On the Road

"Let's rest here for a while."

Shi Yan was undoubtedly an excellent traveling companion. He was well-informed and experienced, familiar with the conditions along Sacred Ancestor Road, and quick-witted and eloquent.

With Shi Yan accompanying him, Wang Chen never felt lonely or bored along the way.

Moreover, Wang Chen learned much about Red Cliff City from Shi Yan.

It gave him a clear understanding of his next destination.

Yet the calamity Shi Yan had suffered three years ago still caused him considerable trouble.

His strength and endurance were far inferior to Wang Chen's.

The two rested in a cave beside the road, eating something and drinking some water.

At intervals along Sacred Ancestor Road, there were one or two cave dwellings resembling kiln caves, large enough to accommodate twenty or thirty people resting inside.

They were quite spacious.

Shi Yan told Wang Chen that these caves had basically all been dug out by traveling merchants and passersby.

Some were even used as latrines.

Without knowing the tricks of the trade, it was easy to step in shit upon entering.

Naturally, Shi Yan would not make such a mistake. The cave he found was clean and dry. There was even a stove built from mud bricks inside, along with a small pile of pitch-black stones.

"Fuel stones!"

The moment he saw the stones, Shi Yan beamed with delight. "We can have hot food."

Wang Chen bent down and reached out to pick up a black stone.

Coal!

He recognized it at a glance.

So this world had coal. He wondered whether petroleum and natural gas existed as well!

While living in Little Stone Village, Wang Chen had always used dried sweet potato stems and leaves, along with branches, vines, and roots, for cooking fires.

Today was his first time seeing fuel