"Can’t you give me a break?" Zhang Chen’s voice was filled with exasperation, but facing the frozen soil, he had no other choice but to obediently search for dry branches, then ignite them and roast them within the stone cave.
The soil was frozen like rock, and he couldn’t dig it! This chill was clearly abnormal.
Zhang Chen lit the fire and then crawled out of the cave, carefully concealing the cave’s traces, and then eradicated the surrounding wild grass using the Luoyang Shovel, disguising the place to look like a barren mountain.
"This place is deserted and remote, deep in the mountains and old forests, where people may not tread easily, but it’s still best to be cautious." Zhang Chen inspected the disguise, and after dealing with the ancient tombs, he headed down the mountain.
"Huh, is that a herd of deer?" Halfway through the climb up a large mountain, Zhang Chen saw a group of Sika Deer from afar nibbling on withered wild grass in the mountain.
"Sure enough, it’s a herd of deer." Zhang Chen took a closer look for a while to confirm he wasn’t mistaken, revealing a smile of delight since venison was a highly nourishing food.
"Even though the rivers are experiencing drought, some vegetation can take root seven or eight meters deep and still absorb the moisture from the underground. Animals chew on plants to barely extend their lives when short of water, but I don’t know if circumstances will deteriorate further." Zhang Chen thought to himself that if conditions worsened, it would soon be the time for beasts to migrate.
"Although the air between heaven and earth flows freely, it can’t withstand the continuous plundering of that dragon’s head." Zhang Chen’s eyes shone with a golden light as he stared at the cloud-like dragon’s head in the unseen, continuously devouring the moisture from the heavens and earth.
"This Dragon Qi has gone quiet; last time, when the dragon’s roar clashed with my Protective Golden Light, it shook my Protective Golden Light and dropped a Water Control Technique. Now, I actually hope the Dragon Qi acts up again." Zhang Chen muttered to himself.
Checking the traps, all along the way, there were shadows of people everywhere, all painstakingly digging for something on the ground.
Zhang Chen arrived at the traps and peered at his trap, frowning in dissatisfaction.
The trap mechanism was triggered, even showing signs of a wild pheasant struggling, but the prey was gone.
"In the future, villagers from nearby areas will come to the mountains to dig grass roots and tree bark, so I need to change my hunting method!" Zhang Chen muttered to himself.
"I need a long-range attacking weapon. I should make a slingshot in advance; iron balls used with a slingshot can kill a common pheasant or rabbit with one shot, assuming my aim is accurate enough." Zhang Chen dismantled the trap because more and more people would be entering the mountains, making it increasingly unlikely his traps would remain undiscovered.
After wandering through the mountains with no results, Zhang Chen returned to the cave, placing the small basket with the large hornets into the basket on his back, casting a glance at the Hunting Falcon.
Then he placed the Hunting Falcon into a cage, covered it with clothing, and carried it down the mountain.
In days to come, the villagers would grow desperate from hunger, roaming the mountains wildly; if someone stumbled upon the Hunting Falcon, it might die for sure. Also, he couldn’t let it fly freely; if those desperate people followed its trail, they’d find him.
Back in the village, the village chief was gathering the people to prepare for another well-digging effort. Watching those digging the well, Zhang Chen shook his head quietly:
"They won’t find any water; the five meters below the village have already had their groundwater drained by that Flood Dragon."
As Zhang Chen walked through the village, he immediately knew there was no water underground.
The night passed quietly, with only the Fox Spirit brazenly fetching a bucket of water from his house.
Watching the Fox Spirit leave with a bucket of water, a cold gleam flashed in Zhang Chen’s eyes: "I’m still ten experience points short; tomorrow will reveal everything!"
The next day, at first light, Zhang Chen was startled awake by cries of distress:
"It’s terrible! The crops in the fields have all wilted due to drought!"
"Cursed heavens, how will my family of five survive!?"
"Heavenly Lord, please open your eyes and see, are you trying to wipe us out?"
...
The villagers wailed, their despairing cries awakening Zhang Chen. He quickly pushed open the door, and the first thing he saw was the withered grass in the yard.
Carefully approaching the withered grass, Zhang Chen reached out to touch it, but as soon as his fingertip contacted it, it split into two halves, dry as tinder.
Seeing this, Zhang Chen’s pupils contracted, filled with disbelief. After some thought, he frowned: "I understand now, the Flood Dragon can’t directly draw moisture from vegetation, but it can draw from the air, which reduces atmospheric moisture, causing faster evaporation of water from the grasses, and with no groundwater nourishment, it’s understandable they’d dry up overnight."
What troubled Zhang Chen most was that reducing moisture in the air would inevitably decrease water in human and animal bodies, risking thirst-related deaths.
How long can a person endure without water?
Two days? Three days?
Zhang Chen left the courtyard, following the crowd to the fields. From a distance, he could see the fields were entirely yellowed, and some people sat staring blankly at the crops, while others sobbed wildly, overwhelmed with sorrow.
"Fortunately, I control the Water Control Technique, but it’s a pity my technique can only gather moisture within five meters around me, unable to save the nation’s people. Due to drought, there will be a chain reaction; mountain herbs will skyrocket in price, grain will soar, and all living costs will rise, making life troublesome!" Zhang Chen felt an urgent need to dig up the tomb and upgrade his skills, to escape the Fox Spirit’s hold and flee this earthly purgatory.
"Today’s goals are twofold: upgrading my first skill and capturing the Sika Deer. I still need to feed the Hunting Falcon and require ample food. In the past, I avoided capturing Sika Deer to avoid benefiting the Fox Spirit. But now, with my skill nearing an upgrade, I want to use the Sika Deer to test the Fox Spirit’s abilities." Zhang Chen’s eyes gleamed with harsh resolve; he’d certainly not hesitate if given a chance to rid the demon.
Fox girls are nothing compared to the fragrantly furred collars of foxes!
"Ideally, if I could subdue the Fox Spirit, making her steal money from wealthy households or do my chores, I’d no longer worry a bit about livelihood. At the very least, I should capture her and make her perform arts on the streets, earning tips from wealthy patrons with her skills." Zhang Chen’s thoughts soared: "Thirty years the east, thirty years the west; as I grow stronger daily, this Fox Spirit will meet her end at my hands."
He himself lacked transportation means, but the Fox Spirit didn’t. She could raid wealthy homes for silver easily, benefiting the good and punishing the evil!
"Since the Fox Spirit can manifest her soul, maybe I could communicate with her, gaining insights into the mysterious and acquiring her cultivation methods. I wonder if there’s a way to achieve immortality in this world!" Zhang Chen’s thoughts wandered, leaning towards finding skills to extend his life; after constantly enhancing, perhaps one day he’d unlock immortality and eternal life.