Chapter 8: Staying Here Has No Future

"Leaving?"

Lu Guohao seemed to have been struck by lightning; his outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He forced a smile, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "Everything is fine, why do you want to leave? Are you dissatisfied with the distribution of the previous prey? If you have any opinions, we can discuss them properly, can't we?"

Anyone could hear that his tone was filled with panic.

The woman held the little boy, looking at this scene in terror, her mind a complete blank; she even forgot to say words of persuasion.

Lu Yu was also startled in his heart.

He remembered what Wang Shu had said before, that the Liu Jia Xiong Di probably wouldn't stay here for long; he hadn't expected it to come true so quickly.

"Brother Guohao, it's not what you think."

A man who looked somewhat like Liu Tianhong, but younger, stood out, though he didn't quite dare to look Lu Guohao in the eyes.

"We have no complaints about the distribution of the prey, and we have no complaints about you, Brother Guohao. You were the one who led everyone to reinforce the defenses and repel the Fierce Beast."

"Yeah, yeah."

The two people behind the brothers also nodded hurriedly.

"Then, then why do you still want to leave?"

Fine beads of sweat broke out on Lu Guohao's forehead.

There were not many adult men in the Zhai to begin with, and four were leaving at once, including the Liu Jia Xiong Di. Once they left, the already struggling Zhai would undoubtedly be in even worse shape.

Lu Yu's heart also rose to his throat.

Of course, he didn't want these people to leave either.

Liu Tianyao looked at his older brother, and Liu Tianhong nodded slightly.

"Brother Guohao, I'll just say it straight; I hope you won't be angry."

"How could I be?"

Lu Guohao forced a calm smile.

What he feared most was this kind of decision made after careful consideration, because it meant it was very difficult to change.

Liu Tianyao took a deep breath, looked straight at Lu Guohao, and said, "Because staying here, there is no future."

As soon as these words were spoken, it sounded as if something had shattered in the room.

"Brother Guohao, we only have about a hundred people here, counting everyone. There are fewer than twenty adult men, plus a few half-grown children, and the rest are the old, weak, women, and children. With so many people to feed, the few of us simply cannot support them."

"Yes, it is very difficult," Lu Guohao opened his mouth, "but we have persisted until now, haven't we? We can continue to persist."

"And what about us?"

At this moment, Liu Tianhong spoke up.

His gaze was calm and firm, "The Li Family at Li Family Fort were just like us a few years ago, only able to pull a hundred-jin hunting bow. But over these past few years, relying on sufficient Fierce Beast Meat, they have reached the late stage of Body Tempering in the martial path and can pull a three-hundred-jin hard bow. If we had enough food, we could do it too."

Lu Guohao was instantly speechless, his face full of shame.

It was true; every time they hunted, more than half the credit went to the Liu Jia Xiong Di, yet every time they returned, the food they received was pitifully small.

"Guohao."

Seeming to realize his words were a bit harsh, Liu Tianhong sighed, his tone softening, "Take my advice; continuing to stay here has no future. You might as well come with us to Li Family Fort. There, food is plentiful, living conditions are much better, and most importantly, you can learn techniques to Strengthen Body. In this world, only with strength can one survive."

"Yeah, Brother Guohao, come with us."

Liu Tianyao's eyes were full of anticipation.

Their brothers had given so much for the Zhai; they had a clear conscience.

Now, they also had to consider themselves, to make themselves stronger, and to ensure their families no longer suffered from hunger.

Lu Yu looked at his father; if his guess was correct...

Sure enough, Lu Guohao took a deep breath, his eyes reddened, and he smiled through tears: "I understand, Tianhong. Going to Li Family Fort is indeed a better choice. How could I blame you? All this time, if it weren't for your silent contributions, the Zhai wouldn't have lasted until today."

Hearing this, Liu Tianhong and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

But, they couldn't help but feel a bit guilty in their hearts.

"Brother Guohao, aren't you coming with us?" Liu Tianyao realized and asked hurriedly.

"No."

Lu Guohao smiled slightly, looked at the houses not far away, and said, "Before the Zhai was established, I promised everyone that I would lead them to survive. You could say this Zhai is the result of everyone's joint efforts; it wouldn't work without any one of them.

Now, many of them are no longer here, like Xiao Liang, A Feng, and Gou Dan, but their families are still here. I cannot abandon them."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings were silent, and the eyes of the men present all turned red.

Liu Tianhong took a deep breath, his eyes reddening, and he reached out to pat Lu Guohao on the shoulder gently, "Brother Guohao, take care."

After saying this, he glanced at Lu Yu and the others, then turned and left resolutely.

"Brother Guohao, I'm sorry."

Liu Tianyao bowed and quickly followed.

"Brother Guohao, we're leaving, take care!"

"Take care."

The other two also looked at Lu Guohao with reluctance before turning and leaving.

As the few figures disappeared into the night, the sound of their footsteps gradually faded away.

Lu Yu looked at his father, who stood there like a statue, tears swirling in his eyes.

"Sigh."

Lu Yu sighed in his heart.

Although he couldn't fully empathize, he could understand the complex emotions in his father's heart.

Of course, more importantly, the situation of the Zhai had become even more difficult.

He must improve the level of 【Basic Archery】 as soon as possible!

"Let's eat first, Guohao."

The woman said with a pale face.

Lu Guohao, however, acted as if he hadn't heard, only nodding after a long while.

Although dinner was more sumptuous than usual, the atmosphere at the dining table was unusually quiet.

The woman placed several pieces of rabbit meat into Lu Yu's bowl and said with heartache, "Little Yu, you practiced archery all day today, eat more."

"That's right."

Lu Guohao, who was always taciturn, also realized what was happening and placed a few more pieces of meat into Lu Yu's bowl; the little boy at the side watched until he was almost drooling.

There were only two pieces of meat in the little boy's bowl, which was very conspicuous.

"Dad, you should eat more."

Lu Yu was somewhat flattered and hurriedly moved the meat back.

His father was the pillar of the family, and besides, once the Liu Jia Xiong Di left tomorrow, the difficulty of hunting would certainly be greater.

"You eat it, I don't have much of an appetite."

Lu Guohao smiled slightly.

Seeing this, Lu Yu did not say anything more.

The aroma of the meat in the bowl was pungent; he finally couldn't resist, picked up a piece, and put it in his mouth to chew.

He only felt the fragrance of the meat spread between his lips and teeth; this meat was only simply boiled and sprinkled with a little salt, yet it was so delicious that one wished they could swallow their own tongue.

Just at this moment, a piece of information surfaced in his mind.

【Potential Point +0.1】

"?"

Lu Yu was stunned.