Ever since Yang Yi arrived at the Spark Tribe, the god of fate had especially favored them. Every time the hunting or collecting teams went out in search of food, they would always return with something.
After the tribe relocated, because the journey was long and they didn’t dare to venture into the wilderness, their harvests decreased significantly. But it was still decent. They could taste meat or fish every day.
Especially now that they had aluminum pots, they could boil bones and meat into rich, hearty broth, which gave everyone a greater sense of fullness.
On top of that, with the ample supply of salt that Yang Yi had brought, everyone had more energy. They were all quite satisfied with their current lives.
Every evening, no matter how tired they were, after dinner, they would gather around the bonfire and dance for a while to celebrate the beautiful life they now had.
Since the official establishment of the Spark Tribe and the possession of their own territory, it was as if their souls had finally found peace, and their true personalities began to emerge.
They were all very optimistic people—warm, generous, and fond of music and dance.
No matter what the harvest of the day was, they could face it positively and never sank into despair.
Jiao even made a bone flute out of animal bones, letting Ting play it during the evening dances. The sound was melodious and full of the natural beauty characteristic of this era.
The tune was simple, yet incredibly pleasant to hear.
Yang Yi had seen primitive bone flutes on TV shows before, but he had never imagined he would one day witness the making of one himself. He couldn’t help but feel both moved and honored.
Coming to this world wasn’t entirely a bad thing, was it?
At the very least, he could now do the things he had once only imagined in his mind, bringing them to life little by little, and watching the people around him grow happier with each passing day.
“Divine Envoy, were you looking for me?”
Ting skipped over to Yang Yi, beaming with a radiant smile.
With the better food in recent days, this beautiful young woman had grown even more charming, becoming the object of admiration among the men in the tribe.
Ting was someone who loved beauty dearly. She always found ways to adorn herself, even with limited resources. The clothes she made from leaves or hides were always the finest. A true example of skilled and clever hands.
“I want to ask you to help me sew something.”
Ting was overjoyed. Nowadays, everyone in the Spark Tribe takes pride in receiving a task from Yang Yi, and Ting was no exception.
“Divine Envoy, I’ll definitely do my best. I won’t let you down!”
Yang Yi didn’t doubt her. Back when they were tending to the wounded, she had already shown a remarkable talent for sewing.
“These are needles and thread. Sew this fabric onto the cowhide. When the cloth rubs against the skin, there shouldn’t be any sense of the thread being there.”
Yang Yi took out a small box of needles. Inside were needles of various sizes, along with a roll of sturdy cotton thread.
Ting’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the needles. She wasn’t unfamiliar with them. She had used one before when treating the injured, and it was now being kept safely by Jiao.
They all knew how precious needles were. They were used to save lives. She never imagined that the Divine Envoy had needles meant specifically for sewing clothes, and that he was entrusting her with this task!
“Divine Envoy, c-can I really use these needles? I have bone needles. My bone needles are the best in the whole tribe!”
Bone needles were extremely difficult to craft, especially the hole in the middle. So they were considered incredibly precious. And now, these were even sturdier metal needles.
“Take them. Anyone who needs them can use them.”
Ting held the box of needles as if she had just received a priceless treasure. It was like a warrior being handed a weapon.
“I definitely won’t let you down!”
Carrying the cowhide and fabric, Ting happily ran off. Not long after she left, a few girls surrounded her. When they saw the needles in her hand, they all let out excited cheers.
Seeing how thrilled they were, Yang Yi took out a few more boxes of needles. They only cost a few yuan. There was no reason not to be generous.
Ting quickly finished sewing the cowhide and fabric. Yang Yi then called Feng over to make him a prosthetic limb.
“Would you be willing to use this as your prosthetic?”
Yang Yi brought out a dual-purpose hoe. One end was a three-pronged rake, and the other end a hoe.
At first, he had considered using a wooden stick as a leg, but the soil here was soft. A wooden stick would easily sink into the ground, and he’d have to pull it out with every step.
Although it wouldn’t exactly be a big problem, the more Yang Yi thought about it, the more it didn’t feel right. The image of stepping forward and leaving deep pits with each step kept popping into his head, so he came up with this idea.
It could serve as a supporting prosthetic and could also be used to dig the earth.
As long as it wasn’t used on soil that was too hard, it shouldn’t fall off easily.
“Really? I can really use this?” Feng was overjoyed. “I’m willing! Of course I’m willing!”
Yang Yi’s method for making the prosthetic was simple and straightforward. The upper part was wrapped in fur to cover the stump and extended all the way up to the thigh to prevent it from slipping off easily.
The lower part used the dual-purpose hoe to replace the foot. A piece of hardwood was specially carved into the curvature of the stump, one end passing through the cowhide, and the other nailed firmly onto the wooden handle of the dual-purpose hoe.
Then, the inside was wrapped again with cowhide. The side that touched the leg was lined with a thick layer of cotton cloth sewn by Ting.
Ting’s craftsmanship was excellent. The stitching was tight and neat.
Yang Yi remained in the role of commander throughout and didn’t lay a hand on the work. The hardwood curve was entirely carved by Feng himself.
“You put this on first, then wear the prosthetic.”
Yang Yi handed Feng a flexible cloth sleeve to wear, and then had him attach the prosthetic.
Today marked the first official use of the prosthetic, and everyone had gathered around to watch. Jing’s gaze was especially intense.
If this worked, then he could have a prosthetic for his arm, too!
Putting on the prosthetic was still a bit of a hassle. Feng was also emotionally stirred. With Ting’s help, he finally managed to put it on.
“Feng, you really have a leg again!”
“Come on, take a few steps and try it!”
Feng’s whole face flushed red. He stood up from the ground and began trying to lift the prosthetic leg and step forward.
Everyone present held their breath, eyes fixed on his leg.
The prosthetic touched the ground, and the other foot lifted and stepped forward.
Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. Everyone had never observed so closely how a person walked. Every single frame of movement was so vivid and clear.
His steps were steady, just like a normal person.
It worked!
Feng’s eyes lit up. His second step was noticeably faster. Soon, he even started running.
“Divine Envoy! I have a leg. I have a leg again!”
Feng ran through the tribe, his joyous laughter echoing across the entire settlement.
No one wanted to be incomplete. Even if one believed they were still strong without a leg, the longing for being “whole” was something that couldn’t be denied.
“This is so wonderful… truly wonderful…”
Everyone was overwhelmed with emotion. Some of the softer-hearted among them even shed tears.
In any tribe, disability meant being considered useless, always the first to be abandoned.
Especially when a leg was missing, even walking became a challenge. Such a person didn’t even qualify to be used as bait to lure prey.
But now, everything had changed!
“Divine Envoy, I beg you to grant me a prosthetic.” Jing knelt on one knee before Yang Yi, eyes burning with hope.
Yang Yi smiled. “I already promised you before. I won’t go back on my word. Don’t rush it. Focus on healing first.”
Jing had long known this. In his heart, he firmly believed that this all-capable Divine Envoy would fulfill his promise.
But even though he had now seen a successful case with his own eyes, he still couldn’t suppress the excitement in his heart.
He truly was so lucky!
After running for a while, Feng joined the others in singing and dancing.
Yang Yi glanced at the time and called him back.
“Don’t use it for too long the first time. Your prosthetic still needs time to adjust.”
Yang Yi had seen documentaries and knew very well that the initial stage of wearing a prosthetic was often painful. The friction between the stump and the prosthetic could be extremely uncomfortable.
At first, the skin would often get rubbed raw. Only after calluses formed would that kind of pain come to an end.
“Divine Envoy, it already feels like part of my body. I feel great.”
“Do you feel any pain?”
Feng blinked. “No, why would it hurt? It’s soft and comfortable inside, and even warm.”
Yang Yi hadn’t expected that kind of answer. After all, this prosthetic was extremely roughly made. There were bound to be many imperfections. Just the fact that it could assist movement was already remarkable.
“Take off the prosthetic and let me have a look.”
Feng obediently did as told. Yang Yi discovered that there were no signs of redness or swelling from friction.
The success of this prosthetic was beyond his expectations.
Not only that, it also stayed securely in place. Just now, Feng had even tried using it to dig into the ground, and it worked well in both directions.
Yang Yi continued monitoring Feng for several days afterward, and there were still no adverse reactions. He was now just like a normal person.
No, his leg was even better than a normal person’s. He could use it to dig the ground, which made many people envious. Some even started thinking that losing a leg might not be such a bad thing after all.
Other than marveling at how physically tough the people here were, Yang Yi had no other thoughts.
“Beep—beep—”
A sharp whistle suddenly rang out. Everyone who had been working immediately dropped what they were doing, grabbed the nearest weapon, and rushed into the center of the tribe.
“What’s going on? Is it a wild beast?!”
The whistle had come from the sentry on duty in the watchtower. That tower had been built after the lumber transport team brought back their first haul of wood.
Yang Yi quickly took out his binoculars and instructed the sentry to closely observe the surroundings to prevent a surprise attack from any predators.
And during this time, they had indeed spotted a lurking spotted leopard. The sentry had decisively fired an arrow at it, preventing an ambush on the laborers.
“There’s a group of people approaching us! A large group. Many of them!”
Everyone’s expression darkened. Sometimes, encountering people could be worse than encountering wild beasts, especially when the other side comes in a large crowd.
It wasn’t just the Blackstone Tribe; many tribes had a habit of devouring the weak, showing no mercy in their slaughter and pillaging.
Their tribe had too few people. The hunting party, the collecting team, and the lumber transport team were all away. Nearly half the tribe was absent, and it was the strongest and most capable half.
According to the sentry, there were a lot of people coming. So many that even if everyone in the tribe were present, it would still be hard to defend against them.
Jing entered a combat-ready state. “We must protect the Divine Envoy at all costs.”
As long as the Divine Envoy remained, the Spark Tribe would not perish.
Hearing that, Yang Yi felt a rush of mixed emotions.
“Maybe it’s not that bad. If they want to take things, we’ll give it to them. Life comes first.”
The entire tribe fell into a tense atmosphere. Everyone raised their weapons, preparing to face whatever was coming.
“Wait. The one leading them looks familiar.”
As the group drew nearer, the sentry finally got a clear look at the people in the procession.
“It’s Hei Lie! It’s Hei Lie!”
The sentry shouted in excitement.
“What? Hei Lie? Why is he here? Is he really here?”
“How is that possible? Are we dreaming?”
“Hei Lie is here. Our tribe is going to grow even stronger!”
Everyone began to cheer. Some of the more impatient ones were already dashing out of the tribe, eager to greet him at once.
Unlike the rest, who were excited and overjoyed, Yang Yi’s expression grew darker.
