Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 129
Chapter 129
In the dense forest, a group of females dressed in camouflage outfits moved swiftly between the trees. Each of them carried an empty hide backpack, except for the leader, whose backpack was slightly bulging, suggesting it contained something.
Azhang stopped in a sparse grassy area, where the grass had been noticeably depressed by some animal. He crouched in the underbrush, examining the unclear footprints left behind. The females who followed closely behind him also came to a halt.
Aming stepped forward, looked down, and asked, “Can you tell what type of dragon left these tracks?”
Azhang shook his head. “These tracks are at least three days old. Even if we search the area now, we might not be able to find anything.”
“Should we continue deeper into the forest, or should we search the surrounding area instead?”
Azhang looked around at the scenery and stood up. They had already moved away from their usual hunting grounds, and the area they were in now had even fewer signs of dragon activity than before. After spending half a day in the forest, they had only found a footprint from several days ago.
“Even if we move to the side, the situation is likely to be similar. If we want to hunt game, we’ll have to move forward,” Azhang mused. Going further would take them beyond the beastmen’s usual hunting grounds.
However, Azhang didn’t deliberate for long. The decision to venture deeper into the forest had already been discussed with the females of the tribe the previous day. Given the difficulty of hunting in the summer forest, it was feared that the situation would become even more perilous in winter. Despite the dangers of going deeper into the forest, it was a necessary step that had to be taken.
Moreover, this hunt was essentially a reconnaissance mission. Unlike previous hunts that were done in a single day, this one would last for two days. If they managed to hunt game within these two days, they would adopt this frequency for future expeditions.
He waved a hand to the people behind him. “Let’s go.”
The group nodded, set their steps, and followed closely behind the lead as they advanced deeper into the forest.
Seeing that the tofu had almost solidified, Chen Qi found a shallow pottery dish and a bamboo sieve. He placed a clean cloth on the sieve and used a wooden spoon to transfer the top layer of tofu onto it. Looking at the creamy white tofu in the large pottery dish, Chen Qi smiled happily. He was pleasantly surprised that it had turned out well on the first try.
He scooped a spoonful of the already crushed sugar into a pottery bowl, then added a large spoonful of tofu on top, and handed it directly to Ayan. He pointed to the clean spoon placed nearby and said, “Remember to stir it before eating.”
While Ajing, who had been doing his homework, had stopped and come over at some point, Chen Qi served him a bowl as well. He also gave a portion to the little wolf cub following behind, and finally, he prepared a bowl for himself.
Stirring the sugar into the tofu pudding, a warm, familiar taste filled his mouth. It was fragrant and smooth, sliding down without much chewing. Chen Qi happily closed his eyes, savoring the taste.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Seeing the little wolf cub happily eating its small bowl of tofu pudding next to Ajing, Ayan couldn’t help but stare at it while eating. The little wolf cub looked up and bared its teeth at him. “I didn’t expect you to be brave enough to raise a giant wolf-god,” Ayan remarked with a sense of admiration.
Although the giant wolf-god was harmless to the beastmen, it was not particularly friendly toward them. It was the first time Ayan had seen someone keeping a giant wolf-god close by. The thought of Chen Qi possibly raising creatures like the antelope-dragon or stegosaurus next made Ayan shiver involuntarily, and he quickly dismissed the idea from his mind.
“Little Wolf is part of my family. If I don’t take care of it, who will?” Chen Qi answered naturally and Ajing quickly nodded in agreement.
Chen Qi took out a few barely-used wooden food boxes, filled them with two bowls of tofu pudding, and left two bowls on the table. He sent Ajing to call Ka Luo and Ali to come and taste it. The remaining tofu pudding was scooped onto the bamboo sieve, wrapped in a cloth to form a neat square, and a clean wooden board was placed on top to press it down. The water from the tofu gradually dripped through the sieve into the pottery dish below.
After completing these tasks, Chen Qi took the food box containing two bowls of tofu pudding and headed out.
Although it was still before noon, the sunlight was already harsh and glaring, making the bare road painfully bright. As Chen Qi walked, wondered if he should plant some shade trees along the road. Otherwise, it would be too uncomfortable during the hot summer days.
Climbing up the wooden ladder along the city wall, Chen Qi found Aze stationed at the lookout tower by the main gate. Aze was quietly squatting by the edge of the wall, and though he was supposed to be on guard, he appeared to be more lost in thought.
As soon as Chen Qi climbed up the city wall, Aze’s ears twitched, and he quickly stood up and walked over when he saw Chen Qi. He took off his own straw hat and placed it on Chen Qi’s head. “What are you doing here? Did something happen at home?”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Chen Qi shook the food box in his hand and smiled. “I brought you some treats.”
Although the sun made it very hot outside, the lookout tower, with its lack of ventilation, trapped the heat, making it unbearable inside. Chen Qi, understanding this well, had no intention of going in.
The two chose the shaded side of the lookout tower and squatted rather than sitting down. The ground was too hot, and even the stools were unbearably warm from the sun, so squatting felt more comfortable.
Chen Qi opened the food box, revealing the still-warm, white tofu. He proudly stirred a bowl with a spoon before handing it to Aze. “I just made this tofu. Try it and see if it’s good.”
Before Aze could even start eating, a shadow fell over them. Chen Qi looked up to see a pair of distinctly black-and-white eyes staring at Aze’s ceramic bowl. Ale, eyeing the bowl eagerly, swallowed the drool that was pooling in his mouth and asked, “Chen Qi, did you make something delicious?”
Chen Qi smiled and handed over the other bowl from the food box. Ale happily took it, and before Chen Qi could remind him to stir in the sugar, he had already scooped a big spoonful into his mouth. Though the plain tofu was smooth, it lacked flavor. After mixing in the sugar as Chen Qi suggested, the next bite was sweet and delicious.
Chen Qi had already experienced Ale’s foodie nature during their journey to the Salt-Water Tribe. Knowing that Ale would be guarding the city wall with Aze today, he brought an extra bowl of food. As expected, Ale came over on his own without needing to be called.
Ale ate quickly, finishing his portion in a few bites. After handing the pottery bowl back to Chen Qi, he didn’t disturb their private time.
Seeing Ale leave, Aze scooped a spoonful of the creamy tofu pudding and held it up to Chen Qi’s lips. Chen Qi opened his mouth and swallowed it.
Watching Aze eat a bite as well, Chen Qi tilted his head and looked at him with a smile in his eyes. “Is it good?”
“En.”
Really sweet.
After passing through the familiar hunting area, the beastmen arrived at the base of a mountain. A waterfall cascaded down from the mountaintop, forming a lake at the foot of the mountain. The wind blew through the waterfall, carrying a cool mist that instantly relieved the beastmen from the heat.
Azhang observed the surroundings and noticed no signs of animal activity, so he decided to lead everyone to rest here for a while.
To avoid attracting the attention of dragons, they refrained from making fires as much as possible once they entered the forest. Azhang’s backpack contained enough dried food for them to last two days, and with the wild fruits they could pick along the way, the beastmen had plenty to eat. However, water was different—it was heavy and consumed quickly. They had to replenish it directly from the rivers in the forest.
Before the beastmen could get close, Azhang suddenly pulled Ashu, who was at the front, back. At the same time, a massive figure leaped out of the lake, seemingly holding something in its mouth that was almost as large as itself.
“A giant wolf-god?” Aming exclaimed in surprise, quickly leading the other beastmen to retreat a short distance.
Azhang shielded Ashu behind him, his face showing a hint of surprise. He had seen this giant wolf-god before; if it hadn’t been for this creature, he probably wouldn’t have survived that winter.
The tall adult giant wolf-god lowered the ichthyosaur in his mouth and shook its body to rid its fur of water droplets, and then leisurely bit through the ichthyosaur’s hide, tearing into the snow-white flesh inside.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
If there hadn’t been a lack of hare-dragons in the area, it wouldn’t have gone into the water to catch the ichthyosaur to eat. If the Azure Dragon knew it had to eat such a spiky and unappetizing thing after returning to the forest, it would probably be ridiculed for decades. Thinking of that foolish Azure Dragon, the giant wolf-god’s expression grew fierce as it tore into the ichthyosaur, frightening the beastmen into stepping back a few more paces. Only Azhang remained in place, quietly watching the giant wolf-god eat.
Clearly, the giant wolf-god was indifferent to the group of beastmen. After eating only half of the ichthyosaur, it flicked its tail, stood up, and leisurely walked away, never once glancing at the beastmen.
Ashu breathed a sigh of relief. Although Chen Qi’s household also had a giant wolf-god, which was quite docile, this one gave him a very dangerous feeling, as if it might pounce and tear out his throat at any moment.
“It’s still Little Wolf that is the cutest.” Ashu remaked with a sigh.
Glancing at the ichthyosaur that the giant wolf-god had partially eaten, Aming approached Azhang. “What should we do now? Should we still rest here?”
Azhang thought for a moment and shook his head. “Let’s fill up our water and then leave. Our bamboo tubes are already empty. If we miss this water source, we won’t know when the next opportunity to refill will be.”
Everyone agreed and took out their bamboo tubes to collect water at the edge of the waterfall.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Ashu approached the ichthyosaur left behind by the giant wolf-god. None of the beastmen had ever eaten ichthyosaur; in their view, ichthyosaurs were as inedible as the fish found on the plains.
However, having been fed a variety of strange dishes by Chen Qi, Ashu’s first thought upon seeing the ichthyosaur was whether it was edible and how it might taste.
Ashu, thinking to cut off the other half of the intact meat to bring back and let Chen Qi figure out how to cook it, had just placed the meat into his backpack when a sudden gust of wind descended from the sky. As he attempted to dodge, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and then found himself lifted off the ground and into the air.
Azhang, who had been keeping an eye on the group, was the first to notice the approaching pterosaur. Before he could even warn anyone, he saw Ashu being grabbed by the pterosaur’s sharp iron claws.
Without time to think, Azhang quickly grabbed the pterosaur’s tail. Before he could act, the pterosaur’s enormous wings flapped, creating a powerful gust that nearly forced Azhang to let go. Losing the advantage, the pterosaur took flight into the air, seemingly unconcerned about the beastman dangling from its tail. Once in the sky, it regarded the beastman as insignificant, showing no fear.
By the time the others came to their senses, they saw that the pterosaur had already flown away with the two of them.
“What should we do now?” Some of the females, who were new to the forest, panicked at the sight. If it were in the water, they might have attempted a rescue, as after such a long time, at least one or two of them had become quite skilled swimmers.
But now, Ashu and Azhang were captured by the pterosaur and taken into the sky. No matter how fast they were, they couldn’t catch up with the pterosaur that could fly.
Aming’s expression darkened. Among the group, he was now the strongest and also the leader of the Salt-Water Tribe.
He didn’t think for long. “Head in the direction the pterosaur went.”
He grabbed Ashu’s scattered backpack and quickly led the others to pursue the pterosaur.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: Danger danger! Read all about it!
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.
