Chapter 315: It Must Be a Special Fate

"Sister Qing, you said seven?!" Shi Du was stunned when he heard Xia Qing's call, and everyone pricked up their ears to listen.

Xia Qing gave an affirmative reply, "Yes, caught seven — four green lanterns, three yellow lanterns, all alive. Come to the road sign to pick them up. If it takes too long, I'm afraid they'll suffocate."

"Okay, okay, I'm on my way!"

Shi Du was about to dash out as he spoke, but his dad grabbed him, "Take the rabbit you caught over to Xia Qing."

"Okay." Shi Du grabbed the rabbit cage and rushed out of Territory Ten, running toward Territory Three.

Shi Zhong and his wife were also incredibly excited. Shi Mother looked at her husband's hand joints, already mostly de-swollen, her eyes glistening with tears. "If we can keep these snakes alive, you won't have to worry about your medicine."

"Seven of them — surely we can keep a few alive." Shi Zhong headed out in high spirits. "I'm going to catch evolved insects to feed the snakes. Winter hibernation is almost here, we have to give them energy fast. I wonder if Tang Huai sells mice…"

"Xia Qing, did you poke a snake's nest?"

Tang Huai stood beneath the Territory Two signpost, staring in amazement at the constantly writhing cloth bag in Xia Qing's hand. Today he leaned sideways against the signpost, only half his face turned toward Xia Qing, his voice hoarse.

"Indeed." Xia Qing replied. With her keen hearing, Xia Qing judged that Tang Huai's vocal cords were injured.

Hearing Shi Du's running footsteps, Tang Huai turned his head to look back, then quickly turned back, but Xia Qing still caught the bruising on the half of his face he was hiding.

Bruised face, injured throat — looks like Tang Huai got beaten up. Xia Qing's face was expressionless, but her mind was turning over several possibilities.

"Sister Qing—"

Shi Du, drenched in sweat, stopped in front of Xia Qing and held out the rabbit cage. "I went to Mountain Fifty-One today to look for snakes and caught a yellow lantern rabbit in a trap. I can't tell if it has any evolution ability. Can I use it to trade for the snakes you caught? How much do these snakes weigh?"

Rabbits were herbivores, bred quickly, and had been listed on the Safe Zone mission board year-round. This rabbit was large, edible, and had no obvious wounds — quite rare. Taken back to the Safe Zone, it could sell for 1,200 points.

Xia Qing had long wanted to raise rabbits. She took the rabbit and handed over the cloth bag. "All seven are inside — the four green lanterns weigh eight jin, the three yellow lanterns weigh five jin. Split them into two snake boxes to raise. Don't let direct sunlight hit the snake boxes, but they need ventilation, and water…"

Shi Du noted it down carefully. "That rabbit isn't enough to trade for these snakes. What does Sister Qing want for the difference in points?"

Xia Qing really didn't have any supplies she wanted to trade for. "The shortfall can be deducted from the points you earn helping me chop wood."

"Okay." After Shi Du hurried off with the snakes, Xia Qing was also in a rush to go back and set up a rabbit nest. In the blink of an eye, only Tang Huai was left under the signpost.

He took off his protective mask and lit a cigarette, looking up at the white clouds in the sky. The strangulation marks on his neck were even more conspicuous than the bruises on his face, but his gaze was utterly calm.

Xia Qing carried the rabbit home, immediately drawing a crowd of onlookers including Sheep Boss and Sick Wolf. Sheep Boss, who didn't eat meat, lost interest after a few glances. Sick Wolf thought this was something Xia Qing had caught for it to eat, and happily stuck out its tongue, hahaha.

"This one we don't eat — we're raising it." Xia Qing explained very seriously to Sick Wolf. "Once Wolf Lao Er's health is better, we'll catch live rabbits and let them breed baby rabbits. Then soon, we'll have more rabbits than we can eat."

Sick Wolf watched Xia Qing give the rabbit water and understood this rabbit wasn't for it to eat. It didn't fuss or make a scene, just lay quietly beside the rabbit cage, watching Xia Qing work.

Xia Qing settled the rabbit in the iron cage in the sheep shed where she'd kept red squirrels for a few days, then took a basket to the greenhouse to pick some vegetable leaves to feed the rabbit.

After leaving the village, Xia Qing took out her phone, about to ask Hu Zifeng what had happened in Territory Two today, when the surveillance APP popped up an alert.

Xia Qing tapped it open, and her eyes immediately widened.

The Head Wolf, unseen for a month, had actually appeared within the range of Gao Po's surveillance camera, with a weasel dragging a rabbit behind it.

The Head Wolf had spotted the camera on the big Chinese toon tree and was staring at the camera with a pair of nouveau-riche gold eyes, its gaze distinctly unfriendly.

"Queen my lord, show mercy — this thing poses no threat to you. I'll be right there."

Xia Qing hurriedly communicated with the Head Wolf through the camera, afraid that if she was a moment too slow, it would leap up and smash the 20,000-point camera with one swipe.

Although the new material was hard, Xia Qing still felt the Head Wolf's claws and teeth were more formidable.

The Head Wolf lifted its nose and sniffed this thing that could produce Xia Qing's voice, decided it was the same kind of object as the walkie-talkie Xia Qing often carried, and lost interest, continuing downward.

After reaching the low slope, the Head Wolf spotted another camera on a rock and stopped, lost in thought.

When Xia Qing ran to the hillside, she found the Head Wolf staring at the camera, while the weasel dragging the rabbit hid behind the Head Wolf, secretly watching her.

Seeing the Head Wolf was interested in the camera, Xia Qing immediately explained, "Queen my lord, this is a camera, used to protect the territory. It can rotate but can't attack. Look."

As she spoke, Xia Qing adjusted the camera through her phone, making it rotate. The Head Wolf looked at the camera, then at the phone in Xia Qing's hand, seemingly pondering the connection between the two.

"Queen my lord truly is a brain-domain evolver — that camera is controlled by this phone. I traded a lot of food for it, so it must be protected and absolutely cannot be damaged." Xia Qing earnestly warned the Head Wolf, making it understand how much she valued the camera.

The Head Wolf seemed to understand, and looked back at its little follower.

The weasel struggled to drag the rabbit to Xia Qing, dropped it in front of her, then scurried off.

"This rabbit is for me?" Xia Qing picked up the still-warm female rabbit, deeply regretful. "Queen my lord, I just traded for a live male rabbit. If this one were alive too, I could make a pair."

After delivering the rabbit, the Head Wolf ignored Xia Qing and continued downward.

"Queen my lord, go home first. I'll pick some vegetables to feed the rabbit." Xia Qing added enthusiastically, then took her basket into the low-slope terraced greenhouse, planning to pinch off some sweet potato leaves for the rabbit.

As the Head Wolf moved downward, the cameras along the way captured its figure, identified it as an intruder, and sent an alert to Xia Qing.

Xia Qing took out her phone and opened the camera in the courtyard, finding the Head Wolf and Sick Wolf sniffing each other in greeting, while Sheep Boss affectionately nuzzled the wolf with its body — it was simply too embarrassing for Xia Qing to watch.

She was about to put her phone away when she received a message. She tapped it open and saw it was from Yang Jin:

Do you have time now?

He's back already? The Queen my lord and Yang Jin, disappearing at the same time and reappearing at the same time — there must be a special fate between them.

Xia Qing knew why Yang Jin was looking for her. She put down the basket and replied: No need for you to make a trip. Just have Brother Dong come over directly.

Detoxifying Luo Pei would definitely require pollution-free spring water. Yang Jin had just returned and had a lot to deal with — no need to come over specifically for the water. Besides, Xia Qing had long since finalized the price and usage limit for the water with Yang Jin.

Before Xia Qing had walked a few steps, her phone rang again with Yang Jin's reply, simple and clear:

There's something else.