Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 174
Chapter 174
While waiting for the heatgrass to finish boiling, Chen Qi was not idle. He planned to give the patients a simple round of physical cooling first.
The feverish beastmen were wrapped in thick animal-skin clothes. Chen Qi did not dare to take off all their clothing; he only opened their collars slightly and removed the skins covering their hands to help dissipate heat.
He sent Ajing outside to fetch some ice blocks to make ice bags for placing on their heads. Then he mixed a little warm water and asked the females caring for the patients to wipe them according to his instructions. Since there was no suitable alcohol, Chen Qi used brewed grape wine instead. When all was done, the room was filled with a strong smell of wine.
After the heatgrass decoction was ready, he fed each patient a large bowl. Perhaps because they had reached a warm place, even Lu Se, who had been trying hard to stay awake, fell into a deep sleep after drinking the medicine.
At this time, Ashu, who had gone to boil ginger soup for the tribesmen, also returned, not forgetting to bring a bowl for those who had been tending to the sick.
After Achu settled his people and came back, he sent them to rest, leaving only the families of a few patients to continue their watch. Chen Qi did not dare to relax; he checked on the patients from time to time. Whether it was because the heatgrass was so effective, even the heat of those who had fallen into a coma earlier was slowly fading. Once everyone’s hearts were at ease, Chen Qi finally had the mood to ask about the Salt-Water Tribe’s reason for coming here.
“I didn’t expect the outside world to have become so dangerous.” Chen Qi sighed. If they had not fallen into peril, the beastmen of the Salt-Water Tribe would not have traveled such a long distance to flee to Qi Ze City.
Aze hesitated for a moment. “You said that when you left the Lion-Wolf Tribe, you saw a messenger eagle. Was the hyena-drakes’ pack going to attack the Lion-Wolf Tribe?”
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 took the freshly cooked food that Ali handed him. Recently, because of their hurried travel, they had been eating only one cooked meal a day. Apart from hastily roasting their food, they had no time to improve its taste. Now, as he smelled the aroma, his stomach growled, and even someone as calm as him could not help swallowing.
After thanking Ali, Axu took a mouthful of the fresh, sweet fish porridge and replied, “Recently, many small tribes have gone to join the Lion-Wolf Tribe. By now, their numbers probably exceed the hyena-drakes’. Even if the hyena-drakes really attack them, they might not gain any advantage.” That was also one of the reasons they had hesitated to leave the Lion-Wolf Tribe.
Beside them, Ashu was already gulping down porridge and stuffing food into his mouth. Seeing how hungry everyone looked, Chen Qi could only let them finish eating before continuing the conversation.
He wiped the patients again with wine and checked their foreheads; their temperature was much better than when they had just been brought in.
When everyone had finished their food, Azhang pushed open the door carefully, lifting the fur curtain just enough to keep the cold wind from blowing in.
“How are they?” Azhang asked quietly, looking at the rows of sleeping beastmen.
“Don’t worry, their fever is already subsiding,” Ali said, asking him to warm himself by the fire so he wouldn’t bring the chill near the weakened patients.
“Thank you all so much for today.” Achu bowed deeply to the people of Qi Ze City, and the Salt-Water Tribe tribesmen around him followed in expressing their gratitude.
Azhang waved his hand. “I should be the one thanking you for the information you brought.”
Beastmen tribes had a long-standing tradition of accepting other tribes during times of crisis. It ensured that when they themselves were in danger, there would be a place to seek refuge — it was for the survival of all beastmen.
After all, the hyena-drakes had already reached the Lion-Wolf Tribe, leaving no time for the beastmen to deploy slowly. Azhang had come intending to discuss future plans with everyone.
Achu was not familiar with Qi Ze City, so he naturally left all arrangements to Azhang. There were too many hyena-drakes this time, and to avoid unnecessary casualties, all the guards patrolling near the Chishui River had been called back. They even sprinkled fig juice around the tribe several times, hoping it would mask the scent of the beastmen.
“We didn’t bring enough food this time,” Achu said worriedly. “If we don’t go out again, I’m afraid we won’t have enough to survive the winter.” They not only lacked food but also warm clothing. He could see that there weren’t many houses in Qi Ze City — it was already generous for the city to provide them shelter. Food and clothing, however, were things they would have to solve on their own.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“You don’t have to worry about food.” Azhang smiled and explained about the food that had recently been delivered to their homes. Together with their summer reserves, it was enough to support them through the winter.
Achu and the others looked at each other after listening, clearly skeptical about such a simple method of hunting dragons. Axu and Ashu, who had participated in hunting the ironshell-drakes before, accepted it more easily.
After all, the people from the Salt-Water Tribe were newcomers. After briefly discussing the arrangements with them, Azhang left. After nightfall, several feverish beastmen woke up hungry. Chen Qi fed them some of the rice paste he had kept warm and gave each of them half a bowl of reheated heatgrass herbal soup.
Chen Qi did not dare to sleep that night. He stayed up watching over the patients until everyone’s fever subsided to normal before leaning against Aze for a short rest.
Lu Se’s illness was the mildest among them. He woke up at dawn and, upon seeing his mate sleeping curled beside him, felt a pang of heartache. During this journey, Achu had grown thin, with dark circles under his eyes and sunken cheeks. Lu Se gestured with his eyes for Axu, who noticed he was awake, to move gently so as not to wake the other.
“Father, are you feeling better?” Axu bypassed Achu and reached out to gently lift the other side.
“Much better.”
Axu reached out to check his father’s temperature and found that it had indeed returned to normal. The heavy stone in his heart finally settled. He adjusted his father’s fur coat to keep him from catching a chill. To maintain ventilation indoors, Chen Qi had opened a crack in both hall windows. Although the cold wind did not blow directly on the patients, Axu still remained cautious.
A steaming bowl of meat congee was handed to the two of them. Chen Qi had specially prepared it for the patients, adding minced hydrochoerus dragon meat and a piece of wild ginseng to replenish the qi and blood of the beastmen who had been ill for days. “You must be hungry—eat something to settle your stomach first,” he said.
Axu took it gratefully and slowly fed Lu Se until he finished.
Aside from those still in a deep coma, the rest of the beastmen gradually regained consciousness. After finishing their porridge, their complexions improved noticeably. Beastmen rarely fell ill, and when they did, it was usually with fever—something that typically resolved quickly once the fever broke. After hearing Aze’s explanation of the illness, Chen Qi was no longer as anxious, even though a few were still unconscious.
Thanks to the gathering held earlier, several dormitories had been built in Qi Ze City. However, unlike other houses, these dorms lacked fire-pit beds and could only be heated by bonfires. After consulting with the others, Azhang arranged for the females to move into these dormitories since their beast-formed fur made them less sensitive to the cold compared to males.
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 males, along with some children and elders, temporarily stayed in other people’s homes. The original females of Qi Ze City voluntarily gave up their houses for the newcomers, and it was easy enough to add temporary heated kang beds to the beastmen’s homes, making them much warmer than the dormitories.
Even the school was temporarily used to house the Salt-Water Tribe members, except for the classroom converted into a workshop. Although a bit crowded, it was sufficient for them to endure the winter.
With the Salt-Water Tribe’s addition, the number of guards increased significantly. Chen Qi instructed them to install the newly improved siege crossbows along the ice city walls.
Now, the entire Qi Ze City’s daily routine was simply to ensure that the weapons and traps were in good condition and to wait patiently for winter to end.
The comatose patients slept for another two days before waking up one by one. After confirming that they were only weak but otherwise fine, Chen Qi finally relaxed. As the Salt-Water Tribe gradually integrated into the city, Chen Qi resumed his previous work on weapon design. His explosives and siege machines, such as catapults, were still unfinished.
With the Salt-Water Tribe’s help, Chen Qi discovered several beastmen with excellent craftsmanship. They could perfectly reproduce items according to his blueprints and instructions. Although they sometimes struggled to grasp the principles behind them, the progress was much faster than before. They even managed to enhance the power of the siege crossbows. Unfortunately, due to material limitations, the wooden arrows still lacked the lethality to kill dragons in a single shot.
“Father, will we be all right?” A small female, who looked only two or three years old, was held tightly in his father’s arms, his large eyes filled with confusion.
“We’ll be all right. If you’re sleepy, take a nap. When you wake up, the hyena-drakes will be gone,” the male gently stroked his child’s back, speaking softly to comfort him.
The little female obediently nodded, found a comfortable spot in his father’s arms, and slowly drifted to sleep.
On the outermost ice wall of the Lion-Wolf Tribe, rows of fully beast-formed females stood densely packed. Some stood upright, others crouched low, their sharp claws glinting with a cold gleam—ready at any moment to tear out an enemy’s throat.
“Chief, they’ve been surrounding us for three days now,” Bo De said. Though a male, he had served as a tribe leader for half his life, and unlike other males who hid deep within the tribe’s safest areas, he came daily to the outer ice wall to observe the standoff between the hyena-drakes and the beastmen.
The female chief did not reply. His face was dark as he stared at the massive hyena-drake that appeared to be the leader of the pack. It was the first time he had seen one of such enormous size, and compared to the countless smaller ones behind it, this giant made him feel even more uneasy.
Seeing that the chief ignored him, Bo De’s expression darkened as well. He was just about to ask whether there had been any new movement among the hyena-drakes when the man beside him said slowly, “This is not the place for you to stay.”
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 2 of 3 for the week.
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.
