Chapter 377: Protective Equipment Obtained

Chapter 377: Chapter 377: Protective Equipment Obtained

After protecting the Fir Trees and the chestnut forest, Xiaqing beat the wild boars to it and harvested the Green Light Mountain Ginger from Valley No. 1, as well as the Yellow Light Qianhu, Green Light Baizhu, and Yellow Light Baizhu from No. 2 Valley.

On her way back to the Wild Boar Breeding Center from No. 2 Valley, carrying the medicinal herbs she had harvested, Xiaqing spotted Broken Waist Wolf and Sick Wolf. They were lying on the rocks above the Wolf Cave, staring at several half-grown wild boars digging for tree roots and grass roots in the dirt by the pond.

Xiaqing enjoyed watching them too. The wild boars might be filthy, but they were large and meaty...

Braised pork belly, braised pork ribs, pork dumplings... The images of one delicious dish after another floated before her eyes. Xiaqing couldn’t take it anymore. She dropped her backpack, sat on the rock next to Broken Waist, and took off her Protective Mask to drink some spring water, forcefully suppressing the sudden craving and the urge to catch a pig.

Noticing Xiaqing was drinking, Broken Waist Wolf stopped watching the wild boars and turned to look at her.

Xiaqing shook her empty bottle. "All gone. If you want a drink, go back to the water basin in the Wolf Cave. I just refilled it this morning for the broken leg wolf’s sister. And don’t you dare go pawing at the big rock blocking the Spring Cave in the territory. There are life-saving herbs growing inside—it’s the same kind that healed the Queen."

Broken Waist Wolf knew where the Pollution-free Spring Water was, as Xiaqing had seen it wandering around the area before. It must have drunk from there before she took over the territory.

Once it understood that Xiaqing’s bottle was empty, Broken Waist Wolf turned its head and went back to staring at the wild boars.

Sick Wolf sat beside Broken Waist, panting with its tongue lolling out, visibly happy.

Xiaqing understood why Sick Wolf was happy. The wild boars below were its food.

Xiaqing was happy too, because those wild boars could also be *her* food. "Broken Waist," she said, "I’m the Human Lord of this valley. You’re raising pigs here, but I’m the one who built the pigpen. You don’t mind if I take one or two, do you?"

Xiaqing was certain that among the herd the Wolf Group had rounded up, there had to be some Green Light or Yellow Light ones. Wolves could distinguish the quality of their prey.

Broken Waist remained focused on the wild boars, ignoring Xiaqing completely.

"Silence means consent." Xiaqing cheerfully put her Protective Mask back on and headed out of the Evolution Forest, contacting Ji Li on the way to trade the herbs she’d collected to Territory Land No. 7.

Resources like medicinal herbs only reached their full potential in the hands of professionals.

Xiaqing waited for a short while outside the North Gate of her territory. Her eyes lit up when she saw that the person coming to pick up the supplies was Huo Zhun.

Huo Zhun cheerfully accepted the herbs and handed over the bag he was carrying. "This is the Protective Equipment my old man sent over yesterday. Take it back and try it on. If anything doesn’t fit right, just call the old man directly and have him adjust the size."

’You call your dad ’the old man’? If he heard that, wouldn’t he beat you to death with a blacksmith’s hammer?’

With a perfectly straight face, Xiaqing thanked him. "Okay, thanks, Brother Huo."

Huo Zhun relayed a message from Yan Long. "Right as I was leaving, Yan Long asked me to see if you’re busy at the end of the month. She wants to invite you to go hunting in the Evolution Forest."

’Yan Long is inviting me to go hunting? And she picked a time during the Harmful Snow period?!’

Seeing the surprised look on Xiaqing’s face, Huo Zhun explained with a chuckle, "It won’t be just the two of you. Tan Junjie’s daughter, Tan Qi, will be there too. That’s the young lady who visited the territory before. You’ve met her, right?"

Now Xiaqing understood. "I have. Tan Qi is an Evolver with a lot of potential. Please tell Sister Yan for me that she just needs to let me know the day before they head out. I’ll be free."

Tan Junjie’s wife and Yan Long had been comrades-in-arms, so Yan Long was very fond of Tan Qi and looked out for her. Her way of showing this affection was by rigorously training the girl’s survival skills. Regardless of why Yan Long had invited her to join the training, Xiaqing had no intention of passing up such a good learning opportunity.

"Got it. I’ll tell Yan Long when I get back." Huo Zhun then added, "This Protective Equipment was soaked in a special solution concocted by our Lord. Its toughness, corrosion resistance, and breathability are all a grade higher now. If you store it properly according to the instructions, it should last you five years, no problem."

After thanking Huo Zhun, Xiaqing returned to her territory and eagerly ran home, bag in hand. Sheep Leader, who had been grazing, had no idea what was going on but zipped after her and ran home too.

"Leader, I got new gear! It’s Protective Equipment made from snake skin, look! Wait, let me change and I’ll show you!" Xiaqing excitedly rushed upstairs, slammed her bedroom door shut with a BANG, and quickly stripped off her Protective Suit. She then put on the Strength Evolver Special Protective Equipment, which was crafted from the hide of a Hardness Evolution Snake.

The complete set of Protective Equipment consisted of eight pieces: a neck guard, gloves, wrist guards, elbow pads, shoulder pads, a waist guard, knee pads, and ankle guards. Since it was custom-made to Xiaqing’s measurements, it felt like a second skin when she wore it—completely comfortable and not the least bit restrictive.

"Well, Leader? What do you think?" Xiaqing charged downstairs and preened back and forth in front of Sheep Leader. Annoyed, the big sheep narrowed its eyes and began to paw the ground.

Xiaqing had been waiting for it to get angry. She quickly threw her Protective Suit on over the new gear and issued a challenge. "Let’s go, Leader! Let’s take this outside and have a go!"

With that, Xiaqing charged outside. Both she and Sheep Leader were High Level Strength Evolvers; if they really fought inside, they would demolish the house.

Once outside the village, Xiaqing spun around and charged full-speed at Sheep Leader.

This time, with her hands protected, Xiaqing went all out, meeting Sheep Leader’s charge head-on with both hands. With her palms shielded by three layers of the Snake Skin Armor, the reactive force from the impact was drastically reduced. Her wrists, elbows, and shoulders were also protected and remained unharmed.

BAM!

Xiaqing’s hands collided with Sheep Leader’s two spiral horns, producing a dull thud.

Then, for the first time ever, Sheep Leader was sent flying by the force of Xiaqing’s two-handed blow!

Shaking her tingling hands, Xiaqing laughed wildly. "Again!"

"MOO!"

Furious at being sent flying by its underling, Sheep Leader scrambled up from the crater it had made, roaring as it charged toward Xiaqing. It reared up on its hind legs and lunged, aiming to strike with its spiral horns.

Xiaqing once again met the attack with both hands.

BAM!

This time, Sheep Leader had used its full strength, and it was Xiaqing who went flying.

In a contest of pure Strength, Xiaqing, a Level 6 Evolver, was no match for Sheep Leader.

Xiaqing flipped in the air and landed on her feet, digging them into the ground before charging at Sheep Leader again. This time, she rammed her shoulder into its hard spiral horns.

BAM!

The human and the sheep crashed into each other. This time, neither was sent flying; they were locked in a contest of strength.

In the Second Territory, Tang Huai, who was in the middle of a chat with some refugees, twitched his ears. He recognized the sound, but something about it was... off. He had a strong urge to kick aside the troublemakers in front of him and run over to watch Xiaqing fight the sheep.

After an exhilarating fight, Xiaqing lay spread-eagled on the ground, panting heavily, a huge, happy grin on her face.

Lying beside her, Sheep Leader noticed Xiaqing’s grin and was instantly enraged. It leaped up, ready to beat her until she couldn’t smile anymore.

Xiaqing immediately wiped the smile off her face and surrendered. "I’m not fighting anymore, I’m totally spent... You’re incredible, Leader. I can’t beat you."

Sheep Leader snorted and lay back down, panting heavily. Xiaqing crawled over and gave its head a gentle nudge with her forehead, then rolled onto her back and resumed her foolish grin.

Lying nearby and watching the spectacle, Broken Waist Wolf saw that the fight was over and let out a huge yawn.

Once Xiaqing caught her breath, she held up her arm to show Sheep Leader the new equipment. "Leader, you know why I got so much stronger? It’s because of this Protective Equipment. My impact resistance is way up. That, and when I take my medicinal baths, no matter how much it hurts, I grit my teeth and stay in for a full hour. My injuries get healed and my bones get stronger. But you? You run away every time it starts to hurt, so your muscles and bones don’t heal as well as mine..."

As Xiaqing rambled on, Sheep Leader remained expressionless. But nearby, Broken Waist Wolf closed its mouth, its gaze fixed thoughtfully on the Snake Skin Gloves and wrist guards on Xiaqing’s hands.