Chapter 376: Raising Pigs

Chapter 376: Chapter 376: Raising Pigs

"Handsome Wolf Brother, I really can’t trade for this."

At a little past five the next morning, before the sky had lightened, Broken Waist Wolf came to find Xiaqing, bringing a Yi Stone with it.

Although she was reluctant, Xiaqing stuffed the pigeon-egg-sized Yi Stone she had taken out back into the pocket of Broken Waist Wolf’s brand-new Protective Suit, forcing herself to refuse the trade.

"Broken Waist, where do you want to install an automatic door? The Wolf Cave already has a door, and Mountain No. 60 doesn’t even have a perimeter wall. Neither is a good place for one."

Broken Waist Wolf hadn’t expected Xiaqing to refuse. It paused thoughtfully for a moment before turning to leave, gesturing for Xiaqing to follow.

"Where are we going? I’m busy. I need to get the chickens into the greenhouse before the weather gets cold, or they’ll stop laying eggs." Though Xiaqing protested, her feet honestly followed Broken Waist Wolf out. Sick Wolf trailed behind them, while Sheep Leader remained lying on the tatami mat, not moving an inch.

Broken Waist Wolf led Xiaqing through the North Gate to the wire mesh fence that blocked the valley, then turned to look at her.

The valley’s terrain was low-lying. To connect with the wire mesh fence on the hillside and protect the territory, the wall here was more than twice as high as elsewhere. Standing below and looking up, it felt quite imposing.

Xiaqing pushed on the wire mesh fence’s support frame with her hand, satisfied with its sturdiness.

Broken Waist Wolf followed the creek through the Northern Isolation Zone to the exit of the Wild Boar Breeding Center’s valley, then looked up at Xiaqing.

Xiaqing understood. Gesturing as she spoke, she asked, "You want to block this place off and then install an automatic door?"

The clever Broken Waist Wolf opened its mouth, revealing two cute little fang tips.

’This guy is a Bouncing Power Evolver; a wall is of no use to it. Why would it offer a precious Yi Stone to have me build walls here?’

Xiaqing negotiated with Broken Waist Wolf, "If you just want to block the valley exit, you don’t necessarily need a wire mesh fence."

Taking Broken Waist Wolf to the isolation zone north of Territory No. 4, Xiaqing pointed at a section of thorn wall that Zhao Ze and his men had built. Then she pointed back to the valley exit and suggested to the intelligent wolf, "Building a wall like this over there would be perfect."

Broken Waist Wolf closed its mouth and thought for a moment, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Xiaqing really wanted the Yi Stone. She immediately went home to get her tools and quickly felled a large, spiky tree from Zone Three of Mountain 49. Using its trunk, branches, and some thorny shrubs, she blocked the valley exit. "See, Broken Waist? Blocking it like this is pretty good too, right?"

Broken Waist Wolf stared at the messily blocked valley exit for a while, then seemed satisfied. It walked over to Xiaqing and gestured for her to take something out of its pocket.

Xiaqing held the Yi Stone once more, grinning from ear to ear. "Handsome Wolf Brother, you’re so generous!"

Broken Waist Wolf copied a move from Sick Wolf, rubbing its body against Xiaqing’s leg before WHOOSHING over the thorn wood and thorns blocking the valley and returning to the Wolf Cave.

"Take care, Handsome Wolf Brother, don’t be a stranger!" After giving Broken Waist Wolf a warm send-off, Xiaqing, determined to earn the precious Yi Stone, chopped down more thorny shrubs to securely seal the valley exit before returning to her territory.

That evening, while Xiaqing was training after listening to the broadcast, she suddenly received a call from Hu Zifeng.

"Two wolves in Protective Suits are leading the Wolf Group, herding a group of wild boars of all sizes through the valley between Mountain No. 49 and Mountain No. 50, heading toward Valley No. 1." After reporting the situation, Hu Zifeng asked curiously, "Did you trade for these boars with the Wolf Group? Are you planning to raise them or slaughter them? Need any help?"

Xiaqing wiped the sweat from her face and answered as calmly as she could, "I didn’t trade for any boars with the Wolf Group. Captain Hu, let them in."

If they weren’t trading with Xiaqing, what was the Wolf Group doing herding wild boars? Hu Zifeng stroked the cute Evolution Cat on his shoulder and asked again, "Need help? I just counted—eight large boars and over twenty half-grown ones."

That was a lot of boars. Even if Xiaqing was a Strength Evolver, killing and butchering them all would take an entire day.

"Not for now."

Xiaqing had already guessed what the Wolf Group was planning. If Hu Zifeng and his men came over, the wolves might think they were trying to steal the boars, which could easily lead to a conflict.

At five the next morning, before the Red Squirrel had even arrived at her bedroom windowsill for a drink, Xiaqing was woken up by the notification from the North Gate client.

She watched expressionlessly as Broken Waist Wolf went in and out of the North Gate sixteen times before it came down the slope to summon her to the Wild Boar Breeding Center.

Once she understood what Broken Waist Wolf wanted, Xiaqing stood speechless at the northern exit of Valley No. 1 for a long moment. Finally, she swung her machete, chopped down two Evolved Aralia Wood trees, and blocked the valley’s north exit.

Then, without waiting for Broken Waist Wolf’s prompting, Xiaqing went and blocked the exit to No. 2 Valley as well.

The valleys in Zone Three of Mountain 49 were laid out in a "Y" shape. The intersection of the Y was the Wild Boar Breeding Center, which led south to Xiaqing’s territory. No. 2 Valley, at the northwest fork, had been carved out by water flowing down the mountain and grew shallower the higher one went. Valley No. 1, at the northeast fork, connected to the large valley at the border of Mountain No. 49 and Mountain No. 50.

By blocking the three exits of the Y-shaped valley system, the wild boars were trapped inside.

Of course, if the boars panicked and made a desperate rush, a few could escape from the less steep sides of the valleys, but they would be the minority. Most of the wild boars wouldn’t flee.

This was because the Zone Three valley had a water source, dense thickets of grass, Green Light Chinese Fir Fruit, a chestnut forest, and an abandoned medicinal field—an ideal habitat for wild boars.

Yang Jin’s earlier speculation had been correct. The few wild boars Xiaqing had discovered in the Wild Boar Breeding Center this spring were prey being ranched by the Wolf Group.

Later, humans established the Wild Boar Breeding Center here. When winter passed, the Head Wolf came to inspect its territory, discovered its prey had been captured by humans, and stormed the center to kill the boars.

Now, with winter approaching again, the Wolf Group had herded another group of wild boars to this Wild Boar Breeding Center—once occupied and then abandoned by humans—to continue ranching their prey.

This year, the clever Broken Waist Wolf had discovered the wonderful utility of "doors" and "walls." It traded with Xiaqing to have her block the valleys, ensuring even fewer boars could escape.

The more Xiaqing thought about it, the more she realized that the Yi Stone from Broken Waist Wolf yesterday wasn’t just for the "walls," but also to get her to help raise the boars. She figured that with a few more years of evolution, this wolf might just knock Yang Jin off the Iron Rooster rankings.

After blocking the valley exits, Xiaqing’s first move was to protect the chestnut forest and the Green Light Fir Tree with thorn wood and spiky shrubs.

Wild boars love to eat plant roots. The two sharp, upward-curving tusks on their lower jaws can easily break through the topsoil, shoveling out and severing roots. The Fir Tree has fleshy roots, which are softer and have a better texture than its bark. This makes them a top choice for foraging boars in the Evolution Forest and explains why Fir Trees are so rare there.

If the Green Light Fir Tree in Valley No. 1 hadn’t been growing on a nearly ninety-degree slope, it would have been devoured by wild boars long ago.