Gunpowder (Part 1)

Life was getting more hopeful. Of course, if that annoying Fox Spirit next door wasn't there, Zhang Chen would be living even happier.

"Hmm?"

Just as Zhang Chen was lost in thought, walking all the way back to his doorstep, his eyes suddenly shifted. When he saw the Fox Spirit looking out expectantly, his eyelids twitched involuntarily. The Dragon Qi within him trembled slightly, but quickly subsided.

What's going on? Why is the Dragon Qi in my body reacting to the Fox Spirit in front of me? Zhang Chen was surprised. The Fox Spirit on the other side was also staring at Zhang Chen with a bewildered look in her eyes, full of confusion.

Zhang Chen didn't say much. He simply hung the hunted prey on the wall. After thinking for a moment, he felt the silver in his怀 and walked towards Blacksmith Cui's house. He felt it was better to pay off Blacksmith Cui's debt first, lest he cause any trouble later that would implicate him. That group of people was clearly not to be trifled with.

However, if that group of people comes looking for trouble, and I run into the mountains and use the snake dens to devour them, perhaps that's also an option. But I think the Beast Control skill can be used for more than just that. I should find some gregarious animals in advance and use them as a trump card at the critical moment to deliver a fatal blow. Zhang Chen walked out of the gate, countless thoughts flashing through his mind. He pondered the gregarious beasts in the nearby mountains. Besides wolves, it seemed there were no other beasts that lived in groups.

Just then, a buzzing sound reached his ears. Zhang Chen followed the buzzing sound and looked. Seeing the bees diligently collecting honey in the air, his pupils couldn't help but shrink.

No, there's another one!

Not bees, but Hornets!

Bees have limited lethality, but Hornets' lethality is truly terrifying, practically the overlords of the Wilds. The most crucial thing is that Hornets' tails don't have barbs, so they generally won't die even if they sting someone. Moreover, Hornets are small and extremely difficult to defend against. If one isn't prepared in advance, humans facing Hornets can only flee in panic.

If I can raise a nest of Hornets, then as long as the other party doesn't come with hundreds of people, I'll have a chance to escape. Zhang Chen's eyes were bright. He seemed to have found a self-defense skill. The most crucial thing is that this world doesn't have the various super insecticides of later generations. Once Hornets go wild, they are truly invincible.

I should raise some Hornets, but I need to be careful not to get stung myself. However, the lethality of Hornets is slightly insufficient. Being stung by a small number of Hornets won't kill you, but it's enough to make you clutch your head and scurry away in pain. Zhang Chen walked through the village head, countless thoughts flowing in his mind. He felt that Hornets might not be enough to kill enemies, but they were more than enough for self-defense.

It's just that the number of Hornets in a single nest is uncertain, ranging from a hundred to several hundred. It's difficult to gather thousands or tens of thousands, because after a queen bee is born in each nest, they will automatically split. Trying to gather two queen bees, or several queen bees, in one place will likely result in the queen bees fighting. Zhang Chen scratched his hair. However, if I can have several hundred Hornets, that should be enough! After all, bandits won't send dozens of people to capture me.

Of course, being killed to silence him was just a precaution he was taking in advance. Perhaps the other party wasn't interested in him at all and wouldn't bother with him.

Gunpowder is the king. I must produce Gunpowder as soon as possible. Zhang Chen muttered to himself, then arrived at Blacksmith Cui's house. He heard the clanging sound from Blacksmith Cui's house; Blacksmith Cui was busy forging iron.

"Uncle Cui!" Zhang Chen called out from outside the door.

Hearing Zhang Chen's call, the sound of forging stopped. Blacksmith Cui walked out with a happy face, but when he saw Zhang Chen's empty hands, the happiness on his face disappeared. "What do you want, kid?"

"I'm here to pay off my debt. Here are ten taels of silver. Please accept them." Zhang Chen handed the ten taels of silver to Blacksmith Cui.

Blacksmith Cui looked at the ten taels of silver and was stunned for a moment. Then he looked up at Zhang Chen in surprise. "Where did you get ten taels of silver, kid? Let me tell you, we absolutely cannot do anything illegal."

Facing Blacksmith Cui's concern, Zhang Chen said with a smile, "I was lucky today. I hunted a Swan, and then a rich person took a liking to it and sold it for a good price."

"You're something else. You can even catch a rare thing like a Swan?" Blacksmith Cui heard this, stuffed the silver into his怀, and his eyes were full of envy.

"Uncle Cui, I saw that group of people yesterday. I always feel they are not good people, and I'm afraid they will cause trouble in the future. You should prepare early." Zhang Chen looked at Blacksmith Cui, who was in his thirties. His skin was dark from years of forging iron, and his body was full of strong muscles, making him look very sturdy.

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Blacksmith Cui quickly looked around, then pulled Zhang Chen into the house and carefully lowered his voice, "I'm already on a pirate ship, and there's no chance to get off. You must never come to me in the future. It's best to return to the village less often and build a shelter in the mountains, lest you be implicated by me."

"Is it that troublesome? What's their background? Bandits from the mountains? Or robbers who plunder homes?" A look of concern appeared in Zhang Chen's eyes.

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Blacksmith Cui shook his head and didn't say much, just said with a grim expression, "You just need to stay away from me in the future!"

Zhang Chen didn't know what to say when he heard this. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly saw the object on the forging platform. His pupils couldn't help but shrink. Although the object hadn't taken shape yet, he could tell that it was armor!

Forging armor! This was something that could cost you your head!

It could be said that in the era of cold weapons, armor was equivalent to missiles. In the past, the Jurchens rose to power relying on thirteen sets of armor, which shows the importance of armor.

Blacksmith Cui seemed to have noticed Zhang Chen's gaze. He took a step out without a trace, blocking Zhang Chen's view, and forced a smile on his face. "You should go quickly. Don't worry about me. I'm a craftsman. As long as I don't mess around, I won't lose my life."

What could Zhang Chen say?

He said nothing, just smiled helplessly, then turned and walked out of the house.

Watching Zhang Chen's receding back, Blacksmith Cui stood in the house for a long time, then walked back to the stove. Looking at the armor that had not yet been forged, he numbly raised the hammer in his hand.

Under the cover of night, Zhang Chen returned home and slowly lit the lamp. He stared blankly at the lamp for a long time without speaking. After a long time, he let out a long sigh:

Is the world about to descend into chaos? But with my current abilities, even if the world is in chaos, I can still make a living and won't starve to death. It's just that the days of chaos will be hard.