Chapter 29: Not Knowing the Rules?

Lu Yu's heart tightened at first, but after a moment of reflection, he felt he had been overly nervous.

For one, his group had only just left the Zhai and were empty-handed; even if the people opposite were truly from the Wang Family Zhai, there was nothing to worry about. Moreover, the other party was clearly returning fully loaded, so it was unlikely they would take action against them.

For another, the numbers did not match; this group had nearly thirty people, while the Wang Family Zhai had only thirteen or fourteen in total, making the scale completely different.

Most importantly, he spotted the Liu Jia Xiong Di in the crowd. Seen in this light, the hunting team before them most likely came from the powerful Li Family Fort.

"It's the people from Li Family Fort," someone in the group muttered in a low voice.

"Look, Tianhong and Tianyao are over there!"

"Judging by this setup, their harvest this time must be quite significant."

"As expected of Li Family Fort, a large Zhai with a scale of a thousand people; it's not something our small Zhai can compare to." Everyone spoke one after another, their tones filled with envy and helplessness.

"Let them pass first," Lu Guohao said in a lowered voice, a flash of desolation in his eyes.

Zhao Shan gently patted his shoulder and sighed silently.

The people from Li Family Fort also noticed the group led by Lu Guohao a hundred meters away. They whispered to each other about something, but the distance was too great to hear clearly. The Liu Jia Xiong Di were also mixed in the crowd.

At this moment, Liu Tianyao suddenly ran quickly to the front of the team, said a few words to someone else, and then made a move that left Lu Guohao and the others dumbfounded—he sprinted toward them, his right hand clutching a plump wild field rabbit weighing twenty or thirty jin.

Lu Yu was also so shocked his jaw dropped, a thought flashing through his mind: Could he be...

In just half a minute, Liu Tianyao reached the group, panting as he said, "Brother Guohao, this is for you." As he spoke, he handed the wild rabbit in his hand to Lu Guohao.

Lu Guohao took it subconsciously, but immediately, as if struck by an electric shock, he hurriedly pushed the rabbit back and said, "Liu Tianyao, what are you doing? Take it back quickly; I cannot accept this rabbit."

"That's right, Liu Tianyao, do you know what you are doing? If they see this, won't they overthink it?" The usually cheerful Zhao Shan was now wearing a serious expression.

In the distance, the people from Li Family Fort had all stopped and were curiously looking toward this side.

"Don't worry,"

Liu Tianyao waved his hand dismissively, "I just asked Brother Li, and he has no objections. Brother Guohao, just take it; I don't have much time to delay."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Lu Yu, who was carrying a Long Bow and a bulging quiver at his side. His heart felt sour, and he almost shed tears.

This child hadn't even reached adulthood yet, and he already had to come out to take risks with the people from the Zhai. If they were to encounter danger... he simply dared not imagine it.

"Tianyao..." Lu Guohao was just about to speak, but Liu Tianyao interrupted him: "Alright, let it be this way. I have to go back; I can't let my brother and the others wait too long. Brother Guohao, and everyone, take care." After saying this, he turned and walked away quickly.

"Brother Li, thank you very much." Liu Tianyao specifically ran to the front of the team to sincerely thank a burly man with a sturdy build.

"Why thank me?" the burly man snorted coldly. "The things you give away will all be deducted from your brothers' shares once we return to the Fort."

"I know, Brother," Liu Tianyao said with a fawning smile, then returned to the end of the team.

"Hmph." The burly man looked full of disdain and let out a cold snort through his nose.

Others saw this scene, and their reactions varied: some secretly snickered, gloating over their misfortune; some wore mocking expressions, sneering repeatedly; others shook their heads helplessly, sighing to themselves.

This newcomer really didn't understand the rules. Making such a request in front of so many people—could Brother Li refuse? Otherwise, wouldn't it make him look petty?

As for being pitiful, it was simply absurd. There were plenty of pitiful people in this world; were those who were homeless or eaten by a Fierce Beast not pitiful?

Was it that the people from Lu Family Stockade were so precious? Being so high-profile the moment they arrived at Li Family Fort—they really didn't know their own strength.

"Brother." Liu Tianyao returned to Liu Tianhong's side and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

Liu Tianhong shook his head slightly, sighing inwardly. His younger brother was still too impulsive; to do such a thing, he should have at least consulted him.

But the matter had already happened, and it was too late to say anything now. Moreover, he had also seen Lu Yu in the crowd, and his heart felt a pang of distress.

This child had actually started coming out of the Zhai to hunt; if they two brothers hadn't left, would things have turned out differently?

Forget it; the friendship of many years was there, and he couldn't just watch and do nothing. As for the potential consequences, they could only be remedied slowly in the future.

Watching the team from Li Family Fort head off in a grand procession, Lu Guohao and his group remained immersed in shock until the last figure disappeared from sight.

"So, Liu Tianyao came specifically to bring us prey; he still keeps us in his heart," someone said with a choked voice.

"Yes, he must think our days are difficult."

"But this matter might not be a good thing..." Lu Guohao frowned, filled with worry.

The group fell silent all at once. It was true; although they were not lacking this one wild rabbit, who would turn down a free benefit?

But putting themselves in the other's shoes, if they were in the position of Li Family Fort, Liu Tianyao doing this would indeed easily make people feel unhappy. Even the most broad-minded person would inevitably harbor resentment.

Lu Yu also frowned. In this way, the Liu Jia Xiong Di would likely find it even harder to gain a foothold in Li Family Fort. The stronger they were, the easier it was for others to be suspicious of them. Uncle Tianyao really shouldn't have acted so impulsively.

"It's my fault," Lu Guohao sighed in self-reproach, looking at the wild rabbit in his hand. "I should have chased after him to return the rabbit at the time."

"It would be useless," Zhao Shan shook his head. "The moment he ran over, the matter was already set. Even if we returned the prey, the result would be the same. We can only hope we are overthinking it."

"Oh!" At this moment, Zhao Shan suddenly slapped his forehead and looked at Lu Yu, saying, "We should have told them about Xiao Yu's situation just now. The Zhai isn't as difficult as it used to be, and everyone has food and drink. If they could come back..."

Halfway through his sentence, he couldn't continue. It was true; even if they told the Liu Jia Xiong Di the situation, what could they do? Li Family Fort wasn't a place one could come and go as they pleased.

"Alright, it's done; discussing it further is useless. I only hope today's incident passes peacefully. If one day they are truly willing to come back, I will be the first to welcome them," Lu Guohao said helplessly.

"Me too."

"Same here." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Because of this incident, the originally relaxed and happy atmosphere became oppressive.

But worse things were yet to come. It was unclear whether it was because the people from Li Family Fort had scoured this area clean, or if their luck was simply too poor.

The group walked for over an hour without seeing a shadow of prey, and the traps set along the way were also empty. The group was exhausted, drenched in sweat, and their throats were so dry they felt like they were smoking.

"We can't go any further."

Zhao Shan suddenly stopped and looked at the Wasteland ahead, where the wild grass was growing increasingly lush and trees were gradually becoming more numerous. From time to time, black shadows circled in the air, staring at them like tigers watching their prey.

"We've already walked nearly ten li; ahead is the Weixian Qu."