Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 146
Chapter 146
The war dance was neither long nor short. When another horn sounded, the drumbeats gradually ceased, and the beastmen slowly came to a stop. Their faces remained solemn, and only as the horn faded did they begin to retreat in an orderly manner from the back.
Aze carried a large red drum, about half a meter wide, down from the platform. Chen Qi quickly grabbed a clean towel to meet him. Since Aze already had a partner, Chen Qi didn’t have him perform in the dance. Instead, he stood at the back with Ake to play the drum, while the dancing was left to the single females.
“Thanks for your hard work.” Chen Qi helped wipe the sweat from his face. Aze was standing near the fire pit outside the playground, and on top of wearing thick animal hide clothing, he had already started sweating after a round of drumming.
Aze smiled and slightly lowered his head, leaning in a little so that Chen Qi could wipe him clean.
When Chen Qi first arrived in this world, he had been over half a head shorter than Aze. A year had passed, and now he was almost eye-level with him; Aze only needed to tilt his head slightly to see the swirl of Chen Qi’s hair. Chen Qi gently rubbed the towel over his head a couple of times and said, “Why do I feel like I’ve gotten taller?”
Ka Luo, who was also watching his especially handsome partner with sparkling eyes, heard Chen Qi’s muttering and chimed in, “You haven’t even finished growing yet. Of course you’re going to get taller.”
“……” Chen Qi froze mid-motion, turning to look at Ka Luo in alarm. “What do you mean I haven’t finished growing?”
“Beastmen can still grow taller before they turn thirty,” Ka Luo said, stretching out his hands to compare his size with Ake’s, a little frustrated. “How did Chen Qi suddenly grow so tall? Compared to last year, I don’t think I’ve grown at all.”
Ake affectionately pinched his cheek. “Don’t worry, you’ll definitely grow taller than me.”
Hearing Ake’s words, Ka Luo finally smiled, playfully fondling his exceptionally handsome partner before being pulled along by Ake.
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, who had stopped growing taller since he was twenty, froze in shock at Ka Luo’s words.
At that moment, the other males and females began moving closer. Worried that someone might jostle Chen Qi, Aze set the drum back in the temporary changing room behind the platform and then led Chen Qi around to leave the playground by another route.
To fulfill the purpose of matchmaking, the single females who had just performed were ordered by Azhang to remain on the playground. However, as soon as they stepped down from the platform, they were immediately surrounded by some familiar females.
“What was that that you just performed up there?”
“How did you make these animal-hide outfits? They look amazing.”
“What did you put on your faces? Why did you put that stuff on?”
“What’s that thing that made those strange sounds?”
……
From the intense exercise, Ahxu’s skin was slightly flushed, and sweat still hung on his neck, not yet wiped away. As the lead dancer, he drew more attention than the others—not only were curious and envious females gathered all around, but a few males had squeezed to the front, their eyes shining brightly as they stared at him, their intentions unmistakable.
Having lived for decades without ever being the center of attention, Ahxu felt a little flustered. The close approach of those few males made him even more uneasy. Wanting to seek help, he glanced around, only to realize that his fellow dancers had long been separated by the crowd, leaving him staring at a sea of dark heads.
The crowd pressed so close that Ahxu instinctively stepped back a few paces. Perhaps because he moved too suddenly, he bumped into a solid chest behind him.
“Sorry, sorry,” Ahxu apologized as he turned around. The person was slightly taller than him, and because they were so close, he could only see a patch of bronze-colored skin on the neck. Shifting his position slightly and looking up, he accidentally met a pair of blue eyes.
Axu’s Adam’s apple moved up and down a few times as he looked away, then he smiled at the crowd gathering around. “Sorry, I have something I need to discuss with Ahxu.”
As the leader of the Salt-Water Tribe, everyone naturally recognized Axu. Upon hearing him speak, they stopped crowding around and instead turned their attention to the other dancing females to satisfy their curiosity.
A few males, perhaps interested in Ahxu, didn’t turn away like the others. Instead, they stepped forward, and one of them pointed to a nearby small bonfire and said to Ahxu, “We’re from the Lion-Wolf Tribe. Once you’re done discussing things, you can come over there to find us.”
“……” The meaning was unmistakably clear. Having lived for decades without ever being so openly approached by males, Ahxu was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
“Thank you, we’ll be going first.” Axu nodded politely to the males, then, without waiting for a response, firmly pulled Ahxu away.
It wasn’t until they were out of the blazing gaze of the crowd that Ahxu finally let out a sigh of relief. Although he had known during training that the horn and the leather drumbeats would draw the attention of the beastmen, he hadn’t expected to become the center of everyone’s focus. Patting his chest nervously, he said, “Luckily, you were there. That really scared me just now.”
Axu walked with a serious expression, his head down and brows tightly furrowed, as if deep in thought, clearly not hearing Ahxu’s words.
“Axu?” Ahxu called out, trying to pull back the wrist that the other had grabbed.
Axu was very tall and stronger than the average female, and Ahxu couldn’t break free no matter how hard he tried.
Feeling the struggle in his hand, Axu snapped back to attention. “What’s wrong?”
Ahxu rolled his eyes irritably and pointed around. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”
Only then did Axu realize that they had unknowingly arrived at a secluded spot. Because of the oil lamps around, he hadn’t noticed along the way. Feeling embarrassed, he let go of the other’s hand.
“What did you want to talk to me about just now?” Ahxu didn’t mind; in fact, he was rather grateful that the other had helped get him out of the crowd. Seeing Axu’s embarrassed expression, he asked 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.
Axu stared absentmindedly at the other’s lips as they moved, only snapping back to reality after Ahxu called his name several times.
Ahxu looked at him with slight concern. “What’s wrong with you tonight? Why do you keep spacing out?”
“N…nothing.” Axu shook his head as if to hide it, glancing at Ahxu before suddenly letting out a low laugh. “You look really good tonight.”
Ahxu: “……” He had dragged him so far and run all the way to this secluded corner just to say that?
The excitement on the playground didn’t subside with Ahxu’s departure. Azhang was surrounded by several females who wanted to know exactly how the animal horn produced that sound.
Azhang had been well prepared and brought out several intact antelope-dragon horns. He demonstrated on the spot how to make the horns and even taught them how to play them. Soon, bursts of horn sounds began echoing from the corners of the playground.
Several leather drums, originally meant for the performance, were also brought out from the changing room. One female was teaching everyone how to play them. Unfortunately, making a leather drum wasn’t as simple as crafting an animal horn; otherwise, people probably would have insisted on demonstrating how to make them on the spot as well.
A few females pulled one of the performers to do the war dance again. Even without the drum accompaniment, the lively chatter of the crowd seemed to serve as a natural rhythm. At first, only one person danced, but eventually it grew into a spectacle of a hundred people moving together. Of course, the rhythm wasn’t as precise as that of the females specifically trained by Chen Qi, giving a somewhat chaotic impression, but it couldn’t dampen the beastmen’s enthusiasm for learning the dance.
Ale and a few younger females were surrounded by several males. Perhaps stirred by the war dance, the males’ emotions had been roused, and they directly asked the females if they had partners.
Ale knew that the males from the Lion-Wolf Tribe would never go to another tribe. Even if they became partners with someone, they would have to move to the Lion-Wolf Tribe. Ale had no intention of leaving Qi Ze City, nor any plans to find a partner. Throughout this summer, he had been busy with the tribe’s construction work. Later, even though hunting tasks became less frequent, the tribe started cultivating again. Ale had long pushed thoughts of finding a mate out of his mind; now, in his heart, matters in Qi Ze City were the most important.
Ale felt a headache coming on from the sudden enthusiasm of the few males. He hadn’t approached them during this time and couldn’t recognize exactly who they were, but judging by their attire, they seemed to be from the Lion-Wolf Tribe as well. He pressed his lips together and tried to keep his expression calm as he answered their questions.
A white figure passed in front of the group. Ale’s eyes lit up, and he quickly grabbed the person’s arm. Turning back to the males, he said, “Sorry, I already have a partner.” After speaking, he didn’t forget to point to a few other young females from the Salt-Water Tribe who had also danced. “They’re still single—go ask them!”
The males glanced at Ye Huo, dressed all in white, then at Ale, who was holding his arm. Seeing that the plate in Ye Huo’s hand already had grilled meat mixed with chili powder, Ale reached over, picked up a piece, and popped it into his mouth, commenting, “Grilled meat with chili powder is still the best.”
“If it tastes good, then eat more,” Ye Huo said, handing over the chopsticks in his hand.
Ale didn’t hold back. He took the chopsticks and the plate full of grilled meat and happily started eating. He hadn’t eaten before the dance due to nerves, and by now, he was already very hungry.
Watching the two interact so affectionately, and seeing Ale eat with such delight, the females exchanged glances, nodded at Ye Huo in greeting, and then left.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Why did the females they were interested in always get taken away after only a few words? A few males from the Lion-Wolf Tribe, puzzled, moved closer to another group of people.
After Ale finished the entire plate of grilled meat, Ye Huo thoughtfully handed him a cup of tea. The warm tea washed down the taste of the meat, and Ale let out a satisfied sigh.
Ye Huo waited until he finished the tea, then raised an eyebrow and asked calmly, “Since when did I become your male partner?”
“……” Ale suddenly remembered the excuse he had used earlier to get out of the crowd, which he had forgotten in the face of delicious food. Now, brought up by Ye Huo, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Um, listen, let me explain…”
“Since you say I’m your male partner, then I’ll be your male partner from now on.”
“……” Wait, what’s going on? Ale stared at him, completely bewildered.
“Did the roast meat just now taste good?”
“Good.”
“Since you’ve agreed, let’s find Azhang tomorrow and become mates.”
“……” Wait, what did I just promise?
Although there was only one program for the bonfire party this evening, the beast people still had a great time. Several females and males, who had already had good feelings for each other, had secretly hidden aside to develop their feelings, which was regarded as a success for the purpose of the bonfire party.
The wood in the fire pan was added several times, and the big red lanterns and oil lamps around had gone out at some point, but the small fire on the playground burned all night. The noise from the people also lasted all night. Some people were so tired they just slept on the ground next to the fire.
When the sun rose over the plains, Qi Ze City fell into a quiet state. People who had been playing all night were lying all over the playground. Fortunately, a lot of bamboo mats were laid around the fire so that they could sit by the fire and barbecue, so they didn’t have to sleep directly on the mud.
However, this tranquility did not last long. A wolf howl broke the silence, and everyone was awakened.
Aze nimbly climbed down from the city wall. At this time, Azhang, the tribe leader, had already arrived at the city gate.
“What is it?”
Aze did not lower his voice. He glanced at the beastmen following behind Azhang. “There are ironshell-drakes coming.”
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: Side ship SAIL~
Translator: Miiya
Editor: MushroomKnight73
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.
