183: Chapter 182 Centennial Elm Wood

The next day, as the first light of dawn appeared, Lu Fan got out of bed early.

He stretched lazily. The slight frustration from An Lan refusing to sleep with him last night vanished without a trace in the vigorous morning air.

At this moment, his mind was filled with the task of making a new Bow and Arrow. After all, in this peril-filled wilderness, a Bow and Arrow were key tools for ensuring survival and obtaining food.

After a simple breakfast, Lu Fan bid farewell to Da Hei, who was still lounging in the nest, and the smiling An Lan.

With an iron axe and a Broadsword securely fastened to his waist, he marched with spirited steps toward the depths of the forest.

Golden sunlight pierced through the gaps in the leaves, scattering spots of light over him as if draping him in a brilliant golden battle suit.

As Lu Fan walked, he repeatedly visualized the design of the new bow in his mind, wondering to himself: would a long, powerful bow be more advantageous, or would a short, compact one be easier to handle?

Just as he was lost in thought, a series of muffled 'thuds' suddenly broke the silence of the forest.

Curiosity piqued, he followed the sound. After rounding a cluster of lush bushes, the sight before him left him slack-jawed with surprise.

He saw the majestic Monkey King wielding a somewhat clumsy stone axe, hacking away at a large tree with all its might.

Every swing carried the whistling sound of wind, and wood chips flew everywhere like snowflakes.

The Monkey King also noticed Lu Fan's arrival. It abruptly stopped its movements, tilted its head, and its dark, beady eyes instantly filled with joy.

Immediately after, it carried the axe and ran over enthusiastically to greet him.

It first hopped around cheerfully in front of Lu Fan, waving its hands excitedly in the air, and then thumped its chest hard.

It kept making 'squeak-squeak' sounds, as if proudly showing off: 'Look how amazing I am!'

Lu Fan's eyes suddenly lit up as an idea struck him.

He thought that since the Monkey King lived in the forest, it must know all kinds of trees like the back of its hand; perhaps it could help him find suitable timber.

So, he bent down to pick up a piece of wood from the ground and used his hands to gesture the shape of a bow.

Then he gripped both ends of the wood tightly and tried to bend it with force, deliberately putting on an expression of great exertion.

He then released his grip, letting the branch snap back quickly to show the Monkey King that he needed wood with exceptional resilience.

"Do you know where I can find this kind of flexible wood?"

Lu Fan asked softly.

At first, the Monkey King looked blank, tilting its head with eyes full of confusion, clearly not understanding Lu Fan's meaning.

However, Lu Fan was not discouraged and patiently demonstrated over and over again.

Deserving of its reputation as the forest's 'clever one,' the Monkey King finally had a realization after watching a few more times.

It thumped its chest even louder and held its head high with a look of supreme confidence, as if solemnly promising: 'Leave this small matter to me!'

With that, it grabbed Lu Fan's arm with surprisingly great strength and dragged him hurriedly toward the depths of the forest, acting as if it were afraid Lu Fan might change his mind the next second.

Along the way, the Monkey King was like a nimble sprite, jumping up and down through the trees, occasionally looking back to see if Lu Fan was keeping up.

One moment it would agilely hop onto this tree, and the next it would quickly leap to that one.

It kept making various cheerful calls, as if enthusiastically introducing Lu Fan to the hidden 'treasures' of this forest.

Lu Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry at its enthusiasm and could only quicken his pace to keep up closely.

After some effort and winding through countless turns, Lu Fan finally followed the Monkey King to a cliffside.

[Discovered Century-Old Elm]

Looking up, a Century-Old Elm tree that blotted out the sun came into view. Lu Fan's jaw nearly hit the ground in shock.

"Good heavens, it would probably take a dozen people holding hands to wrap around this tree. It's truly a 'behemoth' of the tree world!"

He couldn't help but exclaim in wonder, then slowly paced around the giant tree, his eyes filled with awe and uncontrollable excitement.

The bark of this elm was rough and cracked, like the weathered wrinkles on an old man's face; each groove silently told the story of long, passing years.

The massive canopy spread out recklessly in all directions, with lush leaves layered upon one another, casting a shadow like a quiet green ocean, providing a natural super-umbrella for this part of the forest.

Densely distributed across the tree were many bird nests, and various insects busily scurried through them, as if the tree itself were an independent and complete micro-ecosystem, witnessing the cycle and proliferation of life.

It stood there quietly by the cliff, like a deity guarding the mountains and rivers.

Its thick roots were like dormant earth dragons, winding and twisting as they forcefully broke through hard rock to extend deep into the earth, as if declaring its tenacious vitality and unyielding will to the land.

The livestream room was instantly flooded with barrage comments:

"My god, how spectacular!"

"It feels like it's holding up the heavens, so shocking!"

"First time seeing such a big tree. It feels like it has weathered hundreds of years of wind and rain."

"Why do I have a sudden urge to build a house in the tree?"

Lu Fan slowly reached out and gently stroked the trunk, truly feeling that solid and powerful texture. He was filled with utter admiration for the uncanny workmanship of nature.

He reached out to grab a low-hanging branch and pulled it hard. The branch was flexible and elastic, bending without breaking, and the rebound force was just right.

"Hey, this resilience is practically tailor-made for a bow stave!"

Lu Fan rubbed his hands in excitement, but he didn't plan on 'massacring' this ancient tree.

After all, it wasn't easy for it to grow to this state. He only needed a single branch about the thickness of an arm.

No sooner said than done. Lu Fan nimbly drew the sharp axe from his waist and walked steadily to a branch of suitable thickness.

He carefully gestured against the branch a few times to find the best spot, then took a deep breath, raised the axe high, and began to chop.

The iron axe collided violently with the bark, producing heavy and powerful 'thump-thump' sounds. Every swing was filled with Lu Fan's great expectations.

The Monkey King was also busy and happy. One moment it agilely jumped into the tree to help Lu Fan push away obstructing small twigs, and the next it hopped around excitedly below, 'squeaking' incessantly as if cheering Lu Fan on.

Before long, the branch was chopped down. Lu Fan picked it up and began to observe it; there were very peculiar patterns inside the elm wood.

The elm wood had a straight grain. Looking at the cross-section, it seemed like lines meticulously drawn with a ruler by nature, extending longitudinally along the wood, orderly and smooth.

But upon closer inspection, these lines had subtle undulations and variations, like winding mountain streams, adding a sense of vitality to it.