Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 176
Chapter 176
“You’re here.” Seeing Chen Qi and Aze walk in, Ye Huo quickly gave up his seat near the fire and handed over the bone he had been polishing. This was his first time doing such work, and he wasn’t confident in his skills. “Take a look—do you think this kind of arrowhead will work?”
Chen Qi took it and examined it carefully. In addition to cutting the bone into shape, Ye Huo had also polished the base smooth with a whetstone. The surface felt slick under his fingers, showing that Ye Huo had put a lot of effort into it.
“Not bad,” Chen Qi praised. Then he took a folded piece of paper from his small backpack—on it were several drawings of different arrowhead shapes. Handing the paper to Ye Huo, he waved for the other beastmen to come over as well. “Try shaping the arrowheads with a few serrations, like this one.”
Chen Qi pointed to one of the sketches. Up until now, all the arrowheads had been smooth and uniform. Those worked fine for wooden bows, improving speed and accuracy, but for much larger siege weapons, they were too weak.
On the paper were two main designs: one was a smooth, triangular shape, and the other added jagged serrations along the edges. The serrated design could increase the area of damage, tearing wounds more severely. Combined with the siege crossbow’s immense power, it would be far more lethal than the previous arrows.
After hearing Chen Qi’s explanation, the beastmen changed all their half-finished arrowheads into the new serrated shape. Meanwhile, Chen Qi and Aze went to the other side to work with another group of beastmen on building catapults.
The busy day passed quickly. After nightfall, some beastmen took unfinished work home to continue crafting. Even though the street lamps outside no longer lit up in neat rows like they were in the summer, through the translucent windows one could still see warm light spilling out from inside the houses, and occasionally hear bursts of laughter and conversation.
Snowflakes, carried by the cold wind, began to fall again. Lately, it seemed to snow every few days. Thanks to that, the tribe’s snow-clearing work had thickened the ice walls by several more meters. In a little while, the new height would match the original wall’s.
Chen Qi helped Aze pull up the hood of his fur cloak, then slipped his frozen hands into Aze’s warm palms. As soon as Aze stepped outside, he retracted the fur from his hands. Even without the fur, his palms were still pleasantly warm. Chen Qi, on the other hand, always had icy hands and feet in winter—he couldn’t even fall asleep at night without clinging to Aze.
“Just one day, and the snow’s piled up this thick again,” Chen Qi muttered as he steadied himself, trudging through snow that nearly reached his knees.
“It’ll be cleared away by morning,” Aze said, leading Chen Qi home step by step.
“I wonder how the Lion-Wolf Tribe is doing now.”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“They have a lot of people—they’ll be fine.” Aze gave Chen Qi’s hand a reassuring squeeze.
Chen Qi smiled and didn’t continue the topic.
When they pushed open the courtyard gate, they saw Ajing and a few little beastmen building snowmen. The oil lamps around the yard were all lit, and the little wolf cub, wrapped in a large fur coat, was curled up in a corner watching them play.
As soon as Chen Qi entered, everyone stopped what they were doing. He smiled and pinched Ajing’s cheeks, which were flushed red from the cold. “Why are you still playing outside after dark?”
“We’re almost done,” Ajing said, pointing proudly at the row of snowmen under the fig tree. His eyes shone brightly in the lamplight.
Chen Qi looked in that direction—the snowmen’s bodies were already formed; they only needed faces and limbs.
The ones playing with Ajing were a few little female Beastmen about his age. They wore only thin fur clothes, and except for their faces, their bodies were covered in soft beast fur. If not for the fact that they stood upright, they would’ve looked like a bunch of small wild animals.
Since the fall of the Rock-Mountain Tribe, Ajing hadn’t played with anyone his age for a long time. These little Beastmen had been brought over by Axu earlier that afternoon. The original plan was for Ajing to teach them new things, but since they were shy in this unfamiliar place, Ajing decided to play with them first—hence why they were still out building snowmen so late.
Seeing the excited little faces, Chen Qi couldn’t help smiling too. He rolled up his sleeves and said, “I’ll help you build one too.”
Ajing grinned, called for the other little beastmen, and together they ran into the house to fetch materials. Soon, under the dim courtyard lamps, the group began to bustle around cheerfully, chattering and laughing.
“Hey, why are you using a sweet potato for the mouth? It’s too big—ah, see, you broke the mouth!”
“Can this leaf be used to make clothes?”
“You might need some rope to tie it to the snowman.”
“Let’s use the leaf as a hat instead.”
“Your snowman’s arm is crooked—move it back a little.”
……
The noise from the courtyard was so lively that even a few patients resting inside Chen Qi’s house couldn’t resist pulling aside the door curtain to peek out.
“……What are they doing?” Axu saw Aze coming over with a small bundle of branches and asked.
Aze handed the oddly shaped branches to the little beastmen, then walked over to Axu and replied with a smile, “They’re making snowmen.”
“Snowmen?”
Aze pointed with his chin at the snowmen that had already taken shape. “Those things over there.”
Axu leaned over curiously. He had never seen a snowman before, and when he looked at the row of snowmen under the fig tree, he was a little surprised.
After all, it was the little beastmen’s first time making snowmen, and they didn’t look very good. Even though Ajing and Chen Qi had helped them adjust, the snowmen were still somewhat crooked. But for beastmen who had never seen such things before, they already looked very delicate.
When they saw Axu, one little beastman ran over and grabbed his hand. “Axu, I made that one.”
Axu rubbed the snow off the child’s head and praised him, “That’s amazing, I didn’t expect your snowman to look so nice.”
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 little beastman straightened his chest proudly, his lips cracking into a wide smile. During this long journey, even though the little beastmen had been carefully protected by the adult females, they had still lost a lot of weight—especially those who had once suffered from high fevers. Some had fainted and couldn’t eat, their cheeks sunken in deeply. Fortunately, as females, their bodies recovered quickly; after the fever broke and a good sleep, most of them had nearly recovered. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared to let them stay outside for so long.
Other little beastmen, seeing Axu approach, crowded around him too, tugging at his hands to show him their snowmen. Axu patiently looked at each one, nodding and praising them one by one.
Chen Qi couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the scene beside him. Axu was tall, and his facial features were much sharper than those of most females. With such an appearance, he didn’t look like someone children would usually take a liking to—if he so much as frowned, it would already be good enough if he didn’t scare them to tears. Chen Qi never would have thought that he would actually allow the little beastmen to pull and tug him around. “They really seem to like you,” Chen Qi said.
Soon after the snowmen were finished, the wind began to blow, and the temperature suddenly dropped. It looked like a snowstorm would come that night.
Chen Qi shivered and no longer wanted to stay outside. Pulling his cloak tighter, he suggested to Axu, “Why don’t we let these little beastmen stay at my house tonight? Ajing’s heated bed is big enough—if they sleep sideways, they should all fit.”
Many houses in the tribe had added new heated kang beds in recent days, but they needed some time before they could be used. For now, many beastmen still slept on hides near the fire, which was certainly not as comfortable as a warm kang bed.
“Wouldn’t that trouble you too much?” Axu hesitated. Chen Qi’s house had already taken in quite a few beastmen, most of whom had come when they were sick. Now that the tribe’s housing had been arranged, there was no need to send more people to his home.
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Just let them stay here tonight and have dinner here too.”
Seeing that Chen Qi wasn’t feeling forced, Axu thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Aze went outside and brought back several barrels of snow. He heated a large barrel of water in the washroom. Chen Qi asked Ajing to take the little beastmen to wash up, while he went to check on the sick.
The most seriously ill beastmen had already been moved to the heated bed in the hall. Their fevers had subsided, and they had regained consciousness, though they were still weak from being ill for so long.
Seeing that no one was feverish anymore, Chen Qi felt relieved and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the large household.
Although Lu Se’s condition had improved, he hadn’t left yet. When the females who had been caring for the patients were called away for other work, he took over their duties. Since Chen Qi had said before that cooking was his job, Lu Se didn’t rashly prepare dinner himself. He also knew that Qi Ze City’s cooking methods were quite different from theirs.
Seeing Chen Qi busy, Lu Se hurried over to help.
Because there were many patients at home, Chen Qi cooked lightly seasoned food—a pot of congee with vegetables and meat, paired with a few stir-fried dishes. He wasn’t like Ka Luo, who liked to fry everything.
Although there were many vegetarian dishes, the people from the Salt-Water Tribe—accustomed to eating meat—didn’t mind. They rarely had such meals made almost entirely from plants. These past few days, they had realized how many plants were actually edible. If they had known earlier, they wouldn’t have gone hungry so often in previous winters.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Everyone ate while sighing in amazement, secretly feeling grateful that choosing to take refuge in Qi Ze City back then had been such a wise decision. If they had stayed in the Lion-Wolf Tribe, it was uncertain whether they could have been cured of the high fever—perhaps they might have even been eaten by hyena-drakes.
Ajing picked a big handful of figs to wash for the little beastmen. Since winter began, they had hardly bathed, but now with hot water—and Ajing watching them like a hawk—the little beastmen scrubbed so hard it was as if they were about to peel off a layer of skin before finally finishing.
When the freshly washed little beastmen came out, clean and smelling faintly of figs, the patients sitting together felt embarrassed. They too hadn’t bathed since winter began, and though they were used to their own smell, the comparison made them suddenly feel filthy.
Chen Qi looked at their expressions with amusement. “After you finish eating, you should go wash too.” Aze had already refilled the washroom with hot water, and there was enough for everyone once it finished boiling.
A few people exchanged glances, then looked gratefully at Chen Qi and began eating faster, eager to wash up soon.
As several snowstorms passed, the unmoving pack of hyena-drakes was almost buried under the snow, looking like a cluster of small snow mounds. If not for the pairs of coldly gleaming eyes that occasionally blinked, no one would have realized those snow mounds were alive.
No beastmen tribes had come to seek refuge with the Lion-Wolf Tribe during this time, but the hyena-drakes had already feasted on beastmen flesh. The energy they absorbed would not only sustain them through this winter but keep them alive even without food until the next one. So, with no need to hunt or travel, they lay quietly facing the Lion-Wolf Tribe, too lazy to move. The cold of the snow meant nothing to them.
The Lion-Wolf Tribe had been facing off against the hyena-drakes for over a month. Neither side had made the first move to break the stalemate. Just as the giant wolf-god yawned in boredom, thinking they might stay locked in this standoff until winter’s end, the hyena-drake leader finally opened its eyes. As it rose, snow cascaded off its body, sliding down its silvery scales until not a single flake remained.
The hyena-drake leader cast a long look at the dark ice wall still lined with beastmen females, then slowly turned around and said softly, “Let’s go.” The pack of hyena-drakes, which had been lying silently like snow mounds, suddenly stirred to life.
A small group of hyena-drakes moved ahead of their leader, and the rest spread out in formation, encircling the leader in the center. The pack that had been stationed quietly before the Lion-Wolf Tribe suddenly turned and began to march toward the forest.
A few messenger eagles, resting somewhere unseen, spotted the hyena-drakes’ movement. Their long-silent cries rang across the sky as they flapped their wings to follow behind the retreating pack. This time, fearing another roar from the hyena-drakes, they didn’t dare fly ahead. After those first few calls, silence returned, broken only by the occasional feather drifting down to guide their companions who followed later.
“Leaving just like that?” The giant wolf-god lay back down on his own great mount, unable to understand the hyena-drake leader’s sudden decision to retreat. With its strength, the leader could have captured the beastmen tribe, even if it meant heavy losses.
“En.” The hyena-drake leader flicked its tail lightly. It indeed had the power to conquer the tribe, but doing so would cost many subordinates. It had already hunted plenty of beastmen this year and wasn’t in a hurry. There would be plenty of chances later to devour that tribe with minimal loss.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 1 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.
