I picked up skill fragments in the demon world

Chapter 54: If my son were alive, he'd be about his age. (Third update)

Arriving at the tomb, Zhang Chen's face showed a hint of joy as he looked at the entrance: "There's no significant impact; it's just the surface that's been slightly dampened by the rain."

Zhang Chen crouched down, examining the excavated soil, noting that only the surface layer was wet.

The temperature inside the cave, warmed by burning charcoal, created a rising heat that clashed with the outside rain, accelerating its evaporation.

After confirming it was safe, Zhang Chen entered the passage and, seeing the still-burning charcoal, he willed the outside rainwater to be drawn in, forming water balls that doused the charcoal, extinguishing the embers.

"That's interesting! I'm discovering that the water control technique isn't entirely useless after all," Zhang Chen muttered before taking out his shovel to excavate the frozen soil from the previous night.

As the frozen soil was dug out, a chilling cold permeated the cave.

Looking at the frost on the frozen soil, Zhang Chen had an idea: 'Logically, frost and ice are forms of water, I wonder if I can control the frost within the frozen soil and extract all the moisture from it.

Without the support of moisture, the frozen soil would just be slightly cold sand, making digging as fast as digging sand.'

Zhang Chen's heart fluttered with excitement, and he immediately activated his fourth skill, Water Control, but unfortunately, it was of no use.

The frost remained unchanged; Zhang Chen's Water Control couldn't affect it in the slightest.

"It doesn't work!" Zhang Chen muttered, looking at the frost in the frozen soil.

His skill was indeed rigid; Water Control could only control water, and water frozen into ice was beyond his control.

Digging soil - collecting firewood - starting a fire.

The mountain's deadwood was already soaked by the rain, but that didn't deter Zhang Chen.

He carried the deadwood into the underground passage and, using Water Control, he quickly extracted the moisture from the wood.

Then, Zhang Chen placed the dried wood on the grass and lit it, using the remaining charcoal from yesterday, the ignition was exceptionally fast.

Seeing the cave ablaze, Zhang Chen finally smiled contentedly, donned his raincoat, and walked out of the cave.

In the fields, the seedlings stood tall and vibrant in the rain, greedily absorbing the moisture, no longer withered as before.

Everything seemed to be turning for the better, but Zhang Chen knew that this was just a sign before a greater disaster.

"No wonder so many people call dragons: Evil Dragons.

Once a Jiao Dragon emerges, it truly is a disaster.'" Zhang Chen muttered before heading towards the village.

From afar, he could see many villagers gathered together, wearing straw hats and raincoats, discussing something in the rain.

Zhang Chen strained his ears, and fragments of conversation drifted through the rain:

"This rain is strange; it's been falling for a day and a night, but the ground doesn't seem wet.

All the rainwater disappears instantly upon touching the soil, it's truly bizarre!"

"Has anyone gone to the county town to gather information? This rain is so strange, there must be some reaction within the county town, right?"

"I don't know why, but this rain is so strange, it's truly worrying."

"I heard someone say that such strange rain is similar to the legendary 'Jiao Dragon Ascending,' the Jiao Dragon must gather water vapor from the land to have the power to soar into the sky."

"Jiao Dragon? Where is it ascending? Let's kill it to prevent this beast from harming the world."

… …

Listening to the discussions in the rain, Zhang Chen realized that the people of this world had no reverence for dragons.

They treated them like ordinary wild beasts, just like facing tigers and wolves.

"Dragons don't seem that magical; they're just wild beasts with unique abilities," Zhang Chen thought as he continued walking, disappearing into the wind and rain.

The drought was certainly related to him, but his involvement wasn't as significant as he imagined.

He had a better chance of surviving by hunting than those farming peasants.

"The Jiao Dragon's transformation into a dragon isn't something that can be done in a short time.

It takes ten or eight years at most, and three or five years at least, I fear the people and beasts of this area will suffer," Zhang Chen muttered to himself.

Stepping on the slightly damp soil, listening to the sound of raindrops falling everywhere, Zhang Chen was lost in thought.

Just then, the sound of a cart suddenly broke the silence of the rain.

It was a donkey cart, an old and dilapidated donkey cart creaking in the rain.

Straw was placed on the cart, and the driver was an old acquaintance of Zhang Chen, an older farmer, with two strong men sitting on either side.

The men were at least six feet tall, looking like giant bears, constantly scanning the surrounding villages, their eyes filled with vigilance.

Everyone was wearing raincoats, looking inconspicuous.

Zhang Chen saw the old farmer, and the old farmer naturally saw Zhang Chen.

As the donkey cart passed by Zhang Chen, it suddenly stopped, and the farmer turned his head to look at Zhang Chen: "Little hunter, any recent gains?"

Zhang Chen didn't want to have too much entanglement with these people.

If something happened in the future and the imperial court investigated, he would be in big trouble.

If he encountered some corrupt official who didn't ask questions and branded his family as rebels, he would have no place to cry, so he shook his head and replied:

"You'll be disappointed, uncle.

The mountain's prey isn't easy to catch, I haven't gained anything in the past few days."

The middle-aged farmer's weathered face showed a hint of disappointment, but he didn't say much.

He just looked at Zhang Chen's somewhat tattered raincoat, a look of pity in his eyes, and randomly took a bag from the cart and threw it to Zhang Chen: "Take it and eat!"

After speaking, he drove the donkey cart towards Wang Wu's house.

Zhang Chen took the small cloth bag, his eyes watching the direction of the departing cart, a look of astonishment on his face.

In the wind and rain, he faintly heard the young man sitting on the edge of the cart's puzzled voice:

"Uncle Liu, why did you give him pancakes?"

"If my son were alive, and hadn't been killed in prison by that corrupt official, he should be about his age.

It's just a few pancakes, it's nothing much," the old farmer explained with a smile.

The voice gradually faded away, Zhang Chen's eyes watched the departing figures, a look of inexplicable emotion on his face.

After a long time, he retracted his gaze, a look of emotion on his face: "What a pity! What a pity! They actually embarked on the path of rebellion."

Zhang Chen opened the small cloth bag, and inside were actually white flour pancakes.

"I can't remember how long it's been since I've eaten such refined white flour," Zhang Chen broke open a pancake, and then was stunned again, inside was actually sugar filling.

Sugar was a rare commodity in this era.

There were many pancakes, as many as seven or eight, all sugar-filled white flour pancakes.