Chapter 849: Late-Night Chores and Windfalls

What do you do when someone has an upset stomach?

Xia Qing sighed. What else could she do? She had to clean it up. If she didn’t, flies, insects and microbes would make Monkey’s illness a whole lot worse.

Who’s going to clean it?

“Who else?” In the territory, there were three lords: her, Old Goat and Er. But only she had paws that could split into fingers. So, it was up to her.

Resigned, Xia Qing went back inside, turned on the light and filled a basin with warm water from the first-floor bathroom. It was summer, so the water tank outside was almost hot to the touch. All she had to do was mix in a little cool water and she was good to go. No need to waste any firewood.

When she stepped out, basin in hand, she noticed her screen window already crawling with insects, drawn in by the light. She didn’t have to bother with them, though.

A dozen geckos scampered over from all directions, quickly flicking out their long, agile tongues to snatch the smaller bugs off the window before gulping them down. The larger insects ended up as dinner for a few toads that had hopped up onto the sill to share the feast.

Those geckos nesting in the firewood piled outside her window and the toads lurking in the pond below had all been handpicked by Xia Qing from elsewhere in the territory. There were also forty-odd swallows she raised under the eaves—every one of them an expert bug hunter.

Thanks to their help, Xia Qing could leave her lights on at night without needing to draw the blackout curtains.

Of course, the real reason was that after living here for a year and a half, she’d cleaned up the bugs near her cabin so often there were way fewer than last year.

As long as the screens on her windows and doors were tight and she sprayed disinfectant and pesticide on a regular schedule, the outside bugs and their germs stayed out. Take care of basic hygiene indoors too and no harmful mutated bacteria would take root. She could actually relax living here.

Holding a basin in one hand and Monkey in the other, Xia Qing made her way over to the bathroom Old Goat and Er used.

She washed the dirty parts of Monkey’s body with warm water, then gave him a good shake to get rid of the excess. Once he was clean, she set him under the eaves, where the sun had left the ground warm and cozy.

Monkey’s jet-black fur blended into the darkness. At first glance, it looked like a giant pale face had just been laid out on the ground—honestly creepy. This wasn’t the kind of pet for the faint of heart.

Shaking her head, Xia Qing went to the sheep shed, pulled out the filthy straw mat and the soiled hay underneath, carried them over to where she’d just dumped the dirty water by the bathroom, and set them alight. Fire was the most cost-effective way of disinfecting.

As soon as the flames rose, the soft glow from the nightlight inside wasn’t even noticeable anymore. Drawn like moths to a flame, every bug not already eaten by the geckos or toads hurled itself into the fire, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Even the dozens of cicadas in the big tree got lured over by the light, buzzing and flapping as they dove into the blaze.

Standing under the eaves, Xia Qing, Old Goat and Huge Wolf quietly watched the orange flames devour the dry grass, black smoke curling up into the night. Meanwhile, the soggy, dazed Monkey—roused by all the commotion—just lay there, staring blankly at the swallow’s nest overhead.

Once the fire finally died down, Xia Qing shoveled several spades of yellow clay over the ashes and fed Monkey a bit of nutrient shake. The tranquilizer was still working, so he couldn’t eat by himself. She had to pour the shake straight down his throat.

“Good thing I’ve got more spinach than I know what to do with. If we were somewhere else, there’s no way I’d be feeding you like this,” she grumbled after finishing. Only then did she give the night’s medicine by injection and put him back on a clean straw mat in the sheep shed.

With the summer heat, Xia Qing left the sheep shed door wide open. She gave her final orders for the night. “Old Goat, I’m counting on you to keep the house safe. Er, keep an ear out for Monkey—don’t let anything sneak in and make a meal of him.”

Once her partners were settled, Xia Qing headed inside for a shower, then curled up in her hammock chair to call her best friend.

“There weren’t any banned items like poison gas bombs on the list of confiscated goods—just tranquilizer rounds,” Xia Qing reported. “These guys know how to keep things cleaner than Fire Phoenix. When I saw them carrying the same kind of poison gas gun as Fire Phoenix, I honestly thought they were from that crew.”

From her cozy, air-conditioned room, Xin Yu replied, “They’re official, after all. More surveillance means higher ethical standards. How’s the new phone?”

“It’s great—no static, super fast, the camera’s amazingly clear,” Xia Qing said, very happy with it. “By the way, what we seized today was military equipment, so not even Qinglong could keep it. Hui Six wants to trade two civilian planes to get the military copter back. We’re swapping it for two ‘Chuan Yun’ Gen-3 mid-size helicopters.”

Xin Yu asked, “Nice! Which color did you pick? Is it the same as Fire Phoenix’s?”

Yesterday, when Fire Phoenix arrived at the territory in Section One of the North, she flew in on a ‘Chuan Yun’ Gen-2 copter. The Lan Yi Chuan Yun helicopters always had the best specs, performance and fuel efficiency among civilian machines—not to mention the price tag.

“Nope, I got sky blue. Yang Jin picked a white one. I cut him a deal—sold one to him for fifteen percent off—on the condition that our helicopters can park inside Territory One for free. The Azure Dragon Squad will handle security and maintenance for us, plus we get to buy fuel and parts at a twenty-five percent discount through Qinglong’s channels. Once he pays, I’ll send you your share.”

Even though Xia Qing had played the lead role in seizing the helicopters today, she and Xin Yu had teamed up. Xin Yu’s ability helped them locate the evolved bear first, and she’s also the one who pinned down the position of the four poachers.

Later, she hid out in the stone nest with the bear and Monkey, making contact with backup.

So Xin Yu also got a cut of the spoils. Based on their contributions, Xia Qing got ninety percent, Xin Yu got ten.

Just selling the helicopters alone netted Xia Qing 6.12 million credits! After the massive Yi Stone gift from Handsome Huge Wolf, this was her next big windfall—and this time, it was all thanks to her own abilities.

Now she was, for real, rolling in credits.

And with her sudden fortune, Xia Qing decided it was time to upgrade her comfort. She got a water filtration system from Zheng Kui, ordered a fully automatic washing machine, two AC units and some home appliances from Xin Yu. Altogether, it barely cost her over eighty thousand credits.

Xin Yu, hearing how cheerful her friend sounded, even felt her headache ease. “With the credits you have now, you could build a new house out of that fancy new material—like the one I live in. Want to give it a shot?”

“Your little house sticks out too much. My credits all come from… questionable sources. Better to stay low-key. My place is sturdy enough, and as long as there’s not a massive earthquake, it’ll last another ten, maybe twenty years,” Xia Qing said, still clear-headed even after her lucky break.

The fridge and ACs were tucked away inside, so no one would see them. But a bright, sparkling new White Cottage would just draw attention you couldn’t hide.

Once she’d wrapped up the deals, Xia Qing crashed early. She’d fought poachers that morning, had a shouting match with a bear, filled the wolf’s pond in the afternoon, then cut a deal with Iron Rooster at night. No wonder she was wiped.

She needed a good night’s sleep. With Er patrolling the territory, even though her own hearing wasn’t great, she could rest easy.

It was precisely because of her poor hearing that she slept through the arrival of two wild caracals, who crept into her territory after one in the morning, eyeing up Monkey in the sheep shed and her flock of chickens.

Er, the wolfdog sleeping under the eaves, opened his eyes and stood.

Old Goat, sleeping in the living room on the first floor, cracked his eyes open for a few seconds… then went right back to sleep.