April 20th, clear skies.
"Woof woof, tweet tweet..."
The sun was gradually becoming scorching, and the cicadas on the trees began their endless song. Although the weather hadn't reached its hottest, walking under the sun still left one drenched in sweat.
On the Ancient Vine of Stone Mountain, the giant dragonfly rested beneath the massive leaves of the vine, only capturing large insects in the morning and evening.
Yesterday, the Vine Tribe hunted two large prey, providing enough meat for several days. Therefore, in this hot weather, they could stay in the tribe and rest, without the need to go out hunting.
It's rare for five people to have some free time to do things they enjoy.
Jiang Xuan planned to make another Stone Knife. He followed the stream upstream to find suitable stone material but discovered Nan Xing sitting on a rock by the stream, busy with something.
"Nan Xing, what are you doing here?" Jiang Xuan asked curiously.
Nan Xing raised his head and showed Jiang Xuan what he was holding: "Chieftain, I want to make a Bone Whistle."
"Bone Whistle?"
Jiang Xuan walked over and found that Nan Xing was holding a hollow bird leg bone in his left hand and a sharp stone in his right. One end of the leg bone already had a small hole drilled into it.
Jiang Xuan knew that primitive bone whistles were typically made from hollow bird leg bones. Some had one hole, others two or three. The more holes, the more notes it could produce.
"How many holes do you want to drill?" Jiang Xuan asked.
"Three holes. I saw people in the tribe doing it this way. They can make it sound like a deer's call with a bone whistle."
Using a bone whistle to mimic a deer's call was the specialty of the Deer Tribe. They could use a simple bone whistle to perfectly mimic the deer's call, even attracting real deer.
"Keep drilling. Once you're done, blow it for me to hear."
"Okay."
Nan Xing continued drilling holes, keeping his head down. Although bird leg bones were hollow, they were quite hard, making it difficult to drill suitable holes. It required a lot of time and patience.
Jiang Xuan continued up the creek to find suitable stone material. The closer he got to Stone Mountain, the more stones there were in the creek, making it easier to find the right material.
Jiang Xuan searched for a long time before finally finding a piece of stone in the creek suitable for making a Stone Knife. This stone was very hard, and when it broke, the fracture was very sharp, but it was brittle and easily broke, so it was only suitable for making short Stone Knives.
To make a Stone Knife that was both hard and tough enough, you needed to find Gem Level stones, which were quite rare.
Therefore, a good Stone Knife was hard to come by and often regarded as a treasure by the tribe.
"Clang, clang, clang..."
Jiang Xuan used another stone to strike along the grain of the stone he wanted for the Stone Knife. After doing this many times, he had become quite skilled at it.
Under his constant striking, the stone followed the grain and cracked into several irregularly sized pieces.
Jiang Xuan chose the most suitable piece and cautiously continued to knock it into the shape of a knife. This process required careful attention, as one mistake could ruin the knife blank.
Fortunately, Jiang Xuan's hands were steady, and luck was on his side. He successfully shaped the stone into a knife blank about twenty centimeters long.
Subsequently, he found another stone by the creek and carefully ground the knife into a more fitting shape.
After finishing everything, several hours had passed. Jiang Xuan took the knife blank back the way he came. Once back, he still had to attach a handle made from Beast Horn and sharpen the blade further.
This was a job that required significant patience. Every tool made by the tribespeople took a substantial amount of time to complete, and those without patience couldn't produce a good tool.
When Jiang Xuan got halfway back, he found Nan Xing still there. As he approached, he saw that Nan Xing's Bone Whistle was nearly complete.
"Chieftain, look, my Bone Whistle is finished!"
Nan Xing happily presented the Bone Whistle to Jiang Xuan, like a child showing off a new toy, his face beaming with a bright smile.
This Bone Whistle was made from the middle segment of a large bird's leg bone, about fifteen centimeters long. There was a round hole on each side, with another in the middle.
Jiang Xuan watched for a moment, finding it quite interesting: "Blow it for me to hear."
"Okay!"
Nan Xing picked up the Bone Whistle with both hands, bringing his mouth to the middle hole to blow. His index fingers covered the other two holes, and as he manipulated them, a primitive bone whistle sound resonated.
Although it could only produce a few simple notes, the sound was very resonant and penetrating, sounding both like a deer's call and a bird's chirp, leaving a lasting impression.
Of course, Nan Xing wasn't very skilled yet, and attracting a Great Horned Deer with his whistling would require much more practice.
With an encouraging smile, Jiang Xuan said, "Nan Xing, you're playing well. One day, like the hunters of the Deer Tribe, you'll be able to attract Great Horned Deers with your whistling!"
Jiang Xuan's encouragement greatly boosted Nan Xing's confidence. Grasping the Bone Whistle, he said confidently, "Chieftain, I will achieve this!"
Jiang Xuan laughed, "I believe in you!"
"Hmm!"
Nan Xing nodded emphatically, then followed Jiang Xuan back towards the bamboo house.
Before they knew it, it was already afternoon.
Although they didn't need to go hunting, as the weather grew hotter, plants rapidly grew, and more and more wild animals began stealing crops near the fields, almost impossible to catch.
To prevent the crops from being eaten, Jiang Xuan and the others needed to set up many traps near the fields every afternoon, usually catching a lot of prey by morning.
In the evening, after setting numerous traps with Chi Shao and others, Jiang Xuan looked at the damaged crops at the field's edge and said helplessly, "All these crops have almost become bait for hunting."
Chi Shao said, "I think it's not bad this way. It increases the tribe's food supply daily."
Thinking about it, Jiang Xuan realized it was true. After all, the purpose of planting crops was to increase food supply. Although the crops hadn't matured, they were already providing the tribe with much meat, which was a success.
Moreover, most of what they planted were tuberous plants. Even if the above-ground parts were eaten, they would still grow, just with a slightly reduced yield.
With this understanding, Jiang Xuan felt much better. His gaze softened as he looked at the animal paths worn by the beasts.
After all, the wasteland had just been cleared, and within one or two years, crop yields wouldn't be high anyway. Let the animals come and go as they please. Once the wasteland turned fertile, the surrounding animals would likely be consumed by the Vine Tribe.
"Let's go back."
Having set the last trap, Jiang Xuan returned to the bamboo house with the group in high spirits, calculating in his mind how much game these traps would catch tomorrow.
The sun gradually set.
The sunset glow formed a sky on fire, dyeing half the sky red. The Ancient Vine on Stone Mountain was bathed in a layer of orange-red light, even making the giant dragonfly resting on the vine appear more mysterious.
Smoke slowly rose from the bamboo house's chimney, marking the return of weary Wanderers. The sun set in the west, and the moon rose in the east, as various birds, beasts, and insects in the forest gradually became active...
...
As the new year arrives, Qing Shi wishes all readers a prosperous Year of the Tiger, full of vigor and wealth.
In the new year, we will continue with new stories.