Chapter 1697: The Western Wolf King Proposes a Trade

When a person is sick and hospitalized, family members come to visit; when a tiger is sick and hospitalized, family tigers come to visit.

In principle, that's how it should be, but it was Xia Qing's first time seeing a family tiger visiting a sick hospitalized tiger, so she squatted on a big rock with great interest to watch. Broken-Waist Wolf was seeing it for the first time too — not only did it squat beside Xia Qing to watch, it also took out its phone to record video, to share with the family wolves when it got back.

Xia Qing also took out her phone to record. Although she had no family to share with, she had friends, and an idol.

Compared to the relationship with the Western Tiger King, the relationship between Pian Tiger and Blind Eye Tiger was clearly a bit more intimate.

The two tigers sniffed and nuzzled each other, then Blind Eye Tiger ran up to Xia Qing and opened its big mouth, blocking her camera. Broken-Waist Wolf immediately jumped back a step and kept recording. Xia Qing could only put away her phone and look at Lao Si — she wanted to tell Lao Si that her food didn't just blow in on the wind either, and she couldn't keep letting it eat for free. Since Blind Eye Tiger was brought by Lao Si, it was only right that Lao Si should pay.

But when Xia Qing turned her head, she found Lao Si, the Western Wolf King, the Western Tiger King, and Pian Tiger standing in a square below. The Western Wolf King and the Western Tiger King stared at Pian Tiger, Pian Tiger stared at the Western Tiger King, and Lao Si looked at this one for a moment, then that one for a moment — just not at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing could only stuff a small piece of jerky into Blind Eye Tiger's big mouth, jump down from the big rock, and stand beside Lao Si. Broken-Waist Wolf immediately followed. The two wolves and two tigers stopped staring at each other and turned to look at the newly arrived human and wolf.

With a solemn expression, Broken-Waist Wolf nudged Xia Qing with a big paw, signaling her to say a few words.

Xia Qing coughed once — voice and action together — and tried to communicate with Pian Tiger. "Brother Pian, this here is our — mine and Broken-Waist Wolf's, that is, the Northern Wolf Pack's territory. The poison in you is very potent, you can only come to this mountain area for treatment, understand?"

Pian Tiger and the Western Tiger King stared at Xia Qing. In the faint light of Bai Xue, Xia Qing couldn't make out their expressions, and could only judge from their breathing and body language that they were in a calm state, so she continued, "Your treatment will be paid for by Lao Si — a very, very large number of points."

Broken-Waist Wolf immediately nodded, indicating that Xia Qing was right.

"The roars you let out last night and this morning caused the animals raised in the human territory over there to be frightened or killed. For this, Lao Si compensated me 343,550 points. If you keep roaring, Lao Si will still need to compensate the human territory for its losses…"

Pian Tiger, the Western Tiger King, and Lao Si had no particular expressions. Blind Eye Tiger stared at Xia Qing's backpack. The Western Wolf King stared at Xia Qing with killing intent. Broken-Waist Wolf's gaze shifted back and forth between Lao Si and Xia Qing, looking thoughtful.

After explaining the situation in detail, Xia Qing's tone turned stern. "Lao Si, you tell Pian Tiger that it can only stay in the sickroom enclosed by the wire netting during the day, and only at night can it come over here to wander and hunt. It can't roar loudly, because that will disturb my lord and the human territory. If you can't keep it in check, our clinic won't treat it anymore."

When Xia Qing originally agreed to take on Pian Tiger, it was only to help it regulate its body and change its teeth, and the treatment location was within Pian Tiger's own territory. After the physical exam revealed it had been poisoned with Qiang-18 toxin, Xia Qing had no choice but to bring it from shadow to light, moving it from Mountain Area 31 to Mountain Area 50.

Now the number of people watching Pian Tiger was no longer just one or two, but tens of thousands, and the gene-targeting toxin in its body was pulling on the nerves of dozens of research institutes across the country. If Pian Tiger kept roaring around, the only option would be to lock it in a cage for treatment.

Pian Tiger was still its usual self. The Western Tiger King and the Western Wolf King were getting irritable again from Xia Qing's nagging. Lao Si nuzzled Xia Qing, then nuzzled Pian Tiger, indicating that it would keep Pian Tiger in check.

Xia Qing stuffed another piece of jerky into the tiger's mouth nearby, then instructed, "Lao Si, although the toxin in Pian Tiger's body won't spread to you or Blind Eye, the heavy metal thallium broken down from Qiang-18 is also a toxin — don't keep nuzzling Pian Tiger. Lao Si, do you have anything else? If not, I'm heading back to the territory?"

Pian Tiger could open doors, and Lao Si could open doors too. Xia Qing couldn't quite understand why Lao Si had called her over.

After asking, Xia Qing saw that Lao Si had no intention of speaking or raising a paw, so she said goodbye to the other beasts and turned to head back to her own territory to sleep.

But before her leg could step out, she heard the low growl of the Western Wolf King.

Xia Qing pulled her leg back and looked at the Western Wolf King. "Wolf King, my lord, did you need something from me?"

The Western Wolf King stared at Xia Qing with a pair of pale blue eyes brimming with killing intent, its movements growing increasingly agitated.

Xia Qing couldn't communicate with this fellow, so she could only ask for a translation. "Lao Si, Broken-Waist — what does Handsome Giant Wolf's brother want with me?"

Broken-Waist Wolf didn't know, and looked at Lao Si. Lao Si raised a paw and scratched at the snow.

Xia Qing turned on her flashlight and saw that Lao Si had written "exchange," so she asked the Western Wolf King, "What does Wolf King, my lord, want to exchange?"

Lao Si wrote again: medicine.

One human and one wolf, one talking and one writing, muttering back and forth as they communicated for a while, and Xia Qing figured out what the Western Wolf King meant: it wanted to trade with her for a special-effect scent-isolation agent, to protect the Western Wolf Pack's cubs.

Last spring, scent-evolved humans invaded the Western Wolf Pack's core territory, used anesthetic to bring down the Western Wolf Pack, and then slaughtered the pack's cubs in front of them.

Tonight, when Lao Si crossed the Western Wolf Pack's territory with two evolved tigers, it startled the Western Wolf King. The Western Wolf King came forward to sniff, and discovered that the scent on the evolved tigers and Lao Si was extremely faint. So it joined the visiting party as well. However, its purpose wasn't to visit Pian Tiger — it wanted scent-masking medicine for one wolf and two tigers.

The beasts in the Evolution Forest normally wished they could leave their scent everywhere in their own territory — it was a way for them to display their strength, mark territory, and drive away competitors.

Only mother wolves, when raising cubs, would hide in concealed areas of the pack's core territory, trying their best to keep hunters from finding the cubs. So the Western Wolf King had followed along, seeking a better way to protect its cubs.

After understanding the Western Wolf King's intention, Xia Qing didn't haggle — she just opened her backpack, took out a bottle of scent-isolation agent, and placed it in front of the Western Wolf King. "Wolf King, my lord, this bottle is free for you to try. If it works well, you can trade herbs from your territory with me."

The Western Wolf King proactively proposing a trade was a rare opportunity for Xia Qing to ease relations between humans and the Western Wolf Pack, so of course she had to seize it. Besides, where there's one there's two, where there's two there's three — the points for this bottle of scent-isolation agent, Xia Qing would sooner or later earn back from the Western Wolf King.

Broken-Waist Wolf, upon hearing Xia Qing's words, let out an "aowu aowu" of protest.

This special-effect scent-isolation agent that could fool scent-evolved beings was a fierce product formulated by an idol standing at the top of the cosmic pyramid — the only one of its kind on Blue Star, no branch stores, and not sold publicly. The middleman Xia Qing, who held the exclusive distribution rights for this fierce product, sold it to the Northern and Southern Wolf Packs at 4,500 points a bottle.

After patiently explaining things to this wolf — clever, but not yet grasping the logic of commerce — the fellow finally shut its mouth.

The packaging box of the scent-isolation agent made for wolves was made by Xia Qing herself — rough, sturdy, and convenient. To use it, press the cap with a paw, then roll around in the sprayed scent-isolation agent.

After the Western Wolf King learned how to use the scent-isolation agent, it picked up the small bag in its mouth and quickly left the Northern Wolf Pack's territory.