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

Chapter 188 Yuheng is Jealous
After confirming that Ruo'an understood, Yuheng slumped back onto the cool stone bed. A gentle breeze finally picked up in the wilderness night, making his eyelids droop and him feel drowsy.

Seeing that Yu Heng was almost asleep, Ling Chengen turned to look at Shi Ruoan, who was sitting beside him carefully putting away the two blueprints, and raised an eyebrow to ask, "How do you plan to get there?"

Shi Ruoan paused for a few seconds, then asked in confusion, "How else can we get there? Merfolk are extremely fast in places with rivers, so they naturally travel by water."

Looking at his matter-of-fact expression, Ling Chengen frowned and reminded him, "But there is no waterway connecting this place to the southwest region."

"The Xuemu River and the Yehelan River do lead directly to the eastern sea, but the sea is full of enormous water beasts. Your body is also at its limit, only slightly better than Shi Panxing's. If you are swallowed by a water beast, he will have no hope at all."

Shi Ruoan frowned and asked, "The super-large aquatic beast you're referring to is the kind like the Mosasaurus?"

"if not?"

Shi Ruoan said frankly, "Although the Mosasaurus is huge and has a fierce temperament and strong attack power, its swimming speed is its weakness. Even the merfolk without superpowers can swim five times faster than the Mosasaurus in the sea."

"Mermaids with superpowers have even stronger physical attributes, and their speed can even be increased to fifteen times that of a mosasaur."

Even though his powers were depleted and his body was affected by injuries, his speed was still unmatched by ordinary merfolk, so shaking off the Mosasaurus was an easy task. He didn't take this super-sized aquatic beast seriously at all.

Ling Chengen didn't actually have a clear understanding of merfolk, and Xiao Huangtong couldn't stand it anymore, so he jumped out and reminded him.

"Shi Ruoan is a level 17 ice-type merman. Even with only a thin layer of health left, once he enters the water, his speed will be able to overwhelm all mermen below the tenth rank."

"What he told you was actually quite conservative. The speed of a mosasaur in the water was similar to that of an ordinary whale, or even a little slower. When hunting, its swimming speed could reach up to 60 kilometers per hour, but because of its huge size, the mosasaur could not maintain its maximum swimming speed for a long time, so its average speed was basically maintained at 45 kilometers per hour."

"This means that ordinary merfolk can reach a speed of 250 kilometers per hour in the water, and that is while maintaining a very stable swimming speed, which is basically the same as the speed of a high-speed train."

"If they encounter danger, their swimming speed is comparable to that of a high-speed train."

"When Shi Ruoan was at his peak physical condition, his speed in the water was three times that swimming speed."

That is 750 kilometers per hour.

What is this concept?

It's about the same speed as an airplane.

Ordinary commercial airliners have a speed of 500 to 1000 kilometers per hour, and their flight speed is usually maintained at around 900 kilometers per hour.

After realizing what was happening, Ling Chengen exclaimed in shock, "Are merfolk really that abnormal? Doesn't water pose any resistance for them?"

Xiao Huangtong sighed softly, "He has ice-type abilities, and ice is a mutated water type. Moreover, he is level seventeen, and his affinity for water is almost maxed out."

"Water is not an obstacle for him, but an aid."

"Mermaids, in your original world, only existed in myths and were the most favored beings of the sea. Although the Beast World is different from your original world, mermaids are still unique in the sea, and can be said to be a race favored by the sea."

Moreover, merfolk live in the sea, so they are more likely to awaken water-based abilities.

There is no doubt that the environment has an influence on the direction of the awakening of biological superpowers.

Ling Chengen mentally estimated: "If he enters the water from the nearby river, he should be able to reach the southeastern coastal area within a day if he doesn't rest for too long?"

Xiao Huangtong said in a low voice, "Yes."

"You want to get there? It takes several days to fly there, but he, a seriously injured patient, can get there in just one day. Isn't that infuriating?"

Ling Chengen: "..."

"Watch out or I'll punch you!" Ling Chengen threatened with a blank face.

Little Yellow immediately fell silent. It had finally managed to get out of the dark room, and it didn't want to be locked up again for being so talkative.

Shi Ruoan looked at Ling Chengen's somewhat dazed expression and knew that she meant well by saying these things to him, but what Ling Chengen said was also very insightful.

Whether you're heading to the Southwest Wet Forest from here or from the Southeast region... there doesn't seem to be a direct waterway.

But it's possible, he just doesn't know.

Thinking of this, Shi Ruoan asked, "I've seen you often carrying maps. Do the terrain records on those maps only cover some areas around here, or the entire Northern Wilderness?"

Ling Chengen snapped back to reality, blinking at his sharp question, and didn't answer for a moment.

The map in her hand was naturally very comprehensive, produced by the system, and there was nothing to criticize.

She simply couldn't explain the origin of the map, because she had never been to the southwest or southeast.

Moreover, Shi Ruoan's identity is special, unlike Bai Qingyu and Yu Heng who have always turned a blind eye to the mysteries surrounding her, so she cannot reveal everything to him without reservation.

Seeing her deep in thought, Shi Ruoan, though her expression remained unchanged, had already guessed what was going on in her mind.

She probably has a complete map, but for some reason... she can't, or doesn't want to, lend it to him.

Ling Chengen's mind raced, and after a moment's hesitation, he took out the blueprints from his spatial storage.

Before unfolding the drawings, she looked intently at Shi Ruoan and said seriously, "I can lend them to you to look at, but I have conditions."

Shi Ruoan said humbly and sincerely, "Please speak frankly."

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. I won't give you any answers, and don't tell anyone that I have this kind of thing."

Shi Ruoan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Seeing her wary expression, she raised her hand and said, "I can swear to the Beast God that I will not ask where this blueprint came from, nor will I mention it to anyone."

Ling Chengen didn't know what swearing an oath to the Beast God meant, but he vaguely knew that both the sea tribes and the land-dwelling beastmen had an almost blind worship and reverence for the Beast God.

Yuheng opened his eyes, yawned, and said, "Make him swear an oath, an oath to the Beast God, that if he breaks the oath he will be abandoned by the Beast God."

Ling Chengen looked at Yu Heng in confusion, while Shi Ruoan opposite him had already begun to swear an oath.

Yuheng knew that she was unconventional and always questioned the existence of the Beast God, so he patiently explained to her, "The oath of the Beast God is real. Believe me, even those lawless and rotten nobles in the Southern Wilderness wouldn't dare to lie about such a thing."

Ling Chengen was a little reluctant, but he still nodded and said, "...Alright, since you've said so, I'll reluctantly believe you."

Yuheng was amused by the expression on her face and pointed at her, saying, "You're a typical case of getting a good deal and then acting innocent."

Ling Chengen spread his hands helplessly and said, "We have different beliefs."

After Shi Ruoan had made his vow, Ling Chengen handed him the map he had copied, along with two pots of succulent plants.

At first, Shi Ruoan couldn't quite understand the map. Ling Chengen pointed out the four directions on the map to him, and then emphasized the center position with his finger, a place near Xue Mujiang.

"Our current location is roughly here."

“If you go south from here, there is an unnamed river. The water level is very shallow now. The deepest part is probably only two or three meters, and the shallowest part is probably less than half a meter. The water level gets shallower as you go downstream, so you'd better go upstream and enter the Xuemu River at the point where the river branches off.”

"After entering the Xuemu River, follow the direction of the current downstream, and eventually you will enter the sea area to the east."

"Many amphibious Shanna beastmen live along the coast. Most of them dislike us inland beastmen, but they have always been friendly to the sea creatures. So if you ask them for information, you might get some unexpected results."

“But I don’t know what your forces in the sea are all about. If you’re also wanted and hunted down in the sea, I suggest you go alone and try to keep a low profile to save your life.” Shi Ruoan pondered for a moment and said, “The North Sea is relatively closed off and doesn’t communicate much with the merfolk in other seas, but it’s not to the point of hostility.”

"No one in the North Sea is hunting me down, it's just that no one is willing to help me. Because I am the High Priest of the North Sea, no one dares to really kill me before I choose a successor."

The priests of the sea tribes are connected to the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of the entire North Sea merfolk.

The Black Shark Clan, who once lived in seclusion in the deep sea, deliberately slaughtered the Black Shark Priest five hundred years ago for some reason, ultimately leading to their annihilation. Since then... no one in the entire ocean has ever seen a merman with black hair and a black fish tail.

Upon hearing this, Ling Chengen said no more, only saying, "That's good. If you have the help of the mountain beastmen along the coast, your search for the Purple Rainbow Continuation Grass should be much easier."

"The current problem is getting from the southeast region to the southwest wetlands."

Ling Chengen squatted down next to Shi Ruoan. Because the blueprint was small and the area illuminated by the light was limited, her elbow inevitably touched Shi Ruoan's arm when she squatted down.

Even a brief touch felt somewhat different.

The merman's body was ice-cold, possibly due to Shi Ruoan's ice-type ability, but Ling Chengen didn't pay attention to these details. Instead, he pointed to the lower right corner of the drawing and reminded him to concentrate.

"There are many rivers in the southeast region, including two major rivers that branch off into many smaller tributaries, making the waterways very interconnected. This has both advantages and disadvantages for you."

Shi Ruoan's gaze fell on where her fingertips had stopped: "What are the disadvantages?"

"The waterways are complex."

"If you take the wrong path and don't realize it in time, you'll waste even more time on the road."

“The climate and environment of the Southwest Wet Forest indicate that there must be rivers in this place. Ling Chengen quickly found two rivers in the area marked with the words ‘wet forest’.”

"There are two main rivers that cross the wet forest: the Sulu River and the Zharmul River. The terrain in the southwest region is complex, with many mountains and rocks, and a hot and humid climate with only two seasons: dry and rainy."

"I won't even mention the dry season, which lasts from December to May of the following year, and it definitely has nothing to do with your operation."

"I'm mainly talking about the rainy season."

"During the rainy season, the two major rivers flow rapidly, and the mountains and forests often experience a large number of mudslides and landslides due to continuous heavy rains, which may also cause the rivers to change course."

"So the map doesn't mark many small tributaries, because they existed before, but they may have changed course by the time you go there."

"Moreover, the southwest has many karst caves and underground rivers. The waterways in these underground rivers are complex and unpredictable, and there are many strange currents. You should know better than me how complex the water flow is, so if you can avoid going through underground rivers, you should absolutely avoid them."

"Once you enter the underground river and encounter complex undercurrents, it will be difficult for you to get out."

"Moreover, it is impossible to determine the direction in an underground river, which is not conducive to your navigation and positioning."

"What you need to do is, after picking the Purple Rainbow Grass, go to the lower reaches of the Zharmul River as soon as possible. Because the lower reaches of the Sulu River do not flow into the sea in the southeast region, but directly into Huiyuan. In the south-central part of Huiyuan, a waterfall is formed."

"Upstream from the waterfall is the Cruma tribe of the Northern Wilderness. This is a large tribe that has been entrenched in the Northern Wilderness for more than 600 years. Most of the tribe members are native races of the Northern Wilderness, but in the last hundred years, they have also taken in many nobles exiled from the Southern Beast Plains."

"Although these nobles were exiled, they actually maintained close ties with the orcs in the Southern Beast Plains, and could be considered their henchmen and spies in the Northern Wilderness."

"I don't need to emphasize how sensitive your and Shi Panxing's identities are. If you really run into these people... you might not have time to find the White Bone Immortal Herb, and it might even implicate us."

"Therefore, you absolutely cannot allow other tributaries to enter the lower reaches of the Zulu River; you must, absolutely must, avoid that area."

"Remember this point."

Shi Ruoan was completely clueless about the situation on land. Ling Chengen explained it in great detail, and he listened very carefully. So after Ling Chengen repeatedly emphasized the dangers of the area around the cliffside waterfall, he nodded solemnly.

“I understand, I will avoid that area.”

“It’s not just that one area.” Ling Chengen looked at his pale profile and couldn’t help but sigh. “You really don’t understand the situation in the Northern Wilderness.”

“In the central area of ​​the southern part of the Northern Wilderness, there are two super-large orc tribes. The situation of Cruma is better because they are led by native orcs. The Daxing tribe is a completely exiled settlement of the nobles of the Southern Beast Plains.”

"If you want to travel from the rivers of the southeast to the wetlands of the southwest, you will inevitably have to pass through the territories of these two tribes."

There's no way to avoid it.

"The reason I suggested you take the lower reaches of the Zharmul River is because the water area there is larger, the waterways are more interconnected, and the situation is more complex, so you may not be completely covered by their spies."

Ling Chengen reached out and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath: "Unlike our small and medium-sized tribes, the territory of super-large tribes includes waterways."

"Although there are no sea creatures in the Northern Wilderness, there are still some beastmen living in freshwater areas. They are not very big, or some beastmen are particularly good at hiding, and you may not even notice them when you pass by..."

Shi Ruoan shook her head and said, "No."

"I'm confident in this; I can sense any creature that appears in the water."

"Although I cannot completely conceal my form, I can move through short distances."

Yuheng spoke up at the opportune moment, reminding him, "I think you don't want your life anymore?"

Shi Ruoan lowered her head and pursed her lips: "I won't use it unless it's absolutely necessary."

Yu Heng frowned and glanced at him, then at Ling Chengen: "You've said everything you needed to say to him."

"Let him figure out the rest himself. He's much older than you, so why are you worrying about him more than his mother?"

Ling Chengen was scolded for no reason, so he looked up and glared at him.

Yu Heng jumped off the stone bed, waved his hand to put the stone bed into his spatial storage, walked up to her, picked her up from the ground, and said to Shi Ruoan, who was sitting on the stone looking blank, "I'll lend you the map for now, remember to return it before we set off."

After saying that, he carried Ling Chengen into the cave.

Ling Chengen leaned on his shoulder, glanced back at Shi Ruoan who was clearly in a daze, and tapped Yu Heng on the head: "What's wrong with you?"

Yu Heng scoffed, "What's wrong with you?"

Why are you so close to him?

"Although he is good-looking, he is a sea priest who will never marry."

"You'd better not think about it."

Ling Chengen flicked his finger on his forehead and gritted his teeth, saying, "What kind of nonsense are you thinking about?"

"If you didn't think about it, then why are you so enthusiastic about him?"

Ling Chengen then realized he hadn't mentioned the important matter, and slapped his forehead, saying, "I forgot, I should have mentioned the conditions first, asking him to help find Fengshan wood seeds."

Seeing her frustrated expression, Yuheng placed her on the newly brought-out bluestone bed and grabbed her hand that was slapping her forehead: "...Alright, I'll talk to you for you in a bit."

How many do you want?

Four.

Yuheng didn't ask her why she suddenly wanted the seeds of Fengshan wood. This stuff was much easier to find than those other medicinal herbs. The Shanna tribe beastmen along the coast might have some. If Shi Ruoan could be on good terms with the Shanna tribe, then finding the seeds of Fengshan wood would be a piece of cake.