Upon reaching the front of the Black Bear Valley mountain hollow, the three-headed bird suddenly stopped, lifting its head to sniff something.
Yan Li was dissatisfied, "Why stop all of a sudden? Afraid of that black bear?"
Even the three-headed bird couldn't explain. It just felt like the mountains ahead were unusually quiet, giving it a sense that something was hiding within.
"What could be there? Most likely just afraid of you; those things wouldn't dare to come out." Yan Li dismissed it, confident that Black Bear Valley belonged to the Black Bear King. Apart from some foolish deer and rabbits, what else could be in the Black Bear King's territory?
Even the Black Bear King wouldn't dare confront the three-headed bird. It was normal for it to yield.
After giving it some thought, the three-headed bird continued forward without lingering.
Yan Li, who had threatened several villages and still hadn't found the snake's demon core, was annoyed. He had no interest in the unimpressive scenery of Black Bear Valley. Closing his eyes to rest, he led the team through the mountain hollow.
Yu Feng and the others hid in the distance, not daring to move until the Salt Village team had gone far.
"Let's go, back to the village."
***
Knowing that people from Salt Village had come again, the village chief found it strange. He wondered what was going on with Salt Village; why did they come once before winter and now again after winter started? There hadn't been any visitors from Salt Village for four or five years, so what was happening recently?
He went out to greet the Salt Village team with Jian Yunchuan and others.
Upon reaching the village entrance, they saw that, surprisingly, this time the people from Salt Village had brought the three-headed bird with them.
Seeing the terrifying three-headed bird, the village chief's expression turned unpleasant for a moment.
Jian Yunchuan remained composed, taking the lead, "Welcome, distinguished guests."
Yan Li hadn't seen Jian Yunchuan last time, "Who are you?"
Jian Yunchuan replied, "I'm the captain of the village's guard."
Yan Li, sitting on the back of the three-headed bird, looked down at him, inwardly sneering. A small village trying to have a guard like larger villages – it was quite amusing.
"Oh," Yan Li couldn't be bothered to look at Jian Yunchuan again, only addressing the village chief, "Where are your people? Bring them out."
The village chief asked him, "May I ask, Lord Wuyun, for what reason?"
"Just do as you're told. Don't want to live?" Yan Li impatiently said.
The people from Yu Village were somewhat angered by Yan Li's attitude, but due to the three-headed bird, they didn't dare say anything. They could only suppress their anger and go call the villagers out.
Once everyone was gathered, Yan Li slowly scanned the crowd and said, "Your village has grown quite a bit."
His gaze fell on He Qing and others, examining them.
The village chief hurriedly explained, "It's just a small village. Unable to survive the winter, some people came to seek refuge. Many died, leaving only these few dozen."
Yan Li lost interest after hearing that, saying only, "Two people missing."
The village chief's heart skipped a beat, about to say something when Yan Li continued, "Dead?"
The village chief felt awkward, not wanting to curse Yu Su and the others, but he couldn't tell the truth either. He said, "I sent them south to exchange things with villages in the south."
Yan Li, "Call them back."
Village chief, "They... They've been gone for several days. It's too late to call them back now. The round trip would take seven or eight days."
Yan Li frowned. Gone? How coincidental?
"Search the village first, then search these people. After the search, we'll interrogate them."
The captain of the Salt Village guard nodded and led the team into the village.
"Wait." Jian Yunchuan spoke up, "Lord Wuyun, why are you searching our village? You should at least tell us."
Yan Li looked at him coldly, "You want to resist?"
Jian Yunchuan replied, "It's not that I'm dissatisfied with you; it's just that searching the village without any explanation is unjustifiable. Even Fengcheng wouldn't bully people like this."
"Fengcheng?" Yan Li sneered, "Talking to me about Fengcheng. Who do you think you are? Search!"
Seeing Salt Village bullying people like this angered the people from Yu Village, especially Yu Mang and the others. They almost couldn't hold back from rushing out, but Jian Yunchuan stopped them.
Jian Yunchuan's eyes were also cold; the troublesome three-headed bird meant it was better to avoid a conflict if possible.
"Let them search. If they..." Jian Yunchuan glanced at Yu Mang and others, "Do as I said before."
Yu Mang and the others clenched their fists and nodded.
...
Things unfolded as feared. After searching the village, the people from Salt Village didn't leave.
Yan Li's gaze changed slightly when the guards reported the changes in Yu Village, "It seems your village is doing quite well this winter. Not a single person dead, and you've expanded quite a bit."
The village chief explained, "Thanks to the protection of Lord Mountain God, willing to provide us with enough food to get through the winter. That's the only reason we can pass this winter safely."Yan Li still harbored some fear towards the Mountain God of Lu Shen Mountain, but he had been unable to find the demon core of the Winged Serpent. The divination indicated that the core was in the south. After searching numerous southern villages, the most significant changes were observed in Yu Village. Something seemed amiss.
"In this prolonged winter, where others, even with the protection of the Mountain God, lost many lives, and yet none of you died, claiming it's the Mountain God's blessing. Do you think I'd believe that?"
"Speak up! Has anyone from your village been to Black Flame Valley?"
"If you don't confess, don't blame me for razing your village!"
Yan Li's threatening words frightened many in the village. Unfortunately, Lord Yu Su was absent, leaving only Lord Yun Chuan and others to face the intimidating three-headed bird.
They had never encountered such a terrifying creature; facing it felt like being swallowed whole.
The village chief frowned, "We truly haven't sent anyone to Black Flame Valley."
Yan Li coldly said, "Seems like you're not afraid of death. Come on, arrest these people!"
Jian Yun Chuan immediately signaled to Yu Mang and others. They stood at the village entrance, preventing Salt Village's people from entering.
"Foolish move." Yan Li's eyes turned colder. He tapped the three-headed bird beneath him, and one of its heads spewed fire.
The sight of the fire terrified the Yu Village residents. Just then, Jian Yun Chuan and Yu Mang shouted, channeling energy into the ground, creating a wall of earth that blocked the bird's flames.
Caught off guard, the fire turned back towards Yan Li and the bird, nearly burning them.
The three-headed bird screeched angrily, flapping its wings.
Yan Li, almost thrown off, cursed, "Stupid beast, why are you flailing around?"
The bird screeched, using its three beaks to pierce through the earthen wall.
Jian Yun Chuan and the others were prepared. They erected another wall of earth, and other villagers, armed with spears, rushed forward. Those skilled in magical arts, like Yu Feng, disrupted the three-headed bird.
For a moment, chaos ensued as the bird thrashed around. Yan Li was thrown into disarray.
"Foolish creature! Can't you just fly?" Yan Li berated the bird.
The three-headed bird struggled, flapping its wings. Though not adept at flying due to its bulky size, it managed to hover a few meters above the ground. Its three heads breathed fire towards Jian Yun Chuan and the others.
The village chief and the residents had retreated, while Jian Yun Chuan and his team remained in place.
Seeing the approaching flames, they quickly dodged.
Salt Village's guards aggressively entered the village, intending to make arrests.
Two snow-white figures dashed out of the village, attacking Salt Village's people.
Members of the village's hunting squad also joined the fray. Having trained in combat for a long time, they surpassed the untrained Salt Village guards, easily restraining them.
The troublesome part was the three-headed bird. Since it could fly, Jian Yun Chuan and his team struggled to handle it.
At that moment, a dark cloud drifted overhead. Torrential rain suddenly poured down, accurately hitting the three heads of the bird. The rain extinguished its flames, and both the feathers and the creature were drenched. Already clumsy, the bird couldn't fly.
The rain, oddly timely, came directly above them, precisely targeting Yan Li and the three-headed bird.
The downpour restrained the bird's fiery attacks. With wet feathers, it couldn't take flight.
This unexpected rain made Jian Yun Chuan and others quickly guess that the Mountain God was assisting them. They cheered.
"It's Lord Mountain God!"
"Lord Mountain God saved us!"
Originally terrified villagers, who had been frightened by the three-headed bird, now gathered courage. Armed, they charged towards the restrained creature.
Seeing the situation, Yan Li abandoned his guards, rode the three-headed bird, and frantically fled.
"Chase?" Yu Mang shouted.
Jian Yun Chuan raised his hand to stop them. "Don't chase."
"What if he comes back with reinforcements?" Yu Mang expressed concern.
Jian Yun Chuan said, "He won't come back in the short term."
"And in the long term?"
"We're prepared for the long term as well. Don't worry. The Salt Village's matters won't stay hidden for much longer. We're planning to sell salt, and at the latest, next month, there will be a caravan departing. By then, Salt Village will undoubtedly learn about this, even without today's incident. They won't let us sell salt peacefully; conflicts will arise."
Yu Mang and others realized that facing Salt Village was inevitable, whether they chased or not.
But some remained worried; they believed they couldn't defeat Salt Village.
"Salt Village's most formidable asset is the three-headed bird. With Lord Mountain God on our side, why should we fear them?"
"Exactly, when Lord Yu Su returns, we won't need to fear even more."
"Or is it that you don't want to make money?"
After winning today's battle and knowing that Lord Mountain God protected them, everyone's confidence had greatly increased.
Most importantly, with money to be made, who would be foolish enough to reject it? After enduring so many hardships, finally having good days, who would willingly go back to a difficult life?
Hence, when Yu Su and Lu Yan returned with the good news of cooperation with the Northern Iron Village, they witnessed the villagers training as if possessed, even the children brandishing iron spears in imitation.
Yu Su: ???
He had been away for a short period, and the village's atmosphere had turned so spirited?
"Lord Yu Su is back!"
"It's Lord Yu Su!"
"Lord Yu Su, we drove away the three-headed bird!"
"Lord Yu Su, we were bullied again. People from Salt Village came to harass us!"
Seeing Yu Su return, the villagers were overjoyed and began to complain.
Narrowing his eyes, Yu Su wondered if Salt Village was causing trouble again.