Chapter 87: New Faces and Unwritten Deals

Li Si?

That name…

Could the new lord of Plot Nine really be Zhang San’s long-lost sister?

Soon, Li Si’s answer put everyone’s speculation to rest:

“Third Brother, looks like we’re neighbors from now on.”

Zhang San’s voice came through lazy as ever. The lords who’d dealt with him for months could all hear how uninterested he sounded. “There’s Territory Ten and Six between Plot Nine and Seven. We’re not neighbors. What brings you here?”

Li Si replied coldly, “To farm.”

Everyone…

Well, that was a textbook answer. After all, aren’t the territories mainly for farming?

Then a hearty male voice came on the channel. “Hello, everyone. I’m Shi Chong from Territory Ten. I just got my walkie-talkie from Captain Tan today. Please take care of me, everyone.”

Shi Chong?

Xia Qing stopped clearing Xiang Grass for a moment. There weren’t many people with the surname Shi in Hui San Base, and she happened to know one: Grade Four Strength Evolver Shi Du.

Before Xia Qing could press the button, Kuang Qingwei cut in, “Sister Si, it’s Kuang Qingwei from Territory Six. Shi, you finally got your hands on a walkie-talkie. It’ll be easier to keep in touch now.”

Li Si stayed silent, but Shi Chong answered with a simple warmth: “Yeah, I’ll probably need to trouble Brother Wei for supplies if I run short in the future.”

Territory Ten borders Nine, Five and Six. By the sound of it, Shi Chong had already exchanged supplies with Kuang Qingwei in the past.

After Qi Fu and Zhao Ze introduced themselves too, Xia Qing followed: “Sister Si, Shi, I’m Xia Qing from Plot Three.”

The moment Xia Qing finished, a voice she knew all too well chimed in over the walkie-talkie: “Qing-jie, it’s Shi Du. My parents and I claimed a territory just over a month ago. Didn’t expect we’d end up this close.”

Figures. There really aren’t many with the surname Shi in Hui San Base.

Xia Qing pressed the walkie-talkie, her tone much softer now. “Yeah, long time no see.”

Like Xia Qing, Shi Du often worked as an unofficial logistics crew alongside the squad, earning extra points beyond the Safe Zone. They ran into each other pretty often and, over time, became familiar.

Shi Du sounded excited. “Luo Ge, can I sign up for the cleanup mission at Mountain Forty-Nine too?”

Luo Pei’s voice was gentle. “Of course you can.”

Zhao Ze poked around out of curiosity. “Did Captain Tan give a walkie-talkie to each lord from Territories One through Ten? What about Plot Eight?”

But before Plot Eight’s lord could answer, Tang Huai cut in coldly, “Looks like it’s not just territory planning you’re bad at—even your memory is lacking. The walkie-talkie for Territory Two, I brought that myself.”

Zhao Ze…

Everyone else…

Captain Tan’s calm and serious voice came over. “To help everyone share their farming experience, the management has given each lord a walkie-talkie. This channel is for communication among Lords One through Ten. If your territory faces a dangerous situation, contact the Hazard Inspection Team through the usual frequency first.”

So that meant the lord of Plot Eight had also received a walkie-talkie. Once Captain Tan finished, the group went quiet, all waiting for Plot Eight’s lord to introduce themselves.

But they waited, and no one spoke. Waited longer, still nothing.

Kuang Qingwei finally let out a groan. “Ugh, this is killing me. Anyone from Plot Eight online right now?”

Still silence. They must’ve gone offline. The others stopped waiting and went back to chatting.

Shi Chong and Qi Fu, plus Kuang Qingwei and Zhao Ze, did most of the talking. Tang Huai threw in a jab here and there, and Hu Zifeng always followed up with a mocking remark. Xia Qing listened a while, then—finding it dull—switched off her walkie-talkie to focus on clearing weeds.

“Bzzt.”

Hearing her phone vibrate, Xia Qing glanced down and saw a message from Luo Pei: ‘Li Si from Plot Nine is a pro at cultivation. She spent three months with Blazing Fire Unit’s planting center. Be extra careful if you deal with her.’

Xia Qing’s reply was serious: ‘Luo Ge, did she come because of some news?’

Luo Pei: ‘She’s here for Zhang San. Meet me at the north barrier of Plot Three at ten a.m. the day after tomorrow. Bring a sniper rifle.’

That finally put Xia Qing at ease. After clearing a patch of buffer forest, she and Boss Sheep hauled Xiang Grass down the hillside, spread it out on an open spot to dry, then headed home for dinner.

She’d barely stepped through the door when Zhang San called.

Zhang San sounded downright gleeful. “Xia Qing, my cat just gave birth to two kittens!”

Xia Qing nearly jumped for joy. “Third Brother, could you send me a photo?”

Zhang San struck a deal. “No can do. The mama cat’s not letting anyone close. But I promise you a healthy evolver kitten. In exchange, I want two hundred spinach seeds.”

Xia Qing paused then answered honestly, “Third Brother, could I trade something else instead?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t have any.” Zhang San’s voice slipped right back into that lazy tone from the lord’s channel—never a good sign when he sounded annoyed.

You never want to push Third Brother’s buttons. Xia Qing got even more earnest. “I do have them. The truth is, during the Xiang Rain, I got whipped at least thirty times by potato vines. I only took two painkillers before bed, and felt much better the next morning. The only reason I can think of is that I’d eaten a huge plate of spinach the night before. I’m scared to trade spinach now, because it just seems too special—it might cause trouble. Making it to year ten of the disaster, my rule’s always been caution.”

After hearing Xia Qing’s reasoning, Zhang San’s tone turned gentle again. “Evolver spinach was always good for detox, improving circulation and digestion. Your spinach’s Yi element content is 0.06%, better than standard Greenlight spinach. Trading it openly would draw unwanted attention, so it’s right to be careful. From now on we’ll keep trades private—you give me two hundred spinach seeds, I’ll give you a kitten. If I sell my cats, each one fetches more than twenty thousand points.”

A single Greenlight spinach seed goes for 20 points, but Xia Qing’s high-Yi seeds don’t even have an official price. Considering the spinach she’d already sent Zhang San as a deposit over the past two months…

Xia Qing did the math. Zhang San was basically valuing each spinach seed at 100 points or more, which was a solid deal—especially since even evolver veggie seeds have less than a 50% germination rate.

Zhang San was certainly generous.

Xia Qing agreed right away. “As long as you can keep it secret for me, I’m in.”

Zhang San brightened, voice almost syrupy. “Twenty seeds for one Greenlight pullet, ten for a rooster. Want to raise a few at home? I can care for them until they’re a month old, to make sure they survive before sending them over.”

Xia Qing was overwhelmed with excitement. “How many can you spare, Third Brother?”

Zhang San sounded even happier. “This clutch has twenty-one eggs, ten are Greenlight eggs—I don’t know the genders yet, but you can have them all. If it’s not enough, I can hatch another batch.”

Xia Qing replied right away, “It’s just me, so ten chickens are plenty. Thanks, Third Brother!”

Zhang San remained kindly. “Price them all as pullets for now—give me two hundred spinach seeds. If there are any roosters, I’ll make up the difference with supplies.”

With ten eggs, chances are not all will be hens, and that gap could be worth at least a thousand points. Xia Qing couldn’t help but ask, “Third Brother, can I cover price differences with specialized nutrient solution?”