Chapter 1448: Tan Qi and Ye Shiyi

At eight in the evening, Yang Jin carried Luo Pei, who was "sick and weak from drink," out through the south gate of Territory Three and walked the middle passage back to Territory One.

Tonight the two heads of the Azure Dragon Squad were going to root out a traitor, so Xia Qing left one ear on watch while she slept. The result was that until she was woken by the clop-clop of Sheep Elder's hooves, she hadn't heard any sound from Territory One or Mountain Forty-Nine.

At seven in the morning, Xia Qing entered Territory One with her allies. Hurrying toward the helipad, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, as if nothing had happened the night before.

The helicopter cabin door on the helipad of Territory One opened. Without Xia Qing needing to lift a finger, the strength-evolved allies carried the four large packed crates into the cabin and set them down. Then, in succession, Zhang He in a white protective suit, pale-faced Luo Pei, grim-faced Yue Haiying, solemn and quiet Tang Huai, equally solemn and quiet Wen Nengjie, Huo Zhun and Di Ming who were excited as if they were off on a trip, and the equally excited Kuang Qingwei boarded, heading to Hui-Three Safe Zone to rendezvous with the delegation, then taking a plane to Bai Yi Safe Zone.

Xia Qing looked up at the helicopter's bare landing gear and began to miss her own helicopter, which had been sent to Lan-One for inspection.

Yang Jin, standing beside her and blocking the cold wind, spoke, "It'll be back soon."

The others thought Yang Jin was talking about the group that had just left. Only Xia Qing understood he meant the helicopter, and she gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

As everyone walked outward together, Tan Qi hopped over to Xia Qing's side. "Sister Qing, can we come to your territory this weekend to see the little monkey?"

Xia Qing asked, "You and Shiyi?"

The morning was too cold, so little Shiyi hadn't come along with Tan Qi.

Zhu Li, walking on Xia Qing's other side, laughed lightly. "Sister Qing wasn't online last night so she doesn't know—these two little ones changed their names."

Speed-evolver Tan Qi darted forward more than ten meters, then turned, stood at attention, raised her hand in a crisp military salute, and announced, "Tan Qi, fifteenth lord of Hui-Three Territory Alliance. It's an honor to fight alongside all of you. I hope you'll guide me well from now on!"

Her little display made everyone laugh; even the usually solemn Tan Junjie showed a smile.

Looking at the little girl brimming with vigorous life, Xia Qing asked, "The seven of five, six, seven?"

Tan Junjie's voice was gentle. "She said she wants to measure up to her third brother. At year's end I'll take her to the Safe Zone Administrative Hall to get it changed."

The last digit of Tan Junjie and his wife's military guarantee numbers was both seven. When his wife was pregnant and choosing a name for the child, she went looking for characters that shared the same sound as seven, and finally settled on "Qi," hoping the child born in these years of disaster would have a life of peace, joy, and good fortune.

In those years the disaster was at its worst. After the child was born, when Tan Junjie went to the base's civil affairs department to register the child's information, it was all done on paper. By the time the child's identity card was issued, the character "Qi" had become "Qi."

Last night, hearing his daughter say on the lord channel that she was changing her name to Tan Qi, Tan Junjie, who was on patrol, froze on the spot. Four characters suddenly flashed through his mind: setting things right.

Xia Qing had assumed Tan Qi had given herself a nickname, but it turned out to be her real name. She walked up to Tan Qi, patted her slightly thicker little shoulder, and said, "From now on please guide me well too, Sister Qi."

"Mm!" Tan Qi beamed, hopping along beside Xia Qing. "Sister Qing, guess what Shiyi changed her name to?"

"Ye Shiyi?"

Tan Qi's eyes sparkled. "Mm! Sister Qing, you're so smart!"

Everyone laughed out loud. Tan Junjie reached up to wipe the snow dust stuck to his daughter's protective visor, and decided that when they went to the Safe Zone to change her name, he'd take her around the inner city and buy her a new protective mask.

Xia Qing, praised as smart by the little one, also had a smile on her face. "That little monkey had a corrective surgery a few days ago and needs to rest a while longer. Come by next weekend after its cast comes off."

"Okay!" After Tan Qi chattered away asking all sorts of questions about the little monkey, the south gate of Territory Three came into view. Xia Qing and Yang Jin returned to the territory, and the others continued on their way.

After passing through the wild-grass wall, Yang Jin asked, "What does Sister Qing want for breakfast?"

Xia Qing was silent for two seconds, but couldn't resist the lure of good food and spoke up. "Scallion pancake with egg."

"Besides egg, what else do you want in it? Lettuce, roasted chili, or one of each?"

Xia Qing...

"One of each."

"Okay. Sister Qing go make Lao Si's nutritional meal first, I'll go knead the dough—it's simple, I'll have it ready in no time." After parting from Xia Qing, Yang Jin was in such high spirits that he didn't want to go sprinting here. He casually pulled a tree branch by the road, and seeing the rime frost fall off in a soft shower thought it looked rather pretty. He then lifted his leg and swept at a man-high shrub by the road, heavy with rime frost.

Yang Jin's action was judged by Sheep Elder, who had just come out of the greenhouse, as provocation. Sheep Elder pawed the ground and bellowed, charging over.

Hearing Sheep Elder's commotion, Xia Qing immediately turned and got into a stance. Seeing Yang Jin fly out from the shrub, she patted the snow dust off her protective suit and hummed a little tune as she headed home to deliver food to Lao Si and Missing Ear.

Because it was on special-effect medicine and a professional nutritional diet, Missing Ear Wolf's body was visibly improving day by day. To Zhang Shi, it looked like this wolf was getting more and more intimidating; to Xia Qing, it looked like this wolf was getting more and more reliable. In a few more days, perhaps this fellow Missing Ear could patrol the territory and keep watch at night alongside Lao Er.

Zhang Shi, crouching beside Xia Qing, gathered her courage. With fingers in sterile rubber gloves, she carefully touched the area of Lao Si's gums where the teeth had been pulled, then quickly withdrew her hand and told it the good news. "Fourth Brother, the depression on the surface of your gums has already been filled in. Although you can't see it yet, you can feel with your hand that there's an obvious nodule inside—the new teeth have already started growing. Does it still hurt?"

Lao Si closed its mouth, which had no lower fangs, with a solemn expression.

"Good, no more pain. Then... do you feel any soreness or itchiness in your gums?"

Lao Si didn't understand and looked at Xia Qing.

Seeing Xia Qing extend her claws, Missing Ear Wolf immediately stepped forward, baring its yellowed fangs and growling low. Xia Qing patiently explained, "Missing Ear, I'm not going to hurt Lao Si. I just want to tell it what 'itchy' means."

After saying that, Xia Qing scratched Lao Si's neck with her finger. "This kind of feeling—where the skin needs a scratch or a rub to feel comfortable—is called 'itchy.' Does Lao Si feel itchy where the teeth were pulled?"

Solemnly, Lao Si nodded.

Zhang Shi set aside her admiration for Xia Qing and gently instructed her patient. "When teeth are growing, there will be an obvious soreness and itchiness. That means Fourth Brother's sharp, beautiful new fangs are growing in. Fourth Brother absolutely must not gnaw on things with his gums just because they feel itchy, or the teeth will grow crooked."

After the patient nodded solemnly, Zhang Shi and Xia Qing set out the food and exited the wolf den. Zhang Shi returned to the kitchen to make breakfast for herself and Yiyi.

After the two old wolves finished their nutritional meal, Xia Qing re-entered the wolf den to collect the food bowls, quickly cleaned the den and the toilet beside it, then disinfected and changed the hay. With a cheerful smile she pulled out her notebook. "Lao Si, you've already passed the weak period and your new fangs are almost grown out. Shall we tally up the medical costs, nutritional meals, and care fees for you and Missing Ear?"