Chapter 687: A Night of Bamboo Shoots and Shared Triumph

Xia Qing brought back some Green Lantern shoots and decided to give two to Xin Yu.

There’s a bamboo grove in Hill Forty-Nine, so Luo Pei isn’t lacking bamboo shoots. Xia Qing didn’t bother giving her any.

Zhou Zhaoping drove over to collect Xia Qing’s Green Lantern shoots and handed her a brand new hair dryer in exchange. This was the item Xin Yu traded for the shoots, and Xia Qing happily accepted it.

Her short hair didn’t need a dryer, but Old Goat and the Wolf Pack had thick fur and would definitely need it when winter hit. Ever since Old Goat started playing with the generator bike like it was a toy, Xia Qing had never run out of power.

After a long but fruitful day, Xia Qing made bamboo shoot and snake stew for dinner. Every lord who’d gone foraging with her today, except the Tan family, feasted on bamboo shoots. The Lords’ channel buzzed with chatter—it felt like New Year’s Eve.

But Qi Fu and his wife from Territory Five were offline. They’d already eaten their bamboo shoots, sprawled on the kang, snoring away.

Inside Territory Ten, Madam Shi and Shi Du sat at their makeshift dinner table. Their arms were so sore they could barely lift them, but their faces were bright with happiness.

Shizhong also made bamboo shoot and snake soup, feeding his wife and son bite by bite. Shi Du, savoring every tender piece of snake, grinned, “After deducting the cost of two bottles of nutrient shake, we made a whole credit this time—enough for Dad’s medicine for two whole years.”

Because his father was in poor health, Shi Du had started joining the Combat Team on missions to earn credits since he was seventeen. In seven years, his highest earnings in one go had been just over 700 credits.

So many credits—Shi Du wouldn’t have dared dream of this before today.

Madam Shi was just as excited. “Good thing we moved to the territory! If we’d made this much in one trip in the Safe Zone, someone would’ve probably tried to rob us by midnight—maybe even break the door down.”

Shizhong started planning how to use the credits. “I’ve got enough medicine to last two months, but Xiao Du needs a new protective mask. We’ll swap with Third Brother for the best filter cartridges, and we need to trade more ammo with Territory One.”

Madam Shi nodded and winced as sore muscles pulled at her shoulders. “Right, we can’t cut corners on that. Today, Huo Lei from Territory Eleven traded Xia Qing a sharp machete perfect for strength-based evolutionaries. Old Shi, when you go fix the farm tools, see if we can make a swap too.”

“Got it.” Shizhong made a mental note and started ladling soup for the family. “While you were both napping, I already traded Green Lantern shoots with Third Brother for some medicine to soothe sore muscles. Third Brother was in a good mood today and sent over extra herbs for a soak.”

Of course, for a proper herbal bath, they used hot spring water Shi Du had hauled from Hill Fifty. But since that was a top-level Lords’ Alliance secret, nobody mentioned it. The family just exchanged secret looks and broke into smiles.

Still, even as they laughed, Madam Shi and Shi Du couldn’t help hissing in pain from their aching muscles.

Elsewhere, in Territory Eleven, Huo Zhun paused over his bowl, bemused. “We picked so many bamboo shoots today—pure luck! The Combat Team didn’t even come because of the distance, and the Qinglong squad camps right beside the grove, yet none of them went digging. Seems a bit off, doesn’t it?”

Lying on his recliner, Huo Lei shot his son a glance. “Why not? Qinglong just took over Su Feng Squad’s duties. The folks left behind in the Safe Zone are so shorthanded they wish they could split themselves in half. How many people can they spare for the territory or Hill Forty-Nine? With thousands of acres to farm and mountains to guard, who has the energy for foraging?”

His dad had a point, even if it wasn’t the whole story. Huo Zhun didn’t dare object, so he quietly spooned some meat to his father. “You’re right.”

Huo Lei savored the tender snake, closing his eyes in contentment. “So, when are you retiring?”

How many times had they discussed this? Huo Zhun answered dutifully, “Next September.”

“Until then, do your best in Territory Seven with Third Brother. As for Xia Qing, I’ll help you get a spot on her team. Don’t just stand there—when you’ve got free time, make yourself useful and let her notice you!” After a few more reminders, Huo Lei’s temper flared again. He grumbled, “You’re almost thirty. If you don’t keep an eye on your own future, do I have to worry about everything for you?”

Huo Zhun hurriedly stuffed another bite of meat into his dad’s mouth to stifle his complaints. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’m practically a half-member of Sister Qing’s Combat Team already.”

Huo Lei swallowed and finally looked pleased. “That’s what I like to hear! There’s a future with her squad. Make something of yourself, then find an advanced evolutionary who won’t mind you being a bit slow and have a daughter like Tan Qi. She’d inherit my territory and I’d finally have peace of mind.”

In Territory Four, Zhao Ze chowed down on traded Yellow Lantern shoots, daydreaming about awakening his abilities and getting rich with Xia Qing in the Evolved Forest.

His mother dumped a cold bucket of reality on him. “With how lazy you are, even if you evolve, it won’t be for combat. Why would Xia Qing bring you along—so you can drag her down? Stop with the wishful thinking and eat up. You’re getting up early to water the alfalfa fields and weed the wheat tomorrow.”

Zhao Ze just stared.

Over in Territory Six, Kuang Qingwei hung up the phone and excitedly told his wife, “We made half a credit per pound for Yellow Lantern shoots and five credits for Green Lantern!”

Most of the bamboo harvested by the gathering teams was sold to the Kuang couple. They upped the price by half a credit per pound to the lords, then sold the rest to old business partners. Zhu Li did the math. “Husband, we made 1,087.5 credits!”

Kuang Qingwei grinned so wide his eyes disappeared into slits. “The truck comes tomorrow for pickup. Once we get the credits, pay back what we owe Brother Wu first. The rest, when Zhong Tao and the others come by, get whatever else we need through trade.”

Back during the beast tide, Territory Six was invaded, and they’d lost just about everything. Even selling off all they had, they still couldn’t cover the medical bills Zhang San and Li Kai had paid to save them. Credits were borrowed just to keep things afloat.

Thanks to help from their allies today, they finally managed to catch a break.

“If only more people had sold Green Lantern shoots—we could’ve earned even more.” Zhu Li closed the ledger. “By the way, why do you think Xia Qing is saving back hundreds of pounds of Yellow Lantern shoots? She’s got more than enough veggies on her land.”

Kuang Qingwei smiled as he served his wife a cold dish of Yellow Lantern shoots. “No way she’s keeping them for herself—but I’m sure they’ll come in handy.”

Munching on shoots, Zhu Li grew curious about Territory Fifteen. “You should’ve seen it—Tan Qi lugged dozens of pounds of supplies home, and her grandma didn’t even ask if she was tired. First thing she asked was how many shoots she’d dug up, and if there were any Green Lantern ones. The moment Tan Qi heard her grandma’s voice, she just wilted. She must’ve had a tough time in the Safe Zone. But the kid’s stubborn, didn’t keep a single shoot for herself—sold them all!”

Kuang Qingwei sighed. “One side’s her own mother, the other’s her daughter. I bet Captain Tan is feeling pretty awful about it right now.”

In the Inspection Team’s dorm, Tan Junjie walked in to find his daughter asleep on the bed, still in her clothes. He gently took off her shoes and coat, tucked the quilt around her, and tiptoed out.

In the outer room, Mrs. Tan was grumbling to her son as she cleaned up. “You let outsiders live on two thousand acres, and you and your father squeeze into this tiny dorm—that’s just not right!”

Tan Junjie explained, “These rooms are solid. Safer than in the territory. Once we get through spring planting, I’ll start building our house.”

Mrs. Tan perked up. “Are we building a bungalow or a small two-story? I say go for two stories—storage downstairs, living upstairs.”

Tan Junjie signaled her to keep her voice down. “I’ll put up a two-story house, three rooms per floor. Once it’s done, you can move in too.”

“Great, wonderful! Call your brother in a bit, have him send Xiao He over as soon as possible. The produce here is way fresher than in the Safe Zone—maybe Xiao He will develop an ability after eating it for a while…” Mrs. Tan got more and more excited, speaking louder and louder.

“Mom,” Tan Junjie warned her again, his face darkening. “You can stay, but Tan Junchao and his family are never setting foot in Territory Fifteen.”

Mrs. Tan frowned. “Jie, did Qi Qi say something to you? She’s just a kid, hears all sorts of things from people outside and comes home with her head full of ideas. You’re a grown man—can’t believe you’d listen to a child…”

She felt guilty under her son’s stare and quickly looked away, unable to keep talking.