TPWBI Chapter 99

Heavy snow was falling, everywhere covered in white, stretching out in a vast expanse of whiteness.

Yet a group of people trained in the wind and snow—weighted climbing, running, jumping, archery, and more—not letting the snow and wind hinder their movements.

Each of them was tall and imposing, wearing sturdy, easy-to-move-in clothing. Their faces were red from the freezing cold, but their movements didn’t slow down.

“Did none of you eat? Speed up. Faster, faster!”

A loud voice roared through the wind, forcing the already frozen and exhausted soldiers to grit their teeth and continue pushing their limits.

“What’s wrong with Hei Lie? Is he trying to train us to death? It’s like he ate some devil chili or something.” One soldier in training couldn’t help but complain.

Another soldier said, “Who knows? He seems especially excited. When he came this morning, he even had a smile on his face. I thought that meant he was in a good mood today, that maybe we’d train less, but instead… ah!”

A snowball suddenly smashed into him, covering his face with snow. The icy chill instantly filled his whole head, even his entire body.

“What are you two doing? Think the workload isn’t enough? Want me to add more for you?”

The two who had been whispering quickly slipped away, afraid of having their training increased.

“Hei Lie, did you run into something unpleasant?” Chi walked over, giving Hei Lie a look up and down.

This guy was especially abnormal today, his face set with extreme seriousness.

Normally, he was already strict. But today was clearly something different.

Hei Lie’s expression twisted a bit, wanting to laugh yet forcing it down. It made him look even more severe.

“Get lost! You’re the one who ran into something unpleasant. I’ve got great news.”

Chi looked him up and down suspiciously. “Do you really look like someone who’s met with happy news?”

Hei Lie proudly raised his chin slightly, not at all caring about the ridicule.

“I’ve already asked Jiao to prepare my wedding.”

Chi was stunned. “Wedding?! Whose?”

“Of course mine!” Hei Lie’s brows and eyes lifted, yet he deliberately pressed them down, his whole aura frightening.

The soldiers who were training all shivered, not daring to slack off in the slightest, suddenly training with unusual seriousness.

“With who? Aren’t you still following the Divine Envoy?”

Chi immediately grew anxious. Anyone could see that the Divine Envoy and Hei Lie had an unusually close relationship.

The tribe’s marriage system was created by the Divine Envoy himself. It represented his own thoughts.

To be together with someone meant no betrayal, no divided heart, only one-to-one.

If Hei Lie got married, then what about the Divine Envoy? He might get angry and leave the tribe altogether!

Hei Lie’s expression grew even more smug. “Of course, with the Divine Envoy. Who else would I marry, you?”

Chi found it all the more strange. “The Divine Envoy actually agreed?”

“What do you mean by that?” Now, Hei Lie was a little displeased.

“He’s ultimately a messenger sent by the gods. In the future, he might very well be summoned back by the gods, just like in the stories. Did you force him?”

Yang Yi had brought quite a few storybooks. Now, some of the quicker learners were already able to read on their own.

Those who were good at speaking would now even tell the stories to everyone.

This was one of the very common forms of entertainment in the Spark Tribe. Su of Maple Leaf City also loved the stories here—various flights of fancy, astonishing and wondrous.

When he left, he almost wished he could take someone with him solely to tell him stories.

Stories such as the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, which the Chinese people often heard, had now also become well known among the people of the Spark Tribe.

Because of this, Chi immediately thought of the plots mentioned in the stories. Even the way he looked at Hei Lie changed.

Hei Lie’s face darkened. “He was willing of his own accord!”

“Really?!”

Hei Lie couldn’t be bothered to pay him any attention.

Realizing only after a moment, Chi suddenly cheered. “Doesn’t this mean the Divine Envoy won’t leave? He once said that marriage is a responsibility. That it can only be formed with the goal and premise of staying together forever.”

“Of course. He’s one of us Spark people. Where would he go?” Hei Lie gave a cold snort, looking at him as if to say, Are you stupid?

Completely forgetting that he himself had once been very worried that one day Yang Yi might, just as suddenly as he had arrived, disappear again.

“This really is wonderful news!” Chi was extremely excited. Every Spark person’s greatest worry was that the Divine Envoy would leave.

In the past, some still had doubts. Was Yang Yi really the Divine Envoy or not?

But now, seeing such great changes happening in the tribe, plus the deliberate proclamations of Hei Lie, Jiao, and others, no one doubted this anymore.

So instead, they began to worry whether Yang Yi would leave, especially now that their lives were getting better and better. They were worried that the gods would take Yang Yi away.

Yang Yi was not only a kind of spiritual symbol, but there was also the fear that if he left, the gods would no longer show their favor.

Although everything now had been created by their own hands, many people still felt it was Heaven’s blessing.

“You absolutely must not wrong the Divine Envoy. Otherwise, the entire tribe will turn against you!” Chi suddenly changed his expression and warned.

Marriage was a very serious matter. Once united, it could not be easily broken.

However, if there was betrayal or if feelings became incompatible, one could still apply for divorce.

But because the freedom here was very high, even being together without marriage would not draw idle gossip. Therefore, choosing to pledge lifelong companionship was something extremely solemn and sacred, not to be given up lightly. It meant being prepared to stay together for a lifetime.

“I swear to guard him with my life!”

The news that the Divine Envoy and the Chief were going to marry quickly spread to every corner of the Spark Tribe. Everyone cheered for this grand event, and extra dishes were added that very day.

All the game hunted that day was slaughtered, cooked in that big pot, and made into a spicy and delicious hotpot.

Fiery red and bustling, it symbolized hope for the future.

The entire tribe was filled with laughter and joy. In this moment, their hearts finally felt truly at ease. The Divine Envoy would not be leaving.

Yang Yi looked at everyone’s delighted faces, all celebrating his staying. His heart was filled with countless mixed emotions.

“Haven’t I always said I would stay? Why does this cause such a huge commotion?”

Hei Lie put his arm around his shoulder, standing at the window of the house, looking down at the singing and dancing below, so full of laughter.

After the arrival of winter, such outdoor celebrations had become very rare.

Everyone was huddled inside the warm houses. Though it was very comfortable, for these lively, outdoor-loving natives, it always felt somewhat stifling.

Being able to come out and celebrate today, everyone was very happy, already prepared to dance through the whole night.

Now that the weather was cold, even though Yang Yi had thick clothing, no one dared let him stand outside for too long.

“You are different.”

This difference was hard to put into words. Neither the beastfolk nor the people of the Western Continent gave off such a feeling.

“I don’t have the ability to leave even if I wanted to,” Yang Yi said with a laugh. “You’re all too overly cautious.”

“If one day you really must leave, then please be sure to take me with you,” Hei Lie suddenly said.

Yang Yi’s black-and-white eyes gazed at him.

“We can all feel that you miss your former life. You didn’t come here of your own free will.” A trace of gloom flickered in Hei Lie’s eyes.

“I’m very happy now, living here,” Yang Yi said, looking at the joyful people below, feeling deeply satisfied. “In life, there will always be regrets.”

The two of them leaned close by the window, watching the falling snow through the transparent glass.

The snow here was extraordinarily beautiful. They were pure white, flawless, and very delicate.

From a high place looking into the distance, the vast white expanse held a unique kind of beauty.

“We should put the matter of making glass on the agenda,” Yang Yi suddenly said.

The piece of glass in front of Yang Yi was one of the few in the tribe, something he had previously obtained from the mall. The quantity wasn’t large.

Making glass wasn’t exactly difficult. If the requirements weren’t too high, then by finding the right materials and using the methods recorded in books, it was still relatively easy to achieve.

Hei Lie was already used to Yang Yi’s occasional sudden ideas. “This winter will produce quite a few talents. We can spare some people to specialize in researching it.”

Winter was a good time for studying. Yang Yi had brought out almost all of the solar lamps, supplemented with tung oil lamps and the like, making it convenient for everyone to study both during the day and at night.

Now there was far less work than usual, so many people could quiet their minds and devote themselves fully.

“The beastfolk have been performing quite well during this time. Aside from a few who really can’t learn, most of them are able to keep up with basic education.”

The beastfolk were gradually integrating into the Spark Tribe. Their habits in various aspects were beginning to be influenced by the environment here.

For example, when choosing a mate, it wasn’t only about how strong the other’s fighting ability was. They would also consider whether the other was smart.

Especially after learning that the intelligence of parents would affect their children, they began to place greater importance on this.

For the beastfolk, aside from issues of food and clothing, the most important thing was mate selection and reproduction. They retained animals’ natural instinct to value this aspect, caring about it even more than the Eastern Continent people did.

Apart from a very few who truly couldn’t learn, the majority of them gritted their teeth and began to study, even taking pride in achieving good results.

Yang Yi also knew very well that making too big a leap all at once wasn’t appropriate, so his requirement for everyone was no more than basic literacy.

As long as they could do simple arithmetic and recognize a few hundred commonly used characters, so that they wouldn’t be blind even with eyes open, that would count as successfully being literate.

As for whether they would continue further studies, that depended on personal willingness. No one would be forced too much.

Although many beastfolk still felt that studying was even more painful than cutting themselves with a knife, to be able to have a mate, they all worked hard.

“At that time, we should also select some beastfolk and gradually let them join in more detailed kinds of work.”

At present, the beastfolk were still somewhat different from the Eastern Continent people. Within the tribe, the phenomenon of small groups was still unavoidable. Although outwardly there was no forming of cliques, in private, they still preferred being with their own kind.

How to guide and integrate them was very important, so that this sort of divide would completely disappear.

Yang Yi nodded and thought of something that made him very happy.

“Ting just reported that this winter, quite a few women are pregnant. Among them, one-fifth are children conceived between beastfolk and Eastern Continent people.”

Hei Lie laughed and said, “That is indeed good news.”

“It’s not only that. The livestock brought by the Western Continent caravans, the females among them are also all pregnant. Seems those people are still relatively honest, not daring to play any tricks.”

At present, the number of livestock in the Spark Tribe is still very small. But with the ability to reproduce, there was hope for expansion.

“Next year, after the snow melts, there will be many more caravans from the Western Continent bringing these things to us,” Hei Lie said with confidence.

The goods the Maple Leaf City people had brought back would definitely stir up a craze. That, in turn, would make more caravans want to come here.

The Spark Tribe’s prices for furs and food were relatively low, while live animals were worth much more than their meat.

As long as there was profit, there was no fear that those people wouldn’t be willing to take the risk.

Just then, a guard knocked on the door and entered, bringing a very important piece of news. Large numbers of people were about to flood into the Spark Tribe.

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