Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 186: Training Muscles and Bones Externally
This time, under the moonlight, Chu Tianyu did not faint like he had the previous day—probably because his body was too weak back then. Today, he was able to withstand the absorption of the moonlight by his entire body, and this time it happened while he was fully conscious, so he could clearly feel the entire process.
To be precise, it wasn’t him who was absorbing the moonlight, but rather the Black Dragon attached to him! The cold yet pure energy continuously seeped through Chu Tianyu’s clothes, entering his body through his pores and gathering in his chest, slowly repairing the cracks in the dragon patterns.
However, the process progressed very slowly, as if his skin needed to refine and transform the moonlight first, so it couldn’t be absorbed directly.
Meanwhile, Ouyang Ziyi had also sorted through their supplies, and to their delight, they found quite a bit of ammunition again. Although it was counted in small quantities, it still filled everyone with joy, as it meant they now had the ability for long-range attacks. The memory of shooting the Wolf King still lingered in everyone’s minds.
Lan Yue and Bai Lei also asked curiously about Ouyang Ziyi’s “special” ability, only to learn that it was a strange experience she had had in Europe.
Taking advantage of the rest time, Angel planned to treat Bai Lei and Lan Yue, but they refused. First, Angel had been treating Chu Tianyu and Ouyang Ziyi nonstop for the past two days and was already very weak. Since she was the only one with superpowers at the moment, it was crucial to conserve her strength. Second, although Bai Lei and Lan Yue’s injuries seemed severe, they were merely superficial. With the emergency medicines and bandages they had, they wouldn’t have any major problems for now.
During this time, everyone took turns asking about Chu Tianyu’s condition. To avoid worrying them, he said he was only temporarily exhausted and would recover over time.
Judging from his condition, he was indeed getting better day by day. Even Ouyang Ziyi and Qin Nianran believed him, especially Qin Nianran. She too was temporarily exhausted, but she was already noticing signs of energy recovery. So, she thought Chu Tianyu was in a similar situation—just recovering more slowly than her—and thus stopped worrying.
In fact, aside from this Ink Dragon absorbing the energy of moonlight, Chu Tianyu couldn’t explain what was happening to his body at that moment—how could all his vital energy vanish without a trace? Even if all his energy had been exhausted, it should have been a temporary phenomenon. How could such a situation arise? With no trace of vital energy left in his body, Chu Tianyu was filled with confusion. Moreover, facing such a dangerous situation, he couldn’t do anything to help, which made him even more anxious. Lost in thought, Chu Tianyu unconsciously fell asleep again. Perhaps the effect of the moonlight on his body still had a significant impact on him.
Ouyang Ziyi and Qin Nianran both noticed Chu Tianyu’s condition. Unconsciously, they both prepared to cover him with a blanket. But when Qin Nianran saw Ouyang Ziyi doing the same, she seemed to realize something, her face turning red as she retracted her hand just as it reached out.
Ouyang Ziyi was fully aware of Qin Nianran’s change. Even though her expression couldn’t be seen clearly in the darkness, it was easy to guess what was going on. So, when covering Chu Tianyu with the blanket, she deliberately left one corner uncovered for Qin Nianran…
Sure enough, Qin Nianran naturally covered that uncovered part of the blanket for Chu Tianyu and tucked it in carefully. When she raised her head, she happened to see Ouyang Ziyi’s intense gaze and smiling face. Her heart trembled as if some secret of hers had been discovered. She quickly turned her head away, thinking to herself, “It must be a coincidence. She’s not looking at me on purpose; it’s definitely a coincidence!”
Ouyang Ziyi didn’t reveal anything. After pausing for a while, she turned to discuss matters with Bai Lei and the others, finally calming Qin Nianran’s nerves.
The night passed without incident—the wolf pack that everyone feared didn’t reappear. When dawn came, Bai Lei, who was on the last shift, woke everyone up and prepared some simple breakfast to fill their stomachs.
To everyone’s relief, Chu Tianyu recovered as expected after waking up—just a few days of rest would allow him to slowly recover.
Now he was fully able to get up and move around. Chu Tianyu knew in his heart that this must have been the result of Mo Long absorbing the moonlight throughout the night. The energy of Mo Long was now within his muscles, having long merged with Chu Tianyu’s own energy, making them one. Thus, when Mo Long absorbed moon energy for healing and replenishment, it was as if Chu Tianyu himself was absorbing it, reaping the benefits directly.
Ouyang Ziyi was extremely happy. As long as Chu Tianyu was fine, everything else didn’t matter, and the worry she had carried for him finally dissipated.
At first, relying on her feminine intuition, Ouyang Ziyi wasn’t optimistic about Chu Tianyu’s injuries, especially after seeing his condition a few days earlier. She didn’t fully trust what Chu Tianyu said. But with one problem after another and the fierce battle with the wolf pack, her concerns were buried deep in her heart. It wasn’t until this moment, seeing Chu Tianyu finally regain his ability to move, that her mood fully relaxed.
However, while everyone else was happy, Chu Tianyu could only pretend to share in their joy, even acting as if they were overreacting. Faced with the fact that his body was devoid of any true energy, he could only smile bitterly in silence.
Still, he was very pleased to be able to recover his mobility so quickly. At least he no longer had to lie paralyzed on the ground and could do something. After all, resolving the issue of his lack of true energy wasn’t something that could be solved immediately; rushing wouldn’t help. Moreover, he was curious about how the moonlight repaired his body every night—he had never realized before that Mo Long’s energy had such a function.
“Tianyu, what should we do next? Even if we’re no longer harassed by wild beasts, our food and water won’t last much longer…” Ouyang Ziyi interrupted his thoughts and asked.
“Have you guys checked the surroundings? Is there any other exit we can take?” Chu Tianyu pondered for a while before asking.
Ouyang Ziyi looked at Chu Tianyu and shook her head. “We’ve checked everywhere. Aside from the direction of the dense forest, this is just a depression surrounded by mountain cliffs—there’s no way to leave at all.”
“Have you checked the mountain cliffs?” Chu Tianyu asked, looking around.
“Not yet. With cliffs this high, who else but you could climb up easily? Besides, we encountered the wolf pack as soon as we arrived, so we didn’t even have time to think of other options,” Lan Yue interjected.
Hearing Lan Yue’s reply, Chu Tianyu thought it made sense as well. Just as he was about to say something more, the previously clear sky suddenly turned overcast again. In no time, dark clouds covered the sky and strong winds blew. Seeing this, everyone felt a headache, realizing that it would rain again. They had just moved their belongings onto the roof of the car, only to have to move them back inside once more.
Due to the two cars being used by Chu Tianyu and Shan Hong to fight against the floods, along with the period when Qin Nianran provided support, most of the car windows had already been shattered from the impacts and collisions. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen to climb onto the roof when facing the wolf pack.
However, the weather was unforgiving. Even though there were waterproof tarps, they couldn’t hide everyone under them if it really started to rain!
So, when rain began to fall, everyone moved some of their belongings back inside, and they sat inside the car temporarily, staying on the side closer to the outside, with one person constantly monitoring the movements in the dense forest.
The torrential rain finally started, leaving everyone in the car at a loss. Now they faced not only natural disasters but also animal threats, feeling truly trapped.
“If the rain keeps falling like this, before the wolf pack returns, we might have to deal with floods again!” Lan Yue complained.
“Really? Usually, after a flood, it shouldn’t happen again in a row…” Bai Lei said.
“Won’t it happen in a row? Who told you that? Do you have any evidence or reasoning?” Lan Yue pressed persistently.
“Well… um…” Bai Lei hesitated for a long time before finally managing to say a few words, “As for evidence or anything, what I’m saying is just a wish, a beautiful wish…”
“Hope your wish comes true!” Chu Tianyu said with a smile, looking at Bai Lei’s expression.
“Of course! I’m Bai Lei—what kind of person am I? I’m surely blessed and can turn misfortune into good fortune. You’ll all benefit from that!” Facing Chu Tianyu, Bai Lei regained his confidence, defying Lan Yue’s dominance and speaking energetically once again.
“Anyway, given our current situation, we definitely can’t go into that dense forest. Let’s all think carefully again to see if there are any better suggestions…” Ouyang Zi Yi’s words brought the conversation back, prompting everyone to consider the difficult situation they faced.
While everyone was discussing inside the car, in the distance, under the onslaught of the rain, the surface that had dried out over the past two days gradually became wet again, allowing the muddy layers beneath to slowly move downward, though very slowly.
The people in the car discussed for a long time but came to no conclusion. Only during the brief lull in the rain at 2 p.m. did they get out and carefully scout the surroundings. Finding nothing, they returned to the car, leaving Chu Tianye to watch what was happening around. The others used this time to rest properly, trying to build up their strength for any potential dangers at night, as they were indeed extremely tired from the continuous labor.
In the evening, heavy rain started again, and it wasn’t until after 8 p.m. that everyone gradually got up to replace Chu Tianye.
On the rainy night, the moon in the sky also hid itself, but Chu Tianye still sensed a slight absorption of energy. It seemed that as long as it was night, whether the moon was covered by clouds or not, Mo Long could absorb its light—just more slowly.
So Chu Tianye volunteered to go onto the roof of the car. Wearing only a raincoat, he sat cross-legged there. According to Chu Tianye’s thinking, as long as he could restore his energy quickly, he could overcome all the difficulties ahead—whether by carrying them up the mountain cliffs or through the dense forest. Relying solely on hunting in the wild would also be enough to sustain them.
Over the past two days, his physical recovery had been possible largely thanks to Mo Long absorbing the moonlight. Therefore, once Chu Tianye confirmed that the moon’s light was ineffective when it was obscured, he resolved to go onto the roof despite the rain to absorb the moonlight and speed up his recovery.
Now, regarding the disappearance of his true energy, Chu Tianye believed it was because his bodily functions had been somehow damaged, preventing him from generating true energy temporarily. He decided to take advantage of Mo Long absorbing the moonlight to improve his health, hoping that once his body recovered, his true energy would return as well.
The others had no objections to Chu Tianye’s decision, knowing he must have a reason for it. Seeing him sit cross-legged on the roof, eyes closed in meditation, they were actually pleased, thinking that Chu Tianye had finally started to restore his energy…
At 1 a.m., Chu Tianye had already fallen asleep. His entire body was enveloped in a radiant glow. Even when raindrops fell, they were stopped by that glow half an inch away from his raincoat, so not a single drop touched him.
Inside the car, even Bai Lei, who was on duty, found it hard to stay awake. Yet he forced himself to pinch his thighs from time to time to stay alert.
But at this moment, his attention was solely focused on the dense forest ahead; he didn’t notice the mud behind him, which had silently approached the wheels. Another half hour passed, and the mud was almost at the car doors. Just then, a lightning bolt suddenly illuminated the mountains and fields, followed by a thunderclap that woke everyone in the car. As they were still in a daze, thunder rumbled behind the car. Before anyone could react, a second flood surged forward. This time, it was clearly the mud from the previous flood, washed away by heavy rain, rushing down again from above. Its force was incomparable to that of the previous flood. Even this impact instantly pushed the two parked SUVs to the side. Fortunately, the SUVs didn’t slide down with the mudslide but were blocked by the mountain wall and towering trees at the edge of the forest. However, due to the intense shaking, everyone in the cars was knocked unconscious on the spot. Thankfully, this mudslide was mainly made of mud, with a relatively low impact height, and its force diminished quickly after the wash. Apart from being covered in mud, the people in the cars weren’t buried. But compared to their luck, Chu Tianyu, who was sleeping on the roof and enjoying his “delicious meal,” was absolutely unlucky! When the two cars were pushed apart, Chu Tianyu was thrown high into the air, moving in an irregular path. Just as he was about to fall, he was engulfed by the incoming mud and swept forward with the force of the surge… Time seemed to pass endlessly. Finally, the rain stopped, the sky cleared, and when the moonlight rose again at night, it shone through the dense foliage, illuminating a small earth-yellow hill. The moonlight seemed almost alive, like a little sprite, disappearing behind the hill. After a while, a yellow glow emerged from the hill, echoing the moonlight—a truly spectacular sight. At this moment, Chu Tianyu felt as if he had been in a very long dream filled with fantasies, with fragments of his past memories flashing through his mind one after another.
The fragments of these memories kept coming faster and faster, leaving him feeling almost breathless. This sensation grew increasingly intense. A heavy feeling of congestion built in his chest, and it seemed as though his cells were about to explode, making Chu Tianyu want to shout out loud to release that oppressive feeling along with the foul air from his lungs.
At the same time, Chu Tianyu strangely felt as though something was blocking his nose and mouth, preventing him from breathing, yet he could hear every sound around him—even the rustling of small animals or the sound of a leaf blown by the wind landing on the ground—clearly a hundred times louder than usual. Yet his body felt completely numb, as if his soul had left his body.
Suddenly, a cold and familiar energy flowed into his body, bringing him a sense of relief akin to drinking sweet water. However, this energy was far too small and insignificant for Chu Tianyu at that moment.
Though small, this energy was persistent, continuously alleviating the discomfort throughout his body. After a while, it finally formed a stream as thick as a child’s arm, which struck Chu Tianyu’s chest. He suddenly regained consciousness and drew in a deep breath through his nose and mouth. Apart from a muddy smell, he had almost suffocated. He opened his eyes to find complete darkness around him…
This process probably lasted only a second. Under the impact of the energy in his chest, a yellow glow enveloped his body. His entire body contracted like a spring, arching instantly before stretching out again. As he did, Chu Tianyu rapidly broke through the mud layer. With a “whoosh,” along with mud and debris, he soared nearly two meters into the air before crashing back to the ground. The intense impact made him cough uncontrollably, spewing out yellow sand and mud from his mouth and nose. Then came a long breath he took.
If anyone else happened to be in that dense forest, they would surely think it was some kind of supernatural phenomenon, like goblins, monsters, or zombies rising from the dead. Even if they weren’t terrified to death, they would definitely scream in shock and lose control.
Chu Tianyu slowly stood up, instinctively waving his arms and patting the mud off his body. He was filled with confusion—how could he have been sleeping soundly only to wake up in such a state? Looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, there were no cars, no Ouyang Ziyi or the others—only towering ancient trees, a huge yellow mud belt behind him, and forests that had been destroyed by the floodwaters.
Chu Tianyu shook his head vigorously, then sat cross-legged, trying to calm himself down and carefully consider his current situation and the strange events that had happened to him. After pondering for a while, as his consciousness gradually cleared, he finally understood the general reason. It seemed that the continuous heavy rain had caused another flood, and since he had been sleeping on the roof of the car, it was only natural that he would have been swept away by the mudslide—this was evident from the scene before him.
As for what had happened to him—how he could have been buried in mud for so long without dying, and what caused the sudden surge of energy—he didn’t dwell on these matters. Instead, his concern shifted to the safety of Ouyang Ziyi and the others. Surely they too must have been unprepared, and they were sleeping in the car as well…
At this thought, Chu Tianyu hardly dared to think further. Excited, he tried to get up and head in the direction of the mud belt, but after just a few steps, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to get up again. Checking his internal condition, he found that his vital energy was still completely gone, and his body had reverted to its weak state from the day before.
Chu Tianyu could only shake his head with a bitter smile. Not to mention going back to search for Ouyang Ziyi and the others, even saving his own life seemed impossible! He knew that in such a primeval forest, danger lurked everywhere—wild beasts might come seeking his scent at any moment. So, no matter how anxious he was about Ouyang Ziyi and the others, it was useless and would only bring more worry.
His top priority now was survival! Only by surviving could he have a chance to search for Ouyang Ziyi and the others or wait for them to come looking for him. Moreover, Chu Tianyu had one advantage: his body could absorb the energy of moonlight. As long as he could hold on for a few days, even without vital energy, his strong muscles, forged by Mo Long, would be enough to make him stand out in this vast forest.
So, what Chu Tianyu needed to do now was rely on the power of the moon to restore his body…