Chapter 714: Secrets of the Wild Tung Tree

Zhang San studied the aerial photos Xia Qing took and let out a sigh. “This tree nearly fills the whole valley. If you didn’t get close, you’d probably never notice it. Have you been in the woods these past few days?”

“Yeah, all four days. But I finally found it. Otherwise, once Devastation Rain hits in May, who knows how this thing might evolve—or how many seeds it would drop on our territory.”

Normally, wild tung trees bloom and seed around June or July. But with these aggressive Devastation-Evolved Tung Trees, they’ll likely surge again during the second round of Devastation Rain this year—rapid growth, flowering, then seeding. The wind and birds will spread those seeds everywhere, and when the third Devastation Rain comes, they’ll sprout and grow like crazy.

If enough seeds spread, they could wipe out entire territories. That’s why Xia Qing had to track this one down. “Third Brother, what do wild tung trees even evolve from?”

Having just received some Green Lantern meat, Zhang San was in a good mood and happily shared his knowledge. “Before the disaster, plant species were mostly identified by appearance and genetic testing. But after the catastrophe, as plants began evolving—same species in different places, different climates, under the influence of elements like Devastation Rain, radiation, you name it—they developed all sorts of forms, sometimes dozens of variants. Their DNA, appearance, even unique gene expressions, all changed so much. It takes a ton of analysis to figure out exactly which plant these evolved from.”

“With the way these trees evolve and spread, they’re already classified high-risk. Report it to Tan Junjie and have the Base follow the protocols for clearing high-risk plants. Get rid of any aggressive Devastation-Evolved Tung Trees near the border as soon as possible.”

“Got it.” Being on the same wavelength as her idol made Xia Qing beam, and her steps suddenly felt a lot lighter.

“Sister Qing!”

Xia Qing had just stepped foot into her territory when Guan Tong, crouched up in a tree, waved down with a cheerful greeting.

Seeing Old Goat barreling toward her, Xia Qing called up to Guan Tong, “You didn’t get hurt out here, did you?”

Guan Tong grinned from his perch. “Nope! After training with the boss these last few days, I swear I might have evolved jumping power!”

Xia Qing grinned too and pulled a handful of fresh, tender grass from her pocket. She held it out to her oncoming teammate, who looked ready to scold her. “Boss, look what I found today—Green Lantern grass! Try it, see if you like it!”

Faced with the choice between chasing after minions who never kept her company or munching on grass, Old Goat didn’t hesitate—food always won.

Watching Old Goat’s happy chewing, Xia Qing knew the grass tasted great. “If you like it, Boss, tomorrow I’ll dig up some roots and plant them right here in our territory.”

“Baa~”

Seeing Xia Qing settle Old Goat so easily with just a bit of grass, Guan Tong sighed again. Even bringing fresh Green Lantern shoots today hadn’t saved him from getting butted. Xia Qing’s goat only ate her food, and only Xia Qing could calm her down.

After Xia Qing finished coaxing Old Goat, Guan Tong hopped down from the tree to report on Section Three’s situation for the day. “The chickens and insects got fed at two. One chick seemed a bit weak, so I put it in a box to rest. Old Goat got into two fights with the honey badger—and won both times. Everything else is normal.”

Once a chick goes listless, it’s usually not far from death.

Xia Qing thanked Guan Tong and sent him back to Territory One to rest, then headed home to wash up and change. Only then did she bring Old Goat to the breeding greenhouse to check on the chick.

Relying on her sharp hearing, Xia Qing soon figured out the chick had a lung issue. She pressed her walkie-talkie and asked, “Third Brother, you there?”

“Here,” Zhang San replied, his good mood lingering from the Green Lantern meat.

Xia Qing started bartering. “One of the chicks in my territory has pneumonia. Do you have any medicine for that on your end?”

“Wait a sec,” Zhang San said before going offline. Two minutes later, Zhang Song from Territory Seven—known for animal research—came online. “Miss Xia, I’m Zhang Song. Third Brother said you’ve got a chick with pneumonia?”

Territory Seven’s off-limits, and its residents almost never show up, so when a new voice from there chimed into the Lords’ channel, everyone paused their farm work to listen—especially the territory lords raising chicks.

“That’s right.” After Xia Qing described the chick’s symptoms, Zhang Song asked about its living conditions. As soon as she mentioned raising it in the greenhouse, he pinpointed the cause. “It’s probably poor ventilation and high humidity in the chicken house—perfect breeding ground for fungi and bacteria, leading to lung infections. Now that the difference between day and night temps is minimal, you don’t need to keep them inside the greenhouse. I’ll have someone deliver some medicine soon.”

“Understood. Thanks, Brother Song.” Knowing the reason, Xia Qing immediately started renovating the chicken house.

As soon as Xia Qing finished, Xin Yu popped online. “Brother Song, quick question—will the chick pneumonia medicine work for parrots?”

“It will.” Zhang Song started asking Xin Yu about her parrot breed, the environment, and symptoms.

Turns out Xin Yu built a glass house just for raising gray cockatoos and peach-faced lovebirds, making Tang Huai jealous all over again. After Xin Yu and Zhang Song finished chatting, Tang Huai piped up, “Xin Yu, can I bring my Green Lantern insects to check out your peach-faced lovebirds?”

“Nope.” Xin Yu shut him down instantly.

Over in Territory Fifteen, Tan Qi was curious. “Sister Yingzi, are peach-faced lovebirds really impressive?”

“I really don’t know. Probably, otherwise the Lord of Eight wouldn’t bother building a glass house for them.” Yingzi had only been eight when the disaster hit, so she had no clue what those parrots looked like or what they could do.

In Territory Eleven, Huo Lei paused his blacksmithing, wiped off some sweat, and pressed his button. “Miss Xin, did my hammering scare your parrots?”

Ever since arriving, Huo Lei had reclaimed four acres of land. After farming each day, he’d get right back to smithing—clang, clang, clang.

Afraid Xin Yu would get quiet and discourage an ally (and neighbor), Tang Huai quickly said, “Don’t worry, Uncle Huo. Peach-faced lovebirds are lively and love noise. Besides, you’re hammering inside, so it’s not that loud anyway.”

But Tan Qi from Territory Fifteen was still puzzled. “So, is it ‘peach-faced lovebird’ or ‘lovebird peach face’?”

In Territory Six, Zhu Li asked the same question. Fortunately, Kuang Qingwei knew his stuff and explained to his wife, “Both names are used—it’s a type of lovebird parrot. Their feathers can be all sorts of colors, and they come in several varieties. Before the disaster, a top-quality peach-faced lovebird could fetch upwards of a hundred thousand.”

Zhu Li sounded envious. “Xin Yu must be rich—she even built a glass house for birds.”

Xin Yu’s voice came back on the Lords’ channel. “Nope, they’re not scared. Uncle Huo—can I order a set of Black Blades like the ones Xia Qing has?”

Huo Lei replied, “The ones Xia Qing has were made from a new meteorite alloy—used up the last of that material.”

Qi Fu and his wife, plus Shi Du, quickly gave up that idea as soon as they heard.

Xin Yu pressed the button again. “You mean the meteorite batch imported last March—the one mostly iron and nickel? I’ve got some.”

The Ruins Continent—two continents on Blue Star wiped out by a gamma ray burst—had become a wasteland ever since. Eleven years after the disaster, it’s still unlivable.

Zhu Li: “Xin Yu really is loaded.”

“I want a set too!” There was no way Xin Yu would ever trade with him, so Tang Huai just grabbed his phone and called Xia Qing directly.