Chapter 30: Coaxing You

"Cihe and Cichuan have nothing to do this afternoon, they're also very strong, so just tell me what you need help with today," Xi Tao said happily.

She looked excitedly toward the yard outside, restless, "We also need to repair the Water Cellar, should we first dig a big pit in my yard?"

After agreeing, Lin Manzhi saw Xi Tao's eager face, got up and led them to her family's Water Cellar well opening, letting the two Beast Husbands of the Xi Tao family go into the Water Cellar to look.

Then she taught Cihe to take over Mo Lie's work, using a stone hammer to continue hammering the cellar walls, then go to the lake to dig wet soil and bring it back; additionally, she had Cichuan return to his own yard's sunny side to dig soil following this pattern.

Then Lin Manzhi witnessed the speed and strength of the ordinary male beasts here.

Cihe, after hearing Lin Manzhi's request, lifted a hundred‑jin stone hammer as if it were a small toy, Bang bang bang, hammered for half an hour, achieving the mirror‑smooth effect Lin Manzhi described.

Then she had him fetch a water jar from his home, transport wet mud from the lake back to the yard, while Lin Manzhi took Xi Tao to the lake to cut dry grass and bring it back.

Xi Tao, cradling the dry grass in her hands as she returned to the yard, looked bewildered: "Lin Manzhi, why are you cutting this dry grass and digging mud?"

These dry grasses aren't edible, and it's not yet the cold season to bring them back for a nest; she saw a huge pile of soil that the Beast Husbands had dug in the yard, yet Lin Manzhi still wants to go to the lake to dig more soil—what a waste of effort!

Under the two's gaze, Lin Manzhi said calmly, "This is the next step I'll teach you: mix the dry grass with the wet mud, then evenly apply it to the Water Cellar walls, three coats in total, each at least as thick as a finger."

Since we're partners, I'll explain hand‑by‑hand in detail, so later Cihe can also go out to repair Water Cellars for others.

Lin Manzhi didn't keep anything for herself; after Cihe mixed the dry grass into the wet mud as she instructed, she lifted the water jar, filled it with the blended mud, and went down to work.

She continued standing at the Water Cellar entrance, saying, "When the walls have dried a bit, use pebbles dipped in water to continuously rub and polish; finally it will form a glaze like that of a pottery jar, and it'll be done."

Xi Tao was a bit skeptical at first about Lin Manzhi's water storage repair.

But after Cihe spent two hours finishing the work and crawled out of the Water Cellar, she leaned against the opening and looked inside; it looked like a magnified collection of narrow‑mouth pottery jars.

Smooth as a mirror, with no trace of cracks; following Lin Manzhi's instructions, they filled it with water from the lake, saying they would let the Water Cellar sit for a few days.

Then they drained that water, refilled the Water Cellar, and the water could be used.

Indeed, as Lin Manzhi said, it was very simple.

The next day, Xi Tao rushed back to Lin Manzhi's house early in the morning, heading straight for the Water Cellar entrance; the water level barely dropped at all!

"Beast God!! There's really no leakage, it's done, Lin Manzhi! The Water Cellar you repaired truly succeeded!" Xi Tao shouted excitedly.

At this time, even the City Lord of Sajin City in the desert still relied on old methods for water storage—making water‑holding jars and sending people to search for water sources in the desert.

Lin Manzhi's practice of building a Water Cellar in her yard as large as a house is unheard of.

Lin Manzhi heard the voice and stepped out; she had already known what Xi Tao was talking about.

Beastfolk work like a machine; with a solid foundation for the Water Cellar and proper key seepage‑prevention treatment, the Water Cellar's success is guaranteed.

She said, "Today you can go repair the Water Cellars in your own yards; Cihe can already build them, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

Xi Tao returned home in high spirits, urging the two Beast Husbands to speed up the construction.

……

Yang Mai, a male beast who has been single for a long time, after unexpectedly seeing Lin Manzhi yesterday, even finds himself thinking of her in his sleep.

His own strength is not as great as the black‑clad male beast beside her, but he heard her say that today he could go to her yard to look for her!

With excitement, he rose early, hunted a Small Exotic Beast in the wild, and headed straight for Lin Manzhi's yard.

"Hey, are you also going to see that Little Female?!"

A coarse voice came from behind; turning, he saw a camel male beast from the same tribe, also carrying a Small Exotic Beast.

Hearing that, Yang Mai felt a surge of rivalry, narrowed his eyes and quickened his pace; the camel male beast, seeing this, was not to be outdone.

The two rushed, competing, to Lin Manzhi's courtyard, only to be stunned—there stood twice as many male beasts as yesterday, almost identical in appearance, each holding a Small Exotic Beast.

Yang Mai's face darkened.

"Furious! I'm late!"

These were the relatively strong single male beasts of the tribe; the courtyard gate was wide open, yet they blocked the entrance without daring to step forward.

Only because a tall figure stood at the gate, arms crossed leaning against the stone door, expressionless, watching the entrance, his night‑black hair fluttering gently in the wind.

"I'm coming—" We're here to find Lin Manzhi's female; you get out of the way.

Yang Mai, as the tribe chief's nephew, was about to state his purpose when he saw Mo Lie's figure standing at the gate.

Their gazes met; Mo Lie's knife‑sharp look swept him, and he almost fell to his knees in fear.

Immediately, a collective inhaling sound rose from behind them.

"A predator!"

He somehow was sure that the beast before him was not like him, but a goat…

"We, we are following the female's words; today we came to ask her to help us build that, that Water Cellar!" With a pale face, Yang Mai's courage faltered, and only by pulling the male beasts behind him did he find the courage to speak.

Mo Lie remained unmoved, lifting his eyes lightly.

The Little Female had just gone to Xi Tao for a cellar inspection, not letting him follow, which irritated him a bit.

Now, looking at this group of male beasts, he recalled that the Little Female was cooperating with the neighbor in the adjacent yard, meaning he could avoid dealing with these male beasts in the future.

Mo Lie raised his hand, extended a finger, and coldly said to the male beasts outside the courtyard, "Fine, one household may give ten Small Exotic Beasts, or an equivalent amount of Beast Coin; now put down the Small Exotic Beasts and go back and wait."

The male beasts dared not ask further, set down the Small Exotic Beasts on their shoulders, and fled, saying they would bring a second one later.

When Lin Manzhi emerged from Xi Tao's house, she stepped into her own doorway and saw a pile of Small Exotic Beasts in the yard; her eyes widened slowly, and before she could ask, a deep male beast voice from beside her said:

"Zhi Zhi, you're back."

Mo Lie stepped forward, his voice low and gentle, "Just now, a total of eight households came to repair Water Cellars; I've taken care of it."

—Yesterday, the task Mo Lie had left half‑done was handed to Cihe; having been busy, he hadn't had time to explain to the male beasts, and now his expression carried a faint loneliness.

He looked like a leopard whose tail droops after failing to track prey under the scorching sun, evoking pity.

He needs to be coaxed.