Yu Su's preparation for building a kang quickly drew the attention of Yu Feng and the others.
They had never heard of such a thing as a kang, but now, knowing that anything Yu Su introduced was bound to be good, they paid special attention to this new contraption.
So, at once, they all crowded into Yu Su's house.
The one responsible for constructing the kang was Lu Yan, with Yu Su guiding him.
After a busy morning, a freshly assembled kang stood in the room.
While the cold wind howled outside, the room remained warm and cozy. Lying on the kang, you couldn't feel the cold at all.
"So warm! I want to build one too!"
"With the Mountain God's favor, with this thing, I can spend the entire winter lying on the kang!"
After experiencing the charm of the kang in turns, everyone wanted to build one in their homes.
Meanwhile, at Deer God Mountain...
The chilling wind dared not invade this place; Qingze lazily sat on a stone, basking in the sun.
Suddenly, it seemed to sense something, opened its eyes, and looked to the northwest.
After a moment, it stood up, leaped lightly onto the large stone at the mountaintop, facing northwest.
A robust group led by three birds approached from the northwest.
The person sitting on the back of the three-headed bird wore a linen robe, held a wooden staff adorned with totems and masks, and had the symbol of black flames painted on their forehead. They looked under thirty and sat arrogantly on the bird.
The three-headed bird, initially striding proudly in the wilderness, suddenly stopped.
The person on its back opened their eyes, ready to complain, but then saw a distant towering mountain.
"Deer God Mountain?" The person frowned. "How did we end up here?"
"Return, Lord Witch Doctor, there's a village at the foot of Deer God Mountain called Yu Village. They participated in the recent exchange market," one of the companions respectfully replied.
A while ago, during the battle between the guardian mountain god of Salt Village and the Flame Bird, the guardian died, and everything valuable was taken, including the god's inner core.
Salt Village, enraged, searched nearby villages without results, leading to an investigation of every village that participated in the exchange market. This team, led by Salt Village's witch doctor, came for the search.
"Oh?" The witch doctor didn't have a strong impression of Yu Village. "Must be another impoverished place."
"Indeed, Yu Village is very poor, relying on hunting and gathering for a living."
"In such a poor place, with Deer God's blessing, let's pay a visit."
However, the three-headed bird under him refused to take another step forward, seemingly wary of Qingze on Deer God Mountain.
The witch doctor's expression changed slightly as he glanced at Deer God Mountain.
Vaguely, he seemed to see a white deer, or perhaps he was mistaken.
One of the companions said, "The god on Deer God Mountain is the spirit of water and wood, and we must not offend."
Although the young witch doctor had been in office for less than a year, he was the disciple of the previous witch doctor and had heard the legends of Deer God Mountain. Therefore, despite some reluctance, he had to give up the idea of urging the three-headed bird to continue.
But they still had to search Yu Village.
"If the three-headed bird refuses to go, we'll go on foot."
"Yes."
*Yu Village.*
The mark on Yu Su's back suddenly lit up. Yu Su, puzzled, sensed a vague warning from Qingze.
It was Qingze's will, saying that people from Salt Village were coming.
Yu Su's expression immediately became serious.
Lu Yan was the first to notice his change in expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yu Mang and the others, who were originally bustling to experience the kang, also quieted down.
Yu Su said, "People from Salt Village are coming."
Everyone was surprised. Why would people from Salt Village come? How did Yu Su know?
Yu Su speculated; perhaps Salt Village came for the matter of Black Flame Valley.
When they left Black Flame Valley, he and Lu Yan covered all the traces that needed to be covered. Salt Village shouldn't suspect them, but they still had to handle it carefully.
Yu Su said, "The Mountain God informed me. They won't come without reason; it's likely not for goodwill."
The faces of Yu Feng and the others immediately turned serious.
"Uncle Feng, I'm worried they're here for Black Flame Valley. Only a few of you know that I've been there. Make sure not to let anything slip."
Yu Feng and the others understood the gravity of the situation and promised not to reveal anything.
"Also, go and have everyone temporarily put the hanging meat in the cellar and cover it well. Don't let it be discovered."
"Alright, I'll take care of it."
Next, Yu Su went to find the village chief.
A few hours later, the Salt Village team indeed arrived.
Following the village chief, Yu Su received the Salt Village team.
Yu Su looked at the person in front, wearing a linen robe, holding a staff with totems and masks, and with the symbol of black flames on their forehead. He guessed that this person was Salt Village's witch doctor.
As expected, the person standing next to the Salt Village witch doctor said, "This is our witch doctor, Lord Wuyun."
Why call him Wuyun?
Yu Su silently complained, but on the surface, he, like the village chief, showed a respectful and fearful expression.
Wuyun arrogantly scanned them, not paying much attention to Yu Su following the village chief.
"Did you participate in the exchange market recently?" Wuyun asked.
The village chief replied, "Yes."
"Have you been to Black Flame Valley?" Wuyun inquired.
The village chief looked puzzled. "Black Flame Valley? No."
Wuyun's eyes stared darkly at the person. "Really not?"
The village chief said firmly, "Really not. We dare not offend the mountain god of Black Flame Valley."
Wuyun, feeling that the person was not lying, also suspected that the people from Yu Village wouldn't have the courage.
His gaze swept over Yu Village, and seeing its impoverished appearance, he felt some disdain.
"Although you say no, we still need to search," Wuyun said arrogantly.
The village chief's face looked unsightly. After all, he was the head of the village, and the witch doctor of Salt Village openly declared to search their village, showing no regard for him.
But thinking about the consequences of resisting Salt Village, the village chief gritted his teeth and agreed.
Salt Village guards, tall and sturdy, holding gleaming iron spears, frightened the villagers.
The Yu family also hid in the crowd, not daring to show themselves.
At this moment, a Salt Village guard with an iron spear entered the Yu family's home, turning everything upside down. They even found the smoked meat that the Yashan family secretly copied from others.
Seeing it, Yashan shouted anxiously, "What are you doing! That's my meat!"
The guard saw it and took the piece of meat out.
"What are you doing!" Yashan shouted anxiously. "That's my meat!"
The commotion from the Yashan family quickly caught attention. Wuyun frowned, "What's going on?"
"He took my meat!" Yashan shouted.
Wuyun felt that Yashan was making a big deal out of a small matter and said impatiently, "It's just a piece of meat."
"Why don't you go grab theirs? You have to come and grab mine. They have plenty..."
Hearing Yashan's words, the people from Yu Village suddenly raised their guard.
At this moment, Yashan suddenly knelt down, banging her knees on the ground, and cried out in pain.
"Ouch!"
"What are you doing? Be more careful."
Hongshan quickly came forward, helped Yashan up, and, while pinching her arm, warned her in a low voice, "Shut up, the meat will be compensated to you. Don't make a fuss."
The village chief also stood up in time, "She doesn't understand, Lord Wuy
un, don't blame her. If you want meat, take it, and if Yashan's family doesn't have enough, my family has more."
Wuyun was very displeased, "Do I lack a few pieces of meat from you?"
The village chief quickly apologized, "I didn't mean that. Please don't take offense, Lord Wuyun."
Wuyun snorted. He didn't want to stay in Yu Village for long. After the guards searched for a while and found nothing, he planned to leave.
"If you know anyone who has been to Black Flame Valley, report to Salt Village immediately, or you won't be spared," Wuyun warned.
"Of course, of course, we will report immediately."
Seeing the village chief being humble and tactful, Wuyun was satisfied. With his guard team, he left Yu Village.
The people of Yu Village sighed in relief. When they looked at Yashan again, their eyes were unfriendly.
Yashan's attempt to drag others into trouble had angered everyone.
"Yashan, what did you mean just now? Were you trying to harm us?"
"You secretly copied our way of smoking meat, and we didn't say anything. Now, you deliberately tried to implicate us."
Yashan couldn't lift her head, not daring to speak.
On the other side, at the village chief's house, the atmosphere was a bit serious.
Yu Su didn't speak. Today, the sudden appearance of people from Salt Village sounded an alarm for him.
He couldn't think that being far from Salt Village could ensure safety. He needed to speed up to strengthen the power of their own forces.
"Village chief, you should discipline the Yashan family well. Today, they almost exposed our cellar."
Yu Su said to the village chief, "If you can't do it harshly, I'll handle it myself."
The village chief felt the ruthlessness behind Yu Su's words. He understood that Yu Su's intervention might lead to the Yashan family's death.
The village chief sighed and said, "I will discipline them. If they still don't listen...you can handle it."
Yu Su gave an "um" and then said to the others, "You all saw what happened today. Although our days are better, we still need to be cautious when facing Salt Village. Are you willing to lose your dignity?"
"Not willing!" Yumang was the first to answer. "I wish I could crush their eyeballs."
Others also expressed their unwillingness.
Yu Feng looked at Yu Su, "Yu Su, whatever you plan, we'll follow you."
Yu Su stood up, "Good, starting tomorrow, I will intensify your training."
Intensify training?
Yu Mang and the others looked at each other, not knowing what Yu Su meant by intensifying training.
But Yu Su wouldn't harm them. After thinking about it, Yu Mang and the others agreed.
Yu Su looked at the village chief, "Chief, you still handle the mundane arrangements in the village."
In the past, he used to be meticulous in everything, such as supervising the digging of cellars.
But, in fact, such matters could be entirely delegated to the village chief and others after instructing them in the church.
He shouldn't have distracted his own attention.
The two most important things he needs to do now are to enhance his own strength and cultivate a formidable force unique to Yu Village. Only then can they resist powerful villages like Salt Village and defend their salt field in the future.