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

Chapter 352 Extra Chapter: Reaching for the Stars

After unifying the Northern Wilderness, Ling Chengen officially announced the establishment of the Xiao Kingdom.

Meanwhile, news of Shi Panxing's victory also arrived from the far north. He had returned to the far north and successively eliminated Hai Bola and the eldest prince, seizing the throne of the far north and officially changing his title to King Beixing.

After reading Shi Panxing's letter, Ling Chengen chuckled and handed the special paper to Shi Ruoan, saying with a smile, "I remember that all the previous Sea Kings of your Far North Sea were named after themselves. Why did he suddenly decide to change his title to North Star King?"

Shi Ruoan glanced at the messy handwriting on the letter and said with a headache, "I can only recognize half of his handwriting. It's so messy. How did you even understand it?"

Ling Chengen asked doubtfully, "Is that how you look at it? It's very easy to recognize."

Shi Ruoan reached out and took the documents from her desk. Looking at her signature and annotations, she immediately understood and said, "No wonder. I hadn't noticed your handwriting before. Your handwriting is just as good as his. No wonder you two can understand each other."

Ling Chengen, his face full of black lines, said, "My handwriting is very neat, okay? It's just that my signature and annotations that I write for myself are a little messy."

Shi Ruoan smiled and said, "When you write back to him, show it to me."

Ling Chengen immediately fell silent.

Whether her handwriting is neat or not depends on the person.

Shi Panxing was a pen pal who shared her tastes, so her handwriting was always messy and perfunctory.

Seeing that she had fallen silent, Shi Ruoan changed the subject and answered her previous question: "The name Panxing is actually not very suitable as the title of the Sea King."

"His name was decided before he was born. The original name was Zhaixing, which means to pluck stars that are unattainable. This star is actually an allusion to the former sea priest Shi Zhou. However, King Xexia probably knew that once this name was spoken, the sea priest at that time would realize his purpose, so he changed it to Panxing."

Ling Chengen asked in confusion, "Then how did you know the inside story?"

"King Xayya himself said so."

"After Shi Zhou left the far north sea, King Xesia was furious at Shi Zhou's resolute resistance, and he also disliked the newborn Pan Xing. As a result, Pan Xing was not favored from childhood until he awakened his spatial ability. This unique ability, coupled with his reserved and ruthless personality, as well as his extraordinary ability to lead troops, made him stand out in the competition for the crown prince and become the most popular successor."

"Because his abilities were too outstanding, and his relationship with his other royal brothers and sisters was not good, and he even had a falling out with some of them, his brothers and sisters were always very wary of him. It was precisely because of this that after King Xesia died suddenly, his brothers and sisters set a series of traps for him, and he eventually fell into the hands of foreigners and suffered greatly."

"King Xesia never hid his disgust for him, so he deliberately revealed the origin of his name in order to humiliate him and Shi Zhou. That's why Pan Xing hated his name when he first found out."

"He returned to the far north and became the new Sea King. He then decisively changed his name, ignoring the opposition and protests of those around him... This was indeed his style."

Ling Chengen rested his chin on his hand, gazing at Shi Ruoan's profile, and couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined that such a simple name could have such a story. The life of our Northern Star King has truly been full of ups and downs, and quite spectacular."

"At the end of his letter, he invited us to his coronation ceremony in the far north," Ling Chengen said, tapping his cheek lightly. "I think those last few words were directed at you. The sea race's coronation ceremony is held at the sea temple in the far north, right? I'm just a land-dwelling orc; what right do I have to go into the deep sea to attend?"

Shi Ruoan smiled and said, "Given his unconventional personality, he might even change the coronation ceremony to the coast to welcome you!"

Ling Chengen said speechlessly, "I still have some self-awareness."

"I don't have that much influence with him!"

Shi Ruoan raised her hand and touched the top of her soft hair. Her gaze fell on the last few lines of the letter, and her eyes held extremely complex emotions.

He had been on land for several years and had not returned to the far north since.

He knew very well that once he returned to the far north, he would have to face some unavoidable issues.

The first step is to select the next priest.

At the same time, he broke the precepts during his tenure as a priest of the sea tribe.

Before a sea priest steps down from his post, he is not allowed to have a partner, not even a lover.

Otherwise, it would be considered disrespectful to the sea god and would be punished.

He couldn't avoid this punishment.

The previous sea tribe priest, Shi Zhou, had been punished, and there will be no exception for him.

Fortunately, the child can now run on his own and is no longer the fussy little devil who cries all day and needs constant care from relatives.

He'll be gone for a while, and it shouldn't be a problem to leave Xiaoxue in the care of the others.

Seeing that Shi Ruoan was staring blankly at the letter, Ling Chengen gave him a cup of hot tea and asked, "Are you planning to go back to the far north?"

After regaining her senses, Shi Ruoan looked into her clear eyes, folded the letter in her hand, and put it back on the table.

"The far north seas have been pacified, and the sea creatures need priests."

"Even if I have to resign from my position as a sea tribe priest, I must first go back and settle things."

Ling Chengen raised his eyes and asked, "Will I be subjected to severe punishment?"

Shi Ruoan looked up and smiled at her: "I want peace of mind."

He is always thinking about things far away, and his heart will never find true peace.

He avoided mentioning the severity of the criminal law, and Ling Chengen understood what he meant. She simply reached out and pinched his fingertips, winked at him playfully, and said in a light tone, "I'll go to Yuheng's place later and do some raiding to prepare more medicine for your injuries."

Shi Ruoan grasped her hand in return, tightly enveloping her slender, clean hand in his cool palm, and said, "Yuheng will probably hold this against me."

Ling Chengen knew Yu Heng's personality all too well, and said with a smile, "He just has a sharp tongue, but he's actually very considerate. When he scolds you, you can just shift the blame onto me."

Shi Ruoan was also deeply impressed by Yu Heng's sharp tongue, and said helplessly, "If I try to shift the blame onto you, he will only scold me more harshly. Forget it, I'll just obediently take the scolding. Anyway, being scolded won't hurt me."

In the past, he really wouldn't have been so shameless.

But there's a saying...

One who is near ink gets stained black.

……

Ling Chengen did not attend Shi Panxing's coronation ceremony, but he sent a very generous congratulatory gift.

When Ling Jixue learned that Shi Ruoan was going to the far north sea, she refused to let go of him and cried for two days. In the end, Shi Ruoan had no choice but to give in and take her to the far north sea to participate in the ceremony.

Just a few months after Shi Panxing's coronation ceremony, he arrived at the City of Ten Thousand Beasts by waterway with a group of personal guards.

Ling Chengen received him with the highest level of courtesy.

This can be considered the first formal contact between the Xiao Kingdom and the far north sea.

Unlike the sea creature guards who were visiting the City of Ten Thousand Beasts for the first time, Shi Panxing seemed to be back home. He was familiar with the place and was not worried about encountering danger in the city. He explored the entire city without any companions.

When Ling Chengen met him, he couldn't help but exclaim, "You really don't consider yourself an outsider."

Shi Panxing smiled and said, "What kind of outsider am I?"

"You are the female who abducted our High Priest of the Far North Sea. He and I are cousins, so we can be considered relatives, right?"

Ling Chengen accompanied him for a while, then asked bluntly, "Did you come here to trade, or do you have some other plans?"

Shi Panxing regained his usual composure and sharpness, saying, "Wanting to trade with you is only one of the purposes of coming ashore this time." Ling Chengen raised an eyebrow and asked, "And the second one?"

"When do you plan to attack Nanyuan?" Shi Panxing suddenly asked in a deep voice.

Ling Chengen didn't answer his question, but instead asked, "What? You also have feelings for Nan Yuan?"

"The Abyss is difficult to cross, and the section of the iron chain is guarded by warriors from the Southern Plains. It is definitely not feasible to transport a large number of troops across the Abyss via the iron chain."

"Flying there is impossible. You've been there before, so I don't need to say more."

"Therefore, there is only one way."

"It means starting from the southeast coast, taking a long detour, crossing the sea, and setting foot on the land of Nanyuan."

“The sea is extremely dangerous. You land-dwelling orcs, who are not skilled in naval warfare, are like tigers with their teeth pulled out once you step into our sea-folk’s home territory. Therefore, you need the sea-folk’s help.”

Ling Chengen sat in a rattan chair, holding a sweet tea in front of him, his eyes slightly narrowed as he scrutinized him, and said unhurriedly, "What you said is all correct."

"But the questions you asked me, and all that you said, are probably just trying to urge me to start the war sooner, right?"

"The Northern Wilderness has just been unified, and it is actually more suitable for recuperation and development."

"The constant warfare has only caused hardship and financial loss to the people. The Northern Wilderness is not rich in resources. A large number of young and strong male warriors have been transferred to the battlefield. Therefore, the work of hunting and planting has to be left to the elderly, women and children, as well as some small and medium-sized orcs who are not good at fighting."

"The Southern Plains are a vast region, and it's not our home turf. There are many races that make good use of the local terrain, and we're also unfamiliar with their innate abilities. Once a battle begins, it will definitely drag on for a long time. This war might even last five, six, seven, eight, or nine years..."

"The unification of the Northern Wilderness has been going on for several years. Getting dragged into another war that will last even longer would be detrimental to us."

"Perhaps the country I build will be dragged down into the abyss and headed for its demise."

Ling Chengen was very rational. He was blinded by the prospect of gaining countless resources and more fertile territory if Nanyuan were not attacked.

She knows exactly what to do and when.

So Nanyuan will fight, but definitely not now.

Shi Panxing had just ascended to the throne. In her opinion, what should be done right now was not to launch a war, but to thoroughly investigate the far north sea area to prevent his treacherous brethren from imitating his patience and endurance to overthrow his rule again.

After putting down his cup, Ling Chengen sighed softly: "You want to attack Huangyan Beast City? To avenge what happened back then?"

When Huangyan Beast City was mentioned, Shi Panxing's expression was no longer as relaxed and at ease as before; his beautiful eyes held an undisguised sinister glint.

Ling Chengen knew that the four words "Huangyan Beast City" meant a painful and humiliating memory to him.

But this is not an issue that can be avoided; it's better to lay it all out and explain it clearly in this situation.

Shi Panxing remained silent for a long time before saying, "The sea race is not good at land warfare."

"Huangyan Beast City is located on the edge of the Gobi Desert. There are no large bodies of water around it, and there are no rivers in the inner city. The climate is also very hot and dry. Once the sea tribe warriors go ashore, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced."

"so……"

"I do want revenge, and I can't wait."

"I have been planning for so many years to accumulate strength and wipe away my shame."

Shi Panxing stared intently and said, "Since you don't want to start a war in Nanyuan now, then..."

Ling Chengen interrupted him, saying, "Actually, it's not that we can't go to war."

Shi Panxing's expression suddenly froze, and he stared at her in surprise: "You just said..."

"Times change."

Ling Chengen leaned back in his chair and said calmly, "After all, we are related by marriage. If we handle everything strictly by business, it would be too inhumane."

"I did intend to postpone the campaign in Nanyuan for a few years."

"But Huangyan Beast City... if you send troops to cooperate with us, we can still take it first and use it as our foothold in Nanyuan."

Ling Chengen tapped his index finger rhythmically on the armrest as he said to him, "But let's make this clear first: you take revenge, but the final ownership of Huangyan Beast City will be..."

"yours."

Shi Panxing didn't give her a chance to bargain and directly handed over sovereignty of Huangyan Beast City.

He said calmly, "I only want one thing."

Ling Chengen immediately guessed what he was about to say, curled his lip, and said, "Red Source Mine?"

Shi Panxing raised his glass and toasted her.

"Talking to you saves me time and effort."

“The far north is too far north and much colder than your central region, so we really need the Red Source Mine. I can also buy the temperature-locking ring technology that you cracked before.”

Ling Chengen snorted and said, "Trying to get what you want? Do you really think I'm a spendthrift?"

"We have the technology for the temperature-locking ring. I can sell it at whatever price I want in the future. Why do I have to do a one-off deal with you?"

Shi Panxing chuckled and said, "That's now. What about after we take down Huangyan Beast City?"

"The temperature-locking ring technology originated from Huangyan Beast City. If we send troops to cooperate with your attack, we can easily spend more time figuring out who in Huangyan Beast City knows the temperature-locking ring technology. Once we can control one person, you won't even be able to make this one-shot deal. Believe it or not?"

Ling Chengen's face hardened, and he stared at his confident demeanor with a dark expression, feeling a surge of anger that made his teeth itch.

Looking at her slightly puffed-out cheeks from her anger, Shi Panxing couldn't help but chuckle and said, "After talking like this, I don't think I'm so eager to get the temperature-locking ring technology ahead of time anymore."

"This is a one-off deal, well... if you're really not willing, then forget it."

"I can put more effort into Huangyan Beast City."

"It was a pleasure chatting with you. I feel refreshed afterward."

Shi Panxing held the cup with both hands, contentedly lowered his eyes, took a sip of tea, and sighed with a lighthearted expression.

Ling Chengen, grinding his teeth at his deliberately provocative behavior, said, "If you provoke me again, believe me, I'll throw tea in your face?"

Looking at her exasperated appearance, Shi Panxing spread his hands and said, "Shi Ruoan once shared with me that when you're angry, you'll immediately turn on someone and might even use your fists to reason with them."

"He was right after all, your moral standards are truly worrying..."

Ling Chengen kicked him in the shin and sneered, "Stop trying to sow discord here. Shi Ruoan would never say that about me. Someone as cunning and treacherous as you is deliberately twisting his words!"

"Also, my moral standards are questionable, what about yours?"

"You probably don't even have any morals."