Cave Refuge-Chapter 284 - 279 Preparations Before Departure

Now that Dong Tianyu possessed the cultivation level of the Foundation Building Stage, he could be considered invincible among mortals, but he didn’t have many fancy techniques at his disposal.

Although he could purchase various techniques from the Scripture Hall, Dong Tianyu had carefully observed that despite the wide variety of techniques, the effects they produced were not significantly different.

It was for this reason that Dong Tianyu was reluctant to spend too many Survival Points in the Scripture Hall during his Foundation Building Stage.

If it wasn’t for the need for a safe residence for his parents, Dong Tianyu wouldn’t have bothered purchasing a Formation Template from the Scripture Hall.

Perhaps some would say, since Dong Tianyu was willing to buy a Formation Template, why not just set up of Formation in the city center.

Those who thought this way only proved they hadn’t experienced enough; not to mention the extent of the area that Dong Tianyu’s purchased Formation Template could cover, if earthquakes occurred everywhere except within the area covered by the Formation.

Believe it or not, most of the survivors in Pengcheng would want to enter the area covered by the Formation, and by that time, while Father Dong and Mother Dong wouldn’t be driven out of the office building, their living conditions would definitely deteriorate rapidly.

If that were the only issue, there wouldn’t be much to say, but if the area covered by the Formation expanded, who would bear the cost of the Spiritual Stones needed to set up and maintain the Formation?

And if the Formation only covered the area where the office building stood, believe it or not, even if there were no more earthquakes within the area of the Formation, the office building itself might very well be deliberately demolished by others.

This was what the ancients meant: It is the inequity that causes trouble, not the scarcity. Having what others lack will surely make people envious, and in time, it may lead some to perform acts detrimental to both themselves and others.

Furthermore, debris from other collapsing buildings could also pose a threat to Father Dong and Mother Dong, so as soon as Dong Tianyu learned that the upcoming natural disaster was an earthquake, he didn’t even consider leaving his parents in the city center.

At this moment, Dong Tianyu was uncertain about the size of the residential area that Madeline had found, so even after locating a suitable Formation Template in the Scripture Hall, he did not rush to make a purchase due to the uncertainty about the size of the area for the Formation, instead leaving the Scripture Hall.

With nothing better to do, Dong Tianyu practiced the Art of Controlling Objects in the Hall of Longevity on the ground floor. By now, he could instantly control ordinary objects upon touching them with the Art of Controlling Objects, and for objects not too large, Dong Tianyu could currently control up to a hundred at the same time.

Just imagine Dong Tianyu controlling a hundred Flying Swords, shooting straight at the target. This would be the beggar’s version of Thousand Arrows Piercing Heart. If you replaced the Flying Swords with automatic rifles, in the wars of ancient times, Dong Tianyu could surely accomplish the feat of charging into battle single-handedly.

While Dong Tianyu was practicing the Art of Controlling Objects, he sensed someone knocking on the door of the Black Car.

After casually putting the floating weapons around him into the Storage Space, Dong Tianyu took only one step forward, and instantly returned from the Hall of Longevity to the interior of the Black Car.

Upon unlocking and opening the door, he discovered, knocking was a familiar face, none other than Henry, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. Since the unpleasantness that occurred among the younger generation at the last gathering organized by the senior’s group, Dong Tianyu rarely kept in touch with those young people.

The only ones he stayed in frequent contact with were the Taylor brothers, Robinson William and Madeline, and since Dong Tianyu had killed Family Li’s eldest son, he was even more cautious, seldom accompanying Father Dong to gatherings of the senior group.

In Dong Tianyu’s memory, Henry still had the image of the thin little big eater.

However, Henry had changed a lot in terms of physique, though his appearance hadn’t altered much. Perhaps it was an age-related growth spurt. Standing at the door of the car, although Henry was a step lower than the door, he was almost as tall as Dong Tianyu who was standing inside the car.

Looking at the situation, Henry was now a good half head taller than Dong Tianyu.

"What’s up, Brother Dong, don’t you recognize me?"

Hearing this, Dong Tianyu immediately invited Henry into the car, jokingly saying, "They say that women change eighteen times as they grow, but I didn’t expect such a big change in you after not seeing you for a long time.

People say a man will have a growth spurt at twenty-three, but you’re not even there yet, and although your clothes still hang loose on you, did you saw off your legs and install steel pipes? How come you’re taller than me now?"

Hearing Dong Tianyu’s words, Henry showed a silly smile, "Not at all, just that I’ve had enough to eat recently, so I’ve developed well. Also, unlike what you said, I can fill out my clothes.

I’ve got lots of muscles, just that I’ve been growing so fast recently that the clothes that fit well don’t last more than a few days before getting too small. So the family simply got me some more spacious clothes.

Don’t believe me? Look at the muscles on my arm." Saying this, Henry rolled up his sleeve and flexed his arm to show off his bicep.

"Alright, stop showing off in front of me. Tell me, what are you looking for me for?"

Henry’s personality was quite straightforward, so he didn’t continue with the pleasantries and directly stated his purpose:

"Are you and Second Brother Ye planning to leave Pengcheng and settle down in Saxon County?"

"Yes, what’s up?"

Henry hadn’t expected Dong Tianyu to answer so directly, but he continued, "Can we go with you?"

When Henry asked this, Dong Tianyu furrowed his brow. Seeing Dong Tianyu’s expression, Henry thought he was being rejected, so he looked somewhat dejected.

Seeing Henry’s dejected expression, Dong Tianyu immediately understood what he was thinking, but the reason for his frown wasn’t to dismiss Henry’s suggestion.

"This was suggested by Old Second Ye originally. It was him who first made contact with the organization. Didn’t he reach out to your family when he contacted others to leave?"

Hearing Dong Tianyu’s question, Henry looked confused: "I’m not sure, I don’t think he contacted our family."

Upon hearing Henry’s response, Dong Tianyu was baffled. After all, if they were truly planning to move to Saxon County, although they didn’t want too many people, it wouldn’t be right to have just two or three families move.

Even before the disaster, people who left their hometowns to work elsewhere knew to call upon friends and leave in groups. If Ye Liuyun didn’t inform outsiders, he should at least reach out to members of the senior citizens’ group. Considering the relationships between the older generations, it would be inappropriate not to contact them.

Although this time it was Dong Tianyu who proposed leaving the area again, it was Ye Liuyun who had been active in arranging everything. Although the two had a good relationship with their elders and got along reasonably well, there is a principle in organizing events among friends: one should not invite others without being asked after receiving an invitation.

So Dong Tianyu couldn’t directly agree to Henry’s inquiry. He only said to Henry, "This time it’s Old Second Ye leading the organization. Whether you can come with us is not something you should ask me. Just go directly and ask Old Second Ye about it."

"However, he’s probably not at the camp right now. Why don’t you ask Master Ye? After all, the Taylor family is still under his charge no matter what," Dong Tianyu added.

Henry could tell from Dong Tianyu’s expression and the advice just given that Dong Tianyu genuinely couldn’t make that decision on his own.

So Henry didn’t linger in the car any longer. After exchanging a few polite words with Dong Tianyu, he hurriedly left.

Arguments among the younger generations were not uncommon. Dong Tianyu also had some issues with the eldest of the Li family but resolved them quickly, without letting it escalate or affect the friendship between their elders.

However, for a major family matter like relocation, if Ye Liuyun truly did not notify the Henry family, then it meant Ye Liuyun was being quite inconsiderate.

But that matter wasn’t much of Dong Tianyu’s concern. While he had a good impression of Henry, his bond was naturally closer with Robinson William and Ye Liuyun. Dong Tianyu didn’t want to be a saint and accept responsibilities on behalf of others carelessly.

After Henry left, Dong Tianyu, who thought that would be the end of it, unexpectedly found other younger members from the senior citizens’ group coming to inquire about the relocation.

Since Dong Tianyu was only generally acquainted with them, he fended off these inquiries by saying that the organization of the move was not led by him, deliberately omitting the Taylor family’s role, and he managed to send those people away.

When the last person left, Dong Tianyu felt somewhat helpless. Now was usually the time he took food to the shed for lunch, and he guessed it would be quite lively there.

While Dong Tianyu hadn’t explicitly told the later visitors that this migration was led by Ye Liuyun of the Taylor family, once the word gets out to the Henry family, essentially everyone would know.

Therefore, Dong Tianyu figured it would be busier at the shed and thought it best not to go and get involved in the matters over there.

As to whether Father Dong and Mother Dong would be there, it didn’t really matter to Dong Tianyu because, even if he didn’t bring food over, he knew he wouldn’t go hungry thanks to Master Ye and Father Dong’s friendship.

The meal at noon might not be very luxurious, but it would be filling. After all, the Thompson family was just an ordinary family before the disaster, and their diet hadn’t changed much since then. They didn’t eat delicacies like abalone or sea cucumber every day; it was still the usual home-cooked meals.

But the usual home-cooked meals from before the disaster had turned into luxuries afterward.

Dong Tianyu leaned back in the driver’s seat, pondering his next actions, when someone knocked on his car door again.

The black car was high off the ground, and under normal circumstances, one would need to use a lift to enter the vehicle. Dong Tianyu had left the lift down to make it easier for his parents to return, so even though the doors were closed, the lift wasn’t retracted.

That’s why people had been knocking on the door all morning. Although they were just acquaintances of Dong Tianyu without much interaction, all were descendants of the senior citizens’ group, and Dong Tianyu felt it wouldn’t be polite to ignore them, so he had to greet them warmly.

However, using his Divine Sense, Dong Tianyu saw that the person knocking this time was someone he really had no recollection of, likely a stranger.