Chapter 25

The other materials were collected one after another, leaving only those three things, which stubbornly blocked the village’s upgrade.

Lu Yu couldn’t help it. He went to Tai Lie’s room to discuss the matter of going to the Beast Plain.

Before going, he was a bit worried. Previously, Xia Cao said that their former Chief did not allow them to go to the Beast Plain. If Tai Lie adhered to the previous Chief’s tribe rules, then this plan would have to be put on hold.

After expressing his thoughts, Lu Yu hesitated and asked, “…Do you think we can go?”

Tai Lie’s expression didn’t change much. “We can go.”

Just as Lu Yu was about to add that if they couldn’t go, they could find people from the basin to go with them, he suddenly heard Tai Lie’s response, “Hmm?”

“Didn’t Xia Cao say…”

Tai Lie’s eyes darkened slightly, and his fists clenched involuntarily. “In the Beast Plain, there may be the person I’m looking for.”

Lu Yu’s heart sank. “You mean, those people who slaughtered the Matai tribe might be in the Beast Plain?” He pounded his fist into his palm. “Right, isn’t it said that there are many tribes stationed in the Beast Plain? Even if they’re not there, we might be able to find some information.”

Lu Yu showed a hint of worry. “But, Tai Lie, there are many of those people, and they have weapons. If we find them, we need to carefully plan our revenge. I know you must hate those people, but you have to think about Shi Tou and the others. Of course, revenge must be taken, but I need to get more red medicine and weapons, and Shi Tou and the others need to be settled…”

The young man spoke earnestly, completely forgetting about upgrading the panel, and focused solely on how to seek revenge safely.

Tai Lie listened silently, his tense muscles gradually relaxing. Just thinking about what happened ten years ago had ignited a raging fire in his heart, but now, it was as if a cool spring had suddenly flowed in, calming down his restless anger bit by bit.

“I understand.” Despite his usually firm and hard voice, there was a barely noticeable tenderness in Tai Lie’s tone. “So, when do you want to go?”

Lu Yu pondered for a moment. “In a few days.”

As he looked at Lu Yu’s serious face, Tai Lie’s emotions, which he had suppressed for a long time, suddenly found a crack and surged impulsively.

“Lu Yu.” Tai Lie tried to keep his voice steady.

“Hmm?” Lu Yu looked up.

“Do you… have any experience with marriage?” His voice trembled slightly at the end.

Marriage? After being a bachelor for over twenty years and focusing solely on cooking, Lu Yu felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his face. “Why are you asking about this?”

Tai Lie remained silent.

He had thought that as long as he treated Lu Yu coldly and they didn’t engage in overly intimate activities, those feelings that shouldn’t exist would gradually fade away.

But the reality was that it was utterly useless.

Just a shallow smile from him would ignite a fire in his blood.

When he saw him being intimate with others, he would angrily want to kill someone.

How strong those surging emotions in his heart were, only he knew. Right now, he couldn suppress them and maintain the relationship between a Chief and his witch, but if this person found someone else…

Tai Lie’s eyes darkened, and his inner restlessness surged instantly.

He couldn’t bear it.

Lu Yu didn’t notice Tai Lie’s change. He was currently thinking about a serious issue.

Although Tai Lie didn’t have a wife either, he looked like he wouldn’t have any problems “in that area”. As for his own physique, if he said he didn’t have any experience, he would probably be considered inadequate…

Should he say he has some experience? Anyway, Tai Lie didn’t know what he was like before…

Lu Yu cleared his throat and tried to make himself look like he was telling the truth. “Well, actually, there was a… friend once…”

Tai Lie stared at him without blinking.

Seeing his somewhat scary expression, Lu Yu’s words suddenly took a turn. “A friend introduced someone to me, but I didn’t want to waste her time, and I didn’t like her either, so I’ve been…”

Tai Lie’s oppressive aura dissipated as Lu Yu scratched his chin and forced a smile. “Haha, are you trying to introduce someone to me?”

He hoped it wasn’t Matai’s girl…

Tai Lie remained expressionless. “Do you want that?”

Lu Yu hurriedly shook his head. “No, no.” He was afraid that Matai girl would use her “adorable little fists” on him, and he would die…

Tai Lie’s face was solemn. “It’s not suitable to marry during this period of tribal development.”

“Mm-hmm.” Lu Yu immediately nodded in agreement. Even if it wasn’t a period of development, he didn’t want to marry anyone.

With a strand of black hair on his head, moving with his actions, Tai Lie’s solemn words were very serious, “Remember what you said.”

When he couldn’t find a way to sever his feelings, if this person ended up with someone else, he didn’t know what he would do.

So, Lu Yu, don’t let him lose control.

During these days, Lu Yu used the guiding function on time, but he didn’t know if he had used up all his luck. There was no drop rate like the last time with the leopard. After five hunts, he only got two pieces of Tough Grass Armor, one Wooden Helmet, and one Rough Stone Hammer, dropped respectively by Giant Antelope, Tiger, and Iron Hoof Sheep.

The clothes and helmet were given to the hunting team, and the rough stone hammer was given to one of the Matai people.

The plan to go to the Beast Plain was set, and the accompanying personnel were also decided, mainly Lu Yu, Tai Lie, and half of the male Matai people, including Shan Pu and Le Shui.

Taking a low-key approach, they didn’t know what the situation was in the Beast Plain, so it was better to act cautiously.

With people and supplies ready, it was just the road to the Beast Plain…

Whether out of fear or genuine ignorance, Lu Yu asked around the basin, but no one knew.

The Matai tribe, due to the previous Chief’s orders, knew even less.

Lu Yu thought for a moment and then clapped his hands. “How about we go to the Blackwater Tribe to find someone! Didn’t they say they were sending something to the Beast Plain? They must know the way!”

Crowd: …

Did the witch mistake the Blackwater Tribe for stone? Where they can move it everytime they like? Suddenly feeling a bit sympathetic…

“But, what if the people of the Blackwater Tribe have already left?” someone asked.

Lu Yu confidently replied, “They won’t. Although their Chief is dead, the foundation of the tribe’s houses and everything else is still there, and so is the hunting team. We didn’t mistreat them back then, just took some slaves. They won’t easily leave that place.”

The crowd nodded in realization.

As Lu Yu expected, the remaining people of the Blackwater Tribe were still living there. And they had a new Chief.

This new Chief was originally the second in command of the Blackwater Tribe. However, after Jiao Feng’s death, he naturally took over the position.

When Lu Yu and Tai Lie came to “borrow people,” this new Chief was arrogantly sitting in the chief’s cabin, giving orders to people.

With a loud bang, the door of the chief’s cabin was forcefully pushed open.

The new Chief jumped up in anger, “Who’s so disrespectful? I said when you come in, you should—”

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt like a duck with its neck pinched, and his voice stopped abruptly.

Lu Yu walked out from behind Shan Pu and looked at the stiffened Blackwater Tribe members, feeling a bit embarrassed as he scratched his nose. “Um…”

“How come it’s you guys again!!!” The new Chief of the Blackwater Tribe exclaimed in despair.

When they went to cause trouble for the Matai tribe, Mao Pu also went along, but his combat power was lacking, so he always stayed in the back.

Later, he even ran faster than Jiao Feng. When they came to cause trouble for the Matai tribe, he sensed the danger and quietly hid. He came out unscathed.

For this reason, he felt quite proud for a while, thinking that he had a very strong ability to detect and avoid danger.

But unexpectedly… they came again!!!

Shan Pu asked with a menacing tone, “Who’s the Chief?”

The Blackwater Tribe members inside the house looked at Mao Pu.

Cursing his subordinates in his heart, Mao Pu thought of a solution immediately. Either find someone to lead them to a large beast territory.

If it worked, he wouldn’t be afraid of these people causing trouble anymore. If not, he could say the guide led them the wrong way.

He’s really smart! He’s indeed leadership material!

Mao Pu praised himself silently in his heart, fake-smiling, “Then I’ll go—”

Lu Yu gently interrupted him, “Then we’ll trouble the new Chief of the Blackwater Tribe.”

Huh?!!! Mao Pu extended his hand in horror, “But I’m not—”

“It’s you, stop babbling.” Shan Pu had no good feelings towards the Blackwater Tribe people.

He grabbed Mao Pu’s shoulder and lifted him up, walking out.

—

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of departure.

“Chief, Witch, be careful on your journey, especially when you reach the Beast Plain,” Xia Cao said with worry.

Behind her were the Matai people who were left behind, all with sad faces. Even the young Matai were reluctant to part with Lu Yu.

Speaking of which, Lu Yu had been with the Matai tribe for several months now. Every day, they worked from sunrise to sunset.

Although they encountered many troubles, they also went through them together. After such a long time apart, this was the first time.

Lu Yu smiled and comforted them, “Don’t worry, we’re just going to exchange things and then come back.”

He and Tai Lie didn’t tell everyone about investigating the people who slaughtered the Matai tribe, fearing that those who were left behind couldn’t help but follow.

After bidding farewell and giving some instructions, carrying the beast skins prepared for exchange, Lu Yu and the others set off.

According to Mao Pu, it would take about seven days to reach the Beast Plain from here.

“This is the safest route we found. Although it’s a bit longer, you’ll hardly encounter any ferocious beasts!” Mao Pu said proudly.

“Oh, what kind of ferocious beasts are there on the closer route?” Lu Yu asked with a hint of familiarity.

A look of fear appeared on Mao Pu’s face. “There are black and white leopards, giant antelopes, tigers, and iron hoof sheep. Although you might not encounter all of them, encountering just one…”

Lu Yu: Why does that sound familiar?

Then he glanced at the equipment worn by Tai Lie and the others…

Lu Yu smiled at Mao Pu. “Just lead us on the closest route.”

Mao Pu’s expression turned fearful. “But I can’t…”

Tai Lie gave him a faint look.

Mao Pu: ಥ⁠_⁠ಥ

These people are scarier than wild beasts!

Mao Pu was trembling with fear all the way, constantly looking around to see if any ferocious beasts would jump out. Even the slightest movement would startle him.

Beside him, Shan Pu couldn’t stand it anymore. “You’re a Chief. Why are you so timid?”

Mao Pu felt a bit aggrieved. Wasn’t it because you insisted on taking this route?

Anyone would be scared if they encountered those beasts.

—

The originally seven-day journey was shortened to four days, thanks to the Matai people accommodating Lu Yu and Mao Pu’s pace. If it were the Matai people walking by themselves, two days would probably be enough.

“We’re here!” Mao Pu pointed into the distance, pleasantly surprised.

Lu Yu and thee others looked over and saw a huge stone city…

Shan Pu and the others gasped in amazement.

However, Lu Yu remained calm.

This stone city was much smaller than he had imagined.

The stone wall was about ten meters high, built with stones of various sizes, appearing quite sturdy but not very neat.

Compared to the ancient city walls he had seen in modern times, it was not as impressive, not even as good as the relatively low stone walls in their village.

In the middle of the stone wall was a huge wooden gate, with two people holding stone spears on either side. Groups of people were coming in and out of the wooden gate, some carrying prey on their shoulders, others leading slaves…

It was a bustling scene.

But for Shan Pu and the others who had never seen it before, they were excited.

Lu Yu turned to Mao Pu and asked, “Will there be battles in the stone city?”

Mao Pu replied, “Probably not. I haven’t seen any tribal battles happen during the two times I’ve been here, but fights might occur.”

Lu Yu nodded.

“Witch, don’t ask so many questions,” Shan Pu couldn’t wait any longer, “Let’s go in! Once we’re inside, we’ll know everything!”

He took a step forward.

“Wait,” Lu Yu reached out and stopped him.

Shan Pu paused, “Hmm?”

Lu Yu pointed to a spot ten meters away and said to Mao Pu, “Go there, face away, and don’t look back.”

Mao Pu didn’t understand, but dared not to resist. He obediently followed the instruction.

Lu Yu glanced at the Matai people, “Take off your equipment and give it to me.”

Shan Pu was puzzled, “Witch, what are you…”

Before he could finish, he saw Tai Lie handing his wooden stick to Lu Yu.

Lu Yu took it and put it into his ring. “There are many people here, so it’s better to be low-key. Shan Pu, give me your dagger.”

Shan Pu handed his dagger to him, “But, Witch, what if someone causes trouble for us?”

Lu Yu chuckled, “If it’s just a small fight, you can handle it even without a weapon.”

What he didn’t say was that they couldn’t attract too much attention. In case those people were really here…

After collecting the items, Lu Yu took out the multi-colored grass he had prepared long ago from the ring. This kind of grass had many colors, and the squeezed juice could be used as dye.

Lu Yu took out some and said to the crowd, “Squeeze the juice from this grass and apply it to your faces.”

Shan Pu was a bit reluctant, “Witch, why do we need to do this…”

Lu Yu smiled, “Afraid that some women here will find you handsome and insist on marrying you, becoming your women? Let’s dress up a bit.”

After saying that, he handed the grass to Shan Pu and ignored him, turning to distribute the grass to the crowd. Just as he was about to hand it to Tai Lie, he suddenly remembered something and abruptly stopped.

Lu Yu straightened up, “It seems like some of you don’t know how to apply it? Let me demonstrate.”

He held up a shaky little grass and looked at Tai Lie, “Chief, is it okay?”

Was he going to demonstrate with him?

Tai Lie looked at him for a moment and silently lowered his head.

Lu Yu smiled slightly, squeezed out a little grass juice, raised his hand, and lightly brushed it over Tai Lie’s face.

From his sharp brows, high nose bridge, to his sharp jawline, he carefully applied it. Lu Yu was very serious. In order not to ruin this handsome face, he used his kindergarten-level painting skills to carefully draw a few lines.

After a while, Lu Yu finally finished his “masterpiece.” He opened the panel and found that the favorability bar had indeed increased a bit, although not much, but even a mosquito is meat.

Lu Yu was in a good mood, about to apply some to his own face, when suddenly his hand was grabbed.

“I’ll do it for you.”

The man’s rough and hoarse voice sounded like a little bug crawling into Lu Yu’s ear, making him numb all over.

“O-Okay,” Lu Yu didn’t think much, stuttering in response, and then hastily handed the grass to him.

Tai Lie took the grass, imitating his movements, and lightly applied it to his face.

At the end of Lu Yu’s eyebrow, there was a small red mole, but because the mole was very small, it was usually covered by his eyebrows, and could only be seen clearly when you got close.

His appearance was gentle, like a clear spring, and this slightly glamorous small red mole was like a flower blooming on clear water, vivid and bright.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Tai Lie’s finger holding the multi-colored grass lightly brushed over this mole.

Lu Yu’s heart trembled, and a inexplicable feeling flashed through his heart. Looking up, he saw the usually stern and tough man, who at this moment seemed to reveal a hint of gentleness…

It must be an illusion!

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Lu Yu turned his head away, coincidentally catching sight of the opened game panel.

The favorability progress bar had unexpectedly increased by a large margin.

Lu Yu: …

I can’t understand you, Boss.

Shan Pu scooped up a handful of juice, randomly wiped it on his face a couple of times, and was about to ask the Witch if this was enough, when he saw him helping the Chief instead.

Something seemed odd?

Why did the Chief and the Witch look like Le Shui wiping sweat off his wife…

Shan Pu walked over to Le Shui’s side and nudged his shoulder, “Le Shui, don’t you think the Chief and the Witch—”

Le Shui’s expressionless face interrupted him, “Shut up.”

Shan Pu closed his mouth in frustration.

—

After everything was ready, Lu Yu called Mao Pu back, ignoring his expression that seemed to say “What trouble are did you guys doing,” and walked towards the stone city with Tai Lie and the others.

The guards at the wooden gate glanced at their faces a few times, didn’t say much, and didn’t stop them.

The group entered the city easily.

Although Lu Yu and the others’ faces were colorful and somewhat strange, it was probably just their tribal characteristics.

Finally inside the stone city, Lu Yu was somewhat surprised, gaining a clearer understanding of the city.

Although the stone walls of the city were a bit rough, the inside was very simple. The buildings were all grass huts, and the wooden houses looked very casual, as if they were ready to collapse at any moment.

But there were quite a lot of people.

Shan Pu, who was originally excited, also curled his lips at this moment. The wooden huts they lived in were much better than these.

Mao Pu saw their expressions and quickly explained, “This is just the outer camp. The powerful ones are all inside on the higher levels. Look, over there!”

The crowd followed his direction and saw a row of tall black wooden fences through the layers of grass huts.

“In this outer camp, anyone can come in, but it’s not necessarily the case inside. Outside, there are places for trading, commissioning, and living. I never been able to go inside, so I don’t know anything…” Mao Pu felt a bit embarrassed towards the end.

After all, their Blackwater Tribe was just a small tribe here, unable to even secure a position on the outer layer.

“Oh right!” Mao Pu suddenly became excited, “There’s also the arena!”

Shan Pu was curious, “What’s that place?”

“It’s a place specifically for people to fight,” Mao Pu’s blood boiled, “Two tribes make an agreement and send their bravest warriors to fight on a huge stone platform. Whoever wins gets the spoils.”

Shan Pu shrugged, “Isn’t that just a fight? What’s there to get excited about?”

Mao Pu grinned, “You can bet on the warriors you like, wager some fur. If you win, you’ll get double. I’ve won quite a bit of fur with this.”

Shan Pu, who had never gambled before, scratched his head, still not understanding.

Lu Yu said, “Take us for a stroll first.”

Mao Pu replied, “Sure, where do you want to go first?”

Lu Yu pointed to the backpacks carried by Tai Lie and the others behind them, “We’ve brought a lot of good fur and want to exchange for some things.”

Mao Pu suddenly realized, “So that’s why you’re here. Follow me.”

Mao Pu led them through the grass huts, “Those who live here have to provide a certain amount of food and fur daily because wild beasts can’t enter here, so it’s very safe. Therefore, most of the people here are important figures in the tribes, like the sons of chiefs.”

Lu Yu asked, “Who do they give the food and fur to?”

“Of course, it’s the three major tribes that built this place. The Zhou Huang Tribe, the Wei Shui Tribe, and the Tian Qing Tribe.”

Lu Yu frowned, “Didn’t you say this place was built by a Witch?”

“A Witch? No, no,” Mao Pu waved his hand, “The three major tribes do provide for a Witch. It’s said that in the beginning, this stone city was built by the three major tribes for that Witch. Maybe that’s why it’s spread that it was built by a Witch.”

“Although I know witches are very powerful, they can predict the weather, heal injuries, and even communicate with the gods, how could they possibly build a stone city, haha.”

Mao Pu laughed exaggeratedly. After laughing, he turned his head and saw everyone looking at him with ambiguous eyes…

—

They arrived at the place for exchanging goods.

Compared to the relatively quiet residential area just now, this place was like a market.

The ground on the left was covered with wild beast corpses, fur, wild fruits… while on the right, there were stone axes, stone hammers, and other stone tools. Further in, there were even various weapons and armor such as stone spears and wooden shields.

Mao Pu said, “The items here are quite comprehensive! So, what do you want to exchange?”

Lu Yu didn’t answer him, but instead asked a question, “How does the exchange work here?”

Mao Pu replied, “It depends on what the other party wants. If you have it, you can exchange directly; if not, you can also use fur to trade. You’ve brought some fur, which is really smart, because you can exchange for anything here using it.”

So, fur was the hard currency.

Lu Yu walked to the right and pointed to a stone axe on the ground, asking with interest, “How can I exchange for this?” Getting a few of these would make chopping trees easier.

The middle-aged man sitting with his arms folded nearby glanced at him arrogantly and said, “Three pieces of medium fur.”

Mao Pu jumped up as if he had been scalded, “You dare to ask for three pieces of medium fur for just one stone axe?! Do you think we know nothing?!”

The man remained unapologetic, “This stone axe of mine is very sharp. It can not only chop trees but also be used as a weapon.” He lifted his chin and gestured to Shan Pu standing in front, “What’s the use of being strong? With this stone axe, I can beat your parents.”

The man had already noticed the small amount of fur peeking out of the group’s backpacks and was certain that these unfamiliar people must be from some small tribe.

They must have gathered a lot of fur for a long time and wanted to exchange for something today. Since he was the only one exchanging stone axes here today, these people would definitely exchange with him…

Shan Pu, upon hearing his words, became angry and was about to rush up.

Lu Yu grabbed his arm and shook his head slightly.

Shan Pu swallowed his anger and obediently stayed still.

Lu Yu said lightly, “Let’s go.”

There was no trace of the previous interest on his face.

The others heard his words and turned to leave.

The man was dumbfounded. Only after the people left did he react and began to curse incessantly.

—

Lu Yu and the others continued walking inward.

After a while, Mao Pu couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly do you want to exchange for?”

Lu Yu replied, “Shellstone, obsidian wood, and submarine mud.”

Mao Pu was stunned for a moment and then said, “I haven’t heard of the other two, but I’ve seen someone exchange for obsidian wood before. However, this type of wood requires a lot of fur. How many pieces do you need?”

Lu Yu asked, “How long is one piece of this wood?”

“It’s about the same length as the common small-leaved tree in the forest.”

Although the number given on the panel was 300, it actually referred to segments of wood, not a whole piece of wood. 300 segments estimated to require about 30 trees.

Lu Yu told Mao Pu this number.

“30?!” Mao Pu exclaimed, “Why do you need so many? Don’t you have enough fur to exchange?”

“Is our fur not enough?”

Mao Pu said, “Definitely not enough. At least four pieces of medium fur are needed for one piece.”

Shan Pu shrugged, “If it’s not enough, we’ll go hunting around. And the Witch has a lot of fur saved up anyway, but he also vaguely understands some things now, so he didn’t mention it.”

Mao Pu grumbled, “The nearby area is all hunting grounds for the three major tribes. If you’re found out, it’s over.”

Shan Pu scratched his head, “Then…”

“Do you want obsidian wood?” The man who had just sold the stone axe suddenly appeared from somewhere.

Lu Yu raised an eyebrow, “Do you have it?”

The man smirked, “I don’t have it, but I can give you a clue.”

“Do you know about the arena? Today, a tribe brought a lot of obsidian wood there and is fighting with others. Maybe it hasn’t been won by anyone yet. You can go and take a look.”

—

Watching Lu Yu and the others walk away, the man spat on the ground, “How dare they not to buy my stone axe. Now you’ll never know how you’re going to die!”

He knew that the tribe with obsidian wood, the Gao Hui Tribe, had only just trained an extremely powerful warrior to come specifically for fighting.

These people probably wouldn’t even be able to withstand one punch from them.

Thinking of this, he quickly packed up his things and headed for the arena, ready to bet some fur and find a good spot to see how miserable these people would end up.

—

Lu Yu and the others arrived at the arena and found that it was even busier than the place for exchanging goods.

Shan Pu and the others didn’t understand why it was just a fight, but everyone was so enthusiastic.

Lu Yu knew, however, that this was nothing but a form of “gambling”, a highly profitable one at that. A small fight could accumulate the wealth of a tribe for many days.

On the towering stone platform, two burly warriors were fighting bare-handed, exchanging blows. Whenever someone was hit or knocked down, cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd.

Both men were covered in scars, looking exhausted, yet still fiercely battling each other.

Lu Yu frowned; this was much more violent than modern boxing matches.

Mao Pu craned his neck, watching and explaining, “In this arena, no weapons or armor are allowed. Winning means killing your opponent. Of course, you can also choose to surrender. But even if a tribe surrenders voluntarily to save their warrior’s life, that warrior may still be crippled…”

He turned to look at Lu Yu and the others, hesitating, “Do you really want to participate in the arena?”

After spending a few days with these people, Mao Pu’s fear of them had diminished somewhat, and his resentment, needless to say, had increased. He didn’t have much feeling for Jiao Feng in the first place, nor did he have any desire for revenge for him.

Listening to the loud cheers of the people around him, the intense atmosphere stirred up Shan Pu’s combative nature. He exclaimed excitedly, “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Lu Yu said, “Let’s first go find the tribe with obsidian wood.”

Although he felt that this arena was extremely violent, truth be told, the battles between the Matai and wild beasts were even bloodier.

He didn’t think that the Matai, with their exceptional physical fitness and strength, would lose…

And they had someone who knew how to use red medicine.

Seeing that they were not moved by his words, Mao Pu didn’t say much more. He led them to a grass hut and said, “The tribe that wants to participate in the arena will send someone to wait inside here.”

Lu Yu asked Shan Pu and the others to wait outside while he and Tai Lie walked in.

As soon as the door of the grass hut opened, everyone inside simultaneously cast their gazes over.

Lu Yu took a step forward and calmly looked around.

There weren’t many people, just five or six, all looking quite ordinary.

While Lu Yu was observing them, these people were doing the same. They glanced at Lu Yu first, then unhesitatingly looked away.

But when they saw the tall and sturdy Tai Lie, several of them involuntarily swept their eyes over him from head to toe.

One of them, a thin man with a somewhat lecherous look in his eyes.

Lu Yu felt uncomfortable for no apparent reason, so he stepped to the right, blocking Tai Lie in front of him.

“We’ve come to participate in the arena.”

One of them lazily said, “The overseer’s gone to take a piss. You—”

“He’s here.” Before he could finish his sentence, someone walked in from the back door of the grass hut.

He adjusted his beast skin skirt and looked up at Lu Yu and Tai Lie.

Unlike the others who showed different levels of interest in Tai Lie’s physique, he seemed accustomed to people of Tai Lie’s stature. “Are you here to participate in the arena?”

Seeing Lu Yu nod, he continued, “I’m Ba Yang, the overseer sent by the Zhou Huang tribe here. Before you fight someone else in the arena, you must leave the agreed-upon items with me to prevent disputes after the fight.”

Lu Yu guessed there would be such a middleman and that it would be someone from the three major tribes.

Ba Yang spread his hands, “Alright, tell me who you are and what you’ve brought.”

Before coming in, Lu Yu had already discussed with Tai Lie, so he calmly said, “We are from the Li Yu tribe, it’s our first time here in Beast Plain”

Instead of saying what they had brought, Lu Yu asked first, “Is there anyone here who has brought obsidian wood?”

“Oh?” Ba Yang said with interest, “Are you also interested in the obsidian wood from the Gao Hui tribe?”

Lu Yu casually explained, “We happen to need some wood, and we heard that obsidian wood is better than other types of wood.”

Ba Yang nodded, “Obsidian wood is indeed considered a better type of wood. However, you’re a bit late. Just now, people from the Gao Hui tribe went to the arena with other tribes.”

Lu Yu furrowed his brows slightly.

Ba Yang chuckled, “But you still have a chance. The Gao Hui tribe has won four consecutive matches today, so the obsidian wood you want is probably still there. You can wait at the arena for it.”

—

Lu Yu and Tai Lie walked out of the grass hut.

Shan Pu eagerly asked, “Witch, Chief, what’s the situation? When are we going to the arena?!”

Lu Yu briefly explained what he had just heard, “So, let’s go to the arena first and see.”

The group turned back to the arena. By now, the people on the platform were not the same two individuals they had seen when they first arrived. People around were discussing the ongoing matches.

“The warriors from the Gao Hui tribe are really strong!”

“Yeah, they even defeated the warriors from the Ge Chang tribe!”

“I’m afraid only the warriors from the three major tribes can beat them.”

“However, as impressive as they are, their attacks are too ruthless. Those few people before were literally beaten to death…”

On the arena, a burly warrior was mercilessly pummeling the wheat-skinned, muscular warrior opposite him.

Lu Yu asked someone nearby, “Excuse me, can you tell me which tribes the fighters on the platform are from?”

The person was quite friendly, “Oh, the chubby one is Tian Cheng from the Gao Hui tribe, and the skinny one is Wu Xing from the Ge Chang tribe. Wu Xing is usually very powerful, but today…”

Lu Yu looked at the platform.

The warrior named Wu Xing was punched to the ground and kicked in the stomach by his opponent. He seemed unwilling to give up, struggling forward to grab the other’s leg and pull backward.

Before Wu Xing could get up, his opponent had already climbed to his feet… It was a one-sided fight…

“Enough!” Suddenly, a voice from the stands shouted.

The crowd dispersed to both sides.

A group of people wearing tiger-patterned beast skins walked out, with a tall man standing at the forefront glaring at the people across the platform.

He angrily declared, “My Ge Chang tribe surrenders.”

On the opposite stands, a man with a hawkish nose and rat-like eyes glanced secretly at Tian Cheng on the platform, then turned his head aside, pretending to cover his ears with his hand. “Wu Li, what did you say? It’s too noisy, I can’t hear!”

At this moment, receiving the signal, Tian Cheng no longer slowly tortured Wu Xing. He became more ruthless, aiming to kill.

Wu Li saw this and got anxious, “I said we surrender!”

The man with the hawkish nose pretended not to hear.

Wu Li clenched his fists, about to lead his men to snatch Wu Xing back. Suddenly, a loud roar came from the air, overpowering the entire scene.

“He—said—he—surrenders—”

For a moment, all the bustling noise stopped.

Taking advantage of the situation, Wu Li said sternly, “Qiu Guang, we surrender. Do you want to break the rules?”

Qiu Guang gritted his teeth, but had to instruct the person on the platform to stop.

After giving the order, he turned around to find out who had shouted so loudly.

As he turned, he saw a group of people with colorful faces walking over.

Qiu Guang frowned, “Who are you?”

Lu Yu got straight to the point, “We are from the Li Yu tribe and want to participate in the arena with your tribe.”

Qiu Guang looked him up and down, then said calmly, “What have you brought?”

Lu Yu took off the backpack he was carrying, reached inside, and pretended to rummage around before pulling out a piece of Tough Grass Armor that had been stored in his ring.

“This is an armor made from grass unique to our tribe.”

“Armor made of grass?” Someone behind Qiu Guang sneered, “You also call that armor? What’s it for, protecting against mosquito bites? Oh, wait, look at all those holes, not even mosquitoes can be stopped!”

Hearing this, people from the Gao Hui tribe burst into laughter.

Lu Yu borrowed a stone spear from someone nearby, handed the Tough Grass Armor to Shan Pu, and fiercely stabbed the armor with the spear.

The people from the Gao Hui tribe slowly stopped laughing, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.

Such a sharp stone spear didn’t directly pierce through the grass-made armor, but instead got stuck in the holes on the armor!

A glint of cunning flashed in Qiu Guang’s eyes. He pretended to remain calm and said, “This thing is still usable. How many do you have?”

Surprised, Lu Yu said, “How many? This kind of good armor, we have only this one. Weapons and armor are much more valuable than wood or stone in our tribe, let alone such good armor.” Impatiently, he added, “Do you agree or not? In fact, wood can be replaced…”

Qiu Guang also thought of this layer. Afraid that he would really find a substitute, he hurriedly said, “Okay, let’s agree on that.”

Lu Yu said no more and handed over the items to Ba Yang in the wooden house, and the two sides made an agreement in front of him.

“Chief, witch, let me go!” Shan Pu exclaimed excitedly.

“I’ll go,” Tai Lie said without hesitation.

Shan Pu was unwilling and wanted to par to fight again, but Tai Lie waved his hand to stop him.

Lu Yu pursed his lips, “Do you know…”

“I know,” Tai Lie said.

This time, the battle was in front of countless people. They couldn’t use the red medicine, or else their secret of having a witch would be exposed.

Tai Lie stared at him without blinking, his eyes firm and profound, not only with absolute confidence but also containing something else.

“Trust me, wait for me.”

Lu Yu was suddenly stunned, his heart pounding wildly.

A crazy thought emerged in his mind, could it be that Tai Lie…