Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 123
Chapter 123
The night passed without incident. The next day, Ahxu and Ayan took it upon themselves to carry the heavy pieces of iron armor on their shoulders, not allowing Aze to take them. After all, Aze was already carrying Chen Qi, and adding the iron armor would likely slow them down. Besides, they were also curious to see what Chen Qi could make from the iron armor.
The remainder of the journey passed without any further incidents. There were no more fires, no more rain, and no encounters with any dragons. It was just a monotonous trek with everyone keeping their heads down and focusing on the road ahead.
The days returned to their previous routine. As long as it was not a Moonless Day, they would travel well into the late hours. Before long, they arrived at the edge of the Dosa River.
The beastmen of the Salt-Water Tribe who came along this time were all young females, and everything they saw on their first long journey seemed new and exciting. By the time they reached the vicinity of the Dosa River, it was already noon. As they took a break, Aming from the Salt-Water Tribe walked over to Ahxu and asked hesitantly, “Ahxu, should we rest here for half a day?”
Ahxu, who was in the middle of placing their unloaded luggage in a corner and preparing to clear an area for a campfire, looked up in confusion. “Why?” Recently, they had been lighting a fire, eating a bit, and then continuing on their journey. Now that they were not far from Qi Ze City, why would they want to stop and rest? Were they tired?
Aming scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish. He wasn’t suggesting a rest because he was tired. Rather, the young females from his tribe had never seen the Dosa River and were eager to take a look. They had pushed him to come and ask the others for their opinion. Aming had been to the Lion-Wolf Tribe several times and had, of course, seen the Dosa River before.
“Those young females were captivated by Chen Qi’s drawings and all want to see how he sketched the Dosa River,” Ayan explained with a chuckle, helping Aming out. He had overheard their discussion when they were planning together.
Ahxu understood and nodded in agreement. Since they were close to Qi Ze City, resting for a day wouldn’t be a problem. Ayan didn’t mind either.
Back in the Salt-Water Tribe, Chen Qi’s drawings had already circulated throughout the tribe. Although Chen Qi occasionally sketched during their journey, his black-and-white drawings didn’t capture the beastmen’s attention as much as his colorful ones did. Seeing the familiar scenery from the drawings come to life before them, the females were excited. After receiving permission to rest there, they quickly gathered around Chen Qi, eager to see him draw again.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Surrounded by so many people, Chen Qi didn’t feel shy at all. He confidently picked up his tools and went to the banks of the Dosa River with the females.
The Dosa River looked much the same as it did when Chen Qi had seen it before. If it weren’t for the additional people around him, he might have felt like he’d stepped back in time.
The females gathered quietly around Chen Qi. He didn’t rush to pick up his brush. “Why don’t you stand back a bit, and I’ll sketch a picture of you all?”
“Is that okay?” The females’ eyes sparkled at Chen Qi’s words. They had seen his sketches of Aze and were curious how he could capture a person on a blank piece of paper.
“Of course,” Chen Qi nodded with a smile.
The females dispersed with a rustle, standing neatly in a row not far away, their movements tense and a bit nervous.
Chen Qi’s head was full of black lines. He had no interest in drawing such stiff poses. He encouraged the excited creatures to relax and adopt more natural poses. Seeing that they were still stiff, he took the initiative to step forward and adjust their postures, feeling like he had a group of models.
No matter what kind of dynamic pose Chen Qi wanted to draw, the females would strike it. He sketched away, thoroughly enjoyed himself that afternoon. He even drew a small portrait for each of them as a souvenir. As a result, for the remaining journey, even the luggage on Aze’s body was divided among the females, leaving Aze responsible for taking care of Chen Qi only.
Chen Qi felt a bit embarrassed by this special treatment, but seeing everyone so enthusiastic and knowing it would lighten Aze’s burden, he didn’t insist on taking back the luggage.
The line of people bypassed the Lion-Wolf Tribe and arrived near the Chishui River in just a few days.
Beside the towering reddish-brown city walls, a small figure sat next to the watchtower, gaze fixed unwaveringly in the direction of the Chishui River. A small white wolf lay quietly beside them, its round eyes also fixed on the direction of the river.
Suddenly, the tips of the little wolf’s ears twitched. It stood up, nibbled at the sleeve of the person next to it, then howled towards a spot not far away.
Ajing’s face lit up with surprise. He quickly stood up and shouted to the person in the watchtower, “Uncle Azhang, Chen Qi and the others are back!”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
The wooden door of the watchtower swung open with a “bang” and Azhang rushed out, looking towards the direction of the Chishui River. Indeed, he saw a group of people marching towards them, led by Ahxu.
The news of Chen Qi’s return quickly spread throughout the tribe, and Ali also put down his work and came to the city gate. By the time Chen Qi and his group arrived, the city gate was already crowded with people.
Seeing the tall mud-brick walls of the city, both the people from the Salt-Water Tribe and Flame-Hill Tribe were amazed. There were no natural rocky mountains here, yet the people of Qi Ze City had managed to build such massive walls on the plains. Moreover, the walls didn’t seem to be entirely made of stacked stones. How did they manage to do it?
Ahxu took the time to introduce everyone on both sides and briefly explained to Azhang the reasons for the arrival of the two tribes this time.
Azhang smiled and instructed the others to welcome the beastmen into Qi Ze City.
Walking on the clean and tidy streets, looking at the tall and bright buildings, and the neatly maintained surroundings of the houses with various beautiful flowers blooming, everyone was amazed beyond words.
Qi Ze City did not have a designated place to receive guests. Azhang could only instruct them to pile up all the luggage they brought back in the school. Then, he arranged for the beastmen to stay in the spare rooms of other tribal members’ houses. It was the first time that Qi Ze City had welcomed so many guests, and everyone was very hospitable, leading their guests to their homes.
Chen Qi’s two rooms were already occupied, so no one went to their house. Aming was led home by Ahxu, and the two Flame-Hill Tribe females, Ayan and Ayu, went to Azhang’s house.
After Azhang’s arrangement of the several beastmen, Chen Qi and Aze returned to their home which they had been away from for several months. As they opened the gate, the sight of their familiar home brought a sense of relief and belonging.
With the little wolf cub in his arms, Ajing followed Azhang closely. The bustling crowd from before had made it impossible for him to have a word with Chen Qi. His brows were furrowed tightly, and he looked unhappy, while the wolf cub licked his hand in concern.
Next door, Ka Luo came out holding Ayao and saw Chen Qi with a face of surprise. “Brother, Chen Qi, you’re back! You’ve been gone for so long, I missed you so much!” He pushed open the courtyard gate and rushed over.
He had just heard that Chen Qi had returned, but at that time, he was busy feeding Ayao, so he couldn’t leave to greet them at the city gate. Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished feeding, he pushed open the door and saw the two of them already at the doorstep.
Ayao was nestled in Ka Luo’s arms, his big eyes curiously scrutinizing the two of them. A child’s memory wasn’t very good, and after they had been away for over two months, Ayao had likely long forgotten who they were.
Chen Qi was also very happy to see Ka Luo. He reached out to pinch Ayao’s chubby cheeks which looked like they had increased in plumpness and tenderness, but when Ayao saw Chen Qi’s hand coming towards him, he promptly buried his face into Ka Luo’s arms.
Chen Qi was stunned. “He doesn’t remember me?”
Ka Luo rolled his eyes and retorted, “Don’t you know how long you’ve been away?”
Chen Qi awkwardly withdrew his hand, feeling a pang of sadness. He remembered how the little one used to call him affectionately every day, and now, he wouldn’t even let him pinch his chubby cheeks. He felt a little upset.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
At this moment, Ali, who had helped Azhang arrange the others, also came back. Upon seeing the group still standing at the gate, he smiled and said, “The crops in the yard have ripened, but I haven’t harvested them yet. I guessed you would be back in a few days, so I waited for you to come back and see.”
“So quickly?” Chen Qi walked to the yard in pleasant surprise. Sure enough, he saw lush crops growing in the well-tended plots. Plants like chili peppers were already adorned with bright red fruits, making for a very eye-catching sight.
Chen Qi could tell that these plots had been well taken care of. Despite his prolonged absence, Ali had devoted time every day to weed and fertilize. Now, the compost piles outside the city walls were ready for use, albeit with a somewhat unpleasant odor. However, the crops fertilized with it were noticeably more abundant than the wild fruits grown outside. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much change in size.
Chen Qi couldn’t wait to dig up a sweet potato plant with his bone spade. The roots were packed with sweet potatoes thicker than fists, totaling over a dozen. He had planted sweet potatoes across an entire plot of land. If the entire harvest was like this, they would have plenty to eat for quite some time.
“Do you want to harvest these crops now? Won’t you have a rest?” Seeing Chen Qi eagerly about to dig the potatoes nearby, Ali interjected.
The potatoes were slightly larger than those they had dug up on the plains outside, and each plant bore more fruit. After digging up one, Chen Qi stopped and said with a smile, “En, let’s harvest the rest tomorrow. Show me the crop growth records you’ve kept during this time in the meantime.”
Since planting the crops, Chen Qi had made a notebook to record the growth of the crops every day. When he and Aze left, he’d handed the notebook to Ali, asking him to continue recording. Understanding the growth cycle and characteristics of the crops, they would gain experience for future plantings.
Ali nodded, and only chatted with Chen Qi for a while before heading back. Ka Luo, seeing their travel-worn appearances, didn’t disturb their rest and left with Ali while carrying Ayao, planning to come back tomorrow.
It was only then that Chen Qi noticed the two little ones standing nearby, looking at him with pitiful eyes. He reached into his backpack and took out the sketches and notes he had made along the way. With a flourish, he looked at Ajing and winked, “I’ve drawn quite a bit along the way. I wonder if Ajing is interested in taking a look?”
Ajing’s eyes lit up as he stared at the sketches in Chen Qi’s hands. Any lingering awkwardness from being ignored earlier vanished completely, replaced by excitement. He nodded eagerly at Chen Qi.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: They’re home!
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.
Sweet little Aijing
Thanks for translation