Chapter 8 – The most beautiful word in the world (1/2)

Translated by Sunyancai

The fish Shao Xuan pulled out this time was even larger in size than the first one, but Shao Xuan just knocked it out with a stone since he did not ask for the warrior’s help. Even if the fish was merely unconscious, it could not survive without water.

With the fish hung on a tree with the straw rope, Shao Xuan took out the smaller fish which was speared through, and then he found a few dry branches.

Looking around, Shao Xuan noticed that the two warriors guarding the riverside were curiously looking at his direction, so he waved to them.

The two warriors hesitated, for they had already returned to their spot, but out of compulsive curiosity, they came back to Shao Xuan.

“What are you doing, Ah-Xuan? Are you going to eat that? Do you need our help?” The warrior asked having gotten Shao Xuan’s name when he speared the fish to death.

They were scared and curious about creatures like fish. But since the fish had been dead, the guards had put their fear behind, and curiosity towards a new kind of quarry filled up in their hearts.

“Allow me this time, since you were in charge of killing earlier!” The other warrior stepped forward and quickly grasped the fish. He used his stone knife to cut it open and disemboweled its guts. While in the meantime, he discussed with his companion.

“Wow? Are those the intestines? So short…”

“Is that the stomach?”

“No, the stomach…that is the stomach, for sure!”

“Watch out…What’s that? Don’t break it. Perhaps it’s poisonous…”

“Where’s its heart? Cut more, move your knife… Ah, you’re no good at it…Let me demonstrate… you need to keep your hand steady to avoid the blood from flowing…”

The warriors were discussing enthusiastically, and Shao Xuan was standing aside, stunned and speechless.

Were they really hunting warriors? They acted just like weird forensic experts!

Two anatomy enthusiasts with an excessive curiosity!

No matter how bizarre the impression they struck in Shao Xuan’s mind, one had to admit that they were masters of anatomy! Even though it was their first time dismembering a fish, they did a quick and clean job. As they were cutting, they took the time to give Shao Xuan a lecture about the detailed dos and don’ts when hunting and killing an animal in the wild. For instance, some animal’s guts might be poisonous while some animals had poison sacs inside their bodies. Also, there were some kinds of animals that possessed delicious guts, but for unfamiliar creatures, people would normally not eat their viscera for safety’s sake.

Soon, the fish was handled and cut open, with its guts and gills removed.

“There are not many parts left to be eaten, but fortunately it’s large in size.” The warrior said as he cleaned the blood on his knife.

The tools to make fire were not so primitive as Shao Xuan imagined before, it was some kind of a powder. Every totemic warrior was allowed to carry some of that powder. When making a fire, one would take out a stone spoon and place some powder inside, and then use a stone pestle to quickly grind it. Very soon the powder inside would become flames and turn the stone spoon into a small torch to ignite hay and branches.

Shao Xuan was pretty surprised when he saw Ge, who was in charge of delivering food to the orphan cave, lighting a fire with that powder. He thought that people in the tribe might be able to drill wood to make fire, or use flints, but he had never expected them to use such convenient tools. The children in the orphan cave did not have flammable powders, meaning they could only possess the powders when they become a totemic warrior and started their own life on the outside.

Sometimes, Shao Xuan would feel an odd contradiction when observing the tribe, as if the skills they mastered were uncoordinated with their developing levels.

But wondering was one thing, Shao Xuan did not think further for now.

One of the warriors tasted the grilled fish to make sure that it was edible, and tasty even. Three people and one wolf shared the whole fish. Two warriors could not be full with such little food, and Caesar was not particularly interested in cooked food in the first place, so he just ate a little. Shao Xuan was the only one that had a good meal from the fish.

After eating, the two warriors asked for the fish bone to be kept as a souvenir. Shao Xuan’s instinct told him that they were planning to take the fish bone back to their hunting team to show it off in front of other warriors.

Later on, the two warriors returned to their guarding duty, as Shao Xuan took Caesar back to the orphan cave, carrying the other dead fish on a straw rope.

The sky grew dark and some of the kids in the orphan cave were already sleeping, while others were about to sleep, but a few were waiting for Shao Xuan’s return.

There was a bonfire inside lit up by Ge every afternoon, for kids to keep warm or cook food. It was the kindling fire, and Ku was in charge of putting it out every night before he went to sleep. In the future, Shao Xuan would be the one responsible for that too.

Standing at the entrance, Shao Xuan told Caesar to wait outside with the fish, while he took a deep breath and strode inside.

The awake kids were relatively older and they were thinking about something around the bonfire. As Shao Xuan went in, all eyes were moving with his footsteps. Shao Xuan could obviously feel their hatred, for he took the position they longed for.

After a few steps, he climbed up onto a giant stone in the shape of millstone not far from the entrance. That was the highest place in the cave and one could have a clear view of everywhere inside standing on it. That was where Ku distributed food.