Suming followed the bee swarm deeper into the mountains, starting off through grassy plains and woodlands, which gradually became rougher to traverse, strewn with chaotic rocks. From the distant forests, there occasionally came cries of night animals, which were hard to identify.
Only then, did Suming set down the Queen Bee, and bid the swarm a temporary farewell.
The massive main hive was carried by hundreds of worker bees, hovering midair while the Queen Bee poked a tiny head out from the hive, watching Suming leave and constantly sending waves of reluctance to part.
"It's not like we're parting in life or death, no need to be so clingy!" Suming, on the other hand, was heartlessly cheerful, laughing at the Queen Bee, waving his hand, and turning to stride towards the outside of the mountains.
The Queen Bee even threw a bit of a 'tantrum,' refusing to go. She just sprawled in the hive, desperately using her spiritual power to contact Suming until he was so far away that her feeble spiritual power couldn't reach him anymore.
Because of the kinship with animals, the Queen Bee's 'intelligence' far surpassed that of ordinary honeybees. For her, Suming was not only her owner, but also her 'mentor' in life's growth; he was also the only one in this world that she could communicate with.
After Suming walked away, the Queen Bee slowly crawled back into the hive, lying in the large empty nest.
Even with her kind flitting all around, the Queen Bee's simple heart felt an odd emotion called 'loneliness' for reasons unbeknownst to her.
...
When Suming rushed back to the zoo, it was already the early hours of the morning. He first returned to Whisperwind Pavilion for a cup of Monkey Wine, then, with the jar of Blue Bee Honey tucked in his arms, he headed straight for Shuijun Lake.
The nighttime lake was deathly still, with not a single shadow around Shuijun Lake.
Thousands of 'excavators' were lurking beneath the calm surface of the lake, ready for the command!
"Let's get to work!" Suming waved his hand grandly, his spiritual power sprinkling across the lake.
Days passed like this, interacting with various animals during the day, and at night, a lonely figure would sit on the lakeside dock by the dark waters of Shuijun Lake, staring blankly at the lake surface for most of the night.
The underwater construction project was progressing very smoothly, advancing at a rate of forty to fifty meters a day.
As Suming's spiritual power grew stronger, so did his control ability. The 'excavation team' controlled by his spiritual power became smarter, and the project's speed accelerated.
One night around half past midnight, Suming felt sleepy and the underwater passage suddenly collapsed with a swoosh, burying dozens of loaches that were wriggling forward under the rubble, and several crabs that were transporting gravel were crushed to death on the spot. It took a great effort for the loaches to get out from the site of the collapse.
Miners have always had a tough lot, getting buried alive with no compensation to speak of.
Since it was an underwater operation, with the tunnel deep underground and the mud holes softening in the water, collapses were inevitable. Suming learned from this mishap and covertly purchased a batch of pipes. Whenever a section was dug and he found soft soil that might lead to a collapse, he would place a pipe down.
As the skills of the digging workers increased, these little creatures seemed to find the knack of excavation. About a week later, there were no more incidents of collapse. Instead, the pipes Suming had bought were hardly put to use.
At half-past three in the morning, Suming was dozing off by the lake, his head drooping little by little, his spiritual power spreading faintly into the water.
De Fu and Wang Cai lay on the grass on either side of him, already asleep. Still, at the slightest rustle, the brothers' ears would perk up alertly.
Suddenly, a large swirl of water arose on the surface, and a crocodile turtle, covered in mud and waterweeds, emerged from beneath the water straining its neck toward Suming, its thick neck pulsing as it made a hoarse sound.
Suming's eyes snapped open, his spirit instantly electrified!
At last, the first passage was excavated!
Within the perceivable range, the bottom of Shuijun Lake and the distant reservoir were now connected by a passage a few dozen centimeters in diameter. The waters of both sides mingled in the passage, flowing into each other. The poor-quality stagnant water from Shuijun Lake was streaming into the reservoir, while the high-quality fresh water from the reservoir slowly poured into Shuijun Lake.
Not far from this passage, four other similarly sized passages were also nearing completion.