TLN: FOR SUBSEQUENT UPDATE, WHENEVER YOU SEE SALT QI, SALT LI OR WHATEVER SALT.. IT MEANS YAN QI, YAN LI, CAUSE IN CHINESE SALT MEANS YAN
Not far from the battlefield, a quietly standing group could be seen.
They were led by Yu Su and others who had returned from their trading journey. Upon their return, they coincidentally encountered a major battle between two villages.
Seeing the three-headed bird injuring people, there was some concern among the caravan members. Watching Lu Yan hanging on the back of the three-headed bird, they feared he might be thrown off.
"Lord Yu Su, shouldn't we help?"
"Wait a bit longer; Lu Yan can still handle it."
Yu Su didn't immediately intervene because he could sense that Lu Yan still had some strength left. His spear had already pierced the three-headed bird's body; as long as Lu Yan...
Just at that moment, Lu Yan, hanging on the three-headed bird, exerted force. Gripping the spear with both hands, feet pushing against the three-headed bird's body, he shouted loudly and forcibly pulled the spear down.
The burst of strength he displayed stunned everyone.
At the same time, the three-headed bird screamed and collapsed toward Lu Yan's direction.
"Leader!"
"Lu Yan!"
The people from Yu Village were shocked, worried that Lu Yan might be crushed underneath.
Just then, two vines surged forward, binding Lu Yan and dragging him out from under the three-headed bird. Following that, with a thud, the body of the three-headed bird fell to the ground, blood splattering everywhere.
While others were astonished, Lu Yan had already climbed up, looking towards the outskirts of the battlefield. When he saw Yu Su, his eyes lit up.
"It's Lord Yu Su!"
"Lord Yu Su is back!"
The people of Yu Village, following Lu Yan's gaze, discovered Yu Su and others. Immediately, cheers erupted.
Jian Yunchuan also smiled and then raised his arms, shouting, "Sons of Yu Village, the three-headed bird has fallen. Charge up and kill the dogs of Salt Village!"
"Charge!"
The warriors from Yu Village, following Jian Yunchuan, rushed towards the people of Salt Village.
Lu Yan glanced at Yu Su and returned to the battlefield, continuing the fight with others.
"Lord Yu Su, we'll also go help!" the people from the caravan said.
Yu Su nodded, "Go ahead."
Under the leadership of He Qing and Yu Ye, the caravan members charged into the battlefield, joining the fight.
...
This battle concluded predictably, with Yu Village emerging victorious.
Even Salt Ceremony and Salt Qi were captured.
It could be described as a complete triumph.
The warriors, who had fought with blood and determination, still carried an unyielding fighting spirit. Each person's eyes were bright. In the previous battle with Dacun Village, they hadn't unleashed much of their true strength, but this time was different.
The forces of Salt Village were much stronger than Dacun Village, and they had many more people.This is their truly significant first battle, of extraordinary importance.
"Lord Yu Su, how should we handle the captives?"
There are dozens of Salt Village people captured, including Salt Ceremony and Salt Qi.
"First, lock them up," Yu Su said, "clean up the battlefield, and return to the village."
Back in the village, discussions began about how to deal with the group from Salt Village.
Salt Village is too far from Yu Village. Even if they were willing to annex Salt Village, it's not the right time.
However, they don't have enough manpower to recruit the people of Salt Village, and it could easily backfire. So, whether it's annexation or recruitment, they currently lack the conditions.
"Let's eliminate Salt Qi and the others. When our influence expands to Salt Village, we can deal with them comprehensively," boldly declared Yu Menghao.
Most agreed with Yu Menghao, but Yu Su remained silent, and surprisingly, Jian Yunchuan didn't insist on eliminating Salt Qi and the others this time.
Yu Menghao couldn't help but quiet down and scratched his head, "Did I say something wrong?"
Yu Su explained, "Not exactly wrong; your idea is correct, just a bit wasteful."
" Wasteful?" Yu Menghao was puzzled.
Yu Su looked at him, "Because Salt Qi and the others are a source of wealth. Killing them is a waste."
Yu Menghao didn't catch on, but Yu Feng and the others began to understand.
"You mean use them to negotiate for money from Salt Village?" Yu Feng asked.
Yu Su nodded, "Exactly. Now that Salt Village has lost the three-headed bird and suffered significant casualties in this battle, their strength has been greatly reduced. Even if their leader is released, it won't change the fact. So, instead of killing Salt Qi, it's more profitable to negotiate for money. I believe Salt Qi would be willing to spend the money to save his own life."
Yu Menghao suddenly realized, "Salt Village has a lot of money!"
Yu Su smiled, "Exactly, they have many treasures. They shouldn't mind sharing some with us."
Thinking about getting a substantial amount of money, Yu Menghao couldn't help but feel excited.
"Yu Su, what about Salt Ceremony? Release him too?" the village chief asked.
Yu Su put away his smile, "No, dealing with Salt Ceremony is more troublesome. He dies."
As expected, when Salt Qi heard that he could buy back his life with money, he almost agreed without hesitation. Regarding Salt Ceremony, whom Yu Su intended to kill, not a word was mentioned.
Clearly, after this major defeat, Salt Qi had poured all his anger onto Salt Ceremony.
Knowing that Salt Qi had given up on him, Salt Ceremony hated him to the core. He also wanted to see Yu Su, hoping to buy back his life with money or something else, but unfortunately, Yu Su never even met him.
The one who sent him on his way was Yu Menghao.
After dealing with Salt Ceremony, only Salt Qi was allowed to return to the village, and the others were all dealt with.
Yu Su had Lu Yan "escort" Salt Qi back to the village, seizing the opportunity to bring back treasures.
Salt Qi, originally intending to avoid paying after returning to the village, now felt disheartened.
Lu Yan, accompanied by Yu Feng and others, escorted Salt Qi back to the village in a mighty procession.
On Yu Village's side, Yu Su arranged the iron pots and farming tools acquired from Zhutie Village, then, according to the agreement, everyone who contributed to the salt field could share the money and treasures.
When the time to distribute the money came, the people of Yu Village were ecstatic. For many, it was the first time they touched and saw what money looked like—a precious experience.
Yu Su told them there would be more in the future; these were just appetizers.
To earn more money, everyone decisively grabbed iron pots and headed into the mountains, fervently engaging in salt production.
...
While waiting for Lu Yan and the others to return, Yu Su began planning the cultivation of the fertile land on the east bank of the river.
These were familiar areas, and they had already planned what crops to plant.
Seeds weren't a problem; the caravan collected some along the way, and the original Dahu Village had also relied on cultivation. They still had many seeds left, such as wheat, rice, and millet seeds.
However, these seeds were not improved; their yields were very low, and they often suffered from pests. With unfavorable weather, poor harvests were common, barely enough to feed the villagers.
So, Yu Su decided to select a batch of better seeds, plant them in the designated areas, set up spirit-gathering formations, occasionally use Rainfall Technique, and gradually improve production.
The villagers from the original Dahu Village were experienced, so Yu Su called them to do the job.
He first had people clear the ground of weeds and trees, assembled plows, and let the obedient beastly oxen pull them. With someone steering at the back, they could easily cultivate a designated area.
Of course, it wasn't something they could immediately master. Everyone took some time to get used to the newly acquired farm tools, and then they gradually became more proficient.
This time, Yu Su didn't let Jian Yunchuan and other earth elemental root cultivators help; it was all done by the villagers themselves.
He didn't want everyone to become dependent; if everything relied on cultivators, there would be no point. So, the speed of cultivation was a bit slow.
Despite the slower pace, everyone was happy, full of enthusiasm. Even the children ran over to help carry miscellaneous items and pass things around.
The villagers of the original Dashu Village, now the contracted slaves of Yu Village, were also asked to work in the fields.
Seeing the powerful tools brought out by the people of Yu Village, they all envied them greatly. However, they dared not refuse to work; they all worked hard, hoping that one day, they could become Yu Village villagers by showing good performance and breaking free from the slave contract.
Yu Su didn't say much about this. Unlike Xinya and others, the people of Dashu Village were different; they were bandits, and he wouldn't easily let them become formal villagers. However, he didn't block their path completely. If they could make significant contributions, he wouldn't rule out considering it.
"You don't have to say, I was going to call you anyway. I plan to cultivate a batch of hemp, and you can help," Yu Su told Xinya.
Xinya and the others breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they had a place to contribute, they were afraid they would be useless and abandoned by Lord Yu Su.
Yu Su didn't know what they were thinking. After assigning them tasks, he continued to supervise the progress of cultivation.
After being busy for a while, before the cultivation was completed, Lu Yan and the others returned.
As Yu Su had said, Salt Qi cared more about his own life. He was willing to use most of Salt Village's wealth to buy his life.
Lu Yan took a team of oxen to bring back bag after bag of treasures.
When they unloaded them in the square, everyone's eyes widened.
"Wow, I've never seen so much money in my life!"
"God, there are pearls and coral!"
"What is this? I've never seen anything so golden."
"And this thing, is this spirit ginseng?"
Everyone looked at those valuable items, afraid to touch them for fear of accidentally damaging them.
Lu Yan told Yu Su, "We brought back twenty bags in total, emptying Salt Village's treasury."
Lu Yan was also ruthless, forcing Salt Qi to move all the treasures. If he didn't move, he threatened to burn his village with Flame Arrows. Salt Qi had no choice but to cry, open the treasury door, and let Lu Yan and the others move the treasures.