Chapter 121: The Struggle on Mountain No. 55

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: The Struggle on Mountain No. 55

The moment Xiaqing announced her pumpkins were flowering, the quiet channel exploded with activity. The Lords, who had been struggling with their pumpkin vines for months, flooded the chat, asking how many buds there were, what they looked like, if they seemed normal, and how Xiaqing had managed it.

Xiaqing poked a flower bud on the pumpkin vine with a stick, glanced at the Air Poison Detection Instrument on her wrist, and then pressed the button. "They look normal so far. I didn’t do anything special, except chop a basket of pumpkin vines to use as feed the day before yesterday."

Although Xiaqing didn’t say who ate them or how, the other Lords understood. After a few seconds of silence, Zhao Ze pressed his button. "You’re really willing to part with them."

To think Xiaqing was actually willing to feed Yellow Light crops to an inedible Strength Evolution Sheep.

Inside No.1 Territory, Guan Tong whispered, "Feeding it pumpkin vines is nothing. If Sheep Leader wanted to eat cucumbers, Sister Qing would pick them, chop them up, and feed them to it without a second thought."

Hu Zifeng, who had personally heard Xiaqing coaxing Sheep Leader, agreed. "If Sheep Leader wanted Green Light ones, she’d give them up too."

Green Light cucumbers...

Guan Tong and Hu Zifeng silently exchanged glances. The thought of going to the Third Territory to live as one of her sheep grew even stronger, but neither of them was bold enough to say it out loud.

On the Lord channel, Zhang San spoke up lazily, "Xiaqing seems to have stumbled upon the solution by accident. The pumpkins started budding after some vines were cut back, likely because the vigorous vine growth was consuming too many nutrients."

Ever the eager student, Xiaqing asked, "Have your pumpkins flowered, Brother San?"

"Don’t like ’em, didn’t plant ’em."

Xiaqing... ’Alright, that’s a very Brother San reason.’

Qi Fu seized the opportunity to ask for guidance. "Brother San, so should we cut back some of our vines too?"

Zhang San replied, "You can give it a try."

Qi Fu was overjoyed to get Zhang San’s confirmation. "Thanks, Brother San! Xiaqing, once my pumpkins grow, I’ll make you some fried pumpkin cakes."

Just as Xiaqing was feeling happy, she heard Zhang San speak again. "Is Hu Zifeng there?"

Hu Zifeng immediately pressed the button. "I’m here, Brother San."

Zhang San said coolly, "Come get your kitten. Raise it well. If I find out you’re mistreating the little one, however you treat it, I’ll return the favor to you a hundred times over."

"Yes! Don’t worry, Brother San, I’ll absolutely take good care of it!" Hu Zifeng was so excited his voice went up an octave.

Xiaqing’s bubble of happiness burst with a POP.

And just when Xiaqing was at her most heartbroken, someone had to pour cold water on her. Zhao Ze asked, "Brother San, doesn’t Xiaqing get to claim a cat?"

"Xiaqing has no fate with this litter. We’ll see about the next one."

Xiaqing’s eyes welled with tears. ’As expected of my idol,’ she thought. Zhang San’s answer had saved her face.

Li Si immediately spoke up. "Brother San, can I adopt the other kitten? I’ll definitely take good care of it."

Zhang San refused. "I like the other little one. It’s not for trade. If my cats wander into your territories and cause any trouble, please don’t harm them. I will provide double compensation for any damages they cause. Captain Tan, please pass this message on to all the Lords in this region."

"Captain Tan isn’t here. Patrol team acknowledges, we’ll pass it on." Su Ming’s voice came over the Lord channel. Xiaqing guessed Tan Junjie was probably playing with his daughter.

Speaking of the Tan father and daughter, Xiaqing thought of the Xingcai flowers Tan Qi had given her. Honestly, when she added the Xingcai flowers and sugar to her porridge, she couldn’t taste anything but sweetness. ’I wonder if Zhang San likes them? I’ll find a chance to test it out someday. If he likes them, I’ll have a new Green Light plant.’

Upon hearing "double compensation," Kuang Qingwei immediately spoke up. "The cats are just coming over to stroll around and catch mice. Don’t worry, Brother San, I definitely won’t get in their way."

Qi Fu, who was raising a chicken, was more cautious. "What do your cats look like, Brother San? I’m afraid I’ll mix them up with bobcats or strays."

Zhang San answered, "Two Raccoon Cats, one big and one small, both brown. They wear gold tracking and positioning collars."

Hu Zifeng quickly added, "My kitten is also a Raccoon Cat. It has four little white paws and white fur on its neck, and it also wears a collar. Same as Brother San, I’ll provide double compensation for any damage my kitten causes if it enters your territories."

Xiaqing, who had already wandered into her vegetable garden, viciously bit into a Green Light cucumber. ’My Little Fifth is Hu Zifeng’s cat now. And the wolves... I want to beat up some wolves!’

In the afternoon, Xiaqing asked Hu Zifeng to send a team member over to help guard her territory. She was feeling down and needed to blow off some steam at a private training ground.

When Luo Pei arrived at Zone Three of Mountain No. 49 and saw Xiaqing’s gloomy expression, he couldn’t help but laugh. "You want a cat that badly? I can find one for you from the Safe Zone."

If Xiaqing really wanted a cat or more Green Light plants, she could easily trade for them with the Green Dragon Team. But for security reasons, she didn’t want to engage in any more transactions with the Green Dragon Team that could be detected by others. "My territory smells like wolves, so a cat wouldn’t stick around anyway. Brother Luo, I want to continue my combat training today."

Having taken down Zhao Jie and his cronies with a few kicks back in the Safe Zone had caused Xiaqing’s interest in combat to skyrocket, especially since she was used to getting beaten up by Luo Pei every day.

Luo Pei’s expression turned serious. "You’ll spar with Chengdong. Let’s see how many moves you can last against him now."

"Okay." Xiaqing placed the knife and gun she was carrying on a rock, stretched her limbs, and then faced off against Wei Chengdong.

Wei Chengdong was a Level 4 Anti-impact Strength Evolver. To put it plainly, he was four times more durable than an ordinary person. Combined with his years of training and real combat experience, Xiaqing was naturally no match for him. Five minutes later, he had her arms twisted behind her back, pinned to the ground by his knee, completely immobilized.

After Wei Chengdong released her, Xiaqing got up and stretched her arms and legs. Noticing Luo Pei examining her knife, she volunteered an explanation, "I bought it from the Huo Family Knife Shop when I went back to the Safe Zone."

Luo Pei gripped the medium-sized knife, which was over thirty centimeters long, and with a single swing, felled a nearby pine tree as thick as a man’s arm. "This is a handmade knife crafted by Huo Lei himself. You’re quite lucky."

Xiaqing smiled and nodded. "My luck has always been good."

’It’s rare to find someone who’s suffered through ten years of Natural Disasters and is still this optimistic.’ Luo Pei sheathed the knife and began to instruct Xiaqing. "Your strength is sufficient, but your speed is still too slow, your strikes aren’t precise enough, and you’re not good enough at predicting your opponent’s moves..."

Xiaqing trained hard under Luo Pei’s guidance all afternoon. As she lay on the ground, exhausted, taking a break, she heard Luo Pei’s phone ring.

Her Level 7 Hearing Ability allowed Xiaqing to clearly hear the voice on the other end of the line. "Brother Luo, the brothers stationed in Zone One of Mountain No. 49 have detected several hundred birds taking flight simultaneously from the southern slope of Mountain No. 55."

Luo Pei asked, "Are there any severe weather warnings from the meteorological bureau?"

"No."

Luo Pei replied, "Then it’s likely a conflict between large Evolutionary Animals on Mountain No. 55. Send two squads to check it out. Be careful and report back regularly."

"Yes, sir."

After the other person hung up, Xiaqing stood up. "Go ahead, Brother Luo, I can train by myself."

Luo Pei nodded. "Don’t go north. Keep your phone on. From now on, I’ll be doubling the patrols on the mountain."

To the north of Mountain No. 49 was Mountain No. 52, and northeast of that was Mountain No. 55. It sounded far away, but if a large-scale battle between Evolutionary Animals were to break out, the defeated party would flee outward. At the speed of an Evolutionary Animal, they could reach Mountain No. 49 in just an hour.

If the animal group was powerful enough, it could trigger a mass stampede of other animals trying to escape, which could then evolve into a Beast Tide. Anyone who had survived a Beast Tide never wanted to face that kind of terror and despair again.

After Luo Pei left, Xiaqing, whose muscles ached all over, began her recovery exercises while pondering the situation on Mountain No. 55.

Based on intuition, she believed the conflict on Mountain No. 55 was related to the Wolf Group. She just didn’t know who had won and who had lost.

If, by chance, it was the Wolf Group led by the wolf with the missing piece in its left ear, and they were defeated and fled their territory, would they come to seize hers?

That possibility was far more likely than a Beast Tide.