Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 007
Chapter 7
It was getting dark very quickly, and the moon tonight was obviously much dimmer than it had been last night. Chen Qi could no longer see the rocky mountain clearly, and even the surrounding plants had become indistinct. Aze’s speed was not as fast as it had been in the beginning, but his pace was still steady and he did not seem to be affected by the darkness at all.
After Aze slowed down, Chen Qi was able to speak to the other. “Aze, do you think there is less moonlight tonight compared to the previous two nights?”
“En, in two nights, there will be no light.”
“Why is that?”
“The moonlight takes half the period of the sun’s brightness to completely lose its light. There are seven days in total. To calculate the days, we take seven days as a period, which are respectively called the first moon to the seventh moon. The seventh moon is also called the Moonless Day* because there is no moon,” Aze explained.
*月无日yuè wú rì literally moon no day
“Oh, I didn’t expect you to calculate days the same way we do.” It seemed that there were still many similarities between the two worlds. Not only were the names of many animals and plants similar, but the names of the sun and moon, and the calculation method of seven days in a week were also similar.
The shadows of the surrounding trees slowly grew taller. Chen Qi couldn’t see the appearance of the trees clearly, but they were slightly shorter and thicker than the acacia trees on the plains.
Once they passed those tall, thick trees, Aze set Chen Qi down in front of a square shadow. “We’re here.”
Due to the dim light, Chen Qi could only see a dark outline in front of him and asked uncertainly, “Your home?”
Aze nodded. Worried that Chen Qi could not see his movement, he replied out loud. Aze stepped forward and lifted something like a curtain, revealing a darker opening without a trace of light. Chen Qi felt inexplicably frightened towards such a place.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Perhaps sensing Chen Qi’s uneasiness, Aze took Chen Qi’s hand and took out Chen Qi’s lighter, opening the lid to let out a cluster of flames. The flames reflected in Aze’s dark pupils, flashing as if with a life of their own. “Don’t be afraid.”
Aze’s voice was deep and full of magnetism, and it had a soothing power which calmed Chen Qi’s uneasiness. He followed Aze into the room.
Upon entering, Aze went straight to a firepit in the middle of the house and quickly lit a fire. With the flames illuminating the room, Chen Qi finally saw his surroundings. The house was not tall. Chen Qi felt that he could reach the ceiling by tiptoeing and stretching out his arms, but the space was large enough. The walls on all sides looked like they were made of mud mixed with large slabs of stone. They were uneven with indentations, and there were no windows. There was only one door opening about half the length of the wall and two pieces of thick, cut animal hides were hung over the opening as a door curtain. Chen Qi’s face was full of black lines. No wonder the house is so dark. And won’t burning a fire in this confined space cause carbon monoxide poisoning?
The house was very empty. The only furniture in it was a not-too-big stone bed in the corner next to several clay pots and pans of different shapes and sizes and a mess of hides. Aze rummaged through the pile of animal skins, pulled out a piece of hide with unique markings, and spread it out next to the fire. He told Chen Qi, “Chen Qi, rest here.”
Chen Qi sat down and felt that the fur hide was very soft. He could not help but stretch out his hand and stroke it. The fluffiness made one want to bury themselves in it.
After getting Chen Qi settled, Aze lifted the curtain to go out. Soon, he came back with a handful of wood and a bulging bundle of hide in his arms. Aze first piled the wood by the fire, then unwrapped the hide in his arms to reveal a laiche fruit that was the size of two fists. He cut the top of the laiche fruit with his fingernail and handed it to Chen Qi.
Chen Qi took it and did not hold back. He took a big sip, and then frowned. How should he put it… this laiche fruit was a bit different compared to the ones he’d had before. The taste was not only lighter, but also a little bitter.
Chen Qi looked up and saw Aze holding a bundle of hide in his arms, looking slightly awkward. “What’s the matter?”
Aze’s mouth opened and closed a few times. He normally didn’t eat many fruits. The fruits he’d collected were from before he’d left to look for the snow bear. After being left out for several days, the fruit’s shell was drying up and there were some signs of spoiling. Aze was extremely regretful that he had not carefully selected some fruits that could be stored for a long time.
“Chen Qi, can you stay here alone for a while?” Aze asked with some trepidation as he tied up the hide again. How could such food be brought out to Chen Qi?
Chen Qi was surprised. “You’re going out?”
Aze nodded. “I will be back soon.”
“Are you going out to hunt?” Chen Qi had been with him for a few days, and he knew a little about the character of the man in front of him. “It’s very dangerous outside so late. I’m not hungry. You can go tomorrow.”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Then he took out the green fruit Aze had given him before and offered it back to him. “If you are hungry, eat this fruit. If you endure it and sleep for a little while, it will be morning soon.”
Aze didn’t take it, but he was a little touched and explained, “I’m not going hunting. I’m going to my brother’s house to borrow some food.”
“Your brother?”
“En.” Aze remembered that he had not told Chen Qi about his family and explained it again. Even the information about his brother’s mate being pregnant, he said it all without hiding anything.
Chen Qi nodded in understanding after hearing his explanation. “Then go ahead and be careful on your way.”
“En, I’ll be back soon,” Aze repeated again before leaving.
After Aze left, Chen Qi walked around the house but found nothing special. The various ceramics were sturdy, but their shapes were not aesthetically pleasing at all. He went back to the fire, and looking at the beating flames, he still felt a little concerned. He’d heard quite a few news broadcasts about carbon monoxide poisoning cases that resulted in hospitalization due to burning charcoal in an enclosed room, and he wasn’t sure whether or not the beastmen here would also have any incidents from having a firepit inside the house. After thinking about it, he picked out two relatively thick logs, walked to the door curtain, raised the hide up to half of the gap, and fixed the height with the logs. Only then did he feel a little more settled.
Aze had chosen to bring two of his best fur hides when he’d gone out. They were soft and warm, quite suitable for children. Originally, he planned to hunt a snow bear for his younger brother’s newborn child, but because he’d been caring for Chen Qi who was in a coma during the first snow, he hadn’t been able to look for the snow bear.
Aze’s home was only a few minutes away from the tribe. Of course, this was calculated at the pace of females. There were many vacant houses in the tribe. In the past three years, there were many houses that had not been repaired and had collapsed. His younger brother still lived in their family’s old house in the center of the tribe.
“Ka Luo.” Aze stood just outside the door and called out. He felt that he was an unlucky person and would never take the initiative to enter his brother’s house. Of course, his brother, Ka Luo, didn’t care about this and was often angry with Aze because of it.
A thin man with a little baby fat on his face shifted the hide curtain and walked out. “Brother?”
Ka Luo had thick eyebrows and big eyes. He’d taken Ake as his mate shortly after he’d reached adulthood. Two years later, there was still a little childlikeness left behind in his brow and eyes. Seeing Aze standing outside his house, he habitually raised his eyebrows. “Where have you been these past few days? Ake said he’d looked for you to go hunting with him but couldn’t find any trace of you. I thought you might never come back.”
Aze knew that he had disappeared for several days without telling the other and that his brother was undoubtedly angry. He passed him the two fur hides and apologized. ”Sorry, I wanted to go hunt a snow bear for its fur.”
Ka Luo shook out the two hides he’d received. “These don’t look like a snow bear’s fur.”
Aze pursed his lips and whispered hesitantly, “I met a male.”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Ka Luo went still. “Did you take him back to the tribe? Or did you send him back to his tribe? Did you already tell him about your situation? My dear brother, even if no male is willing to choose you, I will always be with you. Ake and I have considered that if our second child is a female, we will have you raise it, so . . .”
Seeing Ka Luo’s rambling questions and awkward appearance, Aze patted Ka Luo’s thin shoulder, feeling touched. Even if Ka Luo hadn’t said anything, Aze had already known that his brother had chosen to stay in this dilapidated tribe, and even established a mate as soon as he reached adulthood because of him, this elder brother, who was rejected by the tribe, didn’t have a pregnancy pattern, and was abandoned by the beast gods.
“Chen Qi is different from other males. He knows about me and came back with me willingly.”
“Was he willing to return to the tribe with you or was he willing to be with you?”
To this question, Aze did not answer. “We came back too late today and didn’t have time to hunt. I came to borrow some food from you.”
The thick hide curtain was opened again. A tall figure came out with a small antelope on his shoulder. Females had good hearing, and Ake had long been listening in on the conversation between the two brothers. He handed the small antelope to Aze. “Don’t need to borrow it, just take it.”
Ka Luo returned inside in silence. Aze thought the other was angry because he still cared about events from the past. He smiled awkwardly at Ake.
Ake knew his mate well, having watched him grow up since he was a child, and comforted Aze, “When he couldn’t find you for a few days, he was just about to go crazy. He thought you might never come back and almost ran out of the tribe, disregarding everything. It wasn’t until I suggested that you might have gone hunting for a snow bear’s fur during the first snow that I was able to pacify him.”
“I’m sorry, next time I’ll let you know if I plan to leave for too long.”
Ake nodded. Just then, Ka Luo came out of the house again, holding a piece of animal skin in his arms, which held some bright red berries. “Males like this stuff. Ake picked them this morning. You can take some back.” After a pause, he added harshly, “If that male is too much, you must drive him out of the house, understand?”
“Chen Qi is different from other males.”
Ka Luo was angry. This brother of his really was not an ordinary blockhead. He stuffed the hide bundle into Aze’s arms, snorted heavily, and pulled Ake back inside the house. Ake shrugged helplessly, gave Aze a sympathetic look, and followed Ka Luo’s footsteps to disappear behind the curtain.
Aze smiled helplessly and turned to leave the tribe with the pile of food. Chen Qi was still hungry. He had to hurry back.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 1 of 3 for the week. With the introduction of Ka Luo and Ake in this chapter, I also wanted to share a tip that had enlightened me. All the females’ names are “A-something”. Thus Ka Luo and Chen Qi = males. Ake and Aze = females.
Translator: Miiya
Editor: Avalie
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.
So the names are basically the endearment style? Ah-something? So he’s actually called Ze and the other guy is Ke, which does sound more Chinese so guess it makes sense :3c
Ah-ze sounds kinda cute.
Yep! Though it isn’t used as an ‘endearment’, its just how the naming convention is, I guess? males 2 characters, females 1 character with an “Ah” in front. This is prevalent in all chapters/tribes up to where I’ve read at least!