The wicked female is extremely fierce, but she's pampered by her seven beast husbands.

Chapter 68 The Start of the Trade
"You really are vindictive."

Chang Tianchen coughed a few times, his mouth full of blood, but he still had a smile on his face.

Ling Chengen pressed down slightly with his foot, his eyes darkening: "I'm not joking with you."

Chang Tianchen was struggling to breathe due to the pressure on his chest, but he finally caught his breath after her foot moved away: "Tell me about it."

"If you want me to be your beast husband, that's not impossible."

Ling Chengen's lips curled slightly as he plunged the bone blade into the side of his neck: "You think you're worthy?"

"If that useless fox can do it, why can't I?"

Seeing her disdainful expression, Chang Tianchen felt indignant.

Ling Chengen looked down at him as if he were a dead man: "You are not qualified to compare yourself to him. Whether he is useful or not is not up to you to decide."

"I'm giving you two choices. First, from now on you must follow my arrangements, you cannot betray me, you cannot disobey me, and you have no right to say no."

"What about the second option?"

“Now, die,” Ling Chengen replied calmly.

Chang Tianchen: "Then there's only one choice."

Ling Chengen: "So you chose the first one?"

Chang Tianchen placed his left hand on her ankle and gently stroked it with his fingertips: "I can listen to you."

"But you must cure the aftereffects of my bloodline reversion."

Ling Chengen kicked his wrist away, flipped over and jumped down from the tree trunk, and pulled out the bone blade from the side of his neck.

The moment the bone blade was drawn, its sharp edge sliced ​​through the skin on his neck.

It didn't kill him, only leaving a very thin line of blood on his neck.

She slapped the bone blade against his chest with her other hand, pinched his chin, and looked down intently into his constricted pupils: "This is a return gift."

"Let me give you one more piece of advice."

"If you dare to lay a finger on my man, I'll twist your head off."

"Take care of yourself."

Ling Chengen looked at Chongzhen and Ling Xiao standing not far away, wiped the blood beads on his cheek with the back of his hand, and took the lead in walking towards them.

Seeing the deep look in her eyes, Chongzhen quickly raised his hand and explained, "I can explain."

Ling Chengen: "Aren't you going to the Hanshan Tribe? You go first."

Chongzhen looked at the chaotic giant pine forest in front of him, awkwardly touched the tip of his nose, and secretly glanced at Lingxiao.

Ling Xiao said with a stern face, "You go ahead and do your work."

Upon receiving Ling Xiao's words, Chong Zhen immediately turned and left.

As for Chang Tianchen, who was pinned to the ground by the giant pine trunk, Chongzhen rolled her eyes at him fiercely.

Live it!

This guy is completely insane. He's asking for help to treat his injury, but he doesn't have the slightest bit of humility when asking for help.

He deserved to be beaten half to death.

This time, Ling Xiao ignored Chang Tianchen lying on the ground and walked back with Ling Chengen. After looking at her for a while with a puzzled expression, he asked, "How did you do that?"

"A method was used that can boost strength in a short time."

Ling Xiao frowned and asked, "Will it affect your health?"

"It doesn't have much of an effect on the body, but I can't use up my superpowers any longer, as using them will also accelerate the depletion of my stamina."

Ling Xiao breathed a sigh of relief: "I don't know where you got this secret technique, but generally, secret techniques that quickly enhance superpowers will affect the body and foundation to some extent. Chang Tianchen's current state, neither human nor beast, is the result of using a special secret technique to squeeze out superpowers. You'd better take this as a warning."

"I know."

Ling Chengen couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't have to use this method again in the future.

Because her current strength is not the top level on this continent, if she wants to protect those around her when facing a more powerful enemy, she will inevitably have to pay a price.

"Won't Father scold me for resorting to violence this time?"

Ling Xiao turned his head to look at his eldest daughter, who was only about shoulder height, and shook his head, saying, "What's there to scold? I punished you yesterday to make you realize the situation and not act impulsively or take your life for granted."

“I’ve watched you grow up since you were little. You’re stubborn, but you’re not stupid.”

Ling Chengen didn't ask any more questions and started talking about the border trade with him, without paying any more attention to whether the seriously injured Chang Tianchen could climb back to Poison Valley on his own.

……

When Chongzhen arrived at the Hanshan tribe, he learned that Bai Qingyu had fought with Chang Tianchen the night before, and her body, which was almost recovered, was now seriously injured and she was lying at home unable to move.

He squatted down beside Bai Qingyu's bed, looking at his immobilized left leg, and sighed, "Why is Chang Tianchen like a mad dog, biting anyone he sees? I thought I was already in trouble today because he stopped me, but seeing all your injuries..."

He suddenly stopped feeling like the biggest victim.

Bai Qingyu, severely injured, had lost his usual gentleness and said impatiently, "So what? You came all the way from the Stone Forest to see me make a fool of myself?"

“Not really.” Chongzhen moved a small wooden stool and sat down next to him, pointing to the bunches of dried flowers hanging on the wall. “I came to exchange some lavender with you.”

Bai Qingyu was feeling unwell and didn't want to talk much: "Take it if you need it. We can harvest this year's lavender in a few months, and we'll have to throw these away then."

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen immediately perked up: "You don't want any of them? Then I'll take them all."

Seeing him get up, Bai Qingyu brought in two baskets from outside and asked in confusion, "What do you need these dried flowers for?"

"It's to repel insects." Chongzhen stood by the wall picking up dried flowers and explained without turning her head, "Our young clan leader Ling slept in Xiaoxi's cave last night and developed a lot of red rashes on his body. The shaman confirmed that he was bitten by fleas."

"Yu Shaochen asked me to find some lavender, but it's not lavender blooming season yet. So I just remembered that when I came to your place yesterday to discuss cooperation, I happened to see that your house was full of these dried flowers, so I thought I'd come and get some to use as insect repellent for her."

Upon hearing Chongzhen mention Ling Chengen, Bai Qingyu's attention finally shifted to Chongzhen.

"These dried flowers can indeed repel insects, but the effect isn't as good as you might think."

"To achieve the best results, it needs to be combined with rosemary and cypress leaves."

Bai Qingyu lay on the bed and thought for a while: "There's another way. Go and dig up a few parasitic plants. There are some in the Poison Valley."

"Plant the parasitic plant in a stone pot and move it into a cave. The leaves of this plant secrete a sticky substance that attracts most insects, including fleas and ants. After about an hour, burn the parasitic plant."

"Cordyceps?"

"What does it look like?" Chongzhen felt that Ling Xiaoxi should need this thing the most.

However, this plant grows in the Poison Valley... Chang Tianchen has been entrenched there recently. If he goes to his territory to dig up the plant now, will that mad dog take it as a provocation?
Never mind, let's just carry the lavender back first.

Chongzhen practically plundered all the dried lavender flowers from Bai Qingyu's place, then brazenly strolled out of the main gate of the Hanshan tribe, carrying two heavy baskets of dried flowers.

Bai Xi descended from the sky and stopped directly at the entrance of Bai Qingyu's cave. Standing on the high ground, she watched the flamboyant figure walk away before turning around and entering the cave. Looking at Bai Qingyu, who was lying half-dead on the bed, she sighed and said, "That fox came here asking for something, and you just gave it to him like that?" "It wasn't for his use."

Bai Xi instantly understood, threw the herb, *Dipsacus asper*, at him, and said with exasperation, "Ling Chengen wants to use it, right? Couldn't you have waited until you were better before sending it to him? You're using your flowers to get Chong Zhen to fawn over you. You call yourself a smart person from Hanshan? Why is your brain not working properly now?"

“I could wait until I’m fully recovered before sending it, but by then she might not need it anymore,” Bai Qingyu said with a wry smile.

"Hurry up and eat the Broken Heart Grass." Bai Xi sighed with a sour face, "Isn't your luck this month a bit ridiculously bad? You only broke a few ribs, but every time you're about to heal, all sorts of weird things happen that make your injuries worse."

"Why don't you take some time to go and perform the ritual, worship the Beast God, and get rid of the bad luck!"

Bai Qingyu also suspected that she was having bad luck this month.

"That Chang Tianchen." Bai Xi sat on the wooden stump where Chong Zhen had just sat, crossed her arms and resting them on her knees, and said somewhat dejectedly, "Father doesn't allow my brother and me to cause him any trouble, so... it's not that we don't care about our brotherhood, you can avenge this beating yourself later."

Bai Qingyu was not surprised by the result and simply nodded to indicate that she understood.

"When I came back, I saw him heading towards Poison Valley alone, but he was seriously injured."

Bai Qingyu lifted her eyelids and asked, "Who did this?"

"Who else could it be?" Bai Xi scoffed. "That little tiger cub you've been longing for!"

"I didn't see everything. On the way back from finding the herbs, I passed by the giant pine forest at the foot of the mountain. I saw Chongzhen and Ling Xiao standing to the side in the distance. Ling Chengen was pressing the seriously injured Chang Tianchen under a tree and talking to him."

"Thinking about it this way, she actually got revenge for you."

Bai Qingyu recalled what Chongzhen had said when she came in, and lowered her eyes to hide her emotions: "She wasn't avenging me, she was avenging Chongzhen."

"Chang Tianchen provoked Chongzhen today, which is why she made her move."

Yesterday she was at a disadvantage in her fight with Chang Tianchen, but today, in order to avenge Chongzhen, she somehow managed to beat up Chang Tianchen, who was stronger than her...

No matter how he thought about the cause-and-effect relationship, he couldn't feel happy about it.

She's so good to Chongzhen.

He just couldn't understand how a person's feelings could change so drastically in just a few days.

Hearing him say that, Bai Xi felt even more sorry for her unlucky younger brother: "Then even if you want to be her beastly husband now, it's probably too late."

"Do you think it will work if Father goes to talk to Ling Xiao?"

Bai Qingyu wasn't sure either: "I don't know."

Bai Xi: "If I get rejected, tsk."

He couldn't even imagine how lively the two tribes would become next.

"I can't go to the trade fair this month." Bai Qingyu didn't want to think about these unsettling things for the time being, and immediately got down to business, "You lead the team."

“My older brother is actually more suitable than me,” Bai Xi said.

Bai Qingyu shook his head and said, "He's leading a team to find the salt lake, so he might not be able to get back before the team sets off. Even if he does, he'll be traveling for several days straight, and his physical strength and energy won't be at their best. If he encounters trouble on the road, he might not be able to handle it well."

Bai Xi wasn't very confident about this, mainly because he was usually carefree and easygoing. He had fighting ability, but he wasn't very good at managing tribes and teams.

"Can I do this?"

"It has to be done, no matter what." Bai Qingyu stared straight at him. "If I go to Shilin, who will help Father manage Hanshan?"

Bai Xi said sourly, "Your relationship with Ling Chengen is still far from settled, yet you're so far-sighted!"

Bai Qingyu: "No matter what, you have to step up."

"In the future, if either you or your older brother is injured in an accident like I was, the other one has to step up."

Bai Xi said with a worried look, "You make it sound so easy. If it were just about the supplies and the team in Hanshan, it would be easy for me to lead them. After all, I know all the temperaments of the orcs in the tribe."

"But this time there are people from Shilin as well."

“The people of Shilin won’t listen to my orders, and I can’t handle relationships with everyone as smoothly as you do. If I cause trouble, I’m not sure I can resolve it.”

"Listen to Ling Chengen, but don't forget to look after our own people, that's all."

Bai Xi looked at him speechlessly: "..." This brat is really offering himself up for free!
"Okay, okay, I understand."

"Second brother, you're well-informed. This time, inquire more about the southern border trade market and the situation of the tribes there."

Seeing his expression suddenly turn serious, Bai Xi asked in confusion, "Why are you asking about those scumbags?"

"The price of rock salt has been rising little by little during these recent trade fairs."

"It actually started last year. At first, the price increase was not obvious, but by the end of last year, the price of rock salt had doubled compared to the beginning of the year."

"Only three months into the year, the price of rock salt has already doubled."

Bai Qingyu said in a deep voice, "I suspect that the tribes in the south are intentionally controlling the price of salt. They must be planning something. We should gather more information; it won't hurt."

Bai Xi said, "If nothing unexpected happens on this trip, Brother, we should be able to find the salt lake. Then we will control the salt market in the Central Border Trade Zone, and the salt stones... they will be stuck with them."

Bai Qingyu had her doubts, but she hadn't received any further confirmation yet, so she couldn't say anything directly.

But the matter of the salt lake must be kept tightly under wraps until they have obtained enough salt.

Otherwise, war might break out between central and southern Taiwan.

……

The morning we set off for the border market was overcast.

Chongzhen sat next to Ling Chengen, her face clouded with worry as she looked up at the sky. She whispered anxiously, "Will it rain heavily on the road? Will the trade market still be able to operate?"

"It won't rain heavily, it'll only drizzle today." Ling Chengen leaned against the stone wall behind him, bending one leg, trying on the straw sandals that Yu Shaochen had just made.

Actually, straw sandals are quite common in the tribe, but she often goes out and occasionally transforms into animal form, so she easily loses her shoes. Over time, she rarely wears shoes anymore.

Moreover, straw sandals are not comfortable to wear.

However, the straw sandals that Yu Shaochen made this time were a little different.

Ling Chengen looked at the crushed sole of the shoe. Although it was thick and looked like a wooden sole, it was not actually that hard when worn and was quite comfortable to step on.

Yu Shaochen didn't make any fancy shoe uppers; he simply focused all his efforts on the soles and made slippers similar to wooden clogs.

Wearing them regularly won't restrict your movement or jumping.

Chongzhen, holding the bamboo basket in his arms, watched her occasionally shake her slippers and sighed, "Just because he gave you a pair of slippers, you're making me help him sell all these shoes?"

"What if I can't sell them?" Chongzhen said with a bitter face.

Ling Chengen turned to look at his weak protest and said with a smile, "I don't think you're that useless! No one is better at bluffing than you, so you have to believe in yourself, you can do it!"

Chongzhen stared at her, his face full of black lines: "..."

He thought, Damn!

(End of this chapter)