Chapter 1597: The Raven Courts Again

"Buzz—"

While Xia Qing was chatting with her friends, she received a video call from Xin Yu and immediately understood what was happening. "Sister Yan, Fourth, Broken-Waist, Big Wolf Bro, come quick and look! Bai Yan the raven is going to Guagua to offer treasure!"

Hearing the news, even Yan Long, who was sitting nearby, leaned over. Two people and two wolves crowded together to look at the phone screen, while Handsome Giant Wolf remained lying in place resting.

After the video connected, Xin Yu saw how lively things were on Xia Qing's side, paused for a moment, then greeted them one by one. "Sister Yan, Fourth Bro, Broken Bro, am I interrupting your training?"

Xia Qing replied, "No, it's just rest time now. Has Bai Yan the raven gone over?"

"Yes, look." Xin Yu immediately switched the camera, and Xia Qing saw a raven standing on a big tree near the western isolation belt outside Territory Eight.

Because of the distance, Xia Qing couldn't tell from the phone screen whether that raven's sclera was white, but she could clearly see the pearl worn on the raven's pitch-black neck, gleaming with its distinctive soft glow in the morning sun.

After putting on this large pink pearl two centimeters in diameter, this pitch-black raven's bearing shot up dramatically, radiating an overwhelming noble air.

Yan Long, who had exchanged pearls with Xia Qing several times, fell silent.

"Awoo!" Broken-Waist Wolf immediately raised a big paw and pawed at the pocket of Xia Qing's protective suit, indicating it wanted to wear a string too.

"We still have some at home. When we get back later, you can pick them out yourself. Once you've chosen, I'll string two strands for you—one for you to wear, and one for the Queen." Xia Qing answered Broken-Waist Wolf, then asked, "I exchanged two strands with it last night, and there's still one strand of the small pink pearls like the kind I gave Guagua yesterday. It only brought this one strand over? Does Guagua like it?"

Xin Yu didn't answer, moving the phone so Xia Qing could see the raven Moli standing on the big tree in Territory Eight.

From this angle, Broken-Waist Wolf recognized where raven Moli was. With one leap it vanished from sight, running off to the scene to watch the show.

This time the distance was closer, and Xia Qing could clearly see raven Moli craning her neck to look forward, clearly attracted by that nobly-bird raven on the big tree in Area Eight of Mountain Forty-Nine. She said excitedly, "Looks like Moli's a little tempted."

Xin Yu was also very happy. "Mm, do you have more pearls? Looks like Guagua doesn't reject that raven." It's just that the pearls the other side offered were too few, not enough to make Guagua fly over to look.

Xia Qing nodded. "Yes, I'll keep exchanging with Bai Yan the raven."

Yan Long……

After Xia Qing hung up the call, Yan Long stood up. "Continue. Xia Qing, for the next sixty seconds, your legs are my priority destruction target. Keep your quadriceps in a spring-loaded state, knees slightly bent, toes gripping the ground. When moving, use sliding steps. Dare to lift your leg more than an inch, and I'll snap your ligaments. Begin!"

"Awoo!" The filthy little wolf sister snarled at Xia Qing, telling her to fight harder.

"Awoo awoo!" The mud-covered little Xiao Hei Mei cheered Xia Qing on.

"Grrr—" The equally filthy little wolf brother bared his fangs at Yan Long.

Scarface little wolf, Head-Tilt little wolf, and Black-Nose little wolf squatted beside Fourth, watching solemnly as Xia Qing walked to the center. Handsome Giant Wolf, already standing, shook its filthy fur and stood behind Yan Long with killing intent, looking ready to bite Yan Long to death if she dared lay a hand to snap Xia Qing's ligaments.

Fourth flashed behind Yan Long in an instant, letting out a stern low growl at Handsome Giant Wolf. Handsome Giant Wolf wasn't a member of the southern wolf pack, so naturally it wouldn't obey Fourth's command—it bared its fangs and charged at Fourth. At the same moment, Yan Long also charged at Xia Qing.

Ten minutes later, Xia Qing was taken down by Yan Long, and the little wolves rushed in to fight Yan Long.

Eleven minutes later, Xia Qing limped to the edge of the snow pit, pried off Fourth's paw that was pressing on Handsome Giant Wolf's neck, and leaned against Handsome Giant Wolf, just about to say a few words of gratitude and comfort when the fellow flipped over, leapt up, and charged off to challenge Fourth again.

Xia Qing, lying on her back at the bottom of the snow pit, watched wolves and a person leaping across above her, closed her eyes, and began rapidly adjusting her condition, preparing to fight again.

At eight-thirty in the morning, the morning special training ended. Xia Qing limped back to her territory, ate breakfast, then put on a black single-sided light-transmitting protective face mask, drove out of her territory into Center Nine, slowly stepped out of the car, and walked into the office with steady steps.

The official document had been issued yesterday: Territory Two of Area One, Northern Hui Three, was officially merged into Center Nine, becoming the area under Center Nine's responsibility for reclamation and cultivation.

At this point, the Ninth Planting Center governed three territories: Territory Nine, covering 2,300 mu; the former Territory Ten, covering 2,100 mu; and Territory Two, covering 2,400 mu, with a total area of 6,800 mu. If Center Nine itself were counted as one "territory," it would have edged out Territory Seven, which has a total area of 6,700 mu, becoming the second-largest in area among all territories.

The largest territory? That would of course be Territory Three, covering 7,080 mu.

Although Xia Qing's territory ranked first by total area, the area within it available for reclamation and cultivation was only 2,400 mu; the rest was all hillsides and mountain forests. Center Nine's cultivable area reached as high as 6,660 mu, and the vast majority of it was flat, fertile land with thick soil layers!

The directors and deputy directors of Center Nine's various departments, who were gathered around the conference table in heated discussion, stopped when they saw their director walk in, stood up, and called out "Director" in unison, full of spirit.

Xia Qing—the lord of the largest territory in Hui Three, and also the director of the largest planting center by area outside the Hui Three safety zone—nodded, walked to her chair, took off her protective mask, and ordered expressionlessly, "Sit down, everyone."

Seeing their director's face, which was green and purple in patches, the cadres of Center Nine were all stunned. Deputy Director Yue Haiying immediately smoothed things over. "The director went to the Blue Dragon team's special training again this morning?"

"Mm." Xia Qing responded, sweeping her gaze across the room.

Everyone immediately tucked away their shock and sat down properly.

The meeting officially began. Yue Haiying, who was presiding, started to speak. "The topic of today's meeting is the work arrangements for Territory Two, which has just been merged into our center. First is the reclamation of farmland, second is the construction of walls, third is staff recruitment, fourth is the expansion plan for dormitories and canteens…"

This meeting discussed all major issues, but regarding how to carry out work after Territory Two's merger into Center Nine, Yue Haiying and Yan Yue had long since prepared concrete, feasible plans—they were just waiting for the official document to be issued before bringing these plans to the table. So, in less than half an hour, this important meeting concluded.

The directors who had received their work assignments returned to their own departments and immediately began work according to the task content and progress requirements issued by their superiors.

Xia Qing dealt with several other pieces of work before putting on the single-sided light-transmitting protective mask and walking out of the office. Looking up, she saw Zhong Tao, the director of the West Warehouse Management Department, standing by the window making a phone call, his expression both sad and helpless.