Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 195
Chapter 195
In the end, the group didn’t reach an agreement. Axiang only said he needed some time to think, then left.
Aze walked him to the courtyard gate. Axiang pushed the fence door open, but just as he was about to step out, he paused. He hesitated, glanced at Aze beside him, and seemed like he wanted to speak but held back.
“Don’t worry. We won’t tell anyone about your mate.” Aze said calmly.
Axiang quietly let out a breath. For so many years, he had never shared his mate’s secret with anyone. Naturally, he didn’t want him to suffer even the slightest harm.
“Your mate really is a fascinating person,” Axiang said with a soft chuckle before stepping out into the night.
Aze watched his figure fade into the darkness. His expression dimmed slightly, and he stayed at the doorway for a moment before turning back inside.
Before bed, Chen Qi was sorting through the materials they planned to send to the Lion-Wolf Tribe. This world was far too underdeveloped; if the things he made could help save beastmen, he didn’t mind sharing them all.
“It’s late. Let’s sleep first. You can finish the rest tomorrow,” Aze reminded him.
The windows were wide open. A small bunch of ghost needle flowers sat in a bamboo tube on the windowsill. It had only been about a week since summer began, yet the ghost needle throughout the tribe were already blooming in succession. As long as they stayed within the tribe, almost no mosquitoes or insects entered Qi Ze City. Even the occasional stray bug that slipped in would be driven away by the flowers. So during the hot summer, to keep ventilation, they usually kept not only the windows but also the doors open, unless there was a special reason to close them.
Since the slate bed was too hard, Aze had laid down two soft animal hides, then spread a few bamboo mats on top. Even indoors, it stayed pleasantly cool to lie on in summer.
Chen Qi put down his pen, blew out the candles on the table, took off his shoes, and climbed into bed.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a bright patch across the floor. With that faint glow, Chen Qi could just barely make out the outlines of the furniture in the room.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“What’s wrong?” Aze asked. His eyes could see with even the faintest light, making them especially bright at night.
Once Chen Qi settled down, Aze gently draped the thin blanket over his stomach. Chen Qi’s two long legs remained exposed to the air. The cool surface of the bamboo mat felt wonderful during summer, and he couldn’t help rubbing his legs lightly against it.
“If Axiang really brings his mate here, would you help take care of him?” Aze asked, eyes fixed on him.
Chen Qi thought for a moment. “If Axiang is actually willing to send his mate over, then sure—we’ll help however we can. But I don’t think he’d ever feel secure letting his mate come here.”
When that man talked about his mate, there was a possessiveness in every word. The fact that he hadn’t already dragged Chen Qi and the little wolf cub to the Lion-Wolf Tribe was already surprising.
But since the two tribes were now cooperating, and since Axiang was a chief, he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize intertribal unity right now. Chen Qi sighed. After living here so long, he understood that beastmen were straightforward in their thinking — no complex schemes, no hidden traps. The only one who seemed deeper and more calculating was Axiang. Yet even he came directly, stated his purpose openly, and after being refused, didn’t push further. That was one of the reasons Chen Qi was willing to help him at all.
Life in this world was already hard enough. Chen Qi truly hoped these beastmen could keep their innocence forever.
“But I really didn’t expect that animals here could actually transform into humans.”
“Giant wolf-gods are different.” Aze paused in thought. “When I was young, my dad told me that the giant wolf-gods were blessed by the Beast God. They are the Beast God’s representatives in this world.”
“Oh?” Chen Qi had never heard that before. “So there really is a Beast God here?”
Aze shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen one. But Dad said that, long ago, giant wolf-gods were the leaders of all beasts. The beasts worshipped them, and in return, they maintained order among them.”
“Order? What is that?”
“I heard that back then, the boundary between the plains and the forest wasn’t as clear as it is now. The ‘order’ was meant to keep the fighting between beast herds from being too severe.”
“It seems your father knew a lot.”
Aze’s ear tips flushed red, but because of the dim night, the person beside him didn’t notice. He took Chen Qi’s hand and said, “He’s our dad.”
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 blinked in surprise, then let out a soft laugh. “Right, our dad. Did our dad ever tell you anything else?”
Hearing the faint teasing in Chen Qi’s voice, Aze felt an itch along his ears. “No. Maybe I was too young at the time. Dad didn’t explain in detail—just mentioned it briefly.”
“I’m afraid Axiang’s mate isn’t the only one who can take human form. The two giant wolf-gods Azhang met in the forest could also speak like people.” Chen Qi suddenly sat up straight. “Say—do you think our Little Wolf can talk?”
A vague image of the silly little wolf cub flashed through Aze’s mind. He glanced at Chen Qi’s expectant expression and answered somewhat vaguely, “Little Wolf is still young. Even if he could take human form, he’d only be a little bigger than Ayao. I doubt he’s old enough to speak yet.”
“That’s true.” Chen Qi deflated a little. Although the little wolf cub was obviously smarter than an ordinary animal, he didn’t have any beastman traits. Even if he could really transform, it wouldn’t be easy. Axiang had said his mate’s transformation was still incomplete. If the little wolf cub ended up half-human and half-beast, that might be worse than simply living freely forever as a giant wolf-god.
“All right, don’t overthink it. There’s still a lot to do tomorrow.” Aze brushed his fingers through the soft roots of Chen Qi’s hair and gently pulled him back down.
Chen Qi had been busy all day and was already exhausted. He quickly drifted into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, Chen Qi went to check on the construction of the new houses. The homes were being built row by row, all with the same layout: two rooms, a hall, a bathroom, and a small courtyard.
Half of the project was already completed, and several houses were roofed. Once the indoor fire-pit beds were set up, people could move in.
Chen Qi had originally planned to experiment with underfloor heating in this batch of new houses, but Qi Ze City was short on manpower and overflowing with work. The idea had to be postponed—perhaps he could test it later in the warm houses built for livestock.
After giving a few instructions to the beastmen in charge of construction, Chen Qi headed to the wasteland to check on the newly planted crops. It had been almost a month since the start of summer. The red-fruit trees lining both sides of the road had begun shedding their leaves. Pink flower buds pushed out from between the branches. In just a few days, Qi Ze City would be surrounded by a sea of blossoms.
Chen Qi strolled forward, crunching fallen leaves underfoot. Today, Aze needed to take guard duty on the city wall. Since the number of young beastmen in the tribe had increased, Chen Qi adjusted the school schedule—classes now ran almost the entire day. As he passed the school, the crisp, youthful voices reading aloud drifted out, giving him the illusion of having stepped back into a civilized world across time and space.
He stood at the simple school gate for a while before leaving. Because the crops on the wasteland had been planted early, they had already grown tall. Most of this season’s first batch consisted of staple foods. However, the newcomers from the Salt-Water Tribe didn’t yet have private courtyards to grow vegetables, so part of the fields were planted with fast-maturing vegetables.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“Are all these things edible?” Axiang walked between the fields, eyes sweeping over the lush green expanse.
“Most of the plants you ate yesterday are grown here.” Seeing Azhang walking through the fields with Axiang, Chen Qi happened to come over and overheard the question, so he explained aloud.
Today, only Axiang came for inspection. The Lion-Wolf Tribe beastmen who accompanied him had been sent to help with work around Qi Ze City. Seeing Chen Qi, Axiang gave him a slight nod—a simple greeting.
The three of them walked a full circle around the farmland. The crops were thriving. The plains animals had returned this year, so they no longer needed to hand-pollinate. The harvest would surely be much better than last year’s.
A few elderly females came by carrying compost, and the smell made Axiang raise his eyebrows. Chen Qi briefly explained the principle behind composting before the three of them left the farmland and stepped outside the city.
Across the moat, another large stretch of land had been cleared. Several beastmen were planting crops there—including a young beastman from the Lion-Wolf Tribe who was busy helping the elder females and didn’t even notice them approach.
“You’re planting so much—do you not plan to hunt anymore?” Axiang asked after watching for a while.
Azhang chuckled and shook his head. “Of course, we’re still hunting. These crops are just supplementary food. In winter, you can’t find anything to eat on the plains. And we’re not entering the forest anymore. Planting more now means more stored food for the winter.”
“Did you discover all these edible plants yourself?” Axiang turned to Chen Qi.
“It was everyone in the tribe working together. I couldn’t have found so many on my own.”
Axiang didn’t respond, but he didn’t need to. He already knew—even if Chen Qi hadn’t personally found every plant, he was definitely the one who figured out which were edible.
Outside the fields, the pits left from earlier still hadn’t been repaired. After nearly a month of sunlight, most of the water in them had evaporated—one now had to stretch quite far to touch the surface.
Axiang had heard bits of the battle between Qi Ze City and the hyena-drakes yesterday. He hadn’t expected that relying only on these traps and measures, Qi Ze City survived without casualties. If the hyena-drakes had attacked the Lion-Wolf Tribe instead, being able to save even half of the tribe would already be considered a victory.
He stood by the pit for a long time. The two others didn’t rush him. Chen Qi scribbled notes in his booklet—the arrangement of traps in this area still needed improvement.
“I’ll return to the tribe tomorrow,” Axiang suddenly said.
The abrupt statement made both Chen Qi and Azhang look up.
“You’re not going to wait for your tribe members to arrive?” Azhang asked. They had previously agreed that once the Lion-Wolf Tribe members arrived, Azhang and Ali would follow Axiang back with the collected information.
“I’m going back alone first.” Axiang hesitated, first glancing at Chen Qi, then turning toward Azhang, his tone serious. “There’s something I’d like the chief to help with.”
“What is it?”
Axiang took a deep breath, then slowly explained the situation regarding his partner.
Azhang’s expression grew increasingly solemn. When Axiang finished, he patted his shoulder. “If you want to send your mate here, then do it. When Ali and I head to your tribe, my house will be empty—you can let your mate live there first. And don’t tell anyone else for now. Qi Ze City has only just been established, and many people here are still unfamiliar with each other. It’s better to keep it quiet.”
Azhang had seen how Aze lived in his previous tribe. Even though they hadn’t driven Aze out, his life there had been far from good.
Axiang hadn’t expected Azhang to agree without hesitation. His eyes stung faintly. After a long moment, his lips trembled twice before he finally managed, “Thank you.”
“Don’t worry. Once your mate arrives, I’ll make sure our Little Wolf keeps him company too.” Chen Qi sighed emotionally. He hadn’t thought Axiang would truly be willing to send his mate away for safety.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 2 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.
