Chapter 64: Seeds, Sheep, and Surprises in the Territory

Zhang San, who rarely joined in the farming discussions, suddenly took an interest in spinach seeds. “Xia Qing, let me tell you, after the Greenlight spinach ripens, if the plant is disturbed, it shoots out seeds. The range can reach over ten meters—and it’s got serious destructive force.”

“Huh? Really?” Xia Qing was surprised. “The Encyclopedia of Cultivation never mentioned spinach launching seeds everywhere when it ripens.”

Xia Qing listened carefully as Zhang San continued, “So once the seeds are close to maturing, you have to set up a sturdy and elastic cover in advance. Use four layers of rainproof tarp sewn together to make a shield. It’s the only way to handle those explosive spinach seeds.”

Xia Qing quickly and sincerely asked for advice. “Thanks for the tip, Third Brother. But how do I know when the spinach seeds are ripe? Is it by color, shape, or smell?”

“None of those are reliable,” Zhang San replied with a chuckle. “Just pick a spinach leaf and see. If they’re ready, the seeds will shoot right out. And don’t waste the leaves you pick. Bring them all to me. Once the spinach is almost mature, the leaves aren’t worth much anyway, so take a bunch.”

Xia Qing was speechless.

Sure enough, every time Zhang San spoke, it was because he wanted to eat.

Before Xia Qing could reply, Tang Huai jumped in. “Third Brother, I’m Tang Huai from Plot Two. I’ve been trying to reach you for days, but couldn’t get through. We’ve found wild Greenlight edible chrysanthemum and purslane in our territory—wanted to send you some to try. About last time—the mutton we traded went bad, that was on me. Please give me another chance. If you agree, Sufeng Squad’s vice-captain Xu Pin will bring you the vegetables right away.”

Xia Qing raised an eyebrow. Was Sufeng Squad really that idle lately? Even Xu Pin wasn’t returning to the Safe Zone. Just who was Zhang San, that even Hui San Base’s top-ranked squad would send their vice-captain just to deliver fresh vegetables and make amends?

Everyone knew how much Zhang San loved to eat. It had been two months since that incident—surely his temper had cooled by now. But to everyone’s surprise, Zhang San flatly refused again. “I’ve got both those veggies in my own territory. No deal. Besides, I don’t want to see people I can’t stand.”

Xia Qing immediately agreed. That Xu Pin from Sufeng Squad just had that annoying vibe.

It wasn’t that he was some eyesore, but he always acted like he was the hottest, coolest guy alive—the rest of you were worthless, not even fit to carry his shoes. Anyone who saw that attitude wanted to give him a good kick and spit in his face.

Seriously, even Yang Jin, who genuinely was better and better-looking, never acted half as full of himself.

Tang Huai behaved like a total pushover in front of Zhang San. Even after being rejected, he didn’t dare get mad. “Understood, Third Brother. I’ll remember that. Next time I find other Greenlight foods, I’ll bring them for a trade.”

Ignoring the conversation, Zhang San got back to business. “Kuang Qingwei, you once mentioned that the wild boars at the Breeding Center were found in that valley, right?”

Kuang Qingwei replied at once, “Yeah. We found three big wild boars and a group of piglets in the valley. But since the Breeding Center was built, the Safe Zone brought in another batch, so I’m not sure how many there are now. Why, Third Brother—something wrong?”

Everyone perked up their ears, listening.

Zhang San answered lazily, “That gang of wild boars in the valley was probably being raised by the wolf pack as food. When the wolves came back from their deep mountain winter, they found humans had cleaned out their territory, snatched up their food, so then they freaked out and started hunting wild boar. For the next few days, all of you should just play it safe. Stay away from the edge of your territories, stick to the interior, always wear protective suits, and keep the noise down so you don’t provoke the wolves.”

That was the longest message Zhang San had ever left in the lord channel. Once again, it proved what Tan Junjie had said: the guy really wasn’t a bad person.

Just as Xia Qing was reflecting on that, Zhang San called her directly.

He spoke in a rare gentle tone, “Xia Qing, your sheep is most likely also being kept as food by the wolf pack. If Yang Jin can’t wipe out those wolves, eventually they’ll be back for the sheep. In fact, they could be lying in wait in the Evolver Forest already. To stop your sheep from being killed, you should spray your territory with a high-efficiency deodorizer. I’ve got a whole thirty-pound bucket of concentrated deodorizer—mix it as directed and it’s enough to cover your whole place three times. It’s way more effective than what they sell in the Safe Zone. I’ll even throw in a special spray for the sheep. Unless it’s a wolf with evolved senses, none of them will even know there’s a sheep nearby.”

This was a literal lifesaver for the sheep. Xia Qing gratefully said, “Thanks, Third Brother. I’ll go pick spinach leaves and cut some perilla for you right away. But I don’t have much—would two pounds be enough?”

After so many trades, Xia Qing was convinced that anything Zhang San provided was top-quality. No wonder Tang Huai was so eager to trade with him, even lowering himself like that.

Nothing thrilled Zhang San more than food—his voice got so gentle you could almost squeeze water out of it. “Two pounds isn’t enough to cover the cost of supplies. I’ll need at least four. Have you finished your Greenlight cucumbers?”

“All gone.”

Those two Greenlight cucumber plants were watered with mountain spring water and tasted amazing. But since she wasn’t sure about the Xiang element content of Greenlight plants from other territories, Xia Qing worried her own cucumbers might have less of that vital Xiang element. So until she could do some tests, she decided not to trade away any more Greenlight crops that had been irrigated with her spring water, just to be safe.

The spinach and perilla were watered with river water, so they were fine for trading.

Zhang San sighed regretfully. “Guess I’ll wait for your next batch of Greenlight veggies, then. Things are pretty risky out there. The Inspection Team’s probably too busy—I’ll just send someone to your territory with the deodorizer for the exchange, is that okay?”

“Of course, thanks a lot, Third Brother.” Xia Qing thanked him sincerely, then took the chance to ask, “Earlier you said my sheep might be one of the wolves’ stock. But if it was being raised, there must have been others, right? Is there any way to track down more sheep?”

Xia Qing guessed that the sheep Tang Huai traded away after coming to the territory—and the one Zhang San got the mutton from—might have belonged to the same flock as Boss Sheep.

Zhang San replied, “What ability does your sheep have? Can you send me a picture?”

“Strength evolution.” Without hesitation, Xia Qing snapped a full-body photo of Boss Sheep and sent it to Zhang San.

“That’s a Small-tailed Han sheep. The meat is tender, the flavor is rich, and you get a lot from each animal—probably raised by local farmers before the Disaster.” Thinking about food again, Zhang San couldn’t help swallowing audibly. “Last spring a flock of this breed was in our area—eight in total. Seven were caught by squads, one got away. But that one was female—yours is a male. Open its mouth for me and get a shot of its teeth.”

“Sure.” Xia Qing pried open Boss Sheep’s jaws and snapped a close-up of its teeth, sending it off to Zhang San.

Zhang San quickly confirmed, “Your sheep still has its milk teeth, so it’s most likely the lamb born to that runaway ewe last spring. As for the others, don’t bother—if the mother and the other lambs weren’t caught by people, they were caught by wolves. No need to worry about them.”

Xia Qing stared in disbelief at the brawny, bossy Boss Sheep. “Are you sure this sheep was born last year? It’s over two hundred pounds already!”

Over the phone, Xia Qing could actually hear Zhang San gulp. “Before the Disaster, Small-tailed Han sheep could reach over a hundred pounds in just seven months. After evolution, hitting two hundred pounds at one year old is nothing unusual. With the big wave of biological evolution, lots of advanced creatures on Blue Star live longer now, so judging age the old way is pretty unreliable. For all we know, you might find evolved sheep with milk teeth that are already two years old.”

After hanging up, Xia Qing found herself staring blankly at Boss Sheep.

That massive, gluttonous sheep with spiral horns weighed over two hundred pounds—and was barely a year or two old?

No way. Xia Qing decided he needed a new name. “Second Brother, you stay home. I’m heading out to pick veggies and trade them for life-saving medicine.”

Seeing Xia Qing about to leave, Boss Sheep immediately stood up. Xia Qing shoved a few pieces of dried yellow-light bamboo shoot at him. “Be good and stay to watch the house. I’ll make you something special for dinner.”

With an armful of rainproof tarp, Xia Qing made her way to the spinach patch on the northern hill. She carefully set up a barrier around the spinach that had already bolted and started seeding. Xia Qing plucked one leaf—no seed burst, so it wasn’t ripe yet. She pinched off thirty more leaves, stem and all, and tossed them into the basket.

She actually had over fifty spinach plants, but had only ever said ten or so in the lord channel. Couldn’t risk picking too many leaves, or everyone would suspect something. Even though people chatted daily, nobody really knew anyone else. Everyone kept their real resources hidden.

After harvesting the perilla, Xia Qing was about to go trade supplies with Zhang San’s runner under the sign at the southern road when she heard a familiar clattering of hooves. She rushed into the Buffer Forest in time to see Boss Sheep sprinting toward her, a mouthful of bamboo shoot, looking just ridiculous.

What was that about—packing rations for a battle with wolves? Was he volunteering himself as the main course, with a side of snacks for dessert? Xia Qing rushed up to him, but Boss Sheep didn’t run away or dodge. Instead, he braked right in front of her, tilted his head toward the basket, and made it clear he wanted to drop the bamboo shoot inside.