Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 152
Chapter 152
“Whoosh”—a sharp arrow sliced through the air. The ironshell-drake in the riverbed only slightly bent its back, but the arrow struck squarely against the hard armor on its back. A crisp metallic clang rang out as the arrow fell to the ground.
Chen Qi let out a soft tsk, realizing that ranged attacks could hardly harm these heavily armored creatures.
Several females descended from the wall along a rope ladder, each carrying a thick rope. Following their practiced method, one of them threw a pre-made rope loop toward the head of the outermost ironshell-drake. The ironshell-drake, rearing back and howling at the beastmen, probably had no idea what this rope was. Yet, it ended up caught squarely. A flicker of triumph crossed the female’s face as he pulled hard—the rope tightened around the ironshell-drake’s neck, and before it could react, it was dragged toward the riverbank.
Seeing this, the other females didn’t remain idle. One secured the drake’s limbs, another held its jaw, and then swiftly transformed a hand into a claw, striking decisively into the exposed, vulnerable skin of its neck. The ironshell-drake twitched reflexively a few times before going silent.
The ironshell-drakes under the riverbed, sensing the threat—or perhaps smelling the blood of their fallen comrades—became restless. Several tried to probe their surroundings, attempting to escape rather than wait to be hunted by the beastmen.
Axu called over several females from the Salt-Water Tribe to help along the rope ladder at the riverbank. One by one, they deployed thick rope nets, cutting off the ironshell-drakes’ paths. The leading dragon charged into a net, one front hoof caught, nearly losing balance. Fortunately, it didn’t accelerate and soon stabilized.
However, Axu did not give the dragon any chance to break free. Working together with another female, they secured the net tightly around its head and dragged the tall creature ashore. The capture and killing were executed in one swift motion.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
In no time, more than twenty ironshell-drakes trapped in the moat were completely dealt with. Their ironshells were stripped and sent directly to the forge. Since it was still early snow, temperatures were too low to fire the forge immediately, so the armor was prepared for later. Meanwhile, the corpses of the captured ironshell-drakes were thrown into the Chishui River.
Carnivorous dragons carried toxins not only in their internal organs but also in their flesh—especially the hyena-drakes that preyed on beastmen. Even when piles of meat like small hills lay before them, the beastmen could only look and dare not taste it.
After seeing the iron shells safely handled, Chen Qi left. If he had continued watching the meat being dumped into the Chishui River, he wasn’t sure he could bear it.
Looking out at the snow-covered plains, Chen Qi realized he had already spent a year in this world. Aze had been away for several days, hunting snow bears since leaving Qi Ze City. Counting the days, he should return in three days.
It was the first time since arriving that Chen Qi had been separated from Aze for so long, and he still felt a little unsettled.
En, he missed him.
High in a tall acacia tree, a white-furred beastman squatted on a branch, resting while chewing a piece of cold, hardened dried meat. To save time cooking on the road, Aze had asked Chen Qi to prepare plenty of these before leaving the tribe—ready to eat, no additional processing needed.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Of course, roasting them slightly over a small fire would improve the taste, but Aze didn’t care. He preferred saving time to return to the tribe sooner rather than chewing the waxy meat.
After swallowing a few bites, Aze brushed the crumbs from his hands, took a bamboo tube from his pocket, removed the lid, and saw that the snow inside had melted into water. He tipped his head back and drank deeply, the icy water sending a shiver down his spine.
After eating and drinking his fill, Aze quickly tidied up his things and prepared to leave. The first snow was ending tomorrow, and at his pace, if he traveled through the night, he could reach the tribe by tomorrow evening.
Just as he hoisted his pack onto his back, he spotted several small shapes running toward him in the distance. Vaguely, he could hear the roars of some wild animals. The shapes seemed to come from the direction of Loya Forest. Narrowing his eyes, Aze swiftly descended from the acacia tree and ran towards them.
The snow-white ground bore messy footprints, marked with drops of bright red blood. The blood guided the hyena-drakes that pursued closely behind; no matter how the beastmen tried to evade, the hyena-drakes could easily trace them.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single tall tree nearby where he could hide the male beastman he carried and fight the hyena-drakes himself. Even if he lost, at least he wouldn’t be chased so desperately.
The beastman’s eyes darkened. The scratches on his back still burned painfully, but he had no choice. Scanning the surrounding area, he darted straight into the nearby tall grass.
The patch of tall grass was large. After circling a few directions, the beastman found that the hyena-drakes had been drawn some distance away. He carefully set down the male in his arms, his breathing uneven from the rapid running. “Ai Li, I can’t take you with me. I’m hurt and can’t shake off the hyena-drakes. Hide in this tall grass for now. Once I draw them away, you can leave.”
As he spoke, he pulled a large handful of fig leaves from his backpack and stuffed them into Ai Li’s arms. The leaves would mask the beastman’s scent. Unfortunately, despite his careful preparations before leaving the tribe, he hadn’t expected to be ambushed by hyena-drakes on the way back, and he now bore fresh wounds.
Ai Li stared at the beastman, who had already stained the snow red in just a few words. His expression was conflicted. Though he had only agreed to accompany the female beastman to find a fever-reducing plant for his always-hot son, seeing the injured beastman still think to protect him stirred genuine emotion. Yet he also knew that if they stayed together, the pursuing hyena-drakes would catch them both. At this moment, letting the beastman draw away the predators was Ai Li’s only chance to survive.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Ai Li bit his lip tightly, tasting blood in his mouth, before snapping back to focus. But the beastman had no time to dwell on emotions. After finishing his hurried words, he retreated backward, wiping the blood from the snow—he couldn’t let the hyena-drakes discover Ai Li’s hiding place.
A sharp birdsong cut through the sky. The beastman looked up to see a messenger eagle hovering above. The hyena-drakes were drawing closer. Without thinking further or concerning himself with the blood on the snow, he sprinted toward the approaching hyena-drakes. In only a few breaths, he saw them, then veered in a new direction, running off into the distance.
The hyena-drakes had clearly spotted him as well and decisively chased in the direction the beastman was fleeing.
Ai Li clenched his teeth and controlled his trembling body, careful not to draw attention. Even as the roars faded, he couldn’t calm his racing heart. That female beastman—he probably wouldn’t be coming back.
Ai Li dared not dwell on the thought. Hugging his hide backpack containing the fever-reducing plants for his son, he decided to leave the tall grass in another direction. The area still bore the beastman’s blood, and it wasn’t safe.
Before Ai Li could rise, the tall grass ahead was suddenly pushed aside, revealing a tall figure.
“Ai Li?”
Ai Li froze, surprised. Time seemed to rewind many years—he remembered lying on the ground, awaiting death, when this same figure had suddenly appeared before him.
Before Ai Li could process his swirling emotions, the figure had already grabbed Aze’s fur coat hem, voice trembling with a hint of tears. “Save Ajin! He’s being attacked by hyena-drakes!”
Seeing Ai Li’s face and hearing the nearby roars, Aze pushed aside the tall grass and dashed out.
Ai Li, who had been holding onto Aze’s coat, was thrown to the ground by the sudden movement. Realizing Aze was gone, he gritted his teeth, got up, and ran in the same direction.
He knew that even without the pregnancy mark, Aze was a powerful female beastman—he had seen him hunt hyena-drakes alone before. If it was Aze, today, whether for him or the female who protected him, they should survive.
The attacking hyena-drake numbered only one—a mature, pregnant female. Needing extra nutrition for her unborn offspring, she was at her fiercest.
Ai Li’s speed wasn’t as fast as Aze’s. Even though he knew Aze was strong, he still didn’t dare make too much noise and reveal his position. So by the time he heard the sounds of battle growing louder and finally pushed aside the last clump of grass, the fight between the beastmen and the hyena-drake had long since ended.
Ai Li didn’t know how Aze had killed the hyena-drake under his claws. Seeing his bloodstained figure glance in his direction made him shiver. The fallen hyena-drake and beastman seemed to vanish from his sight—only the towering beastman remained.
It wasn’t until Aze crouched to check Ajin’s injuries that Ai Li snapped back to reality. Staggering a few steps, he ran toward the two.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: I still don’t like this character.
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.
