Chapter 1172: An Old Wolf Swipes Open the Northern Gate of Number Three Territory

Xia Qing had spent several months nursing the former wolf king of the southern pack, Wolf Lao Si, back to health within her territory, so she understood him very well.

On the first night after the migratory bird season ended, this old wolf brought a small wolf with a scarred face and swiped open the northern gate between Hui Three's Northern Zone One territory and Number Three territory.

This unfamiliar area, thick with human scent, made the scarred-face pup following closely behind the old wolf extremely tense, on the verge of bristling and going into battle at any moment.

Xia Qing didn't waste words. She directly had Wolf Lao Er deliver pollution-free spring water laced with an oral anesthetic to the pup, and once it was knocked out, she carried it straight into Number Seven territory for a follow-up examination.

The moment she got her hands on it, Xia Qing realized this brain-domain evolved pup, plagued by misfortune, was in even worse shape than she'd expected. Its body temperature was at least two degrees higher than a normal wolf's; the sutured wound on its face was red and swollen; a few flies and other small insects buzzed around the wound that was still seeping blood. It looked utterly pitiful.

Zhang San, woken up by the noise, didn't find the wolf pitiful at all—Xia Qing was just an eyesore to him. "Stand aside and watch."

"Yes." Xia Qing responded, obediently stepping aside and lowering her presence.

Standing aside to watch rather than waiting outside the operating room was meant to let her learn how to treat this kind of wound. Her idol might have a bad tone and an awful expression, but he was still a top-quality idol standing at the pinnacle of the universe's pyramid!

While removing the sutures and debriding the pup's wound, Zhang San glanced up at Xia Qing, took a sample of the pus from the improperly sutured laceration on the scarred-face pup, and handed it to his assistant Zhang Sun. "Take this for bacterial culture and drug sensitivity testing. Zhang Song, chlorhexidine, get the ultrasound ready…"

"Got it." Zhang Song, suppressing his excitement, replied calmly and swiftly carried out the order.

After a full round of examinations and treatment, Xia Qing left behind forty thousand credits, gathered the pup in her arms along with the oral and topical medications, and left Number Seven territory.

The pup's medical bill had eaten up every single credit she'd earned from three missions taken during the migratory bird season under her identity as a top-tier sniper. If she hadn't also wiped out the Phantom Squad, seized a batch of supplies, and dug out a wanderer's cave, the credits she'd earned from half a month of frantic work would have only been enough to cover the scarred-face wolf's medical expenses…

Xia Qing suspected her idol had doubled the fee because he was in a bad mood, or wanted to punish her for causing this medical incident. But she had no proof, and didn't dare ask.

Xia Qing carried the pup and swiped open the northern gate of Number Three territory. The old wolf, hidden in the tall grass wall of the northern buffer forest, immediately darted out.

Xia Qing opened the bag in her arms to show him the pup's condition. "Lao Si, don't worry. The scarred-face pup's wound can be healed, but it needs daily ointment and medicine, and it can't leave until it's fully recovered. Will Lao Si stay in my territory with it while it recovers?"

Once Lao Si confirmed his companion was still alive, despite being covered in unfamiliar, pungent scents, he turned and led the way. Xia Qing understood this meant he intended to keep the pup in her territory, so she followed, carrying the pup.

Passing by the breeding greenhouse, Xia Qing stopped and sternly warned, "Lao Si, you and this scarred-face pup are not allowed to eat the birds in this shed, or you'll be driven out of the territory."

These two green-light black-maned geese with clipped wings were raised by Xia Qing for laying eggs and hatching goslings.

After entering the abandoned village, Xia Qing warned again, "You're not allowed to let Scarface eat the chickens in the coop, or steal the eggs."

"You're not allowed to eat this little yellow cow either—she's mine."

"You're not allowed to howl in my territory, or the humans nearby will notice and bring danger."

"If Scarface hurts my companion Sheep Boss, I'll kill it!"

……

After a full round of warnings, Xia Qing gestured and asked, "Should I put the scarred-face pup up on the king platform, or will Lao Si take it up?"

Lao Si raised a paw and pawed at the bag Xia Qing was holding, then gripped the scarred-face pup by the scruff and dragged it toward his own territory—the ruins of houses south of Xia Qing's home.

Within the cracks of the ruins lay his buried companions; at the highest point of the ruins sat his king platform.

Knowing Lao Si was coming, Xia Qing had already cleaned and disinfected the king platform, and covered it with a rainproof tarp. Lao Si feared neither wind, frost, rain, nor fog, but the recovering scarred-face pup needed a dry, sanitary living environment.

After Lao Si and the scarred-face pup returned to the territory, Xia Qing went back inside, diced green-light meat, added four eggs and boiled them in pollution-free spring water, then added high-Yi element spinach leaves, and finally picked up her phone to check the surveillance.

The scarred-face wolf was already awake, lying pressed tightly against Lao Si on the wooden king platform, its eyes glowing green as it warily watched this unfamiliar territory filled with familiar scents.

After the meat cooled, Xia Qing divided it into two portions and carried them out to the yard. "Lao Si, Lao Si, Lao Si…"

Under Xia Qing's relentless calling, Lao Si's head finally poked out from the tall grass.

Xia Qing pointed at the food bowl and said, "Lao Si, come down and eat."

The old wolf, having recuperated in Number Three territory before, was already used to Xia Qing's feeding. He walked down the barren slope alone and entered Xia Qing's small yard.

Xia Qing set the unmedicated portion of the extra meal in front of Lao Si. "This is Lao Si's, this is the scarred-face pup's. Go ahead and eat, Lao Si."

The old wolf lowered his head to sniff, then ate heartily.

Xia Qing squatted not too close, not too far, and chatted with him. "Good, right? This is Yi-snake meat, green-light duck meat, green-light eggs, and high-Yi element spinach leaves, all cooked with premium water. It's only because it's Lao Si—any other wolf that came along, I wouldn't be willing to bring out such premium food to entertain…"

After finishing his meal and licking the bowl clean, Lao Si raised his wolf eyes to look at the other portion of food in Xia Qing's hand.

Xia Qing held out the basket containing the food to him. "Lao Si, take it back and let the scarred-face pup eat, then get some rest early. Don't let it howl—it'll attract danger."

Lao Si took the basket in his mouth and returned to his territory. Xia Qing waited a few seconds holding Lao Si's food bowl, then heard the sound of the pup gulping down food from atop the ruins, and the corners of her mouth curved up slightly.

Early the next morning, Xia Qing was once again woken by the crowing of a rooster. After putting out pollution-free spring water and a few mung beans for the big pine tree, Little Feimao, and Qiang Zai, who were waiting outside the window for a free meal, Xia Qing stood by the window and visually patrolled her territory.

Everything in the territory was normal. The only difference from the past two days was that behind Wolf Lao Er, who was catching bugs in the western buffer forest, there was now an old wolf carrying an identical small basket in his mouth.

Xia Qing smiled, opened the camera to check on the patient atop the ruins.

The scarred-face pup was curled up asleep on Lao Si's king platform, snoring loudly. This sleeping posture maximally protects an evolved wolf's abdomen and is a posture adopted when feeling insecure. It was perfectly normal for the scarred-face pup, newly arrived in Number Three territory, to feel insecure.

Xia Qing adjusted the camera to carefully examine the laceration above the corner of its mouth, then used the camera to locate the wolf's feces and observed them closely. After confirming her forty thousand credits hadn't been spent in vain, she began a busy day.

Sounds of human activity drifted from the north. The scarred-face pup's ears twitched, and it immediately opened its fierce, murderous eyes, climbed down from the king platform, and slipped silently into the tall grass, watching Xia Qing's yard.

"Good morning, Scarface. Does the wound still hurt?" Xia Qing swiped open the surgical-style entry door and stepped into the yard, looking up to greet the pup atop the ruins to the south.

The scarred-face pup immediately shrank back, baring its fangs.

Xia Qing paid it no more attention and began, amid the chirping of sparrows, feeding the chickens, the cow, and the snakes, then left home to patrol the territory, picking vegetables on the way back to make breakfast.

When Xia Qing had finished cooking and was preparing to feed the wolves, the old wolf trotted into the yard carrying his basket of bugs to trade for food. When he'd been recuperating in Number Three territory, he'd gotten food by catching bugs in exchange.

Xia Qing set a portion of food in front of him, and, taking advantage of the broken-waist wolf—who had learned "Medical Ethics"—not being around, negotiated terms with this clever old wolf, making him understand that working in Number Three territory could only earn food for himself; the pup's medical expenses and food would need to be exchanged through other conditions.