Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 150
Chapter 150
A white-furred beastman squatted on the tall acacia tree. The first snowfall of the year had already fallen in the early morning last night. The beastman wore a large white fur cloak that fully covered his black hair, leaving only a pair of sharp eyes exposed.
The beastman had been crouching there all night, maintaining the same position without any discomfort. The branches of the acacia tree around him were already covered with thick snow. Although the snow could not cover all the weeds in the plain, many of the tall, upright weeds had been bent under the weight of the snow. The world was blanketed in white, and apart from the occasional gust of wind, there was no other sound; the silence was terrifying.
The white-furred beastman sitting quietly on the tree branch was Aze from Qi Ze City. Last year, because of meeting Chen Qi, he had failed to hunt a snow bear. This year, although he no longer needed to prepare the snow bear’s fur for his brother’s son, Ayao, he wanted to prepare a piece for his mate. He had informed Chen Qi in advance, left Qi Ze City a few days early, and had come to the area where snow bears were known to appear to keep watch.
The location was the same one he had chosen last year. He had surveyed it several times and knew there were traces of snow bear activity there, but he did not know the location of the cave. So he patiently waited.
The snow had stopped by morning. The sunlight during the first snowfall carried no warmth and could not dispel the chill. Aze did not seem to feel the cold. His ears stood upright, listening intently to the surrounding sounds. Though he remained motionless, his eyes roamed across the wasteland in front of him.
After noon, as Aze considered whether to take the dry food Chen Qi had prepared from his backpack or continue to remain still, the nearby tall grass suddenly moved. It did not sway like it was blown by the wind but seemed to conceal an animal.
Aze tensed but did not rush to act.
Soon, a fluffy head emerged from the tall grass. It was a female snow bear. Its white fur blended almost seamlessly with the snow, making it difficult to recognize while lying motionless on the ground.
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 poking its head out, the snow bear glanced around, waited quietly for a while, and then began calling in a low, regular tone. It only vocalized when the wind blew, and its sound did not resemble the roar of other wild animals. The voice, inconsistent with its heavy body, mingled with the wind, rising and fading with it.
Aze knew that the snow bear was courting.
The snow bear seemed tireless and patient. Its calls continued for nearly an hour before gradually becoming less frequent, changing to one call every few minutes, and this continued until evening.
Aze did not dare take food from his backpack, as he was too close to the snow bear and any movement might scare it away.
This year, Aze had good luck. As evening approached, two male snow bears arrived from two different directions. Fortunately, their paths were separate; otherwise, they might have started fighting before reaching the site.
The three snow bears soon gathered together. Two of the males bristled, their eyes locked on each other, ready to pounce, strike, or drive the other away to gain the mating right of the female.
Aze certainly did not allow them to fight. Though snow bears appeared gentle, they were fierce in combat. Their claws could scratch an opponent’s hide, and their teeth could sever throats. He did not want any of the three valuable pelts to be damaged.
Seeing the two males ready to attack, Aze picked up a snow-covered fishing net, leaped from the tall acacia tree, and threw the net toward the two males about to clash. Then, with a quick turn, he transformed his fingers, leapt several times, and reached the female snow bear slightly farther away.
The female snow bear was clearly startled by the sudden appearance of the white-furred beastman. Knowing she could not oppose him, she cried out and attempted to flee into the tall grass. Aze grabbed her tail and, with a powerful motion, performed a shoulder throw, sending the heavy snow bear crashing into the snow, creating a deep pit and exposing the reddish-brown soil beneath the snow.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Not waiting for the female snow bear to recover from the sudden weightlessness and impact of hitting the ground, Aze immediately moved forward. He supported the chin of the female snow bear with one hand to prevent it from biting him, while his fingernails reached the bear’s throat. His sharp nails cut directly through the throat without obstruction, and the warm blood dyed the fur on Aze’s hands.
Aze did not release his hold after cutting the female snow bear’s throat. Instead, he continued to restrain her firmly, letting the blood flow directly into the snow beneath him. He did not want his beautiful white fur to be stained with any other color.
Only after the female snow bear completely stopped twitching did Aze slowly get up and look at the two male snow bears trapped under the fishing nets.
The fishing net was woven from root threads, and the ropes were not strong. With the strength of a snow bear, it would not have been difficult to break free. Although Aze had moved quickly from throwing the net to dealing with the female, it still took several minutes—enough time for the two males to break free from the not-very-sturdy net.
But when Aze looked over, the two male snow bears lay motionless on the ground beneath the net, their paws firmly covering their furred eyes, looking like two large piles of snow.
……
Playing dead?
Aze, who had made preparations for the two male snow bears to escape from the fishing nets and flee in different directions, walked over and effortlessly cut the throats of the two bears in the same way without hesitation.
While the snow bears’ bodies were not yet completely frozen and stiff, Aze efficiently processed the three pelts. He also cut a considerable amount of meat from the bears. If it weren’t for his desire to return to Qi Ze City soon, and for the many plants collected along the way, he would have taken all the meat back to the tribe.
He took the frozen meat from his backpack to fill his stomach and tidied up a little before setting off for home.
“Qi Qi.” Ayao with his little feet suddenly jumped directly into the arms of Chen Qi, startling him so much that his hand holding the pen shook, almost ruining the morning’s writing work.
Sitting on the other side, Ajing glared discontentedly at the chubby-dressed Ayao. Recently, Ka Luo had been busy helping take care of the few males who had just stayed behind, so he didn’t have time to watch Ayao all the time. Every morning before leaving, he would just drop Ayao at Chen Qi’s house and only return in the evening to pick him up.
Almost one-year-old Ayao had been well fed by Ka Luo and had become chubby. Chen Qi liked to pinch and rub his little round face. Probably because he was fed a milk fruit by Chen Qi every day, Ayao carried a strong milky fragrance. Every time Chen Qi smelled this pleasant scent, he felt like taking a bite. So Chen Qi also enjoyed teasing him.
The only thing that gave Chen Qi a bit of a headache was that this kid was too restless and never stayed still for a moment. He was fine when he had something to play with, but as soon as no one played with him, he would switch to clingy mode, just like now.
But before Chen Qi could start coaxing him, Ajing gave a subtle look to the little wolf cub quietly lying nearby. The cub stiffened for a moment, then reluctantly stood up, walked behind Ayao, and gently tugged at Ayao’s fur clothing with his teeth, easily pulling him out of Chen Qi’s arms.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Ayao, momentarily confused, looked back at the wolf cub, who innocently released him. Ayao blinked and waved his small paws, calling for Chen Qi while attempting to jump back into his arms.
Before Ayao could reach Chen Qi, the little wolf cub bit the back of his fur coat and pulled him back again.
Ayao’s smile grew even bigger, as if discovering a fun new game. He waved his paws and lunged forward, only for the little wolf cub to pull him back again.
Watching the scene, Chen Qi looked back at Ajing, still diligently copying the book, then at Ayao, who was having a blast, and the little wolf cub, who looked completely exasperated. He got up and returned to the room to fetch a rattle.
The sound of the rattle immediately captured the attention of the three little ones. Chen Qi had thought of making it a few days ago when taking care of Ayao, and then had crafted it. There were few toys suitable for children in the tribe, and usually Ayao had nothing to play with besides running around. Chen Qi wanted to make a small toy for him.
The little wolf cub stopped tugging at Ayao’s fur coat, and Ayao hugged Chen Qi’s thigh. Chen Qi squatted down and patiently taught him how to play with the rattle.
“Ajing, come play for a while too,” Chen Qi said, smiling and waving to him.
Recently, Chen Qi had been planning to organize materials and books to create a library-like place for the tribe to study. Adult beastmen already had much work, and they also had to build houses for new tribe members, so the task of copying books fell to Ajing.
Although the movable type printing they had previously created would have made printing much easier, no one suitable for engraving and typesetting could be found. Chen Qi had no time to handle it all, so he continued to copy manually, planning to assign someone to take over once more tribe members became literate.
“No, I haven’t finished copying yet,” Ajing said, looking at Chen Qi’s rattle and shaking his head firmly.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: Happy December everyone.
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.
