Chapter 476 - Path
Ever since they knew of what happened after Shao Xuan’s training, the patrol him liked to wait and watch after they swept away snow.
The corridor they cleared was still there, with the initial resting point converted into a shelter.
The patrol guards wanted to follow the initial plan, creating an open-air resting point. However, they would still be exposed to the cold and winds like that.
One day, Shao Xuan had an idea to teach them how to make ice bricks using water and grinding tools. The ice on the river was already too thick so they could not harvest from there. They could only melt snow and pour into moulds, then freeze outside. It only took a few moments for the water to freeze outside so this was efficient.
The tribesmen liked this idea, even warriors not on patrol duty came to help.
From the top of the hill to the bottom, ice houses were built in an ‘I’ shape. The foundation of these houses was also made of ice, stacked tall to protrude out of the snow layer. Then, the houses were built at the top.
They continued walking, crossing what was once an arid land.
There were camel beasts looking for ice on the ground. Their fur had grown longer, all huddled together for warmth and eating snow as a source of water.
When they saw Xiang Chen and his group, the camel beasts ran.
Xiang Chen did not chase after them. He still had food. And he wasn’t in the mood to hunt. His footsteps became more hurried as he ran towards the coast.
Tall, pillar-like cacti stood in the sand like thorns piercing into their hearts.
Seawater!
The sea wasn’t frozen!
There was some ice near the beach but that was nothing compared to the ice layer on the river outside their tribe. Could humans even walk on that?!
Plus seawater was still flowing a little further from the coast. The wind lifted the waves and they broke upon hitting the ice.
The meeting point between the blue sea and snowy beach was beautiful, yet to Xiang Chen and his men, it was a disappointing sight.
As if they had lost all strength, fatigue washed over them as they knelt on the sand covered in a thin layer of snow, pounding their fists, again and again, to form dents in the sand.
Their only path was gone.
They did not know if they would cross this ocean in their lifetime.
How long could a person live? To people who did the same thing every day, one lifetime could be as short as the blink of an eye. Xiang Chen could see his future self, an old man making rope at home. Yet the people from other tribes were still hunting happily at the same age.
He could not bear to hold that thought.
He sighed in disappointment. They all walked back to the tribe. The shamaness might cry herself unconscious by the fire pit if she knew about this.
When would they return to their homeland? How?
No one knew.