Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 145
Chapter 145
The Lion-Wolf Tribe’s hunting team had been gone for a full three days before they finally returned. It was Chen Qi’s first time witnessing the hunting capabilities of a major tribe. Enormous dragon-like beasts, as tall as small mountains, were carried into Qi Ze City—there were at least a dozen of them. Among them was a locust dragon, known for its tough, unpalatable meat, and several other species Chen Qi had never seen before. What surprised him most was that two of them were hydrochoerus dragons —a type that had vanished from the forest’s outskirts since the beginning of winter.
Each of the female hunters who returned from the expedition bore some degree of injury, though none were serious or life-threatening. The joy of a bountiful hunt masked their weariness and the traces of hardship on their faces.
Seeing the hunting party return, Bo De, as the leader of the Lion-Wolf Tribe, was naturally in high spirits. He was quite pleased by the astonished looks on everyone’s faces. The frustration from Azhang’s warning two days earlier vanished completely, and he even ordered one whole hydrochoerus dragon to be offered up for the evening bonfire feast.
Ever since Azhang had been comforted by Ali, his mood had steadied. He remained completely indifferent to Bo De’s lingering, half-hearted attempts to test the waters again. Of course, he wasn’t the kind to withhold the sharing of skills and techniques just because of Bo De. Though he did feel a touch of displeasure that the Lion-Wolf Tribe still ventured into the forest at such a time, seeing them generously contribute food, he didn’t refuse. Instead, he handed the matter over to Ka Luo, instructing him to organize the preparation of the meat and make arrangements for that evening’s bonfire feast.
“The people from the Lion-Wolf Tribe just returned from their hunt — should we let them rest for a day before starting?” Ka Luo asked after having Ake carry away the hydrochoerus dragon.
Azhang shook his head. “No need. They’ll just be sitting and eating — we’re the ones performing. We’ve already taught them everything we could these past few days. The sooner we finish the feast, the sooner they can head back,” he said casually.
Ka Luo nodded without further comment and hurried off toward the training grounds to make preparations. It was already nearing dusk, and night would fall soon. Though the celebration was simple, there was still plenty that needed to be done.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
After the announcement about the bonfire celebration spread, all of Qi Ze City buzzed with excitement. Although the newly joined members from the Lion-Wolf Tribe and the Flame-Hill Tribe still didn’t quite understand what this “bonfire party” was about, those who hadn’t gone hunting had already witnessed many new things in the city over the past few days. Naturally, their curiosity and anticipation for this so-called celebration only grew stronger.
Because a large stage had been built in the schoolyard, no great bonfire was lit this time. Instead, four clay basins were placed at the corners of the platform, each with a small fire burning inside.
Behind the platform stood several thick wooden poles, with ropes strung between them. Large red paper lanterns hung high from the ropes, extending all the way to the poles outside the schoolyard. Rows upon rows of lanterns illuminated the entire field in a warm, bright glow.
The oil lamps on both sides of the road were lit early, with both the wicks and the oil replaced with new ones. At a glance, they looked brighter than usual.
The countless bright red lanterns and oil lamps throughout the city almost illuminated the entire Qi Ze City as if it were broad daylight, leaving people from other tribes in awe.
In front of the platform, quite a few small bonfires had been lit. Racks for roasting meat were already set up over the flames and cleaned. Cut hydrochoerus dragon meat was placed on pottery plates nearby, along with some simple seasonings and sweet potatoes—these were for the beastmen to grill themselves.
Among these small bonfires, about ten tables were set up, each holding pottery plates filled with thoroughly washed wild fruits. Chen Qi had also had some of the fruits sliced and arranged on the plates, piled high in a way that was very appetizing.
Besides the wild fruits, there was also some already-cooked food. Over the past few days, because several tribes had sent people to learn cooking, and with some help in preparing it, the food on the tables was almost ready even before nightfall.
Ka Luo handed Ayao over to Ajing and the little wolf cub to help take care of, and after retrieving the hydrochoerus dragon contributed by the Lion-Wolf Tribe, he began directing the others to get busy.
Behind the platform, there was also a small makeshift room, just covered with a few pieces of cloth to block the view. They had rehearsed the war dance performance for so long that they naturally didn’t want others to see it in advance, so they had set up this space for changing costumes.
Azhang assigned the task of bringing the beastmen into the playground to Axu and Ayan. The four gates of Qi Ze City had long been closed, and because the moat blocked the way, Azhang didn’t have anyone continue guarding the city walls this time; instead, everyone went to the playground to join the evening celebration.
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 school playground was very large; it could hold three to four hundred people without feeling crowded.
As soon as night fell, the beastmen began gathering. Everyone understood the true purpose of this so-called bonfire evening. From the moment they learned the celebration would be held at night, they had been eagerly looking forward to it. Some of the single beastmen even washed up and changed into their best clothes before coming.
The people of Qi Ze City and most of the Salt-Water Tribe had long been accustomed to wearing cloth garments, while the Lion-Wolf Tribe and Flame-Hill Tribe still wore clothes made of animal skins. Even though some members had learned to make cloth clothing in recent days, they couldn’t immediately get used to the feel of wearing it. At this moment, upon arriving at the playground, one could easily tell which tribe someone belonged to just by their attire.
Probably because most of them were still young, some of the bolder females immediately approached the males they felt some affection for upon arriving at the playground. Even if they were momentarily shocked by the outfits of Qi Ze City, they quickly recovered and began chatting eagerly with the males. Occasionally, they would offer to get food for them or even grill some over the small bonfires that had already been lit, hoping to let the males taste their cooking skills. Of course, most of the time, after grilling, they found that what they had cooked wasn’t as tasty as the food already laid out on the tables.
As more people arrived, the playground grew noisy. Ye Huo, wearing a cold expression, rebuffed a middle-aged female who had approached him and quietly sat in a corner with no one around. After a moment’s thought, he picked up two sweet potatoes lying nearby and began roasting them over the fire. Bored, he glanced at the bustling crowd and idly poked at the flames with the stick in his hand.
“Who are you looking for?” Axu asked hesitantly, handing over a pottery plate filled with food.
Ye Huo glanced at him lightly but didn’t reply. He took the clay plate, then pulled a small bone bottle of chili powder from his pocket and opened it, quickly sprinkling a thin layer of bright red over the food.
Axu’s mouth twitched involuntarily, and with a slight grimace, he said, “Your taste really matches Ale’s. Why don’t you just stay in Qi Ze City?”
Ye Huo paused for a moment, then picked up his chopsticks and mixed the food evenly. “Are you secretly hoping I’d leave the tribe?”
“I never said that,” Axu protested, spreading his hands in denial as he sat down beside Ye Huo. “I think the people of Qi Ze City are all pretty nice. If I were a male, I might have found a female and ended up staying here myself.”
Ye Huo didn’t respond to him directly. After picking up a tender piece of meat and eating it, he casually asked, “Weren’t the people of Qi Ze City supposed to hold this so-called bonfire evening? Why haven’t I seen anyone from their side?”
Axu took a bite of a wild fruit and nodded toward the platform with his chin. “I heard they’re preparing a surprise for us over there right 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.
Ye Huo followed the direction he indicated and saw the small makeshift room behind the platform, covered with a thick layer of animal hide that completely blocked the view inside. “What kind of surprise?”
“I don’t know either,” Axu shrugged. Several females from their tribe were also participating in this so-called surprise, but no matter how he asked, they refused to say a word, only insisting that he’d understand once he saw it.
While the two were talking, a loud, clear blast of a horn suddenly sounded. Everyone on the playground seemed to be paused by an invisible button, abruptly stopping whatever they were doing and turning to look in the direction the sound came from.
Azhang had changed out of his army-green camouflage and put on his animal hide again. He stood at the very front of the platform, holding a brown animal horn, and blew into it with the tip pointed straight ahead.
The horn blared for nearly half a minute, successfully drawing everyone’s attention. Even those outside the playground, huddled together examining the oil lamps and bright red lanterns, stood up and turned to look toward the platform.
Only then did people notice that, besides Azhang, there were twenty or thirty young females standing on the platform. They all wore yellow-brown animal hide outfits, adorned with rings of black animal patterns. Around their necks hung necklaces strung with animal teeth, and their faces were decorated with a few charcoal markings, looking both striking and wild.
As the horn faded, a deep drumbeat sounded. The rows of beastmen suddenly stomped their feet in unison and let out a roar together, sending a shiver through everyone present.
Ye Huo and Axu, who had been sitting on the ground, couldn’t help but stand and walk a short distance toward the platform. Others mirrored their movements, and in an instant, the area around the platform was packed with people.
Another drumbeat sounded, and the beastmen on the platform performed a synchronized movement. When it finished, they let out another loud roar. Only then did people realize that this group of beastmen on the platform were all females from Qi Ze City and the Salt-Water Tribe.
Bo De stood at the very front of the crowd. Although he had known in advance that Qi Ze City planned some kind of surprise for the bonfire evening, he hadn’t paid much attention. After all, hunting was the most important skill for females. The females from his tribe had only spent three days in the forest and had already brought back a considerable amount of game. No matter what Qi Ze City could put together, it couldn’t possibly surpass them.
He just hadn’t expected them to come up with something so unusual, something that immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Bo De’s face darkened as he watched Azhang, who had finished blowing the horn and stepped back.
“So, this is the surprise they prepared?” Ye Huo asked, looking at the uniformly dressed beastmen on the platform. The little female who, like him, enjoyed spicy food was among them, but he happened to be standing in the middle of the second row, blocked from view by Ahxu in front. Ye Huo had to shift slightly to the side to see him.
Perhaps sensing Ye Huo’s gaze, Ale, on the platform, glanced in their direction and playfully winked, then quickly looked away and stared straight ahead with a blank expression.
Ye Huo froze for a moment, his heart involuntarily skipping a beat.
After three drumbeats, the beastmen’s movements began to flow smoothly, sometimes moving quickly, sometimes slowly, aligning their poses. Though simple, their actions bore a certain resemblance to the way the females moved during hunting. The occasional roars during pauses added intensity, making it feel as if they were in the midst of a hunt. Even the spectators couldn’t help but follow the rhythm of the drums, feeling tension for them, and when the drumbeat eased, they felt a shared sense of relief.
It wasn’t just the males who had never participated in hunting who were drawn in— even the strong females couldn’t take their eyes off the performers on the platform. At this moment, the twenty or thirty females on the stage shone so brightly that everyone’s gaze followed their every move.
The lead dancer was Ahxu, who had a few extra feathers decorating his head. His exposed arm muscles were well-defined, and occasionally, after he completed a movement, the others behind him would repeat his steps. Axu felt as if his gaze were glued to every one of their movements, unable to look away, and naturally, he couldn’t answer Ye Huo’s question.
At this moment, he felt as if everyone around him had disappeared. His eyes could only see the dancers on the platform, and in his ears, he heard only the drumbeats, striking as if directly against his heart.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: Side pair squeeee~ Extra chapter thanks to Magpie for the kofi!
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.
