But Yu Su became interested in that Death Valley.
Because, through a comprehensive scan by the All-Element Elves, the gems embedded on the horn were likely by-products of spirit stone mines.
Since Yu Su came to the Barbaric Wilderness, he had only confirmed two places with spiritual veins: one was the Deer God Mountain, and the other was the island of the Life Tree. However, he couldn't manipulate the spiritual veins in these two places.
So, upon learning about the spirit stone mine in the Death Valley, he couldn't help but be tempted.
He planned to make some preparations in Yu Village and then explore the Death Valley.
...
On the second day after the Barbarian celebration feast, Yu Su and his group left the Barbarian Forest.
The sand leopard king, with its mate and cub, followed behind them, step by step, returning to Yu Village.
At the gorge, the warriors guarding there noticed their return.
Having been away from Yu Village for several days, Yu Su felt much more relaxed upon his return.
Sitting on the back of the snow wolf, he felt drowsy, and when he arrived home, he first held a meeting with the village chief and others, discussed the trade with the Barbarians, and then checked Yu Zhou's progress in recent days.
He washed up and went to bed early as soon as it got dark.
"Nowhere is as comfortable as one's own home," Yu Su sighed while lying on the bed.
Lu Yan entered his room, saw him lying on the bed, and his gaze first wandered around his hands, feet, and waist before walking over.
"Need a massage?"
"No need," Yu Su looked at him, "How are your injuries?"
"Already healed," Lu Yan replied.
Even the deep wounds visible on his arm had healed.
Yu Su looked at him, shirtless, with clearly defined six-pack abs. He couldn't help but feel envious. With only the two of them present and no one else, he couldn't resist reaching out and pinching him.
"Why can't I build such massive muscles as yours?"
He did have some, but it was a thin layer, far from being as evident as Lu Yan's, which looked powerful.
Lu Yan, pinched by him, felt his breath heavy, couldn't help but grab his hand, and pinched back.
"Soft."
Yu Su: "..."
He glared at him and pulled his hand back.
Seeing Yu Su unhappy, Lu Yan added, "But very good-looking."
It wasn't just Lu Yan talking nonsense; Yu Su looked good all over. After reaching Foundation Building, he looked even better. His skin looked like white jade, soft and smooth to the touch. Even his handback was soft and white, with a slight fleshiness, a kind that would leave marks with a little pressure, forming a strong contrast to Lu Yan.
The pinch from just now made Lu Yan feel like his soul was trapped in it. He wished he could take Yu Su's hand again and continue pinching.
"What's the use of being good-looking? I want a heroic and handsome look," Yu Su complained. He suspected it was because he started Foundation Building too early, was too young, and didn't follow the martial path that he couldn't develop muscles like Lu Yan.
"You're handsome now too," Lu Yan continued to praise.
Yu Su felt a bit better hearing his sincere compliment.
"What about the sand leopard family?" he asked.
Lu Yan replied, "They're arranged to stay in the den at the foot of the mountain."
Yu Su: "They didn't stay with the snow wolf, did they?"
Lu Yan: "No, I kept them separate."
Yu Su: "That's good."
His snow wolf seemed a bit repelled by the sand leopards, probably because the powerful aura of the sand leopards made them uncomfortable.
Later, the two discussed the arrangements for the recent period. After finishing, Yu Su noticed that Lu Yan was still not leaving. Feeling a bit sleepy, he asked if there was anything else Lu Yan wanted to say.
"I want to sleep with you," Lu Yan said.
"Get lost, you have your own room. Why squeeze into bed with me?"
Lu Yan looked regretful.
In the desert, the two always slept together.He now somewhat misses the three days in the desert.
...
After organizing the minerals and herbs brought back from the Barbarians and arranging the departure of the caravan to the Barbarian Forest, Yu Su wanted to explore the Death Valley.
This time, hearing that there might be a spirit stone mine, Little Xuan Niao expressed its intention to go along.
After thinking for a moment, Yu Su decided to take it as well.
With Little Xuan Niao on board, Lu Yan also said he wanted to go.
Yu Su: "..."
Lu Yan had a reasonable explanation: "Didn't you say I lack some accumulation and experience now? I want to gain more experience."
Yu Su couldn't really refute that.
Jian Yunchuan and Yu Zhou, seeing Lu Yan speak up, also wanted to join.
Yu Su immediately raised his hand to stop them: "Stop, you two don't need to join the fun."
Jian Yunchuan objected: "If Lu Yan can go, why can't I?"
"The danger level of Death Valley is not clear yet. I can only take one person. Moreover, Lu Yan is at the ninth level of Qi Refinement. With a bit more accumulation, he can enter Foundation Building. It's good for him to gain experience by going along."
"Father, you're only at the eighth level of Qi Refinement. As for Little Zhou, you just opened one acupoint!"
Jian Yunchuan and Yu Zhou, after hearing this, both felt disheartened.
Later, both of them looked at Lu Yan with envy and jealousy, expressing their feelings through their eyes.
Lu Yan, thick-skinned, remained unaffected.
...
Before setting off, Yu Su asked Lu Yan if he wanted to bring the Desert Leopard King.
Lu Yan was worried it might lag behind and become a burden.
Yu Su: "You don't need to worry. It runs very fast, and its discernment is strong. Even if we move faster, it can catch up through the contract connection."
"Taking it out for experience can also enhance its strength."
Lu Yan thought about it and followed Yu Su's advice, letting the Desert Leopard King join.
Upon receiving Lu Yan's instructions, the Desert Leopard King stood up spiritedly.
After this period of rest, its injuries had fully healed.
Staying in the village all the time, it was also getting a bit moldy.
So, whenever Lu Yan gave orders, it eagerly followed.
However, the companion of the Desert Leopard King couldn't come along as it had to take care of the two cubs.
Before leaving, Lu Yan looked at the leopard's companion and cubs.
Yu Su: "Contract them too, to prevent them from harming others."
Lu Yan nodded.
However, Lu Yan only contracted the mother Desert Leopard, not the cubs.
The cubs were still young, with limited ability to harm others, and with Jian Yunchuan and others watching, there shouldn't be a problem.
Lu Yan also noticed that Yu Zhou seemed to like the Desert Leopard cubs, so he decided to leave them for Yu Zhou.
The Desert Leopard King knew that Lu Yan had contracted its companion, and it didn't object.
It was already Lu Yan's demonic pet, and having its companion become Lu Yan's demonic pet too would benefit their family's life in the village.
Through the contract, it conveyed to Lu Yan that after they left, its companion would restrain the cubs and prevent them from harming others.
Lu Yan nodded: "Well done."
The Desert Leopard King felt a bit happy about its performance.
After seeing that Lu Yan and the Desert Leopard communicated well, Yu Su gave some instructions to the others and then left the village with Lu Yan.
...
After seeing off Yu Su, Yu Zhou curiously watched the two Desert Leopard cubs, squatting nearby and looking at them with eager anticipation.
The Desert Leopard King's companion knew that this young master was Yu Su's brother and didn't show any hostility in the way she looked at him. She gently touched the cubs, and after a while, the cubs stood up and ran towards Yu Zhou, circling around him.
Yu Zhou's eyes lit up, and he wanted to reach out and touch the cubs.
Lu Yan, not letting him touch immediately, looked back at the mother Desert Leopard. Seeing that she didn't object, he allowed Yu Zhou to touch them.
"Be gentle."
"Okay!"
Yu Zhou gently touched the Desert Leopard cub, exclaiming in amazement.
Finally, even Yu Zhou couldn't resist and gently touched the cub's head.
Seeing this, the mother Desert Leopard, who had been watching nearby, lazily yawned, keeping her eyes on them, not allowing them to leave her sight.
Jian Yunchuan returned and, seeing this scene, raised an eyebrow in surprise.
This Desert Leopard is good; it's on guard.
He walked up to Yu Zhou, lifted him onto his shoulders, and said to Yu Zhou and Yu Zhou: "Let's go, I'll take you to the river for fishing."
The three children cheered, and the two Desert Leopard cubs followed suit.
The two snow wolves, seeing Yu Zhou having fun with the Desert Leopards, were somewhat unhappy.
Usually, Yu Zhou got along best with them.
They actually wanted to drive away the two Desert Leopard cubs, but with the mother Desert Leopard around, they didn't dare to act recklessly, so they could only lie down from a distance and watch Yu Zhou play with the two Desert Leopard cubs.
Yu Ji and Yu Kui were the same, keeping their distance.
Yu Kui said with some envy, "Big brother, I really want to hold the Desert Leopard cubs."
Yu Ji said, "No, Lord Yu Su said Desert Leopards are second-order demonic beasts, very dangerous."
"Why isn't Yu Zhou afraid of them?"
Yu Ji had many questions, and Yu Kui didn't know how to answer her.
At this moment, Yu Zhou walked over with one of the Desert Leopard cubs following him.
Yu Ji's eyes lit up, and she wanted to reach out and touch the cub.
Lu Yan didn't immediately allow her to touch but looked back at the mother Desert Leopard. Seeing no objection, he let Yu Ji touch.
"Be gentle."
"Yes!"
Yu Ji gently touched the Desert Leopard cub, exclaiming in amazement.
Finally, even Yu Kui couldn't resist and gently touched the cub's head.
The mother Desert Leopard, who had been watching nearby, knew that this little miss was Yu Su's sister, so she didn't show any hostility. She nodded when she saw that Yu Kui also wanted to touch, allowing them to get close.
After watching them play for a while, Jian Yunchuan called someone over to watch Yu Ji and Yu Kui play with the Desert Leopard cubs.
The two snow wolves, seeing Yu Zhou having fun with the Desert Leopards, were somewhat unhappy.
Usually, Yu Zhou got along best with them.
They actually wanted to drive away the two Desert Leopard cubs, but with the mother Desert Leopard around, they didn't dare to act recklessly, so they could only lie down from a distance and watch Yu Zhou play with the two Desert Leopard cubs.
Yu Ji and Yu Kui were the same, keeping their distance.
Yu Kui said with some envy, "Big brother, I really want to hold the Desert Leopard cubs."
Yu Ji said, "No,
Lord Yu Su said Desert Leopards are second-order demonic beasts, very dangerous."
"Why isn't Yu Zhou afraid of them?"
Yu Ji had many questions, and Yu Kui didn't know how to answer her.
At this moment, Yu Zhou walked over with one of the Desert Leopard cubs following him.
Yu Ji's eyes lit up, and she wanted to reach out and touch the cub.
Lu Yan didn't immediately allow her to touch but looked back at the mother Desert Leopard. Seeing no objection, he let Yu Ji touch.
"Be gentle."
"Yes!"
Yu Ji gently touched the Desert Leopard cub, exclaiming in amazement.
Finally, even Yu Kui couldn't resist and gently touched the cub's head.
The mother Desert Leopard, who had been watching nearby, knew that this little miss was Yu Su's sister, so she didn't show any hostility. She nodded when she saw that Yu Kui also wanted to touch, allowing them to get close.
After watching them play for a while, Jian Yunchuan called someone over to watch Yu Ji and Yu Kui play with the Desert Leopard cubs.
The two snow wolves, seeing Yu Zhou having fun with the Desert Leopards, were somewhat unhappy.
Usually, Yu Zhou got along best with them.
They actually wanted to drive away the two Desert Leopard cubs, but with the mother Desert Leopard around, they didn't dare to act recklessly, so they could only lie down from a distance and watch Yu Zhou play with the two Desert Leopard cubs.
Yu Ji and Yu Kui were the same, keeping their distance.
Yu Kui said with some envy, "Big brother, I really want to hold the Desert Leopard cubs."
Yu Ji said, "No, Lord Yu Su said Desert Leopards are second-order demonic beasts, very dangerous."
"Why isn't Yu Zhou afraid of them?"
Yu Ji had many questions, and Yu Kui didn't know how to answer her.
At this moment, Yu Zhou walked over with one of the Desert Leopard cubs following him.
Yu Ji's eyes lit up, and she wanted to reach out and touch the cub.
Lu Yan didn't immediately allow her to touch but looked back at the mother Desert Leopard. Seeing no objection, he let Yu Ji touch.
"Be gentle."
"Yes!"
Yu Ji gently touched the Desert Leopard cub, exclaiming in amazement.
Finally, even Yu Kui couldn't resist and gently touched the cub's head.
The mother Desert Leopard, who had been watching nearby, knew that this little miss was Yu Su's sister, so she didn't show any hostility. She nodded when she saw that Yu Kui also wanted to touch, allowing them to get close.
After watching them play for a while, Jian Yunchuan called someone over to watch Yu Ji and Yu Kui play with the Desert Leopard cubs.