I picked up skill fragments in the demon world

Currently, the speed of digging frozen soil is a bit slow, but it is still within Zhang Chen's acceptable range. He is still young, he still has time, he can afford to wait! Moreover, he is not sitting still, he is still thinking of other ways.

Zhang Chen collected firewood and, just before going home, lit the wood in the cave, waiting to see the effect tomorrow.

"The airtightness of the underground space is relatively strong. The burning time of the flame is long, and the heat accumulation time is also relatively long. After the flame burns, it is no different from a kiln. Even the most severe frozen soil should be melted a little."

Zhang Chen took out the flint and first lit the velvet grass. Then, seeing a pile of firewood burning, he exited the cave.

"Actually, if there is coal, using coal to melt frozen soil would be the best. It's just that I haven't heard of any coal mines being unearthed in the nearby mountains." Zhang Chen stood outside the cave and soon felt a heat wave coming from inside, forcing him to retreat constantly.

The heat wave was scorching, and even the air was distorted. The dry temperature in the air was already hot enough, but compared to the firewood in the cave, it was nothing.

Zhang Chen carried the basket on his back and checked the traps. In the afternoon, the traps yielded three rabbits. Zhang Chen directly sucked the blood from the rabbits and then took them to the stream to clean their internal organs, skin them, and pull out their tendons.

What puzzled Zhang Chen was that the width of the stream's current was now only one meter, with shallow water flowing. Fish were swimming restlessly in the stream, obviously aware of the danger.

"How can the drought be so fast?" Zhang Chen's heart was full of doubts. He had already noticed a trace of ominousness, but there was nothing he could do.

He had no way to stop this natural disaster. The only way to reverse the natural disaster was to bring rain, but Zhang Chen was not a god and did not have the ability to summon wind and rain. He could only barely protect himself in this natural disaster.

This is not only a natural disaster for humans, but also a natural disaster for the Shiwan Mountains, beasts, and birds.

Birds might be better off. If they sense danger, they can flap their wings and fly away. They can run faster and may not be affected by the drought. But for beasts, climbing mountains and ridges is not an easy task.

"It's really a natural disaster! I'm afraid that after the natural disaster, there will be even more terrifying man-made disasters." Zhang Chen muttered to himself, and when he thought of those old farmers forging knives and swords, he felt uneasy.

"I only hope that I have enough preparation time before the great chaos comes. I need to make more gunpowder, lest it not be enough when I want to use it in the future." The knife in Zhang Chen's hand skillfully moved across the rabbit's surface, and then he pulled it hard, and the rabbit's fur was pulled off completely.

"Now is not a good time to sell fur. It will be when fur is valuable in autumn or winter. But I don't plan to sell the fur this year. I still need to make fur clothes for my mother, younger brother, and younger sister to survive the winter," Zhang Chen muttered to himself.

There is no cotton in this world. Poor people use fluff to fill their clothes and quilts, but this thing is not warm at all, so many people freeze to death in winter. The rich have much better choices, mostly using animal fur to make clothes, or using animal hair as filling. Ancient versions of down quilts and felt blankets also exist, but they are very precious, and even ordinary landlords cannot afford them.

After processing the rabbit, he carefully prepared the fur, and then used the prepared tools to stretch the rabbit skin to prevent it from shrinking. Then, Zhang Chen washed his hands, filled the rabbit meat and rabbit skin, and Zhang Chen did not return home directly, but trained the hunting falcon in the deep mountains and old forests. With the hunting falcon's cry, it shuttled through the blue sky, startling the birds and beasts on the ground to flee in panic.

After feeding the falcon and the hornet, Zhang Chen prepared some gunpowder. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, probably around three or four in the afternoon, he swayed towards home.

He glanced at the neighbor's house. The fox spirit and the poor scholar Zhang Chen were not there, presumably they had gone to the mountains to study.

Back home, Zhang Chen hung the prepared rabbit in a cool place, then walked out of the yard, picked up a sickle, and prepared to go to the mountains to cut some branches to weave some baskets. If he raised more wild chickens and ducks, even if there was really a drought in the future, he would have some preparations, wouldn't he?

Just as Zhang Chen was carrying the sickle and walking out of the gate, suddenly the sound of bells rang in the distance, and then a carriage came in from outside the village.

The carriage was very luxurious. The entire carriage was made of top-quality elm wood, polished smoothly. It was engraved with unique patterns and shapes, which looked very valuable. The horses pulling the carriage were all jujube red, and they looked plump and strong. The muscle lines all over their bodies were perfect. Even those who didn't know how to judge horses could see that these horses were valuable.

The saddle was inlaid with green embellishments, and it was impossible to tell whether they were gems or colored glaze. All the patterns on the saddle were made with seals, which was really valuable.

The coachman was also no ordinary person. He was a strong man like a bear, with a fierce look in his eyes. Behind him hung a scarlet-green curtain, which was sewn with several layers of silk, with various exquisite embroideries lifelike. The birds on the curtain seemed to come alive and flutter their wings as the carriage swayed.

Behind the carriage followed two servants in yellow clothes, who were also strong and tall, looking to be two meters tall, standing behind the carriage like two moving hills.

"Are we almost there?" A somewhat eager voice came from inside the carriage.

"Madam, the young master's home is ahead. Please don't worry, we'll be there soon. This humble servant has spent a lot of effort to inquire about the young master Zhang Chen's news and clues. It was not easy to get accurate clues. This time, I will definitely not let Madam return empty-handed." The coachman took the opportunity to take credit.

"Don't worry, as long as I can find my younger brother Zhang Chen, I will ask the Prince for credit when I go back, and you will definitely benefit." The person in the carriage promised.

At this time, Zhang Chen looked at the carriage and was also surprised:

"Carriage? How could such a person come to this remote and poor place?"

When Zhang Chen saw the carriage, he quickly took a step back to make way, not daring to bump into the people inside, lest he cause unnecessary trouble.

For him, the most important thing was to quietly develop. Why cause trouble when a step can avoid it?

Zhang Chen thought to himself strangely: "It's really strange. Strange things are happening in the small village now. Before, farmers came to forge knives, swords, and armor, and now even important people have come in person. It's really strange to the extreme."

Zhang Chen's eyes glowed with golden light, and he looked at the carriage, but there was no aura flowing. Obviously, the people in front of him were all ordinary mortals.

Whose sister is it?

Zhang Chen stopped at the roadside, intending to give way, but saw the carriage arrive in front of his courtyard. The coachman abruptly pulled the reins, and the horses kicked up a cloud of dust, as if frozen in place, their hooves firmly planted on the ground.

The coachman jumped down and respectfully said to the carriage curtain, "Madam, we have arrived."

The curtain was lifted, revealing a sweet face to Zhang Chen. Looking at the woman, Zhang Chen could only think of one word: "Sweet."

She wasn't necessarily stunningly beautiful, the kind that was unparalleled in the world, but she was sweet to the extreme.

Moreover, the woman's skin was very fair, almost dazzling in the sunlight.

Her hair was simply styled in a bun, secured with hairpins adorned with small, emerald-green gemstones, adding an air of nobility.

"Which house belongs to my younger brother?" the woman asked.

Her voice was crisp, with a unique softness, somewhat like the Taiwanese accent of later generations, very appealing.

"I don't know, but there are only two households here. Just ask around, and you'll find out which one it is," the coachman replied.

Hearing this, the woman's large eyes scanned the area in front of her, and when she saw Zhang Chen standing to one side, a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes: "No need to ask. I already know which house belongs to my younger brother. In this remote place, my younger brother stands out like a crane among chickens; I recognized him at a glance."

As she spoke, the woman's gaze fell on Zhang Chen, her eyes filled with certainty. While Zhang Chen found the woman's wealth imposing, the woman was also struck by Zhang Chen's appearance.

As mentioned earlier, after shedding his skin, Zhang Chen's skin was snow-white and flawless, making him look like a pampered young master, coupled with a strange aura from later generations, attracting attention.

Such fair skin, combined with such an aura, could only be cultivated in a wealthy family.

In this remote place, who else but her younger brother would possess such qualities?

"Little brother, I've finally found news of you! Since you ran away from home four years ago, disappearing without a trace, I've been so worried!"

The coachman knelt on the ground, acting as a human footstool. The woman stepped out of the carriage, landing lightly on the ground, kicking up a little dust. Then, with light, lotus-like steps, she quickly came to Zhang Chen, her soft voice filled with surprise.

"Little brother?" Zhang Chen was stunned by this address, staring blankly at the woman, a thought flashing through his mind: "Could this be my older sister?"

However, the woman before him bore no resemblance to his older sister in his memory.

Zhang Chen thought that his older sister had left home for several years, without saying goodbye or leaving any news. Now, after all these years, it was normal that he couldn't recognize her, maybe she resembled his mother, whom he had never met.

Then, Zhang Chen confirmed that this was his older sister who had run away from home. His eyes instantly turned red, and he rushed forward to hug her: "Sister!"

His voice was full of grievance and affection, accompanied by a fragrant aroma, as the siblings embraced.

The coachman, watching Zhang Chen, couldn't help but frown: 'Strange, although the young master is an illegitimate child, how is it that he bears no resemblance to his father and mother?'

The woman held Zhang Chen tightly, tears streaming down her face, choking with emotion, unable to speak.

After a tearful reunion, the woman regained her composure first and patted Zhang Chen's head: "Is this where you've been living for the past few years? Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Hearing this, Zhang Chen was taken aback and then patted his head: "My sister's here, I was so excited that I forgot about that."

Then, Zhang Chen opened the door and invited the woman in white into the courtyard.

The woman in white stood in the courtyard, her eyes looking at the simple surroundings, and tears welled up again, her eyes filled with heartache as she said: "Living in such a place for years, it must have been hard."

"It's not hard. Just being able to survive is already difficult enough, what's the point of talking about hardship?" Zhang Chen shook his head and picked up a stool, wanting to invite the woman to sit down, but looking at the dirty stool and then at the woman's luxurious clothes, he suddenly felt embarrassed.

The woman seemed to see Zhang Chen's embarrassment, smiled gently, took the stool from Zhang Chen's hand, and sat down lightly: "We are siblings, don't be so restrained. When I ran away from home, and then heard news of you, I originally wanted to send someone to pick you up, but something went wrong. Fortunately, you're still alive, and a weight has been lifted from my heart."

As she spoke, the woman's eyes looked at Zhang Chen's tattered clothes, and tears began to well up in her eyes again: "You were pampered since you were a child, when have you ever suffered like this?"

"I was pampered since I was a child?" Zhang Chen was stunned, then shook his head: "I've forgotten everything about the past."

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, the woman felt even more heartache and quickly said to the outside of the door: "Why haven't you brought the things from the carriage in yet?"

As the woman's words fell, the two men in yellow clothes walked down from the carriage, carrying seven or eight food boxes, and then spread a magnificent leather on the ground, and then opened the food boxes to display exquisite dishes.

"I heard that you were living in seclusion here, so I quickly ordered food and wine at Huifeng Restaurant and rushed to send it to you. These are your favorite dishes from childhood, a total of eighteen dishes. And your favorite Laofengtang pastries, I brought you thirty pounds. There are also eighteen bolts of brocade, Bude Xiang shoes, ten pairs each in various sizes, and a sable fur coat, as well as various daily necessities, I brought them all to you. Pens, ink, paper, inkstones, and books, nothing is missing." Saying this, the girl's eyes looked at Zhang Chen, her eyes full of softness: "I have just gained a foothold in the Pingbian Prince's Mansion, so I can't take you there for the time being. You can live here for a while, and give me two or three years, and when I have completely gained a foothold, I will bring you into the Pingbian Prince's Mansion, and then ask the Prince to find you a future."

The woman grabbed Zhang Chen's hand, her eyes filled with self-blame.

Zhang Chen was a little dazed at this time, wondering what his older sister had gone through, how did she get involved with that Prince's Mansion?

Looking at the brocade, fur coats, clothes, pastries, and other items that were constantly being moved into the house, Zhang Chen was a little confused, the other party was giving too much.

"Sister, where did you go all those years? How did you..." Zhang Chen pointed to the items in the yard, unable to speak for a moment.

"Don't ask, you will naturally know what you should know, and it's useless to ask what you shouldn't know." The woman looked embarrassed, then picked up chopsticks and picked up a lion's head for Zhang Chen, putting it in Zhang Chen's bowl: "Come and taste it, this was your favorite back then."