Chapter 52

 

Lu Yu didn’t realize he could run so fast, as if he were flying, feeling no fatigue at all, just wanting to see that person as soon as possible.

The sun had already begun to set, and Tai Lie and the others hadn’t returned for lunch. They must be back now.

At the fastest speed of his life, Lu Yu ran back to the Matai village.

Before reaching the entrance of the village, he heard the lively sounds coming from inside.

Lu Yu felt a sense of joy.

Sure enough, they’re back!

Lu Yu stopped in his tracks, took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and walked in slowly.

“Witch, you’re back!”

The Matai people greeted him as they saw him.

Lu Yu smiled and nodded. Normally, he would chat with everyone about their hunting situation, but today he didn’t have the heart for it. His heart felt like it had caught a rabbit, urging him on, bouncing and skipping, urging him to find that person quickly.

Wait a minute.

Lu Yu paused. There was something else to do before that.

Lu Yu turned and walked to Xia Cao, not far away.

“Xia Cao, I want to ask you a favor.”

Xia Cao asked, “What’s wrong, Witch?”

Lu Yu briefly explained the death of Qing Qiu’s father just now, and solemnly said, “I will pay more attention to Qing Qiu later, but on his mother’s side, I’d like you to go take a look. Although they may not lack manpower, but…”

Xia Cao nodded seriously, “Witch, I understand what you mean. I’ll go take a look. How about bringing some meat?”

Lu Yu said, “Okay.” He completely trusted Xia Cao to handle the matter with care and intelligence.

Xia Cao was a decisive person, and she didn’t delay. She was about to go prepare things and visit Hong Yu.

Lu Yu’s expression softened, and he stopped her, hesitating, “Um…”

Xia Cao turned back, “Witch, is there anything else?”

Lu Yu felt a little embarrassed, scratched his face, “Actually, there’s nothing, it’s just… um…”

Xia Cao had known about the thing between him and Tai Lie a long time ago. Although he had already decided to agree to Tai Lie, he still wanted to ask Xia Cao’s opinion. Actually, it wasn’t asking for her opinion, it was just… just wanting a little encouragement.

Xia Cao looked at Lu Yu in confusion.

Lu Yu’s ears were a bit hot, and he turned his head, “Um, do you think… if Tai Lie and I were together, how… how would it be…”

The words came out intermittently, full of bumps and pits.

After finally finishing speaking, he didn’t hear a response for a long time. Lu Yu’s heart sank. No, maybe Xia Cao didn’t support them after all. After all, his lifespan was short, and Xia Cao’s previous support seemed to be because she hadn’t remembered this matter. Moreover, their Matai tribe had a rule of loving one person for a lifetime…

Lu Yu turned his head back uneasily.

Xia Cao’s chest was heaving violently, her face flushed red.

Lu Yu was startled. He had never seen Xia Cao like this before. Xia Cao was always a rational and calm person, and she never blushed in front of anyone. Why was she like this now?

Thinking back to Qing Qiu’s father’s illness just now, Lu Yu panicked. Could Xia Cao be suffering from some internal illness as well?

Lu Yu became anxious, “Xia Cao, what’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell? Do you need to rest for a while, or should I quickly get you some red medicine—”

“No.” Xia Cao finally spoke up, her gaze burning as she looked at Lu Yu, her voice slightly shaky, “Witch, I’m just… so happy.”

Actually, she really, really wanted Witch to be with Chief because she could see that they liked each other, and these two were the people she cared the most. Seeing Lu Yu in distress and indecision, she was also very anxious.

But she knew that when it came to matters of the heart, outsiders couldn’t intervene. Witch was so smart; she could only let him figure out what he really wanted. So, she had been silently hoping for them and praying to the gods for their happiness.

And now, Witch had finally decided to be with Chief!

For the moment, Xia Cao didn’t care about any male-female boundaries. She grabbed Lu Yu’s hands and asked excitedly, “Witch, have you really made up your mind?”

Lu Yu also realized that Xia Cao was probably just too excited…

His ears grew even hotter, and his voice lowered, “Y-yes, I quite… like him.”

These days, he was always dreaming.

Even after training in the dream training ground, his body was so tired that he should have had dreamless sleep. But he still dreamed of Tai Lie, with that light kiss, Tai Lie protecting him from injury and bleeding, Tai Lie giving him massages, and Tai Lie fighting in the arena…

He didn’t even realize that he already had so many memories of Tai Lie.

Xia Cao smiled happily, “Witch, if you ask me what I think about you and Chief being together, I just want to say that I hope you two will always be together, and I will always support you.”

Wishing you both happiness and joy every day.

Lu Yu realized that he had been overly worried just now.

If we were to put it in modern terms, Xia Cao would probably be a hardcore, loyal fan of him and Tai Lie.

With Xia Cao’s blessing, Lu Yu felt even more confident.

He nodded heavily, “I understand. I’ll go now—”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted.

“What are you two doing?” A voice as cold as winter came from beside them.

Lu Yu and Xia Cao stiffened and turned their heads.

Tai Lie stood not far away, shrouded in a black aura, staring intently at the tightly clasped hands of the two.

Lu Yu and Xia Cao exchanged glances and then looked down at Xia Cao’s hand, which had just been squeezed so tightly in excitement.

The current state of the two could indeed be easily misunderstood by others.

One blushing, the other looking excited, hands tightly clasped, and standing very close together…

With a swift movement, as if their hands were hot coals, both of them withdrew their hands at the same time.

Lu Yu looked at Tai Lie, stuttering, “Uh, actually, I—”

Although Xia Cao withdrew her hand, she wasn’t afraid of Tai Lie’s deathly gaze. Seeing Lu Yu’s panicked expression, she found it somewhat amusing.

Witch would know later. Chief was just being fierce…

With a little smile, Xia Cao gently pushed Lu Yu from behind and then cheerfully said to Tai Lie, “Chief, Witch has something to tell you!”

Tai Lie frowned, “What’s going on?”

Since he had already made up his mind, Lu Yu no longer hesitated and went over, “It’s something, let’s find a place with fewer people to talk.”

Tai Lie glanced at the redness on Lu Yu’s ears with a sense of understanding, “How about the stone house?”

Lu Yu nodded, “Okay.”

They entered the large stone house behind the village.

Tai Lie followed Lu Yu in and closed the door behind him. After closing it, he paused, “Can we lock the door?”

“Um,” Lu Yu nodded slightly and looked at the front wall of the house and the two large windows beside the door. The window was facing the village, revealing everything the Matai people were doing, such as setting up campfires and cleaning wild animals.

Lu Yu wiped his sweaty hands on his pants, “How about… closing the two windows as well?”

Tai Lie glanced deeply at Lu Yu and readily went over to lower the wooden boards supporting the windows.

With these two windows closed, the spacious hall only had a little light coming in through the half-open back door and the faint light from the oil lamp.

Tai Lie asked lightly, “Should we close the back door? I can light the oil lamp.”

Lu Yu glanced at the back door and saw the thick stone wall, with no one around, “I don’t think we need to.”

Tai Lie said, “There will be patrols.”

Right! Patrols! How could he forget that!

Lu Yu said, “Then let’s close it too!”

After speaking, without waiting for Tai Lie to move, he ran over quickly and closed the door, latching it shut.

Turning around, he saw that Tai Lie had already lit the oil lamp.

Now the room had only a faint glimmer coming in through the crack of the door and the dim light from the oil lamp.

Tai Lie asked, “What did you want to say?”

Lu Yu felt a bit awkward. How should he say it?

Forget it, just say it directly. I always feel that if I don’t say it quickly at this kind of moment, I’ll be interrupted by someone or something, isn’t this kind of situation quite common?

Lu Yu gritted his teeth, “I agreed.”

Tai Lie’s muscles tensed, “Agreed to what?”

This guy must be doing it on purpose! What could he have agreed to!

Lu Yu suddenly raised his head and said slowly, “I agreed to be with you! I want to be with you!”

Tai Lie took a step closer, narrowing the distance between them to just half an arm’s length, “Have you thought it through?”

Lu Yu replied, “What else?”

Tai Lie asked, “Are you willing to be my partner?”

Huh? Partner? Does it mean… getting married?

Isn’t this a bit too fast? Shouldn’t we start by dating first…

Lu Yu voiced his thoughts.

Tai Lie looked down at him, “What is dating?”

Lu Yu pondered, “Dating is… um… doing partner-like things, supporting each other, communicating, or even some intimate actions, but without having children for the time being…”

In the darkness, Lu Yu keenly heard Tai Lie chuckle softly.

“Do you want to have children with me?” The usually solemn man’s voice became lazy and casual.

Children?! Lu Yu’s neck turned red with anger, “No! I don’t have that capability. Even if we were to have children, you’d be the one giving birth!”

Tai Lie raised an eyebrow slightly.

Seeing him getting agitated, Lu Yu stopped talking about this and continued the previous topic, “If dating is about doing what partners should do, then why not just be partners?”

Because after dating, you have to meet the parents, get their blessings, get married, and establish a legal contract…

Lu Yu paused. Well, these things seem to have nothing to do with them…

Tai Lie said, “Lu Yu, I’ve said that if you agree to be with me, I won’t let go. Do you understand?”

Lu Yu replied irritably, “I know, I know. Matai people have the attribute of being faithful, and you also have the attribute of being domineering.”

“You’re saying so much, are you trying to push me away? I don’t even know if you really want to be with me.”

Tai Lie frowned, “I just… don’t want to deceive you.” That’s why he laid everything out in front of him, giving him all the choices.

Lu Yu thought for a moment and said seriously, “Tai Lie, I’ve lived for twenty-four years, and this is the first time I’ve felt this way.” If he hadn’t met anyone he liked in twenty-four years, and only met someone after arriving in this place, then it’s worth going crazy for once.

Tai Lie smiled slightly, “I’ve lived for thirty-six years, and this is also the first time.”

What?! Thirty-six years! Thirty-six years old!

This was the first time Lu Yu learned Tai Lie’s true age. Although this age was nothing in the long history of Matai, and although he looked like he was only thirty, he was actually a whole generation older than him.

Lu Yu pursed his lips, seeming somewhat reluctant, “You’re a bit old.”

“Is that so?” Tai Lie took another step closer.

The two were almost pressed against each other.

The perfect physique exuded a strong masculine scent, right in front of Lu Yu’s nose.

“Okay, okay, you’re not old.” Lu Yu took a small step back, “Why are you getting so close?”

Tai Lie’s voice became deeper, “I thought… you wanted it this way when you asked me to close the windows.”

Lu Yu choked, his face turning red.

Actually… he did consider it. If they decided to be together, maybe, perhaps, they would kiss. Then they might forget to close the door and windows, and that wouldn’t be good…

“Um, I did want it this way.” Lu Yu raised his head abruptly, hands pressing on his shoulders, tiptoeing.