Wen Ze spoke seriously, “You patrol the pearwood forest every day, so you should know these little white insects only appeared recently. The leaves haven’t been chewed through yet, and the fruits are still intact. That means if we use the right method, we can get rid of them.” 

His expression turned stern as he continued, “But if we choose the wrong method, it could cause a disaster. So from now on, no one is allowed to act alone. Whatever needs to be done must be discussed with the tribe first.” 

At this moment, Wen Ze had an inexplicable presence that made people both fear and trust him. His calm demeanor also helped ease everyone’s anxiety. 

No one panicked anymore. They nodded, showing that they understood and would follow the tribe’s decisions. 

Only then did Wen Ze’s expression ease slightly. “As for the method… I have some ideas, but we’ll need to test them first.” 

His dark eyes swept across the group before finally landing on Bai Han’s face. 

“Leader Bai Han, would you be willing to let me try it?” 

Bai Han replied in a steady voice, “Of course. Other than cutting down trees, we don’t know what else to do. If you’re willing to help, we’re truly grateful.” 

Xue Yuan also nodded. “Yes, we’ll follow your lead.” 

Others echoed, “Wen Ze, do whatever you need! It can’t get any worse than it already is!” 

“That’s right! Just tell us what to do!” 

With everyone’s support, Wen Ze felt even more determined. 

He made a firm promise, “Thank you for trusting me. I’ll do my best. Now, I need to learn more about the pearwood forest. Who can tell me about it?” 

Bai Han brought Wen Ze and Zhuo Mu back to his cave. Xue Yuan, Ri Yan, and a few other respected tribe members came along. 

After they sat down, a half-beastman brought over some steamed roots and roasted meat. 

He said kindly, “I know you haven’t eaten yet, so eat while we talk.” 

Wen Ze and the others accepted the food and thanked him. 

After a busy morning, they were indeed hungry. Wen Ze took a bite of the root while asking, “Has anyone seen these little white insects before?” 

Everyone shook their heads. 

“No.” 

“Not that I remember.” 

Only Xue Yuan, who was a bit older, said, “I’ve seen them in other forests, but only a few here and there. These insects are so small that we never really paid attention to them.” 

Wen Ze nodded. “So this is the first time they’ve appeared in large numbers in the forest.” 

“Yes.” 

“If only a few people have seen them before, then you probably don’t know what their natural enemies are.” 

“No, we don’t. But we can catch different insects and place them in the pearwood forest to see if any of them eat the white ones.” 

“That’s a good idea. Let’s keep that in mind.” Wen Ze continued, “Now, has anything unusual happened in the pearwood forest this year? Or in the past few years? Tell me anything you can think of.” 

Everyone thought hard, but most of what they mentioned seemed ordinary—nothing that clearly explained why the infestation started. 

Wen Ze organized the information in his mind and murmured, “Your pearwood forest looks quite tidy. I don’t see many other trees around.” 

Bai Han’s expression suddenly changed. “Now that you mention it, I just remembered something.” 

“What is it?” 

“A few years ago, before I became the tribe leader, the pearwood forest wasn’t like this. There were lots of other trees and plants growing in it. Those extra trees and weeds took up a lot of space and sunlight, so the pearwood harvest wasn’t as good as it is now.” 

Wen Ze had a feeling he knew where this was going. “And then?” 

“Since the fruits from this forest were the biggest and sweetest, some people in the tribe suggested clearing out all the extra trees and weeds. Most of the tribe agreed.” 

The others also recalled the event and added more details— 

After removing the extra trees, the pearwood trees got more nutrients and indeed grew better. The fruits became even tastier. 

Over the past few winters, they had exchanged these pears for many supplies. 

Seeing the benefits, everyone became even more enthusiastic about keeping the forest clear of unwanted plants. 

Noticing Wen Ze’s knowing expression, they asked, “Do you mean these small white insects are related to us removing the other trees and plants?” 

Wen Ze nodded. “That’s right.” 

Modern agriculture is already highly developed. Even people who aren’t in the farming industry have probably heard about the importance of intercropping and crop rotation. 

Seeing everyone’s surprised expressions, Wen Ze explained, “Basically, planting the same crop in the same soil over and over depletes certain nutrients. When the crops grow weaker, pests become more abundant and more destructive. 

If this continues, the soil will deteriorate, pests will become rampant, and crops will be severely affected. A decrease in yield is the most basic consequence. 

The little white insects in the pearwood forest likely appeared because of this.” 

Wen Ze couldn’t help but sigh. They had been clearing out wild trees and weeds for years, yet the pest problem was only showing up now. The trees in this beast world had pretty strong resistance to pests. 

People in this world had no concept of farming. They were naturally optimistic and lived by the philosophy of taking life one day at a time. 

The reason the Snow Sea Tribe valued this pearwood forest so much was similar to how the Rainbow Sun Tribe valued pottery. 

They had pinned high hopes on the forest and put in a lot of effort to maintain it. Naturally, they had developed a deep attachment to it. 

At this moment, even Zhuo Mu was stunned by Wen Ze’s explanation. Everyone took a long time to process what they had just heard. 

Ri Yan said anxiously, “So that’s how it works?! Then what do we do? We’ve been cutting down trees and pulling out weeds for years! Even if we put everything back, it won’t fix the problem, right?” 

Wen Ze nodded. “Yes, it’s unlikely to kill the small white insects.” 

The people of the Snow Sea Tribe pounded their chests and stomped their feet, regretting their decision immensely. 

Someone said, “I never supported cutting down the trees in the first place. Every plant is a gift from the Beast God. How could we just stop them from growing? If I had known things would turn out like this, I would’ve done everything to stop it!” 

Xue Yuan said coldly, “Complaining won’t help now. Figuring out how to deal with the pests is what matters!” 

He looked at Wen Ze expectantly. “Since we now know what caused these white insects to appear, does that mean we can find a way to get rid of them?” 

Wen Ze hesitated. “Our chances are better than before, but I can’t guarantee anything. Leader Bai Han, time is tight. We need to take action now.” 

Bai Han’s expression was tense. “Alright, tell me what to do.” 

“I need you to gather as many people as possible and collect dry grass, dried leaves, and dried stalks.” 

Then Wen Ze turned to Xue Yuan. “Xue Yuan, you know the tribe’s land best. Find a wide, open area—preferably one without any grass and with surrounding hills to block the wind. Once we gather the dry materials, we’ll burn them there.” 

Bai Han and Xue Yuan responded immediately. “Got it! We’ll go now!” 

Wen Ze added, “Before you leave, bring me a few of the older half-beastmen.” 

No one questioned him. They simply agreed and got to work. 

Under Wen Ze’s instructions, the entire Snow Sea Tribe was mobilized. 

He and Zhuo Mu remained in Bai Han’s cave, becoming the backbone of this operation. 

While Bai Han and Xue Yuan were out collecting leaves and searching for an open space, Wen Ze was using a wooden stick to draw things on the ground for the older half-beastmen. 

Using the knowledge in his mind, he sketched several plants known for repelling pests—orchid grass, tobacco, indigo, and cocklebur. 

Since he wasn’t sure if they had the same names in this world, he described each plant in detail after drawing them. 

For the first few, the elders shook their heads. They had never seen them in the tribe’s territory. 

But when he drew the cocklebur, they immediately perked up. “We have that! It’s black and covered in burrs. If you brush against it, the burrs stick to your animal hide robes, right?” 

Wen Ze’s dark eyes lit up. “That’s the one! Our tribe has it too. It’s pretty common!” 

The half-beastmen eagerly asked, “Wen Ze, can this prickly ball kill the small white insects?” 

Wen Ze replied cautiously, “As far as I know, it can be used to repel insects, but whether it can kill them or not, we’ll have to bring some back and test it.” 

Even though they were older, they could still move around just fine. They immediately volunteered, “We’ll go pick them! There’s some nearby!” 

Wen Ze nodded. “Alright, I’ll go with all of you.” 

“We’ll also keep an eye out for the other plants you drew!” 

Zhuo Mu naturally joined them. With him around, there was no need to worry about running into danger. 

Originally, Wen Ze had planned to head back to the South Mountain Tribe after his discussion with Bai Han in the morning. 

But now that they’d encountered a pest infestation, his return was delayed. 

Fortunately, he had already left instructions with Yin He, and Sang Hui’s family would likely help out as well. So Wen Ze wasn’t too worried. 

By noon, nearly everyone in the Snow Sea Tribe had joined in, gathering a large amount of dry leaves and grass. 

Xue Yuan had found a suitable open space—a rocky riverbank far from the mountains and forests, meeting Wen Ze’s requirements without the risk of fire spreading elsewhere. 

Facing the Snow Sea Tribe members, Wen Ze said, “Use your claws to tear these leaves and grass into smaller pieces so they burn more thoroughly.” 

“Got it!” 

The half-beastmen extended their claws, while the beastmen changed into their beast forms. In no time, the leaves and grass were shredded into tiny bits. 

Next came the fire, burning everything down into a large pile of ash. 

Since the beast world didn’t have ready-made pesticides, Wen Ze thought of two things that could help kill bugs: plant ash and quicklime. 

Quicklime required heating limestone at extremely high temperatures. He had never done it himself, but he knew it needed intense heat. Given the current state of development in the beast world, it wasn’t something they could easily make. 

But plant ash was something he’s familiar with, and it’s quick and easy to produce. 

Wen Ze instructed the people of the Snow Sea Tribe to collect the plant ash, and then led them in a large group toward the pearwood forest. 

When they arrived, Wen Ze slid off the giant python’s back and stepped to the front. 

“Give me a bowl of plant ash,” he said, extending his hand. 

Someone immediately handed him a clay bowl. 

“Zhuo Mu, can you lift me up?” 

As soon as he spoke, Zhuo Mu crouched slightly, wrapped his arms around Wen Ze’s legs, and effortlessly lifted him onto his shoulders. 

Wen Ze quickly thanked him, then reached into the bowl, grabbed a handful of ash, and sprinkled it over a cluster of pear trees in front of him. 

The wind rustled through the forest, but a good amount of the plant ash still managed to cling to the trees. 

Everyone, including Wen Ze, locked their eyes onto the dusted pear trees. 

In their hearts, they all silently prayed: Beast God, please let this work! 

Wen Ze knew he was the backbone of the group, so he kept his expression steady. 

But deep down, his heart was pounding. 

If they were dealing with modern-day pests, plant ash alone wouldn’t be enough to kill them. 

His only hope was that the insects in the beast world weren’t as evolved and that this method would still be effective. 

He pressed his lips together, silently praying for success as he fixed his gaze on the pear tree for half a minute. 

Finally, he saw it—something had fallen from the tree! 

His eyes widened in surprise. He immediately sat up in Zhuo Mu’s arms and leaned in for a closer look. 

The pear tree, now covered in plant ash, had far fewer of those tiny white insects! 

Wen Ze was overjoyed. Afraid he might be mistaken, he quickly lowered his head and asked, “Zhuo Mu, did you see that?” 

Zhuo Mu’s deep red eyes locked onto him. “I saw it. The insects fell off.” 

The people behind them still couldn’t quite believe it. “What do you mean?” 

Wen Ze grinned. “It means it worked! The insects can be killed!” 

“Beast God, this is amazing!” 

“I can’t believe a little plant ash can be this useful!” 

“Wen Ze, you’re really smart for thinking of this!” 

“Does this mean our pearwood forest can be saved?!” 

There were a lot of people gathered, and not everyone was standing close to Wen Ze. 

When the news spread to the back, the whole crowd erupted with excitement. Some were so emotional their eyes turned red! 

Zhuo Mu noticed Wen Ze had something to say, so he kept holding him up and turned around to face the crowd. 

Wen Ze raised his hand high, drawing everyone’s attention. 

“This isn’t the time to celebrate yet! Let’s hurry and spread the plant ash over the leaves, fruits, and the ground! The forest is huge, so if we run out of ash, burn more! Make sure to burn it in the clearing we used earlier!” 

The fallen white insects were proof enough. Everyone completely trusted Wen Ze now and was eager to follow his lead. 

Bai Han, the tribe leader, was the first to respond enthusiastically. “You all start over there! You take the middle, and we’ll handle the other side!” 

A thunderous reply followed. “Got it!” 

Everyone despised those white insects, so they spread the plant ash without hesitation. 

Soon, the ground and trees were covered in a layer of ash. 

As expected, they ran out quickly. Without wasting time, they gathered more dried leaves, burned them, collected the ash, and kept spreading. 

After more than two hours of hard work, the entire pearwood forest was finally treated. 

As the evening breeze swept through, the air was filled with the dry, slightly bitter scent of plant ash. 

No one had ever found this smell pleasant before, but now, they all thought it was the best scent in the world. 

Wen Ze led everyone to check the trees they had treated first. Sure enough, the number of white insects and eggs had dropped drastically! 

The people of the Snow Sea Tribe had gone through a rollercoaster of emotions, and each of them was filled with deep emotions and excitement. 

A few young half-beastmen held onto each other, their eyes red, and said, “This morning, I was scared to death, thinking we’d have to chop down all our pearwood trees. But by the afternoon, we actually saved them.” 

“Yeah! It’s all thanks to Wen Ze!” 

The others quickly chimed in. “Wen Ze, thank you!” 

“You’re a great benefactor to our Snow Sea Tribe!” 

“Now we don’t have to be afraid of those damn insects anymore!” 

Wen Ze raised his hand slightly, and the crowd immediately fell silent. 

Looking at them, he spoke in a firm voice, “We were lucky this time and found the right solution, but if you keep doing things the same way—only allowing pear trees to grow—these pests will get worse. Eventually, even plant ash won’t work anymore.” 

Earlier that morning, Wen Ze and Bai Han had already explained this to some people, and the knowledge had quickly spread throughout the tribe. 

Now, concerned voices asked, “Would it help if we moved other trees here?” 

Wen Ze had already prepared for this question. He briefly explained the concepts of intercropping and crop rotation. 

Transplanting other trees could be useful, but not just any tree would do. They needed to consider how different plants interacted with each other. 

The Snow Sea Tribe members were stunned by his explanation. 

Xue Yuan looked at Wen Ze with admiration and muttered, “I never knew there was so much to consider when planting trees.” 

Wen Ze nodded with a gentle smile. 

As someone who had studied agriculture, he could say with certainty—farming was a vast field of knowledge. 

Bai Han stepped forward with gratitude. “Wen Ze, thank you for helping us overcome such a difficult challenge and for teaching us so much. Truly, thank you.” 

Then, he performed a ceremonial gesture—placing both hands together over his chest, closing his eyes, and bowing to Wen Ze. 

The others followed Bai Han’s lead and did the same. 

Before this, Wen Ze had only seen this gesture when the people of the South Mountain Tribe prayed to the Beast God. 

Understanding the weight and sincerity behind it, he suddenly felt an immense responsibility on his shoulders. 

“There’s no need to be so formal,” Wen Ze said, deeply moved. “Aren’t we friends? Helping friends means helping ourselves.” 

“Helping friends means helping ourselves…” Bai Han repeated softly, his golden eyes gleaming. “That’s a great way to put it.” 

After this experience, everyone was completely convinced of Wen Ze’s abilities. More than that, they felt a deep sense of pride in having someone like him as a friend of the Snow Sea Tribe. 

Xue Yuan stepped forward eagerly. “Then, should we move back the trees we originally took from here?” 

Wen Ze was a bit surprised. “Those trees are still alive?” 

Xue Yuan nodded. “Some were used as firewood, but a good number survived.” 

Ri Yan added, “Actually, it’s not just the trees. Even the weeds we dug up from here have taken root and sprouted elsewhere.” 

Xue Yuan responded with a simple “Mm,” then suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right! There was one type of grass that stood out. Its roots grew in separate segments… Wait a second.” 

He quickly turned to Wen Ze. “That grass… it sounds kind of like the one you described. What was it called again? Anyway, it looks kind of similar!” 

Wen Ze became interested. “Really? Is it far from here? Take me to see it!” 

Xue Yuan shook his head. “Not far at all! Come on, let’s go now!” 

Wen Ze immediately called out to Zhuo Mu, and the two of them followed hurriedly. 

When they arrived, Wen Ze realized Xue Yuan wasn’t exaggerating—it really wasn’t far. 

They didn’t even need to change into their beast forms. A few hundred meters of walking, and they were there. 

The grass swayed gently in the wind, its slender leaves looking oddly familiar.  

Why did they look so much like garlic leaves? 

Xue Yuan pointed at one. “This is it! Wait, let me dig it up for you!” 

He extended his claws, squatted down, and started digging while saying, “We always thought this was just a weed. After removing it from the forest, we completely forgot about it!” 

As the soil was dug away, the plant’s roots were revealed. 

It was round like a bulb, with long, thin roots—and it even had a strong, pungent smell! 

Wen Ze quickly reached out excitedly, pulled the plant out, and swiftly peeled away the outer layer. 

Inside, layer by layer, were white cloves. He took a bite… It really was garlic! 

Garlic! A top-tier seasoning! He had finally found garlic! 

Overjoyed, Wen Ze turned to Xue Yuan and the others. “This is exactly what I was looking for! Your territory really does have it!” 

There was quite a bit of garlic growing in this area, enough for him to dig up some to eat and keep some for planting. 

By next year, he could plant the seeds and have his own harvest of garlic! 

Xue Yuan and the others were happy for him. “That’s great! You’ve found another one. Wen Ze, congratulations!” 

“Haha, thanks!” 

Bai Han asked, “So… should we replant some of this garlic back?” 

Wen Ze replied, “Sure! I don’t need that much anyway. But you can’t dig them up right now—the ground was just sprinkled with plant ash, so they won’t survive.” 

Bai Han nodded seriously. “Got it. We’ll wait a few days before planting. From now on, we’ll make sure to plant more trees in the pearwood forest to prevent another pest infestations. And… if we’re unsure about anything, can we still come to you for advice?” 

He sounded a little hesitant when he asked the last part. 

Wen Ze immediately replied, “Of course! You can come to me anytime!” 

Bai Han broke into a smile. “Alright.” 

The other tribesmen who had followed along were moved by the exchange and sincerely said, “Wen Ze, you’re really kind.” 

“We’ll also keep an eye out for the plants you want.” 

To them, Wen Ze was a friend. Seeing him happy made them happy too— they weren’t expecting anything in return. 

But what Wen Ze said next completely stunned them! 

“Leader Bai Han, actually, what I wanted to talk to you about this morning was the weaving method,” Wen Ze said. “I’ve decided to exchange the method for your tribe’s green root stalks, nuts, and pearwood.” 

Bai Han was caught off guard. “Wait, what? Didn’t you say you’d only teach us if we found three types of crop your tribe doesn’t have?” 

Wen Ze shrugged. “Well, your tribe’s nuts and pearwood are way better than ours.” 

Bai Han frowned slightly. “That’s only because they grow in our land.” 

Wen Ze grinned. “Doesn’t matter—I already made my decision.” 

Bai Han froze for a few seconds before realizing what this meant—Wen Ze had lowered the conditions! He had taken a step back just to help them! 

“You… you…” Bai Han looked at Wen Ze in shock and gratitude, his throat feeling as if it was stuffed with cotton, making it hard to speak. 

How could someone be this generous? After helping them so much, he was still willing to teach them how to weave! 

Wen Ze smiled warmly and said, “Since I also found garlic today, let’s change the deal to green root stalks, garlic, and pearwood seeds.” 

The Snow Sea Tribe members were more than happy with that offer. 

Bai Han, still feeling emotional, said, “Alright! But pearwood seeds… even if you plant them back in your tribe, they won’t produce tasty fruit. Let’s change that part of the deal.” 

Wen Ze raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” 

Since everyone was here, Bai Han turned to his people and said, “How about this—we give Wen Ze a tenth of our pear fruits harvest every year? That way, it’s like he’s growing pears in our territory.”

Wen Ze’s eyes widened in surprise. 

That was an option?! 

The Snow Sea Tribe members discussed it seriously for a moment before Xue Yuan stepped forward and said, “I don’t think that’ll work.” 

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