Chapter 122: Trust

Through a combination of armed intimidation and shifting the blame, Yu Yan successfully led everyone out of their predicament.

No one dared to stop them from leaving, even as Lou Yuhui and his companions dragged away all eight spirit beast carcasses; the crowd didn't dare to utter a sound. A few bold individuals, however, followed Yu Yan's group to the outside of the ancestral hall.

And then, guess what they saw?

A massive monster, over three meters tall and covered in hideous bone spurs, loomed before them.

The beast bowed its head submissively in front of Yu Yan, as tame as a house pet! As Lou Yuhui and the others tossed the spirit beast carcasses onto the monster's back, it seemed to sense them watching and swept a cold, vertical-pupiled gaze over them.

*Hiss!* A chill ran down everyone’s spines instantly.

It was a subconscious physical reaction to the presence of terrifying danger.

Yu Xingbang couldn't help but step back a few paces. As the village Party secretary, he had been one of the most proactive among the village officials in urging Yu Yongde to divide the carcasses. Now, however, he felt a lingering fear—thank goodness he hadn't crossed Yu Yan too much after she arrived.

Otherwise, at her command, if this monster had taken even a single bite of him, his old, frail limbs wouldn't have stood a chance!

It seemed that Yongde’s eldest daughter had truly made something of herself.

If his own good-for-nothing son ever possessed even half the ability of Yongde’s daughter, he would wake up from his dreams laughing.

...

Yu Yan eventually brought everyone back to her mother’s house.

When Chen Biqin saw so many people arriving, she busied herself, preparing to scoop out several more large ladlefuls of flour.

When making items like scallion pancakes and wontons, she usually mixed extra filling, storing the leftovers in the refrigerator. Since the arrival of the dungeon world, the refrigerator was no longer operational, but Chen Biqin knew that Yu Yan’s spatial storage functioned just like one.

Since they were going to eat anyway, she had prepared extra.

Therefore, even though many people had come, a few more scoops of flour would be enough to finish off lunch for everyone.

"Yan, why didn't you tell me you were bringing so many people back? You’ve left me completely unprepared."

What kind of preparation was needed for this?

Yu Yan, pulled into the kitchen by her mother for a private word, looked puzzled.

It was still early for lunch, and she hadn't intended to let Lou Yuhui and the others freeload at her home. Besides, they were her subordinates; if there was nothing to feed them, would they really be so tactless as to linger? Glancing at her mother’s conflicted expression, Yu Yan understood in an instant.

Chen Biqin was a person who cared deeply about appearances, and her eldest daughter had finally made a name for herself.

This group consisted of her daughter's admirers; if she failed to host them well at home, wouldn't she be bringing shame upon her daughter?

Of course, most importantly, it would bring shame upon herself.

Others would surely say that while Yu Yan was so capable, her mother was stingy. Yu Yan's die-hard followers had visited, yet she hadn't even been willing to treat them to a meal, letting them return home hungry.

Yu Yan was speechless. It was just like her mother!

Before the dungeon world arrived, whenever Yu Yan came home, her mother would dismiss her with leftovers. But as soon as one of her daughter's friends visited, even if she had been working in the fields all day and was exhausted to the point of collapse, she would force herself to whip up a table full of fine dishes to entertain them.

Obsessed with keeping up appearances at the cost of her own comfort—that was her mother, Chen Biqin, to a T.

"Everyone, quiet down for a moment and listen to me."

Yu Yan walked out of the kitchen. Outside, the group was chatting animatedly around the dining table, some sitting, some standing. Hearing her voice, everyone, whether sitting or standing, straightened their postures, their eyes fixed on her.

Even Zhang Zhenye, who had followed them back, let the smile fade from his face, adopting an attitude of earnest attention.

"Yuhui, I brought you all to my home primarily to discuss the ownership of the eight spirit beast carcasses that Little Blue brought back."

"Originally, since they were given to you, I shouldn't have much to say. How you divide the carcasses is your business; it has nothing to do with me. However..." Yu Yan paused, her gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Lou Yuhui was the first to state his position, "I understand, Sister Yan. Just tell us how to divide them."

"That’s right, Sister Yan, these spirit beasts were brought back by you in the first place."

Yu Wei followed, "It’s only natural that you decide the distribution. I was actually feeling uneasy about it earlier! There are so many spirit materials and spirit meat to be extracted from these carcasses. For you to just give them to us... we feel terrible about it."

"We don't have any objections either; we'll listen to whatever Sister Yan says."

The siblings Yu Wenjing and her brother exchanged a glance; although they were a bit reluctant to part with the mountain of spirit materials, they still made their decision.

Only Yu Rui, thinking of his elderly parents and young siblings at home, hesitated slightly. But seeing his brothers express their support, he gritted his teeth to stay in line. "Sister Yan, it was you who saved all our lives at the Firefly Soul-Devouring Sea."

"If I were to argue with you over these materials, would I even be human?"

"We'll listen to you; tell us how to divide them!"

Yu Yan’s eyes flickered.

The twins didn't even need to be asked; they had been nodding frantically the moment Yu Yan’s gaze swept over them. Although she had expected that more than half of these people would agree to her proposal, these were, after all, eight Profound-grade spirit beast carcasses—the temptation of wealth often moves hearts!

In the dungeon world, how many super-powered individuals could these eight carcasses create?

Even if Lou Yuhui and the others hadn't known before, after Yu Yan’s "literacy lessons," they were perfectly aware. And among these carcasses, even if they weren't used to awaken the powers of friends and family, six of them possessed Wind and Earth attributes.

Using them to boost their own powers would be enough for everyone to advance to the Profound grade!

Yet now, at her single word, they had all abandoned the benefits within their reach.

Yu Yan’s heart surged.

Her expression remained as steady as ever, though her slightly heightened voice betrayed a trace of her inner feelings. "Good. Since you all trust me, I naturally won't betray that trust!"

"Is there anyone among you skilled at dissecting animal carcasses? Step forward; we shall decompose these eight spirit beasts right now."

In the three years since the dungeon world descended, dissecting dungeon monster carcasses had become a daily routine for every enhancer.

Yu Yan naturally possessed great skill in this.

However, dissecting eight full carcasses was a time-consuming task. Besides, since she had subordinates she could use, why should she do it all herself? In the end, Yu Lei, Lou Yuhui, and Yu Wei—who frequently entered dungeons—stepped forward, each taking two.

As for the final two, Yu Yan took them on herself.

They dragged the carcasses near the reservoir to easily clean up the remnants of the dissection. Everyone returned home to fetch various bottles and jars—these were to hold the spirit beast blood. A spirit beast was a treasure from head to toe; its blood was rich in spiritual energy.

It could not only increase the spiritual energy levels within super-powered individuals of the same attribute and those with spiritual meridians, but it also had extraordinary effects when used to quench certain weapons. It was something that couldn't be wasted, not even a single drop. It was just a pity that Yu Yan hadn't yet discovered anyone in her vicinity skilled in blacksmithing or weapon forging.

The matter of cultivating a team blacksmith would have to be put on hold for the time being.