Young Master Lian Has Returned?

Sunrise and sunset, clouds drifting and gathering.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye. While Yi Yun and his companions were on their way, life was much harder for the people in the Lian Clan. The Lian Clan was now truly destitute.

Even the ruling class of the Lian Clan, the Clan Elder, are running out of rice to cook.

In recent years, Lian Chengyu has truly drained the Lian Clan, especially in the last few months when he went even further. Now, the Lian Clan has slaughtered all the livestock they could and given up all the grain they could.

But even though everyone in the village was starving, they still held onto hope.

They were all eagerly waiting for Lian Chengyu to return and bring them the exciting news that had thrilled them.

At this time, in the few farmlands of the Tao Clan, several farmers were working in the fields. Because there were no oxen, the work was particularly arduous. Under the shade of the trees, women were making arrows. In recent days, the Lian Clan had stockpiled some arrows, armor, and the like, but only the Tao Clan knew how to buy these things.

The Tao Clan and the Lian Clan were not close to each other, so if the Tao Clan did not come to collect their produce, they would not be able to actively exchange it for grain.

As the sun rose high in the sky, the Lian Clan members prepared to eat their "morning meal." They were already starving, but the rice in the porridge was so few that you could count the grains on your fingers. Eating it was practically the same as not eating at all.

Now, even members of the Warrior Reserve Camp; they are treated like civilians, receiving only two meals a day.

Several members of the Warrior Reserve Camp who were originally on guard duty on the mountain came down to eat, and then a special shift of soldiers came up the mountain to relieve them.

Why are they standing guard on the mountain? This is mainly because the Clan Elder the Lian Clan are thinking that news of the Divine Kingdom Grand Selection should be released in the next few days.

So every morning, the Clan Elder would send someone to the nearby mountain pass to keep watch, hoping that their village's hope Lian Chengyu, would return with the warriors sent out by the tribe, becoming official members of the Brocade Dragon Guard and returning home in glory.

People living in extreme hardship desperately need this news to lift their spirits.

They waited for several days, but the wilderness stretched out before them, and they didn't see a single ghost.

Today, as the members of the Warrior Reserve Camp were about to take their shifts, Zhang Dali suddenly froze, staring intently into the distance. "Look... what's that...?"

Zhang Dali pointed into the distance, and everyone looked in that direction. What they saw was astonishing.

On the distant horizon, a cloud of dust rises faintly. Gazing into the distance, one can vaguely see a huge beast running within that dust cloud!

They had all seen that kind of wild beast before; it was the mount of the Brocade Dragon Guard!

"Young Master Lian... Could it be that Young Master Lian has returned!?"

A man said uncertainly.

"It's definitely it! Judging from the direction the Giant Beast is running, it's heading straight for our Lian Clan. There's absolutely no doubt about it!"

Zhang Dali slapped his thigh, his face full of excitement!

When Lian Chengyu led the elite members of the Lian Clan away, they rode on one of these Giant Beasts, and the Brocade Dragon Guard sent special personnel to pick them up.

Seeing such Giant Beast again, it's highly likely that Young Master Lian has returned!

Moreover, judging from the size of the group, it was much larger than when they originally went, with at least... six Giant Beasts!

"Why are there so many?" a man asked, puzzled.

They went there with only one Giant Beast, but returned with Giant Beast. Why is there such a difference?

Zhang Dali only needed a moment's thought to understand the key point. He said smugly, "That's easy to understand. At first, Young Master Lian was just an ordinary examinee, so of course he didn't receive any preferential treatment. But now, Young Master Lian must have already shone brightly in the Divine Kingdom Grand Selection, becoming a formal member of the Brocade Dragon Guard and being highly regarded. Therefore, when Young Master Young Master Lian returns, of course the treatment will be higher! How could we let Young Master Lian squeeze in with everyone else again!"

When Zhang Dali said that, everyone else immediately agreed!

"Brother Zhang is so smart, he figured it out right away!"

"Of course! Brother Zhang can even write, unlike us roughnecks." The short man flattered him. Zhang Dali could indeed write; he could write his own name, mainly because... his name had few strokes.

"Let's go and share the good news!"

Zhang Dali waved his hand, and a group of men ran happily towards the village.

They were originally very hungry, but Lian Chengyu returned, they were no longer hungry and ran off in a flurry of activity!

At this moment, in the courtyard of the Lian Clan Elder, the Lian Clan chief was holding a pipe and smoking it casually. In fact, the pipe was long out of tobacco. In the Great Wilderness, tobacco was very expensive, and the old clan chief had almost finished his stock. Now he only puts in a little bit of tobacco each day, and it's gone in just a few puffs.

Even after he finished smoking, the old patriarch continued to smoke, as if it had become a habit.

"Second brother, it's been more than ten days, shouldn't we have some news from Cheng Yu by now..." the old patriarch said to another elder not far from him. He had said this countless times in the past few days.

The old man, dressed in a worn-out cotton robe, sipped his bitter tea, which consisted mostly of tea leaves, and absentmindedly replied, "It should be in the next few days..."

The two old men were talking when suddenly, with a loud "bang," the gate of the Clan Elder's compound was kicked open.

The old man drinking tea was startled and almost knocked over his precious teacup, since finding a porcelain cup in the Lian Clan was not easy.

He was just about to lash out when he saw that the person who came in was Zhang Dali, followed by several Warrior Reserve Camp.

These people were all previously sent to stand guard on the front mountain.

The old man drinking tea fell silent. He stared intently at Zhang Dali, his breathing becoming heavy. He vaguely sensed a possibility that would excite him.

"They're here! They're here!" Zhang Dali exclaimed incoherently, "Six heads! Six heads!"

Zhang Dali held up six fingers, leaving the two old men completely bewildered.

What the heck?

"Six Giant Beast! The Brocade Dragon Guard... the kind they ride!"

Behind Zhang Dali, a member of the Warrior Reserve Camp explained breathlessly that he had run down the hill with Zhang Dali in one go and was panting heavily.

"Yes... I was the first to spot it!" Zhang Dali, though already out of breath, still couldn't resist taking credit. "So many Giant Beast coming towards our village, it must be... it must be Young Master Lian!"

As Zhang Dali spoke, he was panting. When he saw an old man with a cup of tea in his hand, he grabbed it without hesitation and drank it all in one gulp. He was so excited that he wouldn't have dared to do it normally, even if you gave him the guts.

"Young Master Lian must have become a member of the Brocade Dragon Guard, perhaps even an elite one! Otherwise, why would the Brocade Dragon Guard have dispatched so many Giant Beasts to escort him back!"

Zhang Dali finally stated his conclusion.

Lian Chengyu must have achieved outstanding results. If he is not selected, it would be a favor if the Brocade Dragon Guard sent someone to escort him back. They might not even bother to send him back. In that case, Lian Chengyu would have to stay in the Tao Clan and wait for the Purple Blood Warrior of the Tao Clan to come to the Lian Clan to exchange food for weapons before he could come back with them.

Having understood all this, the old clan chief's face flushed red, and his beard trembled with excitement. "Good! Good! We've finally made it through!"

"Chengyu has lived up to everyone's expectations! Chengyu has lived up to everyone's expectations!" The old man holding the teacup was so happy that he laughed and coughed, almost fainting from excitement.

"Our Lian Clan is about to rise to prominence! From now on, we will leave the Great Wilderness and head towards the Central Plains!" The old clan chief grinned from ear to ear, turning his wrinkled old face into a daisy in autumn.

"Quickly! Give the order to the clan to prepare to line the streets and welcome the envoys from the Brocade Dragon Guard! We can't let them say that we're just a bunch of country bumpkins and lack proper etiquette!"

The old clan chief then remembered the important matter, slapped his thigh, and quickly instructed Zhang Dali.

Since Zhao Tiezhu was deposed, Zhang Dali, who seems rather "clever," has taken over many affairs of the tribe.

"Okay!"

Zhang Dali leaped out of the courtyard gate and led the Brocade Dragon Guard members away in a flash; their method of propaganda was simple and direct.

He simply shouted at the top of his lungs throughout the village.

"Fellow villagers, come out!"

"Young Master Lian has passed the Divine Kingdom Grand Selection! Young Master Lian has become an elite member of the Brocade Dragon Guard!"

"The Brocade Dragon Guard has escorted Young Master Lian back. They're almost at the village entrance, so the villagers are hurrying out to welcome him!"

Zhang Dali has a really loud voice; when he shouts, the whole village hears him.

Upon hearing this, people put down what they were doing, stopped eating, and stopped cooking. Villagers came out of their homes to look at Zhang Dali.

"Young Master has really returned?"

"Of course it's true!" Zhang Dali said irritably.

"So, can we go to the city now?"

"Going to the city? Not necessarily. I heard that to take us into the city, we have to become National Scholar! Becoming National Scholar is not easy, but with your abilities, young master, it's only a matter of time!"

Zhang Dali said proudly. The villagers were very excited when they heard this. They all remembered one thing: leaving the Great Wilderness was only a matter of time!

They gradually put on decent clothes, came out of their homes, and gathered at the village entrance, waiting to welcome the Brocade Dragon Guard into the village.

"Mother, Young Master Lian has been chosen in the grand selection..." In the crowd, Zhou Xiaoke tugged at Aunt Wang's hand, looking at the bustling crowd in front of her, feeling somewhat bewildered.

I wonder how Yi Yun's election went... He should have come back too, right?

Aunt Wang said, "Yun Wazi should be quite good too. He was able to beat Zhao Tiezhu, so maybe he'll be chosen too! But even if he isn't chosen, it doesn't matter. Yun Wazi is only twelve years old; he has plenty of time."

Aunt Wang stroked Zhou Xiaoke 'Zhou Xiaoke head and led her to both sides of the street. In the distance, the mother and daughter saw six Giant Beast running towards the village entrance. The momentum of the six Giant Beast running together was so powerful that the ground trembled slightly! (To be continued~^~)