I Am Your Natural Enemy

Even though this amount was less than half of what was released when he was under Doctor Meng’s care, after forceful compression, Yang Energy still seemed to burn inside.

Last time, Gray Cloth almost collapsed because it had never eaten well before, nor had it ever eaten such an unlimited amount.

Wen Yan said again, ”Absorb as much as you can, at your own discretion.”

Gray Cloth then let itself absorb freely and nearly cleaved itself in half because of the unrestrained intake.

Now it had become wiser. Knowing that there would be more food after this meal and that overeating was a certainty if it wasn’t careful, it began to learn self-control.

Unlike before, it no longer swallowed every single thing stuffed into its mouth. The only reason it hadn’t burst was that Wen Yan, seeing it was almost at its limit, had stopped feeding it in time.

Wen Yan continued his previous cultivation, persisting with the technique that was tantamount to seeking death, forcefully probing the path ahead.

So far, progress on his right arm was fastest. Both the upper arm and forearm were complete. Now, only the five fingers remained.

He tried today and could feel that the difficulty of cultivating the five fingers was at least one order of magnitude higher than that of the arm.

According to his estimation, the workload for one hand alone was probably as much as an entire arm, and even more troublesome.

But the harder it was, the more energized he became.

According to various ancient records, the ten fingers mirror an array of things.

For instance, Middle Finger Blood is considered in some exorcism methods to be equivalent to the blood over the heart.

It’s only that the amount is too little.

Just like in Mount Mao, using Middle Finger Blood to sharpen a Wooden Sword is actually more effective than using blood from the tongue.

Take Old Zhao, for instance. When he logged onto his main account to perform calculations, it was unclear which specific method he used. However, whether he was dividing the hexagrams or dispersing the terrestrial branches, he always used his palm as the base to determine the eight directions.

Then there are various Finger Prints, Palm Prints, Hand Prints, and so on, collectively known as Seal Techniques, which also require the use of hands.

Even for the most common task of Writing Talismans, hands were the best tools. They made it easiest to ensure smooth and continuous strokes, vigorous maneuvers, and perfectly executed transitions between hardness and softness.

The hands, by nature, are of Yang Energy. Corresponding to the feet, they yet partake in the essence of clarity and spirituality, fitting perfectly.

Even in modern legal judgments, breaking four or five ribs counts as a minor injury, but losing a thumb is considered a serious injury.

Wen Yan now found his hands to be harder to cultivate—much harder—and this delighted him even more.

At least it proved that the path he had blazed by risking death was in line with many existing things.

The feasibility also started to increase significantly.

The more difficult it was, the stronger he might become after succeeding.

After three hours of cultivation at this extreme, death-seeking intensity, Wen Yan had managed to advance less than three centimeters from the wrist, and he was quite pleased with himself.

Moreover, today, despite the higher difficulty and intensity, he felt none of the fatigue he had before.

It seemed his Spirit and willpower were gradually strengthening through this extreme exercise.

Gray Cloth performed very well, too. After three hours of cultivation, it was still able to coil itself around Wen Yan’s left arm to rest.

In high spirits, Wen Yan strolled around the basement and offered incense to several figures.

”When the new place is renovated, we’ll each have our own room, ensuring it won’t be crowded,” he said.

Wen Yan casually took two pieces of pastry from Grandma’s offering table, eating one himself.

He carried the other down the staircase and into the underground space.

Seemingly hearing Wen Yan’s footsteps, Guihai Yidong, who had just returned from resupplying materials, immediately put on his shoes.

Wen Yan approached Guihai Yidong with a smile and handed him the pastry.

”Eat up; don’t waste it. Not even a crumb can be dropped,” he instructed.

”Huh?” Guihai Yidong was taken aback, not understanding why.

But seeing Wen Yan’s serious expression, and that he had made a special trip down just to deliver a pastry, Guihai Yidong realized, This definitely isn’t an ordinary treat!

Once Guihai Yidong finished eating, Wen Yan let out a sigh of relief. Truthfully, what should have been a simple matter had made even him a little nervous after Feng Yao’s words. I was really worried that some accident would spell disaster for Guihai Yidong. Honestly, I’m quite looking forward to him constructing a massive base on the Moon, and then, later on, another gigantic base on Mars. Perhaps one day, I’ll also get the chance to travel to the Moon. Therefore, Guihai Yidong absolutely must not have any accidents. He’s such a precious talent for construction!

”I have something to ask you, and I hope it’s not too presumptuous,” Wen Yan said.

”Brother Wen, feel free to ask,” Guihai Yidong replied.

”Who came up with your name? Does Yidong mean ’a building,’ as in a structure?”

To tell the truth, Wen Yan had been curious about this for a long time.

He knew the compound surname Guihai was actually quite common in the area neighboring Nanwu County.

And there were also many who simply bore the surnames Gui or Hai.

But having the name Yidong was somewhat odd.

”Oh, it’s about that. Actually, many people are curious,” Guihai Yidong said with a smile, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.

”My grandparents, along with four uncles and two aunts, all perished in an earthquake.

”My dad was the youngest brother and survived under the protection of my family.

”After I was born, my dad said he hoped I would be successful and build a house that could withstand any earthquake.

”Not being well-educated and unable to come up with anything nicer or more pleasant-sounding, he just named me Yidong.

”I think Guihai Yidong sounds pretty good, very imposing.

”My dream has always been to build a house that won’t collapse in an earthquake.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Yan felt deep respect.