Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 109
Chapter 109
The rushing river flowed tirelessly, roaring as it streamed into the distance. Upon the towering rocks, a young man calmly painted magnificent landscapes on rough paper, splashing vibrant colors. Beside him, another tall and stern young man sat silently, observing the focused artist with eyes full of tenderness.
The lingering glow of the setting sun lazily stretched the silhouettes of the two figures into the distance. Their shadows crossed over the rocks and merged into the rushing river below, instantly shattered by the surging river. Then after a while, they were reunited again, repeating the process in an eternal cycle, just like the ceaseless river that remained unchanged.
“Chen Qi. Aze. The sun is setting. Are you still going to continue painting.” Afraid of disturbing them, Ale only stood below the rocks and asked from a distance.
Chen Qi made a final brushstroke, then gently blew on the still wet dye-fruit liquid. He glanced at the sky, then casually handed the completed painting to Aze beside him and stood up, stretching and yawning. It had been a long time since he’d painted continuously for such a long time. Chen Qi felt a nostalgic sense of fulfillment from how the afternoon was spent. “I’m done painting. We’ll tidy up and head back.”
Ale nodded and went back to the acacia tree ahead of them. During the afternoon, they had found quite a few plants. When Chen Qi returned later, he would need to check them to see if they had correctly identified them. There were also some plants that had not been included in the small picture booklet, that Chen Qi would also need to see if they were useful or not. If they were, they could go gather some more of them.
“What’s the matter?” Chen Qi looked back and saw Aze staring blankly at the painting in his hands.
Aze raised his head. The gentle sunlight softened Chen Qi’s facial features and a few strands of hair around his temples appeared golden due to the backlight. Aze extended the painting in his hand and asked uncertainly, “Is this me depicted in here?”
Chen Qi tilted his head slightly and his gaze fell upon the painting of the sunset. A stern young man sat quietly on the side, as if guarding something precious. He smiled gently, “Yes, it is.”
Aze paused for a moment, then took the painting back. The dye-fruit on it hadn’t completely dried, so he didn’t dare to touch it, afraid of ruining the whole picture. He looked at the picture intently for a while then softly asked, “Next time, could you include yourself in the painting too?”
“……” Chen Qi was taken aback. He wasn’t thinking too much when he painted this last piece. He was simply moved by the sight of Aze sitting in the sunset and faithfully captured the scene as he saw it.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“Pass me the painting.” Chen Qi sat down again and picked up the brush that was still soaking in the bamboo tube used for cleaning the brushes, then extended his hand and said to Aze.
Aze handed the painting to Chen Qi, who dipped the brush in a little paint once again and, with a few simple strokes, quickly drew the outline of another figure beside the existing one. This new figure was slightly shorter than the original person, and sat exactly where the gaze of the first figure seemed to be directed, as if the new figure was meant to exist there all along.
Chen Qi handed the freshly reworked painting to Aze, “This painting is for you.”
Aze took the painting once again, his face showing a delighted expression. He looked at Chen Qi and then at the two figures next to each other in the painting and softly said, “Thank you.”
Seeing Aze holding the painting affectionately, Chen Qi smiled. He simply tidied up their belongings, carefully packing the fully dried paintings into a cloth bag. The outer surface of the cloth bag had been dyed with several layers of gum fruit liquid, which had a waterproof effect. Chen Qi specially made it to contain the various paintings that would be drawn during the trip.
The water used to clean the brushes had become so dirty that Chen Qi could only pour it out into the nearby wild grass before rinsing the bamboo tube and brushes clean. He then carefully placed them back into the hide backpack..
Chen Qi carried the hide backpack on his back, “Aze, let’s go back.”
“Okay.”
The acacia tree where they had temporarily settled under was not far from the rocks, so there was no need for Aze to carry Chen Qi on his back, and they walked just a few minutes to get there. It wasn’t until the painting had almost completely dried that Aze reluctantly handed the painting to Chen Qi to keep.
“Chen Qi, what did you draw?” As soon as they got back, Ale eagerly approached them and asked.
Chen Qi smiled, “Would you like to see it?”
“En.” Ale nodded eagerly. Then, as if remembering something, he added hastily, “It’s not just me that wants to see it, they want to see it too.” Ale pointed towards the other three people who had gathered around.
Chen Qi looked at the other three in surprise. Ahxu coughed awkwardly, while the pair of brothers looked at him expectantly. In the afternoon, Ale had shown them the small booklet that Chen Qi had painted. Although they didn’t understand what Chen Qi had drawn a few days ago, because the booklet had colored images, they could immediately recognize what those paintings were.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Though there was some distance between them and the rocks, the females’ good eyesight still allowed them to catch a glimpse of the various dye-fruit liquids that Chen Qi set out around him. So they knew that Chen Qi’s paintings this time would also be colorful, just like the ones in the small booklet. This piqued the curiosity of Axu and his brother, wondering what Chen Qi had painted this time.
Chen Qi looked at them with amusement and handed the cloth bag holding the paintings to them. “Take a look for yourselves then.”
Axu solemnly took the cloth bag and carefully opened it. The other three quickly gathered around, their faces filled with anticipation, eagerly waiting for Axu to reveal the paintings.
Chen Qi smiled and shook his head. He pulled Aze to the fire first. Dinner was already prepared. Ahxu had made a large pot of fish soup, and on the ground beside the fire were several huge cattail leaves, which held a huge amount of fried meat patties and fish filets cooked on stone slates.
Chen Qi picked up a piece of clean cattail leaf and put it on the ground, then pulled Aze to sit beside him. Using a smaller cattail leaf as a makeshift bowl and a tree branch folded into makeshift chopsticks, he picked a bit of the meat patties and fried fish filets and placed them on the cattail leaf before handing it to Aze.
Aze had already taken out a pottery bowl from his hide backpack and filled it with a large serving of fish soup, which he handed to Chen Qi. “Have some soup before you eat.” Chen Qi had been immersed in painting the whole afternoon and hadn’t even had a sip of water. Aze, not wanting to disturb him, had refrained from reminding him. Now, seeing Chen Qi’s slightly dry lips, Aze couldn’t help but feel distressed.
Chen Qi took a sip of the soup from Aze’s hand. The fish soup was seasoned with ginger and scallions to reduce the fishiness. Although the fishy taste was not completely removed, it was still delicious. Chen Qi smacked his lips and pushed the bowl back towards Aze’s lips. “It’s delicious. Have some too.”
Aze took a sip from the spot where Chen Qi had just drunk, “En. It’s delicious.”
“Chen Qi, you’re so talented. How did you manage to paint all that?” Ale exclaimed as he ran over, interrupting the slightly ambiguous atmosphere between the two. He held the empty cloth bag in his hands, his starry eyes fixed unwaveringly on Chen Qi. If it weren’t for Aze’s quick reflexes grabbing him by the collar and pulling him back a bit, Ale might have leaped directly onto Chen Qi to express his admiration and showering of praise.
Chen Qi had painted only about seven or eight paintings this afternoon, and they didn’t have extensive annotations like with the previous pictures. So it didn’t take long for Ale to finish looking at all of them.
“Is this painting of you and Aze?” After handing over the viewed paintings to Ahxu, Axu held up the last painting of the sunset and asked.
Aze’s ears turned red and he quickly snatched the painting back, tucking it behind him. Axu rolled his eyes. Everyone here had already seen it, so wasn’t it a bit too late to put it away now?
Chen Qi looked at Aze, who was clearly embarrassed but had a composed expression. He nodded in response to Axu, affirming his question.
“You did a great job of depicting the Dosa River,” Ahxu praised. He carefully arranged the paintings and took the empty cloth bag from Ale’s hand to pack them properly before handing them back to Chen Qi.
“Chen Qi, can you teach me to paint like this too?” Ashu asked with anticipation written all over his face.
“I- I- I… I want to learn too!” Ale quickly raised his hand, afraid that Chen Qi would only agree to teach Ashu and not him.
Chen Qi handed the cloth bag to Aze and smiled at the few of them. “If you want to learn, you can start anytime, but to become proficient in painting is not that easy. Don’t be fooled by how simple it looks when I do it. I’ve been painting for over ten years.”
“Over ten years?” Ale looked at Chen Qi incredulously. He had never asked Chen Qi’s age before and thought that Chen Qi had just come of age. Thinking that it would take so long to paint as well as Chen Qi, Ale could not help but hesitate and slightly give up, doubting his own abilities.
Ashu clenched his fist. “That’s fine. Teach me first, and I’ll learn it slowly.” The paintings he had just seen kept playing back in Ashu’s mind. Ashu also hoped that he would be able to capture what he saw in front of him like Chen Qi, freezing those moments in time forever.
Seeing the determination in Ashu’s attitude, Ale gritted his teeth. “I can learn it first too.”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“Would you two like to learn as well?” Chen Qi asked Axu and Ahxu, who were standing on the sides.
The two men glanced at each other. Although they didn’t have the same strong interest in painting as Ashu, they thought there was no harm in learning more about it. So they both nodded to indicate their interest in learning too.
Chen Qi smiled and took out several unused blank sheets of paper from his backpack, handing them to them. He also gave them a black dye-fruit and several quill brushes. “Take these things and draw whatever you want to paint first. Once you’re done, I’ll give you some guidance.” Chen Qi had brought plenty of paper for this trip, so he wasn’t concerned about wasting any. Seeing the eager expressions on their faces, he decided to let them have fun on their own for now. After all, he and Aze hadn’t had dinner yet, so filling their stomachs was more important at the moment.
The few of them received their instructions and happily divided the dye-fruit into four portions. Each took their own set of materials and ran off to find what they wanted to paint, quickly becoming immersed in the task.
Chen Qi beckoned to Aze, who was standing nearby, “Aze, come on, let’s have dinner.”
Aze put the cloth bag on the acacia tree before turning back and sitting next to Chen Qi. The two of them began to enjoy their dinner in a delightful manner.
The beastmen seemed to have trouble painting in black and white only. Looking at the four pictures that couldn’t be made out what they were, Chen Qi gave them some different colored dye-fruits. This time, although the results still didn’t resemble the objects they were drawing too well, at least it was clearer what they were even attempting to draw.
Chen Qi briefly explained some techniques and knowledge about painting to them, and then demonstrated it once again. As the sun set, the group began painting the blazing fire pit illuminated by the fire’s light. Surprisingly, it was Aze, who had joined in later, who ended up creating the most lively and impressive artwork among them.
Holding the drawing of the fire pit done by Aze, Chen Qi asked with a mixture of pride and frustration, “Aze, is there anything you can’t learn?” He felt a bit of pressure knowing that his wife seemed to excel at everything.
Aze was very happy to hear Chen Qi’s question. Chen Qi had so many skills, and he needed to work harder to be worthy of him. “As long as it’s you teaching me, I can learn anything.” Aze said firmly, looking at Chen Qi as if making a promise.
Chen Qi was taken aback for a moment, his heart warmed. He reached out and gently ruffled Aze’s soft hair. Unable to resist, he leaned in to give a nibble on the corner of Aze’s lips, causing a blush to spread across Aze’s face despite trying to maintain a calm demeanor.
After the painting lesson, this group of travelers, who had been busy hurrying along, unconsciously slowed down their pace.
Chen Qi did not make colored paintings every time. He still mostly continued to make simple sketches of their surroundings during rest breaks. These were meant to serve as reference materials for future map-making. Occasionally, when the others completed new drawings, he would provide feedback, one by one, in the evenings, and sometimes he would give them demonstrations or directly modify their original sketches. This dynamic reminded Chen Qi of the feeling he had back in high school when his art teacher would critique his artwork in the studio.
Although their pace had slowed down considerably, there weren’t many notable sights worth stopping for after leaving the Dosa River. However, they did come across several plants along the way that couldn’t be found near Qi Ze City. With their already heavy baggage, the addition of two large bulging bags of collected things didn’t seem to even affect their speed much, thanks to the females’ inherent strength.
Whether they traveled swiftly or slowly, their destination would inevitably draw closer. After about a month, Chen Qi finally caught sight of the faint silhouette of the rocky mountains in the distance. The Salt-Water Tribe was nestled among these vast mountains. Due to the sheer quantity and size of the rocky mountains, they served as an unmistakable landmark in the endless plains.
“Our tribe is just beyond that rocky mountain.” Axu pointed towards the distant mountain shadows and said to the weary group, who had been traveling for almost a month.
Hearing Axu’s words, everyone felt a sense of relief deep inside. The Salt-Water Tribe was really too far away from Qi Ze City, but at last, they were finally arriving.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: Almost there!
Translator: Miiya
Editor: MushroomNight73
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.
