Yang Yi adjusted the bow’s draw weight to the maximum. Back then, he hadn’t expected that the people here would have such tremendous strength, so he hadn’t bought too many heavy-draw bows.
If he wanted their combat potential to be fully unleashed, it would probably depend on them crafting their own equipment.
Hei Lie took the recurve bow, his eyes bursting with fiery light, deeply captivated by it.
The recurve bow resembled a traditional bow more closely but had its own unique design, making it look incredibly cool.
Back in Yang Yi’s old home, he’d hung a recurve bow on the wall as a decorative piece. The recurve bows in the mall were designed with a real sense of quality. Anyone who revered martial prowess wouldn’t be able to look away.
Hei Lie didn’t rush to try it after receiving the recurve bow. Instead, he studied its construction from top to bottom.
He had already been interested in such things. Upon learning that everything Yang Yi brought would eventually disappear, he became even more focused on understanding its structure.
Hei Lie picked up an arrow, nocked it, and drew the bow.
The draw weight was 100 pounds. For Yang Yi, pulling it open was extremely difficult, but Hei Lie effortlessly pulled it to full draw.
Facing into the distance where no one was around, he released his fingers. The arrow shot out with a swoosh and vanished in an instant before Yang Yi could even react.
Yang Yi was utterly shocked. Was this bow really that powerful?
At that speed and range, it was practically on par with a bullet.
“I’ve imbued the bow and arrow with a warrior’s strength,” Hei Lie explained.
Yang Yi was astounded. He hadn’t imagined that warriors could be used like this.
“This is the ability of a Level four Warrior?”
Other warriors couldn’t channel their strength with such precision, enhancing a specific part of their body. Unless it was related to their awakened talent.
For example, if someone had particularly strong arms, then when their talent awakened, it would further enhance the strength in that area.
Otherwise, it was simply an overall improvement in physical attributes.
Hei Lie had even directly influenced the weapon in his hand, allowing the weapon to possess power beyond his own capabilities. That was truly incredible.
“I’m probably just a bit special,” Hei Lie stated emotionlessly, without any particular emotion toward that realization.
He had always been stronger than others, mainly because he was good at utilizing the power and talent within his body.
Blindly using one’s talent would drain too much energy. It was easy to expend a great deal of strength and yet achieve very little effect.
If one wasn’t cautious in battle, it could even lead to power exhaustion. At that point, they’d be weaker than an ordinary person, and that would put them in danger.
Hei Lie excelled at control. He knew exactly when to use strength and how much to use. More precise, more efficient.
He had tried teaching others, but it hadn’t worked well. What suited him simply didn’t suit others.
“You’re really lucky.”
Yang Yi couldn’t help but sigh. A natural-born powerhouse.
“You’re not bad either.”
Otherwise, how could he have brought so many things?
The two exchanged a smile.
All matters related to the ritual were handed over entirely to Jiao.
The moment she heard this, Jiao immediately agreed and expressed that this should’ve been done long ago. They simply hadn’t thought it through enough back then.
As someone knowledgeable and familiar with Yang Yi, she was well aware of certain things in her heart, only pretending to be ignorant.
This time, Yang Yi had brought more things than all the previous times combined, so it was the perfect opportunity to help everyone form a clearer concept.
On that day, the entire tribe was gathered together.
Hei Lie had ordered in advance the construction of a large thatched hut to serve as a temporary temple.
Unlike the thatched huts they normally lived in, this one had a raised foundation, with stones specially carried from afar placed underneath.
The tall and imposing structure of the thatched temple gave off a commanding presence. It was something extraordinary at first glance.
Ordinary people were not allowed to enter. Only he, Yang Yi, and Jiao could.
On the day of the ritual, after a series of complicated ceremonies, Yang Yi stepped into the temple.
Inside, he took out paper and pen to make some plans. Only after a long while did he emerge.
When he came out, his expression was solemn and serious.
“The gods have heard our prayers and are willing to grant us materials that will make us stronger.”
At that moment, Hei Lie, dressed in his most magnificent attire, solemnly and reverently walked step by step toward the temple and threw the doors wide open.
The once-empty temple was now piled full of goods!
Hei Lie directed the strong men to start moving the items. As they began piling them outside, they discovered that what they brought out far exceeded what the temple could possibly hold!
“Oh great and mighty God, You are truly too generous!”
Someone was moved to tears. Never before had they felt so close to the divine.
Yang Yi had taken out many things in the past as well. Everyone had been full of curiosity and gratitude, but never had they been this emotionally overwhelmed.
There was a clear difference between receiving things from Yang Yi and receiving them directly from the hands of the gods.
It wasn’t just about the supplies. It was the genuine feeling that they were being protected and blessed by the divine.
Though Yang Yi was revered as the God’s envoy, his frail and weak body made it hard for people to truly sense his power.
Living and eating alongside them also stripped away much of the mystique.
But the intangible, unfathomable deity was different. It naturally inspired awe and reverence.
This was exactly the effect Yang Yi wanted. They wouldn’t ignore him, but they also wouldn’t focus too much attention on him personally.
Most of what Yang Yi brought out this time were tools and weapons, as well as many carefully selected fertilized eggs. He was preparing to mobilize everyone for large-scale construction.
They expanded the area previously burned by fire many times over. They set their sights on long-term planning to establish short-term goals.
Each step would not only meet current needs but also lay the foundation for what came after.
It sounded simple enough, but when it came to planning, Yang Yi nearly tore his hair out.
Thankfully, with help from Hei Lie and the gradually discovered talents among the people, he didn’t collapse under the pressure.
For example, Yang Yi discovered a particularly gifted individual. He passed on the technique of digging wells to a very bright young man named Hong Guang, a regular tribesman who had come along with Hei Lie.
A single well was no longer enough to meet the needs of a tribe of over a thousand people.
When they were about to dig the second well, Hong Guang, usually quiet and reserved, showed great enthusiasm, actively asking Yang Yi all sorts of detailed questions. He was very interested in the technique of well-locating.
Yang Yi, of course, was generous with his teaching. He shared all the information he had in his space about how to locate wells. More precisely, he read it out to him. As for the underlying principles, he left them for the boy to figure out on his own.
And the young man did not disappoint. He quickly mastered the skill. The first time he located a well, they struck water after digging only two meters.
Seeing that he was far more skilled than himself, Yang Yi didn’t hesitate to hand over the responsibility of well-digging to him. For the sake of overall planning, he sketched out a rough area and left the rest up to him.
Now the entire tribe had ten wells: five in the residential area, and five in the farming area.
Yang Yi even brought out a hand-powered water pump to improve efficiency, which fully met their current needs.
“This area has abundant rainfall, so we still need to dig a large pond to store water. We can’t rely solely on groundwater,” Yang Yi said.
He had already considered this idea before. It would also be a good opportunity to dig up clay for building houses and making pottery. But back then, they hadn’t had enough manpower, so he had shelved the plan.
Now that they had both people and tools, it was finally feasible.
“If you still want clay, you’d best go farther from the tribe. The clay here lies too deep,” Hei Lie said.
Yang Yi had also considered that. The soil in their area was very fertile, which is great for growing most crops, but not so great for collecting clay.
“Do you already have a suitable place in mind?”
Hei Lie nodded. “Roughly around here, there’s a swamp. The soil there is very sticky. Once you accidentally sink in, it’s very difficult to pull your legs back out.”
“How long does it take to walk there from the tribe?”
Yang Yi had once given Hei Lie a mechanical watch. Time here was the same as on Earth, so the watch could be used.
“For an ordinary person, it takes a little over three hours.”
“Is it dangerous nearby?”
“No animals dare go near that place. It’s a land of death.”
Yang Yi thought for a moment and said, “We can dry out the soil used for building houses and transport it over with a handcart. As for firing pottery, we can do it directly on-site.”
“There are many trees in that area, too. It’s more convenient than here,” Hei Lie agreed readily. “When the time comes, I’ll assign a few warriors to guard the place. Each one will be armed.”
“We still need to dig a reservoir. Besides irrigation, it can also be used to raise fish, grow lotus roots, keep ducks, and so on.”
Yang Yi had originally thought they didn’t need to rush to dig the pit, but then a thought struck him, and he immediately changed his mind.
“We need to dig this reservoir as soon as possible. The wood for building houses must be dried. Natural drying takes one or two years, or even longer. We can’t afford to wait that long.”
Hei Lie was puzzled. “Why does the wood need to be dried?”
“If it’s not dried, the house will deform and become tilted, or even collapse. This step is extremely important.”
The houses they were living in now were all temporary thatched huts. The wood used was only about as thick as an arm, and the structures were low and simple, so that part of the process had been skipped.
But when it came time to build proper houses, Yang Yi wasn’t going to make do like that anymore. They had to be sturdy and capable of lasting a long time.
Houses built with rammed yellow earth were quite solid. As long as they weren’t constantly soaked in water, they could last for several decades.
“Alright, I’ll send people to start digging the pit tomorrow. Give me the dimensions, and I’ll go mark the area.”
“You can leave this kind of task to Mao. He knows how to read those numbers, too,” Yang Yi couldn’t help saying. “I think we need to hurry up and start some classes.”
At present, too few people can count or read. Whenever he assigned a task, Hei Lie would have to go supervise in person, telling them exactly how to do it and what it should look like. If things continued like this, the man was going to work himself to death.
“Jiao and I are already selecting the smartest children in the tribe. For now, I can only give you some younger ones,” Hei Lie said, a bit apologetically.
It wasn’t that he was being stingy. There were just never enough people to go around. Every task was urgent, and there simply weren’t any spare hands.
“As long as the child can communicate, that’s enough. If they’re like Mao, even better.”
Yang Yi didn’t consider himself a particularly patient person. He wasn’t fond of dealing with children, and he was very busy, with little time to spare for teaching. He hoped the students could pick things up quickly.
Once everything was running smoothly, he’d consider promoting general education.
“Don’t worry, I’ll find suitable ones. If you’re not satisfied, you can replace them anytime.”
Before long, Hei Lie brought the children to Yang Yi. There were ten of them, ranging from five to ten years old.
The way they looked at Yang Yi could only be described as fervent. Their attitude was extremely well-behaved and respectful. They worshipped and feared Yang Yi, the Divine Envoy.
Everyone was already familiar with Yang Yi. All the children had tasted the rock sugar he had handed out before. Whenever they thought of the Divine Envoy, they would instinctively swallow a bit of drool.
Yang Yi was very satisfied with them. Not only were they smart, but also eager to learn and obedient.
Children of this age usually have a hard time staying focused for long periods, but these kids could sit still very well.
They didn’t make noise or fuss, completely different from the always-chaotic children in kindergartens.
Yang Yi’s lessons were very simple. At the start, he taught them to recognize numbers and count. Every day, he also introduced two Chinese characters and had them copy them down.
It didn’t matter if their handwriting was wobbly and uneven. They could improve gradually with practice.
Jiao, Ting, and a few others would also drop by to sit in on the lessons whenever they had time, with Yang Yi’s permission.
Yang Yi was, of course, very happy to see this. He wished he could blink and have everyone in the tribe become literate overnight.
There was a mountain of books in the space, all eagerly waiting for someone to come and flip through their pages!
