Chapter 35: “Bringing Honor to the Clan by Farming, Glory to the Ancestors by Raising Pigs”
????The third night of the Rainy Season had co and gone.
??Chen Fan stood atop the Wall, rain-soaked and vigilant, with Crippled Monkey and a handful of others keeping watch by his side. Down below, Zhou Mo and the rest, exhausted from their dayti labors, were already asleep—on Chen Fan’s orders.
??And yet—
??The night dragged on, one heavy hour after another. They waited. Nothing happened. At last, dawn crept across the horizon, pale and silent.
??...
??“...”
??Chen Fan frowned, eyes narrowed at the darkness ebbing away like a receding tide. Just like that, another night had passed.
??Daybreak.
??Last night had been eerily quiet—an unnatural calm.
??No Ghostbeast Swarm. No Female Ghostbeast in her blood-red palanquin. Not even a lone Ghostbeast wandered near. The world outside the Camp was utterly still, as if the rain itself had swallowed all sound.
??It should have been a blessing.
??But—
??Too many Ghostbeasts, and the Camp would be overrun. Too few, and he faced a different problem. He’d built ten new Arrow Towers to brace for the Rainy Season’s onslaught, yet not a single Ghostbeast had appeared. Where had they all gone?
??Killing Ghostbeasts was his main source of Ghoststones.
??If not a single one showed up, how was he supposed to keep the Camp’s Ghostfire burning?
??Chen Fan’s gaze sharpened, thoughtful. He turned to Crippled Monkey and the others who had stood watch through the rain-soaked night. “Alright, sun’s up. Go get so sleep.”
??Sothing was wrong.
??The Rainy Season was never this peaceful.
??If sothing was off, there had to be a reason. He needed to be twice as prepared for whatever the next night would bring.
??Just then—
??He glanced toward the Farmland outside the Wall and couldn’t help but laugh aloud. In the first golden light of dawn, the seedlings in the fields had shot up overnight, branches heavy with round, plump fruit—so bountiful it looked almost absurd.
??The first harvest was finally ready.
??“Station Master!”
??Zhou Mo bounded up the steps to the Wall, looking refreshed and full of energy. “Everyone’s had a good rest. What’s the plan for today?”
??Chen Fan’s gaze swept from Zhou Mo to Qi Chong, who stood quietly behind him.
??“Qi Chong, you’re off field duty today,” Chen Fan said after a mont’s thought.
??He paused, then continued, “I want you to harvest every last fruit from the Farmland.”
??“Zhou Mo, your task is to collect supplies from the ruined waystations nearby. Most of the closer ones have already been cleared out by Wang Kui and his crew, so you’ll need to go farther afield. Don’t get greedy—safety cos first.”
??“Understood!” Zhou Mo grinned, rain streaking down his face, his voice bright with enthusiasm.
??“Station Master... I...” Qi Chong stood off to the side, sha and awkwardness flickering in his eyes. He lowered his head. “I...”
??“It’s alright.” Chen Fan shook his head, placing a reassuring hand on Qi Chong’s shoulder. “There’s plenty to be done inside the Camp. It’s just as valuable as field duty.”
??Yesterday, Qi Chong had been sent out on this very mission.
??But—
??He hadn’t brought back a single Ghoststone.
??Qi Chong had barely left the Camp with the Ghostskin Map when a sudden gust of wind tore it from his hands. He’d spent the rest of the day stumbling blindly through the storm, soaked and lost, unable to find his way.
??By sheer luck, he’d managed to stagger back to the Camp just as Eternal Night fell.
??Honestly, it was a miracle he’d survived.
??Ghostskin Maps were irreplaceable—there were only five in total, counting the one Chen Fan himself held. Now, with Qi Chong’s lost, they were down to four. Chen Fan couldn’t risk sending him out again.
??Lose another map, lose a few more people, and the cost would be catastrophic.
??“I...” Qi Chong’s lips moved, but no words ca. He hung his head, unable to et Chen Fan’s eyes.
??“I’ll get going then, Station Master?” Zhou Mo piped up, still grinning.
??“Go on.” Chen Fan waved him off.
??...
??Crippled Monkey and the others had already turned in.
??Chen Fan lingered by the Farmland, watching as Qi Chong rolled up his pant legs and set to work, harvesting fruit with practiced hands. After a mont, Chen Fan asked, “You’ve fard before?”
??“Yeah,” Qi Chong replied, wiping rain from his brow and straightening up. “After Eternal Night began, farming got a lot harder. Ghostbeasts don’t destroy the crops, but the farrs have to keep running back and forth between the city and the fields outside. It’s risky and ti-consuming.”
??“A lot of Chambers of Comrce started their own farms inside the big Safe Zones. Before I joined the Wild Wolf Gang, I worked on a Ping Tian Chamber of Comrce farm in Jiangbei City.”
??“Just normal crops, though.”
??“I’ve never grown anything like this before.”
??“Not bad,” Chen Fan said with a smile and a nod. “From now on, this Farmland is yours to manage.”
??He glanced at the man working beside Qi Chong. “Your friend’s quick with his hands too. What’s his na?”
??“Station Master,” the man replied, voice gruff and straightforward. “Na’s Ah Le. Used to work with Brother Qi at the farm—looked after the pigs. Later, I left to follow him.”
??“Raised pigs, did you?”
??“Mm-hmm.”
??“Good.” Chen Fan couldn’t help but laugh. These two—one a farr, one a livestock hand—were exactly what the Camp needed.
??“You’ll be in charge of livestock from now on. There’s not much to raise yet, so help Brother Qi with the fields for now. When we have animals, they’re yours.”
??“Understood, Station Master.”
??“All the fruit and yesterday’s Ghost Material, store it in that wooden hut over there when you’re done.”
??“Will do.”
??Chen Fan took out two Ghoststones and, just outside the Wall, used them to construct a wooden hut—a future warehouse.
??They’d taken down a number of Mantis Ghostbeasts last night.
??Their mantis blades counted as Ghost Material—pri forging stock.
??He didn’t need them yet, but better to start stockpiling now.
??The harvest would take so ti. Chen Fan didn’t bother waiting—he turned and headed for the hut, ready to catch so sleep and deal with everything after he woke.
??He pushed open the door.
??Thanks to the Heating System 1.0, the room was toasty warm—no trace of cold, only a faint dampness that was already fading.
??Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed another X scratched onto the Rainy Season countdown calendar on the wall. He smiled. That had to be Zhou Mo’s handiwork before heading out.
??That guy...
??He really did have a sense of ritual.
??...
??“Brother Qi.”
??Out in the Farmland, Ah Le picked fruit slick with rain, his voice low and earnest. “We didn’t finish the mission yesterday, and we lost the Ghostskin Map. Did the Station Master say anything to you this morning? I saw you talking on the Wall, but I didn’t dare co up.”
??“No.” Qi Chong shook his head. “But I doubt he’ll send
out again. You heard him—he wants
managing the Farmland from now on.”
??“That’s not so bad, is it? Safer than field duty. We almost didn’t make it back yesterday. Besides, you’ve always been good at farming.”
??Qi Chong let out a long, helpless sigh. “I just wanted to make sothing of myself. That’s why I joined the Wild Wolf Gang in the first place. Being Station Master isn’t exactly safe, but... I guess I’m just not cut out for it.”
??“That’s not it.” Ah Le shook his head. “I never thought raising pigs was beneath . It’s a real craft. The pigs I raised were always the biggest, and they survived the best. With that skill, I’ll never go hungry.”
??“It’s just—after you left, there was no one to talk to. I got lonely, so I ca looking for you.”
??“And besides, farming now isn’t like it used to be.”
??“Who was your boss before?”
??“So mid-level manager at the Ping Tian Chamber of Comrce farm.”
??“And now?”
??“A Builder...”
??“Doesn’t matter what you do. What matters is who you do it with,” Ah Le said, still working steadily. “Follow the right person, and you’ll rise. Do the right thing, and you’ll prosper. With the right person and the right job, you’ll have both.”
??“...”
??Qi Chong paused, staring at Ah Le in a daze. After a long mont, it was as if sothing inside him had finally clicked—his spirit rekindled, his purpose clear. He broke into a grin, half-laughing, half-cursing.
??“You little rascal...”
??“Hey, if the Camp survives the Rainy Season and the Farmland keeps expanding, won’t my post outrank a Wild Wolf Gang Station Master by a mile?”
??“Way higher, for sure.”
??“And you’ll get promoted too, right?”
??“Heh heh.”
??Seeing Brother Qi finally cheer up, Ah Le grinned, looking both goofy and content.
??“Bringing honor to the clan by farming, glory to the ancestors by raising pigs—together, we’ll make our families proud.”
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