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

Chapter 165 Talent Emerges
Yu Heng and Chang Tianchen both fell silent. Ling Chengen's questioning gaze swept over the two of them, but he received no answer.

Yu Heng said, "I can't answer that question."

“I don’t know much about the rat tribes on the Mulan Plain. Most of the information I have is what I found out by myself after I went out for a walk last night. I haven’t even been in the Mulan Plain as long as you have.”

Ling Chengen thought about it and realized that what he said made sense.

It's quite remarkable that they were able to gather so much information in just one night.

Seeing that the two knew almost nothing about the rat-kin beastmen, Chang Tianchen couldn't help but interject, "The Northern Wilderness is different from the Southern Beast Plains, especially in their attitude towards corpses. Almost all the beastmen in the tribes find it hard to accept the burning and destruction of corpses, considering it an inhumane practice. That's why places like the Western Heron Netherworld exist."

"The rat tribe is surrounded by enemies. Even if they wanted to cross the surrounding tribes to other fixed locations to dispose of their people's corpses, they simply couldn't do it."

"Given the vastness of the Mulan Plain, and the inability to leave it, they had no choice but to pile up the corpses of their people in places where they could not live, which led to the rampant spread of the epidemic."

"The rat-men may not be unaware that the plague is related to corpses, but old customs passed down from thousands of years ago are not so easy to change."

The more isolated a place is, and the less communication a tribe has with other tribes, the more intact its traditions and customs tend to be.

This is where it is very contradictory.

New difficulties and conflicts with established rules and conventions.

“Although the news about you burning those abandoned corpses in Xilu Youdi hasn’t spread, I’ve heard some rumors about it.” Chang Tianchen gave Ling Chengen a deep look, his expression serious. “You’d better keep this news under wraps and not let other tribes know, otherwise you’ll have a hard time moving around in the Northern Wilderness.”

Ling Chengen: "..."

"Oh wow—"

Yuheng rested his chin on his hand and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Well, I see."

Ling Chengen knew that Chang Tianchen meant well by reminding him, so he didn't tactlessly refute him.

Promoting cremation is indeed difficult, especially in the animal kingdom where there is widespread belief in gods. The concept of "sacrificial fire not burning corpses" has been passed down for thousands of years and cannot be changed overnight.

Even in the world she came from before, cremation was only popularized in the last hundred years or so.

Discussing the topic of epidemic control and corpse disposal with tribes that follow old customs will not yield good results.

Chang Tianchen continued, "Your father told the cat tribes in the vicinity that the corpses were related to the plague, and they were willing to burn the rat tribe's corpses, but they were not necessarily willing to burn the corpses of their own people. In the end, they simply did not treat the ugly and different-looking rat beastmen on the same level as themselves."

To some extent, the large-scale burning of corpses due to the epidemic has exacerbated the conflict between the rat tribe and surrounding tribes, making the contradictions even more intense.

If we don't find a way to end this situation, either the rat tribe will launch a fierce counterattack, or the surrounding tribes will completely wipe out the rat tribe of the Mulan Plain.

From a certain perspective, Ling Chengen didn't actually need to get involved in this matter at all. He could have simply avoided the constantly strife-ridden Mulan Plain, watched from the sidelines, and offered a little assistance when the Cat Clan was in decline. Sooner or later, he would have gotten the result he wanted.

However, the entire timeline will be stretched out because the war on the Mulan Plain may last for several years, or even decades, without any result.

Ling Chengen was unclear about Chang Tianchen's thoughts, and she was unwilling to wait that long, so she turned to ask Chang Tianchen, "The rat tribe is short of food. If we use food to win them over, is it possible to get them to obey?"

Chang Tianchen did not hesitate and directly rejected her conjecture.

"You'd better not be so naive. How much food can your Stone Forest possibly stockpile? I know you went to other places to harvest plants and fruits, so you must have stockpiled quite a bit of supplies, but those are supplies you're preparing to use to get through the cold season, right?"

"The rat race is enormous. Even if their population is declining now, their numbers are still far beyond your imagination."

"Your willingness to provide a batch of supplies to solve their food shortage problem can only alleviate their immediate crisis."

"But their food shortage isn't something that just started today or two; it's been going on for years. Once this batch of food is used up, will you still provide it in the future?"

Ling Chengen definitely wouldn't give it to her; she understood the principle of helping in an emergency but not in a long-term relationship better than anyone else.

Moreover, a small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment.

Our ancestors had already proven this principle through countless painful experiences in this matter.

Ling Chengen sighed deeply after hearing the last part: "So, in the end... all we can do is fan the flames and make the rat race lose this war as soon as possible?"

Chang Tianchen said coldly, "There is no other way."

The rats were unwilling to control their population size, and coupled with their conservative and pedantic ways, the only way to reduce their population was through external forces.

War is always the best way to deplete population.

Yu Heng's views are actually the same as Chang Tianchen's. Ling Chengen is still too young, so he is very resistant to causing large-scale casualties and prefers to achieve his goals through peaceful means.

But there aren't many perfect solutions in the world.

It's ridiculous to want both.

“So I think you should go back. It would be better to leave things here to us.” Yu Heng looked up at the silent Ling Chengen and sighed softly. “Unless you are willing to give up the Mulan Plain.”

Ling Chengen looked up and said, "That's impossible."

"Then go back and wait for news," Yuheng said.

Ling Chengen didn't hesitate for long and decided to leave.

After sending Ling Chengen away, Yu Heng and Chang Tianchen had no more scruples.

Chang Tianchen was curious about their relationship and asked, "You and her got together?"

Yu Heng glanced at him coldly and chuckled, "More or less, but the marriage ceremony hasn't been held yet."

Upon hearing this, Chang Tianchen's emotions surged, and he found it difficult to suppress the burning jealousy in his heart.

He went to great lengths to get her to listen to even a few words from him.

This cold-hearted, indifferent blockhead in front of him, however, came from behind and achieved what he had always dreamed of without much effort.

I'm really not happy about it.

If only I hadn't lost control during my advancement, and hadn't become so complacent...

Perhaps things wouldn't be like this now.

……

On the way back, Ling Chengen remained silent. Wu Zhuo was quite unaccustomed to the quiet. Under the deep blue night sky, she racked her brains and finally tentatively asked, "Sister En, shall we go hunting tomorrow?"

Upon hearing the voice, Ling Chengen snapped back to reality and said, "I'm not going."

Wu Zhuo was somewhat disappointed, but he couldn't force the issue.

The weather has been really hot lately, so it's not really suitable for going out.

Soon, Ling Chengen fell silent again. Wu Zhuo felt that she was in a bad mood, and dared not disturb her any further. He could only hurry home.

Ling Chengen was actually communicating with the system. Little Huang had been behaving himself recently, until she left the Mulan Plain today. Suddenly, this guy started jumping around in her mental domain again, excitedly saying that a new main quest had been refreshed.

The main quest is definitely about romance with someone, so it's not surprising that Ling Chengen is involved.

But when she actually saw the mission, her vision went black. Main Mission 1: Conquer the Serpent King – Chang Tianchen
Main Quest Two: Enhance the overall capabilities of potential partners
Looking at the two tasks, Ling Chengen said with a headache, "Winning over Chang Tianchen is one thing, but what's with this second main quest?"

Is the phrase "enhancing the overall capabilities of potential partners" too general? Does it refer to combat effectiveness, or something else?

Xiao Huang was a little guilty, but he still tried his best to appear confident when he spoke: "Comprehensive ability, of course, is all-round."

"For specific examples, you can refer to your hexagonal warrior."

Ling Chengen: "..."

Silence is the theme tonight.

She knew who the hexagon Xiao Huangtong was referring to was.

But who gave this stupid thing the courage to use such a monstrous existence as a benchmark?
"Why don't you just fly to the sky?" Ling Chengen couldn't help but complain.

The system calmly replied, "I think going to heaven is possible, but there's no need."

Ling Chengen clenched his fingers and gritted his teeth, saying, "Don't force me to hit you."

System: "You're too rude..."

"There are task rewards, and improving your partner's overall abilities will also greatly help your plans."

“I’ve already analyzed it for you. Zhongzhen is the infrastructure talent you need most. He has the most potential in urban construction, and he also has strong planning ability. He can be trained to be an all-around manager.”

"Su Weihua is a born warrior. His combat skills are very strong. It's just that his ability level increases slowly. But as long as he finds the right direction, his combat ability will definitely be second only to Yu Heng."

"Yuheng is actually the least suited for combat, but his foundation is too strong. Even his weakness is at a level that others can hardly reach. I won't go into that."

Upon hearing this, Ling Chengen asked, "What about Yu Shaochen?"

The system paused suspiciously for a moment, then cautiously asked, "He's... cute?"

It's difficult to cultivate this into a hexagonal shape; it's not good at combat, nor is it very good at healing. It's alright at planting, but its future is limited by its talent and ability level...

Ling Chengen was speechless.

She had no expectations for Shao Chen. He was obedient and well-behaved, which was enough. He had a very weak presence at home, and all he wanted was a place to live and no one to target him maliciously. That was enough for him.

This time, the system refused to refresh or change the main quest.

It is stated that this is the optimal task objective set after the system update and optimization.

Ling Chengen had no choice this time either.

However, the reward for completing the main quest of winning over Chang Tianchen was somewhat tempting to her.

—A book on techniques for enhancing superpowers.

This was something she had never seen before.

In addition, a hidden section has appeared in the mall – Dimensional Trading.

However, those who participate in interdimensional transactions are all task hosts selected by the system.

There weren't many people inside, and even fewer who were active.

Ling Chengen only spent some time looking at the transaction information in this section and found that the people who were willing to trade were offering things that she didn't really need.

For example, things like skin-beautifying pills, truth-telling charms, and food that can restore superpowers...

These things are of little use to her.

Her ability recovery speed is not slow to begin with. As long as she rests well and replenishes her energy in time, it is about the same as the efficiency of food that can restore abilities.

So she turned around and went to the mall to find what she wanted.

Books on infrastructure cover everything from brick and tile making to architectural design, as well as the design and planning of heated brick beds and underground waterways, river management, flood control, and drainage, among other things.

She really didn't intend to get involved in the affairs of the Mulan Plain.

For a long time afterward, Ling Chengen stayed at home, mainly teaching several family members to read and write, so that it would be easier to transmit and organize messages.

Surprisingly, Chongzhen's learning ability was slightly stronger than Bai Qingyu's.

His mind has always been quick, and he has a better ability to absorb new knowledge than others. In this family, Ling Xiao is the slowest learner...

Ling Xiao was depressed for a long time afterward because of this.

But Ling Chengen didn't expect him to learn very well; it would be good enough if he could even recognize characters.

In the beast world, almost everyone is illiterate.

Ling Xiao's willingness to learn already puts him ahead of 99% of people.

Because of their different learning paces, Ling Chengen began to give Chong Zhen extra tutoring.

Chongzhen had actually obtained Ling Chengen's urban construction blueprints long ago.

There wasn't just one drawing, but a very thick stack.

From the city walls to the inner city, how was the planning done, including building structures and city defense design?

At first, he couldn't understand them at all, but it was precisely because he couldn't understand them that he became more curious and spent more time studying the drawings.

Until Ling Chengen started giving him some basic books, such as brick and tile making...

Only then did a house framework gradually take shape in his mind, and he stopped using treehouses as a reference standard.

Because he possesses earth-based abilities, he can even simulate construction in advance.

Ling Chengen also discovered by chance that he had already built a model of a city.

The model is placed in his treehouse bedroom.

Chongzhen's bedroom was the largest of all, while his storage room was pitifully small, containing almost nothing of value except for a few dozen tanned animal hides and some heart stones.

When Ling Chengen went to his treehouse, he accidentally discovered the city model, which greatly increased his interest in his room.

The system was right. Chongzhen had an extraordinary talent for infrastructure construction. She had even started building bridge models without being given any books on bridges.

However, the progress has not been very pleasant.

The Mulan Plain is sandwiched between the Xuemu River and the Yehelan River, so to get out of the plain, one must cross the river, either by flying or by swimming.

Since Shilin moved to the Mulan Plain separately, Hanshan might not be willing to move with them.

In addition, land-dwelling beasts account for more than 95% of the population in the Stone Forest, so flying is definitely not an option.

Swimming... Unfortunately, the orcs of the Stone Forest aren't very good at swimming either. They won't drown if they're submerged in water for a short time, but in these two treacherous rivers, little Camilla could easily become a small appetizer for the ferocious underwater beasts.

Therefore, building the bridge is imperative.