Chapter 129: Chestnuts
The next morning, the four of them set off early in a truck.
Xia Lu Nong was dozing off in the passenger seat, his head bobbing up and down with the truck’s bumpy ride, occasionally hitting his head.
Kong Zhi glanced over at him. “You should shift into your beast form and get some sleep.”
Xia Lu Nong sneaked a look at his brother, saw that he wasn’t paying attention, and smiled at Kong Zhi. “Okay,” he whispered.
In no time, Xia Lu Nong transformed into a sleek, silver-black forest cat with a white belly. He crawled out of his clothes and jumped into Kong Zhi’s lap, rubbing against him before settling down comfortably.
Kong Zhi stroked his back and neatly folded his clothes.
The truck continued to jolt along the road, its slow, steady motion lulling Xia Lu Nong into sleep as he curled up in Kong Zhi’s lap.
“We’re here.”
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but his brother’s voice woke him up. Xia Lu Nong quickly opened his eyes and looked outside.
Still in his beast form, it was hard to see, so he stretched out his front paws and stood up on Kong Zhi’s lap, elongating his body to get a better view.
Outside was a green valley, but there wasn’t a single sheep in sight.
“Meow?” Xia Lu Nong looked at his brother, unsure what “we’re here” meant.
His brother petted his head. “We’re parking the truck here. When we go down, we’ll use our beast forms to avoid the sheep attacking the truck.”
Each of their trucks had been specially modified and was quite valuable. If the sheep damaged one, it wouldn’t be worth the cost.
Xia Lu Nong nodded in understanding, his cat face highly expressive, making the others around him unable to resist petting him.
“Meow!” Xia Lu Nong stretched out his paw, pushing their hands away and protesting with soft meows.
Xia Huo Qu sniffed the air. “The smell of sheep is strong in this valley. They must still be here.”
Yan Xi Nian said, “Let’s shift into our beast forms and head down. Pingtian Mountain isn’t far from here, so herding the sheep there shouldn’t be too hard.”
He glanced around before adding, “Huo Qu and I will flank the sheep from both sides and drive them toward the mountain. Kong Zhi, you can oversee things from the air. If you see a sheep falling behind, dive down and scare it back into the flock. But don’t worry if one or two get away—it’s not worth stressing over.”
Kong Zhi nodded. “I shouldn’t have any problems. I’ll take Xia Nong up into the air, and if any sheep fall behind, I’ll attack them.”
“Alright, that’s the plan,” said Yan Xi Nian. “Let’s each get ready and start working. If the sheep become too aggressive, we should avoid fighting them directly. There’s no need to engage them head-on.”
Yan Xi Nian went over the plan again and specifically reminded Xia Nong, “Xia Nong, you especially need to be careful. Your beast form is the smallest, and you’re quick-tempered. If there’s any danger, just run to the side; there’s no need to fight. If you get hurt, it won’t be worth it. Got it?”
Xia the cat didn’t seem too concerned but gave a soft “meow” in agreement.
Xia Huo Qu patted his cat head and flattened his ears. “Alright, let’s stick to the plan. We’ll move to the sides, Kong Zhi, you take to the air. We’ll move slowly, no need to rush—just be patient.”
Everyone shifted into their beast forms.
Xia the cat jumped onto Kong Zhi’s back, who had transformed into a golden eagle. The eagle’s back was wide enough for Xia to lie comfortably on it.
Using his beast form was much safer than in his human form, as the eagle’s back was large enough to prevent him from falling off.
The four of them split into three groups and set off.
Kong Zhi, as the golden eagle, spread his wings and took off, soon spotting the flock of beige-colored sheep from above.
The sheep seemed to have completely forgotten what had happened the previous day and were peacefully grazing.
Kong Zhi let out a cry from above, signaling the giant wolf and tiger below about the location of the sheep.
They surrounded the sheep from three directions. The flock soon realized something was wrong and began to panic.
Led by the head sheep, the flock started to run.
Xia Nong, lying on Kong Zhi’s back, arched his body, glaring down at the scene below.
They had attacked from the air yesterday too, and Kong Zhi was a formidable bird of prey—more than capable of dealing with a single sheep. Yet the flock’s first reaction yesterday was to fight back, while today, facing the same threat, their first reaction was to flee.
Was this some kind of discrimination?
The giant wolf and tiger on the ground began to run.
“Roar!” The giant tiger let out a thunderous roar that echoed through the forest.
The flock grew even more terrified, scattering in all directions in a mad dash, crashing into bushes and trees, leaving tufts of wool behind.
One sheep got its horns stuck in the bushes and couldn’t free itself, bleating helplessly.
The other sheep paid no attention to it and kept running.
Xia Nong soon noticed that wherever the leader sheep ran, the rest of the flock would follow.
“Meow!” Xia Nong called out from Kong Zhi’s back, signaling that they didn’t need to chase every sheep. All they had to do was keep an eye on the leader sheep to guide the flock into the valley.
Kong Zhi had already spotted it, and so had the giant wolf and tiger below.
Working together, they drove the sheep toward the valley.
The flock was large, and many sheep fell behind along the way. They didn’t have time to focus on the stragglers and stuck to the plan, driving the majority of the flock into the valley.
It wasn’t an easy process—many sheep tried to break through their defenses—but after much effort, by midday, they had successfully herded the sheep into the valley.
Once the sheep were in the valley, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Xia Nong, still on Kong Zhi’s back, signaled that they should land.
The sheep had been driven deep into the valley and didn’t seem likely to run back toward the entrance anytime soon.
Kong Zhi landed, joining up with the giant tiger and wolf.
The giant tiger, not built for long-distance chases, was exhausted after running all morning. Even after shifting back into human form, he was still panting heavily.
Kong Zhi shifted back into his human form too, dropping his backpack to the ground.
He pulled out some clothes and distributed them. Everyone quickly got dressed.
Bending over with his hands on his knees, Yan Xi Nian said, “We finally got them here. If we’d taken any longer, I would’ve had to surrender from exhaustion.”
Xia Huo Qu handed him a water bottle and looked around. “Take a break and drink some water. We’ll head up the mountain and see what kind of trees we can plant to close off the valley entrance.”
Xia Lu Nong said, “Any tall, straight trees will do. I didn’t move much, so I still have plenty of energy. Brother, I’ll go with you and see if we can find some fruit trees.”
Kong Zhi added, “I’m still fine too. I saved up my energy, so I’ll join you. Brother Xi Nian, you can rest here.”
“You guys make it sound like I’m the only one lagging behind,” Yan Xi Nian joked, still catching his breath. “I’ll go with you. I can just walk slower.”
Xia Lu Nong then asked, “But if we all go, won’t the sheep try to escape?”
Yan Xi Nian waved it off. “Don’t worry. We’ll just pick trees from the nearby area and come back quickly. We should be able to see any movement from the mountain.”
Xia Huo Qu suggested, “Why don’t we split into two groups? You two can go up the mountain, and we’ll stay here to keep watch. If anything happens, we’ll shout to alert each other. Safety comes first; everything else can wait.”
Xia Lu Nong agreed, “That sounds like a good plan. We’ll go up now, alright?”
“Go ahead, and be careful,” Xia Huo Qu replied.
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi headed up the mountain.
Since neither of them had been to this part of the mountain before, they wandered around for a while but couldn’t find any suitable trees.
Xia Lu Nong said, “I should’ve brought a bag of seeds. I could just plant them and use my power to make them grow.”
“That would drain too much of your energy,” Kong Zhi reassured him. “Let’s keep looking. We’ll find the trees you want.”
“I doubt it,” Xia Lu Nong said just as he noticed a strange tree ahead.
The tree’s branches were high, its leaves had all fallen, and its swollen branches gave it a peculiar look.
More importantly, there was a flock of birds pecking at something beneath the tree. As they approached, the birds flew away in a flurry—there were dozens of them.
Among the birds were some species that were normally enemies, which showed just how attractive this fruit was to them.
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes lit up. “That must be edible fruit! Let’s go check out what kind of food it is.”
Kong Zhi said, “I don’t recognize it. It doesn’t look like any common fruit we know.”
“That’s normal. We’re not familiar with the wild fruits in this area. Not recognizing it is no surprise.”
Xia Lu Nong pulled him along as they ran to the tree. He picked up a branch that the birds had been pecking at.
Only then did he notice that the tip of the branch was swollen, giving off a strong sweet fragrance.
“Is this… jujube?” Xia Lu Nong handed it to Kong Zhi. “But it’s much bigger than normal, almost like a tree branch.”
“Let’s taste it and find out.” Kong Zhi picked a piece of fruit that hadn’t been touched by the birds and took a bite.
Xia Lu Nong eagerly watched his reaction.
After a moment of tasting, Kong Zhi said, “It’s definitely sweet, much sweeter than I expected. It’s a natural sweetness, so it should be safe. You should try it too.”
Xia Lu Nong took a bite, his eyes lighting up. “It’s definitely jujube! I’ve had this before! I didn’t expect such a huge one to be hidden in the mountains. Once we’re done planting the trees, we have to come back and pick some. This will be perfect for snacking, and we could even make some jujube cakes.”
Kong Zhi glanced at the tree. “Should we move this tree down to the valley to plant?”
“Better not. This tree is way too big, moving it would be impossible. It would be the death of us.” Xia Lu Nong laughed happily. “Come on, let’s go check out other trees. If we can’t find anything better, we won’t be too picky.”
Kong Zhi agreed. “Alright, if worse comes to worst, we can always replant the trees later and replace them with the ones we want.”
“Exactly, let’s head out.”
Xia Lu Nong marked the spot and pulled Kong Zhi forward. Soon, they discovered two chestnut trees.
The chestnuts had ripened, many falling to the ground and making it quite prickly to walk around.
Xia Lu Nong picked up a chestnut, using his foot to pry open the spiky shell. He popped one into his mouth.
The chestnut tasted sweet and fresh, much better than he expected.
“These chestnuts are delicious. We’ll pick some to bring back home later. I bet we can have a meal of chestnut lamb tonight.”
Kong Zhi glanced around and said, “These chestnuts must’ve been planted by people before the disaster. There are some dead fruit trees over there.”
Xia Lu Nong looked around and saw he was right. There were other fruit trees and even traces of abandoned farmland.
They continued forward and found even more chestnut trees, coming across a whole grove of them.
The chestnuts were abundant, hanging from the branches and looking very inviting.
However, among the healthy trees were many dead ones. It seemed that without anyone to take care of them, these cultivated plants didn’t have the resilience of wild ones.
Xia Lu Nong, initially full of excitement, felt a pang of sadness at the sight of the decay.
He sighed, “Let’s just gather some chestnuts and head back. I know what kind of tree we should plant—chestnut trees will do just fine.”
“Alright,” Kong Zhi said, grabbing his hand. “Let’s see if there are any saplings nearby.”
There were indeed some saplings.
Some of the chestnuts that had fallen and weren’t eaten by animals had taken root the next spring, sprouting new trees.
These saplings, growing under the shade of the bigger trees, hadn’t developed well. They were crooked and frail.
After searching through the underbrush and other plants, they found a number of these saplings.
They dug up 23 saplings, split them between themselves, and tied them up to carry on their shoulders as they headed down the mountain.
Kong Zhi’s bag was heavier, filled with both jujube and chestnuts, but he was strong enough to carry it without much trouble.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Yan Xi Nian approached them from a distance. “I thought you guys got lost! I was about to come up and find you. What took so long? Did you find anything good?”
“Chestnuts and jujubes!” Xia Lu Nong dropped the saplings from his shoulder and took a deep breath. “We’ve got them all in the bag. Brother, Xi Nian, you should try them. The jujubes and chestnuts we found are delicious. Once we finish, we’ll go back up and gather some more to take to the base.”
Yan Xi Nian opened the bag and was pleasantly surprised. “Wow, good stuff! I’ve searched around here a few times and never found any chestnuts. You guys must’ve stumbled upon them by accident! Where did you find them? I really couldn’t find any after going back and forth several times.”
Xia Lu Nong wiped the sweat from his forehead and pointed in a direction. “Over there.”
He gestured vaguely. “We found two trees at first, then came across a whole grove, maybe six or seven trees. They were mostly hidden by weeds and other plants, so we couldn’t see them all. But if we look carefully, we might find more.”
Yan Xi Nian shook his head. “Honestly, we’ve searched that area many times and never saw them. It’s like those chestnuts were waiting just for you—meant for the lucky ones!”
Xia Lu Nong, sweating even more, glanced at him. “Brother Xi Nian, that’s a bit much. You’re giving me too much credit.”
Yan Xi Nian laughed. “I’m serious! Don’t you think you have exceptionally good luck? If we ever need to find something, bringing you along is always a good idea.”
Xia Huo Qu cut in calmly, “Alright, enough of the compliments. Let’s get to work. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can head back. There are still some sheep scattered out there. Let’s see if we can gather them up and take them back to the base.”
Yan Xi Nian laughed as he took a hoe, “They just carried the trees back and are exhausted, let them relax a bit with some conversation.”
Xia Huo Qu didn’t show any mercy, “Bear with it, we’ll all relax together later.”
Planting the trees was relatively simple. All they needed to do was dig the holes, plant the saplings, and then fetch water from the nearby mountain stream to water the newly planted trees.
After the physical labor was done, it was Xia Lu Nong’s turn to work.
Xia Lu Nong hadn’t used his powers today, so his energy was still full. He used all of it, channeling it into the trees they had just planted.
His powers were much stronger than before, and under his influence, the trees quickly sprouted new branches.
Xia Lu Nong used up all his energy. “Let’s give them some time to grow. By tomorrow, when we come back, they should have grown enough to enclose this valley.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “We’ll leave someone here to keep watch today. Tomorrow, we can continue. We also need to build a fence around these trees. You guys just cut down some trees, so now it’s your turn to rest while we work on the fence.”
The two groups switched roles.
Xia Lu Nong, having exhausted his energy, was now both tired and hungry. He grabbed some jujubes and chestnuts, eating them with loud crunches until he was half-full.
Afterward, he felt uncomfortable with the hard food in his stomach, so he drank a lot of water and transformed back into a cat, curling up on Kong Zhi’s lap.
Kong Zhi gently rubbed his belly and wrapped him in a coat.
Xia the Cat soon fell asleep in the autumn breeze, completely unaware of what was happening around him.
He slept soundly until his brother and Yan Xi Nian came back.
The three of them worked together to finish building the fence.
They managed to close off the valley entrance, ensuring that the flock of sheep wouldn’t escape anytime soon.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Now we just need to domesticate these sheep. Let’s observe them for a while and see if they can settle down in the valley.”
Xia Lu Nong, now awake and back in human form, asked, “Aren’t we leaving someone here to keep watch tonight? What if the sheep run off?”
“No need, if they escape, we’ll just catch them again,” Xia Huo Qu said, arms crossed, surveying the area. “They shouldn’t be able to get out with the fence we’ve built.”
Xia Huo Qu continued, “Let’s give them some time to get used to the place. Tomorrow, when we come back, we’ll bring them some food—maybe sugar, salt, or beans. If they find food here, they’ll eventually settle down.”
Xia Lu Nong agreed with his brother’s plan. “Let’s head back then, I feel like my back is killing me from all the work today.”
Yan Xi Nian added, “You guys rest here for a bit, we’ll head up the mountain to gather more chestnuts and jujubes and also round up the few sheep that got separated.”
Xia Lu Nong had no objections. “We’ll go get the truck to pick you guys up.”
The four of them divided up the work and soon had everything sorted.
Although the sheep were aggressive, their strength was more manageable when they were separated.
The few stray sheep had gotten tangled in the grass and trees. Three of them couldn’t free themselves, and two managed to escape, they didn’t get far and were quickly caught.
During the search for the sheep, they discovered another flock.
This new group wasn’t as large as the one they’d captured, but it still posed a challenge. It seemed they had been rivals to the first flock.
Now that the other sheep had been caught, this second group cautiously approached to graze in the same area.
Xia Huo Qu drove the truck.
Yan Xi Nian said, “When we get back to the base, we’ll notify the property management team and have them catch this new group of sheep.”
“Make sure to warn them about how dangerous these sheep are.”
“No worries, since we’re bringing some sheep back with us, they can practice handling them first.”
Back at the base, they reported the situation to the property management team.
The young members of the team were surprised and eager to see the sheep themselves.
“Captain Yan, are these sheep really that fierce? Fiercer than you?”
“These sheep are huge, and they can jump three or four meters high? That’s wild.”
“Captain, can we take one of these sheep outside and try hunting it down? We want to get some practice.”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “Of course, but let me remind you, these sheep are indeed vicious. Be careful when you catch them, and if you get hurt, go see Doctor Ou right away.”
“Got it. We’ll take the sheep to the small square to try it out.”
Xia Lu Nong, exhausted, lay sprawled on the couch like a dead dog, watching the energetic young men with envy. “I wish I still didn’t know how harsh life can be. Once they try catching these sheep tomorrow, they’ll understand how tiring it is.”
Yan Xi Nian laughed, “They’re young, they need the exercise. Only through hard work will they improve their skills.”
Xia Huo Qu added, “Don’t just send them out on their own. You should go and supervise, ready to step in if anything happens.”
Yan Xi Nian waved it off. “No need for me to go, the other team members can handle it. Don’t worry, aside from these young ones, everyone else knows what they’re doing.”
Yan Xi Nian then said, “It’s been a while since we’ve had chestnuts. I’ll take these to the kitchen so we can have chestnuts tonight.”
Xia Lu Nong chimed in, “I want fish today.”
“I’ll make sure you get some fish too,” Yan Xi Nian said with a smile. “It seems you’ve really embraced your cat habits now. Does your animal form affect your personality that much?”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “He’s always liked fish, it’s not about the transformation. Kong Zhi, what about you? What’s your favorite dish? Let’s all pick something we like to celebrate.”
Before Kong Zhi could answer, Xia Lu Nong raised his hand and said, “He loves braised pork! The kind that’s fatty but not greasy!”
Kong Zhi nodded in agreement.
Xia Huo Qu gave his brother a meaningful look. “You seem to know him well.”
Xia Lu Nong coughed lightly, avoiding further comment.
