After leaving, Qin Haonan didn’t give the grandfather and grandson another thought. He just put his head down and hurried back toward Ren Yuanyang.
After racing for more than three hours, Qin Haonan finally made it back to the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region at eight-thirty in the evening.
"Boss, this banyan tree is growing so fast!"
Back under the banyan tree, Qin Haonan couldn’t help but exclaim as soon as he arrived.
"If it didn’t grow fast, how would it block the coming Level 7 storms?" Ren Yuanyang replied. "Go ahead and put the seeds and animals in the container first."
"You got it!" Qin Haonan immediately moved the seeds, along with the chickens, rabbits, and pigs, into the container under the banyan tree.
After moving everything, Qin Haonan went over to the other speedboat.
"Time to eat. We can talk while we eat!" Ren Yuanyang called out.
Qin Haonan immediately sat down at the table, picked up a bowl, and slurped down a mouthful of congee. "Ah, congee is so much better. Those rice balls are too hard to get down!"
"If any of the survivors out there heard you say that, they’d definitely beat you up!" Lu Jiamei replied with a smile.
Xin Wan nodded in agreement. "Other people can’t even get enough to eat, and here you are complaining about rice balls?"
"Hehe, that’s because I’m with the Boss! We never have to worry about food or drink!" Qin Haonan replied with a grin.
"You traveled through so many Second-level Wind Sea Regions. Did you find any plants?" Ren Yuanyang changed the subject.
"Only in the very last Second-level Wind Sea Region. I got two peach pits from a little kid!" Qin Haonan said, sounding a little helpless. "I came up empty in all the other areas."
"A little kid?" Ren Yuanyang, Lu Jiamei, and Xin Wan were all a bit surprised.
It was indeed surprising that a child could survive for so long in this environment.
"Yeah, probably only twelve or thirteen years old. But he had his grandfather with him on his raft," Qin Haonan explained.
"It’s better that they have each other for support." Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly, then replied irritably, "Still, you’re only what, two or three years older than him!"
"Two or three years is a huge gap!" Qin Haonan said with great seriousness.
The other three all rolled their eyes in unison.
"Boss, I have a good feeling about that kid. Should we consider recruiting some fresh blood?" Qin Haonan asked, ignoring their reactions.
Ren Yuanyang’s expression turned stern. "You didn’t expose our location to them, did you?"
"Of course not! I just thought he was a good kid. It’s up to you to decide if we should recruit him or not, Boss!" Qin Haonan replied immediately. "I left him a watermelon knife. Whether he can survive or not is up to him now!"
"How do you know he’s a good kid?" Lu Jiamei asked curiously.
"He’s a lot like me. Alert, resolute, and filial!" Qin Haonan replied.
"Are you evaluating him or praising yourself?" Xin Wan chuckled, covering her mouth.
"Let’s not think about it for now. We need to focus on developing our own base first," Ren Yuanyang said, shaking his head.
"Okay, Boss!" Qin Haonan agreed. "What’s our next move?"
"Farm the land, raise the chickens, and build up the base," Ren Yuanyang replied. "We won’t need to go out for a while."
The other three nodded.
"Boss, shouldn’t our base have a name?" Qin Haonan asked curiously.
Lu Jiamei and Xin Wan also looked at Ren Yuanyang. Having a name would give them a stronger sense of belonging.
Ren Yuanyang pondered for a moment before answering, "We’re in the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region, yet we have food, drink, and peace. It’s like a hidden paradise, a ’Peach Blossom Spring.’ Let’s just call it Peach Blossom Spring."
"Peach Blossom Base. The name really fits!" Xin Wan nodded.
"And I happened to get two peach pits today. When the time comes, we can plant a peach grove. It’ll be perfect for the name!" Qin Haonan laughed and added.
"The peach grove can wait. For now, go help Xin Wan husk the rice," Ren Yuanyang replied.
"You got it!"
After dinner, Ren Yuanyang brought all the completely dried rice stalks over to Xin Wan. He had only given her a portion last time; this time, he brought the rest.
"Haonan, after you finish husking the rice, get some rest. You’re on watch for the second half of the night," Ren Yuanyang instructed.
"No problem!" Qin Haonan agreed, then started husking the rice under Xin Wan’s guidance.
Lu Jiamei paddled a small boat, patrolling the area around the banyan tree.
Ren Yuanyang returned to the container and looked at the fluffy little chicks, the cute rabbits, and the chubby little pigs, feeling his heart melt at the sight.
’Which one should I enhance first?’ Ren Yuanyang wondered, looking at the six small animals before him, hesitating.
[Based on the host’s current Mental Energy, you can barely enhance one chick. You will fall into a deep sleep for a period of time after the enhancement.]
Hearing the system’s prompt, Ren Yuanyang felt a sense of resignation. "Well, that settles that. No need to agonize over the choice anymore!"
He first sent a message to Lu Jiamei, telling her to come over and feed the little animals when it was time, and only then did he begin the enhancement.
Ren Yuanyang reached out and touched a chick. His current Mental Energy couldn’t be projected outward, so he could only enhance things through direct contact.
[Female chick detected. Enhance?]
"Enhance growth speed!"
A sharp pain shot through Ren Yuanyang’s head, and he collapsed onto the nearby bed.
’Is enhancing animals this difficult?’
That was Ren Yuanyang’s last thought before he passed out.
The night was very calm, with only the wind gradually growing stronger.
「The next morning at eight, Ren Yuanyang slowly stirred awake.」
The moment he opened his eyes, he was met with three anxious faces.
"Boss, you’re awake!" Qin Haonan exclaimed, overjoyed.
Ren Yuanyang was taken aback, looking at them in confusion. "What are you all doing here?"
"When we called you for breakfast, you wouldn’t wake up no matter what. We didn’t know what happened, so we all came over!" Lu Jiamei explained.
Meeting their concerned gazes, Ren Yuanyang felt a warmth spread through his heart.
"I’m fine. I just used up a lot of Mental Energy last night and overslept a little!"
The other three nodded.
"Huh? This chick grew way too fast!"
Just then, Qin Haonan noticed that in the nearby cage, one of the chicks had already grown feathers, no longer looking like a fluffy ball of down.
But strangely, the other chick was still in its fledgling state.
Lu Jiamei and Xin Wan also noticed this strange phenomenon, but they immediately guessed it must have something to do with Ren Yuanyang.
"Isn’t it a good thing that it’s growing fast? This way, we’ll get to eat eggs and chicken sooner!" Ren Yuanyang retorted with a smile.
Qin Haonan paused for a moment, then nodded. "That’s true. The faster, the better. But I understand this world less and less. This chick is growing faster than one pumped full of hormones!"
"It’s not like we have any hormones to give it!" Ren Yuanyang replied with a laugh. "Let’s eat breakfast first."
The four of them walked out of the container together.
Ren Yuanyang was taken aback when he saw the state of the banyan tree outside. Many aerial roots were now hanging down from its branches, swaying gently in the breeze.
"It’s finally starting to expand!" Ren Yuanyang said with a smile. "Let’s eat quickly. We have a lot to do after breakfast!"

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