Chapter 184: Chapter 184
After the grand ritual to honor the gods, winter arrived swiftly.
As the final batch of cotton was harvested, a cold wind swept in from the north, and temperatures quickly dropped.
Every household began storing food—dried sausages, smoked meat, familiar recipes that filled the eaves in less than half a month.
With ample experience in facing winter, the villagers no longer feared the season; laughter echoed throughout the village.
As winter approached, outsiders rolled up their bedding to return to their villages, envious of the joyful scene in Yu Village.
"We thought our village had stored enough food this year, but seeing Yu Village's abundance of dried meat, we realize ours is insufficient."
"I heard Yu Village has cellars and heated beds; they have no worries about winter."
"If only our village could be like that."
Watching the abundance of dried meat in Yu Village, tears of envy flowed from the outsiders.
Back in their own villages, they exaggeratedly spoke of Yu Village's prosperity, sparking a growing desire to visit and learn more.
Of course, this is a story for later; currently, the people of Yu Village are unaware of the increasing number of outsiders they will welcome next year, quietly preparing for the first snowfall feast.
"The first snow of winter is also Lord Yu Su's eighteenth birthday."
"We must prepare a grand celebration for Lord Yu Su."
"Let's not let Lord Yu Su know beforehand; give him a surprise."
The village chief and others secretly discussed.
Yu Su was unaware, as they planned during his visit to Deer God Mountain.
Even Chi Nan was pulled in as an advisor.
"Mr. Chi, do you have any suggestions?" the village chief asked.
Everyone stopped discussing and looked at Chi Nan.
Feeling the expectant gazes, Chi Nan, unexpectedly entrusted with high expectations, had to come up with an idea.
"I do have one suggestion."
...
Recently, the main task in the village is storing food; there isn't much else going on.
So, Yu Su has a lot of free time, spending it either in the alchemy room or accompanying Qing Ze in Deer God Mountain, occasionally meditating to absorb spiritual energy.
And so, he had no idea what the people in the village had been up to behind his back.
Lu Yan and Jian Yunchuan knew, but they wouldn't willingly reveal it, not wanting to spoil the surprise.
The village elders observed the stars and predicted that it would snow in about two days.
Everyone quickly prepared, and Lu Yan was also pulled in to help, resulting in two consecutive late returns.
Yu Su was curious, "You've been coming back late these past two days. Is there something going on in the village?"
Lu Yan, with a poker face, replied, "Yu Meng and the others sought my guidance for sparring."
Yu Su nodded. Yu Meng and the others were surprisingly diligent now?
Weren't they usually sneaking into the woods every night?
A group of energetic young men, expecting them to be quiet at night was as difficult as reaching the sky.
Now, even this time was sacrificed.
Something was odd.
Lu Yan covered for Yu Meng and the others, saying, "Perhaps they were stimulated by Jian A-die's Foundation Building."
Yu Su nodded; that was possible.
Yu Meng now had cultivation at the eighth level. With more effort, he might be able to build the foundation next year.
Accepting this explanation, Yu Su didn't question further.
...
The next day.
The sky was gloomy, thick clouds covering it.
This was a sign of impending snow.
Sure enough, in the afternoon, snowflakes began to fall gently.
"The first snow of winter." Yu Su stood at the doorstep, watching the snowflakes fluttering down, exhaling a breath of mist. Inhaling the fresh air, the scent of snow filled his nostrils, refreshing and invigorating.
Lu Yan walked over, joining him in watching the snow.
At this moment, Jian Yunchuan and Yu Zhou were not at home. When it started snowing, the two of them suddenly became excited and went down the mountain happily.
"You mentioned that the first snow of winter is when you were born," Lu Yan continued his words.
Yu Su nodded, "Yes, so today marks my birthday."
His eighteenth birthday, after today, he would be an adult.
In the future, this day's birthday celebration would be very significant.
However, in the wilderness, one becomes an adult at the age of sixteen.
Following the local customs, his coming-of-age ceremony had already taken place.
Yu Su, adapting to the local practices, didn't mention this to everyone.
But standing beside him, Lu Yan still caught a subtle hint of unnoticeable regret in his eyes, understanding that Yu Su had some expectations for his eighteenth birthday.
Thinking about the surprise the villagers had prepared behind Yu Su's back, Lu Yan suddenly felt grateful.
Fortunately, everyone had arranged a birthday celebration for Yu Su.
Otherwise, this year, Yu Su might have felt regretful.
As he saw the snow falling heavier outside, he became concerned about the impact on tonight's birthday celebration.
Being a fire attribute cultivator, he couldn't control the snowflakes covering the sky.
After some thought, he said to Yu Su, "Since the snow is getting heavier, I'll go patrol and check."
Yu Su responded with a puzzled "Oh" as he watched Lu Yan quickly leave.
After a moment, he realized something was amiss.
What's going on?
Wouldn't normal people wish him a happy birthday upon learning it was his special day?
And Lu Yan, thinking about patrolling?
"Xiao Quanzi, I'm angry," Yu Su said to the Elemental Spirit.
[Don't be angry, don't be angry. In the wilderness, not understanding romance is normal.]
Yu Su gritted his teeth. Was this even a romantic matter?
...
Lu Yan's departure wasn't for patrolling, of course. He entered Deer God Mountain.
This was the first time he entered Deer God Mountain without Yu Su leading the way.
"Lu Yan requests an audience with Lord Mountain God," he called out loudly.
Qing Ze recognized him, knowing who he was. Upon hearing his call, Qing Ze appeared.
A noble and elegant white deer descended from the mountain top, gently landing on a large rock. The deer looked at Lu Yan with puzzled deer eyes and asked in a ethereal tone, "What is it?"
Lu Yan respectfully bowed before saying, "Today is Yu Su's eighteenth birthday, and everyone has prepared a surprise for him. I'm worried that if the snow continues, it will affect the celebration tonight. I'd like to ask for your help. If it keeps snowing tonight, could you make it stop?"
Qing Ze tilted its head slightly. Eighteenth birthday celebration? Seemed quite important.
It then said to Lu Yan, "Understood, I will help you all."
Lu Yan: "Thank you, Lord Mountain God."
...
As Lu Yan guessed, the snowfall intensified, and by evening, there was no sign of stopping. If not controlled, it would snow all night.
The villagers, who were looking forward to the first snow, were worried that the evening celebration might not happen.
"The snow won't stop. We won't be able to celebrate outside."
"If only the snow could stop."
"It's probably unlikely. Going by this trend, it'll snow all night."
Just when everyone was getting anxious, the snowflakes over Yu Village gradually came to a gentle halt.
People were surprised and then delighted.
"It stopped?"
"Really stopped. Could it be that the heavens heard our prayers?"
"Great! Quickly clear the snow from the square and light the bonfire." The village chief snapped back to reality, instructing everyone to prepare quickly.
People rushed home to grab snow-shoveling tools, clearing the accumulated snow on the square.
They piled firewood in the center of the square and ignited a bonfire.
As everyone prepared enthusiastically, Chi Nan looked up at the sky, raising an eyebrow.
Originally, he was contemplating whether to intervene, but it seemed he didn't need to.
The Mountain God from Deer God Mountain took care of it.
Back at home, Yu Su finally sensed something amiss. According to the earlier snowfall, it should still be snowing. Why did it suddenly stop?
Also, Jian Yunchuan and Yu Zhou, surprisingly, hadn't returned all afternoon.
Even Lu Yan, who claimed to be patrolling, had been gone for so long.
It was his eighteenth birthday today. Could it be that he'd spend it alone?
Yu Su's temper was about to flare up, then he saw Lu Yan returning.
"Where did you go patrolling? Why did it take so long?" Yu Su, without realizing his own small complaint, looked at Lu Yan with a hint of grievance in his eyes.
Lu Yan paused for a moment, quickly realizing what had happened. He immediately walked over.
"I went to help."
"Help with what?"
It was about helping prepare for the birthday celebration, but looking at the slight grievance in Yu Su's eyes, Lu Yan regretted immediately. He shouldn't have let Yu Su stay alone at home.
In his heart, Lu Yan reproached himself.
"It's your birthday celebration. Everyone has prepared a surprise for you."
Yu Su froze. Being clever, he immediately grasped the situation. His mood shifted from cloudy to sunny, secretly elated, though he maintained a slight displeasure on the surface. "So, this is why you left me alone at home all afternoon?"
Lu Yan: "I'm sorry, it was my mistake."
Yu Su: "Well, not really."
This guy apologized so earnestly that it made him feel awkward.
"Cough, so are you here to take me over now?"
"Yes."
Lu Yan summoned his flying sword and stood on it, extending a hand toward Yu Su.
Yu Su, puzzled, said, "I can fly on my own."
Lu Yan: "I hope you close your eyes first and open them when we arrive."
Yu Su: "..."
In his mind, he said to the Elemental Spirit, "Who came up with this scene? It's too cheesy."
Elemental Spirit: [I find it very romantic. Weren't you complaining this afternoon that Lu Yan wasn't romantic enough? Here it is. Close your eyes quickly; I'm curious!]
Yu Su: "..."
When did he complain that Lu Yan wasn't romantic enough?
In the end, Yu Su still closed his eyes.
Lu Yan held his hand, positioned him in front, one hand covering his eyes, the other around his waist. They soared on the flying sword toward the square.
While Yu Su was being flown, he felt something odd.
He didn't realize that, at this moment, their posture was quite intimate, resembling a couple.
His anticipation for the surprise made him completely overlook this fact.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone