Chapter 239: Vicious Scheme

The two attendant females obeyed and left; soon, only Lin Ling and Diao Yi remained in the room.

Lin Manzhi's eyes carried a hidden smile.

Without waiting for Lin Ling to speak, Diao Yi took a few steps forward, wrapped their arms around Lin Ling, and, lowering their head, brazenly inhaled the scent of Lin Ling's neck.

The female's pheromone made Diao Yi close their eyes and breathe deeply in ecstasy.

Lin Ling's complexion darkened, but her voice showed no hint of displeasure; it remained delicate and sweet: "How did the matter of sending you to a remote place to find females to test the Huo Mother Elixir turn out?"

Diao Yi's expression stiffened.

Lin Ling lifted her hand and hugged Diao Yi back; if she didn't currently lack another Beastfolk to use, she would have already kicked this Diao Yi away.

She smiled and said, "Why are you nervous? Don't you trust my ability? The Huo Mother Elixir is my painstakingly developed work, intended as a merit to present to the Great Witch."

Lin Ling's smile didn't reach her eyes; her thoughts whirled, and she endured, leaning her head to plant a kiss on Diao Yi's face.

During this period she had been studying the kind of decoction Fang Yue Dan used, aiming to produce a never‑before‑seen elixir that would astonish the Great Witch, earn her respect, and have the Great Witch pass the position on to her.

Lin Ling always thought this was a very simple matter.

Previously, Fang Yue Dan invented a method to refine medicinal plants' essence without a Shamaness's pheromone; she simply placed the plants in a pot to simmer briefly, creating a potion useful for a male Beast's Spirit Core. Drawing on her past‑life experience, she knew several primary medicinal plants for brewing, and could effortlessly produce this astonishing elixir.

Unfortunately, no matter how many plants she boiled together, she could not locate Fang Yue Dan's formulas, and Lin Ling was furious.

Watching Su Li later present the Holy Maiden Fruit elixir, the Great Witch's gaze toward Su Li grew increasingly satisfied, while the attention Lin Ling gave by offering Concentrated Spirit Dew to the Great Witch dwindled.

Lin Ling felt very unwilling.

After the cold season, the Great Witch would confirm the next Great Witch; given the situation, Su Li's chance of becoming Great Witch far exceeded hers.

Time was no longer to be wasted; she gritted her teeth, resolved to use her extremely rare special pheromone, constantly hinting to the aging Great Witch each day, nudging her heart toward herself.

The most important thing was that she also produced a potion she knew from her previous life.

When it came to the Huo Mother Elixir, she only learned of its existence through the deeply despised Fang Yue Dan.

Fang Yue Dan, that despicable female, stole countless limelight from her in Ansen City; when she took Beast Husband Mo Lie to kill her, the pursuit led to the Ten Thousand Beasts Continent, where the opponent used this elixir to fake being pregnant with a griffin's offspring, causing the griffin—a foolish lion—to willingly become Fang Yue Dan's henchman; Mo Lie, that cripple, was no match for the griffin, and her plan failed.

Later, before Mo Lie killed her, Fang Yue Dan visited that night; at that time she had become a Holy Witch female and truly was pregnant with a griffin's offspring, deliberately flaunting it before her.

At that time Fang Yue Dan also resented her, saying that she forced Fang Yue Dan to reluctantly use the Huo Mother Elixir to fake pregnancy, which caused her body injury a few months later, requiring several months of recuperation before recovery.

Now, recalling that Mo Lie killed her entire family, she suspected that Fang Yue Dan must have secretly assisted with the Ansen City city guard affairs, enabling Mo Lie to slip into the city unnoticed.

Lin Ling was the one who learned of that fake‑pregnancy plant that time; aiming to surpass Su Li by merely "increasing" the females' fertility, she sent people to obtain Huo Mother herbs and personally refined them in secret.

She needed only five months to briefly deceive the Great Witch; during that period, the Great Witch, constantly hinted by her, would side with her without protest, and even as her life waned, still expending spiritual power to resist her hints, surely her life would reach its end.

By then she would be the Great Witch, the supreme ruler of the Mountain Classic Beast Temple, and when the fake‑pregnancy matter was exposed, she could find a scapegoat.

Now that Fang Yue Dan has been killed by her, she alone knows this medicinal plant, so there's no worry of being exposed.

To say that using the fake‑pregnancy drug severely harms a female's body?

That has nothing to do with her.

This isn't her fault; everything was forced upon her by the Great Witch, because Su Li wanted to seize her position, so she had to bring it out.

She wants the Great Witch's position; to ensure her plan succeeds, she must first find someone to test the elixir's effect.

Everything had originally gone smoothly; the only loophole was that Lin Ling was an unarmed female, and the process of finding females to test the Huo Mother herb was observed by Diao Yi.

Diao Yi, holding Lin Ling, recounted his months‑long testing results.

Finally he frowned: "I went to the remote places as you instructed; the females who took the Huo Mother Elixir became pregnant, but some miscarried suddenly after a month. I think this elixir is too harmful to females; perhaps we shouldn't bring it out."

Lin Ling's eyes flickered.

The elixir she concocted, of course, wasn't as good as Fang Yue Dan's, but unfortunately its effect exceeded her expectations.

Through experimentation she learned that the elixir takes effect after two months, but it's a false pregnancy. Females without pheromone will "miscarry" after about a month, while those with pheromone can maintain pregnancy symptoms for three months before "miscarrying".

Now, presenting the elixir, from her original five‑month calculation there are still three months left, so she'll present it to the Great Witch next month.

Having made up her mind, Lin Ling would not let Diao Yi's words affect her at all.

"The elixir that can increase every female's chance of bearing offspring was originally meant to defy the Beast God's destiny; it cannot be abandoned. Imagine, when I become the Great Witch, your offspring will be the Great Witch's offspring, so… whether for the future of your offspring or for all Beastfolk's future, testing the elixir on females in advance is a necessary step." Lin Ling wore a restrained smile, looking at Diao Yi: "You are the only male Beast I have by my side, will you help me?"

She, frail and helpless, pleaded to the male Beast.

Diao Yi's rigid body relaxed.

Seeing some females bleed and miscarry two months after taking the Huo Mother Elixir, which had made him feel reluctant, was instantly cast aside by Lin Ling's coquettishness.

He also relaxed his brow: "Indeed, for the Beastfolk's future."

Lin Ling sneered inwardly.

What is Diao Yi pretending?

He was clearly not a benevolent male Beast; if it weren't for his usefulness, and his habit of only listening when flattered, she would have already replaced him with another male Beast.

All her malice was concealed; she looked stunningly beautiful, hooked Diao Yi's neck, and whispered lightly into his ear: "Diao Yi Beast Husband… thank you for helping me, I truly love you so much, now let's see if this time we can conceive a offspring."

Diao Yi's breathing quickened; he tightly lifted Lin Ling and hurried inside.

……

"You're going back to the tribe in a couple of days?" Lin Manzhi sat by the hearth, hearing Xi Tao mention the return time, a hint of regret in her eyes.