Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 083
Chapter 83
After Azhang finished eating, he and Ali took food for Ake and went back to the cave entrance outside the small bamboo forest to guard it. There was a tall acacia tree not far from the cave entrance. Ali stood on the highest branch of the acacia tree. The hide backpack behind him was full of arrows, holding a wooden bow in his hand and keeping a close eye on the cave entrance illuminated by the fire.
Azhang handed the food to Ake. “Did anything happen?”
Ake took it and drank a mouthful of bone soup to moisten his throat. His throat was quite dry from staying by the fire for such a long time. After hearing Azhang’s question, Ake shook his head. “But I smelled a trace of blood earlier, though it was not very clear after being isolated by the fire. I don’t know if hyena-drakes are killing each other inside.”
“Hyena-drakes have a strong pack sense, so they are not inclined to kill each other. Now we can only hope that the tobacco can trap them.” Azhang picked up a tree trunk and threw it into the fire. He continued, “Go and have a rest first. Let me take the first watch. I’m afraid we’ll be watching it all night tonight.”
Ake nodded and climbed up the acacia tree where Ali was and began to enjoy his dinner.
Low and deep roars came from the depths of the tunnel and were drowned by the crackling fire. The firewood was damp and half of the dark smoke sank along the depths of the cave, the other half rose into the air, disappearing into the vast night.
The moonlight on the second moon of the month was very bright, as if a slightly dim streetlight had been cast upon the whole Dora Plains. Aze climbed onto the wall, added some firewood to the fire pan beside Chen Qi, and persuaded him gently, “It’s fine for me to guard here on my own. Go back to the watchtower and sleep for a while.” Chen Qi’s tired eyes could not be concealed. Aze felt a little distressed.
Chen Qi grabbed Aze’s slender fingers, breathed a puff of warm air at them, and then put them on his face. When the cold fingers touched his skin, Chen Qi could not help shivering. “It’s fine. I’ll keep watch with you.”
“In case you fall ill again…”
Chen Qi smiled and pointed to his body that was covered with several thick pieces of hide, not to mention the two cloaks he was wearing. Except for his face, there was practically no exposed skin. Plus, there was a big fire pan burning beside him. He had made sufficient preparations before coming out. “I am well prepared now, and I will definitely not let myself fall ill this time. Besides, I also drank a large bowl of ginger soup just now before I came out. My body is very warm right now. If you don’t believe me, you can reach a hand in and feel it.”
Naturally, Aze would not really reach his hand in to confirm. Seeing that Chen Qi insisted on staying with him, he could only sigh and take his hands away from the other’s face. Then he helped Chen Qi pull his scarf up. Most of his face was covered, leaving only a pair of beautiful black pupils.
“If you can’t hold on anymore, you must go back to the watchtower. Don’t make me worry, okay?” Aze’s tone softened and he asked inquiringly.
Chen Qi’s eyebrows curved. “Okay.”
After Aze got the answer he wanted, he went back down to the foot of the wall. He found a suitable spot and distance and sat down cross-legged. Just now, he heard some neighing whines coming from the cave. Based on his knowledge of hyena-drakes, they were not such simple creatures that would be brought down by tobacco. Although hyena-drakes run rampant in this world by attacking in groups, even singly attacking them, they could completely surpass the power of the females. In addition, that female hyena-drake always gave him a strange feeling. Aze was afraid the unexpected would happen, so he didn’t dare to be distracted.
In the later part of the night, Chen Qi couldn’t stand it any longer, so he stood up to move his body a little. Aze saw Chen Qi’s movements and looked up slightly. Then he heard Chen Qi’s loud exclamation, and an arrow fell from the sky and landed in the fire.
A figure covered in dark red blood broke through the raging fire and staggered to a halt in a snowdrift nearby. Then it rolled on the spot, taking advantage of the cold snow to cool the burning, painful scales that had been scorched by the fire.
Aze picked up the firewood next to him and tossed them into the cave, then poured the bamboo tube of the melted animal fat down into it. The fire that had been broken through ignited into large flames again.
The female hyena-drake stared dazedly at Aze and stood up unsteadily after the temperature of its body dropped a little. The female hyena-drake shook its head, as if trying to shake off the groggy paste-like thoughts in its head.
Aze and the female hyena-drake put a little distance between them, standing in a position sufficient to counterattack. The ten-fingered beast claws glowed coldly under the moonlight. Chen Qi tightened his grip on the bowstring nervously and took out an arrow from the backpack behind him. The arrow had been wrapped with cloth strips in advance. Chen Qi moistened the arrow slightly in the pottery dish of oil beside him and lit it in the fire. Then, a fire arrow shot swiftly towards the female hyena-drake.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
With a light snort, the female hyena-drake turned its body slightly and flicked its tail, directly hitting the arrow. The arrow snapped in response and Chen Qi’s second arrow quickly came again. The female hyena-drake roared and ignored the arrows, intending to deal with the nearby female first instead. The female hyena-drake opened its huge mouth, and it seemed that some shredded flesh and clumps of white fur could be vaguely seen in the crevices of its deep-cold fangs.
Aze bent his body slightly, and when the female hyena-drake moved, he moved with it, turning a half-circle around with the female hyena-drake, always keeping a safe distance. Chen Qi took advantage of this gap and shot two fire arrows at the female hyena-drake. One of the arrows happened to stab into a scorched wound where flesh was exposed. The female hyena-drake let out a howl of pain. The eyes looking at Chen Qi got uglier and uglier. But it knew that if it did not kill the female in front of it, it would not be able to do anything to the one standing on the wall.
Hearing the cries of a hyena-drake, Ka Luo put Ayao on the slate bed, padded him with several layers of thick hide cushions, and then ordered Ajing to take care of him. He took the wooden bow and arrows on the side and went out.
As soon as Ka Luo went out, he saw Aze being chased all over the courtyard by the female hyena-drake. He hurriedly reached Chen Qi. “What happened? Have all the hyena-drakes escaped?”
Chen Qi shook his head. “Only this one came out. The others are still trapped in the cave.” Chen Qi picked up another arrow, dipped it in oil and ignited it. His movements became more and more proficient. “Ka Luo, come help cover Aze. The hyena-drake seems to be desperate and ready to fight to the death.”
Ka Luo’s expression froze when he heard his words. He quickly picked up his wooden bow accordingly and started to cover for Aze in the same way as Chen Qi. It had to be said that beastmen were probably born with more developed motor nerves than Chen Qi. After a few arrows, Ka Luo became accustomed to the female hyena-drake’s running speed, and then almost every fire arrow was targeted at the wounds on its body. If the hyena-drake didn’t quickly dodge, it was likely that every arrow of Ka Luo’s would have made its target.
In order not to be numbed by the effect of tobacco, the female hyena-drake could only use pain to dispel the sense of haziness. Later, in order to rush out of the fire, its scales were burned by the fire. Now the female hyena-drake was not only injured all over, but even the scales on its body, that were once strong and protected it from various injuries countless times, had become extremely fragile.
Ka Luo’s arrows packed a much stronger punch than Chen Qi’s. As long as the female hyena-drake couldn’t dodge it, they would be stabbed firmly into its body. In just a short while, the female hyena-drake’s body was full of arrows, half resembling a hedgehog, with their arrowheads covered in oil-soaked cloth strips still burning, and an unpleasant smell of burnt flesh permeated the yard.
The female hyena-drake did not dare to ignore the two men on the wall, who seemingly looked weak in attack force, any longer. It took a few steps back, intending to create some distance from the two men’s positions to get back a little breathing space.
However, how could Aze let the female hyena-drake do as it wished? Taking advantage of the female hyena-drake’s attention being distracted by the two people on the wall, Aze lunged forward quickly and stabbed his ten fingered claws deeply into the burnt wound on its tail. The hyena-drake turned around in pain and wanted to bite the evil beastman who dared to sneak in and attack it. Although its body was flexible enough, Aze dodged it nimbly, pulled out his right hand, and directly went forward to aim at the wound on the hyena-drake’s neck.
Just now, the hyena-drake stabilized its mind from its missed attack. Taking advantage of the moment when Aze pulled out his hand and his force weakened, it directly wrapped the tip of its tail around Aze’s hand that was still inserted in the wound on its tail. Then, with a flick, Aze lost his center of gravity and was thrown to the ground by the hyena-drake. The hyena-drake’s front claws followed him closely, and one of them struck Aze’s chest.
Aze used his strength to roll on the spot when he landed, but he was still a step too late. His right wrist was unable to dodge in time and was scratched by the hyena-drake. The animal skin on the wrist was ripped off, and blood dripping to the ground.
“Aze.”
“Brother.”
The two on the wall were startled by this change, and called out in unison. The wooden bows were once again fully drawn, and five or six arrows were shot at the female hyena-drake, separating it from Aze.
Looking at his bleeding right wrist, Aze’s eyes darkened and the corners of his mouth turned upwards slightly. After waiting for another wave of arrows to arrive, he lunged forward again, his sharp claws headed straight at the hyena-drake.
The hyena-drake didn’t expect the beastman’s strength to increase a lot after being injured and instead of retreating, he advanced and pointed his moves directly at its vital parts.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Compared with the hyena-drakes, the beastmen were petite. Aze was more flexible and faster than the hyena-drake. The hyena-drake defended its left, Aze had already started attacking its right. It was originally already in a state of extreme hunger, and had wasted a lot of energy from being trapped in the cave. Its legs were injured. When running, it had to rely on the strength of its tail to coordinate its movements. Now its tail was injured by Aze, and it felt excruciating pain each time it moved. The female hyena-drake knew that it might really meet its end here today.
But how could it be reconciled? It was not reconciled when it was driven out of the hyena-drake pack, and it was not reconciled when it had to start hunting prey that couldn’t fill its stomach in the Dora Plains. Now that it was getting closer and closer to death, it was even more unwilling.
Obviously, obviously… As long as it could survive the winter, it could go back to the forest.
Why? Why do these things that were prey not have the consciousness to be prey? Obviously they just needed to lie down for it to enjoy?
The female hyena-drake’s eyes were getting more and more red, as if they were about to bleed tears of blood. Under the reflection of moonlight, there was a sense of enchantment.
Aze did not dare to be careless and raised his speed to the highest. Chen Qi’s marksmanship was not accurate enough. For fear of accidentally injuring Aze, he stopped his cover. But Ka Luo seized the gaps wherever Aze left a blow and continued to fire arrows seamlessly.
The battle seemed to last for a long time, and it seemed to be over in the blink of an eye. Chen Qi couldn’t see exactly how the female hyena-drake went down.
Aze’s sharp claws pierced the hyena-drake’s throat, then dug out the scales at its chest. With one claw, Aze yanked out a heart that was still beating slightly. Aze threw the heart into the nearby fire and reached out his hand to wipe the blood stains on his face. His eyes flickered from the light of fire, and his mood couldn’t be seen at the moment.
Seeing that the hyena-drake had finally fallen, Chen Qi hurriedly got down from the wall, rushed to Aze and grabbed his wrist. Sure enough, he saw a scratch across half of the wrist. Fortunately, aside from the bleeding, the wound was not deep and there also did not appear to be injury to the tendons or the like, so there should not be any long term impact.
“Aze, you and I will go back to the watchtower to treat the wound first. Have Ka Luo watch the cave from on top of the wall for a while.” Chen Qi used the dragon-horn knife to cut off a small piece of hide, wrapped it around Aze’s wound and pressed hard on it, not letting the blood continue to flow out.
Aze looked at Chen Qi holding his wrist and was a little distracted. He didn’t return to his senses until Chen Qi shouted again. He bent down and kissed the corner of Chen Qi’s lips. His eyebrows and eyes were curved. “Okay.”
Chen Qi helped Aze clean up the wound and sewed it up with catgut thread. After treatment, Aze went back to guard the cave.
The entrance of the cave was not too big, but the fire burning by the mouth almost illuminated the whole courtyard as if it were daytime.
That night, aside from the unexpected appearance of the female hyena-drake, none of the other hyena-drakes rushed out of the cave.In the second half of the night, everyone could take turns to close their eyes and rest their minds.
The fire at the cave entrance burned until noon the next day. When the fire was about to go out, Ake came back and asked Chen Qi what they should do next. Several of them discussed and decided to go into the tunnel from the hole in the courtyard to see what was going on inside.
Because Azhang’s arm was injured, Aze and Ake were given the task of entering the cave to explore, while Azhang and Ali continued to guard the cave exit at the small bamboo grove lest the hyena-drakes still had the strength to escape.
Ake didn’t know that the female hyena-drake had rushed out of the cave last night, his eyes darkened when he saw the gray corpse in the yard. He walked over to get a closer look and finally pointed to the place where a hole had been dug out in the hyena-drake’s chest cavity. He looked at Aze, “This hyena-drake…”
Aze nodded. “It ate the giant wolf-god.” After a pause, he added, “And it wasn’t just one.”
Ake was silent for a moment and did not speak again. Together with Aze, he removed the extinguished ashes. Both of them had thick, wet cloth strips tied across their faces. Chen Qi and Ka Luo stood on the high wall, keeping an eye on the surroundings of the cave at all times. If a hyena-drake rushed out like yesterday, they would immediately cover the two females.
The two found the four male hyena-drakes in the middle of the tunnel. The hyena-drakes were not dead, but they could no longer move. The size of the tunnel was not large enough for them to drag all the hyena-drakes out at once, so they had to drag them out one by one. As soon as they got out of the cave, they first slashed the hyena-drake’s throat and dug out its heart. The hearts of the four male hyena-drakes did not have the hint of dark purple in their blood like that of the female hyena-drake’s.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Ake also found the snow bear that was practically torn to pieces near the cave entrance by the small bamboo grove. The scene was too cruel. It was estimated that a hyena-drake thought that the snow bear was too big and blocked the way, so it directly ate the creature. Ake disposed of the snow bear’s body and then, together with others, refilled the tunnel.
The carcasses of the hyena-drakes in the courtyard were set up and burned directly. The fire continued to burn for a day and a night, and it did not completely finish burning until noon of the next day.
After dealing with the cave and the hyena-drakes, everyone moved back to the houses. Chen Qi’s house was mostly fine. Because of the rice berry flour, the hyena-drake only destroyed the fire pit in the living room and other furniture such as tables and chairs. The large wooden box that was placed in the corner to hold potatoes and sweet potatoes was also destroyed. However, there weren’t very many remaining potatoes and sweet potatoes anyway, so losing it was not much of a hindrance.
The damage to Ali’s house was relatively serious. His house was closest to the cave entrance that the hyena-drakes came out of, so the hyena-drake first entered Ali’s house. Not to mention the few large holes in the walls, even the kang bed and cooking stove were half collapsed.
Chen Qi looked at this miserable scene and said, “Why don’t you all move into my place for the rest of winter?”
“No need.” Azhang laughed with a haha and pointed to the storage room in the back. “The hyena-drakes didn’t destroy the storage room. We can move the contents of that room out, tidy it up a little bit, and it’ll be fine for Ali and I to move there.” After he said that, he shook his head in distress, “But there is no fire keng in that room. So, we’ll have to have Ajing go back to live at your place.”
Chen Qi understood and nodded, “That’s fine. Have Ajing come back to live with me.”
Azhang patted Chen Qi on the shoulder, “Then we’ll leave him to you.”
As a result, the next day, the aforementioned storage room that Azhang could only make do to live in was rebuilt with a new heated kang bed. And this bed was bigger than the one in the original room and took up a full two-thirds of the width of the room. It was estimated that it was enough for three Chen Qi’s to roll all over it.
Chen Qi: “……”
The pottery jars and plates were what was most damaged by the hyena-drake. Aside from the few that stored things in the storage room, all of the ones in Chen Qi’s house were completely broken. Azhang had given a lot of the potteryware he had to the tribespeople when he sent them to the Lion-Wolf Tribe. However, the amount of potteryware he and Ali had brought back from trading over the past few decades was so much that several houses were not enough to fit them all. At the moment, the potteryware in their houses were almost all broken and there were not many usable ones. So Azhang waved his hand and took Aze and Ake to head back to the tribe to move the potterywares over in a mighty way.
It took nearly a week just to deal with the aftermath from this attack. When everything was finished, Chen Qi finally felt that the days were back to normal. All the snow in the yard was cleared out to outside the wall. In order to guard against hyena-drakes that were clever enough to use snow bears to dig holes again, Chen Qi asked them to coat the whole yard with the gum fruit-silt mixture. In this way, it was not only convenient to clear the snow at ordinary times, but also to find out where cracks occur in the first place.
It didn’t snow again until the gum fruits in the yard were solidified, and after cleaning up the damage caused by the hyena-drakes, the days seem to have returned to the initial calm, as if the threat not long ago was just a dream.
Chen Qi sometimes saw Aze staring at his wrist in a daze. Chen Qi was worried that his wrist would have some sequelae from being scratched by the hyena-drake. But every time he asked Aze, he would just smile and say everything was fine. Chen Qi had no choice but to try not to let him work, so as not to tear open the wound.
Aze’s wound actually healed very quickly. Within two or three days, Chen Qi removed the sutured catgut thread and touched the skin around the wound with heartache. “Unfortunately, it may leave a scar.”
“It’s already good.”
“How is it good?” Chen Qi glared at him. It was obviously his body that was hurt, but he didn’t put much attention to it.
Aze was a bit absent-minded and touched the small circle of scars on his wrist, which had almost healed. “If you don’t look at it too carefully, others would think I have a pregnancy pattern.”
Chen Qi was stunned. He gently pulled Aze into his embrace, kissed his eyebrows and eyes, and leaned into his ear and whispered half teasingly. “Then do you want to try to give me a baby now?”
The tips of Aze’s ears turned slightly red, and he pursed his lips. After a long time, he said in a low voice that was too soft to be heard, “Yes.”
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: Happy New Year!
Translator: Miiya
Editor: MushroomNight73
Proofreader: Yume
Editor stepping into the realm of MTL translating, starting with CLWP. Support this translation with a Ko-fi. Three Ko-fis will add an extra chapter from the stockpile to the next weekly release.
Were they really able to have babies someday? (´⊙ω⊙`)
Thank you for the update~
From the tiny bit i’ve skimmed forward when i was setting up for translation, yes, but don’t quote me on this!
Nice to know that no pregnancy pattern is not equal to infertility Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ
From very early on, I started raising my hopes about the upcoming face slapping that would occur to all those that spurned him for those superficial reasons. Can’t wait!
Azhang is so freaking funny. He definitely wants to turnover the quilt.
Thanks for translation