Chapter 304: Medicated Bath

Chapter 304: Chapter 304: Medicated Bath

The two cameras on the farmland south of the reservoir were positioned two hundred meters northwest and two hundred meters northeast of Xiaqing’s house, respectively. These cameras not only covered the greenhouses on the farmland but also the north side of Xiaqing’s house and storage shed, as well as the west side of the chicken coop and sheep pen.

Of course, this all depended on Xiaqing clearing out the large trees, ruins, shrubs, and weeds between the cameras and her house.

Once bitten, twice shy.

After her bitter experience with the aggressive Evolved Wild Phoenix Tree during the third Harmful Rain, when Xiaqing cleared trees, she no longer just chopped down the trunks—she now dug out the main roots as well.

If the roots weren’t cleared out, the remaining active ones could absorb an excess of Harmful Elements during the next Harmful Rain and potentially undergo a dangerous Qiang Evolution.

Just as she was starting to chop a tree trunk, Xiaqing unexpectedly received a call from her idol.

Zhang San asked, "Xiaqing, were you mobbed by a flock of birds while you were gathering Fragrant Nut Fruits?"

Xiaqing thought Zhang San wanted the birds, so she explained, "Yes, I was. All the Evolutionary Birds I knocked down either landed on the slope or rolled to the bottom of the valley, so I didn’t bring any back."

Zhang San paused for two seconds before replying wearily, "I don’t want to eat bird meat. Did you find any Evolved Ants under that Fir Tree?"

"There were ants, but not many, and they weren’t very big." At the time, Xiaqing had been focused on dealing with the birds in the sky and snakes hiding in holes, all while harvesting Fragrant Nut Fruits. Once she confirmed there was no danger lurking on the ground, she hadn’t paid them any more mind.

If there had been rodent-like Evolved Ants under the tree, Xiaqing would have retreated immediately without a second thought. That type of Evolved Ant was incredibly strong in combat, far too much for Xiaqing to handle.

Zhang San explained his reason for calling. "The venom concentration in the pulp of the Fragrant Nut Fruits you brought back is very high. Intoxication causes paralysis for at least five hours. I suspect there must be Evolved Ants under that tree capable of neutralizing the pulp’s venom. Otherwise, the birds wouldn’t have mobbed you there."

Xiaqing had never heard of Evolved Ants living under a Fir Tree. She just thought the flock of birds was ganging up on her because she was alone, waiting by the tree for a meal of her flesh.

It turned out she had overlooked the first guest at that feast: the Evolved Ants, which were immune to the Fragrant Nut Fruit’s venom.

It made sense when she thought about it. Otherwise, if she were paralyzed by the venom, the birds that ate her flesh would also be paralyzed, becoming food for some other creature.

Once Xiaqing understood Zhang San’s goal, she asked him directly, "Brother San, you want the Evolved Ants from under the Fir Tree? How many do you need?"

Zhang San negotiated with Xiaqing. "Capturing Evolved Ants is even more difficult than harvesting Fragrant Nut Fruits. Just tell me the location of the Fir Tree, and I’ll send my people to capture them. They’ll only take the ants and some soil and plant samples. They won’t touch the Fragrant Nut Fruits, and they won’t tell anyone else the tree’s location."

She wasn’t one to broadcast it, but since Xiaqing had already told Qi Fu and Shi Du that she was leasing Zone Three of Mountain 49, she could certainly tell Zhang San as well.

She hadn’t mentioned it before because there had been no need. "Brother San, I can guide them myself. That tree is on a steep slope in a valley; they’d spend half the day searching for it without a guide. I’ve leased a section of the Evolution Forest on Mountain No. 49, and the tree is within my leased area, so we don’t need to check in with Brother Luo’s people to enter."

Zhang San, in a rare show of curiosity, asked, "Isn’t that huge territory of yours enough to keep you busy? What are you leasing an Evolution Forest for?"

Xiaqing had her excuse prepared. "The Evolution Forest hasn’t been completely cleared out, which makes it a good place for an Evolver at my level to train and get stronger. I did the math—leasing a section of it is more cost-effective than paying 2,000 points to enter for training every time."

Zhang San didn’t press the matter. After arranging with Xiaqing to capture the Evolved Ants the next morning, he hung up.

Xiaqing went back to clearing trees and shrubs with Sheep Leader and Wolf Dog Second.

Xiaqing was responsible for felling the trees, while the two animals dragged the debris aside. Sheep Leader hauled the trunks and large branches, and Wolf Dog Second, who still hadn’t fully recovered, handled the small branches and shrubs.

Heavy lifting was the specialty of the woman and the sheep, while meticulous work was the specialty of Wolf Dog Second. The three companions, despite being different species, worked in perfect harmony. By evening, they had successfully finished clearing the large trees and shrubs.

Once the ants were caught tomorrow, Xiaqing planned to use her mini-tiller to clear away the weeds and the rubble from the collapsed houses to the west. Then the camera on the southwest side of the farmland would finally have the chicken coop in its line of sight.

When the work was done, Xiaqing picked a basket of vegetables and pulled up a cornstalk—one that had already been stripped of its cob—to take home as a reward for herself and her two companions.

After a filling dinner, Sick Wolf went out for a stroll-slash-patrol, while Sheep Leader lay blissfully on the tatami mat, chewing its cud.

While listening to the radio, Xiaqing carefully examined the medicine for treating muscle and soft tissue damage—and her idol’s handwritten instructions—which she had found in a false bottom of the camera’s cardboard box.

After reading them, Xiaqing felt much more confident.

Zhang San had written that her bone density was normal and her skeleton showed no signs of fractures or warping. The damage was to her soft tissues; with medicinal baths and dietary therapy, she could recover to her peak condition.

The water for the medicinal bath needed to have the lowest possible concentration of Harmful Elements. Zhang San had recommended that Xiaqing buy distilled water, but she had an even better option.

That night, she cut her workout short by an hour. After instructing Sheep Leader and Wolf Dog Second to guard the territory, she carried two buckets of boiled Pollution-free Spring Water up to the second floor, adjusted the temperature according to the instructions, and began her medicinal bath.

Xiaqing held her breath and submerged her entire body in the medicinal water. She only surfaced for a deep gulp of air when she absolutely couldn’t hold it any longer, then plunged back in to continue soaking.

Fifteen minutes later, her skin and muscles began to ache and itch all over, but it was still bearable. Zhang San had said that soreness, itching, and pain were all normal, a sign that the medicine was taking effect.

By the forty-five-minute mark, the itching and pain had reached the absolute limit of Xiaqing’s tolerance. Still, she only broke the surface for a single gasp of air before submerging herself again.

’No matter how much it hurts, I have to last the full hour.’

The medicine she had put in the water today was worth over forty-four thousand points. If she soaked for even one second less, Xiaqing felt she would be failing her point-grinding self and her idol who had secretly prepared the medicine for her.

After the hour was up, Xiaqing rinsed the residual medicine from her body, got dressed, and crawled back to her bedroom on all fours. She collapsed onto her soft new comforter, grimacing through the waves of pain washing over her body.

Her idol’s note mentioned that the used bathwater would still have some medicinal properties and could be used for the Evolutionary Animals on her territory the next day. At the time, Xiaqing had wondered why she had to wait. Now she understood: after her own bath, she was completely drained of the energy needed to force the two downstairs to take one.

「A dreamless night passed.」

Early the next morning, Xiaqing wasn’t woken by the crowing of the rooster or the sound of the Red Squirrel drinking from her windowsill. She was startled awake by an alarm blaring from her phone’s security monitoring app.

She immediately grabbed her phone to check the monitor and saw that the High Slope camera had captured an intruder—the Red Squirrel.