Chapter 163 – Construction Vehicles
After tasting the rose tea, Xia Lu Nong had to admit that the rose bush hadn’t lied.
The energy within the rose petals was indeed stronger than that of the honeysuckle.
Xia Lu Nong discussed with his brother and the others, “Since that’s the case, should we stay here a few more days to trade for more petals?”
Xia Huo Qu agreed, “I think it’s doable.”
Kong Zhi had no objections.
They had already found the metal they were looking for. While the armored vehicle appeared full, the bamboo storage in the space had plenty of room, and they still needed to spend more time gathering supplies.
Yan Xi Nian nodded, “Alright, let’s stay here a few more days.”
With that settled, Yan Xi Nian went to discuss the plan with Old Liu and his group.
Old Liu and his team were mainly focused on gathering supplies.
The area near Shangyan District was under the rose’s control, so they couldn’t touch the resources there.
Since the area was desolate with little of value to collect, Old Liu’s team decided to part ways and drive their armored vehicle to another area to gather resources.
Ba Niu’s team wanted to stay and help, but since Yan Xi Nian’s group was quite capable, they didn’t need the extra hands.
There wouldn’t be much to gain for Ba Niu’s group by staying, so Yan Xi Nian sent them off to join Old Liu’s team, where they could gather supplies together.
The two teams could watch each other’s backs, which made Yan Xi Nian feel more at ease.
The next morning, the three armored vehicles went their separate ways.
Old Liu and Ba Niu’s vehicle headed towards the outskirts, while Xia Lu Nong’s vehicle stayed behind.
Once the outsiders were gone, Xia Lu Nong breathed a sigh of relief, feeling more relaxed.
Sensing his shift in mood, the rose bush asked curiously, “If being with them makes you so tense, why do you still go out with them?”
Xia Lu Nong replied, “I’m tense because I have secrets. We may not share everything, but we’re still partners.”
The rose bush commented, “Humans are strange.”
Xia Lu Nong smiled, “Humans are contradictory. After a night’s rest, my energy has recovered quite a bit. Do you want me to give you more now?”
The rose bush immediately dropped its curiosity about human behavior. “Yes!”
Xia Lu Nong raised his hand and infused it with more energy.
The rose bush was overjoyed, and after absorbing the energy, it quickly produced another rose petal bundle.
This time, Xia Lu Nong didn’t use a sack.
He carried the rose petal bundle onto the vehicle, removed the dried leaves, and placed it directly into the space bamboo tube.
The bamboo tube kept the petals dry and saved space, making it less cumbersome inside the vehicle.
After completing the petal trade with the rose, Xia Lu Nong saw that it was still early and suggested they drive around to gather more supplies.
Since the rose bush was familiar with the area, Xia Lu Nong asked for advice, “Are there any places nearby worth visiting, like areas with lots of industrial products or leftover resources, and without too much danger?”
The rose bush’s branches lifted, as if glancing at him.
Xia Lu Nong sensed it had something to say and looked at it expectantly.
The rose said, “Places like that are all part of my territory.”
Xia Lu Nong replied, “If your branches don’t reach there, it doesn’t count as your territory.”
The rose let out two humphs. “Just wait until next spring, when I sprout new buds. Then I’ll be able to grow into those places.”
Xia Lu Nong chuckled. “Come on, be serious. If that’s the case, can you recommend somewhere your branches don’t reach?”
The rose grumbled and didn’t want to answer him.
Xia Lu Nong said, “We’ve traded so many times, and you’ve even given me part of your true form. We’re basically friends now, right?”
The rose replied, “Trying to pull on our friendship won’t work.”
“I’m not trying to manipulate you. We’re friends. If you point out those places to me, it’s better than letting other humans or mutated plants step there first, right?” Xia Lu Nong said. “If you show me this place, I’ll owe you one.”
The rose thought for a moment. “Fine. Head west. There’s a place called Qishan. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it, but it seems like there’s some good stuff there.”
Xia Lu Nong smiled, having gotten what he wanted. “Thanks. We’ll go check it out in a bit.”
“You’re welcome,” the rose responded, sensing his smile. Then it added, “I heard about it from other plants. I’ve never been there myself, so if you don’t find anything good, you can’t blame me.”
Xia Lu Nong patted its branch. “I won’t blame you. Thanks a lot. We’re heading out now. If things go smoothly, we’ll be back to camp this afternoon. If not, we’ll see you tomorrow.”
The rose let out a soft hum.
Xia Lu Nong and the group got into their vehicle.
The armored car slowly started moving.
Xia Lu Nong deliberately held back about 10% of his energy. He walked over to rest beside Xia Hua Jiao and transferred half of that energy to it.
Still in a semi-hibernating state, Xia Hua Jiao felt the energy and curled its branches, gently brushing against Xia Lu Nong’s fingers affectionately.
Xia Huo Qu saw his pale face and urged him, “Lie down and rest. There’s some rose tea in the thermos. Have a drink.”
“Alright, I will,” Xia Lu Nong replied. “Hey, brother, do you know where Qishan is?”
Xia Huo Qu gave him a sidelong glance. “Of course. Didn’t we look at the map earlier? Don’t worry, we know what we’re doing.”
Knowing that his brother didn’t like to be nagged, Xia Lu Nong dropped the subject after that.
He turned to reach for the thermos.
Kong Zhi had already grabbed it and unscrewed the cap, pouring some rose tea into it.
Xia Lu Nong drank the warm, sweet tea, feeling much more comfortable.
The armored vehicle continued forward. The frost on the ground had melted, revealing yellowing grass.
They used binoculars to scan the distance and saw various mutated animals and plants.
These creatures were extremely alert, and the moment they heard the vehicle, they began running away.
If they drove too close, hunting would be impossible, even with guns.
