Peaceful days always pass quickly.
Spring arrived in the blink of an eye.
Warm sunshine once again bathed the earth, and the ice and snow quickly melted away.
"Creak..."
The door of the bamboo house was pushed open, and Jiang Xuan, dressed in beast hide clothing, wearing beast hide pants, and beast hide boots on his feet, walked out of the bamboo house.
These beast hide clothing, pants, and boots were all made by them during the long winter.
They first cut the soaked beast hides into the shapes of clothes, pants, and shoes, then used sharp stones to drill a row of small holes in the hides, and finally used fine ropes twisted from tree bark to sew the hides together.
Although the workmanship is quite rough and not very pretty, it is warm.
"Swish..."
Behind the bamboo house, many bent-over bamboo trees dropped ice shards downward with the melting snow, and then slowly straightened back up.
When the heavy snow fell, most of the bamboo trees were bowed down.
Fortunately, Jiang Xuan had cleared the bamboo in front and behind the house for making the bamboo house, bamboo bed, bathroom, and toilet, otherwise, the weight of the icy bamboo tails may have been too much for the bamboo house to bear.
"The feeling of sunshine is really nice!"
Jiang Xuan basked in the sun, stretched lazily, having been cooped up in the bamboo house all winter. Although he didn't worry about food and drink, he felt quite stifled.
Chi Shao and others also came out. They were dressed just like Jiang Xuan, wearing beast hide clothing, pants, and shoes.
Chi Shao said, "Winter is over, and we can go hunting again."
Gou Teng added, "We can fish too."
Shi Qiu said, "Dig a pond."
Nan Xing said, "I want to take a walk up the mountain."
Nan Xing's words sparked a long-held idea within Jiang Xuan's heart.
He looked back towards the towering Stone Mountain behind the bamboo grove and the massive Ancient Vine winding around it.
"Actually, I want to climb up to the top of Stone Mountain along the Ancient Vine to take a look."
As soon as he said this, the four turned their gaze to Jiang Xuan, and from their expressions, it was clear they were somewhat intrigued.
Seeing this, Jiang Xuan said, "How about we wait until the snow melts and climb up together for a look?"
The four almost didn't hesitate and nodded in agreement.
The people of the tribe have a spirit of adventure, and climbing Stone Mountain and Ancient Vine is very appealing to them.
They are also very eager to climb up to see what the landscape around this forest is like.
The Stone Mountain is so high that the snow on top melts slowly, so they estimate that climbing up will take two to three days.
Jiang Xuan moved around the area near the bamboo house, then went back inside, found a suitable bamboo tube, and used a sharp stone to carve the character "one" at the top.
"Today is the first day of the new year, with the ice and snow beginning to melt."
"I don't know how this world runs, so I'll record it like my previous life for now."
"From now on, I'll carve a number on the bamboo tube each day, for thirty-one days, marking the first month, and keep carving until the next day of ice melting to mark a year."
Jiang Xuan didn't want to live his life in a muddled way; he needed to make himself a calendar.
He even planned to carve in the seasonal nodes, like the first rainfall of the year to be the water season, the first thunder to be the awakening of insects, and so on.
This matter is important, at least Jiang Xuan thinks so.
With a sense of time, one can arrange things more appropriately.
After carving, Jiang Xuan solemnly placed this bamboo tube and stone beside his bed.
He planned to carve a number each day, observe daily, and make certain adjustments based on actual conditions later, so that the calendar would better suit this world.
Three days later, with the sun shining brightly, the ice and snow completely melted away, streams flowed again, and birds and beasts in the mountains became active again.
Jiang Xuan and the others prepared ropes, dried meat, and personal weapons, and with excited hearts, moved through the bamboo grove to the foot of Stone Mountain.
Towering, perilous Stone Mountain and imposing, massive Ancient Vine.
The main trunk of the Ancient Vine was like a sky-reaching giant tree, with huge, sprawling branches almost covering the entire Stone Mountain.
Anyone who sees the Ancient Vine would be awestruck by it.
Jiang Xuan tied a strong tree bark rope around his waist, with one end attached to a wooden hook. While climbing, he could hook the wooden hook onto vines for a safety measure.
The others also had similar ropes and wooden hooks.
Jiang Xuan looked up at Stone Mountain and Ancient Vine and said, "Be careful when going up, always keep the hook attached to sturdy vines, and climb slowly, prioritizing safety."
Chi Shao and the others nodded in agreement; they wouldn't risk their lives carelessly.
"Let's go!"
Jiang Xuan was the first to climb up along the Ancient Vine. The main trunk of the Ancient Vine was very large, and with branches spread across the whole Stone Mountain, as long as they held onto the vines and didn't look down, it was relatively easy to climb up.
Gou Teng, Nan Xing, and Shi Qiu followed behind Jiang Xuan, while Chi Shao was at the back, ready to find a way to save them if those ahead encountered danger.
The Stone Mountain was several hundred meters high and extremely steep. Without the Ancient Vine, few could climb it.
The climbing process went smoothly without any accidents. The mountain was covered in vines, offering constant places to grip, and the vast Ancient Vine provided a smooth ascent.
Three hours later, Jiang Xuan and the others reached the top of Stone Mountain.
Jiang Xuan stood at the summit, holding onto the branches of the Ancient Vine, and gazed downward.
It was noon, and a sprawling expanse of undulating green mountains stretched out, while various birds occasionally circled in the sky, creating a spectacular view.
Standing at the summit gave one the feeling of having the earth beneath them, easily stirring pride and ambition.
Jiang Xuan turned to Chi Shao and said, "Sister, do you remember what I said?"
"What did you say?" Chi Shao was unsure which statement Jiang Xuan was referring to.
"Back then, while we were fleeing, you asked, without a tribe, what would we do in the future?"
Jiang Xuan articulated each word clearly, "I said, worst case, we'll build a new tribe!"
Chi Shao looked at Jiang Xuan in astonishment, "So you mean..."
Jiang Xuan nodded affirmatively, then turned to Gou Teng, Shi Qiu, and Nan Xing, "Are you willing to establish a new tribe with me?"
Gou Teng responded incredulously, "Just... just the five of us, can we really start a tribe?"
Jiang Xuan replied, "Right now, it's just the five of us, but I promise, in the future we'll have more members!"
Chi Shao, Gou Teng, and Shi Qiu were struck by Jiang Xuan's words, momentarily unsure how to respond.
"Xuan, I'm willing to found a new tribe with you!"
Nan Xing, the youngest, agreed first; he didn't need to think too much, knowing he felt good by Jiang Xuan's side.
Shi Qiu and Gou Teng exchanged looks, hesitated briefly, and finally nodded together, "We're willing too!"
Jiang Xuan then looked at Chi Shao, "Sister, they've all agreed, what about you?"
Chi Shao's expression was somewhat complex; she had turned fourteen after winter and had grown more mature. To her, a five-person tribe seemed like a child's play.
But after experiencing so much, she held an unexplainable trust in Jiang Xuan; perhaps this small tribe could truly thrive in the future?
In the end, she too nodded.
Chi Shao asked, "Since it's a new tribe, we need a name. What should we call our tribe?"
Jiang Xuan looked into the distance, then down at the Ancient Vine on the Stone Mountain, pondered for a moment, and said, "Ever since we arrived here, everything has gone smoothly, we haven't even encountered fierce beasts. I think we must be under the protection of the Ancient Vine."
Jiang Xuan caressed the branches of the Ancient Vine, "So, our new tribe will be called the Vine Tribe; from now on, this Ancient Vine will be our tribe's Guardian God!"
Every tribe has its Guardian God, also known as the Totem God, which is a crucial spiritual anchor for the tribal members.
It's said the tribe's Totem God possesses divine abilities that protect the tribe's people; Deer Tribe's Totem God used to have many legends.
No one knows how many years this Ancient Vine has been growing, it's immensely vast, leaving an extremely deep impression on anyone who sees it, and easily regarded as a deity.
Since Jiang Xuan decided to establish a new tribe here, what could be more suitable as the Totem God than this Ancient Vine?
Chi Shao said, "Alright, let's call ourselves the Vine Tribe; Xuan, you be the leader of the tribe!"
Before Jiang Xuan could answer, Chi Shao asked the three young people, "Do you agree for Xuan to be the tribe leader?"
"Agree!"
"Agree!"
"Agree!"
The three youths were already in admiration of Jiang Xuan, and since he proposed founding the new tribe, how could they disagree?
Chi Shao smiled and said to Jiang Xuan, "Xuan, everyone has agreed."
Jiang Xuan was silently moved; strength-wise, Chi Shao was more suitable as a leader, yet she firmly gave it to him without refusal.
Jiang Xuan nodded solemnly, "Okay, from now on, I will be the leader of the Vine Tribe, and I will do my utmost to grow and strengthen our Vine Tribe!"
Everyone laughed, beginning to envision the day the tribe would thrive.
After staying atop Stone Mountain for half an hour, they climbed back down along the Ancient Vine, returning to the ground.
Jiang Xuan stood before the Ancient Vine, carefully carved a pattern onto a large stone beside him.
He carved a simplified, miniaturized version of the Ancient Vine.
"From now on, this pattern will be the Totem Pattern of our Vine Tribe!"
Jiang Xuan announced this significant matter, urging everyone to memorize the Totem Pattern, as it would be carved onto every domain of the Vine Tribe in the future.
He found some moist brown soil at the foot of Stone Mountain and meticulously painted the new Totem Pattern onto Chi Shao and the others' faces.
He asked Chi Shao to paint the Totem Pattern on his own face.
Once the Totem Patterns were painted, Jiang Xuan, dressed in Beast Hide Clothing, stood before the Ancient Vine, leading everyone in a heartfelt prayer to the tribe's Totem God, asking the Vine God to protect this new tribe.
For some reason, after completing this simple ritual, all five could distinctly feel that their once drifting hearts gradually settled down; perhaps this was the benefit of having a spiritual anchor.