why Xie Yu wasn’t here: “Xie Yu has wanted to thank you in person for ages, but one of us needs to stay back to guard the Safe Zone, so he couldn’t make it again. He asked me to bring you a little gift instead.”

If Yang Jin and Luo Pei were Azure Dragon Unit’s hidden weapons, then Xie Yu was its brain. They’d never have reached this level without all three of them. As important as the spring water was, Xia Qing never expected all three leaders to come together just for her contracts.

She took the hefty gift with both hands from the Azure Dragon Unit’s second-in-command. “Captain Xie is too kind.”

Seeing her accept it, Luo Pei explained, “There are two hundred bullets in here. Perfect for your shooting practice.”

She needed those so badly! The gift was thoughtful and expensive, and Xia Qing found herself unable to say anything about giving just a couple cucumbers back as a thank you for Xie Yu.

Luckily, she’d come fully prepared for tonight.

Xia Qing pulled a small jug of mountain spring water and two bags of tea out of her backpack. “Captain Yang, can you take the tea and water back to Captain Xie for me? Luo Ge, can you boil water here? The tea smells nice—I’d love to brew some for you and Captain Yang to try.”

“Of course, you and Yang Jin sit down. I’ll make the tea.” Luo Pei jumped at the chance, face full of anticipation. “It’s been so long since I’ve tasted tea brewed with actual spring water.”

Once the spring water began to boil, the air filled with tea fragrance. Yang Jin had never smelled anything like it before. He asked Xia Qing, “Did you find a tea tree on your land?”

Xia Qing shook her head. “I exchanged for it with another lord. They said it’s really rare and excellent tea. I don’t know much about tea myself—I just think it smells great and tastes good.”

It must have been Zhang San who gave it to her, which explained the pure fragrance. Yang Jin saw Xia Qing was living well and his demeanor softened even more. “What’d you give them? Green Light cucumbers?”

It was a public trade on the lord’s channel. No reason to keep it secret. “Green Light cucumbers, a bunch of spinach leaves, and some leeks.”

Yang Jin subtly warned her, “Zhang San of Plot Seven is seriously picky about food quality. If he’s willing to trade that good tea for your stuff, it means your vegetables are worth every bit. Do you water them all with spring water?”

Xia Qing replied, “I use it when I soak the seeds and for young seedlings, but once they’re growing strong I switch to regular water. Captain Yang, is it risky for me to trade Green Light veggies with other lords?”

Yang Jin’s smile grew. “If every type of Green Light vegetable you grow ends up with less Xiang element than other lords’, that might out you. But you have nothing to worry about trading with Azure Dragon Unit.”

Now, that’s what you call a negotiating iron rooster!

Xia Qing nodded, expressionless. “I understand.”

Luo Pei chuckled. “Jin, bring out the land certificate and both contracts.”