Chapter 219: Sharing the View from the Tree
“A-Mang, we’ve got a place to live now. Let’s hurry up and stockpile food,” Nan Xun said.
A-Mang straightened his chest proudly. “A-Xi doesn’t need to worry. Even in the bitter cold, I can still catch prey. I won’t let you go hungry.”
The reason the tribe went all out storing food in autumn was that once winter came, wild beasts appeared less frequently in the jungle. On top of that, the cold slowed humans down when hunting, and it was very possible to go three to five days without catching a single animal big enough to feed everyone.
But A-Mang was different. No matter the season, his movements were always swift and agile, so the food everyone else desperately needed was no problem for him at all.
In just one day, A-Mang alone hunted down a fat, five- to six-hundred-jin Hongchi beast and a long-necked bird as big as an ostrich. Even though A-Mang had a huge appetite, just these two prey were enough for the two of them to eat for over two months. Add in the remaining saber-toothed tiger meat Nan Xun had already cured, and they wouldn’t need to worry about food for at least three months.
A-Mang stopped hunting and instead accompanied Nan Xun to look for salt stones.
Although they had brought along a jar of refined salt when they left, Nan Xun had used a lot of it when curing the tiger meat. She needed more salt to preserve all this meat.
The two of them walked for a long time without finding any salt. Along the way, A-Mang casually caught two burrowing rodents about the size of rabbits, and Nan Xun dug up several sweet potatoes.
Seeing the disappointment on her face, A-Mang suddenly set down his backpack, hooked one corner of his mouth into a crooked smile, and said to her, “Little wild leopard, wait here.”
Then Nan Xun witnessed A-Mang’s insanely powerful climbing ability with her own eyes.
A-Mang took off the leopard-skin jacket and grass sandals Nan Xun had made for him, picked the thickest, sturdiest-looking tree, and climbed up without another word.
Nan Xun suspected he had hooks growing on his feet—otherwise, how could they latch so firmly onto the trunk? And his arms seemed to have endless strength; hugging the main trunk, he climbed more than ten meters in just a few quick moves.
Standing beneath the tree, Nan Xun tilted her head up and watched him, seeing his figure disappear into the dense layers of branches and leaves. If it weren’t for the dry yellow branches gently swaying, the rustling sound of leaves rubbing together, and quite a few yellow leaves falling down, she would have thought A-Mang had vanished.
“A-Mang—” Nan Xun shouted upward.
She knew A-Mang was definitely fine, but he didn’t respond. She couldn’t help it—her blood was buzzing with excitement.
After taking off her fur coat and long animal-hide skirt, Nan Xun climbed the tree wearing only a small camisole and underwear.
She climbed trees often and was very nimble; it was just her first time climbing one this tall.
When she had climbed more than twenty meters, A-Mang’s shocked voice came from above. “A-Xi! Why are you coming up here? Get down quickly!”
He must have already climbed no less than a hundred meters, but after hearing the movement below, he came back down.
Nan Xun waved at him happily. “A-Mang! I want to climb the tree with you!”
A-Mang was startled. “A-Xi, don’t mess around. You don’t know how to climb trees at all. The first time I met you, you fell out of a tree!”
Nan Xun burst out laughing. “That was only because you suddenly shouted and scared me.”
A-Mang stood still on a thick branch above. After noticing that Nan Xun’s movements were actually quite agile, he didn’t try to stop her anymore.
If A-Xi could really do it, he wanted so badly to share with her the feeling of standing at the very top of a giant tree!
A-Mang quietly waited for Nan Xun to catch up. When they were finally level, he had her climb above him—if she accidentally slipped, he could catch her.
This was probably one of the few truly foolish things Nan Xun had ever done: tirelessly climbing a giant tree well over a hundred, nearly two hundred meters tall, straight upward.
A-Mang stayed just below her, giving her an overwhelming sense of security.
Although the branches grew thinner the higher they went, that was only compared to the massive trunk at the base. Even the branches near the top were thick and sturdy enough to support two people standing side by side.
Nan Xun didn’t know how she managed it, but when she finally stood at the very tip of the tree and took in all the scenery of the jungle below, the overwhelming sense of awe made her shout with joy.
A-Mang stepped up beside her, standing on the same branch.
The branch swayed, and Nan Xun screamed. “A-Mang, don’t stand with me! Go to the branch next to it!”
A-Mang laughed loudly and mischievously shook the nearby branches hard, scaring Nan Xun into screaming again and again. Then he grabbed a branch with one hand and wrapped the other arm around her waist.
“A-Xi, look,” A-Mang said after laughing enough, leaning close to her ear. His voice dropped, becoming low and gentle.
Following his gaze, Nan Xun saw dense treetops interwoven into a vast expanse; saw rocky slopes connecting into several small hills; saw a broad stretch of fern-covered ground; saw red rock formations half-hidden among the vegetation; and saw streams and rivers flowing quietly. When she lifted her head, she saw the sun, no longer blinding, with clouds around it dyed a golden-orange hue, half the sky flushed red.
Strange birds with outstretched wings flew across the sky, all heading south.
Nan Xun hugged A-Mang’s waist tightly. “It’s so beautiful! A-Mang, I love it!”
A-Mang’s hand around her waist suddenly slid upward, coming to rest at the back of her neck. With a slight pressure, he drew her head toward him.
A-Mang kissed the woman carefully, his heart brimming with satisfaction.
Whenever he was excited, he loved climbing to the very tops of tall trees to gaze into the distance. But the other tribespeople didn’t really understand this hobby of his and thought he was a bit strange.
A-Xi was the first person to climb to the treetop with him. He never would have imagined that the one who would follow him in doing something so foolish would be a woman—his favorite woman.
They stood atop the tallest tree in the jungle, embracing and kissing at the very tip. The afterglow of the setting sun bathed them both in warmth.
Facing the sunset, the woman’s beautiful, deep-set features were veiled in a layer of golden-orange light, stunning beyond words.
“A-Xi, you’re so beautiful!” A-Mang exclaimed.
Nan Xun had heard words like that many times before, but this time, they sounded especially wonderful.
Though reluctant to leave, they still had important matters to attend to. After taking one last, lingering look at the surrounding beauty, they climbed down one after the other.
Below the tree, the backpack and clothes Nan Xun had left on the ground were still there.
After putting their fur coats back on, they headed toward the rock forest they had spotted earlier.
A-Mang pulled Nan Xun along as they ran through the jungle, faster and faster, occasionally letting out joyful howls.
The rock forest wasn’t very far. Running most of the way, they reached it in about forty minutes. Tall stone pillars rose straight from the ground, partially hidden by the jungle, forming a small rock forest. The pillars came in different colors—deep and pale reds and yellows, with a small amount of milky white—beautiful to behold.
A-Mang found many salt stones among the rocks, while Nan Xun discovered milky-yellow, semi-transparent natural flint.
“A-Mang, A-Mang! From now on, we won’t need to drill wood to make fire anymore!” Nan Xun exclaimed happily as she struck two pieces of flint together. The sparks that flew out amazed A-Mang.
A-Mang filled the backpack with that natural flint, leaving Nan Xun both amused and at a loss for words.
