"I... I'm very tired from training today. Let's do it tomorrow..."
Akomann's cheeks began to burn, and her eyes darted around as she tried to find an excuse to slip away.
With a bang, Wu Liang slammed the bedroom door shut.
"No way. The car door... no, to learn without thinking is labor lost; you must study!"
Wu Liang grabbed her overbearingly, wrapping an arm around her slender waist and lifting her up.
"Tonight is your first tutoring session. No one is escaping."
"Wu Liang, you bastard! Put me down!"
Akomann was both embarrassed and annoyed, her hands pounding hard against his sturdy back.
How could she not know by now what this man meant by his so-called "private one-on-one tutoring"?
This guy just wanted to find new ways to torment them!
Eliza's face was also flushed bright red, and her heart thudded uncontrollably.
Even though this wasn't the first time, her legs still felt weak every time she was treated so overbearingly by this man.
"Put you down? That won't do."
Wu Liang gave a mischievous chuckle and gently placed Akomann on the bed.
The large bed was covered in soft animal pelts, and the oil lamp by the bedside emitted a dim, yellow glow that illuminated their two crimson faces.
Wu Liang looked down at them with a smile on his face.
One was enchanting and seductive, the other fierce and athletic; in the dim light, each had her own moving charm.
"I said I was going to teach you more knowledge."
Wu Liang leaned down, his finger lightly tracing Eliza's smooth, jade-like cheek, his voice full of magnetism.
"Eliza, you're in charge of the Tribe's overall logistics. How can you not understand math? Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, area, and volume—you must learn all of these."
"Akomann, you are the military commander. You can't just know how to charge into battle."
"Formations, logistics, tactical deception, and sand table simulations—these are mandatory courses for a qualified general."
The night was as dark as ink.
Inside Wu Liang's stone house, the candlelight flickered.
"No... Wu Liang..."
Eliza lay prone on the soft animal skin rug, her voice carrying a hint of a sob.
Wu Liang was dipping his finger in oil, writing and drawing on her smooth skin.
"No? We've only just begun."
Wu Liang's laughter rang in her ear.
"The Pythagorean theorem I taught you today hasn't been reviewed yet."
"Ah, you can't..."
Eliza was powerless to resist and could only let him have his way.
Akomann, off to the side, wasn't faring much better.
"Akomann, do you feel it?"
"This angle is the perfect combination of gravity and your own strength; it maximizes efficiency."
"Do you feel the ballistic angle?"
"Once we build cannons in the future, you can apply this principle on the battlefield..."
"Come, next I'll teach you how to capture a hilltop. Let's begin the sand table simulation."
...While some were joyful, others were troubled.
Next door, Wei Xian tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
She was pregnant and already a light sleeper; the sounds of'studying' next door made her heart feel like it was being scratched by a cat.
She touched her high, bulging belly.
"Baby, once you come out, Mommy can steal your Daddy back."
She murmured to herself, a look of determination appearing on her face.
The next morning, Wu Liang walked out of his room feeling refreshed, sensing explosive power coursing through his body.
Meanwhile, Eliza and Akomann, who had been tutored all night, emerged leaning against the walls, their steps unsteady.
"That bastard..."
Akomann rubbed her aching waist and cursed through gritted teeth, but the blush on her face refused to fade.
She had to admit that last night's learning results were surprisingly good.
That knowledge was now carved into her brain, crystal clear.
"Hmph, you seemed to be enjoying yourself quite a bit."
Eliza glanced at her sideways, a teasing smile on her lips.
Akomann's performance later in the night had been much wilder than that of a 'good student' like her.
"You!"
Having her true feelings exposed, Akomann immediately became embarrassed and angry, reaching out to tickle Eliza.
The two stunning women instantly dissolved into a fit of laughter and play.
Wei Xian, sporting dark circles under her eyes, looked at Wu Liang's radiant appearance and gave him a displeased glare.
"Look at that smug face of yours. Teacher Wu must have worked very hard."
Wu Liang chuckled and moved closer to hug her from behind.
Resting his chin on her shoulder, he said softly:
"What? Is my Chief jealous?"
"Who... who's jealous! I'm just afraid you'll exhaust yourself!"
Wei Xian spoke stubbornly, though her cheeks flushed slightly.
"Don't worry, don't you know me by now?"
"I'm doing this to cultivate core talents for the Tribe's future."
Wu Liang said without blushing or his heart skipping a beat, whispering into her ear.
"As for you, you need to rest well and give birth to our child healthily. That is the most important mission."
His warm breath on her ear made Wei Xian's body go soft, and most of the resentment in her heart dissipated.
"Hmph!"
Wei Xian puffed out her cheeks while stroking her belly.
"I don't care. Once the baby is born, I want tutoring too! Double sessions!"
"No problem, whatever you say," Wu Liang soothed her with a smile.
"I'll make it up to you properly then."
"That's more like it," Wei Xian said, glancing at Eliza and Akomann before turning to enter the house.
She was too sleepy... A week later, after Akomann led a team to find a large amount of alunite in the mountains, Wu Liang taught the Artisans how to make putty.
When the first stone house was freshly painted, presenting white and smooth walls, the entire Tribe was in an uproar.
The women gathered around the house as if looking at some rare treasure.
They carefully touched the smooth walls with their hands, letting out bursts of amazement.
Meanwhile, at the city wall construction site, with the help of the lever and pulley principles provided by Wu Liang, giant stones weighing hundreds or even thousands of catties...
...were pried, lifted, and slowly transported to their designated positions by the women using clever methods.
Cartloads of cement were pushed over and mixed with sand and gravel; under the direction of the Artisans, it was filled into the gaps between the stones.
The foundation for the ten-meter-high city wall had been laid, and it was now rising inch by inch at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Inside the city walls, even larger-scale projects were underway simultaneously.
Wide flagstone roads were being paved, and beneath them lay a more complex underground drainage system.
The system Wu Liang planned was enough to ensure that even during the rainy season, the interior of the Tribe would not be plagued by the filthy sight of overflowing water.
At the literacy classes, teaching efficiency had greatly improved since they acquired paper and pens.
After finishing the basics, Wu Liang began teaching them more practical science and engineering knowledge.
From basic geometry to preliminary concepts of simple mechanics... he took this modern scientific knowledge and broke it down into understandable pieces for them.
Through Wu Liang's tireless efforts and day-and-night teaching...
...a group of top students led by Eliza and Chief Steward Wula could already understand the simple blueprints Wu Liang drew and perform basic arithmetic.
In the Military Workshop under Chief Steward Wula's leadership, the Artisans began to understand the dimensions and structures on the blueprints.
Consequently, the heavy crossbows and tower shields they manufactured saw significant improvements in both precision and quality.
As for Akomann, although she still couldn't write well, she could barely understand the tactical maps Wu Liang drew specifically for her.
If not for Wu Liang's teaching, she never could have imagined that warfare could be conducted like this!
The movement and coordination of troops could be so exquisite!
Daily military training was no longer just about standing at attention and physical exertion.
Akomann began to combine the modern military concepts Wu Liang instilled in her with the jungle laws of this world.
"Spear and Shield Battalion, ten steps forward! Maintain formation!"
"There must be no gaps between the shields!"
"Bow and Crossbow Battalion, prepare for three-stage firing!"
"Listen for my command! First row, fire!"