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

Chapter 69 The Mysterious Snake
The breeze on an April morning is refreshing, with a slight chill in the air.

Chongzhen looked towards the northeast, his face clouded with worry, and said, "Bai Xu won't be back this morning, will he? The team is about to set off."

Ling Chengen, feeling utterly bored, twirled the end of Chong Zhen's hair with his fingertip and said indifferently, "I don't know either. I don't know Bai Xu."

Chongzhen glanced back at her, completely ignoring her playing with her hair, and said while holding the bamboo basket, "You really are..."

“Really what?” Ling Chengen suddenly looked up at him, raising an eyebrow and waiting for his next sentence.

"When you were pursuing Bai Qingyu, didn't you know how to take a roundabout approach? You could have also tried to win over his family, and maybe you would have already won the heart of your beloved by now."

"Even though I live so far away, I've heard a lot about Bai Xu. He's known for being honest, kind, and a pushover."

Ling Chengen raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder, then sneered, "Who can compare to you? I think you and Bai Xi, that gossip prince, could form a group and debut as the all-knowing scholar of the martial arts world."

After hearing her explanation, Chongzhen was completely confused: "What is 'Gossip Prince'? What does 'debuting as a group' mean? And does 'know-it-all' mean someone with excellent information?"

Ling Chengen glanced at him and chuckled, "You're so smart, take your time guessing."

"I hope they have a safe journey."

Chongzhen watched as the warriors of the Yaoluo tribe unloaded all the supplies they were carrying and neatly tied them up with vines. The brown-haired youth at the head of the group, holding an animal hide, walked towards the two of them.

"Young clan leader, all the supplies for the trade market have been delivered. Here is the list." The short-haired youth handed over the animal hides in his hand.

Chongzhen unfolded the animal hide, looked at the various symbols drawn on it with black bamboo charcoal, carefully counted them, and nodded, saying, "Arrange for two more people familiar with the supplies to stay behind, and let the others go back first."

Ling Chengen peered at the scribbles on the animal hide in his hand and asked in confusion, "This is all messed up. How did you figure out how many supplies there are?"

Seeing her curiosity, Chongzhen explained, "These are some symbols that are commonly used within our tribe. I noticed that you in Shilin mostly communicate verbally and don't have your own set of symbols used within your tribe. I feel that having common symbols makes it easier to exchange information, so most people in Yaoluo know what these symbols mean."

Ling Chengen stared at him in shock, speechless for a long time.

It must be said that Chongzhen is indeed an extremely rare talent.

They realized the importance of written language very early on.

Although the Yaoluo tribe is small, it has already shown a pioneering spirit in many aspects.

First came the transplantation of bare grass, then the general symbols.

He was a native of the beast world, and had never been exposed to information from civilized society. It was very rare for him to have such awareness. Even if she hadn't transmigrated to this world, he would have become a pioneer in certain aspects by relying on his sensitivity to various information and his pursuit of convenience in life.

Foxes are really smart.

It's no wonder she has such a stereotype about foxes.

Ling Chengen wanted to say something more, but then he noticed that the young man from the Yaoluo tribe who had just spoken was still standing in front of him. He looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

Realizing something, Chongzhen broke the silence by speaking up: "This is Gangfeng. He used to be my companion, and now he should be assisting my father. He is a giant bow beastman."

Ling Chengen was puzzled for a moment, but the system in her mind quickly gave her a brief explanation.

In her world, the giant bow-beast was an extinct ancient creature of the family Gyrobeastidae during the mid-Miocene. It resembled a llama in appearance but stood on its hind legs, had four fingers on its forepaws, fed on tree branches and tender leaves, and was about two meters long.

The beast form of the young man before her should be the Giant Bow Beast, an ancient creature that had long been extinct in her world.

The system also directly pulled out a model image from her mental domain.

The system said, "I knew you hadn't studied paleontology. There are also giant bow beastmen in interstellar space. This photo shows their leader."

Ling Chengen wasn't interested in interstellar orcs, since she couldn't go to interstellar space anyway.

However, it did serve as a small introduction to basic knowledge.

Seeing that Gang Feng was staring at her, Ling Chengen nodded slightly to him: "Hello, why are you staring at me like that?"

Gangfeng slowly shook his head, turned to look at Chongzhen beside him, and asked in a low voice, "Can I borrow the young clan leader for a little while?"

Ling Chengen looked puzzled: "If you want to talk to him alone, then go ahead. Why are you asking me?"

Chongzhen is not her possession.

Gangfeng breathed a sigh of relief without making it obvious, picked up the bamboo basket in Chongzhen's arms and moved it aside, then pulled him by the arm and walked towards a deserted corner.

Reaching the corner, Chongzhen pulled away from Gangfeng's hand, frowning as she said, "No, can't you say what you want to say to my face?"

Gang Feng stubbornly shook his head: "No, we can't say that in front of Young Master Ling."

"Alright, stop being so mysterious. Just say what you want to say."

Chongzhen sighed helplessly. In fact, such a short distance was meaningless, because Ling Chengen's cheat-like superpower could easily detect the content of their conversation. However, it was better not to tell his friends about this for the time being.

Gangfeng lowered his voice and asked, "How did things go for you in the Stone Forest? You brought those potatoes back to the tribe, had a long chat with the chieftain, and then rushed off to the Stone Forest. I couldn't catch up with you."

"They didn't mistreat you, did they? Did they make you do heavy work every day before your injury had healed?"

Chongzhen chuckled: "If Ling Chengen really treats me like this, what are you planning to do?"

"Then the engagement must be called off! It absolutely must be!"

“It’s one thing for her to heal you, but we can offer her prey, or anything else they want. They also want to grow potatoes, and we can help that too. We have many earth-type ability warriors, so they’ll definitely be useful. Although we lost, I’ve heard that Ling Xiao is actually a reasonable person. We can promise more prey to get you back.”

"The people in the tribe all hope that you can live a good life, and that you won't always suffer without saying a word."

After listening to him finish speaking, Chongzhen lowered her head and chuckled softly, gently rubbing the corner of her eye with her fingertips to wipe away the tear without leaving a trace: "What kind of suffering can I endure? The greatest suffering I've ever experienced was the serious injury I suffered recently."

"Ling Chengen is a very good partner; she's actually a very nice person."

"Besides, I get along well with her," Chongzhen replied sincerely.

Gangfeng: "Really?"

Chongzhen felt a warmth in her heart and patted Gangfeng on the shoulder: "I'm very smart. When have you ever seen me suffer a great loss? Winning over females is a piece of cake for me."

“Don’t worry, don’t worry~”

Chongzhen didn't dare say that he was currently just a figurehead beast-father, and might remain so in the future, or even... be removed from the list.

But it's okay, we'll deal with the future later.

Gangfeng grew up with him and knew his character all too well: "The more you say that, the less reassured I am."

"You actually have no experience at all, right? You two haven't actually been together yet?"

Chongzhen: "..."

Gangfeng sighed and said, "I'll teach you when you have time."

He's in a relationship now, so he can offer advice to Chongzhen.

He's an expert at appeasing his partner.

Chongzhen said blankly, "No, no need! I don't need it."

Gangfeng patted him on the shoulder knowingly, knowing he didn't want others to know about this embarrassing thing, and nodded: "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Seeing Gangfeng's serious disregard for what he said, Shigema felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

He had no doubt that if he dared to coax Ling Chengen into doing something indescribable right now, that guy could strangle him with one hand.

...After Bai Xi led Han Shan's men to the Stone Forest, Ling Chengen, no longer bored, helped the team secure the goods to the backs of those large crane-clan beastmen.

"There's a lot of cargo this time, so we might need to stop twice along the way." After Bai Xi finished her work, she pulled Ling Chengen, who was still helping with loading, aside to bring up the matter of taking a break along the way.

Ling Chengen nodded slightly and said, "That's no problem."

"You specifically mentioned this because..."

Bai Xi focused her gaze and said, "When we rest along the way, we must be vigilant and strengthen the defense of the cargo. This is something A Yu has repeatedly told us."

Ling Chengen: "About the wandering orcs intercepting the goods?"

“Yes.” Bai Xi nodded seriously. “After A Yu mentioned this, I specifically went to ask other small beastmen about it. Not only was the Yaoluo tribe robbed a few months ago, but at least a dozen small tribes participating in the trade market were also robbed.”

"Some supplies were scarce, so the wandering orcs bought them all up."

"Some people choose to take the more valuable items with them and throw the rest away."

“Even a medium-sized tribe, roughly the same size as your Stone Forest tribe, was robbed.”

This time, Ling Chengen didn't give a perfunctory answer, but replied seriously, "I understand."

"Leave the work of guarding and protecting supplies during the break to me; you don't need to worry too much."

“Then let’s set off,” Bai Xi said.

Ling Chengen jumped onto his back, and Chongzhen followed closely behind, landing on Bai Xi's back.

Bai Xi turned around and said in a low voice, "You're a bit heavy!"

Chongzhen chuckled and said, "Is it possible that you're physically weak?"

Bai Xi: "...I think you want to fall off halfway."

Seeing this, Ling Chengen immediately stepped in front of Chong Zhen and turned Bai Xi's head back: "Take off! Don't waste time!"

Bai Xi snorted coldly and was just about to flap his wings and leave when a black shadow suddenly landed on him, startling the downy feathers on his neck that stood on end.

Ling Chengen looked at Chang Tianchen, who had landed beside her, and asked blankly, "What are you doing here?"

"Protect you closely."

Chang Tianchen reached out and hooked his arm around her waist, the snake tail slowly encircling the spot where she was sitting: "Didn't you let me choose before? I'm yours now, of course I have to follow you."

Ling Chengen: "Get lost, you're too big for Bai Xi to handle."

Chang Tianchen lifted his tail and swept Chongzhen behind him to the ground. He stared at Ling Chengen and raised his head slightly, saying, "Alright, I've helped him lighten his load."

Chongzhen flipped over and landed smoothly, then looked up and cursed, "Are you crazy? You didn't even say hello before sweeping me down!"

Chang Tianchen lowered his eyes, looking down at him condescendingly: "Do you know what it means to occupy a toilet without using it?"

"You can't even protect her, yet you want to stand by her side?"

Ling Chengen didn't want to argue with this lunatic, so he said to Chongzhen, "Go to the back."

"Shut up, or get out of here."

Ling Chengen pointed at Chang Tianchen's nose and solemnly warned him not to test her patience any further.

Chang Tianchen immediately released his arm around her waist and sat down directly behind her.

Bai Xi gritted her teeth in anger: "Did any of you ask for my opinion?"

"Chang Tianchen, you get the hell out of here—"

I just beat up his brother, and now he wants to ride him? Dream on!

If you're so capable, swim along to the border trade market.

Chang Tianchen wrapped his tail around his neck: "Please say it again."

Bai Xi was furious and turned to look at Ling Chengen: "You picked up a stray dog, didn't you leash it?"

Ling Chengen elbowed Chang Tianchen in the abs, kicked away the tail that was wrapped around Bai Xi's neck, and said coldly, "Go!"

Chang Tianchen's abdominal injury hadn't fully healed. After being elbowed, he bent over slightly and groaned. Then, as if they were old friends, he rested his chin on Ling Chengen's shoulder and said in a slightly hoarse voice in her ear, "Still so ruthless, don't you know how to be gentle with women?"

"Tenderness and pity for women?" Ling Chengen sneered. "May I ask which word you're associated with?"

Chang Tianchen watched Bai Xi holding her breath, then flew the two of them into the sky before smiling and replying, "It smells good."

"What, do I smell bad?"

Ling Chengen pushed the head off his shoulder, frowning and saying with disdain, "Keep your distance from me!"

"Do you think I'll get agitated by your scent again? Besides, you're still in your breeding season, aren't you afraid of being taken advantage of by a female snake passing by, just by spreading your scent all the way here?"

Chang Tianchen's pupils narrowed slightly, and he said in a dangerous tone, "No female snake dares to approach me."

"Why do you think I was expelled from the Snake Mountain tribe?"

"They killed their clansmen?" Ling Chengen had heard something about it.

Bai Xi sneered, "You're quite proud of yourself. Is killing a young female of your own kind something to brag about?"

“She was courting death.” Chang Tianchen’s smile gradually disappeared, and he said in a cold tone, “She took advantage of my unstable physical condition, deliberately used drugs to induce my reproductive period to come early, and even tried to force me to be her lover… Killing her is too lenient for her.”

Bai Xi: "Pervert!"

Ling Chengen: "Killing her would be letting her off too easily, wouldn't it?"

Chang Tianchen reached out and gently brushed the back of his hand against her chin. He looked particularly damp and sticky, and his tone was unusually ambiguous: "I'm afraid you'll think I'm too cruel, so... it's better not to say."

Ling Chengen slapped his hand away: "I've been tolerant enough of you. Try touching me again and see what happens!"

She tilted her head slightly, her sharp gaze landing on his face, her eyes already blazing with anger.

“I’m trying to restrain myself.” Chang Tianchen sighed deeply. “I am indeed still in my breeding season. Leaving the Poison Valley, my body reacts strongly and will instinctively move closer to you. And you should have heard that snakes are inherently lustful. Although I am a beastman, there are some instincts that I cannot completely control.”

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. Just smelling your scent is enough to relieve my discomfort."

Ling Chengen was completely numb; everyone treated her like catnip.

"You'd better keep your word."

Chang Tianchen leaned close to the back of her neck, took a deep breath, and like a forest cat inhaling catnip, a hint of relaxation finally appeared on his eerie and dangerous face.

Ling Chengen suppressed his throbbing fist, ignored the freakish Chang Tianchen behind him, and asked Bai Xi, "Has your older brother returned?"

“He had just returned when I left, so we didn’t have time to say much,” Bai Xi said.

Ling Chengen: "Have you found the salt lake?"

"Uh... there were some unexpected events on the way."

(End of this chapter)