Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 119
Chapter 119
Of the luggage, saltpeter and salt alone accounted for almost two-thirds of the weight. To avoid affecting the traveling speed of the females, each person’s hide backpacks were securely tied together with strong, thick ropes. Apart from Aze, who had to carry Chen Qi on his back, almost everyone else carried luggage consisting of three large hide backpacks. The luggage was heavy and large, and looking back at them, it was like there was a massive hide backpack with legs. Chen Qi couldn’t help but marvel at the immense strength of the females; if it were him, carrying half a bag of saltpeter was already probably quite challenging.
This time, Axu didn’t follow the party to Qi Ze City. Only Ashu, who had been pestering Achu for several days until he was extremely annoyed and reluctantly agreed to his request to go to Qi Ze City again. On the side of the Salt-Water Tribe, the female in charge of leading the team was Aming, while on the side of the Flame-Hill Tribe, there was only Ayan and a young female named Ayu.
Dried mussels, having undergone processing for extended preservation, had a longer shelf life. Chen Qi brought back almost half a rocky beach’s worth of dried mussels. As for other seafood, he didn’t bring much back, just enough to provide the tribe with a few fresh meals for a change of taste.
The group already made all their preparations and was ready at first light. Chen Qi planned to depart early and take a look at whether the flowers on the kapok trees had bloomed. He intended to collect some on the way back. He and Axu had previously educated the tribe about the uses of kapok flowers. They could be dried and used for making tea or added to soups and porridge. He reminded everyone to consume them in moderation, especially cautioning pregnant females.
After Chen Qi packed his backpack and walked out of the cave, he found a dense crowd outside.
Axu stepped out from amidst the crowd, helplessly pointed to the people behind him. “They all said they wanted to see you off.” Despite getting close to Chen Qi and the others during this time, Axu also felt reluctant to part ways. However, he still needed to teach the knowledge he’d gained from Qi Ze City to the people in the tribe. He could only suppress the urge to follow them.
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 glanced in surprise at the group of beastmen gathered outside the entrance of the cave. Some of the male beastmen youths had red eyes. During this period, Chen Qi had taken the time to tell them some fairy tales and even made a few swings for them to play on. The children of the Salt-Water Tribe had never heard or experienced such entertaining things before. In just a few days, Chen Qi had almost captured the hearts of all the children. They liked Chen Qi even more than the adults did. The thought of not being able to hear stories from him in the future saddened them even more.
Axu escorted the group to the entrance of the tribe. The beastmen from the Salt-Water Tribe and the Flame-Hill Tribe had already gathered there. Everyone was wearing the newly made camouflage uniforms. Even with the giant luggage on their backs, they stood tall and straight, forming a spectacular and orderly line. It resembled a well-trained army, presenting a magnificent sight.
The other beastmen of the Salt-Water Tribe only escorted them to the entrance of the tribe, standing a few meters away from the gate, and they didn’t gather around for farewell hugs with the departing group.
“I will go to Qi Ze City when it is time for the gathering.” Axu said with some reluctance.
“Brother, don’t worry. I’ll be waiting for you.” Ashu stood behind Chen Qi, grinning and gloating at Axu.
Axu ground his molars, determined to teach this grown but not grown little brother of his a good lesson when they meet again.
Chen Qi glanced at the few children closely following Axu. He smiled gently and turned to Axu, “I placed a collection of stories that Ajing transcribed in your cave. Whenever you have time, you can read it to them.” Chen Qi knew that Axu had memorized the Thousand Character Classic using the silly method taught by Ale. Although Axu couldn’t recognize all the words just by looking at the story collection, reading it based on the Thousand Character Classic should still enable him to narrate the stories, albeit a bit slowly.
Upon hearing Chen Qi’s words, the children’s eyes lit up with excitement. They eagerly looked up at Axu, wishing he could go back immediately and read the stories to them now.
Axu’s head was full of black lines. Since he went to Qi Ze City, there hadn’t been a single day of leisure for him. He only managed to learn one or two characters a day. Up to now, he can write fewer than a hundred characters. He had seen the so-called textbooks Ajing transcribed in Qi Ze City, with their complex intersecting lines, which left him utterly bewildered. He couldn’t decipher what was written at all, and each character looked different from the other. In his opinion, he would have a far easier time spending the day hunting in the Salt Water Lake than to struggle with those unfamiliar characters and read stories to the kids in the tribe.
Axu nodded reluctantly, and after exchanging a few words with Ahxu, the group left in a grand manner.
The sun had just climbed above the horizon, casting long shadows for the group, but with the swift pace of the females, they quickly vanished from the sight of the people in the Salt-Water 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.
Achu patted Axu on the shoulder and led the crowd back to the tribe. There were still tasks to be arranged, such as preparations for the exchange of goods for the upcoming gathering at Qi Ze City and organizing daily hunting activities.
Axu stood quietly for a moment longer, waiting until nothing was visible on the horizon before turning back and heading home.
The kapok trees outside the tribe were already in full bloom. From a distance, one could see the vibrant red flowers adorning the tall trees, standing proudly amidst a vast expanse of lush greenery.
Aware of Chen Qi’s intention to gather these red flowers, Ahxu instructed everyone to take a rest. Some began to prepare food, and the others, carrying cloth bags, began to help by picking the flowers. The harvested blossoms were laid out on a cleared space, spread on pieces of cloth to air-dry and remove excess moisture. The flowers were only packed into backpacks just before they set out again, and because they were afraid of crushing them, Ahxu and Aze chose to carry the bags filled with flowers in their arms to ensure their safe transport.
The return journey was different from the leisurely pace of the outbound trip, where they took their time to sketch landscapes and search for food. Except for rest breaks, the group was almost constantly on the move. Even in the evenings, they walked by moonlight, only stopping late into the night for a brief rest.
During rest breaks, the group would casually look around for useful items nearby. If they found something, they would pick it up and take it along. However, if nothing caught their eye, they didn’t venture far to search. This saved them a significant amount of time during their journey.
A large cluster of dark clouds rose from the horizon, starting as a thin line before gradually spreading across half of the sky. Accompanied by lightning and thunder, a storm gathered over the Dora Plains.
The white giant wolf-god’s sharp teeth pierced through the armor of an ironshell-drake, directly biting into its throat. Its front claws firmly pinned the massive body of the ironshell-drake to the ground, rendering it powerless to struggle or move.
The surrounding hyena-drakes and ironshell-drakes showed signs of retreat in their eyes, but even though they were afraid, none of them had any intention of turning back or launching another attack. They simply stayed at a safe distance, watching as their fellow dragon gradually lost their breath under the sharp teeth of the giant wolf-god.
The giant wolf-god spat out a mouthful of dark red foam, “Your blood still tastes so bad.” It lifted up its head slightly and looked at the dragons around him like a noble aristocrat, its voice low and chilling. “Trying to drive me back into the forest with such little ability? Not enough.”
One of the hyena-drakes, resembling a leader among this mixed army, stepped forward a few paces. As if afraid of angering the giant wolf-god, it lowered its head slightly, adopting a submissive posture, and let out low roars.
The giant wolf-god chuckled disdainfully. Just then, a loud thunderclap exploded from the sky. The dragons, who had been quietly surrounding it, became restless for a moment before quickly settling down again.
The giant wolf-god glanced up at the dark clouds spreading across the plains, intermingled with lightning flashing in the sky. With a light click of its tongue, it couldn’t be bothered to waste words with this group of dragons who only knew how to obey foolish commands. With a swift turn, it dashed off in the direction of the forest.
The leading hyena-drake saw the direction the giant wolf-god left in and silently breathed a sigh of relief. With apprehension, it glanced at the black clouds looming in the sky, then faced upwards and let out a loud roar, signaling to the surrounding dragons to follow closely behind the giant wolf-god. In no time, apart from the ironshell-drake lying motionless on the ground, the area fell silent once more. Aside from the occasional rustle of grass and leaves stirred by the wind, there was no trace of any living creature in sight.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
As midsummer approached, the weather grew increasingly hot. Even though Chen Qi wore a straw hat and didn’t have to walk, the relentless exposure to the blazing sun made him feel unbearable. To facilitate water retrieval, without taking any detours, Ahxu continued leading the group along a tributary of the Dosa River.
This day, as the group searched for a large tree to provide shade for their midday rest, a sudden strong wind blew over, dispelling the surrounding heat. This unexpected change brought joy to the weary travelers who had been on the road since early morning. However, the oldest member of the group, Ayan, furrowed his brows slightly. Without even taking the chance to unload his belongings after selecting the resting spot, he swiftly climbed up the trunk of an acacia tree to the highest branches. With a serious expression, he stared in the direction of the horizon, scanning the surroundings before nimbly jumping back down.
“What’s the matter?” Ahxu, having just set down his luggage, walked over upon seeing Ayan’s unusual behavior.
Ayan shook his head. Ahxu approached his back and helped him unload the huge tower of luggage that was taller than a person. “I’m afraid it will rain soon.” Ayan said, sounding concerned.
“Rain?” Ahxu looked at the other’s expression, then realized that he was not worried about rain but…
Ahxu thought for a moment. “Let’s go talk to Chen Qi.”
Ayan nodded.
After setting down their belongings, Chen Qi eagerly ran to the riverside to wash his face. The icy water refreshed his sun-dazed mind. Meanwhile, Aze had already caught a few fish with a makeshift harpoon. His clothes got wet from the thrashing fish, but he didn’t mind. The dampness was nothing compared to the sweat he had shed, and he knew the sun would soon dry his clothes.
Chen Qi hurriedly stepped forward to help gather a few of the caught fish. Perhaps because there were no beastmen living here due to the absence of beastmen inhabiting the area, there were fewer fish being fed, and compared to those in the Salt Water Lake and the Chishui River, the fish here were much smaller in size. Chen Qi could easily lift one in his hand.
At that moment, two dark heads emerged from the water. Ale and Ashu each held a giant lobster, using their large pincers to carefully lift them out of the water to avoid getting pinched. Ever since they tasted delicious lobster last time, these two had been diving into the water every day during rest breaks to catch lobster. Fortunately, these lobsters lived in shallow waters and were not difficult to find. Otherwise, Chen Qi worried they might accidentally venture into deeper waters. Despite the calm appearance of the river’s surface, the underwater currents were swift enough to easily sweep away an adult.
Looking at the two of them in wet clothes, Aze frowned. “Change out of those wet clothes later. Don’t get sick.”
The two of them stuck out their tongues and quickly headed towards the campsite, carrying the giant lobsters.
A deep rumble echoed from afar. Chen Qi followed the wide river’s surface with his gaze, observing the distant horizon where rolling black clouds were spreading ominously in all directions, and the wind was creating ripples on the water’s surface. Chen Qi furrowed his brow. Since coming to this world, he had never seen rain before. Was this the signal of impending rain?
Axu and Ayan walked over and briefly explained the current situation to Chen Qi. Aze finished handling the last fish and hoisted it onto his shoulder before joining them as well.
“Are you worried about lightning?” Chen Qi asked, tapping his chin with his hand. He wasn’t concerned about lightning itself, but rather about the stash of saltpeter they were carrying. Saltpeter couldn’t get wet; once it did, it would be rendered useless.
Chen Qi frowned as he looked at the approaching dark clouds. “Let’s set up something to shelter from the rain first,” he suggested. With the possibility of lightning, those big trees wouldn’t be safe places to take cover.
The others nodded in agreement. Axu took over the fish Chen Qi hadn’t finished preparing and swiftly dealt with it. Then, together with the rest of the group, they returned to their resting spot.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: Hi, this is not a joke update. Just one that was ready on this happy first day of April. *wave*
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.
I hope you haven’t dropped this story!!! 😭
Not dropped! Just been feeling a massive dose of procrastination with RL stuff!