Chapter 473: The First Night of Calamity Snow

Finally back in her own territory, her own home, together with her companions. Xia Qing's happiness was real happiness, and her pain was real pain too.

The pain after taking the Yi Element Stimulant and the pain of soaking in medicinal solution were two completely different sensations. The pain of soaking was skin, flesh, and bone pain from the outside in; the pain after using the Yi Element Stimulant was every blood vessel and every nerve in her body throbbing in sync with her heartbeat.

She had forced herself to hold on until now, but once she relaxed, Xia Qing truly could not bear it any longer.

She leaned against a bundle of dry hay, looked at the layer of earth-yellow Calamity Snow already covering the ground in the yard, and consulted the smartest animal in the sheep shed, "Handsome Wolf Brother with the Broken Waist, could you go into the house and close the windows? I really can't hold on anymore, I don't have a single bit of strength left."

Broken-Waist Wolf stopped smiling and gazed at Xia Qing thoughtfully.

Xia Qing raised a trembling hand and pointed at the window of the east room on the first floor of the small building, "Look, the wind is blowing Calamity Snow in through there. Pull the window shut so the wind can't blow in. I know Handsome Wolf Brother can do it, please."

Broken-Waist Wolf followed Xia Qing's finger and looked at the open window. He understood, padded through the Calamity Snow to the eaves, raised both front paws onto the windowsill, hooked the window frame and pulled the window shut, then turned to look at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing gave him a thumbs-up, her voice small but sincere, "Handsome Wolf Brother, you're the best, you're the smartest wolf on Blue Star, the most capable wolf, the most understanding wolf. Can you close all the windows?"

Broken-Waist Wolf bared his fangs in a grin and happily went off to close the other windows.

Xia Qing finally relaxed completely, lay back on the chopped hay, and thought she'd just lean here for a while, gather a bit of strength, then go inside to sleep.

Even if the house stank, she had to go back, because it was too cold today and she didn't have any long fur...

After Broken-Waist Wolf finished closing the windows in every room on the first floor, he ran up to the second floor and found both the front and back windows were already shut, then ran up to the attic and found those windows were also shut, so he came back down somewhat disappointed, returned to the sheep shed, and found Xia Qing already asleep squeezed between the Sick Wolf and Sheep Boss.

He stared at Xia Qing's shoes for a while, and just as he reached out a wolf paw, his two furry ears twitched.

At the same time, the Head Wolf and the Handsome Giant Wolf also turned their ears and raised their heads.

Xia Qing and the Sick Wolf were weak and already sleeping deeply. Sheep Boss was the sort who, as long as there were strong evolvers in the territory, didn't bother keeping watch—he heard it but pretended he didn't.

After a few seconds, the Head Wolf stood up, walked to Xia Qing's feet, lay down and went back to sleep; the Handsome Giant Wolf by the door also rested his head on his front legs. But Broken-Waist Wolf left the sheep shed, pushed open the security door, and entered the living room.

From the walkie-talkie sitting on the living room table on the first floor, someone was speaking, "Didn't the weather forecast say this year's Calamity Snow wouldn't be too severe? How is the first wave already red level?"

Qi Fu replied to Kuang Qingwei's question, "Could it be related to us lighting the fire walls to block the beast tide?"

"If it were because of the fire, the Calamity Snow should be grey level." Shi Zhong answered.

Tan Junjie issued an announcement, "The inspection team has tested the Calamity Snow and confirmed it is red level and contains corrosive elements. You'll need to clear it at least once every hour. Please, lords, arrange your schedules and personnel accordingly. If you need the inspection team's help, please call in promptly."

"Territory One, received." Tang Zhou replied.

"Territory Two, received." An unfamiliar voice replied.

"Territory Three, received." Hu Zifeng replied.

After everyone had replied one by one, Tang Huai from Territory Twelve came online, "Madman, Xia Qing still hasn't returned to Territory Three?"

Hearing Xia Qing's name, Broken-Waist Wolf pulled back his paw, raised his head, and stared at the walkie-talkie.

Hu Zifeng couldn't be bothered to deal with Tang Huai, when he heard Zhao Ze's mother from the neighboring territory asking about Xia Qing's situation, "Captain Hu, do you have enough people on your side? If you're too busy, we can come over and shovel some snow?"

"This snow is pretty heavy, if we don't shovel it soon it'll crush the shed flat." Kuang Qingwei also said, "I can send a couple of people over to help from my side too."

The members of the Lords' Alliance were all worried that the crops in Xia Qing's fields would be ruined by the Calamity Snow.

Qi Fu also said, "Xia Qing's greenhouse has a steel frame structure, the load-bearing capacity is decent, but her plastic tunnel has a bamboo frame, the load-bearing capacity isn't good. Captain Hu doesn't need to go out—just use a wooden rake inside the tunnel to shake the bamboo frame on the roof, and the snow will slide right off."

Hu Zifeng thanked them, "Alright. Thanks everyone for the reminder, we have enough people on our side. If there's anything I don't understand I'll ask everyone again. Xia Qing has already returned to the territory, she's been tired all day, so I told her to go rest first."

Hearing that Xia Qing had already returned to the territory, everyone's anxious hearts were finally set at ease.

Near the end of the beast tide, Yuan Yan, who was patrolling near the territory signpost, had seen with her own eyes Xia Qing faint outside Territory Seven, and anxiously urged, "It's almost minus twenty degrees now, Captain Hu don't forget to light the fireplace inside the house, and put a thick blanket on Xia Qing, make absolutely sure she doesn't catch cold."

Broken-Waist Wolf, who had been studying the walkie-talkie, turned and stared at the dark fireplace for a few seconds, then ignored the walkie-talkie, climbed to the second floor, pushed open the door to Xia Qing's bedroom, grabbed the blanket in his mouth and dragged it all the way to the sheep shed, and laid it over Xia Qing.

Yue Haiying came online to ask, "Calamity-evolved wheat seedlings have already appeared here, does anyone else have them in their fields?"

Kuang Qingwei sighed, "My rapeseed seedlings have also undergone Calamity evolution, barely a few seedlings came up in total, after this Calamity Snow finishes this plot will be empty."

Zhao Ze answered, "I have them here too. Brother Qi, do Calamity-evolved wheat seedlings need to be cleared out by the roots?"

Qi Fu answered, "Best to clear them out completely along with the roots, in case it's a dangerous Calamity evolution that would be trouble."

While the other lords were busy inside their tunnels inspecting and clearing out Calamity-evolved wheat and rapeseed seedlings, Captain Hu's squad in Territory Three was doing the same.

Unlike the other territories that planted wheat over large areas, Territory Three only had two and a half mu of wheat planted, of which a little over half a mu was protected by Yi Stones, so Calamity evolution couldn't possibly appear there.

So Captain Hu's squad's task was much easier.

It was Xiao Jiang's first time witnessing with his own eyes the wonderful use of Yi Stones in crop cultivation. The feeling could only be described in two words: miraculous.

"In weather this cold the python must be hibernating, if the wolf pack goes to ambush the python now, there'll definitely be a big haul. When the time comes Sister Qing can trade the python for two more Yi Stones, and then she can protect all the wheat and rapeseed."

Xia Qing and the wolf pack, on whom Xiao Jiang had pinned such high hopes, were at this very moment covered by a blanket, squeezed together in the sheep shed, fast asleep.

Xia Qing, aching all over, let out soft, unconscious moans even in her sleep. Sheep Boss disgustedly rolled over, turned his back to her, and continued his big sleep.

In the tree hollow of the big pine tree in Area Three of Mountain Forty-Nine, the red squirrel curled up in the tobacco shreds, still shivering from the cold.

On the Third Peak of Mountain Fifty, Calamity Snow fell from the crevices in the mountainside into a hidden valley, and Calamity Grass slowly poked its way out of the moist soil, stalk by stalk.

In the area covered by the toxic gas bomb layer that was blanketed by Calamity Snow, brightly colored Calamity Grass broke through the snow at a speed visible to the naked eye, growing wildly.