After hearing this, Lu Yan asked, "Are there many demonic creatures?"
Yu Su replied, "Uncertain, but precisely because of the uncertainty, we should go and see."
Lu Yan nodded, "Alright, I've finished everything I need to do at the moment, I'll accompany you."
The grain has been harvested, and only the cotton in the west wilderness remains, but it's not time to harvest cotton yet, so there's currently nothing urgent.
After thinking about it, Yu Su agreed.
Knowing that Yu Su and the others planned to go to the eastern plains, Jian Yunchuan also wanted to go.
Yu Su said, "Father, you stay. If there are people coming to Fengcheng again, someone needs to deal with them."
Mentioning Fengcheng, Jian Yunchuan's expression wasn't pleasant.
Calculating the time, Fengcheng should have sensed that something was wrong by now, and they might have sent people on the southern route. He indeed had to stay to deal with it.
After Yu Su and Lu Yan left, someone had to stay in the village.
Jian Yunchuan sighed, "Fine, I won't go with you, but you must be careful and come back safely."
Yu Su nodded, "Okay."
Lu Yan, "I'll leave the Desert Leopard King behind; it can help if needed."
Jian Yunchuan nodded.
...
After deciding to head east, Yu Su went to the Deer God Mountain.
"Lord Mountain God, I plan to go to the eastern plains in a few days. Yu Ye and the others brought back information..." Yu Su told Qingze what Yu Ye had reported.
"I'm worried that if there are many demonic creatures, there might be a big problem in the eastern plains, which could potentially affect our village. So, I plan to go and see what's going on. Since I'm going, I intend to stay in the major villages like Sanhe Village for a while to learn more about the eastern plains."
While Yu Su rambled on, Qingze lazily listened.
It was not surprising to Qingze that Yu Su wanted to go to the eastern plains. In its eyes, Yu Su, this little two-legged creature, never stayed put. If he behaved, that would be strange.
Yu Su continued, "During my absence, I'll trouble you to look after the village. If there's anything that Father and the others can't handle, please help."
Qingze glanced at him, implying that it was always ready to help.
Yu Su chuckled, "I know you're the best Lord Mountain God."
Qingze arrogantly looked away.
Yu Su chuckled again, "I don't know how long this trip will take. I'll come back and accompany you. Of course, if I come across things like Sweet Zhu Fruit or Azure Pearl Fruit in the east, I'll definitely bring them back as a gift for you."
This time, Qingze looked at him again and lightly touched Yu Su with its antler.
Yu Su felt Qingze's intention. It wanted him to be safe and, in case of danger, to use the mark it gave him. As long as Yu Su used the mark, Qingze would sense it.
Yu Su was pleasantly surprised, "You can still sense this mark?"
Qingze indicated that it was its mark, so of course, it could sense it.
Yu Su said, "If I encounter trouble that I can't solve, you must come and rescue me."
Qingze touched him again.
This time, Yu Su was stunned because Qingze indicated that if he encountered danger, he should send out the little dark bird.
Yu Su cleared his throat and whispered, "Don't let it hear this."
Qingze lazily glanced at him, and Yu Su guessed it was thinking he was useless. Just a little bird, what's there to be afraid of? Did he really think he had raised a precious ancestor?
Yu Su chuckled; indeed, it was an ancestor.
The little dark bird was a divine bird, and they even called it a destiny divine bird, although they didn't know the specifics of its destiny.
"By the way, do you have any knowledge of the eastern plains? Do you know about the Source Witch Tribe?" Yu Su asked.
Qingze was well aware of the eastern plains, and it knew all about the Source Witch Tribe. However, it didn't express its knowledge to Yu Su.
In its view, this little two-legged creature was still too green; he could figure it out on his own.
Was Lord Mountain God implying that it was time for him to gain some experience?
Seeing this, Yu Su didn't insist and decided to learn more on his own when he came back.
The Mountain God seemed to have high expectations for his personal growth.
Thinking about this, Yu Su felt a responsibility not to let the Mountain God down.
"Well then, if you don't say, I'll go and see for myself. I'll report back to you when I return. I won't disappoint you; just wait and see." Yu Su declared with confidence.
Qingze looked at him, and there was a hint of amusement in its eyes.
When Yu Su looked at it, Qingze lightly touched him with its antler again.
This time, Yu Su was surprised because Qingze implied that if he couldn't handle a situation, he should release the little dark bird.
Yu Su hesitated for a moment, as Qingze seemed to suggest that he should use the bird in case of danger.
Yu Su said, "..."
Was there even punishment involved?
He exchanged a glance with Qingze and swallowed, "If there's punishment, I'm not afraid!"
Qingze slightly raised its head, looking down on him.
The little two-legged creature was confident now; he hoped he would maintain this confidence when he reached the eastern canyon. After all, it wouldn't be a minor trouble.
...
After making a promise to Qingze, Yu Su bid farewell and left the Deer God Mountain.
Lu Yan and the others were already prepared, waiting for Yu Su to return.
This time, Yu Su didn't plan to bring too many people. He brought only the path-finding Yu Mang, along with Yu Wu, a Five Elements warrior, and a squad of regular soldiers.
Originally, Yu Su didn't want to bring regular soldiers, but they insisted.
"Lord Yu Su, we must protect you."
"That's right, it's our duty."
The soldiers had a strong sense of responsibility, and protecting Yu Su was their mission. It seemed like Yu Su not bringing them would cause them significant distress.
Realizing this, Yu Su agreed.
Moreover, this time, the squad accompanying him was not the one that had traveled with the caravan before. They hadn't been to the eastern plains, so Yu Su thought it would be good to expose them to new experiences.
Thus, when Yu Su set out for the eastern plains, there was a squad of soldiers accompanying him.
To shorten the travel time, everyone rode horses.
Under Yu Su was the Horse King, which was excited about the long journey. Its steps were particularly light, and it even gave a snort.
Yu Su patted its head, mounted the horse, said goodbye to Jian Yunchuan and the others, and set off with the team. The riding speed was fast, and they soon reached the eastern mountain road.
With Yu Su on the Horse King, leading the way, the team of soldiers
, riding the horses trained by Lu Yan, automatically followed. They didn't need much guidance; when they saw the Horse King accelerating, they instinctively sped up to keep pace, and Lu Yan's team didn't need to worry too much.
"These horses are really good," remarked Yu Mang.
"That's right. With the Horse King leading, we don't need to control them much," Yu Wu added.
The horse herd followed the Horse King's swift pace. Lu Yan's horse was fast, keeping up with Yu Su. He watched Yu Su's robe fluttering in the wind, and his excited expression, and his mood lifted.
He could tell that Yu Su enjoyed the feeling of riding freely.
It was similar to when Yu Su had just learned to control the sword, executing acrobatic maneuvers in the air. Yu Su clearly liked this kind of unrestricted freedom.
However, in the village, Yu Su, as a witch doctor, had to maintain a composed demeanor and appear steady. He couldn't act as carefree as he did now.
For Lu Yan, it didn't matter how Yu Su behaved; he liked him either way.
If Yu Su was happy, then he was happy too.
The Horse King ran faster and faster, and Yu Su, riding on its back, felt exhilarated.
He turned to look at Lu Yan, "Do you want to race with me?"
Lu Yan immediately nodded, "Sure."
Although his horse wasn't the Horse King, it was still a fine steed. Under Lu Yan's urging, it quickly accelerated to catch up with Yu Su.
Yu Su laughed and let the Horse King run even faster.
The two of them shot out like released arrows, swiftly racing forward.
Seeing this, Yu Meng and the others were also stirred by the desire to compete, accelerating to catch up.
They dashed on the mountain path like the wind. The little dark bird in Yu Su's leather pouch was jolted, its eyes seeing stars. Angrily, it wanted to fly out and chirp a few scolding words, but before it could flap its wings, it tumbled back down.
It was dizzy.
The entire little dark bird was in a daze. A divine bird with a destined fate, the ruler of the sky, actually getting dizzy? It must be disoriented; it refused to accept that this was true!
When Yu Su had run enough, they had already rushed out of the mountain path in the eastern mountains, arriving on the eastern plains.
At this moment, Yu Su also heard the angry chirping from his backpack and immediately realized.
"Oh no."
Yu Su quickly brought the backpack to the front, opened the lid, and looked inside.
"Little ancestor, how are you?"
The little dark bird stood up, swayed for a moment, then plopped back down, chirping weakly to express its anger.
Yu Su: "..."
He cleared his throat, trying not to laugh but ended up stifling it.
Carefully, he lifted the little dark bird from the backpack and apologized, "Sorry, I didn't mean to. I forgot to warn you earlier."
The little dark bird took a while to recover. It sat in the palm of Yu Su's hand, then lifted its head and angrily chirped twice, indicating its displeasure.
Yu Su: "..."
He coughed lightly, wanting to laugh but refraining from doing so.
Gently holding the little dark bird, he apologized again, "I'm really sorry. If you want, you can try flying now."
The little dark bird, still disgruntled, threatened, "If I can't fly, I'll burn your hair!"
Only Yu Su and Lu Yan could fully understand its chirping. Yu Su felt a bit guilty, saying, "I really didn't mean it. How about you try flying now?"
Lu Yan approached, urging his horse, and infused some fire spiritual power into the little dark bird, revitalizing it. The little dark bird felt a bit better, tried flying, and found no issues, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Yu Su patted its back, saying, "See, everything's fine now. You won't burn my hair, right?"
If he ended up bald, it would be quite unsightly!