Chapter 729: Successful Division Propagation of Jiangwu Grass

As a die-hard, deep-in-the-trenches fan, Xia Qing felt that praising her idol—who stood at the very pinnacle of the universe's pyramid—with only the word "conscience" was practically dragging down the idol's class.

Then what should be used?

Xia Qing could rattle on for a full hour without repeating herself, using the most beautiful vocabulary on Blue Star to extol her idol!

But there was no need to tell Yang Jin about all that. With a perfectly calm expression, she asked about the medicine-related matters, "Are all the medicines Third Brother prepared shipping out today? Does Captain Yang know who's escorting them?"

This was a very important question, concerning both the safety of this batch of important medicine and the security of North Area One's territory. It was entirely possible that someone was already lying in ambush near the territory, waiting for the right moment to rob them.

Yang Jin answered, "All shipping out today. Huiyi will send a helicopter to pick up their share, and the rest I'll transport back to Hui-Three Safe Zone and hand directly to the Base Leader. The base will arrange for the already-screened personnel to take the medicine as soon as possible."

After becoming her idol's ally, Xia Qing also knew the contents of the cooperation agreement her idol had signed with Huiyi.

As Party A, the Huiyi military funded the construction of the P3 laboratory in Territory Seven, sent people to protect the laboratory and Zhang San's team's safety, and provided the research funding.

As Party B, Zhang San had to lead his research team and, according to Party A's requirements, develop a certain quantity of specially-supplied medicine each year.

After successful development, the patent rights belonged to Party B, but Party A enjoyed a two-year exclusive operating right, with all profits going to Party A; the non-special-supply medicines Party B developed using remaining time had all rights and operating rights belonging to Party B, but Party A enjoyed the right of priority purchase of some medicines, with the specific proportion to be determined through negotiation between both parties.

Based on the cooperation agreement, the research bigshot Zhang San in Territory Seven had to both complete the special-supply medicine research with the efficacy specified by Huiyi and find time to research things he was interested in, which was why he was busy as a dog every day.

Xia Qing asked, "What standard does our base use to screen the personnel who take the medicine—contribution points?"

Yang Jin explained in detail, "Those who need to take the medicine sign up voluntarily, then they're ranked comprehensively by contribution points and injury/illness status, and take the medicine in ranking order. The ranking will be publicized soon. Among the first batch to take it, there are six members of the Azure Dragon."

This method was excellent—it ensured that the medicine her idol had devoted himself to researching would be put to the best use. Xia Qing smiled, "Six people on the list plus the medicine you have, fifteen members of the Azure Dragon can receive treatment, and the team's overall combat strength can be raised again."

"Just six people. Others who need the medicine will wait for the second or third batch. I'm going to use these nine doses of Jiangqiang medicine to trade for supplies the team urgently needs." Yang Jin asked Xia Qing how she planned to use the medicine she'd received, "Do you have any urgently needed supplies? I'll help you trade for them; you just pay me a ten-percent middleman fee."

With such a shrewd captain, it would be strange if the Azure Dragon team didn't flourish. Xia Qing shook her head, "Not at the moment. I'll trouble you when I need something in the future."

Yang Jin smiled, "After deducting one dose of Jiangqiang medicine from the first harvest of cordyceps mushroom dividends, your share is. 2 points. I've received confirmed news that, due to increased difficulty in raw material extraction, CM92 heavy sniper bullets are about to go up in price. You're almost out of bullets, right? Need to trade for a batch?"

Xia Qing......

"When you go out now, do you still wear that snakeskin jacket protective suit inside? Wearing it like that must be very hot, right? Have you seen on your phone the new summer outfit recently developed by the Red One Research Institute that's blowing up? I have channels—want to trade for two sets?"

Xia Qing......

Although everything she bought was supplies she needed, her earned points had shrunk by more than half before they even reached her hands, so Xia Qing still felt the pain acutely. Right now she found Yang Jin's smile an eyesore, and his spiky hair an eyesore too.

Finally, Yang Jin took out a thin gold necklace from his backpack and proposed another trade, "Can I use this necklace to trade for a protective shell? My protective shell broke during the last mission."

The Yistone protective shell Xia Qing had refined from raw Yistone surface material and metal was made with full materials, extremely sturdy. The fact that even a Yistone protective shell broke during a mission spoke volumes about how dangerous the mission had been.

Because Broken-Waist Wolves liked gold necklaces, Xia Qing agreed very readily. She could use this chain to trade supplies with the Broken-Waist Wolves—she definitely wouldn't lose out.

Watching Xia Qing accept the gift he'd carefully chosen, Yang Jin was in a wonderful mood, his smile even more radiant—but in Xia Qing's eyes, he looked even more like he needed a beating.

But his smile was too good-looking, and he was such an excellent partner and trading counterpart, so she couldn't hit him.

When seeing Yang Jin off from the territory, the two of them, as usual, went to the low-slope planting area to check on the Jiangwu Grass being kept in the spring water cave.

Under Xia Qing's careful cultivation, the Jiangwu Grass had not only successfully produced 24 seeds, but had also grown from two plants to three. The third plant had been propagated by division using a side bud grown from the Jiangwu Grass.

After illuminating the Jiangwu Grass with his phone and examining it carefully, Yang Jin's already very bright eyes grew even brighter, "The side bud has grown two more roots—amazing as always!"

Xia Qing responded with a perfectly serious, modest air, "I'm just a blind cat catching a dead mouse—lucky."

Without a standardized greenhouse, without advanced instruments or cultivation conditions, the fact that she could successfully propagate Jiangwu Grass by division really did come down to luck.

The records Zhang San had given her documented Jiangwu Grass that didn't even grow side buds, let alone having side buds cut off for division.

The records mentioned that researchers had tried many times to cultivate new plants using methods like raising succulents—beheading and leaf propagation—but the result was always the Jiangwu Grass turning to mush and dying. That was why the records stated Jiangwu Grass could only be propagated through seeds.

After discovering that the Jiangwu Grass plant which had had 7 leaves cut off had grown a side bud, and that the side bud was growing larger and larger, Xia Qing discussed it with Yang Jin and, risking the chance of a Jiangwu Grass plant worth several hundred thousand points turning to mush, cut off one of the two side buds to attempt division propagation.

The reason Xia Qing wanted to do this was that she hypothesized there was a correlation between Jiangwu Grass's ability to grow side buds and the surge in the local Jiang Snake population, but she couldn't produce convincing evidence, so she hadn't mentioned it to Yang Jin.

Yang Jin was a very good partner. Once he entrusted the cultivation of the Jiangwu Grass to Xia Qing, he never interfered with her methods. When Xia Qing proposed conducting the division experiment, he agreed.

After the side bud was cut off, Xia Qing wanted to check it eight times a day, always feeling it would turn to mush the next second. It wasn't until a few days ago that, after wilting for a month, a tiny little root finally poked out from the bottom of the side bud—one so small that even Xia Qing, a Level-9 vision evolver, had to turn on her flashlight and strain her eyes to see it.

What did this prove? It proved her experiment was successful, proved that Jiangwu Grass was an evolved succulent!

After the experiment succeeded, Yang Jin changed his mind and discussed with Xia Qing, "The Jiang Snake population in the northern Evolution Forest is surging, so the demand for antivenom will also increase. Let's not sell the Jiangwu Grass seeds—plant them all. Whatever number of plants we can grow, that's what we'll have. What do you say?"

The two of them had thought of the same thing again. Xia Qing nodded, "Good. I'll expand the side cave where the Jiangwu Grass is kept and plant all the seeds there."

Yang Jin's planting and construction experience weren't as extensive as Xia Qing's, so he had no objections to whatever she did, "You're the expert in this area. The planting location and method are up to you. Do you have tools for expanding the cave here? Will it need iron frame supports after expansion? Should I send a batch of supplies over?"

Xia Qing shook her head, "I have both the tools and the supports."

After looking at the Jiangwu Grass, Yang Jin told Xia Qing two more pieces of breaking news before leaving:

"The Red Eleven case is about to be concluded. Li Si will very likely be stripped of his Territory Nine lord qualification. Feng Wen provided testimony on many of Tang Rui's crimes and was released yesterday. She's put out word in the safe zone that she's as close as sisters with you and might come to seek you out."