Chapter 53: Hiding a Secret?

After Qin Lianjun finished speaking, his face burned, and his heart was full of trepidation.

Anyone could see that although the Lu Family Stockade did not have many people, their combat power was astonishing; every time they went out hunting, they returned with a full harvest.

And look at their Qin Family Stronghold?

They had finally managed to hunt a Giant Horned Horse, only to have it snatched away by the Wang Family halfway back; if they hadn't been lucky enough to run into the Lu Family Stockade, the prey would have been completely lost. Comparing the two, the gap was clear at a glance.

Therefore, on the surface, merging their Zhai into the Lu Family Stockade was mutually beneficial, but in reality, they were just looking for a pillar of support.

But Qin Lianjun had no choice. Their Zhai had too few able-bodied young men, and every winter people starved to death; this year would likely be no exception.

If they could join the Lu Family Stockade, even if they couldn't eat meat, just being able to drink some soup and not starve to death would be enough.

Most importantly, Lu Guohao was an upright person who could be trusted.

For a moment, the scene was oppressively quiet.

The hearts of the few people from the Qin Family Stronghold hung in the air again, yet they could not hide the trace of anticipation in their eyes.

As for Qin Lianjun's proposal, they naturally agreed with both hands; if they could merge into the Lu Family Stockade, that would truly be a great blessing.

But what if the other side didn't agree? After all, they were still dragging dozens of old, weak, women, and children behind them; if they were the ones from the Lu Family Stockade, they would also have to consider it carefully.

In fact, the situation was indeed just that.

When Lu Guohao heard this, he felt a surge of pleasant surprise; when the Weijiaxiongdi left, they had taken two or three people with them, and now the Hunting Team was short-handed.

The addition of these few people from the Qin Family Stronghold would solve their urgent need.

Moreover, the character of these few people was obvious to all and worthy of trust.

But as soon as he thought about the dozens of people in the other Zhai who needed to be fed, he hesitated again.

His own Zhai already had over a hundred people waiting to eat, and the five pieces of prey they were bringing back this time would be enough for everyone to eat for a while.

But if there were dozens more mouths to feed, the pressure on their food supply would suddenly become great.

The atmosphere remained heavy, pressing down on people until they could barely breathe.

The hearts of the people from the Qin Family Stronghold instantly turned cold.

The smile on Qin Lianjun's face also gradually stiffened; he glanced at Qin Ze beside him, feeling conflicted about whether he should bring up that matter.

After all, given their current strength, it was reasonable for the Lu Family Stockade to look down on them.

Just then, a young voice broke the silence.

"Dad, I think we can agree."

The gazes of everyone "swished" and focused entirely on Lu Yu.

"It's him!"

The eyes of the people from the Qin Family Stronghold lit up, and they were overjoyed.

Their impression of Lu Yu was incredibly deep, far exceeding that of anyone else in the Lu Family Stockade, and they never expected that he would actually support them joining.

Immediately after, a flash of surprise crossed their eyes.

What did he just call Lu Guohao? Dad?

So he was Lu Guohao's son!

Lu Yu explained to everyone unhurriedly: "What our Zhai lacks most right now is able-bodied labor, especially experienced hunters like Uncle Qin and the others.

People like Li Yang and Liu Kai, although they have strength, haven't been tempered by real combat, and it will take a lot of time to train them. The addition of Uncle Qin and the others will solve our current problem perfectly."

"Xiao Yu makes a valid point." Zhao Shan, who was to the side, nodded; everyone understood this point in their hearts, "It's just..."

"Uncle Zhao, I understand what you are worried about; you are afraid that with more people, there won't be enough food, right?"

Lu Yu smiled slightly and continued, "I don't think we need to worry too much about that; with more people in the Hunting Team, the prey brought back will likely increase as well. After all, there is strength in numbers."

Everyone nodded one after another; it wasn't that Lu Yu's words were earth-shattering, but rather that the person who said them had won everyone's trust with his strength.

"Guohao, since Xiao Yu agrees, we have no objections."

"That's right, if Brother Qin and the others want to join, then we welcome them."

"Xiao Yu is right." Someone stated their position decisively.

Lu Guohao nodded and looked at Qin Lianjun with a smile: "Brother Qin, have you thought it through? If you have really considered it clearly, our Lu Family Stockade warmly welcomes you."

This... they just agreed?

The people from the Qin Family Stronghold couldn't react for a moment; they had originally thought that even if the Lu Family Stockade were to agree, it would have to go through a heated discussion and finally be decided by a majority vote.

As it turned out, just because of a few words from Lu Yu, everyone in the Lu Family Stockade had unanimously approved.

"Lianjun, Lianjun." The man next to him nudged Qin Lianjun with his elbow and urged, "What are you dazed for? Hurry up and agree!"

"That's right, Lianjun, it'll be too late if they change their minds."

Only then did Qin Lianjun come back to his senses and hurriedly said: "Brother Lu, we have thought it through. We are determined to join your Lu Family Stockade; from today on, there will be no more Qin Family Stronghold."

"Yes, yes, yes, we are all people of the Lu Family Stockade from now on." The few people shouted excitedly, only Qin Ze, who was thin-skinned, felt a bit embarrassed.

"Hahahaha, good, good, good, from now on we are all one family." Lu Guohao was also full of joy.

Zhao Shan and the others also nodded with smiles; with more people going out hunting in the future, the pressure would be much less if they really encountered danger.

Moreover, the Zhai would have fresh blood injected into it, which would certainly make it more vibrant; of course, they would also have to work harder, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to feed so many people.

"Brother Lu, this young man is your son, right?" Qin Lianjun asked with a smile, looking at Lu Yu.

"That's right."

"He is truly a hero among youths!" Qin Lianjun couldn't help but exclaim, "So many of us could only swallow our anger in front of the Wang Family, but this young man solved them all by himself; he's too amazing!"

"That's right, he was actually able to pull a bow with a draw weight of one hundred jin."

"More than that, he pulled it more than ten times in a row; how could an ordinary person do that?" The other men also praised him one after another.

Lu Yu smiled at them, but when his gaze fell on Qin Ze at the very edge, his smile paused slightly.

Because Qin Ze seemed a bit unconvinced.

Lu Yu thought to himself, young people, it's normal to have a bit of pride.

"That's right, Lu Yu is the most formidable one we have here." Hearing this, the people of Lu Family Stockade were all filled with pride.

Lu Guohao could not hide his smile either, though he said modestly, "Brother Qin's son is not bad either. Judging by his age, he should be about the same age as Lu Yu, and isn't he able to draw an eighty-pound bow? That is a skill we cannot compare to."

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of Zhao Shan and the others lit up; indeed, this young man was also very outstanding.

Qin Family Stronghold was able to hold out until now because of his contributions, but Lu Yu's reputation was so overwhelming that it overshadowed him, and everyone had failed to notice him for a moment.

Now that the two Zhai had merged, life in the Zhai would surely get better and better in the future.

"Brother Qin, if we are not mistaken, your son is also a Martial Artist, right?"

"Is he at the Body Tempering First Layer?" everyone asked curiously.

"This..." Qin Lianjun began to stammer, his expression somewhat unnatural.

Qin Ze lowered his head slightly, as if he were too embarrassed to accept everyone's praise.

"What is it?" Lu Guohao asked in confusion, "Did I say something wrong? If there was any offense, please do not mind."

"No, no, no, no." Qin Lianjun waved his hands hurriedly, "No, no, you didn't say anything wrong; there is actually another reason why Xiao Ze can draw an eighty-pound bow."

"Another reason?" Hearing this, Lu Guohao and the others looked at each other in dismay; what did this mean? Could it be that this young man was still hiding some secret?