Chapter 96: Feel Free to Pick

"Hey, it feels like everyone has gathered around."

"That's right, they're all staring at us."

"Look at their expressions, their eyes are wide as copper bells, full of astonishment."

"Haha, they must have seen us leading back so many Horned Horse Beasts that their jaws are about to drop, right?"

Everyone spoke one after another, each straightening their backs, their faces glowing with pride.

Although these Horned Horse Beasts were all obtained by Lu Yu through his own efforts, those who went along also felt a sense of glory and immense pride.

As the distance gradually closed, a wave of discussion finally erupted among the crowd.

"My god, am I seeing this right? Is that Guohao and the others?"

"It must be them, who else could it be?"

"But where did they get so many Horned Horse Beasts?"

"Yeah, let me count, one, two, three..." Someone widened their eyes, their voice trembling uncontrollably, "Twenty-five, a full twenty-five Horned Horse Beasts!"

"Twenty-five, how much must that be worth?"

Many people were so excited they were stuttering.

"These Horned Horse Beasts don't look ordinary."

Someone suddenly exclaimed loudly, "They are equipped with saddles and reins; they look like they are specifically for riding."

"What? Rideable Horned Horse Beasts?"

"It's actually a rideable Horned Horse Beast?"

In an instant, the whole scene went quiet, leaving only the sound of everyone's heavy, overlapping breathing.

Even Wang Liang felt his heart surging like waves, unable to calm down.

Aren't these just mounts!

If this were ten years ago, mounts couldn't be compared to modern transportation, but the situation has changed drastically now.

The wilderness has become the domain of Fierce Beasts; never mind highways, even the railway tracks have been destroyed beyond recognition, buried deep in the tall grass.

In this situation, if you want to go far, you have to drive a car with a high chassis and strong power, otherwise, you'll break down halfway.

But mounts are different; they are faster, have better Persistence, and don't need gasoline. To them, this Wasteland is simply a natural pasture.

"How on earth did Guohao and the others get so many mounts?"

Wang Liang was filled with shock.

"Could it be..."

In a corner of the crowd, a black-haired woman also opened her eyes wide, but unlike most people, she vaguely guessed the origin of these Horned Horse Beasts.

"Could they be the mounts of that group of horse bandits?"

Ji Bingyu felt a sudden jolt in her heart.

Thinking it over, this seemed to be the only explanation.

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on her face.

Since the Hunting Team set off in the early morning, she had been worried sick.

Although Lu Yu appeared full of confidence, those were, after all, more than thirty vicious horse bandits! Could Lu Yu and the others be their match?

The scene before her had already provided the answer: Lu Yu not only brought everyone back safely and unharmed, but also defeated that group of murderous horse bandits and seized more than twenty Horned Horse Beast mounts.

Even if a few horse bandits managed to escape, they surely wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble.

Finally, under the eager gaze of the crowd, Lu Guohao and the others led the Horned Horse Beasts to the front of the Zhai.

"We're back, sorry to keep everyone waiting."

Lu Guohao said with a face full of smiles.

The crowd was quiet for a moment, then erupted into deafening cheers, as if welcoming heroes returning in triumph.

After a long while, the cheering gradually subsided, and someone asked impatiently: "Guohao, what happened on the way? How did you bring back so many Horned Horse Beasts?"

"Yeah, yeah, Brother Guohao, tell us quickly."

"Tell us, we can't wait."

The group led the Horned Horse Beasts across the drawbridge and back into the Zhai.

Afterward, the drawbridge was quickly pulled up, blocking out any prying eyes from the outside.

"This matter, it was truly dangerous. Thanks to Xiao Yu, we not only turned danger into safety but also brought back so many Horned Horse Beasts." Lu Guohao smiled, recalling the previous experience, still feeling a lingering fear.

In an instant, hundreds of gazes were cast directly at Lu Yu, eyes full of admiration.

"Brother Yu, you're too awesome!"

Li Yang and the others couldn't help but cheer loudly; they had long expected that so many Horned Horse Beasts must have something to do with Lu Yu.

Lu Yu smiled and waved his hand, his gaze inadvertently meeting Ji Bingyu's. He gave her a slight smile, and Ji Bingyu's cheeks instantly flushed red; she hurriedly lowered her head, though the corners of her mouth rose uncontrollably.

At this time, Zhao Shan began to recount the course of events.

The crowd listened, feeling the thrill, and looking at the group of Horned Horse Beasts before them, their excitement didn't seem as intense as before.

So, it was this dangerous behind the scenes!

Many of them had witnessed the cruelty of the horse bandits firsthand, and some even had relatives who died tragically at the hands of the horse bandits.

And yet, more than thirty horse bandits were actually killed off by Lu Yu, one arrow at a time?

"Brother Yu is too powerful, right?"

Li Yang was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth; one person taking on more than thirty almost fully armed horse bandits, and in the end, not only killing them but also seizing the horses back.

"Indeed, it can truly be called 'high skill makes one bold'."

Liu Kai's lips trembled slightly as he said with emotion.

If it were him, facing thugs charging like tigers, he would probably be unable to even run, let alone draw a bow to face the enemy.

"That may be so, but the process was fraught with danger; a slight moment of carelessness could have led to unimaginable consequences."

"That's right, this batch of Horned Horse Beast mounts was truly not easy to come by."

Everyone had calmed down by now, looking at the Horned Horse Beasts before them, their hearts filled with deep emotion.

Wang Liang looked at Lu Yu and couldn't help but nod secretly.

It had to be said that every time Lu Yu returned, he brought unexpected surprises, especially this time.

"I really don't know what kind of remarkable person Lu Yu will become if he is given more time to grow."

Wang Liang sighed inwardly, his eyes revealing deep anticipation.

"Old Wu."

Lu Guohao looked at the honest-looking man beside him, "I'll have to trouble you to teach us how to ride horses later."

Hearing this, everyone's gaze focused over, their eyes filled with eagerness.

Indeed, if everyone learned to ride horses, it would be much more convenient for hunting or exchanging supplies in the future; they could simply gallop as freely as the wind.

"Rest assured, leave this matter to me."

Wu Yuan said with a face full of smiles, "Also, the feeding of these Horned Horse Beasts can be left to me as well. But Guohao, you must arrange more manpower for me; I can't handle so many Horned Horse Beasts by myself."

Previously in the team, Wu Yuan's presence was not very strong, and most of the time he could only help carry prey. But now, he had finally found an opportunity to show his skills.

"Mm, don't worry about the manpower; I will arrange it properly."

Lu Guohao nodded in response.

There were indeed not many adult males in the Zhai, but there were plenty of women and children, so it was perfect to have them help cut grass to feed the Horned Horse Beasts.

"Alright, I'm relieved to hear you say that," he said happily. "As long as we take good care of these Horned Horse Beasts, our Zhai won't have to worry about lacking Horned Horse Beasts in the future."

Hearing this, everyone was incredibly excited.

That's right, there were several mares among this group of Horned Horse Beasts; it wouldn't be long before foals might be born in the Zhai. By then, there might be so many horses that there wouldn't be enough people to ride them.

After discussing these matters, Lu Guohao began to distribute food and salt; the scene was filled with laughter and joy, and everyone's face was written with longing for the future.

Especially those from the original Qin Family Stronghold who had just joined the Lu Family Stockade; they were now completely at ease.

Staying in the Lu Family Stockade was indeed more promising than in the original Qin Family Stronghold!

Seeing this scene, Lu Yu also breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded to Li Yang and the others, then carried a large bag of spoils, called his mother and younger brother, and returned home.

"Wow!"

Looking at the table full of various items, Lu Jun's eyes instantly lit up like stars.

Geng Lian covered her mouth, her eyes also filled with disbelief.

Small knives, toilet paper, nail clippers, lighters, matches, and all kinds of seasonings—there were even anti-inflammatory drugs and fever reducers!

These things were everywhere ten years ago, but now, ten years later, they were incomparably precious to those of them who could only remain trapped in the stockade.

"Xiao Yu, did you get all these from those horse bandits?"

Geng Lian looked at Lu Yu, her eyes filled with both joy and lingering fear.

"Mm."

Lu Yu nodded with a smile, "Mom, take whatever you want, and I'll take the rest to give to others."

First, a portion must be sent to Wang Shu, then to Ji Bingyu, and as for Li Yang, Liu Kai, and the others, they would also be given a little bit.

"Good."

Geng Lian nodded, carefully selected for a while, took about half of the items, and then smiled at Lu Yu, "That's all; you take the rest to give away."

"Alright, Mom, this is for you."

Lu Yu took two bars of soap out of another bag.

"Oh!"

Geng Lian's eyes lit up all of a sudden.

"Little brother, these are for you."

Lu Yu took a few more things out of the bag.

"Wow! It's Chinese chess, Go, and playing cards!"

Lu Jun was dancing with excitement.

"Xiao Yu, are these things very expensive?"

Geng Lian asked with some trepidation; these items looked brand new, and it was highly likely they were bought with money. With that money, they could have bought quite a lot of rice.

"Mom, it didn't cost much money, don't worry."

Lu Yu smiled and patted his younger brother's head, then looked at his mother and said,

"Let's leave it at that for now; I'll be back later. By the way, Dad seems to have bought something for you too."

"Really?"

Geng Lian was stunned, feeling both nervous and full of anticipation.

Lu Yu packed up the remaining items and walked out of the house with them on his back. After thinking for a moment, he decided to go find Ji Bingyu first; after all, he had something to ask of her.

Arriving outside the house, the door was open.

"Ahem."

Lu Yu coughed lightly twice, "Miss Ji Bingyu, are you in?"

"Ah, I am."

A woman's voice came from inside the room, and immediately after, a figure hurried to the doorway.

"I brought you some things; may I come in?"

Lu Yu looked at her with a smile.

"Please come in."

Ji Bingyu said hurriedly, her face turning red all at once.

Lu Yu placed the parcel on the table, opened it in front of her, and then made a gesture of invitation, "Pick whatever you like."

"Ah?"

Ji Bingyu seemed not to have reacted yet, her gaze falling on the table, and she was immediately captivated.

It was clear that most of these small items had been used by others, and many appeared somewhat worn, but she did not mind.

Besides these, she was surprised to see some seasonings as well.

"These, I... can I really just pick whatever I want?"

She asked cautiously.

"That's right, feel free to pick whatever you like," Lu Yu said with a firm tone, affirming it once more.

Only then did Ji Bingyu slowly reach out her hand, and after hesitating for quite a while, she finally chose a mirror and a jar of candy.

"O... okay." She looked at Lu Yu with a hint of shyness and said softly.

Seeing this, Lu Yu shook his head helplessly, then began to take things out of the parcel one by one and arrange them on the table.

"Alright, alright, that really is enough, Lu Yu, don't take out any more." Seeing that Lu Yu had already taken out nearly ten items and showed no sign of stopping, Ji Bingyu said anxiously and flusteredly, "I really don't need this many, you should take these and share them with the others."

"It's fine, just take them." Lu Yu said, and after taking out a few more items, he finally stopped.

"This... this is really too much." Looking at the dozen or so items laid out on the table, Ji Bingyu appeared somewhat at a loss, her face flushed bright red.

"There's also this." Lu Yu said, then pulled a bar of soap from his pocket and handed it over, "For you."

"This is...?" Ji Bingyu's eyes lit up instantly, and she asked, feeling both happy and slightly shy, "Is this really for me? But, I have already taken too much."

"What does this count for?" Lu Yu couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing, "If it weren't for your reminder this time, how could we have turned danger into safety and had such a bountiful harvest? Next time I go to trade for supplies, if there is anything you want, just tell me, and I will buy it back for you."

"Ah? No, there's no need for that, these things are already very valuable, how could I let you spend more money?" Ji Bingyu hurriedly shook her head repeatedly to refuse.

She knew in her heart that when Lu Yu went out to hunt, it was not only full of dangers but also very exhausting, and it was only after much difficulty that he had traded a few pieces of prey for some money; these were all his hard-earned savings.

Lu Yu smiled, then pulled a thick stack of banknotes from his wallet and placed them on the table.

Ji Bingyu was stunned, her eyes fixed straight on the banknotes on the table, as if struck by lightning, and she stood frozen in place.

"This... what is this?" She muttered to herself.

"Found on the horse bandits." Lu Yu said, pulling a red one-thousand-yuan bill from the stack and placing it in front of Ji Bingyu, "Next time you go out and want to buy something, just take this money and come find me."

"No, I can't, this is too much." Ji Bingyu was so startled that she waved her hands in refusal.

One had to know, this was one thousand yuan! Even with the high cost of living now, one thousand yuan was enough to buy quite a lot of daily necessities.

"This is what you deserve, just accept it. Anyway, once I've given the money out, I won't take it back." Lu Yu said, then tucked the remaining money back into his wallet.

After all, if it weren't for Ji Bingyu's reminder, they might all have lost their lives at the hands of the horse bandits, so giving her one thousand yuan was only natural.

"But..." Ji Bingyu's face showed her difficulty, looking as if she still did not want to accept it.

"Actually, besides thanking you, there is one more thing I would like to ask for your help with," Lu Yu hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.