Chapter 21

 

Staring at those words for a few seconds, Lu Yu coldly closed the panel.

It took a lot of effort to gain favorability from Tai Lie, and now he was being asked to start all over again with someone else?

Forget it, who needs a bicycle anyway. The basic navigation function was quite good enough; why bother upgrading? That’s settled then.

Thinking this, Lu Yu didn’t spare another glance at the panel, which had fluctuating ratings in his mind.

Instead of upgrading the navigation function by gaining favorability from Cha Zhe, why not continue to gain favorability from Tai Lie to further upgrade the panel? Upgrading the panel might bring even better new features. Besides, after this incident, Tai Lie’s attitude toward him wasn’t as cold anymore…

Suddenly called back while hunting by the Matais, but after experiencing a fierce battle, Lu Yu didn’t intend to continue hunting today.

Fortunately, Lu Yu had some spare food stored in his ring.

Although the ring could store things, it couldn’t preserve them. Meat stored inside could only last for up to three days before spoiling and becoming inedible. To make more efficient use of it, Lu Yu stored meat for occasional use and exchanged spoiled meat for small red pills (the panel didn’t accept spoiled meat).

He took out the leftover wild boar meat from yesterday and made a sumptuous wild boar feast to reward everyone.

After distributing the meat, Lu Yu picked a piece of evenly roasted golden wild boar fat and went to find Tai Lie.

He thought that since feeding pills could increase progress by ten percent at a time, feeding food might also increase favorability. Seizing this opportunity to earn a bit more would be better.

With enthusiasm, Lu Yu ran to Tai Lie and said, “Tai Lie, let me feed you some meat.”

Then he remembered something and quickly added, “Don’t worry, I washed my hands!”

Hearing this, Tai Lie’s gaze fell on Lu Yu’s fingers. The fingertips were round, clean, fair, and delicate. Yesterday, when they brushed against his tongue, they had caused a strange tingling sensation that was unbearable…

Tai Lie’s heart tightened.

He had forgotten again; he shouldn’t get too close to this person.

Tai Lie frowned and said coldly, “No need, I’ve already eaten.”

Without waiting for Lu Yu’s reaction, he stood up and walked away.

Lu Yu stared blankly at his cold and distant figure, his mind blanking out for a moment. When the person completely disappeared from sight, he finally reacted.

Is this person really… sick!

Although Lu Yu occasionally got annoyed, he was actually quite calm at heart. But this time, he was really angry.

Lu Yu had never seen such an inconsistent person before. One moment, Tai Lie were using his body to shield him from spears, and the exchange between them was quite pleasant. The next moment, without any warning, he turned hostile.

What’s the deal? Did he really have no temper?

Besides all this, what Lu Yu didn’t want to think about was that maybe this person really regarded him as just a “tool” rather than a member of the Matai tribe. If that was the case, then he would truly feel chilled.

But his subconscious told him that Tai Lie wasn’t that kind of person. Then what was that just now…

Agitated!

Lu Yu picked up the meat and took a vicious bite.

—

Initiating an attack had been decided, and it was better sooner than later. However, since some of those people had escaped and the rest had been dealt with by the Matai people, leaving no survivors, they didn’t know where those people’s tribe was.

Fortunately, when they fled, they were in a hurry and didn’t pay attention to covering their tracks. A sharp-eyed Matai, skilled at tracking, quickly traced the whereabouts of the Blackwater tribe’s lair based on these traces.

The next day, the Matai people gathered again to listen to the reports from those who had gone to scout.

“…The tribe is quite large, probably about the size of ten of our villages, but their living conditions aren’t as good as ours. There are only three or four wooden houses similar to ours, while the rest are grass huts. There are many people, but they all seem weak, and some seem to be slaves.”

Slaves were almost a norm in every large tribe. Tribes like the Matai, which were special and united in equality, were rare. Other tribes, besides their own race, often accepted some wandering savages or people plundered from other tribes.

They didn’t get much food, but they did the heaviest work. They had thought about escaping, but without the support of a tribe, surviving in the jungle teeming with wild beasts was impossible. Moreover, their wives and children were likely under supervision and couldn’t escape.

Lu Yu had long understood this situation, so he wasn’t surprised.

The Matai man giving the report continued, “Their warriors, apart from those who escaped last time, seem to number only two or three hundred.” After saying this, he hesitated, “Maybe more, but some might be out hunting, and I didn’t count them.”

That was the general situation.

Lu Yu’s suggestion was to strike directly at the heart by eliminating the fat Chief of the tribe. If the remaining people continued to resist, they would decide based on the situation.

Shan Pu exclaimed excitedly, “So are we going to kill their Chief like the Wolf King last time?”

Lu Yu smiled, “No need for that. Judging from the size of that tribe, they can’t sustain so many warriors. The remaining two or three hundred should be all of them. We’ll form a strike team and go straight to the two best wooden houses to capture them.”

They were going to attack when the enemy was unprepared, and since the difference in strength was quite significant, the simpler the battle strategy, the better.

But before that, they needed to prepare some armor for the strike team…

Thinking of this, Lu Yu remembered the upgrade mission for the navigation function.

Considering Tai Lie’s unpredictable mood swings and the difficulty in easily gaining favorability, it might be better to upgrade the navigation function instead.

After all, it was just feeding someone, and Cha Zhe was just a kid, so being a caregiver for a bit wouldn’t be a problem!

Moreover, Cha Zhe ate much less than Tai Lie, so feeding him would be easier.

Thinking like this, the cost-effectiveness of gaining favorability from Cha Zhe seemed higher than from Tai Lie’s side…

Lu Yu went over his plan in his mind. First, he would have the Matai people keep an eye on the situation at the Blackwater tribe, and he would quickly check whether the navigation function could be upgraded. If it could, he would upgrade it first before looking for equipment.

He decided.

After finishing lunch, Lu Yu delegated the assigned tasks to Xia Cao and carried the roasted meat, cheerfully walking up to Cha Zhe.

He asked preparedly, “Cha Zhe, did you go to dig mud this morning?”

The village still needed a lot of basic materials for upgrading, so they weren’t idle.

A hint of confusion flashed in Cha Zhe’s eyes. Lu Yu had scolded him yesterday for rashly returning to the battlefield, and since then, he hadn’t spoken to him.

Why was he suddenly approaching him?

Cha Zhe nodded, “Uh-huh.”

“Cough, cough,” Lu Yu cleared his throat. Although he was prepared, he still felt a bit awkward. “Um, is your arm tired? I can feed you something…”

But the first ones to react to his words were not Cha Zhe but the surrounding Matai people.

The Matai people lifted their heads from the roasted meat and collectively glanced at Lu Yu, their eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

What’s going on? Is the witch feeding someone else?!

Isn’t this treatment exclusive to the Chief?

How can an outsider kid enjoy it too?!

The Matai people then turned their heads in unison to their Chief.

Tai Lie was sitting on a large rock eating meat. Upon hearing Lu Yu’s words, he paused for a moment, then casually continued eating as if he didn’t care.

The Matai people were even more astonished. Chief, aren’t you going to say something?

Your witch is feeding someone else!

The Matai people were very stingy when it came to matters concerning their witch. Although they didn’t reject well-meaning outsiders, in their hearts, the witch belonged to them. Being intimate with the Chief was one thing, but being intimate with outsiders, they couldn’t tolerate such injustice!

Anxious, the Matai people wished they could stare a hole through their Chief, hoping he would intervene for them.

Tai Lie raised his eyelids, calm and unaffected. “What are you looking at?”

Seeing his expression, the Matai people inexplicably shivered, swallowed the words they wanted to say, turned their heads back, and looked towards Lu Yu again.

Their gazes were intense, pitiful.

They couldn’t dare to question, so they could only attempt to express their grievances with their eyes. Witch, our arms hurt too, we also need to be fed…

Unfortunately, Lu Yu happened to have his back turned to them and couldn’t see them at all.

Lu Yu’s ears twitched, and upon hearing Tai Lie’s seemingly indifferent words, a small flame suddenly ignited in his heart.

Smirking, Lu Yu gently asked Cha Zhe, “Is it okay, Cha Zhe?”

No matter how much confusion Cha Zhe had in his heart, he put it all aside.

As his eyes gradually deepened, he smiled and said, “However the witch wants to feed, then feed.”

Lu Yu: ?

Feeding someone is just feeding, what else can it be?

Lu Yu sat opposite Cha Zhe, tore off a piece of meat, and threw it into his open mouth.

Cha Zhe chewed and swallowed, praising, “The meat roasted by the witch is really delicious.”

Lu Yu modestly said a few words, but in his heart, he felt it was only natural that the meat he roasted was delicious! This kid’s praise was really insincere.

Thinking of the praise, Lu Yu’s hand suddenly paused as he threw the meat. When he first fed meat to Tai Lie, he clearly agreed to the praise, so why did he…

“What’s wrong?” Cha Zhe looked at Lu Yu, who suddenly became absent-minded, and asked.

Lu Yu snapped out of it, “Nothing, it’s nothing.”

Cha Zhe stared at his expression for a moment, seeming to suddenly realize something, and smiled, “Did I get meat juice on the corner of my mouth?”

Lu Yu glanced at him, “Looks like you did…”

Cha Zhe: “Then, can the witch help me wipe it?”

Lu Yu: “Huh?”

The Matai people who had been secretly paying attention to this side were infuriated upon hearing this.

Deliberately, this kid was definitely doing it on purpose! Couldn’t you wipe it yourself? Why bother the witch? If you don’t use your hands, they can help you tear off a piece of cloth!

Cha Zhe didn’t care how the Matai people looked at him. With a hint of coquetry in his tone, he said, “I don’t have any leaves. Witch, you should be able to produce some.”

Indeed, Lu Yu could.

Lu Yu took out the clean and soft leaves he usually used to wipe his face from the ring. Just as he was about to hand them to Cha Zhe, he saw the kid had already leaned over.

Three black lines dropped from Lu Yu’s head.

Did this unlucky kid take him for a nanny?

Oh well, it’s all for favorability.

Lu Yu reluctantly took the leaves, ready to smear them on the kid’s face.

But as his hand reached out, a big hand with prominent veins suddenly reached over and firmly grabbed his wrist.

“Enough.”

A low, suppressed voice sounded in Lu Yu’s ear.