Making a Base

After a few hours, Hong Zhao opened the study and said farewell to Li Wen. He had grown fond of the man over the last few years. He seemed to look past the childlike appearance and saw his true age somehow.

While he was in the study, Hong Zhao had gone over what would happen in the next year and a half. He also waited patiently while Li Wen copied another book he knew he would need for training.

Now that he was ready, Hong Zhao went back to Li Wuhan's room. The siblings were sitting on the bed. Li Wuhan's left hand held the book, while the right hand held a copper flame. Both siblings looked at the flame in amazement before noticing Hong Zhao entering.

"This is simply too much!" Li Wuhan exclaimed as he willed the fire back within himself.

"Then make it up to me with pills." Hong Zhao sighed as he leaned against the wall. "Both of you are like my left and right arm." he said simply. "When you grow strong, so do I. Be worthy of what I give to you."

The siblings both looked at him with the same look of appreciation they were used to giving him after his many gifts he had given them. First he had saved their lives within the Jade Forest. Then just after rescuing them, he had given them a way to begin cultivating that far surpassed the methods their family was going to give them. He had also come back to their village and given them new abilities, then trained them in the forest. He had made a promise to avenge Li Wei, which as far as they were concerned, it really was Hong Zhao who killed young master Huang Yi. He had done so much for them, yet asked for so little. Both siblings bowed slightly to their friend.

"Enough of that." Hong Zhao waved their bows away. Equals don't bow to each other.

He then walked to the window and put his mask back on. Activating the formation, he climbed through and looked back. "Meet me outside the gate in an hour. It's time to train." With that, he jumped up to the rooftop and activated Vortex Thrust.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Hong Zhao made his way to the market. His footsteps were muffled by the fabric of his shoes. No home owner looked up in irritation as he made his way above the village. If someone did look up, they would only see a black figure blocking the stars for a second.

Landing on the last roof before the marketplace, Hong Zhao deactivated the formation and put his mask in his ring. With a wave of his hand, his black robe with gold lining flew out and he quickly put his hands through the sleeves and tied it shut as he dropped to the street below.

He spent a few minutes at each vendor before gathering all of his purchases in his ring and setting out once more to the Village gate.

Upon arrival, Hong Zhao saw the siblings waiting at the treeline. Each had a serious look on their face. At least, as serious a look as children could have.

Together, the three activated Vortex Thrust and began their journey back into the forest.

"We will pick up our training where we left off." Hong Zhao yelled out over the wind. "But this time, it will be much longer and you will use the uniforms I have given you."

"Won't that make it harder for us to find opponents?" Li Wuhan asked as he landed on a branch for a split second before leaving it for the next. The trees were only a blur of brown and green as they made their way deeper.

"No," Hong Zhao smiled. "It will make it harder for your opponents to find you. This next year will mostly cover stealth and team movement. We will meet up in six months time at base and go over team attacks. Until then, we are on our own!" Hong Zhao found a clearing within the forest and dropped down.

"This will be the meeting point." he said as the siblings dropped next to him. "I will clean it up and make it easier to find."

He then took the two piles of pills out of hos storage ring and split them into three piles of each kind. "This is all we have for pills until Li Wuhan makes more." Hong Zhao took his share and looked at Li Wuhan. "We will be counting on you to restore our stash."

The two siblings stored their own supplies and took one last look at each other. It would be half a year before they saw each other again. They then dawned their black uniforms and headed in separate directions.

Hong Zhao was under no delusion that this would be easy. He knew they may need help through the coming months, so he looked up to the sky. "If you could let me know when they are in trouble, you will only be helping yourself. I have plans for those children."

He then set his focus back to the task at hand.

Hong Zhao activated his Devouring Qi Claws and began to cut the trees down around the area. He began with one and split it. He then cut the bark away, making planks of wood.

Repeating the process several times, he began a foundation. He then split more trees, making walls. He created multiple floors before finishing with the roof.

Simple planks were on the inside, making crude stairs. He also built rooms for both siblings. He had bought some hinges from the market so he could make doors for privacy.

After he was satisfied with the base, he cleared a large section of trees, leaving a lot of room for a perimeter. He then began building a large wall to surround their fort. The whole process took a weeks worth of time.

When he was crafting the house, he made a small shack in the back of the foundation to sleep in while he worked.

With his past experience, food was only fuel to him, so he ate dried strips of meat when he woke up and set off to work.

He created large barrels to store rain water, and made a stall outside with a stand that held a large barrel with a slate covering the bottom. When removed, small holes would stream water into the stall, making this world's first shower.

With much of the base, Hong Zhao had included many of the amenities one would find on earth in order to make things more livable. In Rantori Village, there was no plumbing. Servants would bring in hot water to fill a basin to wash from.

Hong Zhao had put a soft bed in each bedroom of the base. Each one was just as soft as the beds back in the Li Family Estate.

He had also cleared a large area between the base and the wall. He knew they were going to expand in the future, depending on how things went during this year and a half. He didn't expect to live in Rantori Village again for some time after the time he set for them to be ready.

After a week's worth of work, and a few rain showers in between, the barrel was full enough for Hong Zhao to take the first shower he had since entering into the new world. After the experience, he made a mental note to find a way to make it a hot shower.

After drying off and putting his black stealth suit back on, he decided it was time to get to work. "I gave them a weeks head start." He cracked his neck. "Now it's my turn."

Jumping the new wall, Hong Zhao made his way from the clearing. Not once did he look back at his new home.