Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 186
Chapter 186
The adult impala Aze hunted was handed over to Azhang, whom Chen Qi asked to help distribute the meat to the elderly females who could no longer hunt and the young beastmen who had lost their families. As for themselves, they took home the smaller impala Ajing had caught.
After returning to the tribe, Aze looked much better. His forehead was no longer sweating, and although his face was still a bit pale, he seemed far more spirited. Even though he kept insisting he was fine, Chen Qi still felt uneasy. He shooed Aze back into the room to rest while he and Ajing handled the young impala.
The young impala wasn’t very large. Chen Qi used part of it to make a pot of offal soup, roasted the rest, and even made a few vegetable pancakes using the fresh wild greens they had gathered earlier that day.
It had been a long time since Chen Qi had eaten fresh meat and vegetables, so he put real care into cooking the meal.
Aside from the paleness, Aze wasn’t experiencing any other discomfort. He was used to being busy during the day, so suddenly lying in bed made it hard for him to sleep. After tossing around a bit, he caught the aroma of roasting meat and couldn’t help getting up.
“Why aren’t you resting a little longer?” Chen Qi set down the seasoning he had been about to brush onto the roast and walked to Aze’s side. He touched Aze’s forehead with the back of his hand. Feeling no fever, he finally relaxed.
“I’m fine.”
“Sit here and rest for a bit. It’ll be ready soon.” Chen Qi brought over a futon for him. Knowing Chen Qi was worried, Aze didn’t refuse and obediently sat to the side, quietly watching him work.
However, Aze didn’t eat much during the meal. Seeing his lack of appetite, Chen Qi made a light vegetable porridge for him instead. Aze actually finished two large bowls of that, but afterward, he grew very sleepy again. Chen Qi guided him back to the room, where he slept straight through until evening.
Aze’s unusual behavior worried Chen Qi greatly. He wondered whether Aze had caught a chill from being out in the rain for so long a few days ago. With no doctors and no one knowledgeable about medicine here, Chen Qi didn’t dare try random herbs. All he could do was stay by Aze’s side and keep watch.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Fortunately, aside from the drowsiness and poor appetite, Aze showed no other symptoms. Because of this odd state, Chen Qi also refused to let him go out hunting. Meanwhile, Ajing and the little wolf cub took the opportunity to learn hunting skills from the other beastmen, now that the animals on the plains had begun migrating back. Every day, they brought home some small prey—juvenile animals, not very large, but more than enough to cover the daily needs of their small family.
After hearing about Aze’s condition, Azhang came to check on him and also brought over some of the hunting team’s catch.
The tribe was still in the midst of construction, and most resources were still shared communally. Even if Chen Qi and the others couldn’t go out to hunt, they could still receive fresh meat from the tribe’s efforts every day.
Still, Chen Qi didn’t plan to stay in the tribe doing nothing while Aze was unable to hunt. He was currently designing a warm shed—a place for raising animals. There were many issues to consider in the blueprint, and Chen Qi also planned to catch a few small animals to try raising before the design was finalized.
He had experience trapping wild rabbits before. As long as he found the rabbit trails, catching them wasn’t difficult. But Aze didn’t want Chen Qi to leave the city without him. Unfortunately, Aze had been so lethargic these days that he often slept until nearly noon before waking. Chen Qi had no choice but to postpone his outing to set traps until midday.
After setting the last trap, Chen Qi stood up and patted the dirt from his palms. He looked up at a tree that resembled a banyan—this was the very tree in which he had once hidden while witnessing a fierce fight over food, almost getting eaten by vultures in the process. Thinking back, it all felt like a lifetime ago. If vultures appeared now, he wouldn’t need anyone to rescue him. Chen Qi felt confident he could easily handle them himself with the bow—or the crossbow—in his hands.
“I didn’t expect I’d been here so long.” The branches of the banyan tree were full of lush leaves, probably because it was just the start of summer and the tree hadn’t begun to blossom yet.
Aze yawned, a few tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Perhaps it was due to fatigue, and his expression looked a bit lazy.
“Sleepy?” Chen Qi asked, wiping the corners of his eyes with concern.
“En.” Aze nodded, then added, “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry.”
“If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, you must tell me.” Chen Qi looked at him seriously. Beastmen don’t get sick easily, but that doesn’t mean they can’t. Chen Qi didn’t understand medicine and was afraid something might happen.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“Don’t worry, I really am fine.” Aze knew his body well. Though he didn’t understand why he had been behaving unusually lately, he didn’t feel any discomfort. Clearly, it was impossible for Chen Qi not to worry.
Chen Qi didn’t say anything further. He packed up his things and, noticing the tiredness in Aze’s eyes, crouched slightly in front of him. “I’ll carry you home.”
“No, it’s not far from the tribe. I can make it if I just push through.” Aze waved his hands repeatedly. He had followed Chen Qi to protect him; now, how could he let Chen Qi carry him back? What if he fell asleep and wild animals appeared?
Chen Qi hung his crossbow on his chest, grabbed Aze’s wrist, and, without further discussion, lifted him up. He had grown quite a bit this past year and was now almost as tall as Aze. Chen Qi never expected that he could still grow taller in his thirties.
“I… I’m really heavy.” Since he could remember, Aze had never been carried by anyone else. He was always the one carrying Chen Qi, so this role reversal made him feel a little awkward.
Chen Qi bounced him slightly and laughed. “You’re not heavy.” Then he started walking steadily toward the tribe, showing no sign of struggle.
“If you’re sleepy, just rest a bit. It’s so close to the tribe that large wild animals won’t appear here.”
“En.” Aze rested his head gently against Chen Qi’s back. The warmth through his clothes deepened his drowsiness. Being carried felt both novel and reassuring. He no longer insisted on walking by himself, and after a few breaths, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Chen Qi chuckled softly and slowed his pace to let him sleep comfortably.
As they reached the city gate, Ahxu jumped down from the wall. Seeing Chen Qi carrying Aze, he hurried over, worried. “What happened? Is Aze hurt?”
“Shh.” Chen Qi gestured for him to lower his voice. Perhaps hearing the conversation, Aze stirred slightly on his back but showed no signs of waking. Chen Qi explained, “He’s just sleepy. He fell asleep.”
“What’s been happening to him these past few days? Why is he sleeping so long?” Ahxu whispered, clearly aware of Aze’s recent condition.
“I don’t know.” Chen Qi shook his head with a wry smile. “But aside from being unusually drowsy, he seems physically fine. Don’t worry. I’ll take him home first.”
“Go ahead.” Ahxu patted Chen Qi’s shoulder comfortingly and opened the gate for him before returning to the wall.
Recently, Aze hadn’t been eating much. Every day, Chen Qi tried making different snacks for him, but Aze only showed interest in light foods or pastries. After settling him in, Chen Qi headed to the kitchen. He had picked a lot of fresh wild vegetables during his outing and planned to use them to make something new for Aze to try.
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!” Ajing burst in with the little wolf cub and handed a slightly dirty hide backpack to Chen Qi, his face shining with an expectant smile.
Chen Qi took the backpack, curious. “What did you bring back?”
“Rabbits.”
Opening the bag, Chen Qi found a few wild rabbits that looked very young. “Where did you find them?”
“In a bush. Little Wolf and I were trying to catch a young warthog, but we found these on the way and brought them back.” Ajing looked down, a little dejected. “We didn’t catch any game today.”
“Awoo.” The little wolf cub lowered its head, as if feeling guilty.
Chen Qi laughed, ruffling the two little ones. “You haven’t even finished the game you caught yesterday, and yet you brought back so many little rabbits. That’s already impressive.” He crouched down to look at Ajing and the little wolf cub seriously. “Remember, you’re here to learn hunting skills. Don’t let the hunt endanger you. The plains aren’t as dangerous as the forest, but with your current abilities, you can’t handle large beasts. Whether you catch prey or not doesn’t matter; what matters is returning safely every day. Understand?”
Ajing and the little wolf cub nodded at each other, “We understand.”
Chen Qi smiled. “First, let’s make a nest for the rabbits.”
Ajing’s eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically.
The rabbits were kept in a wooden-fenced cage, originally meant for adult rabbits, so the gaps between boards were quite wide. Chen Qi added an extra layer of rope across the gaps and made a simple nest inside with soft hay and some old hides.
The cage was placed under a fig tree, safe from the sun.
Chen Qi handed a handful of the freshly picked wild vegetables to Ajing and showed him how to feed the rabbits.
The beastmen had never raised animals before. The little wolf cub was the first one they’d cared for, and it was smart—Ajing could understand its intentions even though it couldn’t speak. The little rabbits, however, huddled together, didn’t even know how to bite the vegetables placed in front of them.
Ajing frowned, the initial novelty quickly fading. “Do we have to keep them all the time?”
Chen Qi teased a grayish little rabbit with a leaf. “Yes, we’ll keep them. That way, we’ll have fresh meat in the winter.”
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.
