Chapter 238: Let’s Go, Get to Work

Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Let’s Go, Get to Work

After hanging up, Xiaqing felt an even greater sense of urgency.

Today was September ninth. She had to manage her farmland, prepare for the migratory bird flocks, pick Chestnuts, and team up to gather pine nuts. She had to hurry.

The pits dug while clearing the injurious evolved plants inside the greenhouse had been filled, and the Injurious Grass had been dealt with. Xiaqing decided to clear out all the Injurious Grass roots in her territory today.

Since she was short on time, she would need her companion’s help. Xiaqing hauled a modified, three-meter-wide iron hay rake out of the warehouse. Using some toon leaves to get his attention, she called to her companion, "Leader, how about we go rake up some Injurious Grass roots?"

Sheep Leader, who loved physical labor, immediately followed her out of the village to get to work.

The iron hay rake was essentially a giant version of a normal rake. Xiaqing fitted Sheep Leader with a leather harness and ropes to pull it, dangled some tender toon leaves in front of him, and then stepped onto the three-meter-wide implement herself. "Let’s go, Leader!" she yelled.

"BAA!" Sheep Leader responded with excitement, pulling the iron rake with Xiaqing aboard and charging forward. The stubble and roots of the Injurious Grass, left behind by the mower, were pulled up and caught on the rake’s tines.

Once the tines were full of Injurious Grass, she would just pull it off, pile it to the side, and let it dry. Burning it would be the final step.

This method of clearing Injurious Grass was perfectly suited for the two Strength Evolver Lords of the Third Territory.

Seeing her modification was a success, Xiaqing cheered excitedly, "Go, Leader, go! This is way easier than using an iron plow. We can finish this whole job in one day!"

"BAA!" Sheep Leader was just as excited, charging ahead with the iron rake in tow.

Hearing the commotion outside, the Head Wolf opened its jaws in a wide yawn and closed its eyes, going back to sleep.

About a quarter of the Injurious Grass on the Third Territory’s farmland had been cut by Xiaqing with a mower; the rest had been pulled by hand by her, Hu Zifeng’s team, Qi Fu, and the others. Since pulling it out by hand also removed the roots, she now only needed to rake the sections that had been mowed.

For the immensely strong Sheep Leader, this kind of work, which just required him to run around and use his strength, was no different from playing. And just like that, by playing around, the job was done. It was only three in the afternoon, still a long time before sunset.

Over 300 acres of flat farmland now exuded the unique fragrance of fresh soil, and countless birds landed on the ground to peck at insects in the dirt.

The Black Feathered Rooster, still penned in the coop, was not having it. It flapped its wings, squawking and raising a fuss. Xiaqing, who was gathering the Injurious Grass roots into several large piles, opened the coop door to let the chickens out to eat the bugs. "Come on out."

The three-month-old chickens were already quite large. With no raptors circling in the sky and the Injurious Grass cleared from the ground, predators had nowhere to hide. It was a good time to let them out for a stroll.

The Black Feathered Rooster was the first to charge out, sending the small, bug-eating birds scattering into the air. Xiaqing sat on a pile of Injurious Grass, slingshot in hand, acting as a bodyguard for her flock.

’Any bird blind enough to peck my precious Green Light Chickens is getting a beatdown!’

After Xiaqing scared them off a few times using clods of dirt as ammunition, even the most arrogant and domineering Evolutionary Magpies behaved themselves, flying off to find bugs in the distance.

After a triumphant strut, the Black Feathered Rooster chose a spot a respectable distance from Xiaqing and began scratching at the dirt with its black talons, looking for bugs. The six hens—some yellow, some white, some speckled—followed close behind him, clucking and pecking as they foraged. Meanwhile, the other four roosters began to square off in one-on-one fights.

The Red Light Goose wandering about was not included in Xiaqing’s protection detail, as it was inedible.

Neither were the four fighting roosters. ’No need to keep too many roosters,’ she thought. ’One or two is plenty.’

Just as Xiaqing was deciding which chicken to eat first, the Wolf Group emerged from the village.

In the lead was the Broken Waist Wolf, followed by the Sick Wolf, with the fastest of them, the Head Wolf, bringing up the rear. Judging by their direction, the three wolves were coming to find her.

This was the Broken Waist Wolf’s first time strolling through her territory. After having its back Protective Equipment removed, the creature hadn’t gone berserk like the broken leg wolf had. It was still calm and unhurried.

At the sight of the wolves, the birds all took flight. The Red Light Goose and the brawling roosters ran to rejoin the flock. The Black Feathered Rooster shielded the hens behind it, the feathers on its neck bristling as it faced down the great threat.

’So this is the difference between a caged chicken and a free one when faced with a wolf.’

’Then again, that makes sense. Wolves are predators. Forget chickens; if I were facing an unfamiliar Wolf Group, my reaction would probably be even more pathetic than the Black Feathered Rooster’s.’

Xiaqing smiled and ruffled Sheep Leader’s wool. "Your friends are here, Leader."

Sheep Leader lifted his head for a glance, then lay back down on the pile of roots. He was tired and didn’t want to move.

The three canids—two wolves and a wolf-dog, to be precise—walked up to Xiaqing and sat. She asked with a smile, "Second, Broken Waist, how are you two feeling?"

Wolf Dog Second padded over, rubbed its lean body against Xiaqing’s leg, and then sat down beside her. The Head Wolf lay lazily on a nearby pile of roots, its eyes fixed on the flock of chickens. The Broken Waist Wolf twisted its head around to sniff the salve on its back, then looked at Xiaqing, seemingly displeased with it.

The Broken Waist Wolf’s meaning was perfectly clear. Xiaqing understood and explained, "Your injury isn’t fully healed. Now that the Protective Equipment is off, you’ll need this salve for another month. It doesn’t smell that bad, right?"

The Broken Waist Wolf looked silently at the Head Wolf for a moment, then fixed its gaze back on Xiaqing.

In the sunlight, the Head Wolf’s coat was glossy and sleek. Xiaqing got the Broken Waist Wolf’s point. She gestured as she explained, "Once you’re done with the salve, the fur here will grow back. The fur... here... it’ll grow back. It’ll be just like the Queen’s."

The Broken Waist Wolf seemed to understand. It stood up, climbed onto the adjacent pile of roots, and lay down beside the Head Wolf. Then, it turned and began to groom its coat. After wearing the Protective Equipment for nearly two months, the fur on its back hadn’t been properly tended to in a long time.

The Broken Waist Wolf was a male, slightly larger than the Head Wolf. Once he was fully recovered, he would probably be formidable. ’After this Wolf Group recovers,’ Xiaqing wondered, ’will they go seek revenge?’

Xiaqing stared at the chickens and birds, which had gone back to digging for bugs, and imagined an epic battle between wolves, snakes, and bears. It felt pretty exhilarating. "Second, back in July, was it snakes or bears you were fighting for territory? It had to be bears, right?"

’The injuries on the broken leg wolf and the Broken Waist Wolf didn’t look like they were caused by a snake’s constriction.’ 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Xiaqing continued to ramble, "If you fight them again, do you think you can win? Need any outside help? As long as you can pay the price, I can talk to the Green Dragon Team for you. The Queen plus Yang Jin would be an absolute steamroll."

Wolf Dog Second and the Head Wolf didn’t react, but the Broken Waist Wolf lifted its head and watched Xiaqing silently, a thoughtful look in its eyes.

Seeing its interest, Xiaqing continued, "You’ve never seen Yang Jin, have you? He’s a human, a Top Speed Evolver. He’s incredibly powerful and extremely clever. His looks are Top Level, too—he’s good at using his handsome face to his advantage. But a few days ago, a Weasel sprayed him so bad he threw up, hahaha—"

Xiaqing couldn’t hold it in anymore and flopped back onto the pile of roots, howling with laughter. Disgusted, Sheep Leader kicked her several times with his hoof.

Crazy. She’d been having these fits for days. It was endless!

"Xiaqing, you there?" Tang Huai’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie.

Having been kicked onto the ground, Xiaqing rubbed her aching cheeks and pressed the button. "Here."

Hmm?

Tang Huai asked, "What’s so funny? Share it so we can all have a laugh."

That crazy sheep in the Third Territory had been running around all day. Tang Huai really wanted to ask what the person and the sheep were up to, but he was afraid of getting an earful—an earful from his old man.

After rubbing her cheeks, Xiaqing’s voice turned icy. "What do you want?"