Chapter 597: Alliances and Partings

Wen Nengjie kept it polite, “No rush. If you’re short on cash, Qing, we can settle up after the harvest.”

Qi Fu asked, “Xia Qing, are we going to need protection for that burned patch on Hill Fifty?”

Xia Qing got what Qi Fu meant. “Zhao, Yue, are you there?”

Zhao Ze chimed in right away, “I’m clearing snow. What’s up, Sis?”

Yue Haiying replied, quick and to the point, “Here.”

“Zhao, Yue—either of you free in an hour to go check on Hill Fifty with Qi and me?”

The moment they both said yes, Xia Qing’s phone started ringing.

Tang Huai, standing outside the northern gate with snow up to his ankles, stared wide-eyed as he saw Xia Qing approach, wielding a giant broom.

No way! Did Xia Qing really clear this whole path herself? And Hu Fengzi couldn’t be bothered to help at all?!

Xia Qing asked, “You bringing me abalone? What are you hoping to trade for it?”

Tang Huai cursed Hu Zifeng inwardly, but outwardly kept a sunny smile. “Let me in first. We can talk details inside.”

To keep Tang Huai safe, Xia Qing didn’t budge. “Old Goat’s in a mood right now. If you come in, he’s definitely going to butt you.”

It wasn’t a maybe. It was a definite.

Tang Huai looked genuinely confused. “But I haven’t done anything to him! I even brought him a comb. Why would he come after me?”

“Someone set off fireworks this morning and woke Old Goat from his nap. Now he’s riled up,” Xia Qing explained. If it were Hu Zifeng’s squad, Old Goat would just squint and ignore them. But the moment Tang Huai’s voice reached the territory, the trouble would start.

Xia Qing kept quiet about just how smart Old Goat really was. It was safer to let everyone think he was just a short-tempered Red Lantern ram than let on he could actually be clever.

When Tang Huai realized the real reason—and that it was because of the fireworks he set off—he didn’t feel like setting foot in Section Three at all.

He leaned in, making sure no one was around, then lowered his voice and told Xia Qing with a flourish, “Did Hu Fengzi tell you? Early this morning, Tang Zhengsu killed himself out of guilt. Tang Rui ran off.”

Tang Rui actually ran? Xia Qing was surprised. “All I heard from Feng was that Tang Zhengsu killed himself. Why did Tang Rui run? Was he involved in the territory invasion?”

“He was scared Yang Jin would kill him. I’d run too,” Tang Huai shrugged. “Last night, when Tang Zhengsu tried to escape, he took more than thirty of Su Feng Squad’s core fighters. Most got caught or killed, only a few got away. Tang Rui grabbed money and took off with some people, too. Between the two of them, Su Feng Squad’s been gutted. No way they’ll stay in the top ten power rankings now!”

Tang Huai’s excitement just kept building. “Our family’s done with Su Feng Squad—no more putting up with their crap!”

No more crap? Xia Qing pressed, “Does that mean Tang Zhengrong’s going down, too?”

Tang Huai was certain. “With all Su Feng’s lackeys gone, what is he? Nothing! From now on, we’re just running our restaurant and working the fields. There’s no beef between us anymore. Can we be friends? You don’t have to treat me like I’m a thief.”

Xia Qing agreed without hesitation. “Ever since you left Territory Two, we’ve been friends.”

Tang Huai’s whole face lit up. “Then I’ll go to Hill Fifty with you to help out, and later, the two of us—plus Er—can go hunting!”

Xia Qing just stared at him…

Seriously, this guy…

“Helping with Hill Fifty is fine, but hunting’s out. Er is an Evolved Wolf. Once he’s recovered, he needs to reunite with his pack. He doesn’t like humans except me, and honestly, I’m busy these days. Hunting’s not on my list.”

Tang Huai was stunned. “Er has to leave too?”

Xia Qing nodded. “His gut’s still healing from those parasites. Once he can eat raw meat again, he’ll go.”

Tang Huai grimaced for Xia Qing’s sake. “You really have to let him go? After all the work and money you poured in for a year, you’re getting nothing out of it?”

All that for nothing. Hah.

Xia Qing shot back, “He’s got to go if he wants to. What’s the alternative—lock him in a cage?”

Tang Huai paused a moment, then sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. If you cage him, he’d just call the wolf pack to wipe out your territory. And if you muzzled him, he might starve himself to death out of spite.”

Since the disasters began and animal protection laws vanished, Tang Huai had seen plenty of wolves die starving and leopards killed in captivity.

After that, Tang Huai tried to cheer her up. “Don’t worry, he knows you. Maybe when he’s feeling homesick, he’ll drop by for a few days. I’ll go grab my gear. Where are we meeting up?”

When Yue Haiying, Qi Fu, and Shi Du arrived at the meeting point and saw Tang Huai standing next to Xia Qing and Zhao Ze—with two bodyguards behind him—they looked at each other in shock.

Xia Qing had already messaged the group that Tang Huai was tagging along today, so their surprise was just for show.

She explained with a straight face, “We need to collect samples in a dangerous area and clear snow too. There’s a lot to do, so I asked Tang Huai to help.”

With everyone in the same chat all year, the group headed for Hill Fifty, joking along the way. Zhao Ze asked Tang Huai, “Huai, when is Director Tang coming back to the territory?”

Tang Huai answered, “After the Devastation Rain, probably. The restaurant’s busy lately and Dad can’t leave.”

After Devastation Rain? Xia Qing figured if Tang Zhengbo made it back by mid-March, that would already be fast.

Qi Fu also brought up, “I ordered twenty Green Lantern crab seedlings from Director Tang last year. Next time you talk to him, can you ask when he’ll deliver them? I want to get the pond ready.”

Everyone in the alliance knew that by “preparing,” Qi Fu meant more than just digging a pond. They also needed to set up a secret spot in the Hidden Valley for the mitten crabs to survive the Devastation Rain.

Xia Qing and Kuang Qingwei had also reserved Green Lantern mitten crab seedlings from Territory Twelve.

Tang Huai knew about all this. “No problem. I’ll ask him when I get home.”

Zhao Ze piped up, “Huai, I want twenty too. Is it still possible to order?”

Shi Du added, “Me too, I’ll take twenty.”

Yue Haiying spoke up, “I’ll take fifty.”

Tang Huai could make that call. “No problem, I’ll give you all the discounted price.”

Last year, when the territory lords ordered crab seedlings, Tang Zhengbo had said fifty credits each but would drop the price if you bought more. The three lords ordered twenty apiece, so he knocked off 2.5 credits per seedling.

After quoting the price, Tang Huai gave a friendly warning. “Once you get the crab seedlings, they’ll have to go through two rounds of Devastation Rain before they’re grown. Without a proper greenhouse to shield them from the Devastation Element, they’ll change colors—turning from Green Lantern to Yellow Lantern or even Red Lantern by the time they’re mature. Yellow Lanterns drop to half the price of Green Lanterns, and Red Lanterns are only good for fertilizer or feed. Raise them for half a year, and you still won’t break even.”