In the beginning, the mud that reached his chest felt fine; however, after a long time, it made it difficult for him to breathe. His legs were almost numb from standing.
The saber-toothed tiger on the edge of the quagmire had teeth that were almost 20 cm long and extremely sharp. After wandering around the edge of the quagmire for a while, it turned around and started to devour the corpse on the edge of the quagmire together with its partner.
About an hour later, when the corpse had been devoured and only a pile of broken bones was left, the two saber-toothed tigers finally drilled into the woods and disappeared.
Xia Pingan, who was trapped in the quagmire, waited for a while. After guessing that the two saber-toothed tigers had almost left, Xia Pingan said to the other two, "You wait here for a while, I will go and take a look..."
The other two nodded. Xia Pingan then slowly waded towards the edge of the quagmire. When he reached the edge of the quagmire, he picked up two stones from the ground and threw them into the woods in the distance. After observing for a while and confirming that the saber-toothed tigers were indeed not lying in ambush, Xia Pingan slowly climbed out of the quagmire.
The parts below his neck had been covered with mud from the quagmire. Apart from the mud, there was nothing covering his body, not even his clothes.
Thinking of the generations that had lived in the Cho Clan, Xia Pingan could only accept his current appearance for the time being.
After igniting the sacred fire, Xia Pingan understood that his current role should be the Cho Clan, or in other words, he had to shoulder the historical mission of the Cho Clan.
Seeing Xia Pingan coming out of the quagmire, the other two followed him out of the quagmire. However, after walking out of the quagmire, they squatted down and took some mud from the quagmire and smeared it on their faces, heads, and necks. They smeared the mud all over their bodies except for their eyes, mouths, and nostrils.
Xia Pingan knew why the ancients did this. In the era without clothes, they smeared the mud all over their bodies to release mosquitoes. In the forest, they could also cover their scents and not be easily discovered by wild beasts. Therefore, he smeared the mud all over his body.
After coming to the bloody remains and broken bones on the ground, the other two people burst out into tears at once, "Ada is dead …"
The dead man was called Ah Da. He was their comrade and friend.
The ancients of this era did not have a name, only a simple title.
Just now, the three of them had seen this man become food for the wild beasts.
"Let's bury him, bury him in the ground. Don't let his body be exposed in the forest and become food for the insects again …" Xia Pingan said with a sigh.
Xia Pingan recalled the historical materials and records about the Cho Clan in his mind as he worked. The Cho Clan was the ancestor of Huaxia culture. They enjoyed an extraordinary status in the history of Huaxia and were one of the important pioneers of Huaxia civilization.
The Cho Clan's deeds were recorded in ancient books such as "Historical Records – Records of the Three Emperors", "Zhuangzi – Robber's Feet", "Han Feizi – Five Insects", "Pre-Qin History", and "Taiping Imperial Records".
There were many legends about the Cho Clan. In the legends, the Cho Clan was the first to invent and advocate burial, to give the dead the last dignity.
The other two looked at Xia Pingan doubtfully, because no one had ever done this before. In the past, when the people of the tribe died, they just died. Wherever they died, they were thrown there, just like those dead beasts.
Xia Pingan didn't say much. He used the spear in his hand and his hands to dig at the ground nearby, and began to practice.
Although there were still dangers in the forest, and the two saber-toothed tigers might come back, Xia Pingan still insisted on burying the dismembered dead man.
The soil in the forest was soft, so Xia Pingan quickly dug a small hole. The two people next to him immediately understood Xia Pingan's intention and started to dig as well. The three of them worked together, and it did not take long for them to dig a hole.
Then Xia Pingan began to pick up the remains and bones of the corpse bit by bit and put them into the hole. The two people next to Xia Pingan also began to collect the bones.
After all the skeletons had been collected into the pit, Xia Pingan buried the pit.
After burying their companion, the two people following Xia Pingan found that they felt much better.
Not far away, there was a broken wooden spear on the ground. It was the dead man's weapon. Xia Pingan took the wooden spear and inserted it into the ground in front of the hole.
The other two people, in the bushes nearby, collected some scattered acorns on the ground, as well as the tools and stone pieces that were thrown away before.
Xia Pingan followed the two people back to the cave where the tribe lived.
Along the way, the forest was filled with the sounds of insects and birds, as well as the roars of beasts, so they had to be careful.
On the way back, Xia Pingan saw wild yams growing on the side of the road. The leaves were fat, and there were many lush weeds. He stopped and used a stone piece to cut the stems and leaves of the wild yams. Then he used a stone piece to cut some grass stems and leaves from the side and put them together. He made a set of leaves for himself to wear, covering his three points.
The other two people saw it and felt curious and somewhat envious. Xia Pingan also taught the other two to make a set of leaves for themselves.
After walking in the forest for more than an hour, the three people finally returned to the cave where the tribe lived with the acorns they picked.
There were thousands of people living in the cave. There was no fire in the cave, so everyone was naked, drinking the meat and blood. The wild beasts they hunted and the acorns they picked were their food.
During the day, everyone went outside the cave to look for food. At night, they returned to the cave and found a place to lie down and sleep.
Hearing that Ada was killed by wild beasts, Ada's family members wailed and cried.
However, this kind of thing was not unusual for the people in the tribe. Although everyone was careful enough, every once in a while, there would always be people who died in the mouth of wild beasts and became their food.
Some people were sad, but more people in the cave, men and women, were attracted by Xia Pingan's set of leaves. They couldn't help but come over and touch the three people. Xia Pingan asked people to gather leaves and grass stems, and then taught them how to make the set of leaves.
That night, Xia Pingan ate some acorns and freshly cut elk meat. Then he curled up his body and spent a cold and sleepless night in the cave.
The next day, there were more people wearing the set of leaves in the cave. More people felt that it was indeed better to wear the set of leaves, so they began to follow suit.
Xia Pingan called the two "little friends" from yesterday over and told them, "It's not safe to live in a cave. Poisonous snakes and insects will also kill us. We have to learn from birds and build a nest in a tree. That way, we can avoid those snakes and insects and have a place to sleep peacefully!"
The two "friends" both felt that what Xia Pingan said was reasonable, but they didn't know how to build nests in trees like birds.
"I know how to build nests, but I need your help. You just need to listen to me!" Xia Pingan said to them.
The two "friends" nodded.
With the help, Xia Pingan began to find a big tree with luxuriant foliage near the cave and began to build his first wooden nest.
The others didn't know what Xia Pingan was going to do, but the two people who followed Xia Pingan to pick fruits yesterday were very obedient to Xia Pingan and became Xia Pingan's helpers.
Xia Pingan asked them to cut some branches as thick as an arm with stones. Xia Pingan himself went to find some vines, peeled them, and began to weave simple ropes with them.
In this era, there were no nails. Nests built on trees could only be secured with vines and ropes.
Seeing that Xia Pingan was busy, the others in the tribe were very curious, but they didn't know what Xia Pingan was busy with. Xia Pingan's small wooden nest in the middle of the big tree trunk was also taking shape little by little.
Xia Pingan used the three forks in the middle of the tree trunk as pillars. He intersected the cut branches and used vines to secure them bit by bit on the tree trunk. Gradually, a small space was formed.
The gaps between the tree trunks were filled with hay and then sealed with mud. Then, wild taro leaves and thatch were woven to cover the nest. Inside the nest, some hay and juniper straw were woven to keep the nest warm …
After three days of hard work, a simple and crude looking "tree nest" that wasn't very big and could barely fit three people to lie down and sleep was completed.
In Xia Pingan's eyes, this tree nest was simple and crude, like a child's toy. But in the eyes of those who lived in the cave, this tree nest was no less than a luxurious villa.
Once the tree nest was completed, they found that Xia Pingan and the other two could lie down and sleep in it. They didn't need to sleep in the cave and could even shelter them from the wind and rain. Everyone in the cave was shocked and came to visit the tree nest one by one. Everyone was very envious.
Everyone wanted to have such a comfortable nest and didn't need to sleep in the cave. But no one knew how to build one. Xia Pingan naturally directed everyone and began to teach them how to choose tree trunks, weave vines, cut trees, and use vines to build the nest bit by bit on the tree trunk. They also learned how to use mud and weeds to block the gaps of the nest.
Xia Pingan now had the Cho Clan. He was teaching the people in the tribe how to build a nest in the tree bit by bit.
As the days passed, the entire tribe built more and more nests in the tree. Unknowingly, Xia Pingan became the most prestigious person in the tribe. Everyone listened to him.
These days, people in the tribe hunted elk, bison, and other animals. Xia Pingan also taught them how to use stone chips to cut animal skins bit by bit. They scraped off the oil on the animal skins bit by bit. Then, they soaked the animal skins in dirt and stone powder to tan and dry the animal skins. Finally, they cut the animal skins and made them into warm swaddling clothes for babies in the tribe and warm clothes for adults …
An old man died in the tribe. In the past, the dead old man was casually thrown into the forest. Xia Pingan ordered people to dig holes in the ground and find a place to bury the dead. He also organized a funeral ceremony so that the dead wouldn't be casually thrown away and exposed in the wilderness.
After gaining prestige and finding that everyone listened to him, Xia Pingan began to organize and train the young people in the tribe to turn the wooden spears in their hands into javelins and throw them out to hunt for food.
One person throwing a wooden spear or javelin might not hit the target, but if dozens or hundreds of people worked together and coordinated the work, the hunting efficiency and success rate would be greatly improved. No matter how ferocious the beast was, it could only become food in front of organized and equipped people.
The people in Xia Pingan's tribe gradually lived in the tree nests and wore clothes made of animal skins and leaves. The number of prey they hunted also gradually increased. The quality of life of the entire tribe was greatly improved and they gained a great reputation.
Two months later, several small tribes in the surrounding area began to come over and pledge their allegiance. They began to learn from Xia Pingan how to build tree nests, how to use animal skins to make clothes, and how to use hay to weave blankets …
The people in the tribe began to call Xia Pingan the Great Cho Clan …
…
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