Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 201
Chapter 201
Aze had no pregnancy patterns. This was something Chen Qi had known from the first day they met. Not only Chen Qi, but all the beastmen of the original Rock-Mountain Tribe knew it, so Chen Qi had never considered the possibility that the other party could be pregnant.
The female beastmen bore the responsibility of hunting and supporting the family. The living environment in this world made it impossible for them to be careful and rest quietly during pregnancy, as Chen Qi’s people did in his previous world. For ease of movement, they did not even have obvious protrusions on their bellies. Aside from needing to lie in bed to recuperate due to severe energy loss after giving birth, outsiders could hardly tell from the outside whether a female was pregnant before giving birth.
There was no one in this world who understood medical skills. A female with pregnancy patterns would display the symptoms of pregnancy on the patterns. When Ake had been pregnant, the stripes had begun to turn red, which was why Aze had thought about hunting the snow bear fur for them.
As a new father, Chen Qi looked at the small bun sleeping beside Aze and did not know whether he was more surprised or more shocked. Thinking of Aze’s strange narcolepsy before, he realized it was likely related to pregnancy. As the mate of the other party, he had not known at all that their child had been growing inside Aze. At that thought, a deep sense of guilt surged in Chen Qi’s heart.
“Are you… unhappy?” Aze withdrew the hand that had been lightly patting the bun, saw Chen Qi’s silent expression, and, with the redness on his ears slowly fading, asked with some unease.
In fact, Aze had suspected he might be pregnant when he had frequently fallen into deep sleep. But the fact that he had no pregnancy marks had dominated his life for more than twenty years. Although he had thought about it, he had felt it was absurd and did not want to say it out loud, only to end up experiencing disappointment.
Hearing Aze’s voice, Chen Qi came back to himself. He gently held Aze in his arms, buried his head in the other’s neck, and asked in a muffled voice, “Did it hurt?”
Aze was momentarily stunned. Only then did he realize what Chen Qi was asking, and his heart softened. “It didn’t hurt, I’m just a little tired.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Chen Qi complained. Seeing the situation now, Aze had not only given birth to their son but had also taken care of himself, leaving Chen Qi, who had not had the chance to help, even more guilty.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“I’m sorry. Next time I’ll make sure to wake you,” Aze coaxed softly.
The female’s body was strong, and childbirth was rarely dangerous. Even without help, they could complete the process on their own. Aze had initially feared Chen Qi’s disappointment, and then feared Chen Qi’s worry. He had not expected that Chen Qi could have been by his side at that time.
Ajing, carrying a bowl of hot rice porridge, broke the atmosphere between the two. The porridge had milk fruits in it, filling the air with a milky fragrance. Chen Qi took it, tapped Ajing lightly on the head with the back of his hand, and scolded, “You had time to cook porridge but didn’t even wake me up.”
“You’re blaming me for your sleeping so soundly,” Ajing pouted and muttered. When Chen Qi glared at him, he quickly ran off, still wanting to tell others the good news.
Chen Qi took a soft pillow from the room and placed it for Aze to lean on. Only then did he pick up the ceramic bowl, intending to feed him. Aze immediately stopped him, saying, “I can drink it myself.” Apart from some fatigue, his body had no major issues, and he did not need Chen Qi to care for him so meticulously.
“No way,” Chen Qi refused. He scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and then fed it to Aze.
Aze, helpless, looked at Chen Qi and took the rice porridge to his lips, smiling fully.
Inside the city wall, Aze had specially built a wooden ladder for the little wolf cub to go up and down easily. Outside, to prevent beast attacks, there was nothing except sharp wooden stakes embedded in the wall.
The little wolf cub’s fur was wet with dew. It walked back to the city gate in the first rays of sunset, biting a bulging cloth bag in its mouth, and looked up at the watchtower on the city wall.
Ake, who had been on duty all night, yawned. Seeing the little wolf cub, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. He wondered when this little one had run out—or whether it had come down to open the gate and let someone in.
The little wolf cub ran into the door and dashed off with its tail wagging, leaving Ake, who looked at the little wolf cub’s retreating figure in confusion. He finally shook his head helplessly, greeted the beastmen coming to take over his shift, stretched, and walked home slowly.
The red-fruit trees on both sides of the road began their second round of flowering. Over the past few months, the trees had grown much taller. The wind blew, and several petals fluttered in the air. Many petals had already accumulated at the base of the trees. Previously, Ake had not understood why Chen Qi had planted red-fruit trees along both sides of the road, but seeing the scenery now, he thought there was nothing more suitable than these trees.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
As he reached the end of the road, he heard a commotion from Chen Qi’s house. Listening carefully, he recognized it as Ka Luo’s voice. On the other side, the creaking sound of wooden wheels against the ground rang out. Ake looked up and saw Ayao rubbing his eyes and pulling on the hem of Ajing’s clothes, staggering along, while Ajing was pushing Lang Yan toward them.
Ake stepped forward a few steps and picked up the still half-asleep Ayao. Ayao drooped his eyelids and, seeing Ake, murmured softly, “Daddy.”
“What’s going on? Where are you headed to so early?” Ake asked, puzzled.
Ajing and Lang Yan both had smiles on their faces. Lang Yan still looked somewhat anxious. Hearing Ake’s question, he quickly explained, “We heard Aze had a baby boy. Ajing was taking me to see him.”
“What? Aze had a baby?” Ake repeated in disbelief.
“En, the little one is super cute,” Ajing said, pushing Lang Yan past the dazed Ake and into the courtyard.
The little wolf cub went to the kang bed and handed the cloth bag in its mouth to Aze on the bed. Chen Qi reached out to take it, but the little wolf cub nimbly dodged him.
Aze smiled, touched the little wolf cub’s head, dampened by morning dew, placed the bag on the bed, and opened it to find it full of fresh milk fruits.
The little wolf cub rested its large head on Aze, wanting to see the little bun lying inside, but Chen Qi pushed it away in annoyance. “Don’t wet the quilt all over. Go dry your fur before coming in,” he scolded.
The little wolf cub looked at Chen Qi with a hint of grievance but obediently ran to the yard to dry its fur.
Chen Qi took the cloth bag from the bed, went to the room to get a fresh sheet, and replaced the one slightly dampened by the cub. He then took the two largest milk fruits from the bag, found a clean pottery bowl, cut open the fruits, and poured them into the bowl, planning to prepare his son’s first meal.
“Brother, can I hold him?” Ka Luo, glancing at the little bun, asked cautiously. When he first heard from Ajing, he could hardly believe that his brother, who had no pregnancy stripes, had actually had a baby. Was he dreaming, or was the world just too fantastical?
“No,” Chen Qi refused without raising his head, carefully controlling the heat for cooking the milk fruits.
“I didn’t ask you,” Ka Luo huffed.
“He is my son,” Chen Qi retorted triumphantly.
Ka Luo rolled his eyes, but, while Chen Qi concentrated on the milk fruits, could not resist reaching out to touch the little bun’s face. The bun frowned, glanced at him, and began to whimper and cry again.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Startled, Ka Luo quickly withdrew his paw, nervously glanced at Aze, and, after being scolded with a glare, hurriedly smiled in apology.
The little bun’s cries drew everyone’s attention, even causing Ake and the others just entering the doorway to step lightly.
Chen Qi set the freshly cooked milk fruits aside and rushed over. Aze had already picked up the little bun, gently coaxing him, “Are you hungry? Do you want some milk fruit?”
The source of the Sanchen River was several towering icebergs. The water flowing from them carried a chill from years of ice. A man with silver scales stood at the riverbank, cupped a handful of water to his lips, and took a sip.
A black pterosaur descended from the sky and landed behind him. After the water in the man’s hand had flowed through his fingers, the dragon asked, “Do you want to go to the mountaintop and have a look? I can take you up there.”
The man’s cold red eyes glanced at the dragon briefly. After a long pause, he said indifferently, “No need.”
The black pterosaur flapped its wings in mild disinterest. After the man wandered nearby for a few rounds, the dragon followed. Unaccustomed to walking on land, its movements were stiff, needing to spread its wings to balance every few steps.
The ironshell-drake, having just finished devouring a beastman, raised its head. Bloodstains still clung to its hard horns, from when it pierced the beastman’s abdomen. A tall male ironshell-drake tried to help lick the blood off its horns, but was stopped. Watching the slowly approaching man, it asked irritably, “This is the only group of beastmen we’ve encountered along the way. When are we going to head to the plains?” The ironshell-drake grew impatient, eager for winter.
The man looked downwards at it. “Since you are all in a hurry, let’s go now.”
Hearing this, the surrounding hyena-drakes cheered, their voices quickly merging into one. Some timid dragons fled back into caves at the sound. Several antelope-dragons who had gone to drink at the river turned and ran away, while a mother locust dragon and her young bypassed the area.
The Chishui River, one of the three major tributaries of the Sanchen River, was the only one that branched directly from its source. However, the only tribe living along its banks was the original Rock-Mountain Tribe, now known as Qi Ze City.
The man did not intend to immediately lead his team back to destroy the intriguing town. Instead, he moved away from the Chishui River, planning first to visit the source of the Dosa River, which reportedly bore traces that the giant wolf-gods once lived there. His eyes darkened, and the cold light within them intensified.
“Let’s go,” he said. Several tall hyena-drakes hurried to follow. The black pterosaur flapped its wings, rose into the sky, and with a long cry, a group of black pterosaurs emerged from the forest.
The ironshell-drake, not anxious, allowed its companions to clean the blood off its body. Being smaller than the other ironshell-drakes, it did not need to lower its head; the tall male could reach the top of its horns.
The hyena-drakes moved slowly. From the source of the Sanchen River to the forest edge, even in a straight line, it took nearly a month. The large numbers stretched their formation. The plains’ wild animals had already left upon hearing the commotion. A few vultures looking for a free meal were too slow compared to the black pterosaur. They ended up blocking the pterosaurs’ path, had their necks snapped, and fell to the ground.
After all these large carnivorous dragons left the forest, it became deserted. The dragons that had been hiding took several days to emerge. Some stegosaurus cautiously returned to the forest center, and long-absent hydrochoerus dragons left the territory they had been confined in by the hyena-drakes for years, scattering and cheering for their newfound freedom.
A few small tower dragons* poked their heads around, their long ears raised high, spreading the news of the hyena-drakes’ departure to other dragons.
*tower dragons, probably fictional – Que long
As the news spread among the dragons, the forest, silent for years, became lively again, as if even the surrounding trees were growing especially lush.
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.
