After retrieving the agreement and contract from the basement and carefully reviewing them, Xia Qing proposed three amendments:
First, the lease term for the mountain should be shortened from five years to two years. After the two-year term, if both parties wish to renew, the lease can be extended; if they cannot reach an agreement, the lease contract can be terminated.
Second, an additional clause: During the period the Qinglong team uses the mountain as a training base, any supplies harvested from the mountain belong to the Qinglong team. However, if the harvested supplies are "green light" food, Xia Qing has the right to know and the right of first refusal.
Third, the leased area should be further clarified: The area leased to the Qinglong team is the area outside of Territories 1, 3, and 4, specifically the area designated as belonging to Mountain 49 on the right-of-use certificate. Xia Qing will bear the responsibility and consequences of clearing dangerous evolved creatures from areas not leased.
Xia Qing's reasoning was to ensure that his territory is not monitored by people on the mountain or threatened by snipers. Besides avoiding surveillance and threats, Xia Qing had two unspoken reasons: first, this area might be where unpolluted spring water flowed, potentially containing planting areas; second, she needed an evolutionary forest as her own dedicated training base.
She wanted to become stronger.
Twenty-five days later, as Xia Qing munched on a freshly picked cucumber, admiring the jujube buds and tiny, fuzzy green apples, she received a message from Luo Pei: "The mountain has been bought. Yang Jin wants to come over tonight at eight to sign the contract, is that alright?"
"Bought it so quickly?" Xia Qing thought, "Buying the mountain right now is a sensitive time, attracting a lot of attention. Isn't Yang Jin, this glittering Buddha, afraid of being discovered coming to Territory Three?"
But then Xia Qing remembered they had dug a tunnel connecting Territory One to Territory Three for transporting supplies, and replied, still chewing on her cucumber: "Sure, the cucumbers in my field are ready to eat. I'll bring some over for Brother Luo and Captain Yang tonight."
After hanging up the phone, Xia Qing grabbed her slingshot and smashed the head of an evolved locust that was flapping its wings and charging towards the peanut seedlings in the terraced fields. The evolved locust's bite force had also increased; if left unattended, it would break through her insect netting in minutes.
After Xia Qing knocked down the locust, the eldest sheep ran faster than several birds scrambling for food, trampling the locust's carcass with its hooves.
"Well done, Boss!" Xia Qing, cucumber in her mouth, jumped down two terraces and went over, stuffing the leftover cucumber head into the eldest sheep's mouth as a reward. She then picked up the headless evolved locust from under its hooves and stuffed it into the straw bag hanging around its neck. "This time you didn't crush the worm into mud, so there's a reward. Boss, eat the cucumber; the locust is for the fish."
The eldest sheep, squinting, slowly munched on the cucumber amidst the chirping of birds, heading down the hillside to the fishpond to feed the fish.
Xia Qing retrieved the steel balls she had just fired, wiped them clean, and put them back in her ammunition pouch. She needed to exchange points for the remaining steel balls, so she couldn't afford to lose a single one.
Retrieving steel balls fired at high speed was extremely difficult and time-consuming for anyone other than an advanced visual or olfactory evolver.
Visual evolvers' eyes could detect fast-moving objects, and olfactory evolvers' noses could detect various scents. Xia Qing was not only an advanced visual evolver but also an auditory evolver capable of detecting sound. Therefore, this was no big deal for her.
At the appointed time, Xia Qing, carrying five cucumbers, went to sign her first and second contracts with great pride.
What's it like to meet the two leaders of the Qinglong Team from the Hui San Base at the same time and in the same room? Xia Qing was happy that Luo Pei could move around freely; Yang Jin had even become more handsome, making Xia Qing want to stuff all the good food into his hands…
Xia Qing controlled her emotions and handed over the basket, "Captain Yang, Brother Luo."
Yang Jin calmly took the basket, while Luo Pei's face flushed, a smile playing on his lips.
Don't overthink it. Luo Pei's blush wasn't from shyness or excitement, but from lingering effects of the poisoning. Xia Qing's face was always a dark red, so she blushed in any situation, with anyone.
Luo Pei looked at the plump cucumbers in the basket, "Why did you bring so many?"
"I managed to grow nineteen cucumber plants. Once the vines grew, each leaf could produce a cucumber, but there were fewer green ones. These are the only ones we can eat today." Xia Qing spoke of her vegetable garden with great pride.
Seeing Xia Qing's face beaming with joy at her successful farming, Yang Jin smiled as well, explaining why Xie Yu hadn't come. "Xie Yu has wanted to come and thank you in person for a while, but one of the three of us needs to be stationed at the safe zone, so he couldn't come this time. This is a small gift he asked me to prepare for you."
If Yang Jin and Luo Pei were the Azure Dragon Team's elite soldiers, then Xie Yu was their brain. Without any one of them, the Azure Dragon Team wouldn't be what it is today. Although the spring water was important, Xia Qing hadn't expected to need all three leaders of the Azure Dragon Team to come and sign the contract with her.
Xia Qing accepted the small gift, weighing over ten kilograms, from the Azure Dragon Team's second-in-command with both hands. "Captain Xie, you're too kind."
Only after Xia Qing accepted it did Luo Pei explain what was in the box. "There are two hundred rounds of ammunition inside. You'll need them for shooting practice."
Very useful! This little gift was so thoughtful and precious that Xia Qing couldn't even bring herself to ask Yang Jin to take two cucumbers back to Xie Yu as a thank-you gift.
Fortunately, she had prepared thoroughly for tonight.
Xia Qing took out a small bucket of spring water and two packets of tea from her backpack. "Could you please take this tea and water back to Captain Xie for me, Captain Yang? Brother Luo, can you brew tea? This tea tastes pretty good; I'll brew some for you and Captain Yang to try."
"Of course! You and Yang Jin sit down, I'll brew it." Luo Pei took on the task of brewing the tea, looking expectant. "I haven't had tea brewed with spring water in a long time."
After the spring water boiled, the aroma of tea quickly filled the air. This was a tea aroma Yang Jin had never smelled before. He asked Xia Qing, "Did you discover tea trees in your territory?"
Xia Qing shook her head. "I traded it with another lord. He said it was a rare and excellent tea. I don't know much about tea, but it smells wonderful and tastes good."
It must have been Zhang San who traded it to her; no wonder the aroma is so pure. Seeing that Xia Qing was living a good life, Yang Jin's expression softened. "What did you trade for, Green Light cucumbers?"
This was an open trade in the Lord's Channel, so Xia Qing didn't hide anything. "Green Light cucumbers, spinach leaves, and chives."
Yang Jin subtly reminded Xia Qing, "Zhang San from Plot Seven is extremely particular about food quality. The fact that he's willing to trade such good tea with you means he thinks your Green Light vegetables are worth the price. Are your vegetables irrigated directly with spring water?"
Xia Qing shook her head. "Yes, during the soaking and seedling stages, but after they grew, I switched to regular water. Captain Yang, is there any risk in trading Green Light vegetables with other Lords?"
Yang Jin's smile widened. "If all the varieties of Green Light vegetables you grow have lower levels of harmful elements than other Lords, there is a risk of exposure. However, you can trade with the Azure Dragon Team without worry."
What does it mean to be a tightwad in negotiations? This is it! Xia Qing nodded expressionlessly. "I understand."
Luo Pei couldn't help but laugh. "Ah Jin, bring out the land use certificate and the two contracts."