Under Xiaqing’s watch, the Evolutionary Sheep walked over to a small Asparagus Tree. It lifted its head and, with a CRUNCH, bit off the tender new buds at the top and ate them.
Xiaqing glanced at the small Asparagus Tree, now missing a branch, before her eyes widened to stare at the sheep’s constantly chewing mouth. Its expression was practically begging for a punch.
’Could this be... a dental evolution?’
After swallowing the Asparagus Chrysanthemum, the sheep looked up at Xiaqing again. Seeing her remain motionless, its eyes narrowed into slits. It backed up a few steps, pawed at the ground with its front hooves, and then... charged straight for the Big Chuntun Tree.
THUD!
Xiaqing clung to the violently vibrating tree trunk, her heart giving a hard thump in her chest.
’No need to guess anymore. This is a Strength Evolution Sheep! Why is it ramming the tree? Is it trying to shake me off?’
’This was her first time encountering an Evolutionary Sheep. Do these things eat meat after they evolve?’
THUD!
The Evolutionary Sheep rammed the trunk hard once more. When it saw Xiaqing still clinging motionlessly to the tree, the creature suddenly spun around, aiming its spiral horns at the basket she had left on the ground.
Xiaqing’s blood ran cold. She screamed, "Don’t!"
Seeing the sheep freeze, Xiaqing quickly added, "Hey, buddy! We can talk about this! Don’t ram it!"
The sheep didn’t charge, but it started pawing the ground, preparing to. Xiaqing immediately snapped off two clusters of Asparagus Chrysanthemum and tossed them over. "Here, buddy! Have some Asparagus Chrysanthemum! It’s way better than ginger or garlic."
The Evolutionary Sheep stopped pawing. It lowered its head, scooped up the two clusters of Asparagus Chrysanthemum, and ate them.
Seeing that the sheep liked Asparagus Chrysanthemum, Xiaqing immediately snapped off a few more clusters and tossed them down, luring it away from her precious basket.
Xiaqing didn’t know how big the sheep’s appetite was, but this particular Evolutionary Sheep ate a good hundred clusters of Asparagus Chrysanthemum before it lay down on the ground, satisfied. It stopped ramming the tree and gave up on the idea of destroying her basket.
Evolutionary Animals are divided into two types. The first, having absorbed more Harmful Element than Yi Element, are Qiang Evolution animals—irritable and extremely aggressive. The second, having absorbed more Yi Element than Harmful Element, are Yi Evolution animals—they retain their original disposition. Since this sheep stopped making trouble once its belly was full, it was probably a Yi Evolution.
Xiaqing relaxed a little. After picking a full backpack of Asparagus Chrysanthemum, she jumped down from the tree, grabbed her basket, and continued her exploration. Lying under the Asparagus Tree, the Evolutionary Sheep glanced at her once before continuing to rest with its eyes half-closed.
There were five households in total on this hillside. After checking all five without finding anything new, Xiaqing returned to the base of the Big Chuntun Tree. She dug up a few Asparagus Tree saplings that had sprouted nearby, planning to transplant them to her own territory.
"Baa."
The Evolutionary Sheep bleated suddenly when it saw Xiaqing preparing to leave.
Xiaqing turned around. Seeing the sheep staring at her backpack, she was at a loss for words. ’It still wants more Asparagus Chrysanthemum.’
"Baa."
"Didn’t you just eat your fill?"
"Baa."
"I’m leaving. I’ll get you more next time we run into each other." Xiaqing turned to go, but to her surprise, the sheep got to its feet, pawed the ground, and pointed its spiral horns at her.
’Fuck!’
Xiaqing’s temper flared. She set her basket and the Asparagus Tree saplings aside and took a fighting stance. "Alright, bring it on! Let’s see which one of us is stronger!"
The Evolutionary Sheep charged right up to Xiaqing, reared up on its hind legs, and jabbed its head forward, ramming her with its spiral horns.
Xiaqing threw her hands up to block, yelling, "Back!"
But instead of pushing the sheep away, she was the one who got knocked aside.
Xiaqing scrambled back to her feet with a backward roll, thoroughly humbled. "You want Asparagus Chrysanthemum?"
"Baa."
"Fine." Xiaqing dumped all the Asparagus Chrysanthemum from her backpack onto the ground. "Go on, eat."
The sheep shot Xiaqing a contemptuous glance, then lay down to guard the pile of Asparagus Chrysanthemum and began to leisurely chew its cud.
Outmatched in strength, Xiaqing climbed the tree again. She didn’t come down until she had picked another half-basket of Asparagus Chrysanthemum.
When she saw the Evolutionary Sheep get up and stare at her again, Xiaqing poured some spring water into a broken earthenware pot nearby and held it out to the animal. "Tired from all that eating? Have some water."
The Evolutionary Sheep lowered its head, sniffed the water, and began to drink.
Xiaqing seized the opportunity to snatch up her Asparagus Tree saplings and basket, bolting down the hill without a backward glance. She crossed the isolation belt and made it back into her Buffer Forest. When she turned and saw the sheep hadn’t pursued her, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
It had been a long, long time since she’d had this much fun.
Though she was no match for the Evolutionary Sheep in terms of Strength, Xiaqing had a weapon and was reasonably confident she could kill it. But the sheep was clever and powerful. Xiaqing didn’t want to kill it—she wanted to tame it.
’If I run into it again this afternoon, I’ll use the Asparagus Chrysanthemum and spring water to lure it back to my territory.’
She had run so fast that all the soil had been shaken from the roots of the Asparagus Tree saplings; she wasn’t sure if the transplant would even succeed. Xiaqing planted two of the saplings by the spring and the other five at the edge of her yard, giving them all a thorough watering with more spring water.
If they didn’t take, she could always just go back to the Evolution Forest and pick more Asparagus Chrysanthemum whenever she had a craving. After all, based on her observations, besides that one sheep, there were no signs of any other large animals on that hillside.
After planting the Asparagus Tree saplings, Xiaqing went inside. She first consulted a book on the proper techniques for planting ginger and garlic. Then, she broke the ginger root into seven pieces along its buds and separated the head of garlic into individual cloves. She planted them in the vegetable garden she’d cleared out in her west yard, making sure to keep as much of their original soil as possible, and gave them a generous watering with spring water.
Once the vegetables were planted, Xiaqing took the Asparagus Chrysanthemum that had been soaking in brine, blanched it in boiling water, and chopped it finely. She mixed it with salt and chili powder, then packed the mixture into a glass jar that she had sterilized with hot water and sealed it tightly.
These two jars of spicy Asparagus Chrysanthemum relish would be enough to last her a month.
With such a bountiful morning harvest, Xiaqing decided to treat herself for a change. She stir-fried a large plate of Asparagus Chrysanthemum with a little oil and ate her fill, pairing it with some compressed rations. Afterward, she sprawled out on her chair.
’This is the life.’
But to keep living so comfortably, she had to work hard. After cleaning the kitchen, Xiaqing locked her door, slung two water buckets over her back, and headed straight for the mountains behind her house. She placed the buckets under the spring’s opening and blocked it with stones. Then, she crossed the isolation belt once more, put on her Protective Mask, and slipped into the Evolution Forest.
To avoid the greedy sheep guarding the Asparagus Tree, Xiaqing decided to explore the section of the Evolution Forest north of Area Four.
This time, she was even more cautious. After cresting a hill over three hundred meters high, Xiaqing discovered a valley. The forest within was dense, but she could faintly make out terraced fields on the slopes, a pond on the valley floor, and dilapidated houses.
A valley with a pond and a dense forest was many times more dangerous than an open hillside. Just as Xiaqing was about to turn back, she faintly heard the squealing of a Little Wild Boar near the pond.
’Wild boar... Meat!’
’A Little Wild Boar... Meat I can actually catch!’
Her craving for meat overriding her caution, Xiaqing gritted her teeth, gripped her machete, and crept lightly down the slope. The sounds from the boars grew louder, and a brownish-black sow appeared at the edge of the pond. Judging by its size, it had to weigh over 150kg, its body caked in a thick layer of mud.
A hunting rifle’s Bullets couldn’t even penetrate a boar of that size, so the machete in her hand was completely useless against it. But her target wasn’t the large one. Xiaqing’s gaze shifted to the handful of Little Wild Boars playing beside the massive sow.