Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 161
Chapter 161
“I’m fine.” Seeing Chen Qi come down from the city wall and immediately start checking him up and down, Aze smiled helplessly and said, “Really, I’m not lying to you.”
Only after confirming that Aze’s clothes truly had no tears did Chen Qi finally relax. It wasn’t unreasonable for him to worry—after all, the scene of Aze being chased by the pack of hyena-drakes earlier had been far too perilous. If Aze had been accidentally clawed by one of them, Chen Qi thought he would probably have nightmares for days.
The hyena-drakes’ movements had slowed due to the effects of the tobacco smoke. Although their struggling had weakened, the beastmen dared not let their guard down. After pulling the hyena-drakes halfway into the air, they used newly crafted long spears to pierce their throats first, then only completely hauling them up once they were completely still. The process was a bit lengthy, but it ensured safety.
This successful hunt thrilled everyone in Qi Ze City. Never before had they managed to take down so many hyena-drakes without suffering any injuries or deaths. In the past, unless they had four or five times the number of hyena-drakes, no beastmen would even consider hunting such creatures.
After disposing of this batch of hyena-drakes, Azhang led the patrol team to scout several times along the Chishui River, even checking the area across the river. Once they confirmed there were no traces of other dragon activity, they resumed their usual hunting routine.
Thanks to the hyena-drakes and ironshell-drakes, the beastmen now had an ample supply of bait and could use it freely. Within just a few days, they caught enough fish to last the entire tribe through the winter.
With plenty of meat stored, Azhang stopped sending people to fish and instead ordered the harvesting of all the tobacco around Qi Ze City before winter set in. Once winter came, the tobacco would wither, and when mixed with other weeds, it would be hard to distinguish them—so they had to stockpile what they needed during this final week or so.
The moat was restored to its former disguise, and a new layer of hay mixed with grease and tobacco was laid along the riverbed.
Since Ye Huo needed to study under Chen Qi, he moved his place of study to Chen Qi’s courtyard for the time being.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
During this period, the little wolf cub had grown significantly. Every time Ye Huo came and saw the giant wolf-god standing in the courtyard, his heart would skip a beat. Back when he lived in the Salt-Water Tribe, he had never been this close to such a divine creature. Even knowing the giant wolf-god’s temperament, he still couldn’t quite get used to it so quickly.
Unfortunately, although the giant wolf-god lived among the beastmen, it didn’t like being touched by anyone except a few familiar people. Whenever it saw Ye Huo, it would mostly ignore him. Still, if he brought food offerings, the little wolf cub would reluctantly allow him to touch its snow-white fur.
As soon as Ye Huo pushed open the courtyard’s gate, he saw the giant wolf-god standing there. Skillfully, he took something wrapped in cloth from his bag and handed it to the little wolf cub. The cub sniffed it, then took it gently in its mouth, glanced up at Ye Huo, wagged its tail a few times, and turned back toward Ajing.
Ajing was sitting at the table reviewing his lessons. As Chen Qi often said, Ajing was at the perfect age for learning, so aside from exercising with Chen Qi every morning and evening, he spent most of his time studying and teaching the other beastmen to read. Occasionally, Aze would take Ajing along when picking wild fruits nearby, mainly to help him learn to identify plants.
In the entire tribe, Ajing was probably the only one who could stand sitting at a desk facing those dull characters day after day. Even those who found writing interesting could only manage two or three hours before giving up. Ka Luo had accompanied him for a few days at first but soon lost patience—learning to read wasn’t nearly as fun as cooking a delicious meal. Of course, now there was another who could endure such tedium: Ye Huo.
When the little wolf cub came over, Ajing set down his pen. The cub handed him the bundle it carried, and Ajing deftly unwrapped it to reveal two still-warm roasted sweet potatoes. He peeled one for the little wolf cub and then peeled the other for himself.
When Ye Huo first tried feeding the little wolf cub, he had brought grilled fish, but the spoiled creature wouldn’t even give it a glance. Eventually, Ye Huo discovered that the little wolf cub would only eat roasted sweet potatoes—the simplest of foods, requiring no cooking skill at all. He had once suspected his cooking was so bad that even the giant wolf-god despised it, but every time he saw Ale eating happily, he gave up trying to figure it out.
Chen Qi had just finished watering the two pots of heatgrass. While the morning sun was still gentle, he moved the two still-drooping grass into the middle of the courtyard to let them bask in the sunlight.
“Can this thing even stay alive?” Ye Huo asked, setting his belongings on the wooden table beneath the fig tree.
Chen Qi fiddled with the shriveled leaves of the heatgrass and stood up. “It should be fine. I’ve been keeping it for several days now and haven’t managed to kill it yet—and the flowers on it have even started forming seeds.”
“You mean it can still seed like this?” Ye Huo leaned closer curiously and found that the little yellow flowers had indeed begun to wither and form seeds.
“Why did you bring so much stuff today?” Chen Qi asked doubtfully, glancing at the two large cloth bags on the table.
“There’s been no need to hunt lately. Ale found quite a few wild fruits, so I brought some for you.”
When Chen Qi opened the bags, he found that some of the fruits were familiar, while others he had never seen before. Amid the pile of red and purple wild fruits, there was one familiar object as thick as a child’s arm. Peeling away the green husk, he saw the golden kernels inside and exclaimed, “Is this corn?”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“Corn?” Ye Huo looked at what Chen Qi was holding. “These wild fruits don’t have a name, and they don’t taste good. If you eat too many, your stomach feels bloated. Ale said you like collecting strange wild fruits, so he picked some for you.”
Chen Qi asked excitedly, “How many of these wild fruits are there? Where did he pick them?”
Ye Huo was momentarily stunned. “They don’t grow much on the plains. As for where they were picked, you’ll have to ask Ale.”
“Alright, then, please ask him for me later. If there are more of these, pick as many as you can.” Chen Qi knew Ale had gone out early that morning with Aze and the others. They were at the forest’s edge, cutting firewood for the winter—a task that had mobilized almost all the young females. With only about a week left before winter, they needed to gather enough firewood for the whole tribe.
Chen Qi took out all the corn from the bag—there were only three ears. He washed them, placed them in a pottery dish filled with water, and started a fire to boil them.
Ye Huo followed him inside, watching curiously. “Do these wild fruits need to be boiled?”
“En, or roasted over fire works too,” Chen Qi replied with a smile. “Cooked ones taste much better than raw.” Though truth be told, he’d never eaten raw corn himself.
When the water came to a boil, Chen Qi added a bit of salt for flavor. While the corn cooked, he used the same fire to prepare lunch for himself and Ajing to save wood.
The freshly boiled corn was sweet and sticky. Chen Qi didn’t know whether it was because he hadn’t eaten corn in so long or if the plants of this world simply tasted better when cooked, but he thought it was the best corn he had ever eaten.
After tasting it, Ye Huo deeply regretted having wasted such a delicious “wild fruit” for decades. Without Chen Qi even reminding him, he decided he would definitely ask Ale to look for more of it when they returned.
Chen Qi saved half an ear for Aze, while Ajing and the little wolf cub shared another.
After eating the boiled corn, Ye Huo stayed to study literacy with Ajing, while Chen Qi carried the newly bound printed books he had finished over the past few days to the school.
A wooden bookcase had been built by the back door of the classroom. Whenever new books were completed, Chen Qi would place them there. Beastmen who had free time would come by to read and practice their characters, and some would even borrow books to take home before returning them later.
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 the sewing classroom, Ali was teaching several males how to sew. The snow bear pelt Aze had hunted had already been dried, and Chen Qi had drawn up a design for it. Now, Ali was explaining while working on a new fur coat for Chen Qi.
Since the hyena-drakes wandering by the Chishui River had been dealt with, life in Qi Ze City had returned to its calm, peaceful rhythm. Tribal construction was progressing steadily, and preparations for the winter were nearly complete. Even the newly joined beastmen were confident they could pass the winter safely and comfortably.
This year, the beastmen of Qi Ze City did not go to the Lion-Wolf Tribe for the tribal assembly. Instead, Ayan came again with several females. They had originally intended to warn Qi Ze City about the presence of hyena-drakes by the Chishui River, only to find that the tribe had already wiped them out.
It was through Ayan’s visit that the beastmen of Qi Ze learned the Lion-Wolf Tribe had also been attacked by hyena-drakes on their return journey. Fortunately, they had a large enough group; the hyena-drakes killed only one warrior before retreating. Other than that single loss, there were no further casualties.
“Several of the smaller tribes that attended the gathering were also attacked by ironshell-drakes or hyena-drakes,” Ayan explained. “Many are planning to merge into the Lion-Wolf Tribe before winter.” The reason he came to Qi Ze City so late was that he had waited until all the tribes gathered at the Lion-Wolf Tribe to collect information and report everything to Azhang at once.
“No wonder dragon activity has been so frequent lately,” someone remarked. “We’ve encountered several ourselves just in this area. Last year, there were locust and antelope-dragon herds passing nearby, and even the avalanche that hit the Lion-Wolf Tribe was caused by dragons. Even with your larger numbers, you can’t afford to let your guard down.”
“En.” Ayan nodded. “We’ve started building walls too, though our tribe is much larger and surrounded by mountains on three sides, so we can’t dig a moat like you. Still, we’ve increased the number of guards outside. At this gathering, members of other tribes learned fishing and cooking techniques from us. In the summer, many suffered losses after venturing into the forest, and quite a few tribes hadn’t stored enough food for winter. With what they learned, they should now be able to survive by fishing until next year’s migrations bring the plains animals back.”
Ayan bowed gratefully to the people of Qi Ze City. “We owe this exchange to you—without it, many tribes might not have survived the winter.”
Azhang patted his shoulder. “And we have you to thank for sharing the news.”
After delivering his message, Ayan and his group departed. The Lion-Wolf Tribe’s winter preparations were still incomplete, and he couldn’t stay long. Before leaving, he exchanged the supplies he had brought with Qi Ze City’s beastmen, and once he confirmed the hyena-drakes near Chishui River had been eradicated, he hurried back to the Lion-Wolf Tribe overnight.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 1 of 3 for the week.
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.
