Ch105 – Hibernating
The people brought back by Xiong Ye, who had been slaves for the Giant Tiger Tribe for a very long time, eventually all joined the Big Bear Tribe.
After that, they killed all the warriors they had captured from the Giant Tiger Tribe back then.
The three hundred people that Hu Tian had brought with him to attack the Big Bear Tribe had been the most powerful warriors of the Giant Tiger Tribe. There was no doubt that these warriors had invaded other tribes before and had had the privilege of making use of the slaves back when they were part of the Giant Tiger Tribe. This meant that they were all hated by the slaves who had now joined the tribe.
Now that the slaves from the Giant Tiger Tribe were joining the Big Bear Tribe, they naturally wanted to seek revenge.
Nobody stopped this from happening. After that, the very powerful Giant Tiger Tribe that had lived rampantly in the wild forest for decades, actually dispersed like smoke and disappeared completely.
After the slaves joined the Big Bear Tribe, they started to busy themselves with work.
Pottery was able to improve the lives of the people in the tribe, but it wasn’t urgent. The matter of making pottery was first set aside for a while, and everyone was mainly occupied with the business of storing up food and collecting firewood.
Winter in the place where the Big Bear Tribe was located lasted for over a hundred days, and seventy to eighty of these days were very, very cold. It was difficult to find any food during that period of time, and the tribe wouldn’t organize any collective hunts during that time either.
Since that was the case, they needed to prepare a lot of food in order to pass the winter comfortably. Not only that, everyone would try to eat more before winter and build up their own weight.
Xiong Ye wasn’t quite able to control himself.
He had been eating a lot lately, and not only had his animal form become fatter, even his human form had fattened up and become better looking.
Xiong Ye crouched down in front of the pond at the entrance to their home and looked at his reflection in the water. He felt that he had become more handsome.
And that day, just happened to be the day when the handsome him was going to take over as the tribal chief.
There was no need to go out on a collective hunt today, and the gathering of firewood and other such work had also been suspended, allowing everyone to gather together in the valley and attend the ceremony that marked Xiong Ye’s ascension to the position of tribal chief.
In the past, the Big Bear Tribe had always been struggling for sufficient food and necessities, and they hadn’t attached much importance to this kind of ritual. When Xiong He had taken over the position… After Xiong Ye’s father had passed away, they had been in a rush, and he had simply stepped up into the role.
But this time, it was different.
After talking it over with Xiong He, the priest decided that this ceremony needed to be performed well so that the people who had only just joined the Big Bear Tribe would know that the Big Bear Tribe had a rich background.
Although those people who had just joined the Big Bear Tribe had a good impression of the tribe, they hadn’t joined the tribe for very long and often stayed together with the people from their original tribes. Their sense of belonging in the Big Bear Tribe wasn’t very strong.
The priest wanted to use this ceremony to make these people realize that the Big Bear Tribe was very powerful, and remind them that they were now all people of the Big Bear Tribe.
Therefore, they specifically prepared a very distinctive ceremony. In order not to make any mistakes during the ceremony, they even sought Xiong Ye out to do a rehearsal.
“Zhou Ji, you have to go and participate in the ceremony later.” After checking out his appearance in the water, Xiong Ye used his hands to wash his face while he talked to Zhou Ji.
“Alright.” Zhou Ji agreed, then asked rather helplessly, “Why aren’t you using hot water?”
Zhou Ji was very, very satisfied with their new home. It had become more convenient for him to make food and heat up water ever since they had built this house.
So, the first thing he would do every morning when he got up was boil water.
But Xiong Ye never used the hot water.
“I don’t need it. You should use it.” Xiong Ye said. Boiling water was quite troublesome, but Zhou Ji liked to use hot water to wash his face, drink hot water, and even use hot water to wash with … It was better to save the hot water for Zhou Ji to use.
With that in mind, Xiong Ye immediately decided to go out and bring back more firewood after the ceremony was over–he had to prepare more firewood for their home.
Otherwise, how would Zhou Ji make it through this winter?
Xiong Ye quickly finished washing his face, then brushed his hair with a comb and even went to find and put on the clothing that Zhou Ji had made for him.
“There’s also shoes.” Zhou Ji took out a pair of shoes for Xiong Ye. These shoes were something he had made over the past few days based on Xiong Ye’s foot size. The soles of these shoes were made up of layers of animal hides, and the top was made from plant fibers.
“Is this for me?” Xiong Ye hesitated a little when he saw the shoes. Wearing those things on his feet probably wouldn’t feel comfortable, right?
He had seen Zhou Ji making shoes a few days ago, but he hadn’t thought that they were for him.
“Put them on and give them a try.” Zhou Ji said.
Xiong Ye couldn’t bear to reject Zhou Ji and immediately put them on.
He had already made up his mind to wear these shoes for the day even if they were uncomfortable. After all, making shoes was very troublesome, and Zhou Ji hadn’t even left the house these past few days. It was probably because he had stayed at home in order to make these shoes.
Xiong Ye didn’t realize that it hadn’t actually taken Zhou Ji very much effort to make these shoes, and he had stayed at home purely in order to sleep, but this misunderstanding caused him to feel very moved.
After he put on the shoes… He looked at his own feet in surprise.
He had thought that his feet would feel very uncomfortable after being wrapped up in something, but unexpectedly, it was the opposite.
After putting on a pair of shoes, his feet felt very comfortable!
Xiong Ye moved his toes, took a few steps, and felt his feet warm up. The warmth rose up from the soles of his feet and finally spread over his entire body.
“I also made you a belt.” Zhou Ji took out a belt that was made from black dinosaur leather and had a ceramic buckle, wrapping it around Xiong Ye’s waist before bringing out a necklace and hanging it around Xiong Ye’s neck.
This necklace was made from a number of colored stones strung together. They were bright, colorful, and very beautiful. Zhou Ji hadn’t polished these stones and had directly strung them together into a long necklace that was both rough and striking. It suited Xiong Ye’s temperament very well.
Zhou Ji felt that Xiong Ye would like this necklace very much, and that was indeed the case.
Growing up, he had loved to collect all kinds of beautiful stones. He had originally collected a pile of them, but he had then given them away to others when he was about to mate with Shi Li because they took up space. In fact, he hadn’t been very willing to part with them, but now Zhou Ji had actually made a necklace like this for him…
Xiong Ye hugged Zhou Ji and gave him a kiss, “Zhou Ji, you’re wonderful.”
Zhou Ji: “……” The stones on the necklace that he had given Xiong Ye had smaller stones near the top and very large stones near the bottom. The biggest stone was about the size of an egg and hadn’t been polished at all.
That stone had prodded him when Xiong Ye hugged him, and it hurt a bit.
“Let’s go.” Zhou Ji said. He and Xiong Ye walked out together.
They hadn’t gone far when a gust of cold wind hit them straight in the face.
Xiong Ye immediately went to stand in front of Zhou Ji to help block the wind.
But in fact, he wasn’t taller than Zhou Ji, and couldn’t block anything… Zhou Ji laughed softly and used his spiritual powers and energy to block some of the wind.
The two of them made their way forward together, and it wasn’t long before they arrived at the valley where the people of the Big Bear Tribe lived.
At this time, there were already a lot of people in the valley, and the smell of barley tea filled the air–a fire had been lit in the middle of the tribe, and a stone pot had been set atop it, in which barley tea was being brewed.
There were even people standing next to the stone pot who were tasked with offering barley tea to everyone who came.
When they served the barley tea, they would serve it along with the barley. On a cold day like this, it was very enjoyable to first drink the bowl of barley tea, then chew and eat the barley left at the bottom of the bowl.
“Zhou Ji, I made a type of very delicious barley tea!” The priest held up a ceramic cup and came over when he saw that Xiong Ye and Zhou Ji had both arrived. “Do you want some?”
Zhou Ji had already smelled the scent in the air and didn’t hesitate at all at this time to say, “No.”
The priest was very disappointed. He continued to promote it, “It’s really delicious! I put in a bit of oil as well as a bit of salt. This combination with the boiled barley smells really appetizing.”
Zhou Ji: “……” This shouldn’t be called barley tea. It should be called barley soup instead.
While Zhou Ji was talking to the priest, the people who had only just joined the Big Bear Tribe were all observing Zhou Ji.
It had been ten days since Xiong Ye had led these people back to the tribe. During these ten days, they had already become familiar with the priest and Xiong He as well as some of the other people from the Big Bear Tribe, but they hadn’t even seen this Zhou Ji who was supposed to be the Beast God’s messenger at all.
Now that they finally had a chance to see him, it was natural for them to be curious.
“This person is very good looking.”
“The clothes he wears also look good.”
“Is that Zhou Ji?”
……
Everyone was discussing him, and someone even said, “I heard that Zhou Ji is the Beast God’s messenger. Does that mean that he can… say, do you guys think that he can have a baby?”
Zhou Ji, whose spiritual powers were so strong that he had been able to hear everything clearly: “……”
By the time the barley tea was finished, everyone from the tribe had all arrived.
At this time, the priest stepped out into the open space in the middle of the valley, “Today is the day when Xiong Ye will take over as the tribal chief of the Big Bear Tribe. I will pray here and ask the Beast God to bless our tribe…”
The priest said a long string of words, and after he spoke, he once again started to dance.
Zhou Ji felt that the priest’s dancing was as difficult to watch as ever.
If Xiong Ye was the one dancing, it would definitely be good to watch… Hold on, Xiong Ye shouldn’t dance for these kinds of events. If he wanted to dance, he should dance for him alone in their room for him to watch.
After dancing, the priest then started to speak again. He also had someone bring up a bowl of meat, a single fish, a bowl of barley, and a bowl of earth eggs. “Great Beast God, I offer up these delicious foods to you, may you bless our tribe…”
The priest had organized quite a lot of things. He was really quite capable.
All of this seemed very basic for Zhou Ji, who had participated in many modern day ceremonies, but it felt very grand to these ordinary beastmen who had gathered around to watch.
The people who had just joined the Big Bear Tribe felt nothing but admiration when they watched this–the Big Bear Tribe was really different from other tribes!
They had never known that such things should be done when a new tribal chief stepped up to the position, and they had never known that they should offer food to the Beast God… The people of the Big Bear Tribe really knew a lot of things!
These people looked at those who had been born and raised in the Big Bear Tribe with envy, and thought that they must have had a great life from childhood. They didn’t know that the natives of the Big Bear Tribe were actually in a bit of a daze at the moment.
It hadn’t seemed so troublesome last time when Xiong He became their tribal chief! Was it because they had been too poor back then that the priest had omitted all these steps?
Singing songs, dancing, and the priest even had all the tribesmen dance with him, making Xiong Ye and Xiong He dance along as well.
Everyone started to dance, and only Zhou Ji and a few people who were unable to dance didn’t perform. ‘Those who were unable to dance’ actually referred to children who couldn’t walk yet, and people in other similar states.
Zhou Ji felt that he was a little out of sync with everyone, but he really couldn’t dance.
Zhou Ji had heard Xiong Ye say early on that this succession ceremony would be a little more complicated, but he hadn’t expected that it would become like this… However, it was really very lively.
Although he couldn’t really understand it, it was obvious that everyone else was very happy, Xiong Ye especially so.
Finally, Xiong Ye accepted a baton made of pottery from Xiong He’s hand.
This baton should be a piece of pottery that had been completed recently, but it was clearly now a symbol of power… Zhou Ji watched as Xiong Ye raised the baton above his head and said, “Big Bear Tribe! Big Bear Tribe!”
Everyone picked up the chant and shouted along, “Big Bear Tribe! Big Bear Tribe!”
The atmosphere in the tribe was very heated for a while. After that, everyone gathered together to eat.
Everyone was very happy, but Xiong He alone was very unhappy.
He was unhappy not because he had handed over the position of tribal chief, but because… While he had been about to happily settle down to eat, the priest had said to him, “Xiong He, you have to memorize the words that I spoke and the dance from today’s ceremony. All the Big Bear Tribe’s tribal chief succession ceremonies will be conducted like this in the future! The priest’s succession ceremony can be held like this too!”
Xiong He: “……” If he’d known it would turn out like this, he would’ve told the priest to say less! So, what exactly had the priest said before?
He really didn’t want to memorize it at all!
Hold on, he shouldn’t think about whether or not to memorize these things right now. He should first find a suitable student for the priest!
He was too old now and really couldn’t memorize anything!
While Xiong He was depressed, Xiong Ye was in high spirits.
He was smiling as he spoke to everyone in the tribe, and finally arrived by Zhou Ji’s side. He tugged at Zhou Ji’s hand, “Zhou Ji, let’s go dance.”
Zhou Ji didn’t actually want to dance at all, but perhaps because Xiong Ye’s gaze was too enthusiastic, he actually stood up and really started dancing…
The ceremony was over, but the dancing was still ongoing. Only, everyone had shifted to dance around the fire instead.
Although this dance was very casual, and everyone was dancing as they liked, it seemed as though this dancing was making everyone very happy?
Zhou Ji’s thoughts were indeed correct. After such a lively and energetic dance, the people of the Big Bear Tribe were all very happy.
The smiles on the faces of those who had been living dark lives as slaves for so long had grown wider and wider.
Everyone became even more filled with energy, and under Xiong Ye’s leadership, they took advantage of the fact that winter hadn’t yet fully arrived to stock up a lot of firewood and food.
There was an empty room in the place where Zhou Ji and Xiong Ye lived. Zhou Ji hadn’t paid attention to it, and so Xiong Ye had stuffed all kinds of things inside. Firewood alone took up half the room.
But this wasn’t all… Xiong Ye had piled up the larger pieces of wood outside the house.
Everyone was constantly busy, and winter quietly crept in.
One morning, Zhou Ji suddenly discovered that it was snowing outside.
They had basically finished all kinds of preparation, and the time had come… The priest immediately announced that winter had begun and that there was now no need to go out on collective hunts. Xiong Ye and Xiong He took out the food that the tribe had stored up and distributed it amongst the people of the tribe together.
Xiong Ye was given a lot of meat. He took the meat home and saw Zhou Ji standing under the eaves of their house, looking at the snowflakes.
“Zhou Ji, it’s cold outside. Why aren’t you staying inside the house?” Xiong Ye asked.
“I’m watching the snow.” Zhou Ji said. How many years had it been since he’d seen snow like this?
No, he had never seen a snowy scene like this.
The scenery here was too beautiful, and the person standing there was too attractive.
Zhou Ji and Xiong Ye worked together to bring the meat into the empty room and hang it up in the kitchen. After everything was done, Zhou Ji asked, “Xiong Ye, will you hibernate?”
Bears were animals that would usually hibernate. In winter, when food was scarce, they would dig a hole or find a cave to sleep in in order to wait for spring to arrive.
“There’s a lot of food this year, so I won’t go into hibernation!” Xiong Ye didn’t think twice before replying.
Bears would hibernate, but their hibernation wasn’t that deep and was actually more like sleeping. At least, they were able to wake up immediately if danger came along.
If there was food, they would even wake up and eat.
Xiong Ye had hibernated last year because there wasn’t enough food. This year, though… He wanted to stay together with Zhou Ji every day, eating and drinking and hugging and kissing!