I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 158 – Getting Fire Part One
After being busy for a while, Han Cheng called someone over to take his place and continue the treatment. Under the current conditions, he had no better options. Whether Fire One could pull through or not would ultimately be up to fate.
Walking over to the unaffected Fire Two, Han Cheng also noticed a layer of heat rashes on his body. Upon closer inspection of the others, he found that only the two had the most heat rashes.
It was easy to understand why – they were constantly facing a pile of fire, and now it was midsummer.
“Wake up, wake up!” Eldest Senior Brother exclaimed with joy, and the eyes of everyone around Han Cheng were filled with admiration.
Han Cheng hurried over, and Fire One, whose eyes had been tightly closed before, had now opened them, though he remained extremely weak. Han Cheng had someone continue wiping his body with cool water while bringing a bowl of salted boiled water to feed him.
“Divine Child!”
Looking at Han Cheng, the people around had even more reverence in their eyes. While Divine Child had performed miracles before, today’s actions were undoubtedly more awe-inspiring, as he had managed to save someone on the brink of death.
Liang was the most excited among the crowd. After witnessing Divine Child use his abilities to revive someone on the verge of death, he clenched his fists tightly, and his aspiration to become a healer strengthened.
After the tribe respectfully paid their respects to Divine Child, many people excitedly jumped around, expressing their joy with loud cheers.
However, Han Cheng wasn’t as happy as they were. He was contemplating the situation with the fire, thinking about how to improve the fire-making technology.
Burning flames continuously for twenty-four hours in the heat of summer was overly hot. It was fine for those who usually didn’t approach the fire pit, but the elderly Fire One and Fire Two had suffered.
Fire One was lucky to have survived Han Cheng’s simple treatment this time, but would he be so fortunate next time?
This issue needed to be resolved.
Han Cheng couldn’t make matches or lighters. He could only think of fire knives, fire stones, or perhaps fire drills.
Fire stones were rare, and the possibility of finding fire knives or stones around the Green Sparrow tribe was too small.
Moreover, the fire knives of the future were made of hard steel. Han Cheng had heard from the elders in his family that the better the fire knife, the easier it was to ignite the fire with just one strike. However, the use of steel alone was enough to stop him.
The only remaining option seemed to be to manufacture fire drills.
Han Cheng also knew a bit about the fire starter. He would roll up the yellow paper used for ancestral offerings, insert it tightly into a bamboo tube, then light one end with fire and cover it. The paper wick inside the bamboo tube would burn extremely slowly and remain unextinguished.
When needed, you just need to open the cover and blow out the flame.
Han Cheng smirked, realizing he had no bamboo and no yellow paper.
Indeed, it was the primitive era.
Having memories from future generations, he found even these simple tasks challenging. The ancestors, however, took step by step, overcoming difficulties and eventually achieving brilliance, making one couldn’t help but admire them.
How much hardship and setbacks did they endure in this process? One could only imagine.
“Pa, pa, pa.”
The night was deep, adorned with gem-like stars. The night seemed serene without the neon lights and bustling crowds, bringing genuine joy and peace from within.
In the quiet night, the sound of striking stones echoed. Along with this sound, scattered orange sparks were flashing, drawing arcs in the air, and then disappearing.
Like fleeting meteors in the night sky.
Compared to yellow paper and bamboo, Han Cheng felt it was more reliable to find stones for striking. So, this afternoon, he carried a small basket and went to the nearby quarry to find some stones for striking.
Most of the hard stones could produce sparks when struck, but to quickly ignite a fire, one needed to find those that could erupt with many sparks with just one strike.
Shaman, Eldest Senior Brother, Lame, Mu Tou, and others gathered around, watching the sparking flames and the determined striking of the Divine Child with stones.
They had already learned from the shamans about their intentions. The shamans were looking for a new way to start a fire, freeing Fire One and Fire Two from the daily task of tending to the flames so they wouldn’t face life-threatening situations like today.
Everyone was moved by the Divine Child’s kindness and compassion. Fire One and Fire Two, who knew the reason, were even more overwhelmed with emotion. Tears filled their eyes, which were already prone to shedding tears.
Feeling a bit better, Fire One struggled to get up to continue tending to the fire, not letting the Divine Child bear such hardship.
“Pa, pa, pa.”
The sound of striking continued, and the sparks kept flashing. Suddenly, the sparks that used to flicker and go out grew, becoming larger and brighter.
Han Cheng stopped striking, set aside the stones, picked up the tinder on the ground, and put it to his mouth to blow.
After receiving a breath of Divine Child’s mystical air, whether or not it carried any bad breath, the spark on the fire tinder in Han Cheng’s hand became even brighter. Soon after, a small flame rose, dancing in the night sky.
Shaman, Eldest Senior Brother, and others gathered around and watched the flickering flame, each with widened eyes.
When it came to fire-making, they only knew about using Mu Tou drills and had never imagined that stones could also generate fire.
Mu Tou, who often dealt with stones, had the widest eyes. He had seen such sparks more than once and found them amusing. Little did he know that these seemingly tiny sparks could ignite a fire, which couldn’t even be felt when they splashed on the body.
By the light of the fire, Mu Tou approached Han Cheng, eager to try holding a stone himself.
Han Cheng pinched a corner of the fire tinder, held it before him, and observed the dancing flame. When it was about to burn his hand, he let go, allowing it to fall to the ground.
The fire tinder burned on the ground, but since there was no additional kindling, the flame quickly diminished, eventually extinguishing completely.
Han Cheng sighed softly and handed the two stones that had proven to be the most effective in creating sparks to Mu Tou, who was eager to try.
The people around, delighted by the appearance of the fire, were puzzled when they heard Divine Child’s sigh. After all, Divine Child had just created a new method of making fire—why would he be unhappy?