I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 787: The Delicious Dried Meat That Was Pulled Apart
Inside the Green Sparrow Tribe, Han Cheng’s face was full of joy.
At the Copper Mountain residential area, the population had been severely decimated due to the presence of the Flying Snake Tribe. This loathed and feared tribe often considered turning other tribes’ people into winter food.
Following the Flying Snake Tribe’s defeat and the commencement of plans to build the Copper Mountain residential area, Han Cheng also inquired about the former Flying Snake tribe members who had been tamed and had been living within the tribe for nearly two years.
He learned that near the original Flying Snake tribe’s territory, there were no other tribes left.
The remaining tribes were all located farther away from the Flying Snake Tribe.
This outcome caused Han Cheng many moments of deep melancholy, because it meant that while Copper Mountain could refine copper, it would be challenging to exert any influence on surrounding tribes.
As for setting up a trade team at Copper Mountain, similar to the leading tribe, to use Copper Mountain as a center to seek out nearby tribes and promote trade, Han Cheng had also considered it but ultimately rejected the idea.
The main reason was not that the tribe lacked talented traders for external exchanges.
People can be trained; if they wanted to create another trade team, they could pull some people from the old trade team as a backbone, add some newcomers, and select a relatively talented person to lead.
Initially, the new team might be inferior to the old one and somewhat inexperienced. Still, after time and experience, they would improve.
Even though the leader might not be as talented as the old one, with the strong backing of the Green Sparrow Tribe, trading with nearby tribes wouldn’t be a problem.
The main reason was that Copper Mountain was primarily established to produce sufficient copper and tin for the tribe’s use.
Also, since the Flying Snake Tribe had already destroyed the nearby tribes, setting up a second trade team at Copper Mountain seemed less urgent.
Now, unexpectedly, some of the old tribes had begun migrating back, which naturally made Han Cheng very happy.
This meant that as time went on, beyond copper and tin smelting, Copper Mountain’s influence over surrounding populations would gradually begin to take effect.
Advanced civilizations naturally attract and have many advantages over lower-level ones.
Plus, with Han Cheng, a cunning time-traveling man behind the scenes, continuously pushing out influence, the tribes near Green Sparrow and those in more frequent contact would inevitably be influenced and slowly assimilated at uneven rates.
“Tell Third Senior Brother, these people absolutely must not be killed and should be treated well—they will be handy for the tribe’s future development…”
Snapping out of his reverie, Han Cheng quickly spoke up.
Among the tribe, the most ruthless when dealing with outsiders was Shang, a man who had suffered misfortune before, followed by Third Senior Brother, the divine archer.
Having lived in the tribe for so long, Han Cheng knew Third Senior Brother’s personality very well: heavy on killing outsiders but not wanton slaughter.
But this time was different.
Because these people had scaled the wall of the Copper Mountain residential area, and everyone in the Green Sparrow Tribe knew how important bronze was.
As the person in charge of Copper Mountain, Third Senior Brother understood this even more deeply than others.
Under such circumstances, he became increasingly angry, and killing or enslaving these people was not impossible.
Hearing Han Cheng’s words, one of the eight returning men with the best eloquence began to relay Third Senior Brother’s thoughts and actions to Han Cheng.
When Third Senior Brother ordered them to report back to the prominent tribe from Copper Mountain, the old primitive man and his group had not yet left. Meanwhile, Third Senior Brother had just begun his plan to keep them with delicious food…
“Hahaha…”
After hearing about Third Senior Brother’s thoughts and methods, Han Cheng finally burst out laughing.
Third Senior Brother’s sneaky tactics sounded very comforting.
The more Han Cheng thought about it, the better he felt.
Thanks to his ongoing efforts over the years, the tribe’s people had become very different in their approach to many things—not the same stubborn, single-minded fools as before, but people who could think.
Han Cheng was naturally happy about this.
Because for the Green Sparrow Tribe to grow and survive, it couldn’t rely on him alone; the tribe members needed to gradually change their ideas and lifestyles and inherit and develop the advanced things he brought from the future.
It seemed that placing the Third Senior Brother to guard Copper Mountain was a completely correct decision.
Whether it was the failure to catch those external tribe members by brute force or the series of decisions and methods afterward, Han Cheng was delighted.
This was how a tribe guardian should act.
If Sha and Shang had swapped positions, Han Cheng believed the outcome could have been very different.
After learning all this, Han Cheng happily told the eight people rushing back from Copper Mountain to eat something and rest.
The reason for using so many people to transmit a message was partly because Third Senior Brother had made each carry a copper ingot back, and partly because the journey from Copper Mountain to the Green Sparrow prominent tribe was long and unsafe.
Sending only one or two people might mean they never returned.
When the old primitive man and his group went to Copper Mountain to investigate the Flying Snake Tribe’s situation, they also sent six adults for the same reason.
The eight men returning from Copper Mountain, eating delicious tribal food and seeing familiar faces mixed with some unfamiliar scenes, all felt warmth and excitement in their hearts.
It felt so good to come back!
Looking at the Divine Child’s joyful face because of the news they brought, and the surroundings, such thoughts arose in their hearts…
The crescent moon shines over the nine provinces, bringing happiness to some families and sadness to others.
At this moment, it was daytime, so the moon was not visible, but a similar situation was unfolding.
To the northwest of the Copper Mountain residential area, at some distance, there was a cave. Inside and around the cave were some people.
It was daytime, and except for a few very young children too small to do work, everyone else was busy around the cave.
Some were gathering fruits, while others dug for wild vegetables. Some used sticks to turn over soft patches of turf, searching for white worms about the size of a toddler’s thumb, or carefully made simple fishing spears to catch fish…
All these activities were for food, for survival.
The young minors followed the adults, learning how to gather food.
Life in the tribe was harsh; everyone struggled, working hard to survive and fill their stomachs.
This was a familiar scene for many tribes and many people in this era.
Such conditions would persist for a long time, spanning multiple spaces and times, as many years passed, before minors could be relieved of such early heavy burdens and survival pressures, replaced instead by games, snacks, and electronics…
Compared to this tribe, the minors in the Green Sparrow Tribe lived much more comfortably — they had ample food, clothes for both winter and summer, and small games taught by the Divine Child. They could sit on long benches at long wooden tables inside brick and tile houses to study.
Their style of learning was utterly different from that of the minors in these other tribes.
“Pfft!”
“Splash!”
The sound of a wooden stick piercing something was heard, followed by splashes of water.
As the water droplets fell and the surface was broken, a fish pierced by the stick, still trying to survive by wagging its tail, surfaced and was grabbed by a large dark hand, then tossed onto the grass.
“¥%R5!”
Two minors holding wooden fishing spears in the water nearby had been trying to spear fish for a long time without success. They couldn’t help but let out quiet exclamations.
They gazed at the fish leaping on the grass and the adult wielding a spear with both envy and admiration, then gripped their spears tightly, their eyes shining as they watched the river, ready to try catching one or two fish themselves.
But the adult who caught the fish was far less excited than these two minors.
He stood upright, still holding the spear, and couldn’t help but look toward the southeast.
Aside from a few scattered tribe members gathering food nearby, the further distance remained quiet—nothing was happening, nothing appeared—and this made the man increasingly anxious and uneasy.
For ease of writing and identification, let’s call this tribe the Wind Tribe.
The name originates from when some people climbed over the stone walls of the Green Sparrow Tribe’s Copper Mountain section and saw beautiful scenery.
This anxious and uneasy man, who had just caught the fish, was the leader of the Wind Tribe.
Of course, the Wind Tribe leader was anxious because the few tribe members he had sent to scout the evil Flying Snake Tribe’s location had not yet returned!
The old primitive man and his group had been gone a very long time; it would be strange if the leader were not worried, especially since they had gone to the location of the strong and evil Flying Snake Tribe!
The stone markings carved on the cave walls by the old primitive man when he left had since been crossed out by the leader with slashes.
Not only that, after drawing these slashes, the Wind Tribe leader had carved many more marks afterward.
According to the prior agreement, after crossing out all the marks the old primitive man left, the leader was supposed to lead his people away to find a new place to live.
But he had not done so.
Partly because he did not want to abandon the old primitive man and the others who had left with him.
The Wind Tribe had not had an easy time these past few years: first injured by the Flying Snake Tribe and forced to move north to unfamiliar lands.
After finally settling there, the long, cold northern winter forced them to return.
The back-and-forth drained their strength and lives.
During this time, not only minors and elders died, but many adults also perished.
As a result, the surviving population was less than that of those who had died, and the tribe’s size shrank.
If they lost these few adults too, the tribe’s situation would worsen.
Also, after the arduous journey back to their original home and finally having some stability, leaving again now for a new, unknown place might weaken the tribe further and risk extinction.
In this era, without enough tools, food reserves, and population, rashly leaving one’s home to migrate was extremely risky.
But not migrating was also very dangerous.
The old primitive man and his group had still not returned, and even if the Wind Tribe leader wasn’t brilliant, he easily connected this to the Flying Snake Tribe.
Given the Flying Snake Tribe’s past evil and brutality, they would most likely come looking for their captured tribesmen.
If so…
Due to this worry, the Wind Tribe leader had recently kept the strong adults at home instead of sending them out to hunt, gather food near the cave by fishing with spears, and collect wild fruits.
This was to prevent the evil Flying Snake Tribe from attacking while the adults were away hunting.
That would be even more tragic for the tribe!
Wait a little longer!
Wait a little longer!
If by the time the moon is complete, the old primitive man and his group still haven’t returned, then migrate…
Watching the happy tribe members laughing as they gathered food, the Wind Tribe leader gripped his spear tightly and made this decision.
Not far from the Wind Tribe, the limping old primitive man and a few others clutched wooden sticks and hurried their pace as much as possible.
But with no proper paths and the old man’s leg not fully healed, the journey was slow and exhausting.
No matter how hard they pushed, their speed did not improve.
They blamed themselves for being too greedy—if not for that, they would have already returned and shared the good news with the tribe!
But the food was really too delicious…
Faster!
Keep going faster!
The limping leader encouraged himself silently while pushing forward through his exhaustion.
He feared returning too late and finding the tribe had already migrated. Still, he was also eager to share the overwhelmingly good news.
As they neared the tribe, the old primitive man’s excitement grew stronger.
After escaping the evil Flying Snake Tribe and enduring hardships on his way home, he had never felt this excited.
Resting briefly against a tree, he felt the things on his back, and his spirit soared; even his tired body found renewed strength.
“¥%RR!”
He leaned on the tree, turned to a few others who looked equally excited, then quickened his pace toward the cave.
“¥%6¥!”
“¥%6¥!”
At that moment, the Wind Tribe leader, holding a spear and correcting the fishing posture of two minors, suddenly shuddered and looked toward the southeast, his expression filled with excitement and anticipation.
Unfortunately, dense vegetation blocked the view, and no one could be seen there.
As the Wind Tribe leader waited anxiously, the sound of shouting came again from that direction.
He had already recognized the owners of those voices—it was those people who had gone with the old primitive man to scout the evil Flying Snake Tribe!
They were coming back!
“¥%6¥!”
The leader of the Wind Tribe responded excitedly, then sprinted toward the direction of the voices.
Most of the Wind Tribe members scattered around the area, gathering food, also reacted like their leader; one by one, they shouted and ran in that direction.
In an instant, the previously quiet area became filled with noise and the sounds of running. Birds that had been foraging on the ground or perched on branches were startled by the commotion and flapped their wings, flying off into the distance.
The old primitive man and the others, who were already exhausted and filthy, barely able to stand, quickened their pace when they heard all these responses…
“¥%6¥!”
When the returnees and those waiting for them met, a wave of joyous excitement erupted. The Wind Tribe leader caught the nearly falling old primitive man and spoke with a look full of joy and relief.
After a while, the leader’s gaze fell behind the old primitive man, pointing at something strange made from animal hide, and asked him about it.
The leader’s action made the old primitive man suddenly animated and lively.
He couldn’t wait any longer—he took off the item from his back, carefully placed it on the ground, opened it, grabbed a handful of something inside, and handed one piece to the leader, signaling him to eat it.
The Wind Tribe leader held this strange-looking object in his hand and examined it, realizing it was some meat.
Only it was different from the usual fresh meat they knew—this was dried meat cut into small pieces.
Under the expectant gazes of the old primitive man and five others who had come back from the Green Sparrow Tribe, the leader put this unusual food into his mouth.
As soon as the food touched his tongue, the leader’s eyes widened, and he instantly chewed faster, showing a surprised and delighted expression.
Seeing the leader’s reaction, the old primitive man and the others smiled kindly and happily.
Then, they began handing out the small pieces of food to other tribe members who watched the leader chew silently, swallowing eagerly.
The Wind Tribe members who received this delicious food, which they had never tasted before, displayed expressions as wonderful as their leader’s.
Some children were especially excited, eating the strange yet delicious food carefully, chatting and comparing the sizes of their pieces like little birds happily chirping.
The old primitive man and the five who had returned from the Copper Mountain section of the Green Sparrow Tribe watched this scene and felt a deep warmth in their hearts.
This delicious food was one of the items packed for them by the kind tribe leader when they left; the quantity was small, but it was the tastiest among the few types.
They had eaten a little on the way, but the old primitive man told them not to eat more, as they needed to bring it back for the tribe.
Along the journey, the rest of their food was gone; they had to fill their stomachs with wild fruits and vegetables. The old primitive man didn’t allow them to eat this “jerky,” as the kind tribe had called it.
This had puzzled some of them, and a few even thought the old primitive man was secretly eating it himself.
But now, seeing the tribe’s joy over the jerky, those doubts vanished, and they understood the old man’s actions.
Watching the tribe enjoy the jerky made them feel more satisfied than if they had eaten it themselves.
Especially when some minors, hesitating to bite off more, broke their jerky into pieces and offered the bigger part to others, it made them feel everything had been worth it.
The previously dull Wind Tribe became lively and joyful again because of the old primitive man’s return.
Especially after hearing from them that the evil and powerful Flying Snake Tribe no longer existed, the whole Wind Tribe erupted in celebration.
For the Wind Tribe, the evil and powerful Flying Snake Tribe was like a heavy mountain pressing down on their chests, making it hard to breathe.
Even the newly sensible minors in the tribe could feel this suffocating pressure.
The Wind Tribe leader’s mouth was wide open, almost able to swallow a fist.
The evil and powerful Flying Snake Tribe had disappeared, defeated by another tribe, which filled him with uncontrollable joy and shock.
After standing dumbfounded for a while, a look of fear suddenly appeared on the leader’s dark, filthy face.
He suddenly thought of the tribe that had defeated the Flying Snake Tribe and settled near the Flying Snake caves.
If that tribe could defeat the powerful Flying Snake Tribe, it meant they were even stronger and might be just as evil.
If so, wouldn’t his own tribe be in even worse danger?
At that thought, the Wind Tribe leader lost his composure.
He grabbed the old primitive man’s arm urgently and voiced his worries.
The old primitive man was taken aback by the sudden action and dropped some of the food.
After understanding the leader’s concerns, the old man relaxed and smiled kindly.
Not only him, but the others who returned from the Copper Mountain area also couldn’t help but smile.
That tribe was so kind and generous—there was no way they would come to attack them.
Because they had just returned and time was tight, the leader had been urgently asking about the Flying Snake Tribe, so the old primitive man hadn’t yet had a chance to say anything about the kind Green Sparrow Tribe. He had been itching to talk about it.
At this moment, when the leader asked, he could no longer hold back and began excitedly telling the leader about the Green Sparrow Tribe, even neglecting to eat the food he had picked up from the ground.
Several people who had come back together from the Copper Mountain residential area also perked up upon hearing the old primitive man talk about the kind and powerful Green Sparrow Tribe and gathered around.
Especially the female primitive woman who knew the Green Sparrow Tribe more deeply, her expression was even more excited.
They were all thrilled to mention this miraculous, dreamlike experience and even more willing to speak of that dreamlike tribe.
“¥%…D%…”
As the old primitive man kept telling the story, the once lively place—made lively by their return—gradually grew quiet.
Those scattered around with food slowly gathered closer, not daring to breathe, listening carefully to the old primitive man’s words…
As the old primitive man continued, the panic and anxiety in the Wind Tribe leader’s eyes gradually faded and were replaced by growing surprise and shock.
Later, the Wind Tribe leader’s mouth involuntarily opened wider and wider, unable to close for a long time.
The other members of the Wind Tribe also opened their mouths wide, watching the animated old primitive man and the others with faces full of longing and amazement.
“Glug!”
When the old primitive man mentioned the delicious fried small fish, he swallowed with a look of intoxicated delight.
“Glug!”
“Glug~”
Those nearby swallowed along with him, creating a spectacular scene.
The crowd was gradually roused by the resounding swallowing sounds, exchanging glances that felt like waking from a deep dream.
Looking back at the old primitive man and the other five, they felt as if everything they had just experienced had been a dream.
This feeling surged in their hearts, and some began to doubt the old primitive man’s words.
It wasn’t that they didn’t trust him, but what he described was too unbelievable.
However, just as their disbelief began to rise but had not deepened, it was completely shattered.
The one who shattered it was the old, primitive man.
Because he craved the food from the Copper Mountain residential area so much, he remembered the kind and generous leader had packed him a jar of delicious salt…
Dusk gradually fell, and the flames illuminated the entire cave, filling it with the aroma of food.
Under the firelight, the eyes of the Wind Tribe members shone brightly, as if flames were burning inside.
What they were all eagerly looking at was the beautiful stone jar that the leader treasured, carefully watching as it contained the delicious “salt”!
That wealthy, powerful, and extremely kind tribe truly knew how to make food exceptionally delicious!
The old primitive man and the others said that the food they ate in that tribe was even more delicious, which amazed them all.
Tonight’s salted food was already unimaginably delicious to them, and food even more delicious than this was truly beyond imagination!
…
Night fell, and the flames inside the cave continued burning.
In the past, the Wind Tribe members would have either fallen asleep or started humming tunes to their partners, but tonight, none showed any sign of sleepiness.
Their eyes were wide open, gathered around the fire listening to the old primitive man and the other five who had returned from the Copper Mountain area, speaking of that miraculous tribe, each filled with boundless longing.
Primitive life remained monotonous and scarce, with little change. The experiences of the old primitive man and his group during this time were far more thrilling and attractive to them than even middle school students today reading fantasy novels about cultivation.
Thus, the Wind Tribe people didn’t begin to sleep until very late that night.
After lying down, many tossed and turned, unable to sleep; even many who had never experienced insomnia before felt it for the first time…
Early the next morning, the Wind Tribe women—who basically never washed their faces—followed the returning female primitive woman to wash their faces, and then learned from her how to braid beautiful hair…