Chapter 243: Three Little Sheep

Qiao Mai hummed, would she let Beiguan fall?

It's impossible; if Shexian fell, it would be over. What about her tens of thousands of mu of pine forest? What about her home? What about her friends?

As long as she's around for a day, Beiguan can't have any trouble.

Let them try fighting first, otherwise everything would make her the front, and the old emperor hasn't given her any favor.

Don't be fooled by the fact that she's only a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator now, but dealing with the invading Huzi on her territory, she's more than capable.

Thinking of Core Formation, after this batch of pine trees is done, she'll settle down and seclude herself for a while.

On the days she's absent, someone outside still has to guard for her.

So after Yuan Jiaqi returns to Shexian, she entered the space.

Each time she enters the space, she has a different experience; either this appears or that appears, the space becomes more orderly and more beautiful.

What she hadn't imagined before, Little Green had already thought of; this time she entered, her dwelling turned into a garden, with all kinds of flowers in full bloom, so beautiful.

She used her mind to look at the land again, heavens, Little Green had actually planted a sea of flowers spanning ten thousand mu after ten thousand mu.

There are Peony, Chinese Peony, Chrysanthemum, Rose, Carnation, Lily, Plum Blossom, Crabapple—every kind of flower and plant is present; this little fellow is truly capable.

"Master, you have Little Green, what other beasts do you need?"

The good-looking aren't flashy; the flashy ones are carnivores, truly hard to match.

Not to mention the heavy taxes on the people, the state is poor, and more covet the Ming Emperor's dynasty.

So contract Spirit Beasts are like this, "Yes, master, although we can't speak to you outwardly, we can communicate with thoughts."

Qiao Mai bought a Storage Pouch for them on the Platform, hung it around their necks, and then filled it with the Pill they need for cultivation.

"Master, master, baa baa baa"

"They're just the master's henchmen."

"I'm about to Core Form, entering the space to cultivate; outside there must be beasts to protect my family, and if anything happens they can call me into the space,"

"This, this is what Little Green should do."

"I'll alchemy the Pill for you, won't let anything happen to you."

Animals are the most sensitive; any abnormality, they're the first to detect, especially Night Wanderer cats!

Sometimes they can sense ghosts, so many say they are the guardians of the underworld.

"No, they were caught from the mountains in the northwest, they're harmless, just keep them as pets."

The little sheep finally relaxed; they and the master have a master‑servant contract, isn't eating lamb already a given?

Hearing this explanation, Little Green became happy, "I'll help the master choose; I know what kind of beasts suit the master, and they have strong combat power."

"Why did you buy sheep? To eat lamb?"

Even so, the people still saw something; after rain the Guan Dao's soil is soft, and night grain cart convoys would surely leave traces.

"You, you always come up with some rare and odd things."

Qiao Mai grabbed it with both hands, pat pat pat, gave it a few kisses; Little Green flushed, broke free, flew in midair, its face all red.

Because her cultivation level is high, good contract beasts are hard to contract, not to mention they're especially expensive.

When Little Green heard, it got anxious; the master wants to keep a pet, that won't do, I am her only one.

This caused a sensation among everyone in Jixiang Yuan; they watched the three snow‑white as clouds, not a single messy little sheep, and stopped whatever they were doing, strolling behind them.

Occasionally, everyone can see them go to the fawn's trough to eat; as soon as they start eating, the fawn runs elsewhere, far away, seeming very frightened.

"Thank you, master"

"Master, I'm here, what orders do you have?"

After the little sheep finish familiarizing themselves, they naturally return to Qiao Mai's courtyard, where she is drinking tea.

"Did you get this from overseas again?"

Master and servant were searching on the Platform for a contract Spirit Beast, and the two almost came to blows.

"Yes, master"

The old gentleman and old lady walked over, Qiao Mai poured them a cup of tea, and several children, seeing such sheep, loved them immensely; even Ling'er, who usually likes flashy things, held them tightly.

At night, Qiao Mai kept hearing the wheels of the official's carts constantly; it seemed the people didn't know about the war.

"What are they transporting, crushing the Guan Dao like this?"

"Master, you're so naughty"

"That's fine, but master, when we're outside we can't cultivate; our cultivation will keep deteriorating."

At this moment, the two cats in the old lady's arms stared at the three little sheep, continuously whine whine whine.

"It's either ironware or grain; this cart carries at least a thousand jin."

"Exactly, how about we sneak a look tonight?"

So Qiao Mai brought the three sheep into her courtyard; they sniffed the air and became extremely displeased.

Fortunately, the servants have never seen the three little sheep defecate; each time they see them, it's like seeing three clouds drifting lightly.

"We are herbivores, you know."

"Master, you're so stingy."

Fortunately, the commanding officer is disciplined, not letting soldiers harass the people; otherwise Tianshui Town would be in chaos, the whole Weicheng, and the Imperial Court would be in turmoil.

The three sheep were bought from the customer service, the contract formed naturally, and their voices suddenly filled her mind.

"Let's go, let's check the Platform together, see what beasts suit me; I want to contract a few."

The three little sheep ran off joyfully in Jixiang Yuan, going everywhere, recognizing the land and people, familiarizing themselves with the environment.

"Understood, now I need three helpers to protect these people for me; can you?"

Keeping them at home wouldn't draw attention; feeling uneasy about just one, she bought three at once; those who didn't know thought Qiao Mai's family had started raising sheep.

She said that while making a heart‑shaped gesture toward her, and Little Green became even more embarrassed.

In the blink of an eye it was July, and the drizzling rain kept falling nonstop.

Anyway, whatever they say, ever since those three little sheep arrived at home, nothing has seemed especially remarkable.

"Yeah."

Thus she could only buy Spirit Beasts or Fierce Beasts below the Five Orders; if she wanted something pretty, she chose a Spirit Beast, if she wanted something flashy, a Fierce Beast. Qiao Mai found Demon Beasts too ugly, so she first got a herbivore that looks like a sheep but isn't a sheep.

Seeing a crowd at the Yuanzi gate, she gave an awkward smile, "Hehe, pretty, right? So I bought three."

Qiao Mai glared at the three little sheep; they instantly lowered their intimidation, and the kitten also fell silent.

"To deal with ordinary people outside, you don't need any combat power; a herbivore Spirit Beast will do. Otherwise I'd have to buy meat to feed it, which is wasteful. There's plenty of grass in the space, so no need to buy more."

"Don't worry, it's only for ordinary people."

Only then did they run around the welcoming Yuanzi, "Go ahead, check the surroundings, get familiar with my family. Every day you're at home, my family must stay safe."

"Why does this cart always travel at night?"

Some idle villagers, having nothing to do, pointed at the two large cart wheel tracks and said.

"This is Space Utilization on my part."

No one wants war; once it starts, they immediately think of the labor and expense it brings to the people.

Qiao Mai brightened, "Xiao Qing?"

It was just that they wondered why Qiao Mai didn't confine the three sheep like a fenced fawn, and instead let them run around freely.

"Alright."

"You're so cute, I, your master, absolutely love you!"

The three little sheep shivered all over, and Qiao Mai hurriedly explained, "It's purely for looks; I bought them because I like them, not for meat."

At a glance it seemed fine; it was all soldiers and Grain Carts, and some people were terrified. Whenever such a scene appears, it means war is coming.

My god, it's only been a few years since the last war, and now another one—so the Ming Emperor has been drained by war.

The next day, the villagers spread the word, and the grain shop and General Store were packed with people.

Every household needed to stock up on grain; with this war, no one knew how high grain prices would rise.

(End of Chapter)