Chapter 167: The Push to Establish the Market

The female's voice suddenly rose at the end, and anyone could hear the frantic anger in her words.

Leng Xiao: ……

"Heard it."

But he still wanted to make a defense, "But, after I turned into a beast body and played with them, they were clearly having fun."

Yun Li gave him a sharp glance, "So they're stupid, and you think I'm stupid too!"

It's not obvious that he, as a father, has more than once treated the cubs as indoor toys.

Leng Xiao didn't dare to reply to her, and immediately tried to drag his brother into the trouble as well.

"My brother did the same, A Li, why don't you mention my brother."

Yun Li cast a doubtful gaze at the composed Leng Xiu and asked, "What did he do?"

The remark made it clear that even if Leng Xiu had teased the cubs, Yun Li hadn't noticed.

Leng Xiao instantly felt indignant and began listing Leng Xiu's "crimes": "He once hung several cubs upside‑down; when the cubs disobeyed and didn't want a bath, he boiled them in a pot; once I even saw him tease a few cubs with wild grass from outside…"

Leng Xiu just listened quietly, not interrupting.

Seeing this, Ji Xuan glanced at Mu Qing, but Mu Qing's expression didn't change; his gaze drifted over Leng Xiao and Leng Xiu's faces before finally landing on Yun Li's.

Following his line of sight, Ji Xuan saw Yun Li smiling, looking as if she were about to explode the next second.

"…He also spanked the cubs' backsides, punishing them with a night of hunger."

"Anything else?"

When Leng Xiao suddenly fell silent, Yun Li even asked gently, "Anything more?", noting that Leng Xiao doesn't like to think when acting, but that doesn't mean he's brainless, let alone that he knows his pillow‑side companion well.

His eyes flickered uncertainly over Yun Li and Leng Xiu, already harboring a bad premonition.

As expected, the next second Yun Li seized each of the "crimes" he had just mentioned and began exonerating her brother one by one.

"I know A Xiu hung the cubs upside‑down; he was angry because a few cubs had hidden the meat that was about to go bad in the house, and after telling them several times to no avail, he hung them."

"And when the cubs were disobedient and didn't want a bath, A Xiu took a pot to boil them; did he really know how to cook them…?"

"And teasing a few cubs with wild grass from outside, Yun Li had done that too; Leng Xiu and she had also teased together, but only briefly."

Unlike Leng Xiao, who truly enjoys making the cubs cry when he plays with them.

Is that really the same thing? Play is play, trouble is trouble; can A Xiao watch his limits a bit?

As for spanking the cubs' butts, when the cubs were mischievous and insisted on going out at night, A Xiu didn't beat them, but starved them as a lesson.

Do they really have to wait until the cubs get into trouble at night before they feel remorse?

Leng Xiao: ……

He didn't think his brother was the good father A Li described at all; he only thought his brother was good at pretending.

After all, he had seen his brother handle the cubs impatiently; the cubs wanted to get close to him, but received only a cold face.

He also overheard Mu Qing privately ask him whether he hated the household cubs, and his brother replied, "A bit."

So his brother is just better at pretending than he is.

But he could only think that, because even if his brother despised a few cubs that brought him many petty troubles, he would never be like him—who only cares that the cubs stay alive when he's with them.

……

After the household members finished assigning tasks, Yun Li went with Ji Xuan in the afternoon to meet the Silver Eagle Clan Chief and the Silver Eagle Priest.

"If you truly hand over the tailoring skill, is it really that you don't want anything else as long as those beastmen don't meet the tribute requirement within two years?"

Jicheng (Silver Eagle Clan Chief) was quite surprised by Yun Li's words; his gaze, inquisitive and scrutinizing, fell on her face as if trying to read other issues.

Yun Li shook her head, "No, and moreover, I know a way to make salt from plants; if the tribe needs it, I can tell the tribe."

Hearing that, Jicheng subconsciously glanced at Ji Xuan, "Making salt from plants, are you sure?"

Yun Li smiled without answering, while Ji Xuan nodded at his father, "A Li is right; there is indeed a water‑horn plant that can make salt. The steps are similar to sugar‑making, but unlike that, making salt requires boiling away the water to obtain plant salt."

Jicheng sat up straight upon hearing that, quickly summoned people, and ordered the salt‑making experiment.

After the beastmen left, Yun Li said, "Axuan knows about the salt‑making; once they bring the water‑horn, the chief can see for himself how it makes salt."

Jicheng replied with a smile, "Good! Then we'll wait to see how that plant can make salt. If it succeeds, feel free to ask for whatever you want."

As long as the tribe can give it to you, we will certainly not refuse.

"My family lacks nothing now; whatever I want, my Beast Husband will give me. I'm here mainly to propose an idea to the chief."

After presenting the tailoring skill, Yun Li promptly told them about using the water‑horn to make salt, not to leave a good impression on the beastmen present or to prove that she, as Ji Xuan's female, is fully qualified.

Rather, she knew well that establishing a market couldn't be swayed by a sentence or two; even with Ji Xuan's backing, he could start it behind the beastmen in the tribe first and then let facts speak.

But that would take too long, and without the chief's tacit approval, any early problem could ruin the market instantly.

So she mentioned the salt‑making method to add some weight in the beastmen's minds, hoping they'd calm down and listen to her market proposal.

"Tell me, what do you want in your heart?"

Jicheng scanned the room, saw no beastmen object, and then gave permission.

"After I went to Red Grass Valley, I thought that if the tribe had such a trading place every so often, it would be much more convenient for everyone."

She smiled as she spoke, recalling her observations in Red Grass Valley: "Having been there once, I felt that if the tribe also had such a place, we could easily get fresh food or see new things whenever we wanted."

"And if I remember correctly, the Youbuluo's snake beastmen don't leave the tribe for a short time, right? Besides antidote pills, they should have other good things we need."

"But if we ask them directly, they certainly won't say; however, if there's such a place where they see…"

"During the exchange, we can ask them trivial questions they won't mind, right?"

If Yun Li's initial reason gave Jicheng and the others no thought about establishing a market, the later part where she mentioned exposing the Youbuluo beastmen's valuable items actually sparked Jicheng's interest.