Chapter 199

The entire village knows now, even the village head forbids Hongshan from looking for Yuye, sternly stating, "Hongming's group has work to do, and nobody is pushing them away. Regarding the incident with the wolf demon just passing, Yusu probably spared them because of your face. If you go causing a scene now, it will force people to bring up the matter of the wolf demon, which would harm them!"

Hongshan sat down disheartened.

She was unaware of the wolf demon incident but knew Hongming didn't mean harm; he feared Yucun would drive them away.

"No matter his reasons, not reporting it almost harmed the salt field."

"Isn't that fine?"

"Because Yusuo promptly went there to save the salt field's people; your son was there too!"

Thinking of Yanyu, Hongshan fell silent.

She wasn't foolish; when it came down to it, her son was more important.

...

After elder council approval, the caravan member list was finalized.

Hongming felt disappointed that none of his people made the list. Some questioned if it was intentional.

Feeling uneasy, Hongming approached Hongshan, who explained, "Your brother-in-law wants to help, but if you didn't pass the initial selection, he can't do much."

Surprised, Hongming asked, "How didn't we pass the initial selection?"

Hongshan sighed, "Compared to our young men and village warriors, those selected are better. They can ride horses, engage in immediate combat, and understand the language of the eastern plains. Your group lacks these skills."

Understanding, Hongming realized their disadvantage and the difficulty of acquiring those skills.

...

"Is the list finalized?"

"Determined."

Yu Ye handed a list to Yu Su for review. After a brief glance, Yu Su didn't find anyone from the original Hongshan Village on the list, and he didn't pay much attention.

Since Hongshan Village had just joined Yu Village, it was normal not to match the youth of Yu Village.

He had no idea about the actions of Yu Ye and He Cai, secretly raising the screening criteria and leaving no chance for those from the original Hongshan Village.

After Yu Su finished reviewing, he encountered Lu Yan. Nervously, Yu Ye said, "Leader."

Lu Yan glanced at the list in his hand, "List?"

Yu Ye cleared his throat, "Yes."

He handed the list to Lu Yan, showing a bit of anxiety.

Lu Yan quickly understood the situation by just looking at the list.

The group from the original Hongshan Village had kept quiet about the information, nearly jeopardizing the defense of the salt field. Yu Su, considering the face of the Hongshan family, didn't say much, but everyone felt a suppressed anger.

Lu Yan was well aware of the screening criteria set by Yu Ye and He Cai. He knew they wouldn't disclose it to Yu Su because they feared he might question their intentions.

Lu Yan tossed the list back to Yu Ye.

Yu Ye quickly caught it, looking somewhat nervous.

Lu Yan commented, "Well done this time."

Yu Ye breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Lu Yan wouldn't expose them.

He didn't dare to stay longer and quickly took his leave.

As he left, he glanced back and saw Lu Yan entering the house. The cold expression on Lu Yan's face completely changed into a gentle one when facing Yu Su. Yu Ye shivered at the transformation.

If anyone could change faces skillfully in front of Yu Su, it had to be the leader.

Thinking about it, Yu Ye and the others felt that the leader might have a special affection for Yu Su. Was it true? Yu Ye didn't have the courage to sneak a peek at Lu Yan and Yu Su's private interactions. As a Qi refining cultivator, he would be detected even before getting close to the house.

Inside, Yu Su asked Lu Yan about his conversation with Yu Ye. Lu Yan mentioned casually, "Just looked at the list. The second trade caravan is almost ready. We'll set off with the first caravan in a few days."

Yu Su agreed, mentioning that the Elder Council had put in a lot of effort, and everything was prepared.

Lu Yan asked about Yun Chuan and Xiao Zhou joining this time.

Yu Su hesitated, recalling the incident from last time. "They want to, but considering the last incident..."

Lu Yan assured him, "Yun Chuan has already built his foundation. He's like you and me, a foundational cultivator. You don't need to worry too much about this."

After some thought, Yu Su agreed to Yun Chuan and Xiao Zhou's request, letting them accompany the trade caravan to Three Rivers Village again.

Knowing that Lu Yan had interceded for them, Yun Chuan patted Lu Yan's shoulder privately, "Well done. In the future, make more of these behind-the-scenes interventions, okay?"

Behind-the-scenes interventions?

Lu Yan's expression showed a bit of shock.

Yun Chuan continued, "Surprised? Everyone in the village knows about your affection for Su'er now. Don't worry, I'm an open-minded guardian. I won't interfere with your pursuit of Su'er."

Does everyone know?

Lu Yan had no idea!

He was a bit flustered, "What about Yu Su?"

Yun Chuan knew what he wanted to ask, touching his chin thoughtfully, "Shouldn't know."

Knowing his thoughts, Yun Chuan reassured him. "I hope that Su'er can feel my love first before I tell him."

Yun Chuan didn't quite understand Lu Yan's indirect approach, but he didn't interfere with the young people's love affairs.

"Up to you, but one thing, don't let Su'er get hurt, or I'll make you regret it."

"I won't."

"Better not."

After Yun Chuan's playful threat, he happily went to prepare for the departure.

Once Yun Chuan had left, Lu Yan went to see Yu Su again.

Not knowing what Yun Chuan and Lu Yan discussed, Yu Su still found something off about Lu Yan's behavior. Lu Yan, seemingly unsettled, accidentally knocked over his inkstone, creating a mess.

"What's wrong with you?"

Lu Yan wasn't someone who acted clumsily, so Yu Su was puzzled by his uneasy demeanor.

Picking up the inkstone, Lu Yan replied, "Nothing, just tidying up."

This inkstone was crafted by Lu Yan for Yu Su, and fortunately, it withstood the fall without damage.

After cleaning up the spilled ink, Lu Yan began grinding ink for Yu Su again.

Yu Su looked at him strangely, sensing that something was amiss, but Lu Yan didn't express his thoughts.

All of Yu Su's pondering led him to inquire of the Universal Spirit, "Little one, do you know what's going on with him?"

Engrossed in watching a database of melodramatic TV shows, the Universal Spirit responded, "Hmm, what? Oh, what's up?"

Yu Su sighed inwardly and immersed himself in his own consciousness, then saw the Universal Spirit projecting a soap opera into his consciousness. Observing the on-screen mother-in-law and daughter-in-law drama, Yu Su was speechless for a while.

The Universal Spirit was still enjoying the show, completely unaware that Yu Su had entered his consciousness.

Yu Su sighed again, "What are you watching?"

Suddenly hearing Yu Su's voice, the Universal Spirit was startled, "Master, you're here?"

Yu Su questioned, "What are you doing in my consciousness, showing such melodramatic TV shows without asking me?"

The Universal Spirit defended itself, "Isn't it boring here? Besides, this drama is quite exciting. I used to like spy films, but now I find these melodramas more interesting. Do you want to watch with me?"

Yu Su declined; he refused to be spiritually polluted by such absurd dramas.

Concerned about Lu Yan's odd behavior, Yu Su decided to investigate the matter himself.

"Never mind, I'll figure out the reason on my own."

"Okay, I'll continue watching then. This part is really thrilling!"

Yu Su sighed once more.

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