RPS – Chapter 63 Casualties (2)

That night, the wind howled outside as rain and snow intermingled. Not only did the weather not clear up, it grew even harsher. The earlier rainfall had turned into pure white snowflakes, falling onto the muddy ground. Much of the bloodstains had already been washed away by the rain, and some were now covered by the steadily accumulating snow. The world looked so clean it resembled a realm of fairies—so pristine it was as if the bloodshed of the previous night had never happened.

Neither Li Feng nor Nuo slept a wink. With two unconscious people before them, two young children still too naïve to understand the world, and a baby who couldn’t even babble yet—how could they sleep peacefully or rest at ease? Worried that Li and the others would be too cold, especially since they were lying naked under the blankets, Li Feng took off his own clothes and slipped under the covers. He placed the baby to the side and carefully leaned against Li, using his own body heat to warm him.

Nuo did the same. That was how the two of them got through the night. The quilt had been sewn thick, and back when they made it, Li Feng had stitched it thoroughly to prevent drafts from seeping in. The blanket was also made extra long and wide, with a layer beneath and two on top. Inside, it was warm.

Li Feng barely closed his eyes that night. He just kept watching Li’s handsome yet pale face, those bloodless lips that reminded him inexplicably of their past kiss—the softness of it. Li’s lips weren’t particularly thin or thick, but when kissed, they were tender. Li Feng lowered his head and gently brushed his lips against them—a featherlight touch. Still soft, still warm, but missing the vitality and sensation of before.

He sighed and drew closer. Li’s body was still burning with fever, radiating some heat. The quilt was warm, but inside, Li Feng felt icy cold—like the snow falling outside, layer upon layer, showing no sign of melting. Such a serious injury—could Li really survive it?

His hand under the blanket gently found Li’s larger one—those hands worn by hardship, covered in scars and calluses, rough yet strong. Just looking at them made him believe they held endless strength. His fingertips lightly traced Li’s palm. The suffering he’d endured was etched clearly into his hands. He gently entwined their index fingers and silently prayed:

“Li… you have to wake up. You can’t leave me after turning me like this. You can’t abandon me and the kids. Don’t be so heartless… Wake up, and as long as you open your eyes, you can do whatever you want…”

Li Feng had once doubted if he was really being “bent” this way, but now, his heart was perfectly clear. Watching Li walk out that door, showing them his back so they could be safe; seeing him fight the wolves for their sake; the blood and wounds he suffered—those eyes filled with relief and trust just before falling unconscious—everything made Li Feng’s heart ache with tenderness.

Seeing Li’s wounds felt like they were on his own body. The pain reached his bones, worse than if he had been clawed himself. He wished he could bear it all in Li’s place—or rush out to fight by his side. The despair of watching him be tackled by two wolves and being powerless to help—the moment the wolf’s jaws clamped down on Li’s shoulder—he felt like his whole world was swallowed by darkness, with no light left.

Only when he saw Li throw off the wolves did he experience that overwhelming joy—the kind that made his heart feel like it might explode. He was still alive—he hadn’t died—that was the only thought in his mind.

Holding Li’s hand, Li Feng’s heart was now crystal clear: he truly had fallen for this man. Though not talkative, and admittedly a bit “pervy,” he was powerful, dependable, warm. This man who risked his life to protect his family was irresistibly attractive. He remembered Li’s small, unconscious acts of gentleness: when Li sat him down during their first hunt and gently rubbed his feet after he’d struggled walking in fur-wrapped shoes; how Li would take the basket off his back without a word, or massage his sore muscles when he was tired…

The smallest gestures were the most tender and touching. What he’d once overlooked now felt so warm and intimate. This cool, quiet man had been expressing his feelings through actions all along. Back then, he hadn’t understood or appreciated them—but now, he did.

“Li, as long as you wake up, we can start over. I’ll face my feelings for you. I’ll make our lives happier, warmer. Everything will get better. We’ll have everything we need—everything!”

He leaned close to Li’s ear and whispered, “Remember to get up early tomorrow. I’ll make something delicious for you all.”

But the Li who would normally crack a joke or shamelessly take advantage of the moment remained silent, lying still. His long lashes cast dark shadows under his eyes—like the gloom lingering over Li Feng’s heart. He longed for even the smallest reaction from him, the opening of his eyes, anything to blow away that shadow.

The fire in the brazier popped gently. Li Feng looked at Li and the tears came, hot and silent, falling onto Li’s shoulder and leaving a faint wet mark…

Li Feng blinked, then suddenly shut his eyes tight before reopening them. All the sadness, worry, helplessness, even despair were buried deep behind those dark irises. Now wasn’t the time for tears or melancholy. They needed strength. He still had children to raise. He still had to take care of Li and the others. He and Nuo were the family’s pillars now. They absolutely could not fall apart like this. Li had nearly died for them—not so they could wallow in misery.

“Li, don’t worry. Everything will be fine. You have to hang in there. The baby’s still waiting to call you ‘Papa.’”

With that resolve, Li Feng noticed that the sky outside was already bright. He wasn’t sure if it was dawn or just the reflection of the heavy snow. The firewood in the brazier was almost gone. He got up carefully to avoid letting cold air in. After dressing, he tucked the blanket more securely around the others before starting his day.

First: food. He had to make something for the kids. Adults could go hungry, but children couldn’t—especially when they needed strength to face what was coming.

The harrowing night had left no visible trace—only a blinding, terrifying whiteness across the land, as though everything in the world had been wiped clean, leaving behind only this desolate expanse.

It was unclear whether the wolves had been killed or retreated to the mountains. Now, pale golden sunlight shone down on the courtyard, with no sign of wolves anywhere. He took a deep breath of the crisp air; the cold sting cleared his mind.

After feeding the children some porridge, he had them stay inside—it was too cold outside, and who knew if the danger was truly gone yet?

He and Nuo discussed things and decided one would stay home while the other went out to assess the situation. They needed to know what was out there now. After a night so dark and frigid—hopefully, under the sunlight, hope would begin to return.

Li Feng had Nuo stay at home while he headed out. The heavy snow had already stopped. After a whole night of snowfall, the snow was now almost ankle-deep. Fortunately, the felt boots he had made earlier had deep uppers, and the openings of the shoes were tied with animal hide, so he didn’t have to worry about snow getting inside.

Li Feng held a wooden spear in his hand. It could serve as both a walking stick and, to some extent, a weapon. However, he didn’t believe the wooden spear could kill a wolf. He also had some poisonous mushroom powder left—just a bit that remained from what Li had thrown at the wolves the night before. Li Feng was immensely grateful for that powder; it had saved Li’s life at a critical moment. At the time, Li had probably been completely exhausted, with no strength left to injure or push away such a large wolf. He had no choice but to take a chance and scatter the powder. Luckily, some of it landed in the wolf’s eyes, which was why it had howled in such pain and anguish, clawed at its own eyes and face, and eventually died from its injuries.

Seeing how effective the powder was, Li Feng made a mental note to make more next time. He also wanted to tell the other tribe members about it—using this method might reduce unnecessary casualties in the future. Sighing, he couldn’t help but worry about the rest of the tribe. After last night, who knew what had become of them?

Li Feng hadn’t walked far before he saw corpses ahead and heard cries and wails, making his heart tighten. He really didn’t know how many people had died this time—or how many were seriously injured like Li and the others.

Along the way, he saw that nearly every household had someone crying. Some homes were completely silent—he didn’t know whether everyone inside had died. The sight filled him with sorrow. Human life was so cheap in this era. Beasts roamed unchecked, but there was no solution. In such a backward time, humans had to fight both nature and beasts for survival. It was the law of nature and the fate of humanity: survival of the fittest. Perhaps only by enduring disaster after disaster could people improve and learn how to resist and develop themselves.

Li Feng originally wanted to go to the chief’s house to ask what they should do next. But before he got there, he ran into the chief on the way. The chief was organizing the tribe members to carry the wounded indoors so they could rest. As for the dead, they could only be left for now—saving the living was more important.

“Chief…” Li Feng leaned on his wooden spear and walked up to him. The snow was now trampled and slippery.

“How’s your family?” The chief’s eyes lit up when he saw Li Feng, then dimmed again. The tribe had suffered heavy losses—Li Feng’s household had probably suffered too… Sigh.

“Not good. Li and Bu were seriously injured and still haven’t woken up… What about the others?” Li Feng’s voice was hoarse, his complexion pale, and dark circles ringed his eyes after a sleepless night. He was trying to hold himself together, but he looked frail and weak. The fear and anxiety of the night had taken a toll on everyone.

“Sigh, we don’t know the full situation yet. But many are injured… and dead,” the chief sighed again. His own arm and body were covered in wounds. But as the chief, he had to stand and take charge—he was the tribe’s backbone and could not falter.

Li Feng glanced at the trampled snow underfoot and said no more. Few remained uninjured in the tribe—only a handful of children and some who hadn’t gone outside. All around them, groans of the injured and the crunch of snow underfoot filled the air. Li Feng had come to help however he could and to share what he knew about treating the wounded. If they didn’t treat injuries in this weather, the chances of death would only increase.

He told the chief and others everything he knew, including how he treated Li the previous night, urging them to start bandaging the wounded quickly. Then he said he needed to go back to care for Li and the others. Before leaving, he asked, “Did everyone in the tribe come out last night?” If so, the injuries must be severe.

“Yes, when we heard the wolves howling and scratching at doors, almost everyone came out to protect our food,” the chief explained. “There were a lot of wolves—possibly from a large pack nearby. We couldn’t spare anyone to go help you…” It wasn’t that they didn’t want to go to Li Feng’s house—it was that they simply couldn’t.

“I understand. Lu was chased to our house by the wolves last night. His parents are already…” Li Feng knew that if the tribe members could have helped, they would have. Besides, his home was at the edge of the tribe, far from the center. Most of the fighting happened in the central area—no one could’ve spared the effort to go that far.

“Take good care of him. When Li and the others wake up, we’ll notify you if we hold a meeting,” the chief said, pressing his side as he waved Li Feng off. His home situation was also grim. Seeing the many wounded on the ground, he sighed again. They needed to act quickly and hold a meeting soon to figure out what to do next. After such a major disaster, how should they rebuild? How could they prevent the next attack? There was so much to do. The pain in his side flared up again as he thought of this, and he hurried to get his wounds bandaged.

After returning home and closing the door behind him, Li Feng felt the warmth of the house. Nuo came up and asked, “How’s the tribe?”

“There were many casualties. Everyone went out—to protect the food…” Li Feng shook his head sadly. Why did they have to go out? Now that they were dead, what use was the food? Or if they left it for their children—how could the children eat with peace?

“Sigh… This attack really caught us off guard. No one expected wolves to come so soon after winter began,” Nuo sat beside Bu, hugging his knees, confused.

“Maybe it’s because of the cold and lack of food. Did wolf attacks happen in previous years too?” Li Feng couldn’t help but ask. Did this happen every year?

“Back before we migrated, they came several times a year—each time causing many deaths. This is our first year in the new location. We thought it would be better… but it happened even earlier than before,” Nuo sighed. The new place had more food and was better for living, but the wild animals were also more numerous.

“In winter, most prey either hibernate or migrate. If wolves can’t find food, they’ll attack the tribe,” Li Feng understood that in such a fragile and primitive society, this wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last time. Humans had taken their food, so wolves came to take it back. But wolves didn’t like eating humans. To them, human flesh was likely the worst kind—only when desperate would they eat it. That’s why, before the tribe stored food, wolves attacked during the deepest part of winter—when prey was scarcest.

“Uncle Li Feng, I… I want to go see Daddy and Mommy…” Lu stood in front of Li Feng, head down, tears falling.

Li Feng hugged him. “Be good. Let Uncle Nuo take you in a bit…” He couldn’t bear to see Lu’s parents again. He’d already seen enough tragic scenes on the way back. Let Nuo take him. He still had to take care of Li and the others, lower their fevers—their temperatures hadn’t gone down. He’d changed the water-soaked hides multiple times, and the room remained well-ventilated with the windows open.

Li Feng touched Li’s forehead and found the fever still high. He fetched a basin of ice, crushed it into small pieces, then had Li and Bu hold some in their mouths, placing more wrapped in animal hide on their foreheads. Thankfully, it was winter—ice was readily available.

This method finally brought their fevers down a bit. Li Feng checked Li’s forehead with his hand and chin—fortunately, it wasn’t dangerously high anymore, possibly shifting toward a low-grade fever. But he still had to monitor them closely. Bu’s condition was about the same, so the method seemed effective. Sadly, they had no real fever medicine here.

He had to go find some willow bark—it was a good folk remedy for colds and fevers. Last night, he’d only thought of treating external wounds and forgotten about this. Willow trees were common—by rivers, ditches—and when they built the house, Li Feng had even transplanted two weeping willows into the yard, partly for the aesthetic of their swaying branches, but mostly for shade. He hadn’t remembered then that willow bark could be brewed into fever-reducing tea. Only now, in the clearer light of morning, did it come back to him.

He asked Mo to tell the chief about this cooling method and the willow bark tea, then hurried to the kitchen to boil water. Li and the others needed hydration. They were feverish but hadn’t started sweating yet, so they had to be made to sweat. Once their temperature stabilized, should he brew some ginger tea to induce sweating? Li Feng wasn’t sure. With injuries, was that safe? He didn’t dare try. Still, he would make some anyway—for himself, Nuo, and Mo to drive away the cold when they came back.

“Li, why aren’t you waking up? You promised to get up early today…” Li Feng fed him some willow bark tea, gently combing his hair with his fingers. Then, holding the baby, he lifted one of Li’s arms and said, “Baby, look—Daddy’s being naughty. The sun’s already shining and he’s still in bed!”

The baby giggled, thinking Li Feng was playing. He raised his little arms, wanting to pat Li’s face—“Daddy, Daddy?”—trying to wake him to play. Li Feng’s nose tingled at the sight, and he quickly caught the baby’s hand. “If Daddy won’t wake up, we won’t talk to him anymore, okay? He’s not being obedient. Say, okay, baby…” If they won’t talk to us, then we won’t talk to them… The more he said it, the more he wanted to cry. Li Feng felt like he was becoming more and more sentimental. He had never cried before—why did his eyes now feel so weak they couldn’t even hold back a few tears?