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

Chapter 159 Don't Be Apart
Although he was scolded by Jiao Jiao, that "rebellious son," Yu Heng was still a little guilty and was already secretly thinking about... whether he should take some time to go out and make up for the things that should have been prepared.
However, that's definitely not possible right now. He can't leave yet, and according to Ling Chengen's plan, he still needs to be quarantined for a period of time.

The antibiotics were very effective. After just one injection, Chongzhen's condition stabilized, and she did not experience any more high fevers. However, her limbs were still sore and weak, and her overall mental state was still quite poor.

It wasn't until the tenth day that Chongzhen fully recovered, becoming lively and energetic, and showing no signs of her previous sickly state.

The Mulan Plain has also undergone significant changes in these ten days.

Following Ling Chengen's instructions, Ling Xiao borrowed a group of people from Han Shan's side and used them to remotely throw fire sources to set the pit of corpses on fire.

The rat tribe was naturally furious because of the large number of rat corpses they burned, but they were powerless to do anything about it.

Their ranged weapons had limited range, and coupled with their lack of physical strength, their arrows could not reach a height of 100 meters. They could only watch helplessly as countless fireballs accurately crashed into the pit of corpses, and a lot of tung oil was also thrown into it.

Tung oil is a plant oil extracted from tung trees through processes such as ripening, roasting, and pressing. However, this oil is not edible, but it can be brushed onto wood to prevent insects, water damage, and decay.

The effect is very good.

Tung oil has a very good combustion-supporting effect and is non-toxic when burned, but its smell is not very pleasant.

Therefore, the rat tribe hated the foreign tribes who suddenly came to the Mulan Plain to burn corpses to the bone.

However, the warriors from Shilin and Hanshan came quickly and left quickly.

The tribes surrounding the Mulan Plain had already slipped away to observe the situation after discovering the fire on the Mulan Plain.

The day after Ling Xiao returned to his tribe, orcs from tribes around the Mulan Plain came to his door.

Several tribal chiefs arrived, each with a few men.

Leading the group was the Caracal Chieftain, along with the Golden Cat and Jungle Cat tribes, as well as the Tiger Cat, Pallas's Cat, and Leopard Cat tribes.

The chieftain of the caracals was a young man in his twenties named Ning Huo, who had a fiery and impulsive personality.

Therefore, he spoke very directly. Upon meeting Ling Xiao, he went straight to the point and asked them why they set fire to the Mulan Plain.

Ling Xiao didn't care about his attitude. These cat tribes actually played a very important role. If they hadn't always been rooted around the Mulan Plain, the plagues after the rainy season every year would have been enough to keep the orcs in the Northern Wilderness in a panic.

“It’s not that we have any prejudice against the Mulan Plain, it’s just that after the rainy season they pile up the corpses and don’t deal with them, which leads to the spread of the epidemic. A few days ago, my child took a few people to the plain, and some of them unfortunately contracted the epidemic and their fate is still unknown.”

“You should know the Great Shaman Yuheng, right? He’s been in charge of treatment these past few days, and he reminded us… that corpses cannot be left unattended or buried directly; they must be burned. Only in this way can the spread of the epidemic be stopped.”

"However, the spread of epidemics is actually very difficult to prevent. These diseases are mainly transmitted by mosquitoes and rodents. Once bitten, symptoms of infection will appear very quickly..."

Ling Xiao had gotten a pretty good grasp of the epidemic situation during this time, but whether Yu Heng said these things or not was not important.

All we need to do is borrow his name.

Ning Huo and the other orcs around him were somewhat shocked by Ling Xiao's words: "Did the Great Witch Yu Heng really say this?"

Ordinary orcs might not know about Yuheng's reputation, but as tribal chiefs, they couldn't possibly be completely unaware of it.

Yuheng is an extremely unfathomable person, and his abilities are rumored to be miraculous, but one thing is undeniable: Yuheng's medical skills are top-notch.

Although he was plagued by troubles, he couldn't completely avoid interacting with people and rarely refused patients he encountered on the road. Therefore, compared to his infamous reputation in the Southern Beast Plains, he enjoyed an excellent reputation in the Northern Wilderness, a consensus shared by most tribes there. While they might not be willing to share hardships with Yuheng, they were quite willing to help him conceal his whereabouts as long as their own lives weren't in danger.

Therefore, Yuheng's ability to remain in exile in the Northern Wilderness for so long was largely due to his practice of medicine and treatment in various places.

Even at the beginning, his purpose was not to give alms, but simply to exchange for some useful supplies.

Ling Xiao: "Enen and the others are still in separate quarantine outside, to prevent them from bringing the epidemic back to the tribe. If you don't believe me, you can come and see in a while. He should stay with our tribe from now on..."

Ning Huo was completely dumbfounded: "???"

"Always? What do you mean? Is the Great Shaman going to join your Stone Forest?"

Ning Huo was now feeling somewhat envious, jealous, and resentful, and... he was even starting to lose his composure.

He had met Yuheng before, so he longed for such a powerful person to come and live in their tribe.

However, Yuheng's enemies made him very wary.

He knew very well that even if Yuheng were truly willing to become a member of the Feral Cat Tribe, he probably wouldn't agree, but that didn't diminish his sourness at that moment.

People are just like that.

However, seeing Ling Xiao's confident demeanor, Ning Huo and the other orcs had no doubts.

"Is it really true that if you get bitten by insects or rats, you will get infected with the disease?" Some people still don't quite believe it.

They had lived in the Mulan Plain for a long time and were well aware that epidemics broke out there every year, but because they rarely got infected, they had never paid much attention to it.

However, they were well aware that the epidemic on the Mulan Plain posed a great threat to the tribes outside.

Ning Huo thought for a long time before remembering something: "I remember when we were hunting on the plains before, one of our tribesmen was accidentally bitten on the arm by a rodent. We didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but this tribesman died a few days later and showed the same symptoms as those of other tribes who had contracted the disease..."

"So, is the transmission route of this epidemic really through insects and rodents?"

Ling Xiao nodded: "I don't know much about the rat-race beastmen, but being bitten by a rat is definitely very dangerous."

"Then why are we able to catch and eat these rodents without any problems?"

Ling Xiao: "Every race has its own advantages, right? Do you see other tribes eating rodents? It's very rare."

The person next to Ning Huo reminded him, "Don't forget the trouble that happened when we sold rats at the trade market before."

Ning Huo then became serious. They had indeed brought the prey they had caught to the trade market, but the rodent prey had never been sought after.

But there are definitely people who would be willing to buy.

However, some people ate the prey they sold and contracted an epidemic that spread to most of the tribe, ruining their reputation and causing them to be shunned when participating in trade markets.

Therefore, rodent prey can only circulate among the cat tribes in the Mulan Plain. Trying to sell it to other tribes at the trade market... is simply wishful thinking.

After Ning Huo and the others found out what was going on, they left with their clansmen.

They initially thought that Shilin was targeting a certain ethnic group in the Mulan Plain, so they set fires indiscriminately.

The oil spill and fire in Shilin actually caused a significant fire on the Mulan Plain during the dry season.

However, these fires did not grow to a large scale because both the cat and rat tribes had water-based ability warriors, so they were able to control the fires.

However, it was more troublesome for the rat-orcs to extinguish the burning corpses, because the tung oil fueled the fire, making it very difficult to put out.

After Ning Huo left the Stone Forest, someone next to him asked, "Can we really believe what Ling Xiao said?"

Ning Huo, on the contrary, remained calm. The two small black antennae on his ears stood up high, and he was unusually tall and spirited. He replied, "I think it's believable. Think about it, what connection could the Stone Forest have with the Rat Clan? They rarely hunt in the Mulan Plains, and they've never caught rats before. We've never heard of them having any prejudice against the Rat Clan beastmen... It's impossible that they suddenly set fire to the Rat Clan's corpse pit without a reason. Infection is extremely possible."

"I heard that Ling Xiao dotes on his eldest daughter. This female is very powerful, with outstanding combat strength at a young age. If she dies from the disease, he will probably go even crazier."

"However, there is some truth to what he said about the spread of the epidemic."

Ning Huo also paid close attention to these matters.

The orcs of their Caracal tribe are not immune to the plague.

I hadn't thought about it carefully before, assuming that some members of the clan were not strong enough to resist and had not received the protection of their ancestors.

But now that I think about it, it was probably due to external injury.

He needs to go back and check immediately, if that's really the case...

He had to unite with nearby tribes to exterminate the rats, and also burn the rat carcasses that hadn't been burned.

As for the rat-orcs... Ning Huo detested them. This was mainly because they and the rats were inherently at odds. The rats also had rather unusual appearances and were difficult to get along with. So, ever since the ferocious cat clan settled in the Mulan Plains, the two clans had been enemies.

Unbeknownst to Ling Chengen, the largest rat extermination operation on the Mulan Plain had already begun in earnest.

However, this is all for later.

……

After Chongzhen recovered from her illness, she did not go back immediately, but continued to observe her for a few more days.

Only after confirming that everyone was alright did Ling Chengen dare to take his people home.

This trip took almost twenty days, during which the grasslands entered the peak of the dry season.

The temperature in the Beast Plains at noon is no less than forty degrees Celsius every day. The rivers that overflow during the rainy season are now shriveled, and some are even slowly showing signs of drying up.

The dry season is also the peak period for frequent fires.

As Wu Zhuo led Ling Chengen and the others back, they saw a towering flame in the southwest direction.

This is the second major fire this month. Even from dozens of kilometers away, the rising black smoke and the raging flames can still be seen.

Many tribes were affected by the fire, and many moved their families to areas near water sources.

As for firefighting... it seems that some tribes don't have this concept, especially small tribes.

Wu Zhuo took them to see the situation in person, and the outlook was not optimistic.

Most of the mountain is on fire, and it has been burning for two or three days now, and the fire is getting bigger and bigger.

Ling Chengen sighed softly, "If only they knew how to build firebreaks."

Yuheng asked curiously, "What is this firebreak?"

"Wildfires can only start because the weather is dry and vegetation is easily ignited."

"If large areas of trees are cut down before the wildfire reaches the firebreak, there will be no vegetation left to burn once the fire reaches the firebreak. This will contain the fire and prevent it from spreading further. The wildfire will be extinguished once the original burning area has burned out."

She put it simply, but it wasn't something difficult to understand. Yuheng quickly got what she meant and looked at her head, saying, "You're quite smart."

Ling Chengen glanced at him: "Should I thank you for your compliment?"

Yuheng touched the tip of his nose, looked down at the orcs scattering in all directions, and frowned, saying, "Why don't you talk to the orcs below? Maybe you can point them in a way to survive."

Ling Chengen shook his head: "They are terrified right now, and the fire is spreading very quickly. If they don't hurry to escape, they will die soon. Building a firebreak is impossible without someone organizing it. I am not familiar with these orcs, and they are fleeing in different places. They may not even be from the same tribe. Do you think they will listen to an outsider like me?"

"This can't keep burning like this, can it? There are more rivers to the south, so the fire would be easier to control."

"But the fire spread northwards..."

Ling Chengen calmly said, "With the Xuemu River blocking the way, the fire can't reach this side of the Stone Forest."

Her voice was calm, but it carried an unusual coldness and cruelty, causing Yuheng to glance at her sideways.

"However, if this continues, the north will likely descend into chaos."

A large number of orcs fled into the Northlands. Those with tribal leaders were alright, but those without... were refugees, wandering orcs.

The wandering orcs are unruly, engaging in arson, murder, and looting...

Ling Chengen had a headache and patted Wu Zhuo on the back: "Turn around and go back quickly."

We still need to take precautions in advance.

However, if the population that has fled from the south could be subdued and utilized...

Her plan might be able to be brought forward a little.

……

Upon returning to Shilin, Ling Chengen immediately increased the defensive forces in the southern part of his territory, with more patrols and more waves of personnel than before.

When she returned to the tribe, Bai Qingyu and Bai Xi had already led their team back from the White Bear tribe for several days.

As soon as she landed, Bai Qingyu held her tightly in his arms.

Ling Chengen was covered in sweat, but when Bai Qingyu touched her, her skin felt cool and refreshing, and she felt her body heat drop instantly. She felt so comfortable that she couldn't help but sigh.

However, in public, she still restrained herself and let Bai Qingyu hug her for a short while before distancing herself from him.

As soon as Chongzhen landed, he went to find Yu Shaochen.

He's been away for a while, and I'm worried that the potato field he used to manage will dry out and die.

The potatoes were planted in the spring, and they should be ready for harvest in a little over a month.

If they were to die, all the efforts and hard work of the two tribes would have been for nothing.

Yu Shaochen understood his concerns and explained, "The situation in the field is normal. Someone has taken over for a while and waters it every two days in the evening. Since Bai Qingyu came back, he has been in charge of watering, so you don't need to worry too much."

Zhong Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. After his serious illness, he looked much thinner and his figure was even taller and more slender than before.

However, Yu Shaochen could tell that he had not only lost some weight, but had also grown taller.

This made him truly envious.

However, he didn't have time to feel sentimental for long before he was called to help.

After returning to the treehouse, Ling Chengen suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. It had been a long time since he had been home, and he was able to completely relax as soon as he came back.

Having been in the Beast World for less than half a year, she had already gradually gotten used to it and regarded it as her home.

She stood by the window, gazing absently at the drooping banyan vines.

A cool hand reached out from behind and wrapped around her waist.

The slender back slowly pressed against a broad chest.

Bai Qingyu rested his chin on her shoulder, his arms slowly tightening, without saying a word.

In fact, he hasn't said a word since she came back.

Ling Chengen raised his hand and patted him on the head, smiling as he said, "I'm sorry to have worried you."

Bai Qingyu's body was tense, but at this moment she finally slowly relaxed. Her delicate eyelashes drooped, her beautiful lips were tightly pursed, and her breathing was very light.

"Yes, I'm scared."

I'm afraid she might have actually contracted the virus.

I'm afraid that one day she'll go out and I'll never hear from her again.

He wanted to keep her by his side forever, or at least stay by her side.

In short, we must not separate again.

This was a partner he had finally found after a long and difficult journey.

There will never be another female in the world whom he likes so much.