As he stood up and opened the blanket, Yu Hong wrapped it around himself, completely covering his body from head to toe.
"It's just the right size. No wonder those attackers could run around outside alone."
A sense of understanding welled up in his heart.
After releasing the blanket, he wandered around the cave, contemplating what he should prioritize in fortifying and synthesizing.
'Water is the most pressing issue now.
How long has it been since I last took a bath? The little water I have isn’t nearly enough to clean my wounds.
This time it's just a small injury; if it were a bigger one, I would definitely risk infection.' He realized he had lost track of how long it had been since his last wash.
Looking down at his body, he rubbed his grimy arm, and a swirl of dark dirt came off.
'Water is the foundation of everything.
Plus, growing mushrooms later will require a lot of water, so I must first solve the issue of accessing water freely.'
As he was currently recuperating and couldn't work on stone carving, the spare time was perfect for figuring out how to deal with the water problem.
'The sources of water are mainly rainwater, groundwater, and surface rivers.
Right now, those rivers are far away and not an option.
Rainwater is unstable, so the most reliable source has to be groundwater.
This place is in a low valley surrounded by lush trees, so there must be rich underground water resources.
Otherwise, such a vast forest wouldn't survive.
Therefore, the best approach is to... dig a well!'
With a thought, Yu Hong grabbed a shovel and glanced outside to see it was still early, then set out from the cave.
Ever since the interference from the Phantom Shadows disappeared, his life has become much more relaxed and enjoyable.
Especially with the large amount of luminous grass in the yard providing protection, the Phantom Shadows wouldn't dare come near.
Thus, this yard had turned into his safe haven.
Yu Hong found a spot in the yard without luminous grass, pressed the shovel into the ground, and began to dig deep.
One scoop after another, he piled the dirt to the side.
Without stopping, he worked through noon, ate, and continued digging until late afternoon when it was getting dark.
Finally, he paused and began constructing a wooden well in the pit that was now half a meter deep.
The structure of the wooden well was quickly assembled, with rough wooden boards set into the soil, forming a circle for the well.
Once done, Yu Hong placed his hand on the well with hopeful anticipation.
'Fortify the well, direction: strengthen, deepen, until water emerges.'
A dark line flickered.
'Integrity insufficient.'
The feedback from the dark mark abruptly extinguished the hope on Yu Hong's face.
He lowered his gaze.
'Could it be that the depth is not enough?'
Looking at the sky, he decided to come back the next day.
The next morning, after eating, he stepped out again, ready to continue digging.
With each scoop, the pit grew deeper.
By noon, with a mighty thrust, Yu Hong sank the shovel deeply into the earth, ready to pull up dirt.
Suddenly, his expression changed as he noticed black sludge surging up from the edges where the shovel had entered.
He instinctively took a step back.
Gurgle, gurgle...
From the ground where the shovel pierced, a multitude of tiny black insects began to spill forth from the cracks.
They erupted like a dark fountain, rushing out fervently.
But as soon as they emerged into the bright sunlight, they quickly vaporized into black smoke.
Yet Yu Hong understood now.
He gripped the shovel and pulled it up, revealing a gap at the pit's bottom filled with writhing black insects.
Countless black bugs sizzled in the light, evaporating into black smoke.
The gap also shrank under the enveloping smoke as if something were mending it.
Yu Hong stood aside, dumbfounded by this scene, unsure of how to react.
No matter how he reasoned, it seemed that the plan for groundwater was unlikely to succeed.
Returning to his dwelling, he left the filled soil from the pit and pondered the situation with the black insects.
'It appears now that these insects hide deeper underground, which makes sense since sunlight can't reach such depths.
Therefore, digging a well for water is not feasible.'
His mind drifted back to the well he had seen in Baiqiu Village.
Now, he realized that well must have its own problems.
Sighing, he felt his thoughts scatter, unsure of how to resolve the water issue.
He decided to eat something and then returned to bed to sleep again.
In the following days, he didn’t undertake any heavy work but focused on recuperating while also starting to fortify his White Bear suit.
After another week, he felt his injuries had healed sufficiently.
He set out to find Li Runshan.
Regardless of anything, he needed to improve his fighting skills; the attackers had taught him a tough lesson.
Thus, Yu Hong was determined to fill in this gap in his capabilities.
In the courtyard of the stone house, Li Runshan and Yu Hong stood facing each other, officially starting the combat training.
Although Li Runshan had wanted to spend time with his daughter at this hour, the stakes were too high for him to avoid giving up his leisure time to teach Yu Hong the art of fighting.
A gentle breeze blew through, and leaves danced in the air.
It was already autumn, and the sunlight felt less warm now.
Li Runshan was dressed in protective gear and a helmet, fully equipped.
“Since we want to avoid being ambushed, we'd better wear our gear during practice. You don’t mind, do you?” he asked.
“I think it's a good idea. No objections,” Yu Hong replied in a deep voice.
“Yeah, I thought you’d be okay with it,” Li Runshan said, sizing up the large figure opposite him.
His eyelids twitched slightly.
He had seen many types of protective outfits, but this one was unlike any he had ever encountered.
It was a first for him.
Where did this guy even get such an exaggerated piece of gear?
Li Runshan remained speechless, carefully examining Yu Hong.
The suit was generally acceptable, resembling heavily reinforced versions of standard ballistic gear, but from the waist down, Yu Hong’s lower body looked enormous, like thick stone pillars.
Li Runshan observed closely and estimated that the lower body armor was at least three times thicker than a normal suit, perhaps even more.
“Did you wrap your lower body with a pile of stones? It looks so exaggerating!” he couldn't help but ask.
“Yeah, I had this custom-made,” Yu Hong said candidly. “The last attacker was too strong, and I suffered a big loss, so I made improvements targeting my weaknesses.”
“But with that, it’ll be tough for you to make many agile dodging movements,” Li Runshan said helplessly.
“It's fine; I’ll manage it,” Yu Hong dismissed the concern.
He believed that the more weight he carried, the more it would enhance his training.
If he truly needed flexibility, he could switch back to reinforce the Gray Lizard suit.
“Well, okay then,” Li Runshan said, at a loss for words. “Let's start with the basics of combat.”
He quickly explained to Yu Hong the main attack points, defensive methods, and dodging techniques of fighting, as they had fixed patterns.
In reality, due to the inherent limitations in human body structure, a person’s range of motion is restricted.
Understanding this range allows one to defend against most close-range attacks.
After disseminating knowledge for a while, Yu Hong grasped the content, and they began sparring.
This was Yu Hong's intent for coming, as simply getting theoretical knowledge would suffice; they didn't need to face off solely for that.
“Now, watch closely. I’ll strike from the front first,” Li Runshan smiled.
He observed Yu Hong, who stood ready, and suddenly stepped forward, bending slightly, sprinting and punching.
Bang!!!
This punch incorporated all the power from his legs, waist, shoulders, and arms; it flowed as smoothly as mercury, heavy yet without delay, striking Yu Hong squarely in the chest.
A loud crash echoed.
So fast!
Inexpressibly fast!
Yu Hong only saw a blur as the three-meter distance was crossed in the blink of an eye, and then he felt the impact on his chest.
His own arms were barely able to raise to one-third of the height to block.
This speed reminded him of the previous attacker.
That figure was quick, but no, this person was... faster than Li Runshan!
A clear comparison formed in his mind.
If there is not a significant speed difference between two people, most would not notice.
But now that he noticed, it meant Li Runshan was notably faster than that last attacker!
After the heavy impact, Yu Hong instinctively took a step back, unable to stop himself.
Yet, this single step sent shockwaves through his heart.
He wore the White Bear suit, weighing at least eighty pounds, which is about forty kilograms!
Combined with his own weight, he estimated he now weighed at least one hundred kilograms.
But such bulk was being pushed back by Li Runshan's single punch!?
“What!?!” Yu Hong touched his chest in disbelief, unsure of what to say.
Li Runshan's smile waned slightly, his mouth twitching.
He felt the true thickness of Yu Hong's protective layers through his punch.
Just one hit, and even with gloves on, he felt pain radiating from his knuckles.
“I feel a bit cheated,” he muttered under his breath, but when he saw his daughter peeking through the window, he couldn’t back down now; it would ruin his heroic image in her eyes.
“Again!” he shouted lowly, rushing in for an uppercut.
His fist sliced through the air at a speed surpassing Yu Hong's, harshly connecting with the side of his helmet.
Bang!
Another thunderous sound erupted.
Li Runshan swiftly retreated, and his hand was turning red beneath the gloves.
‘So damn hard!’ he thought, feeling speechless.
This was a victory for technology.
Yu Hong's status far exceeded his expectations; it felt as if he had punched a wall.
“Hit harder, Lao Li! I can handle it!” Yu Hong replied in his deep, resonant voice.
He bent slightly and placed his hands on his knees, and at that moment, his legs looked like two thick tree trunks, rooted firmly to the ground.
Just by appearance, he projected an unshakeable aura.
After those two strikes, he acknowledged that Li Runshan was indeed strong, stronger than the previous attacker, and if he could adapt to Li Runshan's attacks, then facing that level of attacker would be a piece of cake.
(End of Chapter)