Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 153
Chapter 153
Before Aze arrived, Ajin had clearly fought another intense battle with the hyena-drakes. In addition to the scratch marks on his back from the initial attack, his body now bore multiple fresh wounds. The injuries, unable to scab over, continuously oozed blood. Not only was his animal skin coat thoroughly soaked, but the shredded hide added to the pitiful sight.
Since Ajin had fallen into unconsciousness and couldn’t retract his fur on his own, Aze could only trim the hair around the wounds before cleaning them.
Ai Li watched nervously as Aze skillfully bandaged Ajin. He wanted to help but dared not disturb him, so he simply held Ajin steady to allow Aze to work efficiently.
After roughly treating Ajin’s wounds, neither of them dared to linger in the open. Aze led the two to a safe spot to rest. Perhaps due to the severity of the injuries, Ajin soon developed a fever upon reaching a resting place.
Aze frowned tightly. A high fever after a severe injury was very dangerous for a beastman; improper care could be fatal.
Aze gathered some dry grass to make a simple mattress, instructed Ai Li to light a fire nearby, and covered Ajin with all the available furs. Wounded beastmen had very poor cold resistance, and it was early snow season—if Ajin couldn’t survive the night, there was nothing Aze could do.
Once they were out of immediate danger, Ai Li calmed down. After the fire was set, he took a laiche fruit from Ajin’s backpack, cracked it open with a bone knife, and discarded the milky juice inside. Using clean snow, he quickly rinsed the shell, then filled it with a large portion of snow and set it by the fire to melt.
When the snow in the fruit shell had fully melted, Ai Li retrieved a tender green weed from his backpack, its roots still wrapped in animal hide and a small clump of damp soil, and a few tiny yellow flowers clinging to it. The leaves had begun to wilt slightly from being stored too long.
He cleaned the soil off the roots with the melted snow water, revealing brown stems as thick as little fingers. After setting aside another weed in the same way, he boiled the two weeds in the heated snow water.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Aze didn’t know what Ai Li was preparing, but seeing him boiling the weeds in the shell and then coming over to take care of Ajin, he voluntarily gave up the spot to him and stood on the other side of the fire at a distance from the two, keeping watch. After all, they had just encountered a hyena-drake, and there was no guarantee they wouldn’t run into other dangers.
Aze’s gaze darkened. Recently, had dragons been becoming more active on the plains? He wondered if Qi Ze City was safe.
“Thank you.”
Hearing the soft voice, Aze turned in confusion. Ai Li was carefully wiping the sweat from Ajin’s forehead. Just as Aze thought he had misheard, Ai Li added quietly, “Thank you for saving us.”
Aze was momentarily stunned; he hadn’t expected to receive thanks. He gave a small nod and returned to his vigil without saying more.
The atmosphere fell silent again, broken only by the crackling firewood as twilight deepened and the surroundings grew quiet.
Aze dug out his usual dried meat and tossed two pieces to Ai Li, then squatted nearby to eat with the icy snow water.
Although Ai Li, who hadn’t eaten since their frantic escape, was starving, he did not immediately touch the dried meat. He carefully watched as the boiled weeds in the melted snow water gradually darkened to a deep green, then moved the fruit shells off the fire.
Seeing Ai Li prepare to feed the strange soup to the sleeping Ajin, Aze finally asked, “What are you giving him?”
Ai Li paused, then explained, “He has a fever. This will help cool him down.” As long as the high fever didn’t persist, Ajin, whose bleeding had already been stopped, should survive. Ai Li didn’t want him to die now, just after escaping danger.
After hearing this, Aze said nothing further. He quietly finished his meal and continued to keep watch. What he could do to help Ajin was done; the rest would depend on him.
Because there was no suitable spoon for feeding the soup, and the comatose Ajin couldn’t drink directly from the fruit shell, Ai Li thought for a moment and decided to transfer the soup mouth-to-mouth. The bitter taste of the dark green soup made him frown, but he patiently fed the entire large shell of soup.
After wiping the juice from the corners of his mouth and adjusting Ajin’s fur clothing, Ai Li boiled another fruit shell of snow water to rinse his mouth and settle his own dinner.
Aze circled the area to confirm there was no danger before returning to the temporary camp. Seeing him come back and sit a short distance away, Ai Li looked up briefly, then lowered his head again. He glanced at Ajin, whose face was flushed from the fever, clenched his fist, and stood to walk over beside Aze.
“Aze, can I talk to you?”
Aze looked up in surprise. He knew Ai Li had always had a problem with him. Although he had saved him this time, he didn’t expect much gratitude, thinking their silent relationship would continue at least until the injured beastman woke up.
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 that Aze neither nodded nor shook his head, Ai Li continued without hesitation: “I want to ask you to escort us back to the tribe.”
Aze raised an eyebrow. The Lion-Wolf Tribe was still two or three days away. He couldn’t carry a male other than Chen Qi at his pace, and with his slower speed, the journey would take twice as long. Returning from the Lion-Wolf Tribe to Qi Ze City would take another two or three days. That was far too long; he didn’t want to agree. His eyes drifted to the unconscious female, conflicted. If he didn’t escort them, another attack—even by an ironshell-drake, not a hyena-drake—could mean they wouldn’t survive.
Seeing Aze remain silent, Ai Li added, “I’m not asking you to escort us for nothing. You saw the herb I cooked for Ajin—it’s called Heatgrass, a plant only my former tribe knows that quickly reduces fever. If you escort us safely back to the Lion-Wolf Tribe, I’ll give you half of it in exchange.”
Ai Li didn’t show the herb immediately. Though rare, if Aze knew what it looked like, he could search the forest himself. He needed him to get the two of them safely back—his son was still running a high fever, and he couldn’t afford a delay.
“Winter is coming. Don’t you have a favorite male? If he ever runs a fever in winter, this herb might save his life.” Ai Li tried to recall the fiercely protective male from last year.
Aze remained silent for a long time. Just as Ai Li began to fear he would refuse the offer, he finally said, “Wait until he wakes.” Then he closed his eyes and rested.
Even though Aze didn’t immediately accept the proposal, Ai Li wasn’t worried. He didn’t like the female without pregnancy patterns, but after spending time with Aze, he understood him well enough—he wouldn’t abandon a seriously injured female and a defenseless male on the plains. His offer of the herb was only to avoid owing him a favor.
Ajin’s high fever subsided by midnight. His face grew pale from blood loss, and Ai Li, who had watched over him most of the night, finally exhaled in relief.
After dawn, the surrounding snow began to melt, soaking into the reddish-brown soil. By sunrise, the snowfield gradually revealed the lush greenery beneath, interspersed with weeds turning yellow. When this green fully disappeared, winter would arrive.
After a brief patrol with no sign of dragons nearby, Aze returned to the camp. Ajin, though seriously injured, had woken up, his complexion still weak from blood loss.
Aze peeled and chopped several sweet potatoes he had found, placing them in a laiche fruit shell to make a large bowl of sweet soup for Ajin. He ate the hard meat he had prepared with cold water himself.
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 that Ajin couldn’t travel that day, Ai Li, despite his urgency to return, could only endure. After breakfast, he coaxed Ajin to rest, knowing sleep was the fastest way for a female to regain strength.
Ajin glanced at Ai Li apologetically, thanked Aze, and fell back into a deep sleep, not waking until evening. Were it not for hunger, he might have slept until fully healed.
That evening, to help restore his strength, Aze cut a large portion of the snow bear meat he had hunted and gave it to Ai Li to make broth for Ajin.
The snow bear meat had been lightly smoked and salted but couldn’t be preserved long. If they were to be sent back to the Lion-Wolf Tribe, it would be used as food; otherwise, it would be wasted.
The meat wasn’t particularly tasty, so Aze didn’t mind—this time, he had only intended to bring the meat back for Chen Qi to taste, and it seemed he would have to hunt a fresh one next time for Chen Qi to try.
“Thank you,” Ajin rasped, his voice hoarse from sleeping through injury.
“You’re welcome,” Aze replied, tossing sticks into the fire. “Rest after eating. I’ll be on guard nearby. Tomorrow, I’ll take you back to the Lion-Wolf Tribe.”
Ai Li, pausing while scooping broth, set down his rough wooden spoon, retrieved about a dozen slightly wilted heatgrass leaves from his backpack, and handed them to Aze.
Aze accepted them without hesitation, placing the leaves into his bag. If Chen Qi could see them, he would surely be delighted.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: Wishing all a happy christmas and holiday season.
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.
