Chapter 693: Bamboo, Allies, and Quiet Triumphs

Back at home, Xia Qing happily counted up the credits stored on her Points Card.

A year spent farming had brought her a complete gear upgrade from head to toe, new iron mesh walls around her territory, plenty of appliances at home, a fresh stash of clothes and bedding, and a hefty savings of credits plus hundreds of Yi Stones.

She never would have dared to dream of this before she took charge of her own territory last year.

Farming is tough, always at the mercy of the weather. The only reason Xia Qing managed to save up these credits and build up her home was because she had Pure Spring Water and high-Evolution Element spinach in her territory, she was an Evolved fighter who could venture into the Evolved Forest for supplies, and she’d become the middleman between humans and the Wolf Pack.

If she were just an ordinary person, with no Pure Spring Water or high-Evolution spinach in her land…

Xia Qing turned to gaze out the window at the neat rows of greenhouses in her territory. She spotted Old Goat sprawled beneath the Toon Tree on the high slope, slowly chewing his cud, and the Red Squirrel, belly bulging, bounding between branches. Next door, Zhao Ze’s mother’s voice echoed loudly through the air.

If she were just an ordinary person owning a regular patch of land, she too would’ve had to bravely step outside the Safe Zone like most lords—staying within her territory, working hard every day, growing crops and digging for wild greens. Even if she didn’t save much in a year, at least she wouldn’t be starving every day like before.

She owed a lot to the Red Squirrel, for helping her find the Pure Spring Water, and to Old Goat, for giving her a real companion and helping her forge a connection with the Wolf Pack.

After stashing away her Points Card, Xia Qing changed into some light work clothes. She sprayed herself down with a dose of antiparasitic mixture, then pulled on her sun hat and gloves, ready to head out for chores.

Thanks to over a year’s careful management, nearly all the dangerous toxic plants and animals in Section Three had been eliminated. So when Xia Qing was working around the yard and greenhouses, she didn’t have to wear her Protective Suit or Mask anymore.

Of course, if she was heading into unexplored areas or the Abandoned Village, or heading out during or just before and after Devastation Rain or extreme weather, she still needed to suit up with a Protective Suit and Mask.

Her to-do list was already done for the day, but there was still an hour before dark. Xia Qing decided to use this time to process the Hardness Evolution bamboo poles she’d brought back, get the bamboo roots planted, and finally move the big hens from the greenhouse into the Chicken House before calling it a night and making dinner.

Usually, when building greenhouse supports or furniture, it’s best to use bamboo that’s at least three years old. Younger bamboo holds too much moisture, so it cracks or bends easily.

But the pole Xia Qing had hauled home was from a Hardness Evolution bamboo, far tougher and more resilient than any three-year-old normal bamboo. She was putting a lot of hope in this one.

It was also straight as an arrow—no need to straighten it out, just dry it properly and she could use it right away.

There are four ways to dry bamboo: air-drying, briefly roasting then sunning, boiling then sunning, or direct fire-roasting. Air-drying is best for preserving its color and texture, but it takes too long; the other two are tricky to pull off. So Xia Qing chose to give her bamboo a brief roast and then lay it out in the sun.

First, she used a machete to chop a two-meter section. She split the rest of the pole into bamboo slats, all ready for reinforcing her greenhouse once finished.

After prepping the slats, Xia Qing donned her Protective Suit and called out to Old Goat, who was watching with interest. Carrying the two-meter bamboo section, she walked out through the South Gate—barely five meters along when she heard a rustling from Territory Two and then Tang Huai shouting.

“Xia Qing! Taking that bamboo over to Uncle Huo?”

Xia Qing smiled, her lips quirking up, and nodded without a word.

Tang Huai, holding a shovel, squeezed out from the Wild Grass Wall and stared at the thick bamboo in her hands. “That’s a gorgeous color—is that Evolution Purple Bamboo?”

Xia Qing shook her head. “I’m not sure, honestly.”

Ever since the creatures of Blue Star started evolving, it had gotten much harder to tell plant varieties apart. As long as bamboo worked, Xia Qing didn’t care what kind it was.

Tang Huai tried to strike a deal. “Think you could spare a piece? I want to make a tea tray for my dad out of this stuff.”

Xia Qing shook her head. “Bamboo with high Devastation Element content isn’t good for a tea tray, and besides, I’ve already split the rest into slats.”

Tang Huai pressed on, “You split it? What for?”

“Greenhouse supports,” Xia Qing explained. “This kind of bamboo’s got great hardness and flexibility, and it’s lighter than other woods. Perfect for support poles.”

Tang Huai could see her point, but part of him still thought it was a waste of great material. But since Xia Qing brought it back, it was her call. He held out his hand. “Hand it over. I’ll take care of the delivery.”

Territories Eleven through Eighteen were under the control of another patrol squad, so Xia Qing couldn’t ask Tan Junjie’s team to help transport supplies.

Territory Eleven and Section Three were separated by Territory Two, and to get from Xia Qing’s South Gate to Eleven’s Northern Gate, you had to loop around using an east-west corridor down by the southern edge. By letting Tang Huai handle the delivery, it was way more convenient—he just had to cross from the north side of Territory Two to the south.

Put simply, Xia Qing’s delivery route formed three sides of a rectangle, but letting Tang Huai take over, all he had to do was travel one straight line.

“Thanks,” Xia Qing said crisply, passing him the bamboo section before heading back to her territory.

Tang Huai, still clutching his shovel and hefting the bamboo, muttered on his way home, “Why’s this so heavy? She gave it up so fast—feels like she always meant for me to haul it…”

Back in Section Three, Xia Qing’s smile widened. That’s right, this had been her plan all along. She knew Tang Huai would come running and offer to help, so there was no need to ask Hu Zifeng’s Squad to stand guard today.

With the bamboo sorted, it was time to plant the roots.

Actually, the idea to plant bamboo came from Yuan Yan. When she heard Xia Qing had found a species of Devastation Evolution bamboo with special hardness, Yuan Yan suggested the experiment.

Because of the Devastation Element and constant threats from pests and disease, building greenhouses was a must inside every territory. Steel framework was expensive, and structures built from normal bamboo and wood, even with good upkeep, lasted only about two years. Disaster years were harder—the harsh conditions and added pressure wore out bamboo greenhouses even faster.

To make greenhouses last longer, lords had tried all sorts of things—using steel at critical stress points, hardwood for internal supports, and so on. But the arched structure needed good bamboo, no matter what.

Now, though, they had an even better building material: Hardness Evolution bamboo discovered on Hill Fifty-Two. Yuan Yan wanted to try growing a few in her own territory.

Planting Devastation Evolution plants inside a territory was risky, but after careful consideration, Yuan Yan figured it was a manageable risk.

First off, this bamboo only used its roots to attack—and that was considered low-risk as far as Devastation Evolution plants went. Both Yuan Yan and Qi Fu were Strength-Based Evolution fighters—they could handle things if needed.

Second, Yuan Yan was also a Magnetic Sense Evolved fighter. If the bamboo started evolving again during a Devastation Rain, she’d sense it before the mutation finished and, with her husband, could chop them down to stop it from happening.

So Yuan Yan asked Xia Qing to bring back a few bamboo roots the next time she went collecting bamboo. Devastation Evolution plants were hardy—roots dug up just yesterday could still thrive if replanted today.

Xia Qing agreed with Yuan Yan’s plan. So when she’d gone to collect bamboo this time, she brought back several pieces to plant both in her own territory and in Territory Five, and put the rest in a wet, open patch on Hill Fifty.

If all went well, after the next Devastation Rain, she’d have at least a dozen new Hardness Evolution bamboo poles to reinforce her greenhouses.