Gravel
Bai Wu applied the medicine Nan Yao gave him, and his foot injury healed very quickly.
When he wasn’t walking, it barely hurt.
It was about to rain, and Bai Wu planned to gather more firewood before the rain started.
He even asked his family for help.
An didn’t quite understand. “What’s the point of carrying so much firewood to the riverbank?”
“To burn stones.”
“Aren’t stones unburnt? Then why burn them?”
“To see if they can crack.”
“You might as well just smash them with stones.”
“Too slow. Burning stones two or three times might crack them.”
An was full of doubt, but he still agreed to Bai Wu’s request and went with him to gather firewood.
Mo and Chuan didn’t ask any questions. After finishing their hunting and gathering, they also came to help.
Even Da, upon hearing the news, excitedly called his friends to join in.
Gradually, the entire tribe knew that Bai Wu was going to gather firewood to burn stones.
Most people thought this move was unreliable.
Some even came to advise Bai Wu not to argue with the clan chief and to just go to the quarry to collect stones.
Bai Wu thanked everyone for their kindness but didn’t explain further—this matter was too difficult to explain.
Two days passed in a flash.
That morning, when Bai Wu opened his eyes, he sensed that the air pressure was unusual.
He looked at the gray sky, sniffed, lightly kicked his brother lying next to him, and asked, “Is it going to rain today?”
His brother didn’t even open his eyes, rolled to the side, and mumbled, “Hmm, I think so, I can feel the moisture.”
Bai Wu knew immediately that his brother was unreliable, so he simply got up, straightened his feather skirt, put on his animal skin shoes, and went to ask his dad.
Chuan looked at the sky for a while after leaving his nest, then felt the moisture in the air before confidently telling Bai Wu, “It’s probably going to rain.”
“Dad, can you tell if it’ll rain in the morning or the afternoon?”
“It should rain around noon. I can’t tell right now, but it definitely won’t rain anytime soon.”
Bai Wu thought for a moment, “Then I’ll go to the riverbank and start a fire.”
“So soon? I’ll go with you after breakfast.”
“No, I’m afraid I won’t have enough time later. I’ll just have some noodles.” Bai Wu went back to his nest, found his special basket, and said impatiently, “Dad, I’m going now!”
As he spoke, he took off his animal-skin shoes, threw them into the basket, and instantly transformed into a large white bird. After taking a few steps, he flapped his wings and flew away.
Chuan called after him, but he didn’t have time.
The news that Bai Wu was going to the riverbank to start a fire quickly spread, attracting a group of children to come and watch.
Bai Wu, worried about the children’s safety, wouldn’t let them get too close, only allowing them to watch from the opposite bank of the river.
When the children arrived, the tribe’s idle elders and young beastmen and sub-beastmen also came.
Making a fire in the wild was a serious matter; a single mistake could burn down the entire mountain. Everyone came to see if there was anything they could do to help.
When they finally arrived, they discovered that Bai Wu had been extremely cautious. The firebreak had been wide and long, and deep trenches had been dug, diverting water from the river to separate the riverbank from the forest behind.
Unless some unforeseen accident occurred, the forest would never have burned down.
For a moment, the older beastmen and sub-beastmen watching had complex expressions and whispered amongst themselves:
“That kid Wu is actually quite reliable.”
“He’s diligent enough too. He said he’d collect firewood, and he did. He said he’d dig a ditch, and he did.”
“He’s just a bit too stubborn. The chieftain has already withdrawn the punishment; the quarry in the tribe is much better, but he insists on doing it all by himself. How can fire possibly damage the stones? Isn’t that a joke?”
Bai Wu ignored the whispers around him.
He cleared away the debris again, making sure the firebreaks and fire-resistant strips were working properly, before using the embers from the wooden tube to light the fallen leaves on the riverbank.
Behind the riverbank was a forest, where he had collected the most fallen leaves, which formed a thick layer on the riverbank.
The embers ignited the leaves, and the fire slowly spread.
Bai Wu piled wood on top of the leaves, mostly small, dry branches, with large pieces of wood on top.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, these small, dry branches would soon catch fire, eventually igniting the large log above.
The wood burned very quickly, and Bai Wu dared not linger, fearing the fire would grow too large to escape in time.
Once he confirmed it was lit, he retreated to the opposite bank of the river.
The person delivering breakfast on the bank watched him, eyes wide. “That’s it?”
“Temporarily done. Let it burn slowly.”
“How long do you want it to burn?”
“Until it burns completely, or until it rains and extinguishes the fire.”
Someone nearby couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the point of burning it like that? The stones in my hearth are burned day and night, and we only replace them every year or two. You think burning them for a day will crack them?”
“We’ll only know after it burns.”
“You’re putting in so much effort without knowing anything?”
“Just trying. If it works, it’ll save a lot of trouble.”
Seeing Bai Wu’s nonchalant attitude, someone’s gaze fell on his feet.
His feet were crisscrossed with wounds, still covered in scabs.
An older sub-beastman nearby shook his head. “You’re a strange sub-beastman.”
The fire was huge; even across the river, dozens of meters away, the scorching heat could be felt from the other side.
The fire contained many large, hardwood logs, burning very slowly.
It burned from morning until late morning. The younger beastmen and sub-beastmen had to go hunting and gathering, so they couldn’t stay to watch.
Only the elderly and children remained, playing and watching.
Bai Wu flew around to the other side and threw firewood into the fire a few times.
Around noon, the weather changed from sunny to cloudy.
The clouds overhead grew thicker, while the flames on the opposite bank continued to burn fiercely, almost illuminating the sky.
Bai Wu looked up at the thick, dark clouds overhead and murmured, “Looks like the heavens are on my side this time.”
An old man watching the commotion nearby didn’t hear him. Seeing the clouds thickening and rain threatening to fall, he reminded him, “Wu, it’s going to pour.”
“It’s alright,” Bai Wu smiled. “You all go back first. I’ll stay here and wait.”
“Didn’t you just catch a cold? If you get soaked, your health might suffer—”
Before the old man could finish, someone shouted, “The priest is here!”
Everyone instinctively looked up at the shout.
Bai Wu also raised his head.
A gigantic bird flew overhead, its wingspan seemingly seven or eight meters on each side. When it spread its wings, it practically blotted out the sun.
Its black feathers looked like they were made of metal, even reflecting the firelight.
The wind stirred up by this giant bird was stronger than the wind that had preceded the downpour.
Bai Wu almost instantly recalled a passage from his past life—”Angry, it flies, its wings like clouds hanging from the sky.”
No wonder everyone held the priest in such high esteem.
The priest truly looked like a god descending from heaven.
Nan Yao folded his wings and slowly descended a dozen meters away from the crowd.
The crowd surged forward, greeting him with reverence.
Nan Yao nodded, walked to Bai Wu, and asked, “Did it work?”
“Not yet, I’m waiting for a downpour.”
“It’ll rain soon.”
“Then witness a miracle?”
A smile appeared in Nan Yao’s eyes. He looked up and glanced around. “The elderly and children, go back first.”
The elderly immediately agreed, transforming into birds and fluttering away.
The children reluctantly transformed into little white birds and flew back to the tribe in flocks.
The wind grew increasingly damp.
A large raindrop the size of a marble pattered down, splashing into large sprays at Bai Wu’s feet.
The raindrops continued to fall, one after another.
Bai Wu looked up at the opposite bank.
The fire on the riverbank had dwindled considerably, turning to ash in some places. The flames were almost invisible.
It was truly a timely rain.
The rain quickly intensified into a constant, resounding patter.
The beastmen and sub-beastmen still watching gathered large leaves to shield themselves from the rain.
Nan Yao stood among the crowd, his head shrouded in a large, smooth leaf, looking like a strikingly handsome performance artist, completely out of place with the others.
Bai Wu glanced at him several times.
The rain had stopped, and those who had gone out hunting and gathering returned to their tribes. Bai Wu’s family members flew over and stood beside him.
Many young beastmen and sub-beastmen also flew in from afar.
They jostled and pushed their way along the riverbank to watch the spectacle.
The rushing rain drowned out the noise.
“The chieftain is here!”
Another shout drew everyone’s attention to the newly arrived giant white bird.
The giant white bird landed, and sure enough, it was their chieftain, Ya.
Bai Wu, following the crowd, exchanged a glance with the young chieftain.
After greeting Nan Yao, Ya nodded slightly to Bai Wu and then stared blankly ahead.
With the chieftain’s arrival, the noise instantly subsided.
More beastmen and sub-beastmen flew over, but seeing the priest and chieftain present, they dared not laugh or make a fuss, quickly disappearing into the crowd to watch quietly.
The downpour was thorough, extinguishing the last vestiges of early summer heat.
The ash heap that had been burning on the opposite bank was extinguished by the rain, turning into a black pool.
A series of muffled cracking sounds occasionally broke the silence of the rain, each one startling those on this side of the river.
The boulder was buried beneath the damp ashes, and no one knew what lay beneath.
The crowd began to stir.
“Is it okay now? I heard the sounds.”
“How’s the fire going? Can we go check now?”
“Hey, what are we waiting for?”
“Boom—”
A muffled rumble of thunder echoed from the horizon.
A gust of wind blew, and the drenched beastmen and their sub-beastmen, their lips turning blue, several shivered slightly.
An, wiping the water from his clothes, quietly asked Bai Wu, “What are we waiting for now?”
“Let the stones cool down completely before we go check the situation over there, otherwise they might explode and hurt someone. Brother, Dad, aren’t you cold? Should we go back first?”
An rubbed his nose and glared, “My health is much better than yours.”
Chuan chuckled beside him, “No need to rush. We’ve been stuck in the wilderness by rain countless times. Waiting a little longer won’t hurt.”
The long wait was incredibly boring. The beastmen and sub-beastmen who had been watching the commotion gradually flew away, leaving only twenty or thirty people.
Bai Wu, holding a leaf, looked up at the still-pouring rain, and sniffed, “It should be about time. I’ll go check it out.”
Nan Yao said, “I’ll go with you.”
No one else dared to argue with them.
The two transformed into birds and flew to the other side.
The riverbank was covered in ashes. The rain was so heavy that the ashes had been washed into the ditches, revealing the grayish-white stones underneath.
Bai Wu carefully stepped onto the ashes, feeling that they were completely cool beneath his feet.
He casually broke off a stick from a nearby bush and used it to brush away the ashes covering the large rock.
With just a gentle touch, Bai Wu saw that the large rock was covered in cracks.
Several cracks had already penetrated deep into the rock’s core!
Success!
Success on the first try!
Things went even more smoothly than he had imagined.
Bai Wu’s heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, eased considerably. He looked up at Nan Yao.
Nan Yao’s gaze fell on the shattered rock. He forcefully plunged the thick wooden stick into the cracks in the rock and pried it open.
The stick snapped with a “pop,” and the rock shattered into several pieces.
The people on the opposite bank craned their necks to look. Seeing the rock crack open, they erupted in cheers.
Nan Yao tossed aside the broken stick in his hand and said, “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Bai Wu said. He squatted down to examine the stone, his excitement barely concealed.
The large rock had split into more than a dozen pieces of varying sizes. The smaller stones could be collected and used for building houses, while the larger pieces could be reheated later.
Bai Wu squatted on the ground examining the stones, completely ignoring Nan Yao beside him.
Most of the stones had cracked in the heavy rain.
Some cracked well, others not so well.
However, with some repair and processing, there were still many usable stones.
An and the others flew over to help.
Ta examined each stone, his face full of amazement, “There are more usable stones here than at the quarry!”
The other members of the tribe gathered around, using sticks or stones to pry open the cracked stones underneath.
Bai Wu examined it from head to toe. Nan Yao walked over and stood beside him. “Your foot is injured again.”
Bai Wu looked down and realized that his foot had been cut by gravel sometime during the night, and it was bleeding again.
He pulled his foot out of his animal-hide shoes. There was a long gash on the side of his foot, and rain diluted the blood into a pale red.
Bai Wu, seemingly unconcerned, squatted down, dug around, and found a clump of ash. He applied it directly to the wound, wrapped his foot with a wide leaf for protection from the rain, and then put his animal-hide shoes back on.
Standing there soaked to the bone, his face beaming with delight. He looked up at Nan Yao and thanked him, “Thank you for the reminder.”
Nan Yao looked at him intently, then held a broad leaf over his head. Before he could refuse, he asked, “What would you have done if it hadn’t rained today?”
Bai Wu smiled faintly. “If it hadn’t rained, I would have fetched water. Sprinkling some water isn’t difficult, just a little troublesome.”
Nan Yao nodded, and looked at Ya.
Ya’s ears turned red. He pursed his lips and called out “Priest,” then said to Bai Wu, “You succeeded.”
Without waiting for Bai Wu’s reply, Ya shouted to the remaining beastmen, “Everyone, lend a hand! Break this stone and take it to where Wu wants to build his house!”
Without waiting for anyone else’s response, he picked up a stone and began breaking it.
The other beastmen laughed and came over to help break the stone.
The beastmen and sub-beastmen busied themselves, filling baskets with the heated stones and carrying them to the hilltop where Bai Wu planned to build his house.
With so many people and all being skilled workers, they quickly gathered most of the suitable stones from the riverbank.
Before taking flight with the stones, one beastman asked, “Wu, can we use this method to break stones too?”
“Of course.”
“This method wasn’t invented by me. Feel free to use it, but please be careful.”