Chapter 176

Lu Yan's sudden appearance surprised Yu Su.

Just now, busy dealing with Yu Ying, Yu Su didn't notice when Lu Yan arrived.

Thinking of Yu Ying's straightforward request, Yu Su's face turned hot. He poked Lu Yan's back of the hand, "When did you come, and how much did you hear?"

Lu Yan coldly looked at Yu Ying walking away before turning to Yu Su. Seeing him blushing, Lu Yan's mood wasn't great—not because Yu Su looked good but because of the woman just now.

Yu Su, seeing Lu Yan silent, asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Lu Yan: "Don't mind that woman."

Yu Su: "Did you hear everything? I didn't expect a sudden confession. I rejected her."

After saying this, Yu Su vaguely felt something off about his words.

It seemed like he was explaining something to Lu Yan.

But what was he explaining?

Lu Yan's next words brought Yu Su back: "She approached me too."

Yu Su: "Oh?"

Lu Yan: "She just admires your looks."

Yu Su: "..."

Alright.

Although knowing that in this era people lack restraint, it was still surprising. When Yu Ying confessed just now, his heart was pounding. It had nothing to do with emotions, just a normal psychological reaction when faced with a confession. But in a way, Yu Su was indeed quite innocent.

Yu Su cleared his throat, looking at Lu Yan, "Are you confessed to often?"

Although Lu Yan hadn't heard the term "confessed," he understood its meaning. He nodded, "Yes."

After nodding, he quickly added, "But I've rejected all of them."

Yu Su raised an eyebrow, not that it was surprising. Someone like Lu Yan, in any tribe, would be popular among women. Yet, it was the first time Yu Su knew that Lu Yan had rejected them all.

"Why did you reject all of them? Don't you have anyone you like?"

"I don't like them."

He really didn't like any of them. Lu Yan's standards were quite high.

"What kind of person do you like?" Yu Su suddenly felt a great curiosity.

Lu Yan's gaze fell on him, "You'll find out."

If Lu Yan didn't understand Yu Su well, he would straightforwardly answer that he liked him. But Lu Yan knew what kind of person Yu Su was. If he answered directly, Yu Su would surely avoid him.

Lu Yan didn't want that.

So, he gave an answer that left Yu Su guessing.

Yu Su did indeed speculate because Lu Yan's answer implied that he had a preferred type and likely someone he liked. In this moment, various women who had interacted with Lu Yan flashed through Yu Su's mind as he tried to find an answer.

At the same time, his heartbeat felt a bit stifled.

He didn't know why.

The slight vanity and good mood from the confession just now disappeared.

"Oh."

Lu Yan keenly sensed Yu Su's displeasure and wanted to say something, but Yu Su had already started walking up the mountain.

"Don't say anything. I'm going to practice dancing."

Lu Yan caught up, "Are you angry?"

"Nonsense, how could I be angry."

"But you're not happy."

"Nonsense, which eye did you see that I'm not happy?"

Lu Yan really wanted to say both eyes saw it, but that would only make things worse. He wasn't stupid; he wouldn't say it out loud.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I made you unhappy. Next time, I won't drive away those who confess to you."

Lu Yan thought Yu Su was upset because of this, but Yu Su wasn't.

Yu Su just felt a bit down after knowing that Lu Yan liked someone. He couldn't quite articulate why, but he was just unhappy.

"It's not related to this; I said I'm not upset."

...

Afterward, Yu Su would often pay attention to Lu Yan's whereabouts.

"Where did Lu Yan go?"

"Leader Lu went on patrol."

"Oh."

After a while, Yu Su asked, "Who did he take with him?"

"Huh? It's the patrol team."

"All men?"

"Yes."

Yu Meng felt Yu Su's question was strange. Besides the female patrol team, which patrol team had women? Weren't they all men?

But Yu Meng didn't think too much about it; he considered Yu Su's question as casual.

With the upcoming grand ceremony, almost everyone who should return has already returned, except those stationed at the salt field.

Yu Su observed and found that there were many women who had contact with Lu Yan, but none of them seemed to be the one he liked, as he treated them all with the same expression.

Hmm... no men either.

Lu Yan had even fewer expressions towards men.

Yu Su thought, could he have misunderstood?

Maybe when Lu Yan said that, he just wanted to express that he had clear preferences rather than having someone he liked?

This thought inexplicably relieved Yu Su. He suddenly felt less stifled in his chest.

Now, when he saw Lu Yan, he was willing to give him a smile.

While Yu Su was not happy these days, Lu Yan had been cautious. Now that he saw Yu Su's mood brightening, he felt relieved too.

He really didn't know which words went wrong that day.

He couldn't get it out of Yu Su.

In these days, his face was naturally tense, and many soldiers were startled by him.

He didn't know that the soldiers in the camp were speculating whether he had another argument with Yu Su. The last time they argued, it was like this—with a cold face. If anyone accidentally offended him, they would be unlucky.

Now, seeing Lu Yan finally relax his face, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

...

After Yu Su was confessed to by Yu Ying, he encountered several others who confessed to him. Thanks to the experience with Yu Ying, he could calmly handle even the most outrageous confessions and maintain the dignity of a shaman.

As time passed, the Festival of the God approached. Two days before the grand event, the invited villages started arriving.

The farthest was naturally the first to set out, such as the Butcher Village. Then came the Ironforge Village, Rice Village, and other villages.

The team from the Barbarian Forest also set out, led by the Barbarian Great Shaman, bringing gifts to the Yu Village.

Even the trading market became livelier than before.

Stalls were set up outside the trading market because the space inside wasn't enough. Even the grassy area in the square was filled with tents, and newcomers started setting up tents outside the trading market. With patrol teams nearby, they didn't worry about danger.

More and more people were coming to the Yu Village.

The festive atmosphere spread to the outsiders, and everyone enthusiastically discussed the Festival of the God.

"The festival is held in the Yu Village square, and we who aren't invited can't enter."

"It's okay not to go in. The excitement alone from this gathering of many villages is enough. So many villages have come."

"It feels more lively than the last time during the market opening ceremony."

"Definitely, this is the Festival of the God in Yu Village. Lord Yu Su will perform the God's Dance."

"Exactly, and there's also the Dance of Eighty-One Strong Men."

"The more you say, the more I want to go see."

Most of the outsiders living near the trading market couldn't enter the Yu Village to watch. They could only enjoy the festivities from the outskirts.

"The Barbarian Forest team is here!" someone shouted.

Everyone who was free ran to the river to watch, and sure enough, the Barbarian Forest team arrived. They brought bags and bags of gifts, with twenty Barbarian horses carrying the gifts.

"Oh, heavens! So many!"

"One horse is two large sacks, so these twenty horses mean forty sacks."

"My village is poor; if it were us, the whole village couldn't gather this many gifts."

"The Barbarian people are numerous; they have many tribes."

After the construction of the main road, many people from the northern wilderness could travel to the Barbarian Forest through the road. As long as they followed the forest's rules, they could trade with the Barbarian Forest or explore the forest to gain insights.

People fervently discussed the gifts from the Barbarian Forest.

Not long after, the Ironforge Village arrived, also bringing rich gifts.

Then came the Butcher Village, Rice Village, and other villages that gradually arrived. Although the later villages didn't have the wealth of the Barbarian Forest and Ironforge Village, they still brought substantial gifts, making many people envious.

"I've never seen such a grand scene before."

"Exactly, even when the Salt Village was still here, it wasn't this magnificent."

Outsiders were sighing in amazement.

Some newcomers from the Eastern Plains, seeing this scene, couldn't help but be surprised and amazed. They rarely witnessed such grandeur on the Eastern Plains; the only comparable place was probably the Three Rivers Village, which held a strong geographical advantage, but it couldn't match the Yu Village in many aspects.

...

The invited villages had all arrived in advance. Yu Su met with the leaders of each village and invited them to stay temporarily in the expanded Yu Village, which now extended westward, providing enough housing for these guests.

Only those inside the Yu Village knew the lively scene within.

For this Festival of the God, the entire Yu Village was adorned with decorations, creating a spectacular sight.

The colorful flowers and fabrics were things various factions had never seen before.

Even the altar in the square was majestic.

The entire area around the square was newly decorated.

Seeing this scene, the villages who came to observe couldn't help but feel a strong sense of anticipation. They hoped the Festival of the God would arrive soon, eager to witness the grand scene on that day.

Yu Su took a deep breath, looking at the lively scene in the village.

Tomorrow is the grand ceremony.

"Nervous?" Lu Yan walked over.

Yu Su nodded, "A bit."

This time was different from the last. The last time was mainly for blessings and to make Qingze happy.

This time, they were going to offer sacrifices to the White God. He hoped that tomorrow would satisfy the venerable deity.