Chapter 305: Sending an Invitation

Chapter 305: Chapter 305: Sending an Invitation

Although the sky was only faintly lit, the High Slope camera had night vision, so the image was perfectly clear. After Xiaqing adjusted the camera’s angle and focus on her phone, she found the Red Squirrel staring longingly at the very terrace where she grew her sunflowers.

The sunflowers were in their late growth stage and would be ready for harvest in a few days. The little fellow had good taste.

The Red Squirrel was more than capable of tearing through the pest-control netting and sneaking into the greenhouse to steal sunflower seeds. But after being taught a lesson by Xiaqing twice, it understood that stealing from humans would get its home raided. So, it could only watch from outside the terrace, not daring to enter.

The sunflowers weren’t ready to eat yet, but Xiaqing had a better gift for the Red Squirrel to thank it for knocking away the Evolved Crow that had been pecking at her rope in the Evolution Forest yesterday.

Xiaqing got dressed, took two Fragrant Pine Nut Cores she had specially saved for the little creature from the refrigerator—pulp already washed off—and then heard her phone’s alarm again. She opened the camera feed and saw that the Red Squirrel had moved from the High Slope terrace to a rock near the corn shed, where it was now being captured by that camera.

This time, the Red Squirrel kept its distance, because between it and the corn shed stood a majestic Guardian of the territory—Wolf Dog Second.

While she had been resting, Wolf Dog Second was still dutifully guarding the territory. Xiaqing was deeply moved. After setting out the nut cores and some spring water for the Red Squirrel, she went downstairs to cook a nutritious meat porridge for Second.

And Sheep Leader? It had thrown in the towel as soon as Second returned. All night, aside from a quick trip out to pee, it hadn’t left its tatami mat. However, Sheep Leader was a Strength Evolver with no night vision. Making it stand watch at night had been forcing a square peg into a round hole. Now that Second was back, it had shed its part-time duties to return to its main profession, and Xiaqing had no complaints whatsoever.

After checking all four cameras and confirming there was nothing unusual within the territory, Xiaqing didn’t rush out. Instead, she first ladled the medicinal water from the bathtub into a bucket, carried it downstairs, and reheated it with an immersion heater. This was an item Xiaqing had specially ordered from Zhong Tao after learning she would need to take medicinal baths. She had tried it last night, and it worked very well.

Once it reached the right temperature, Xiaqing called to her companion, "Leader, come take a bath."

Sheep Leader stopped chewing its cud, its eyes turning to Xiaqing as if checking to see if she had lost her mind.

’Didn’t I just have a bath yesterday? Why another one so early in the morning?’

Xiaqing had anticipated this reaction. She took half a chilled corn cob from the refrigerator and held it in her hand. Without her even needing to call, Sheep Leader, blinking its big, sparkling eyes, trotted after her into the bathroom.

Wherever Xiaqing turned the corn cob, Sheep Leader’s head followed. "See this, Leader? This is a medicinal potion. Soaking in it will make you even stronger. Right now, you’re the most awesome sheep on the Whole Blue Star. After soaking in this, you’ll become the most awesome sheep in the whole galaxy, the whole universe! Soak for one hour, and this corn is all yours!"

Xiaqing lifted Sheep Leader and placed it in the tub. At first, Sheep Leader squinted, quite enjoying it. But twenty-five minutes later, it began to struggle, trying to jump out. The discomfort set in ten minutes later for it than it had for Xiaqing, likely because she had already used the bath once and the water had sat out all night, reducing the potion’s potency.

Sheep Leader’s Strength was greater than Xiaqing’s. If it got angry, it could shatter the tub with a single kick. Xiaqing immediately broke off a few corn kernels and stuffed them into Sheep Leader’s mouth. The gluttonous Sheep Leader stopped struggling, deciding to eat first and complain later.

Xiaqing coaxed it softly, "Tastes good, right? I know it’s uncomfortable, but you’ll feel great afterward. My shoulders feel so much lighter today. Can you hang in there a little longer, Leader?"

"BAA!" After another five minutes, Sheep Leader let out a pained cry. Xiaqing immediately popped three more corn kernels in its mouth and continued her persuasion, "Leader, you’re the pillar of our territory. We’re counting on you to guard it in the future. If you can’t even handle a little hardship like this, you shouldn’t be the leader. We’ll just call you Little Three from now on!"

At the forty-minute mark, Sheep Leader truly couldn’t take it anymore. It refused even the corn kernels and stubbornly demanded Xiaqing get it out of the water.

Xiaqing lifted the twitching Sheep Leader from the tub, dried it off, and carried it to the tatami mat. She stroked its fleece, her voice gentle. "Thank you for trusting me, Leader. Sleep for a while. After the pain passes, your muscles will feel so much better."

If it hadn’t trusted Xiaqing completely, Sheep Leader would never have stayed in the painful medicinal water for so long.

Sheep Leader didn’t even have the strength to lift its head, lying on the tatami mat and ignoring Xiaqing.

Xiaqing rubbed its head one last time, then called to the Sick Wolf emerging from the fish-rearing utility room with a small basket in its mouth. "You’ve worked hard, Second. Come take a bath."

Wolf the Second had heard Sheep Leader’s struggling cries, but it still walked obediently to Xiaqing’s side.

Xiaqing tested the water temperature and carefully explained to the Sick Wolf why it needed this bath. "This is medicinal water. It’s uncomfortable while you’re soaking, but it can heal you. It will make your muscles and bones stronger, so you can run faster and jump higher. Want to get in and soak for a bit, Second?"

The Sick Wolf obediently used a small stool to get into the tub and soaked quietly. At first, it panted with its tongue hanging out, but after thirty minutes, its mouth closed, and its expression turned serious.

No matter how docile, the Sick Wolf was still a wild wolf raised in the Evolution Forest. Xiaqing didn’t dare touch it once the pain set in. She coaxed it softly, "It’s starting to hurt, isn’t it, Second? Just endure it a little longer. This water has medicine that will make your body better. The longer you stay in, the better the effect."

The potion’s potency was even lower now, so the pain should have been less intense. Still, Xiaqing thought that the Sick Wolf wouldn’t last long once the pain started. It was a highly vigilant beast and couldn’t trust her as completely as Sheep Leader did.

But to Xiaqing’s surprise, the Sick Wolf lasted the full hour. Even as the water in the tub rippled from its trembling body, it never fussed to get out. After Xiaqing lifted it out and dried it off, she gently scratched its chin, feeling both admiration and compassion for this wolf.

This was an Evolutionary Wolf that, while riddled with skin disease, a stomach full of parasites, and one eye blinded by a grass seed, had walked step-by-step from the depths of the dangerous Evolution Forest to human territory. It had reached the Third Territory by relying on its powerful will to survive and its Endurance. It was precisely this quality that made it determined to soak in the medicinal potion, even as it trembled in pain, because it knew it was medicine.

To survive. That was the shared will of all life during the Disaster Years.

Perhaps sensing Xiaqing’s emotions, the Sick Wolf licked the palm of her hand with its soft tongue. Xiaqing looked down at its eyes, which could barely stay open, and for the first time, she extended a formal invitation.

"Stay here from now on, Second. You’re old, and your body isn’t in good shape. The Evolution Forest is too dangerous for you. Stay here and guard the territory with me and Sheep Leader. We have food, drink, and a roof over our heads. We can live on in peace together."

The Sick Wolf licked Xiaqing’s palm one more time, then its furry head pressed against her hand, and it fell asleep.

With her palm resting beneath the Sick Wolf’s warm, damp neck, Xiaqing felt, for the first time, a sense of complete surrender and absolute trust from this Evolutionary Wolf.