Alas, this is too hard.
The youth by the river looked at his youthful reflection in the water, at the azure sky rippling with delicate waves.
Spreading his arms, the youth's somewhat frail body slowly lay down on the tender green grass. He reached up as if to touch the sky, only to let his hand fall back powerlessly.
It had been twelve years since he arrived in this savage world.
Twelve years! And did anyone know how *he*'d spent them? *He* did!
"Young Master!"
A rough shout suddenly came from the side.
Within a hundred-yard radius of where the Young Master lay by the creek, a large group of burly men on ice-blue, long-furred giant wolves patrolled.
A bear-sized uncle wearing leather armor saw the Young Master fall and asked with concern in his loud voice, "Are you alright, Young Master!?"
The youth weakly waved his hand, replying feebly, "I'm fine, just let me rest for a bit."
Just as he wanted to play the pity card, it was mercilessly debunked.
But was he, the sole heir to the chieftainship of the Bear Hug Clan, one of the ten Large Family Clans north of Lone Fox Mountain—the Bear Hug Clan—truly happy? There was no internet here, no electronic entertainment, not even many paper books! Even as Young Master, his attendants were snotty kids in ragged leather armor. He didn't even have a few pretty, soft Maidens to talk with and relax at night!
Wu Wang had no idea whether the Lord Above, in giving him memories of his flamboyant past life only to let him live another, intended it as a reward or a punishment.
The emptiness of personal entertainment was bearable. With more time to adapt, he wasn't one to be easily bored by solitude. The greater torment lay in matters between men and women.
Although everyone in the clan, from the Clan Leader to the soldiers, practiced monogamy, this was ancient times, so people were more open-minded. Young men and women were free to love passionately before marriage.
Truly free love.
In the reeds by the river, the woods by the mountain, the nomads' lodging huts, the ice houses warmed beneath the snow mountains—one could easily find scenes of unmarried men and women freely expressing their youth.
Conversely, after marriage, everyone expected faithfulness from each other, as life's pressures and emotional needs weighed more heavily.
Life, whether on the Blue Star of his past life or in the Great Wilderness of this one, was never easy.
Every three years, the clan would hold a grand marriage meeting. Single young women would pick up carefully prepared wooden sticks, bone clubs, stone rods, or Wolf Fang Clubs, find the men they admired, and silently creep up on them...
And smack them on the back of their head!
The crisper the sound, the better the quality of the man's skull was judged to be.
Of course, the sound wasn't the point.
These women would hoist the men onto their shoulders and carry them back to their homes. After a night of strenuous cooperation, the two would emerge from the dwelling early the next morning as husband and wife.
Pure marriage, beginning with a single clubbing.
It must be emphasized that although the Bear Hug Clan was generally somewhat simple-minded, they did not force the hitting or the carrying.
This custom had been passed down for many years. Nowadays, most men and women had already chosen 'cooperation partners' in advance, making the meeting a mere formality.
Although instances of someone being spontaneously clubbed and carried off after being eyed at the gathering still occurred, the man would usually flee in the middle of the night.
Wu Wang seriously suspected the main reason the married men in the clan were all brawny and rather dim-witted was that they hadn't withstood their wives' clubbing during the wedding!
Of course, he was the Young Master. Although he didn't have a white horse—only a white wolf to ride—he was, strictly speaking, a prince. In the future, his marriage would merely involve a symbolic tap from his beloved, after which he could pretend to faint.
—That's how his beautiful mother consoled him.
But still…
"Alas."
The youth's forehead was lined with exasperation. He pressed the back of his hand to it, feeling utterly listless.
His body was clearly fine, and there was nothing psychologically wrong with him. His orientation was conventional, and he often had the fanciful daydreams typical of adolescence. So how on earth had he contracted this strange illness? Was it because, at age three, he'd overheard a group of aunties discussing how to make simple Wolf Fang Clubs? Or was it because he'd had too much fun in his past life, and the Lord Above, in granting him another life, was deliberately messing with his mind? How could this be?
Wu Wang, oh Wu Wang, what terrible deeds did you commit to deserve this!
Fine then. The Great Wilderness was full of oddities, and he just happened to be a little 'odd' himself.
Before he was seven or eight, Wu Wang had simply wanted to be an average, sturdy Young Master of the Bear Hug Clan. He required no exceptional talents and harbored no inflated ambitions; he felt that leading a mundane life for a few hundred years was enough.
—The lifespan of the Human race in the Great Wilderness was three to five hundred years.
During that time, Wu Wang was always happy. He also took great care of the back of his head, so that it could withstand more of life's harsh knocks.
But then, when he reached the age of seven or eight, everything changed. That strange illness had appeared suddenly in his body…
HOOOO—
Suddenly, a deep horn call sounded from the distant horizon.
Wu Wang stopped his internal complaints and sprang up, gazing towards the source of the horn. In the distance, he saw a straight plume of wolf smoke.
This Great Wilderness was not always peaceful, and the Human race wasn't the ruler of heaven and earth.
On the contrary, the Human race, created by the primeval God Nuwa, had taken root in this world called the Great Wilderness relatively late. Of the ten Large Family Clans on the vast grasslands north of Cang Mountain, only two were led by the Human race.
The Hundred Races coexisted, with most taking on human forms after awakening their Spiritual Wisdom.
Although the Bear Hug Clan was generally powerful, the dangers of the grassland constantly threatened the lives of its members. The threat of beast herds was ever-present.
Horns and wolf smoke were common warning methods.
The horn's call was rather gentle, and only a single wisp of wolf smoke rose, indicating the patrolling scouts had found something unusual but not overly serious.
"I thought it was some dangerous beast," Wu Wang yawned, smacking his lips with some disinterest. He was about to lie back down on the grass to enjoy the momentary peace when he casually said, "General Xiong San, send someone to find out what's going on."
"Young Master! We've already seen it through the eyes of a hawk!" The burly uncle who had just called out waved an arm even thicker than Wu Wang's, eagerly beckoning, "Don't you want to get some practice in? A pack of Beast of Chu, none more than a few hundred years old, has been disturbed by something. They're chasing it a hundred miles away, and our people have already flanked them."
"Not going," Wu Wang yawned. "It's boring."
General Xiong San scratched his head and leapt down from the back of the towering wolf, taking a few steps to rush to Wu Wang's side. He rubbed his large hands, attempting to remind him in as soft a voice as his rough vocal cords would allow, "Young Master, you are to be the leader of a Large Family Clan. At this age, you should display your martial prowess when appropriate; otherwise, it'll be easy to run into trouble later. I know you're formidable, Young Master, but those bear cubs don't. You have to make a show of force to keep them in line!"
Wu Wang was silent for a moment.
If it was for the clan's stability, then he had no choice. Although he couldn't muster any enthusiasm for managing the clan, he didn't want to bring shame on his parents in this lifetime.
"Bring over my carriage."
"Aye, right away!" General Xiong San answered excitedly, thumping his chest. He turned his head and let out a series of roars.
Instantly, whooshing sounds filled the air. The wolf riders by the riverbank sprang into action, swift as phantoms.
「And so, an hour later.」
A carriage, padded with three layers of pure white Snow Bear pelts and pulled by four ice-blue, pure-furred giant wolves, rumbled over the muddy grassland. Its four rusty wheels crushed flowers and plants, flinging mud in its wake.
Wu Wang draped himself in a cape fashioned from precious beast pelts, donned a hat made from the upper jaw of a young beast, and reclined in the soft bear fur, his body swaying gently with the motion of the carriage.
He was holding an old piece of sheepskin, engrossed in the convoluted symbols on it.
In front, behind, and to the sides of the carriage, wolf riders in fine armor and fully armed provided a close escort. Their gazes were even fiercer than those of the giant wolves beneath them, their burly bodies containing astonishing strength.
General Xiong San, riding a giant wolf, rushed forward from the front, made a sweeping half-turn, and skillfully drew alongside the carriage, shouting, "Young Master! Those Beast of Chu are chasing three Cultivators from the Human Domain! Can't be wrong about it—they're wearing flashy colors, and the women fight in skirts, using those flowery Spells! It's like they're just tossing toothpicks around. Their strength isn't much to speak of. Their flying artifacts seem to have been destroyed, and they're running on the ground faster than large rats, but it looks like they're about to collapse. Shall we save them?"
"My father once said that if we see members of the Human race in distress, we should save them if we can." Without lifting his head, Wu Wang replied, "General Xiong San, you arrange it."
"Aye! Just you watch!" With a clenched fist, General Xiong San pounded his chest forcefully and threw his head back, letting out a bear's roar. "The Young Master is going to take action! All of you, keep your eyes peeled! When we get back, every one of you is to describe this in detail! Tell anyone you see, a hundred times over!"
The surrounding wolf riders instantly grew excited, howling incessantly.
Next, the caravan moved forward at a steady pace. On the grasslands ahead, a dense series of noises had already erupted.
Wolf howls, shouts, beast roars, and the twang of bowstrings filled the air. Suddenly, great fires erupted as if from nowhere.
An ancient saying goes: When prosperous, cover with firepower; when destitute, use tactics to infiltrate.
By the time Wu Wang's carriage arrived, the dozens of Beast of Chu had been surrounded by the wolf riders.
These creatures, even when immature, have a peculiar appearance. They are as large as oxen and shaped like leopards, but their heads resemble those of the Human race, with a single eye, ox-like ears, and a tail that makes up half their body length.
They are naturally ferocious, mostly moving in groups of three to five, and can emit sonic waves from their mouths. They are a relatively common type of beast in the Northern Wilderness.
It's just that… their meat isn't very tasty.
A beast's strength is judged first by its race and second by its age. Discussing combat power without considering age is pure nonsense.
A thousand-year-old Beast of Chu evolves its leopard-like body into humanoid limbs. At three thousand years, a Beast of Chu is considered a formidable beast, its roar capable of devastating beast herds a hundred miles away.
The Bear Hug Clan had once hunted a ferocious Chu Jian. They suffered heavy casualties, but the rewards were significant; a single Beast Elixir was exchanged for a large amount of food, sustaining many people.
Meanwhile, the closer they drew to the wolf riders' encirclement, the more deafening the howls of the Beast of Chu became.
Wu Wang looked up. He saw three figures separated by the wolf riders: two women and one man. The women wore form-fitting long dresses, and the man wore a cyan-blue robe; all three were injured.
This attire was often seen among human Cultivators in the Human Domain.
They were anxiously staring at the circling dark figures. The man showed some responsibility, clutching a Longsword and shielding the two young women behind him.
Ah, they should be called 'ladies.' According to the customs of the Human Domain, people are referred to as 'men' and 'women.'
The Great Wilderness is divided into the Nine Wildernesses. The Human Domain is situated to its south and is where the Human race congregates. It is also the largest gathering place for the Human race in the world.
The Bear Hug Clan is located in the northeastern part of the Great Wilderness, quite far from the Human Domain. To see human Cultivators from the Human Domain here was a rare sight.
Wu Wang couldn't help but take a few extra glances at the two female Cultivators.
Well—
Indeed, cultivation greatly helped in making skin fair, smooth, and lustrous. Most young women of the Bear Hug Clan had a healthy, flaxen skin tone, but these two female Cultivators were exceptionally fair.
These two female Cultivators from the Human Domain were slender, exuding an air of willowy delicacy, but they lacked a certain substance. The young women of the Bear Hug Clan were different; they were mostly...
"Young Master! Dozens of these things, can you handle them alone?" General Xiong San sidled up again and muttered, "Shall I arrange for some Priests to chant Spells nearby and assist you?"
"No need."
Wu Wang stood up from the carriage, resting his hands on the front railing.
Four frosty-white giant wolves threw back their heads and howled. The wolf riders in staggered lines before them retreated like a tide, revealing dozens of trapped beasts to Wu Wang.
The carriage charged forward. Wu Wang's expression was indifferent, his long hair, beneath a helmet made of beast bone, streamed in the wind.
He lifted his left hand, palm facing the group of Chu Jian.
The Beast of Chu pack sharply sensed the danger and roared angrily at Wu Wang, waves of sound like invisible walls pressing towards him.
Wu Wang's expression did not change a bit. In the palm of his hand, twelve Stars emerged, their light interconnecting.
This was the Praying Star Technique of the Northern Wilderness, a skill passed down through generations of clan Priests. It was a major pillar supporting the Bear Hug Clan's standing in the Northern Wilderness.
In the sky above, twelve Stars flashed, visible for a hundred miles around.
The cries of the Chu Jian weakened. Doubt and fear flickered in their single eyes as they huddled closer together.
Do they know fear too?
Yes, in this Great Wilderness, all beasts possessed Spiritual Wisdom. In most regions of the Great Wilderness, the status of the Human race was not as high as that of beasts.
The light of human reason was still faint;
The Human race had yet to reach the pinnacle of this world;
The humans concentrated in the Human Domain and those scattered across the Nine Wildernesses of the Great Wilderness had already embarked on vastly different paths of development.
Laws and Dao rules;
Praying Star Technique and Spells.
Wu Wang glanced at the three figures surrounded by the wolf riders. He clenched his raised left hand. Suddenly, spikes of ice erupted around the beast pack, and ice lotuses bloomed instantaneously, forming a continuous frozen expanse.
Praying Star Technique—Big Ice Marsh!