When Yu Su left, Lu Yan followed with an expression of resentment, as if someone had stolen his wife.
Upon entering the meeting hall, the village chief and others saw Lu Yan closely following Yu Su. When Yu Su sat down, he would offer assistance, and when Yu Su spoke, he would carefully pour him a glass of water, attentively taking care of him as if handling precious pearls.
The village chief and others stared in astonishment.
Yu Su secretly glared at Lu Yan, signaling him not to cause trouble. With so many people watching, did he fear that others wouldn't know what they had done?
"Lord Yu Su, how do you plan to arrange the more than a thousand young people from other villages?" Although Lu Yan's behavior was odd, the most pressing concern was the placement of the more than a thousand young individuals.
Before Yu Su could speak, Lu Yan interjected, "They were originally destined to die in the conflict between Mang Village and Da Ji Village. We intervened and saved them, earning their gratitude. They willingly came to serve Yu Village."
The village chief and others' eyes lit up.
If more than a thousand young individuals were willing to serve Yu Village, it would be of immense significance, potentially doubling the number of warriors and significantly boosting Yu Village's strength.
Now, it depended on how Yu Su planned to arrange these people.
The village chief and others turned their gaze to Yu Su. Some elders from the council suggested having these more than a thousand people join the Warrior Camp. Although not explicitly stated, the others seemed to share the same sentiment.
Yu Su: "Not in a hurry. Let them participate in the development of the western wilderness first."
"Are you concerned about their loyalty? We saved them, and it's what they should repay. They dare not be disloyal," someone suggested.
Yu Su: "They may have enough sincerity to join our village without scrutiny, but the Warrior Camp is not an ordinary place. They must undergo more rigorous tests to be admitted."
Others looked at the village chief.
The village chief understood that whether it was the Elemental Warrior Camp or the regular Warrior Camp, both were under Yu Su's control. Even he couldn't influence Yu Su's decisions. Moreover, his eldest son, Yu Hong, was the deputy leader of the Warrior Camp, and both Yu Su and Jian Yunchuan intended to groom him, making Yu Hong highly valued. It was not in the village chief's interest to oppose Yu Su's decision and affect Yu Hong's position in the Warrior Camp.
Furthermore, Yu Su's statement was not wrong.
"Those people are ultimately from outside the village. Allowing them to join the Warrior Camp without proper scrutiny is indeed worrying. Testing them is necessary," the village chief said.
Upon hearing the village chief's words, others understood that he agreed with Yu Su's decision. They abandoned the idea of directly admitting the more than a thousand people into the Warrior Camp.
"If they don't join the Warrior Camp, how will we control them? There are more than a thousand of them, not dozens or hundreds. It could be troublesome if they cause any trouble."
"Right, someone has to manage them. We need to send people."
The village chief looked at the elders who were actively proposing these ideas, a gleam of understanding in his eyes. He wasn't foolish; he knew what these people were up to. However, with more than a thousand young individuals, Yu Su wouldn't casually hand them over to those arranged by the Elder Council. These people were overthinking it.
So the village chief remained silent, quietly listening to their suggestions.
As expected, after they finished, Yu Su directly stated, "Since these more than a thousand people are going to join the Warrior Camp, they should be governed by the rules of the Warrior Camp. This matter will be handled by Lu Yan, Yu Hong, and He Qing. They will be responsible for sending personnel from both Warrior Camps to manage them."
After Yu Su finished speaking, those elders who had been proposing actively ceased their suggestions.
The affairs of the Warrior Camp were beyond their reach.
Lu Yan: "Alright, I will discuss it with Yu Hong."
With Jian Yunchuan absent, Yu Hong and He Qing were currently in charge of the regular Warrior Camp.
Yu Su added, "All of them are males, all in their prime. We must manage them properly and prevent any trouble. We can't let them cause any issues."
Young and strong males, in large numbers, could be an unstable factor. Recently, many single women had arrived in the village, along with those seeking refuge from other villages. They were a vulnerable group compared to the males, and it was essential not to let them be bullied.
Lu Yan understood Yu Su's intention. "I will manage them properly."
Anyone causing trouble would face consequences.
...
"All sent to open up the wilderness?" Upon hearing this news, Yu Feng was dumbfounded.
He enjoyed being Yu Su's all-around secretary, but that didn't mean he liked working himself to death!
Sending over a thousand young individuals to open up the western wilderness... Yu Feng, who was already busy enough, felt his world spin.
"Uncle Feng, no need to panic. I'll lead a team of warriors to help settle them," Yu Meng said. "And it's also a test to see if they qualify to join the Warrior Camp."
This slightly eased Yu Feng's tension. It had scared him.
On the other side, Yu Su and Lu Yan went together to meet the more than a thousand young individuals.
Perhaps everything they saw since entering Yu Village far exceeded the expectations of these people. The more than a thousand individuals seemed somewhat restrained.
Living in the beautiful houses of Yu Village and eating delicious food, they looked at the men and women of Yu Village, dressed in exquisite clothing. These outsiders didn't know how to integrate.
Before Yu Su and Lu Yan came to meet them, they didn't dare to casually leave their living quarters. They could only stand on tiptoe, curiously peering at the outside world.
"They dress so beautifully. I've seen people from Da Ji Village wear hemp clothes, but their hemp clothes are coarse and dull, like a big sack tied around the waist with a rope. It's inconvenient for them to work. It's incomparable to the clothes worn by the people of Yu Village."
"You see the clothes worn by the people of Yu Village. The top and bottom are separate, very close-fitting, without any cumbersome elements. The top is embroidered with beautiful flowers and leaves, something I've never seen before."
"They are also very clean, not a trace of dirt anywhere, unlike us. Our bodies smell of sweat."
"Their children are also very healthy, not thin at all."
"Is this a place where immortals reside?"
These discussions happened constantly among the more than a thousand people. Xia Bai even heard someone excitedly unable to sleep for a whole night, still discussing the novelties of Yu Village.
Last night, each of them had a meal.
This morning, they drank white rice porridge with delicious pickled vegetables.
Even Xia Bai couldn't resist having an extra bowl.
Then he couldn't help but be amazed in his heart.
There were over a thousand people; how could Yu Village afford to let all of them eat white rice and tasty side dishes? Even Da Ji Village couldn't guarantee their villagers ate white rice every meal.
And these people weren't even Yu Village residents.
Just how much grain did Yu Su have to provide such good food to over a thousand people?
So when Xia Bai heard someone say Yu Village was a kingdom where gods lived, even someone as rational as him couldn't help but feel deep agreement in his heart.
What kind of luck had led them to be rescued and brought back to Yu Village?
After the initial relief, Xia Bai began to feel uneasy.
Could he really stay in Yu Village?
Or could he really contribute something to Yu Village?
This feeling persisted until he saw Yu Su and Lu Yan come to their living area, and it even became more uneasy.
Like everyone else, he quickly knelt down to salute Yu Su and Lu Yan.
Yu Su told them to rise and asked how they were doing and how the food was.
Xia Bai stood at the forefront, representing everyone, and nervously replied, "We, we are living well, and the food is excellent."
More than excellent; it was something they hadn't dared to dream of.
Yu Su smiled, "That's good."
Yu Su continued, "I've already heard from Lu Yan about your strong desire to join Yu Village. I'll ask you again now, are you truly willing to join Yu Village? Joining Yu Village means you must follow the beliefs of Yu Village. You cannot continue to believe in the former deities."
This was crucial, especially in an era where almost everyone held strong beliefs in deities. Yu Su wouldn't allow anyone to join Yu Village without adhering to the worship of the Mountain God and the Supreme Deity Bai Ze.
Yu Su said this with some concern, unsure if these people would hesitate.
To his surprise, Xia Bai and the others agreed without any hesitation.
Yu Su was somewhat unexpected. These people agreed so readily; their beliefs seemed quite malleable.
Perhaps sensing his surprise, Xia Bai, worried that Yu Su might think they were disrespectful to the deities, hurriedly explained, "My village no longer exists, and I have lost my own beliefs. Therefore, I am very willing to follow the beliefs of Yu Village."
The sentiments of others were similar.
Their beliefs had almost disappeared after the destruction of their village. Their fellow villagers were either killed or taken away, and their deities couldn't save them. They became slave soldiers, living each day numb and desperate.
Now, if they had to talk about beliefs, they believed more in Lu Yan and the land that rescued them, as well as the rumored Witch Doctor.
Xia Bai said, "Please believe us. We are very willing to follow you."
Yu Su raised an eyebrow slightly at the interesting words Xia Bai used.
He said, "I understand. We've seen your sincerity, and I believe our Mountain God and Supreme Deity Bai Ze have also seen your sincerity. Now, on behalf of Yu Village, I accept your joining."
Xia Bai and the others were overjoyed. Could they really become residents of Yu Village?
Lu Yan scanned them and continued, "Becoming residents of Yu Village means you must follow the rules of Yu Village. Later, someone will come to collect your information and announce the rules of Yu Village to you."
"All you need to do is remember those rules. If anyone violates the rules of Yu Village, they will face severe punishment."
Xia Bai listened attentively, the surge in his heart lasting a long time.