In the forest, Yu Hong gasped for air, staring at the two fallen figures in camouflage clothing before him.
The sight brought to mind his earlier encounter with the stuttering boy. 'Could they be from the United Army?' he thought, recalling the man named Zhao Zhenghong who had visited him last time.
That man had claimed it was an invitation, yet he had hidden people by the door, waiting to ambush him as he stepped outside.
Such sneaky and cunning individuals were to be expected, especially with the emergence of the malevolent shadows which had increased the value of the Great Huishi stone significantly.
It was normal for them to send someone after him again.
Bending down, Yu Hong carefully examined the two in front of him.
He quickly searched through their belongings, uncovering various odds and ends.
Two military green daggers, two bags of old-style Huishi stones, and two leather water pouches, but none of these were particularly surprising.
There was, however, one item that caught his attention.
It was a silver coin, grayish white in color, found on the man who had drawn his weapon.
The front of the coin was embossed with a tall, elegant tower, while the back bore a commonly seen special symbol associated with Huishi stones.
"Is this perhaps the currency used in town?" Yu Hong contemplated as he held the silver coin thoughtfully.
Regardless of its origin, he decided to pocket it for now.
After thoroughly scavenging the belongings of the two, and seeing that they hadn’t awakened yet, he paid them no mind and headed back the way he came.
As for whether they would survive, it depended on their luck.
If they woke up before nightfall, they might have a chance; if not...
Before long, Yu Hong retrieved the gear he had left behind, and he also picked up the scattered firewood.
He carried it all back to the cave where he had taken shelter.
This ambush could have ended much worse had it not been for the effectiveness of his advanced physical training method.
The two waves of chill he experienced had given him opportunities to regain his stamina.
Otherwise, he might have already been captured and taken away as a tool for others.
With a click, he unlocked the door and swiftly stepped inside, shutting it tight behind him.
Listening to the heavy door slam shut and lock reinforced his sense of security.
He set down his belongings for the time being, moving close to the fireplace to prevent them from getting damp or moldy.
Only then did he sit down on a stool, reflecting on the events of the day.
First were the items he had scavenged: two handguns, a silver coin, two daggers, two bags of old-style Huishi stones, while the rest were just miscellaneous items.
He toyed with the handgun in his hand, having never handled one before, and after some rummaging, he managed to dislodge the magazine.
“Well...” Yu Hong muttered, staring at the magazine with a hint of dismay.
There was only one bullet in it.
One gun for one bullet.
“Has the official side gotten this poor?” he wondered silently.
He couldn’t tell yet what the handgun might transform into after being fortified, but he needed to focus on preparations in other areas first.
The emergence of malevolent shadows in town was something that required prior preparation.
Hoping for luck was not an option. 'Evil shadows and withered women? Ordinary Huishi stones are useless, and even the Great Huishi stones can only be used to flee.'
He glanced at the Great Huishi stones placed in his cave.
There were three notable spots on the ground around him where these were stored, but given such a density, they would likely only serve to fend off eerie shadows.
Taking out the last of his Great Huishi stones, which he had kept as a backup, he initially thought it was enough, but now...
“By the way, why can Huishi stones repel eerie shadows? According to the stuttering boy, even without this symbol, Huishi stones can repel those shadows, just with less effect. So, where did this pattern come from originally? And what sparked the black disaster in the first place?”
He had a strong feeling that the symbols on the Huishi stones were related to the emergence of the black disaster. 'The black imprint's strengthening will refuse to strengthen itself due to incomplete functions.
This makes me think perhaps I can use this point to test if the symbol alone can counteract the eerie shadows.'
With that thought, Yu Hong retrieved a newspaper and a black charcoal pen.
The pen had been enhanced and now resembled an ordinary ballpoint in size, yet its markings were much finer and clearer than those made before.
Clearly, the raw materials of the charcoal pen had been transformed into an unknown material.
Yu Hong did not care much for these details; all that mattered was its practicality.
He spread the newspaper flat on another wooden stool, placing the silver coin underneath.
Then, he used the charcoal pen to trace the symbols from the silver coin, gently layering the ink.
In no time, a black symbol appeared before him.
The background was a dark gray, and the pattern was noticeable enough to catch his eye.
After drawing, Yu Hong pressed his hand against the symbol. 'Enhance the dispersal symbol against eerie shadows, direction: effect strengthened!' he chanted in his mind.
Soon, black lines flowed out before quickly retracting back. 'Insufficient completeness.'
It was a failure.
Yu Hong frowned and released his hand.
From the black imprint, it was clear that this symbol did not possess the ability to repel eerie shadows.
Or perhaps it simply did not do so by itself.
“It seems that I won’t be able to figure out the principle of this in the short term, so...”
He picked up a piece of ordinary Huishi stone.
He had gathered quite a few from the two he had just dealt with and from the stuttering boy's leftover stash.
A total of four small bags lay on the ground, each containing ten pieces, all prepared in advance. 'Could it be that ten pieces are needed to fully disperse the eerie shadow?' Yu Hong speculated.
He set down the ordinary Huishi stone and took up another piece of stone that hadn’t had symbols drawn on it yet.
He still had all the tools that the stuttering boy had used for drawing the symbols.
Comparing the symbols drawn by the stuttering boy with those just captured, he noticed the colors differed, indicating different pigments were used.
'It seems the pigment doesn't greatly affect the symbols.
Well... time to give it a try.'
Picking up the enhanced charcoal pen, Yu Hong began carefully drawing a pattern on the surface of a piece of raw Huishi stone.
The original symbols were quite simple; just a round ring with four odd characters inside, a small circle at the center, and a flame-like symbol.
After a few attempts, he quickly managed to create a total of five pieces of Huishi stone.
He arranged them on the ground from left to right, not randomly but according to the neatness of the symbols he had drawn.
As he moved from left to right, the symbols became increasingly orderly, the lines growing rounder and clearer.
Once he finished, Yu Hong let out a breath and extended his hand, pressing it against the first piece on the left. 'Enhance into a Great Huishi stone, direction: effect strengthened.'
The thought crossed his mind, and soon a black line shot out, feedback echoing in his ears. 'Would you like to enhance to a Great Huishi stone?'
However, Yu Hong was not concerned with that.
His attention was drawn to the numbers appearing on the surface of the stone.
'3 days, 2 hours, 18 minutes.'
He withdrew his hand and quickly noted the time.
Then he reached out and pressed on the second piece, replicating the same movement.
Instantly, the second stone revealed its number too.
'3 days, 1 hour, 2 minutes.'
Then came the third.
'3 days, 51 minutes.'
The fourth piece.
'3 days, 42 minutes.'
Finally, the fifth.
'3 days, 21 minutes.'
Yu Hong glanced at the row of recorded numbers, and a look of realization crossed his face.
“Indeed! The time required for enhancement is influenced by the completeness of the item being enhanced. The less difference there is between the item before and after enhancement, the less countdown time is required.”
“From this perspective, if I had initially used the symbols from the enhanced Great Huishi stone to draw on the Huishi, the enhancement time would surely be shortened significantly!”
Yu Hong surmised. “Because I’ve saved time on the symbolism aspect!”
“Let’s give it a try!” Without delay, he picked up a piece of raw Huishi stone and began to mimic the intricate symbols on the Great Huishi stone.
These intricate patterns were far more complex than those on the ordinary stones.
If the complexity of the ordinary Huishi stone symbols was rated a 1, then the advanced symbols on the Great Huishi stone would be rated a 4.
Not to mention, there were over ten odd characters that had to be inscribed on the advanced symbols alone.
Looking at them felt somewhat reminiscent of certain gaming magic arrays he’d seen in his memories.
Time slipped away as he immersed himself in drawing the advanced symbols, completely unaware of the darkening sky outside.
Before long, the sun had set.
Yu Hong lit the fireplace and continued his work.
The firewood he collected was enough to last the night, and based on the information he gathered, the threat from the evil shadows was indeed something that might impact this area.
If he encountered danger, relying on just a few Great Huishi stones would surely not suffice!
Thus, his primary focus needed to be finding a way to counter the evil shadows.
However, with no means available at present, shortening the enhancement time for the Great Huishi stones was more critical.
After all, even if he didn’t use them, he could trade the Great Huishi stones for supplies.
They were true hard currency.
As Yu Hong dedicated himself to his practice, time flew by swiftly.
Fortunately, there were no blood tides or beetle disturbances this night, allowing him to draw late into the night.
After feeling fatigued, he set about enhancing some jerky; it took about three hours to complete one piece.
Once he confirmed the countdown, he collapsed into sleep.
He awoke the next morning to bright light.
After eating and dealing with bodily functions, he practiced his advanced physical training method.
He spent midday gathering firewood, collecting wild vegetables, and replenishing water.
In the afternoon, he returned to focus on practicing drawing the advanced symbols, utilizing any rest periods to enhance jerky, making sure not to waste a moment of black imprint time.
Days flew by in such a fashion.
Finally, on the afternoon of the fifth day, he successfully created the advanced symbols!
Inside the cave, Yu Hong let out a long sigh, a relaxed smile crossing his face as he held up the advanced symbol Huishi stone he had just finished.
“Not bad! It’s not any worse than what the stuttering boy made!”
He eagerly placed it down and pressed his hand against it.
'Enhance into a Great Huishi stone, direction: effect strengthened.'
With a sudden thought, feedback soon followed, a black line shooting from his hand and instantly sinking into the stone.
Then, a mechanical voice rang in his ears. 'Would you like to enhance to a Great Huishi stone?'
Yu Hong didn’t respond but instead let go, his gaze locked on the advanced symbol Huishi stone.
A countdown had appeared on its surface.
'2 days, 19 hours.'
Boom!
Yu Hong slammed his hand on the ground in excitement. “It worked!!”
He couldn’t help but laugh with joy. “Indeed! My guess was correct! Shortening the gap between enhancements can shorten the enhancement time!”
Two days for a piece of Great Huishi stone, a third of the time compared to before!
This meant he could enhance more Great Huishi stones faster, ensuring his safety and providing opportunities to trade for more resources!
Excited, he soon found himself with another thought.
“While the enhancement time for the Great Huishi stones has decreased, I still don’t know how powerful these evil shadows are. What if they pose an even greater danger than I imagined?”
(End of Chapter)