Ever since they knew the consequences of Shao Xuan's training over there, the patrolling warriors' interest was to wait there after they finished sweeping the snow.
The side road was still there, so they directly retreated from the temporary resting point and turned it into a shelter.
Originally, the patrolling warriors wanted to follow the original method and make an open-air resting point, but that would also cause them to freeze and be blown by the cold wind.
One day, Shao Xuan suddenly remembered a method. He taught them to use simple tools and water to make large ice bricks. The water in the river had been frozen thick, so they couldn't go there to break the ice. They could only melt the snow themselves and pour it into the tools. After freezing it for a while, ice bricks would be formed in just a few breaths. It was very efficient.
Such ice bricks were quickly accepted by the people in the tribe, and even some warriors who were not on duty came out to help.
Now, from the top of the mountain to the bottom, there were many igloos scattered in an "I" shape. The foundation of the igloos was also made of ice. They were piled high above the snow, and then the houses were built on top of it.
The patrolling warriors would go to the igloos to rest and drink some hot water to warm up their bodies. From here, they could see the situation further away. The people in the tribe who had been locked up at home would also go for a walk or two out of curiosity.
Shao Xuan was also worried that these people would suffer from snow blindness because of facing the snow for a long time, so he reminded them. But until now, no one had suffered from snow blindness.
"Look, the elder is pushing the snow again!" The people lying on the window of the igloos looked outside and said.
"Where is it? Let me see! "
There were three small windows, but people rushed to see.
These igloos were built close to the first road that Shao Xuan pushed out. Shao Xuan would walk along a new road every day.
From a high vantage point, one could see a person wrapped in flames walking slowly on the white snow. And in front of him, there seemed to be a giant white worm moving down the mountain.
Apart from the initial shock, the patrolling soldiers now treated this as their daily entertainment. The tribe worshipped the strong. Not to mention the cold they had to endure when walking in the snow in the stormy weather, they had also tried to push the snow. Unfortunately, the seemingly insignificant snow piled up together was exceptionally firm and heavy. They could not push it after piling it up for a while. Usually, they thought that they were quite strong.
Duo Kang walked in from outside, patted the snow off his body, and asked, "How is the sentry post at the foot of the mountain?"
"Tao Zheng and the others are continuing today. They said they want to make it a bit higher so that they can see far away from the top. They won't have to go out and suffer from the cold," a warrior said.
"It's a good thing to use ice bricks as sentry posts, but don't slack off. I'm going to check!" Duo Kang scolded.
"Yes, I promise I won't slack off!"
"Yes." Duo Kang nodded and pushed the person by the window aside, looking outside. "Let me see how Shao Xuan's pushing snow is going."
The Warrior standing at the side pursed his lips. Wasn't it just to snatch the window? He even scolded them with a stern face.
At the foot of the mountain, on the opposite side of the river, tall sentry posts were built. Large ice bricks were continuously sent there.
After building a few outposts, the warriors had nothing to do, so they tried to connect the outposts together. They used ice bricks to create a path so that they wouldn't have to brave the wind and snow when they moved around. Moreover, it looked like they had built a city wall.
Looking at the path that was built comparable to a city wall, the patrolling warriors were even more motivated. This kind of snowy weather was not without fun. For those who had nothing to do, it was another kind of experience.
The beasts in the forest rarely appeared now. In this kind of weather, it was impossible to go out to hunt. Fortunately, everyone had a lot of food, so they would not starve. If they ate sparingly, they could still survive, as long as this kind of snowy weather did not continue.
Many people in the tribe did not know that a team of fifty people was braving the snow and leaving the forest. These people were sent out by the chief and the shamaness. Although they might miss the most important ritual of the year, the shamaness and the chief specially allowed them to be absent. This was because to the shamaness and the chief, this matter was more important than the ritual. It concerned the future of the tribe.
The leader was called Xiang Chen. He was slightly younger than Duo Kang and was also an advanced totemic warrior. However, in the past year, he had not been in the tribe for most of the time.
Xiang Chen was part of the first group to follow Shao Xuan to the seaside. He had walked the road from the tribe to the seaside twice. This was his third time.
This time, Xiang Chen was ordered to bring people to the seaside to see the situation there. According to other people's thoughts, why would they go out in such cold weather?
However, the shamaness and the chief wanted this kind of weather!
The shamaness and the chief even hoped that the cold weather would last as long as it did as they thought.
The path Xiang Chen took was different from the one Shao Xuan took when he first found the tribe. When Shao Xuan first went from the seaside to the tribe, he almost walked in a straight line. However, it was more difficult to walk that way. Later on, the people of the tribe took another route to the seaside.
They walked out of the forest with difficulty. When they passed by Anba City, they found that Anba City, which was not too deserted in the past, was now deserted outside the city.
There were shadows walking around the towers on the city walls, but no one else could be seen anywhere else. They wanted to find a place to rest in Anba City and exchange for some food. Now, it seemed that this plan was not successful. The city gates were closed, and no one was allowed to enter.
"Let's continue," Xiang Chen called out to the others.
Compared to the forest, there was less snow here. Perhaps in the eyes of the people of Anba City, this was a heavy snow that had not been seen in a thousand years. Even walking was difficult. However, Xiang Chen and the others who walked out of the forest did not think so.
The snow here was only waist-deep.
Every time they met someone on the road and overheard them talking about "the snow is already waist-deep, how are we going to survive?", Xiang Chen and the others couldn't help but say, "it's only waist-deep and you're already so shocked. If you go into the forest, will your eyeballs fall out of your sockets?!"
Along the way, they also encountered robbers, but very few. In this kind of weather, professional robbers were not willing to come out. Those who came out were amateurs. They were forced out by the wind and snow. Due to hunger and cold, their eyes became fierce, and they looked ready to risk everything. Unfortunately, Xiang Chen and the others were not merciful people. If they were so soft-hearted, they would not have lived until now. If these robbers only begged and spoke softly, perhaps Xiang Chen and the others could give them some food. However, if they stood in front of them with knives, they could not be blamed for being merciless.
Fresh blood splattered on the snow and quickly froze with the water. Those who fell there would be lucky to be covered by the snow, but unlucky ones would become the targets of others who were hungry and cold.
Along the way, Xiang Chen had seen too many.
The further they walked, the thinner the snow became.
Xiang Chen's heart sank. Although he did not like this snow disaster, according to the shamaness and the chief, it might be best if this cold weather continued. Most importantly, had the sea frozen? This was the shamaness's hope.
The shamaness said that if the sea froze, they should continue forward. If there was a large patch of ice, this would be an opportunity. They could return to their old haunt after a thousand years and reunite with the other group. Perhaps, the Yanjiao's "hidden disease" could be cured. Who would not want to live twice as long? They would not have to consider leaving the hunting team after hunting for another 20 or 30 years, and then have to watch people from other tribes who were older than them hunt bravely in the forest.
Just thinking about it was miserable.
Please don't freeze, please don't!
After leaving Anba City, they passed by a smaller city. It was the same as Anba City. The city gates were tightly shut, and there was a solemn and heavy atmosphere, just like the hearts of the people in the city. But there, the snow only reached their thighs.
As they continued forward, Xiang Chen's bad feeling grew stronger.
When they finally stepped into the semi-desert, Xiang Chen panted and looked into the distance. Here, the snow only reached their knees.
They continued forward, step by step, into this once dry land.
There were camel beasts looking for ice on the ground. Their fur had grown long, and they huddled together in groups for warmth, eating snow to replenish their water.
When they saw Xiang Chen's group, the camel beasts turned around and ran away.
Xiang Chen did not chase. He still had food on him, and he was not in the mood to hunt. His footsteps quickened as he headed straight for the sea.
Tall cylindrical cacti stood there like icicles. They were like thorns, stabbing at Xiang Chen's group until their hearts bled.
The sea did not freeze!
Only the areas near the sea were partially frozen. But that ice was nothing compared to the layer of ice in the man-made river in front of the tribe. Could people walk on it?!
Not to mention, the sea was still flowing far away from the shore. The wind lifted the waves, crashing against the frozen ice.
The blue sea, the snow-covered sand, the clash of two colors. To some people, this was a rare beauty. But Xiang Chen's group was utterly disappointed.
It was as if they had lost all their strength. Their exhaustion intensified. They knelt on the snow-covered sand, punching holes in the ground.
Their path was cut off.
They didn't even know if there was any hope of crossing this sea in their lifetime.
How long was a person's life? For people who did the same thing every day, it seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Xiang Chen seemed to see his old self sitting at the door, chopping wood and making straw rope. But the people of the same age as him in the neighboring tribe were happily dragging their prey back and forth every day.
He could not bear to think about it anymore.
With a sigh and a strong sense of disappointment, Xiang Chen's group returned to the tribe. If the shamaness knew, she would probably cry herself to death by the fire pit.
How long would they have to wait to return to their homeland? Where was the road?
None of them knew.
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