Li Ba, a graduate of Huaxia Agricultural University, was the sales manager at a well-known seed company in Wucheng before the apocalypse. When the apocalypse struck and order collapsed, the naturally timid Li Ba faced life-and-death situations and managed to scrape by and survive. By chance, he set aside the rules of post-apocalyptic survival to save a grandfather and his granddaughter, and in return, he received a magical bracelet. The bracelet contained a universe within—a plot of land, a stone trough brimming with spring water, and a Tower—all of which opened up a mysterious realm for him. What to do when food runs out? “My Fengshou Group has mountains of grain—I’ll trade it for crystal cores and jade!” Li Ba declared arrogantly. What to do when zombies attack the city? “The mutated plants cultivated by ‘Lord Ba’ can withstand a tide of a million zombies!” Li Ba said with absolute confidence. What if you’re not an Evolver and someone challenges you to a one-on-one duel? “I’ve got talismanic soldiers guarding me. Anyone who dares challenge me will get beaten so badly, even their own mother won’t recognize them!” said Li Ba, his bald head revealing a menacing expression as he spoke viciously. Using the mysterious space and his expertise, Li Ba cultivated crops and tended fields, determined to become a major farmer in the world of *Horse Herding* and pursue a happy life in the post-apocalyptic world.
Chapter 45: Calming
the Storm “Han Xue！” That slender silhouette, with long, jet-black hair as smooth as silk cascading over her shoulders. Li Ba recognized her the moment he laid eyes on her. The sound of clapping filled the air. Ning Chunming’s anger vanished, replaced by a broad smile as he walked over. “I was wondering who it could be—it turns out to be our very own beauty, Han Xue.” Han Xue remained expressionless and snorted coldly, “Even if Li Chao did something wrong, there’s no need for you, Deputy Captain Ning, to intervene… I’ll handle my own people myself.” “Of course, of course. I acted rashly. I’ll definitely do better next time.” In the presence of this beauty, Ning Chunming adopted a very humble demeanor, repeatedly apologizing in a tone that bordered on flattery. “Manager Li, are you okay?” Another short-haired beauty appeared. She walked over to Li Ba’s side and helped him to his feet. “Qianqian, I’m fine.” Li Ba smiled and nodded at her. In reality, his right arm was throbbing with pain; he suspected Li Chao’s punch had damaged the bone. “Axue, that fat pig Li actually dared to hit me…” Over on the other side, Li Chao had taken a tumble but wasn’t seriously injured. He fully understood what had happened—if Han Xue hadn’t intervened, even if he’d managed to kill Li Ba, he himself would certainly have lost his life. Now, seeing Han Xue was like seeing a long-lost relative, and he staggered over to tattle on Li Ba. “Shut up!” Unexpectedly, Han Xue’s expression turned icy as she snapped, “Li Chao, I’m warning you in my capacity as Deputy Commander of the Evolver Brigade: starting today, if you dare to come to this shop and cause trouble again, you’ll be dealt with under military law—and you’ll face severe punishment without exception!” Li Chao froze upon hearing this. Then it dawned on him—she must have arrived long ago and knew what had happened earlier, which was why she was issuing such a stern warning. Feeling he was in the wrong, Li Chao—despite having taken a beating—didn’t dare say another word. He led Xue Lin and the others away, slinking off in shame. “That’s all. Everyone, disperse!” Ning Chunming waved his hand. The public security officers immediately left. There was nothing left for them to do here. “Zhao Shoudong。” Just as Zhao Shoudong was turning to leave, Ning Chunming called him back and said in a matter-of-fact tone, “This isn’t your jurisdiction. I hope… this is the last time. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Zhao Shoudong’s face darkened, but he said nothing more; he simply signaled his men to leave. The commotion had subsided. Li Ba was grateful to Ning Chunming for stepping in and enforcing the law fairly, and he thanked him repeatedly. In reality, the person he should be most grateful to was Han Xue. If she hadn’t intervened in time, Li Chao’s lethal punch would have certainly cost him his life. A Level 1 Power Evolver, though at the bottom of the Evolver hierarchy, was still no match for Li Ba! Feeling a pang of guilt, Li Ba ignored Han Xue and instead expressed his gratitude to Ding Qianqian. He credited all the success to this beautiful woman. With the trouble resolved, business resumed as usual. Outside the store, a long line quickly formed again. To thank these neighbors for standing up for him, Li Ba announced that he would once again increase the discounts and special offers, which immediately drew a burst of cheers. His right arm was injured and severely swollen. Yan'er noticed this and immediately ran back to the Villa to fetch some red flower oil, which she used to rub on her Uncle Li’s arm. After moving his limbs a bit, he confirmed his right arm wasn’t broken. However, the pain was excruciating—the injury was quite severe. Li Ba didn’t pay it much mind; with the Space Spirit Spring to heal him, he believed a few sips would be enough for a quick recovery. Li Ba’s dismissive attitude left Han Xue feeling somewhat awkward. She had originally planned to turn around and leave, but when she spotted a basket of fresh bean sprouts displayed at the entrance of the supply store, her gaze was immediately drawn to them, and she walked over to take a closer look. She picked up a handful of bean sprouts and gave them a sniff. There was no smell of chemical fertilizers or hormones—they were definitely all-natural. Han Xue looked surprised. She was not only the deputy captain of the Xibu Official Evolver Brigade but also served as the deputy director of the Research Institute, where she was primarily responsible for crop cultivation and breeding. Xibu’s drinking water comes from underground hot springs; while safe to drink, it is unsuitable for irrigating crops. At the Research Institute, there are numerous experimental greenhouses, all of which use purified and filtered hot spring water for irrigation. Although crops can be grown this way, they don’t thrive, and yields are very low. The Research Institute has long been engaged in sprouting bean sprouts. For a settlement with a population of nearly 50,000, the daily demand for vegetables is enormous. Bean sprouts are easy to sprout and have a pleasant texture, making them one of the most popular vegetable varieties. Han Xue’s project involves sprouting bean sprouts to supply vegetables to the settlement’s officials. She uses evolved, filtered hot spring water for the process and adds chemical fertilizers and hormones, yet the bean sprouts she cultivates aren’t as good as the ones grown here. She couldn’t help but be surprised. “Wow! Manager Li actually managed to grow such excellent bean sprouts!” Ding Qianqian also looked utterly astonished. Like Han Xue, she was a top student at Huaxia Agricultural University and, as it turned out, a junior to Li Ba. She was well-versed in agricultural technology. “No chemical fertilizers or hormones, no soaking in nutrient solutions…” Ding Qianqian also grabbed a handful of bean sprouts, held them to her nose to smell them, and immediately reached a conclusion. As their eyes met, both beautiful women wore expressions of disbelief. “I’ll go ask Manager Li.” Ding Qianqian turned and walked toward Li Ba. Han Xue hesitated for a moment, then followed suit. If possible, she would have preferred to have absolutely nothing to do with that fat slob. But when it came to agricultural technology and academia, she was just as fascinated as Ding Qianqian. Li Ba was sitting over by the food stalls, chatting idly with Ning Chunming. Zhou Yan and Yan'er stood on either side of him, massaging the wound on his arm with medicated oil to reduce swelling and disperse bruising. “Man, you’ve got some tough bones!” Ning Chunming praised. As an Evolver, he was well aware of the power behind Li Chao’s furious punch. For anyone else, that arm would have been ruined long ago. Yet Li Ba seemed to have suffered only superficial injuries. “I’m a big guy with thick fat—I can take a beating!” Li Ba replied offhandedly. Of course, that could very well be part of the reason. But the key factor was that his physical constitution had improved from long-term consumption of the Spatial Spirit Spring. Although he didn’t possess five times the strength of an ordinary person like Li Chao, he was probably about two or three times as strong. He might not be a match for Li Chao, but withstanding a single punch was no problem. “Deputy Team Leader Ning, we really owe it to you this time,” Zhou Yan said, casting a grateful glance at Ning Chunming. Ning Chunming laughed heartily and replied, “If anyone deserves thanks, it’s me who should thank you first, Sister Zhou.” A few days earlier, he had obtained a batch of mutated sweet potatoes from Zhou Yan. Thanks to them, his strength had increased, and he had become a Level 2 Evolver. Although it had been a mutual exchange at the time, he could tell that Zhou Yan hadn’t awakened any abilities, whereas he had genuinely benefited from the deal. Therefore, he felt indebted to her, and that was precisely why he’d gone out of his way to save face for her while handling today’s situation. “Manager Li.” Just then, Ding Qianqian walked over briskly and asked right away, “Did you use soil or water to grow those bean sprouts?” “Water-soaked,” Li Ba replied with a smile. He knew full well that Ding Qianqian had taken a keen interest in the bean sprouts he’d prepared. Like him, she was a graduate of Huaxia Agricultural University, specializing in soil science, and possessed a strong grasp of agricultural techniques. “That’s impossible!” Ding Qianqian looked utterly shocked. According to her professional knowledge, the germination and growth of plant seeds require conditions such as light, temperature, moisture, oxygen, and nutrients. Water lacks sufficient oxygen and nutrients, whereas soil provides these factors very well. Therefore, although bean sprouts can grow for a certain period in water, their growth rate is slower compared to when grown in soil. She reasoned that the quality of the bean sprouts Li Ba had cultivated must have come from soil-grown sprouts. Little did she expect the situation to be exactly the opposite. “No chemical fertilizers or hormones, no soaking in nutrient solutions… Given Xibu’s current soil conditions and climate, it’s absolutely impossible to grow bean sprouts this good!” The speaker was Han Xue. She had followed them over and happened to overhear the conversation between Li Ba and Ding Qianqian, so she couldn’t help but object. When Li Ba saw it was her, he rolled his eyes and snapped, “You majored in plant pathology—you don’t know a damn thing!” Han Xue was so infuriated by this that she nearly lost her temper. But driven by curiosity, she managed to hold it in. “Manager Li, come on, tell us. Let us learn something too,” Ding Qianqian said, tugging on Li Ba’s arm and acting coy. Zhou Yan, who was applying ointment to Li Ba’s other arm, felt a twinge of jealousy upon seeing this. Li Ba looked smug as he grinned at Ding Qianqian. “There’s someone here today I can’t stand, so I won’t go into detail… Another time. Come over, and we’ll have a good chat about this subject.” As he said this, he shot Han Xue a sidelong glance. He was practically saying right then and there that Han Xue was the person he couldn’t stand. Han Xue was so furious she was trembling all over. She flung her long hair back and stormed off, unwilling to spare that fatso another glance. “Axue! Seeing Han Xue storm off, Ding Qianqian called out a few times and hurried after her. “Qianqian, don’t rush off… pick up a few jin of bean sprouts to take home—they’re great for your skin!” Li Ba bellowed at the top of his lungs. He also ordered Zhou Yan to pack a few jin of bean sprouts for Ding Qianqian to take home. Zhou Yan was a bit reluctant, but she still did as he asked. “In the Western Settlement, you’re the first person ever, brother, to dare to snub the renowned Frost Goddess Han Xue like that!” After Han Xue and Ding Qianqian had walked away, Ning Chunming gave Li Ba a thumbs-up, his face brimming with admiration.
