Chapter 131: Universe
Xia Lu Nong and everyone in the base went out together to build the protective barrier, clearing out dangerous creatures near the base along the way.
During this time, everyone from the base, adults and children, went out, and the hills were full of people.
On the first day of building the protective barrier, some aggressive mutated plants and animals came out to attack people. But the young people from Xia Lu Nong’s base chased after them and brought them all back as food for the base.
From the second day onward, no more mutated creatures approached.
During their breaks, the young people from the base went looking for game, but they couldn’t catch anything.
Xia Lu Nong rested on a tree stump, listening to the young people from the base loudly saying, “What a pity, yesterday’s rabbit was so good. I was hoping to catch a couple more today.”
“No rabbits, fine. A muntjac or something would be just as good.”
“Snakes are fine too. They’re nice and fat now, perfect for snake soup!”
Xia Lu Nong listened and quietly laughed to himself.
Xia Huo Qu heard him and asked, “What’s so funny? Why don’t you and Kong Zhi go join the young folks?”
Xia Lu Nong lowered his voice with a smile, “Those guys are just trying to impress the girls. Kong Zhi and I don’t need to get involved. It would be awkward.”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “Not everyone’s trying to impress girls.”
“The ones not trying to impress girls are already resting,” Xia Lu Nong said. “This work is tiring enough. Why waste energy yelling?”
Liao Cheng, who was working nearby, laughed when he heard this and said, “Huo Qu, let them be. If those two joined, the younger ones would feel defeated.”
Xia Lu Nong added, “It’s just not appropriate. Different species, you know?”
Xia Huo Qu looked at his brother, “What does this have to do with species?”
Liao Cheng immediately chimed in, “I get it—single dogs versus lovebirds!”
Xia Lu Nong gave Liao Cheng a thumbs-up.
After resting for a while, they had to get back to work.
Like most of the adult men in the base, Xia Lu Nong was doing the hardest and most exhausting tasks.
His body was much stronger than it had been in the spring, so even when chopping wood or carrying soil, he could keep up with the others without needing any special help.
However, even though he could handle the work, it still tired him out.
After a long day, when they finished working in the evening, he felt like his bones were going to fall apart. He didn’t even want to drink water, let alone eat. He had no appetite at all.
At this point, Kong Zhi and Xia Huo Qu took turns cooking.
They were so tired that they didn’t care about making anything fancy, just something sour and spicy to whet their appetites.
But even with sour and spicy dishes, Xia Lu Nong wasn’t interested. He ended up drinking porridge for five days straight, with some meat on the side, just to get through the communal labor.
During this time, he lost a few pounds, making him look taller and thinner. He still looked good, but so frail that those around him couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
Xia Huo Qu said to him, “You were assigned technical work but didn’t do it, stubbornly holding on for so long. No one but us knows.”
“That’s not necessarily true,” Xia Lu Nong replied. “A lot of people notice, they just don’t say anything. Besides, this kind of work is exhausting. You all get tired too; it’s just that my reaction is stronger.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “I’m not so tired that I don’t even want to bathe and need someone else to help me.”
“Huh?” Xia Lu Nong’s head snapped up, almost choking on his own saliva, and he nervously said, “It’s not that bad, is it?”
“I heard it last night when I went to the yard to get a cloth,” Xia Huo Qu said calmly. “You only remembered to draw the curtains but didn’t close the window. All the sound came right through.”
Xia Lu Nong covered his face with his hands, his ears turning red. “Why tell me such embarrassing things?”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “So you’ll remember for next time.”
Xia Lu Nong did learn his lesson, and for the next few days, he kept a low profile, not causing any trouble.
Though it didn’t feel as carefree as before, it was more exciting.
Kong Zhi didn’t say anything, but judging by his expression, he seemed satisfied.
Before they knew it, it was early November, and the weather had grown colder. Each morning they woke to a thick layer of frost covering the ground.
During this time, they checked on the sheep several times, and the herd was still safely in the valley.
As long as the sheep didn’t escape, there was nothing to worry about.
There was only their base in the area, and everyone knew each other. The people in the base knew they were keeping sheep in the valley, and no one would dare have bad ideas—not because everyone had such high morals, but because getting expelled from the base for theft was a risk no one could afford.
As they raised more sheep, their resources became more abundant.
However, Xia Lu Nong’s health was still weak. When the weather turned cold, his hands and feet struggled to stay warm.
Because of this, they had eaten lamb for eight out of ten days recently, trying to help him regain his strength.
Whether lamb would actually restore his health, Xia Lu Nong didn’t know, but he did know that the lamb was doing something. It made both of them restless, and their nighttime activities had increased significantly. He felt like his kidneys were almost exhausted.
Xia Lu Nong decided that he needed to take a break and give his kidneys a proper rest.
Just as he made this decision, Yan Xi Nian mentioned at the dinner table, “There’s not much left to do at the base. We’ve taken care of the fields and the livestock. In the next few days, we’ll prepare to head out for Black Gold Base.”
Xia Lu Nong had almost forgotten about that. He blurted out, “So soon?”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “What do you mean soon? We’ve been preparing for days. Besides, it’s getting colder by the day, and snow could fall any time. Once it snows, the roads will be hard to travel. We need to leave before the snow, and hopefully return before it falls.”
Xia Lu Nong thought about it and agreed. “What do we need to bring for this trip?”
“Black Gold Base is far away. We’re mostly going to observe, so don’t bring too much. Extra weight burns more fuel,” Yan Xi Nian said. “I’ve asked the logistics team to prepare jerky, and we’ll bring some of White Building’s research results as public goods.”
Xia Lu Nong asked, “Do we need to bring any personal supplies for ourselves?”
“Yes. I’ve already talked to your brother about this. We can bring some dried snake meat, honey, bamboo seeds, and a bit of wheat that you’ve kept. These should be enough to trade for some valuable items. You two can decide if there’s anything else you want to bring, as long as it’s not too big or heavy.”
During that period, Xia Lu Nong had used his powers a few times to accelerate the growth of bamboo, resulting in over sixty pounds of bamboo seeds.
If they brought all of it, it could almost be used as currency.
Xia Lu Nong nodded. “We’ll think about it. Who’s going with us this time?”
“I don’t plan to bring too many people. Just the four of us. If we run into trouble, it’ll be easier to abandon the trucks and return,” Yan Xi Nian said. “The main point is to learn, so there’s no need for everyone to go. For trading, it’s not worth going that far with a large group.”
Realizing it was just the four of them, Xia Lu Nong was genuinely relieved. “That’s great! I didn’t really want to go with a large group anyway.”
Yan Xi Nian laughed. “Just the four of us, then. We’ll take two trucks and plenty of fuel for the road.”
“Alright!” Xia Lu Nong said. “I’ll come up with a plan tonight.”
Since the Black Gold Base was far away, and given the recent earthquakes, they had no idea what the roads would be like or if they’d have to take a detour. This trip was practically a long journey, and they had to prepare for the possibility of being gone for a month or two.
Because of this, their preparations were especially thorough.
Xia Lu Nong made a detailed checklist, noting down everything from food and medicine to weapons.
After reviewing the list, he still felt like they weren’t bringing enough.
The hundred or so pounds of supplies could be partially consumed on the road, so in the end, it wasn’t all that much.
Kong Zhi looked over the list and said, “We haven’t harvested honey in a while. We could collect some to bring along.”
“That’s no problem. We can take Xia Hua Jiao with us, and with it around, there’s hardly any danger.”
“Let’s get some rest. Tomorrow, we’ll talk to your brother and head out early.”
Xia Lu Nong put down his pen and paper and crawled into bed.
Kong Zhi had already warmed the bed, and as soon as Xia Lu Nong climbed in, his hands and feet thawed.
He turned over, reached out to touch Kong Zhi’s abs, and curled up in his arms, falling asleep comfortably.
They went to bed early and woke up early.
The first thing Xia Lu Nong did after waking up, before even brushing his teeth, was to find Xia Hua Jiao to discuss going out to collect honey that day.
Xia Hua Jiao, having been cooped up at the base for so long, was eager to get outside. Hearing that they could go out to gather honey, its leaves rustled excitedly with a constant “whoosh” sound.
Xia Lu Nong grinned. “It’s settled then. Rest up for now. We’ll have breakfast, borrow a truck, and head out together.”
Xia Hua Jiao: “Whoosh!”
After hearing about their plan, Xia Huo Qu had no objections, but he reminded them, “Come back early, don’t take too much, and leave some honey for the bees to survive the winter.”
“We know,” Xia Lu Nong replied, “We’ll try to be back before sunset. We’ll take a few extra buckets and process the honey when we return.”
The process of borrowing the truck went smoothly, and after eating breakfast and filling up the fuel tank, they set off.
It was quite cold outside, but the sunlight was bright. Sitting in the passenger seat, Xia Lu Nong hummed songs along the way, even occasionally tapping out rhythms to accompany himself.
Kong Zhi had a smile on his face the whole time.
During a pause in the singing, Kong Zhi asked, “Why did you study opera but not major in performing arts?”
Xia Lu Nong replied, “Before the college entrance exams, I hadn’t considered going into the arts, so I didn’t prepare in advance. Besides, my personality isn’t suited for it.”
Kong Zhi glanced at him, “That’s true.”
Xia Lu Nong eyed him and warned, “Don’t subtly call me stupid. I can hear it.”
Kong Zhi said, “I didn’t. Don’t read too much into it.”
Xia Lu Nong clicked his tongue, “Were you really good at debating back in the day?”
“Not really. I hardly argued. I used to think my roommates were too immature, and I was more of a loner.”
Xia Lu Nong was curious, “So you were the aloof type? Did you always think your peers were childish?”
Kong Zhi paused, “I was just young and arrogant. I regret it now. There’s no such thing as being immature or not—everyone has their own way of living.”
They continued driving.
Their truck wasn’t too fast or too slow, and by 8 a.m., they had reached their destination.
Before they even got close to the valley, they saw a number of bees flying in and out. The sight of those enormous bees buzzing through the air was enough to make anyone’s scalp tingle.
Xia Lu Nong glanced out, “Looks like we’ll have to rely on Xia Hua Jiao again today. We should just stay in the truck and avoid getting stung.”
“Let’s head to the back and tell Xia Hua Jiao.”
Xia Hua Jiao still remembered the last honey harvest. It quickly understood and agreed to the plan.
Its branches now moved more skillfully than before; what was once clumsy could now easily cut honeycombs with a knife.
Xia Lu Nong repeatedly reminded it, “Your safety is the most important. If you’re seriously attacked or feel threatened, come back right away.”
Xia Hua Jiao: “Whoosh!”
Soon, Xia Hua Jiao took a bucket and knife and headed towards the beehives.
Watching from the driver’s seat, Xia Lu Nong sighed sincerely, “Our little one is all grown up.”
Kong Zhi replied, “If you put it that way, we’ve been making it work like child labor since it was still young.”
“Maybe not. It could’ve been a seed for who knows how many years. It might even be older than us.”
Kong Zhi chuckled, “Should we call it ‘big brother’ then?”
Xia Lu Nong laughed, “Let’s not go that far; no need to be so formal.”
As they bantered, Xia Hua Jiao had already cut half of the first honeycomb.
The bees were instantly agitated, swarming around and occasionally stinging its leaves.
But this barely affected Xia Hua Jiao. It quickly bounced over to the second honeycomb.
By the time the second hive was disturbed, the bees from the first had already calmed down a bit.
Then came the third hive, and the fourth.
It took Xia Hua Jiao half the morning and part of the afternoon to cut half of every honeycomb in the valley, ultimately gathering three and a half buckets of honey.
Once Xia Hua Jiao returned to the truck, they quickly hit the gas and made their getaway.
When they got back to the base, they found a few lingering bees in the truck.
However, there were too few to pose any real threat.
Xia Lu Nong helped Xia Hua Jiao down and sincerely praised it, “You’ve done a great job today!”
Xia Hua Jiao: “Whoosh!”
Xia Lu Nong patted its branches with a smile and said, “Go rest in the soil for a bit, and I’ll give you some energy.”
Xia Hua Jiao’s leaves and branches had taken some damage, but under Xia Lu Nong’s energy, it quickly healed.
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi carried the honeycombs to the kitchen for processing.
Some of the combs still had bee larvae and a few bees in them. Xia Lu Nong was stung twice, and his hands swelled up like pig’s trotters.
He didn’t even have time to eat dinner before Kong Zhi took him to Dr. Ou for treatment. After being treated, they returned and even ate some of the bee larvae.
Xia Lu Nong’s hand had swollen down enough that he could hold chopsticks, so he popped the larvae into his mouth one by one.
The larvae were crispy from frying, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and made for an excellent meal.
Xia Lu Nong couldn’t get enough of them, savoring each bite. “The more dangerous something is, the tastier it seems.”
Xia Huo Qu warned, “Tasty or not, don’t overindulge. Eat more vegetables so you don’t overheat.”
Saying that, Xia Huo Qu picked up a piece of green vegetable and placed it in Xia Lu Nong’s bowl.
Xia Lu Nong reluctantly stuffed the vegetable into his mouth, his face falling.
Yan Xi Nian couldn’t stop laughing at his expression.
Xia Lu Nong grumbled, “Brother Xi Nian eats even fewer vegetables than I do.”
Yan Xi Nian immediately grabbed some vegetables for himself, saying, “You’ve learned to deflect blame now? What does this have to do with whether I eat vegetables or not?”
Xia Lu Nong grinned at him, flashing a mouthful of small, white teeth.
After dinner, everyone bathed and rested.
Even after eating all those bee larvae, Xia Lu Nong still felt warm when he got into bed. Staring at the ceiling, he said, “The honey we have is just right, about a hundred pounds. Any more, and it’d lose its rarity. Tomorrow I’ll gather some bamboo seeds.”
Kong Zhi asked, “Where will you plant the bamboo? In our backyard?”
“Better not. Bamboo roots spread everywhere. If we plant them in the backyard, it’ll be a hassle to clean up later. We’ll plant them outside.”
“Will the soil outside be fertile enough?”
“True.” Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment. “How about planting it in the wheat field? We’re about to plow the field, and the bamboo roots can be cut down for firewood.”
“That sounds like a good plan. I’ll go to the cafeteria in the morning and exchange some fertilizer.”
“Get more. We’re going to plant crops in the field next year anyway, and the leftover fertilizer can be used as a base layer.”
The two chatted for quite a while.
Xia Lu Nong was almost dozing off mid-conversation when he suddenly sat up.
Kong Zhi, using the faint moonlight coming through the window, asked, “What’s wrong? Should I turn on the light?”
“It’s nothing. I just wanted to check if our window is closed. Could anyone outside hear our conversation?” Xia Lu Nong checked the window, waved his hand dismissively, and said, “I’m just going to the bathroom, then I’ll come back to sleep.”
Kong Zhi’s mouth twitched, and he urged him to hurry up.
The next morning, both of them woke up early.
After breakfast, they brought fertilizer and seeds and headed to the wheat field.
Now that the weather was cold, there weren’t many people working in the fields. Most were teaming up to gather supplies or hunt.
Everyone was stocking up for winter, so the cafeteria at the base had been offering great items for trade lately.
Xia Lu Nong and the others had enjoyed various kinds of game, fish, and even seafood for several days in a row, fully satisfied with their meals.
There wasn’t much danger in the wheat field.
Kong Zhi told Xia Lu Nong to accelerate the growth of the bamboo while he worked on tilling the soil.
Xia Lu Nong had been doing this a lot lately and was already quite skilled. When accelerating bamboo growth, all he had to do was pour all his powers into the seeds and make sure they grew strong.
Perhaps he had become too familiar with the task, as he wasn’t fully focused and found his mind wandering.
As a result, the bamboo he grew turned out to be far from what he expected.
The two bamboo shoots were about as tall as him, about as thick as a bowl, with sparse leaves, looking malnourished.
After growing to that size, the bamboo quickly shed its leaves, turned yellow, and withered completely.
There were no bamboo seeds or shoots. It seemed like a total failure.
Xia Lu Nong was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe the outcome.
He looked at the bamboo, then at his hands, mumbling, “My powers should be fine.”
Suddenly, he turned around and shouted, “Kong Zhi, come quickly! I think my powers stopped working!”
Kong Zhi walked over, “It’s just one failure. If it doesn’t work, we can rest for a day and try again the day after.”
“The problem is I don’t even know what went wrong. This result shouldn’t be possible, right? Our powers are supposed to be stable.” Xia Lu Nong grabbed the bamboo, feeling weak. “What’s going on?”
Kong Zhi turned him around to face him, looking into his eyes as he said firmly, “Don’t panic. Let’s cut it down and analyze it later. We’ll figure it out.”
“Alright.” Xia Lu Nong stared at the short bamboo in front of him, still feeling shocked.
If he hadn’t exhausted his powers, he would have tried again immediately to see what went wrong.
He returned home in a daze, and as soon as his brother saw his expression, he became worried and asked, “What happened? Why do you look like that? Did things not go well today?”
Xia Lu Nong replied, “I think there’s something wrong with my powers. The bamboo I grew today turned out weak, like an ordinary bamboo, but worse. At least regular bamboo grows tall and strong. Mine looked short and frail.”
Xia Lu Nong was questioning everything. “Yesterday, my powers were working fine. I don’t understand what’s wrong today.”
The shock had hit Xia Lu Nong so hard that he felt like he was rambling incoherently.
After talking for a while, he fell silent, almost wanting to lock himself in his room.
Xia Huo Qu breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Even people get sick. Why can’t powers malfunction once in a while? As long as you’re fine, we can try again tomorrow. Don’t worry too much.”
Xia Lu Nong pursed his lips without saying anything. He was worried that if his powers didn’t return by tomorrow, what would he do?
His animal form was just a cat, not even as useful as the big rooster at the base. The rooster could at least find treasures. Without his powers, he’d be completely useless, just a burden to the team.
Seeing his gloomy mood, Kong Zhi patted his back and said, “Finish your meal and get some sleep. We’ll think of a solution tomorrow. If nothing works, we can always train our skills.”
Xia Lu Nong sighed, “Powers are so strange and unpredictable. You never know when they might fail. It’s not something we can study or treat. I just can’t figure out why they suddenly stopped working.”
He mumbled a lot of complaints. That night, he couldn’t sleep at all. When he got up the next morning, he had dark circles under his eyes and looked completely exhausted.
He hadn’t rested well, and his powers felt empty, as if he couldn’t use them at all.
He experimented on the plants in the yard, but the results left him numb. Feeling like a lost soul, he wandered back to Kong Zhi and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in his shoulder. “It’s over. My powers really don’t work anymore. I couldn’t use them at all today.”
As he spoke, his eyes started to water, and he clung tightly to Kong Zhi, refusing to lift his head.
Kong Zhi gave him a gentle kiss and spoke softly, “Then we’ll try again tomorrow.”
“I doubt it’ll work tomorrow or the day after,” Xia Lu Nong said, dejected. “I wanted to go out with you all, but at this rate, what can I do? Be a burden?”
Kong Zhi reassured him, “Don’t overthink it. We don’t know the results yet. Let’s check the bamboo we cut down yesterday. Maybe there’s something hidden inside.”
“This bamboo has already turned out like this. What hidden potential could there be? I don’t think there’s anything left, so let’s just leave it,” Xia Lu Nong muttered sullenly. “I don’t want to check it. If you want to, go ahead.”
