Daji Village seized the opportunity when Mang Village was embroiled in a new round of internal strife, taking advantage to claim several territories. Mang Village faced internal and external troubles, descending into chaos.
Without Mang Village stirring up trouble, the construction of the passage between Yu Village and Sanhe Village progressed smoothly.
Two months later, the road was completed, and a celebration ceremony took place in Sanhe Village.
Yu Su and Lu Yan represented Yu Village.
Now, Yu Village's reputation on the eastern plain is very prominent, receiving a warm welcome upon arrival.
"Respected Yu Su, the shaman, Leader Lu, welcome to Sanhe Village; please come inside."
Minghe, representing Sanhe Village, came out to greet them. Today, many guests from different villages, all village chiefs or shamans, attended, but Yu Su's group was the only one personally welcomed by Minghe.
The arriving guests recognized Yu Su's status, observing the entrance with anticipation.
Due to the special day, Yu Su was dressed extravagantly. Gemstones on his robe sparkled, outshone only by his handsome appearance and ethereal demeanor.
He had grown a lot, not just in height but also transitioning from a youth to a young man in figure and temperament.
Lu Yan, standing beside him, was tall and imposing.
One gentle, the other silent and stern, they formed a strong contrast yet moved in harmony.
Observing them, many guests quietly assessed their own attire, feeling a sense of self-consciousness.
So different.
This shaman from Yu Village seemed like a celestial being.
Unlike the others.
Representatives from Daji Village also attended the celebration, with their village chief and shaman present.
Seeing Minghe leading Yu Su and the others in, the Daji Village chief and shaman hurriedly approached, bowing to Yu Su.
"Respected Yu Su, shaman, it's an honor to meet you. I am Daji Village Chief Jisheng, and this is our shaman, Jiaya. Thanks to Yu Village's assistance in our battle against Mang Village, we achieved victory. We are here to express our gratitude."
Yu Su: "You both misunderstood. I didn't help you; I helped the innocent villages affected by the conflict between Daji and Mang. Your disputes are your own concern."
Daji Village Chief initially intended to use this incident to get closer to Yu Su, but his attempt fell flat. Shaman Jiaya added, "Yu Su is right. Causing harm to innocent villages was our mistake. We have released our slave soldiers, and we won't capture any more in the future."
Other village chiefs and shamans were surprised to hear this. Will Daji Village truly stop capturing slave soldiers?
The atmosphere quieted.
Everyone watched Yu Su and the Daji Village representatives.
Yu Su: "This is for the best. If you willingly restrain yourselves, I thank you on behalf of the small villages on the plain."
Jiaya and others breathed a sigh of relief. This meant Yu Village wouldn't hold grudges, and they could continue trading with Yu Village, purchasing grain and advanced farming tools.
Seeing the grain and tools in the hands of Sanhe Village and others, they couldn't help but feel envy, a reason they shamelessly attended this celebration.
Minghe, observing, spoke for Sanhe Village: "We, Sanhe Village, also pledge to heed Yu Su's call. We will never again capture innocent people from other villages as slave soldiers."
Daji Village and Sanhe Village, two of the three overlords on the plain, made declarations that surprised many.
Regardless of the thoughts of the chiefs from medium-sized villages, the expressions of the chiefs and shamans from many small villages were excited.
From now on, people from these small villages would no longer worry about being captured as slave soldiers by larger villages!
All thanks to Yu Village's intervention.
As they looked at the seemingly divine Yu Su, their hearts swelled with boundless gratitude.
Yu Su: "Since everyone shares this sentiment, let's formalize it today. Let's establish an agreement that major villages on the plain are forbidden from arbitrarily capturing villagers from smaller villages. Moreover, they are not allowed to treat them as slave soldiers. Any violators will face a combined siege from all villages."
The village chiefs of Daji Village and Sanhe Village exchanged a glance, both lowering their heads after a moment of contemplation.
"We are willing to follow your lead."
Observing this, the chiefs and shamans from the medium-sized villages knew that the situation was irreversible. They all expressed their willingness to sign such a treaty, ensuring no more unjust aggression against small villages and no more capturing of their villagers as slave soldiers.
The chiefs and shamans from the small villages excitedly clenched their fists, almost celebrating.
The signing of the treaty went smoothly. The content was straightforward, encapsulated by the two "no mores" mentioned earlier.
The treaty was written on a parchment that was not easily damaged, and all the villages that signed it collectively made an oath to the heavens.
At the moment the oath was established, the village chiefs felt a peculiar force descending upon them. Astonished, they all looked towards Yu Su.
Yu Su explained, "This is an oath witnessed by the gods, meaning that adhering to the treaty is not just an agreement among us but also a commitment to the deities. Those who fail to comply will face punishment from the gods."
This revelation sent a shiver through the onlookers. They hadn't expected the oath to be witnessed by the divine.
Villages with ill intentions now wore green expressions. Planning to deceive others covertly, they hadn't anticipated the additional constraint of divine punishment. Now, these deceitful villages had no way to cause trouble unless they wished to incur the wrath of the gods.
Surveying the colorful array of expressions, Yu Su remarked, "Are you regretting it now?"
"No, of course not. We will definitely adhere to the treaty."
"Yes, absolutely."
Yu Su chuckled, "That's good. I was genuinely concerned about your well-being."
"..."
Clearing his throat, Minghe said, "Shaman Yu Su, Leader Lu, the treaty has been signed. Let's take our seats."
"Agreed." Yu Su nodded, accompanying Lu Yan as they followed Minghe towards the central square of Sanhe Village.
In the midst of all this, everyone overlooked the existence of Mang Village.
However, Mang Village couldn't possibly be unaware of the situation.
"What's going on with Daji Village and Sanhe Village? Why did they sign that treaty?"
"Isn't this intentionally targeting us?"
Inside the Mang Village council chamber, a group of people engaged in heated discussions. Half of them remained silent, while the other half vehemently expressed that Mang Village hadn't participated in signing the treaty and therefore didn't need to abide by its provisions.
Mang Dou and the Mang Village shaman remained silent, both wearing somewhat unpleasant expressions.
"Village chief, esteemed shaman, can't you say something?"
"Yeah, are we just going to let Yu Village bully us like this?"
Those speaking were third-party forces within Mang Village, while Mang Dou and the shaman's followers remained as quiet as chickens.
The Mang Village shaman spoke, "Although we didn't sign the treaty, we must still adhere to it."
"Why?"
"Exactly, is the esteemed shaman afraid now?"
The Mang Village shaman sneered, "Now, if we make a move against any village, we'll immediately face a combined siege. Do you think they'll care whether we signed or not?"
Daji Village had already seized several territories from them, and Sanhe Village was eyeing them. Once Mang Village provided a reason for a joint siege, they would pounce like wolves scenting meat. Even if Mang Village was formidable, could they withstand the siege of so many villages?
This was something easy to comprehend, and the shaman couldn't fathom why these fools couldn't see it.
Moreover, there was also Yu Village...
The Mang Village shaman shuddered at the thought of the scenes witnessed on the battlefield that day.
Originally, only the shaman faction could understand this fear.
Now, Mang Dou's faction has also experienced it firsthand.
Mang Dou: "Let's follow what the esteemed shaman said and refrain from disturbing those small villages."
The third-party forces frowned at Mang Dou and the shaman, expressing their dissatisfaction.
"I never expected that the mightiest warrior of our Mang Village would one day show weakness."
Members of the third-party forces stood up one after another, expressing their discontent before leaving.
Mang Dou looked at their departing figures with continuous sneers. These people were foolish, much like he used to be.
"They will cause trouble sooner or later. Village chief, why don't you go advise them?" the shaman suggested.
Mang Dou retorted, "Why doesn't the esteemed shaman advise them? Don't you also want to see them stumble?"
The shaman remained silent.
After the successful celebration ceremony in Sanhe Village, none of the villages were in a hurry to leave.
"Shaman Yu Su, we in Daji Village also hope to have a smooth road leading to Yu Village. We wonder if Yu Village is willing to help with this favor? We are willing to offer a higher reward than Sanhe Village." Jisheng and Jiaya approached Yu Su, pleading for Yu Village's assistance in constructing another smooth road.
Hearing the words of the Daji Village chief, other village chiefs couldn't help but glance over.
Yu Su: "The cost of road construction is not cheap. Are you truly determined to build?"
Jisheng quickly nodded, "We sincerely want to build it."
He had seen the road from Sanhe Village to Yu Village, and it was genuinely smooth. Hearing that Sanhe Village also purchased horse gear and carriages from Yu Village, they could now reach Yu Village in about five or six days instead of over a month. How could they not be envious?
They weren't fools; they could see the immense potential in this road at a glance.
Sanhe Village already had a transportation advantage, and now, with an additional smooth road, their future prospects seemed boundless. If Daji Village didn't catch up quickly, they would be left behind by Sanhe Village.
Compared to Yu Village, they couldn't compete. They absolutely couldn't afford to fall behind Sanhe Village.
So, the urgency of the Daji Village chief was understandable. They were willing to offer a higher price to build a smooth road to Daji Village, even putting grain and advanced farming tools on hold.