Chapter 439: Exhausted to the Bone

Not everyone can be as generous as a top-tier idol on Blue Star, selling premium seeds to fans by the jin.

Green-light seeds—especially premium ones with three or more generations of stable inheritance—are priced and traded by the "grain" or "piece."

Moreover, many people are unwilling to sell green-light seeds in bulk. Bulk sales would increase the supply, and once the process relationships shift, the price of that variety's green-light seeds would drop.

For example, Xia Qing's green-light eggs sell for as much as 750 points each. Green-light soybeans with three-generation stability that can be used as seeds have a public price of 20 points per grain. That's why last time Xia Qing traded ten green-light eggs to get 350 grains of green-light soybeans from Territory Nine.

The evolved soybeans are about twice the size of pre-catastrophe ones, but each jin still has around 1,200 grains. In other words, one jin of soybean seeds costs points, and five jin costs points.

The idol said that besides five jin of green-light soybean seeds, he also wants several kinds of rare herbs. Since they're rare, each plant is bound to be priced in units of ten thousand. In other words, because Territory Nine sent two water rats to invade Territory Three, this time it has to compensate Xia Qing at least 250,000 points.

250,000 points is the total price Xia Qing paid to build her territory's wire-mesh wall.

To be honest, Xia Qing feels the idol is asking for too much. She's a coward; she's afraid Territory Nine and the Blaze Squad behind it will cause her trouble over these 250,000 points.

But Xia Qing agreed to the idol's demands without the slightest hesitation. "Alright, as you say. Once I've grown the green-light soybeans and made tofu and other soy products, I'll send some over for you to try."

Xia Qing really is a coward, worried that if she provokes the Blaze Squad she'll face retaliation. But as Zhang San's die-hard, long-suffering fan, she's even more afraid her petty idol will get upset and block her.

The idol is always right.

What if, by some chance, the idol hasn't thought it through and is wrong? Please return to the previous line.

Hearing Xia Qing's reply, Zhang San's tone indeed turned kind. "Good, then that's settled. Next time I'll have Ji Li send you some medicinal powder. Sprinkle it regularly inside your territory's wild-grass wall—it can effectively stop small crawling animals from getting into your territory through the grass wall."

Following the idol closely really pays off! Xia Qing suddenly felt her body didn't hurt quite as much. "Thank you, Third Brother. It's so late and I'm still disturbing your rest—I really feel terrible about it. There's no time tonight, but tomorrow I'll send you three jin of mountain walnuts."

Zhang San was in an even better mood and reminded Xia Qing, "Don't let the people from Territory Nine take soil samples from your territory. That patch where spinach originally grew on your land is high-yi element soil—good quality. If they find out, they'll dig up the entire soil layer."

After saying that, Zhang San yawned again. "It's also because when I did the soil testing last winter, my sampling density was set unreasonably, so I missed that patch. Otherwise I would have chosen Plot Three."

Xia Qing felt a wave of relief and asked sincerely, "Third Brother, do you still need that patch of spinach-growing soil? I'll dig it up and haul it over for you tomorrow."

Zhang San laughed. "No need. Keep it for growing spinach and soybeans. High-yi element soil can be synthesized in a lab."

Taking advantage of the idol's good mood, Xia Qing asked another question she cared about. "Third Brother, in our area here, are there many plots of high-yi element soil? Surely it's not just this one of mine, right?"

"How could there be just one? The patch in Territory Four where the green-light alfalfa grows is one too. Other territories have them as well—it's just a matter of big plots versus small ones." After saying that, Zhang San yawned again. "Going to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow if anything comes up."

After hanging up and seeing off the people from Territory Seven, Xia Qing really couldn't walk another step. She turned on the voice function of the camera in the yard and called for her companion. "Boss, boss, I'm tired, come pick me up. Boss…"

By the third time Xia Qing called, the head wolf had already brought Sheep Boss over. Sheep Boss, who had slept for over two hours, had recovered its stamina and was full of energy.

"The Queen is here too? I only managed to catch the intruders tonight thanks to you. Thank you, Queen. The Queen is the most powerful evolved wolf on Blue Star, the king of Blue Star's evolved wolf clan…" Xia Qing took off her protective mask, climbed onto Sheep Boss's back, wrapped her arms around its neck, and buried her face between its two huge spiral horns. She hadn't even finished flattering Sheep Boss before she fell asleep.

Sheep Boss, wearing night-vision goggles, shook its head uncomfortably and carried Xia Qing home. The head wolf picked up the protective mask from the ground and followed behind, glancing back at Beard Feng's squad from time to time.

That look in its eyes was as fierce as fierce could be.

Dajiang watched the scene and asked quietly over the walkie-talkie, "Boss, what's that look supposed to mean? Afraid we'll take the chance to hurt Sister Qing?"

Beard Feng shook his head. "I can't read it. You'd have to ask Xia Qing."

Chen Zheng chuckled. "I can't read a wolf's eyes, but I can tell yours have a problem. See that little bit of 'fear' in its eyes?"

Dajiang…

The head wolf pushed open the door. Sheep Boss carried Xia Qing into the house, stood in the first-floor living room and stared at the stairs going up for a few seconds, then turned around clip-clop clip-clop and dumped Xia Qing onto its own sleeping tatami.

Xia Qing, half-asleep, cracked open one eye, realized she was home, and sank into a deep sleep with her head on Sheep Boss's ergonomically shaped grass pillow.

The head wolf and Sheep Boss took turns rinsing their paws and hooves in the basin by the door, then stepped on the dry hay nearby to dry off. They walked to the tatami and, together with Broken-Waist Wolf, stared at Xia Qing's filthy shoes. Broken-Leg Wolf siblings and Black Wolf were sleeping in the sheep shed, so they couldn't see Xia Qing's pitiful state.

Xia Qing always changes into indoor shoes when she comes inside, but today she fell asleep without changing them.

The head wolf only looked for a few seconds, then hopped onto the tatami and lay down beside Xia Qing to sleep. Sheep Boss, annoyed, stared at the underling who had taken its pillow for a few extra seconds, then also got onto the tatami, shoved Xia Qing aside a little, and lay down.

Broken-Waist Wolf had bathed last of all, so it recovered the slowest and was still in its fatigue period. But compared to sleeping, it was more interested in how to get the shoes off Xia Qing's feet.

Broken-Waist Wolf was no stranger to shoes—after all, it had four of its own and had learned how to put them on and take them off. But clearly, Xia Qing's shoes were different from its own.

Broken-Waist Wolf lay at Xia Qing's feet, stared thoughtfully at her shoes for several minutes, and finally extended a wolf paw.

The head wolf opened its gilded eyes, glanced at it, then closed them and went back to sleep.

Xia Qing slept especially deeply that night, and when she woke she still felt especially tired. She dreamed of the two grueling months right after she had joined the construction crew.

She carried building materials weighing several hundred jin, sustained purely by willpower, climbing the city wall step by step. The only sounds she could hear were her parents' urging her to survive at all costs and her own ragged breathing.

When she was about to pass out from breathlessness, Xia Qing woke up. She lay there for a while before realizing she had already gotten through the hardest stretch, and now had her own territory, a house, and a warm, comfortable bed.

However, at this moment she wasn't lying in bed, but on Sheep Boss's tatami.

Xia Qing turned her head and found Sheep Boss's heavy head pressing on her shoulder, its spiral horn digging painfully into her shoulder—no wonder she had dreamed of heavy objects.

Xia Qing looked up and saw the head wolf lying beside her. Broken-Waist Wolf… was actually pressing on her feet?!

What the hell is this for? There's plenty of space right next to it—does it not mind the stink but does mind a hard belly?