A Night of Desperation

In the dense forest:

A tall figure dressed head to toe in stab-resistant gear and a helmet was walking quickly toward a specific direction in the woods.

Occasionally, the figure would stop, bend down to pull some weeds from the ground, and stuff them into a cloth bag.

The person wore leather gloves and sturdy leather boots, with the helmet covering everything except for their eyes and nose, resembling a fully armored medieval knight.

A short dagger hung from their waist, and their vigilant eyes constantly scanned their surroundings.

Soon, a grayish-white stone house emerged in front of them, surrounded by a circular wooden fence.

Inside the fence, a burly, short-haired man in camouflage was arranging something.

Upon seeing the approaching figure, the man smiled out of habit.

“Brother Yu, here again?”

“I’ve searched the area for a while and found no sign of the Evil Shadow,” Yu Hong said in a muffled voice.

“The traces of Evil Shadow disappear under sunlight three days after losing their carriers. If you encounter a carrier, like clothing or items with black handprints, you can burn them with high heat. But remember, never watch the burning process nearby,” Li Runshan explained.

“Why not?” Yu Hong asked, puzzled.

“Because the Evil Sahdow will manifest one last time during burning. If anyone is within 20 meters, it can attack and infect a new host, starting another cycle. Many places can’t fully eradicate it, so they opt to relocate—that’s what happened to the nearby town,” Li Runshan sighed.

“No wonder,” Yu Hong muttered, understanding the situation. “The town had too many dark corners, perfect for hiding the traces.”

“Exactly. And the traces can also shift their location,” Li Runshan said, kicking at the remains of a charred pile of clothes with his boot.

“This pile even tried to move toward me once since I was the closest. Luckily, I burned it in time, keeping it out of the house. You should stay vigilant too. Evil Shadow is a new type of anomaly and might evolve further. Much of our knowledge has been gained at the cost of lives.”

“So, Brother Li, you’re still in contact with headquarters?” Yu Hong guessed. Otherwise, how could Li Runshan have such up-to-date information on the Evil Sahdow?

“Yes. Actually, I won’t hide it. My main task here is to guard this origin site and the Luminous Stone mine while reporting any changes to headquarters. Of course, there are perks—supply teams pass by occasionally to resupply me. I also have a newly developed enhanced communicator for direct contact with postal headquarters.”

Yu Hong nodded. With such backing, it made sense that Li Runshan would dare to bring his daughter to such a dangerous place.

“It’s good you’re here. Otherwise, we might have had to relocate,” Yu Hong said with a sigh.

“It’s mutual support. Before coming here, I thought there would be at least five or six families left. Didn’t expect just two,” Li Runshan said, somewhat helplessly.

“Anyway, I’m here to ask for your help in mailing a letter,” Yu Hong said, pulling out a pre-written wooden plank.

Lacking paper, he had to use thin wooden boards.

He wrote down his current situation and included a regular talisman board as an experiment.

If the talisman reached its destination, it could help Little Stutterer, making the effort worthwhile. If not, he would try another method next time.

The wooden board was covered with a piece of cloth and consisted of two planks nailed together. Only Yu Hong knew that the bottom plank hid the talisman, invisible to outsiders.

“Mailing a letter, huh? It might cost you since I have to wait for the supply team,” Li Runshan said, taking the plank.

“When will the supply team arrive?” Yu Hong quickly asked.

“Schedules are monthly, but there can be changes. Since I just settled here, they promised to come in two weeks—should be a few days now,” Li Runshan estimated.

“Can we trade with the supply team?” Yu Hong asked.

“Nope. Only postal couriers are allowed to trade; others aren’t qualified,” Li Runshan shook his head.

“Alright,” Yu Hong sighed, understanding the postal system’s exclusivity. Couriers held immense power as distributors, monopolizing substantial profits.

“Anything else? For mailing, the cost is one silver coin. If you don’t have that, twelve packets of jerky would do.”

“What? Twelve packets?” Yu Hong’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Yep. I’m already giving you a discount. It’s usually fifteen pounds of jerky elsewhere,” Li Runshan said casually.

Speechless, Yu Hong suddenly remembered the silver coin he had scavenged from two soldiers. After searching, he pulled it out.

“This one?” he asked, showing the silver coin.

“Yep, that’s it. Perfect,” Li Runshan confirmed with a smile.

“Great. Do you have long-range communicators for sale? I’ve got a solar generator for charging,” Yu Hong asked.

“Not here, but I can ask the supply team. These are popular in larger settlements,” Li Runshan said. “By the way, if you find anyone passing by, encourage them to settle here. The more people, the easier self-sufficiency becomes. Don’t you agree?”

“Got it,” Yu Hong nodded.

As he left, Yu Hong glanced back at the stone house window.

A chubby little head peeked out, watching him curiously.

“Why are you staring at him like that?” Li Runshan asked, ruffling his daughter’s hair.

“That uncle looks… strange,” Aisina murmured.

“Strange? He’s one of the rare normal ones. These days, finding normal people is a blessing. Most loners end up a bit off,” Li Runshan chuckled.

Watching Yu Hong’s silhouette disappear into the woods, he turned back to his daughter.

“That uncle feels like a stone—steady and fearless,” Aisina added.

“Stone?” Li Runshan pondered, smiling. “Well, whatever he is, I’ll protect you.”

“You’re the best, Dad,” Aisina beamed, nuzzling his hand.

*

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Yu Hong walked slowly on his way back. He had just stopped by to check on Dr. Xu Ruoying. Her health had significantly improved, and she even gave him a packet of her homemade herbal powder.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

In return, Yu Hong gifted her a large piece of luminous stone as an exchange.

With so few people left alive around here and the external environment worsening, he sincerely hoped she could hold on and survive.

On the way back, he arrived at the spot where Eve’s clothing had previously been. Holding a silver rune-inscribed wooden board in one hand and a short knife in the other, he searched the ground thoroughly but could not find any trace of the clothes.

Only then did he fully believe that the traces of the Evil Shadow had been dealt with by Li Runshan.

“Judging by his reaction, it seems this isn’t his first time handling traces of the Evil Shadow. He seemed very confident about it. Besides, he’s brave enough to bring his daughter along. From her name, which doesn’t fit the local naming style, it’s likely that her other parent is a foreigner.”

Yu Hong speculated internally, feeling increasingly certain that Li Runshan was not an ordinary man.

But soon, he changed his focus. Regardless of whether Li Runshan was extraordinary, as long as the man wasn’t a threat to him, Yu Hong didn’t care what he was up to.

In fact, the stronger Li Runshan was, the safer they would all be.

He returned to the cave without encountering any Evil Shadow or sinister entities along the way. It was unusually peaceful.

After closing the cave door, Yu Hong checked the countdown. There were still over three days left until his leg technique enhancement was completed.

Suppressing his anticipation, he first drank a cup of water, then ground a Great luminous stone into powder to make luminous stone ink. He began crafting new rune-inscribed wooden boards.

He couldn’t afford to be idle during the enhancement of the Black Seal.

After making several wooden rune boards, he got up, cooked a pot of sweet protein bar soup, and enjoyed it while studying the intricate patterns of the silver rune array.

The silver rune array required precise depth gradients, making it far more challenging than the Great luminous stone arrays. Even now, he had not been able to replicate it successfully.

After finishing his meal, time quickly slipped into the afternoon. He stood up and began practicing his advanced physical techniques inside the cave.

Two hours of practicing advanced physical techniques was a non-negotiable daily routine he set for himself.

After completing the practice, he rested for over half an hour, wiping off his sweat, replenishing his energy with food, and sometimes even taking a short nap. This was all part of his established schedule.

However, today, after finishing his exercises and while wiping off his sweat, Yu Hong suddenly froze in place.

He felt a cluster of tiny, tingling points in his abdomen rapidly converging. In no time, they gathered into a new thread of cool energy.

“The fourth thread of cool energy! It’s getting thicker and stronger,” Yu Hong thought with delight. The more substantial the cool energy, the greater his confidence and strength.

(Tl Note :- should I change “cool energy” to “cold Qi” or should I keep as it is ?? personally I think energy is fine but what y’all think ?)