“Oh, so now you know you were wrong?”
“唷，这是知道错了？”
Yang Zicang looked down at the chieftain kneeling before him, a hint of mockery in his eyes. He had no intention of stooping to the level of these primitives, yet the scene unfolding before him was rather amusing.
杨子藏带着几分戏谑地俯视着跪伏在地的野人首领。他本不想与这些原始人计较，但眼前这一幕却颇为有趣。
“Ugh, ugh.” The chieftain, with all its body hair singed off, crawled forward on the ground, gesturing toward the mountain fire.
“呜嗷呜嗷。”全身毛发被烧秃的首领趴在地上往前拱了两下，又指向山火。
“I’m no Dragon King, I can’t put out the fire for you.”
“可惜我不是龙王爷，给你们灭不了火。”
Two burly primitives burst out from the crowd, raising rocks to hurl at the chieftain.
两个身材粗壮的野人从人群中窜出，举起石块就要砸向首领。
In the eyes of these primitives, Yang Zicang was undoubtedly the root cause of all this.
在这些野人眼中，杨子藏无疑是这一切的罪魁祸首。
They believed the tribe leader had offended this indescribable being, and perhaps only by executing him could his wrath be quelled.
这些野人觉得是队伍首领触怒了这位无法形容的存在，或许要将之处死才能熄灭这位的怒火。
“Stop!”
“停！”
But how could the primitives understand him? The rocks were already thrown, and the chieftain lay prostrate, resigning to fate without any intent to resist.
野人哪里听得懂他的话，巨石脱手而去，首领认命似的匍匐在地毫无反抗之意。
[Trajectory Dispatch!]
[轨迹调度！]
Bang! Bang!
嘭嘭！
The two stones landed eerily on either side of the chieftain’s head.
两块岩石诡异的落在首领头颅两边。
They clearly saw, in that instant, a faint silver-white ring emerge from Yang Zicang’s chest, along with a few lines that appeared and vanished in a flash.
他们分明瞧见这瞬间，在杨子藏胸口诞生了个微弱的银白光圈，以及几根一闪而逝的线条。
The two primitives fell to the ground slap, trembling in fear.
两个野人啪地倒地，颤抖不已。
As Yang Zicang approached, the chieftain, with its fur charcoal-blackened, looked up with tearful eyes. It whimpered, looking pitiful like a child who had been caught in the act.
杨子藏走上前去，地上毛发焦黑一片的野人泪汪汪抬头。他呜咽叫唤着，看上去尤其可怜，像是个知道自己闯祸的孩子。
“You’re the one who first ate sweet potatoes, aren’t you?”
“就是你小子最先吃的地瓜吧。”
All were burnt beyond recognition.
都烧得差点认不出来了。
“Alright, alright, I can’t communicate with you lot either. Let’s do this: you all howl ‘awoo,’ so from now on, you’ll be called ‘A Wu.’ It matches the pronunciation of a certain famous brother of yours from another world.”
“行了行了，我也跟你们说不来话。这样吧，你们都啊呜地叫唤，你以后就叫‘阿武’好了。正好跟你另一个世界的某个著名兄弟一样的发音。”
Yang Zicang planned to visit their tribe.
杨子藏打算去他们的部落看看。
He recalled that on Earth, certain Amazon tribes had items left behind by human journalists. Perhaps the same was true here.
他还记得在地球时，某些亚马逊部落里有着人类记者留下的物品。这里说不定也是一样。
“Maybe the statue is in that place.”
“或许雕像就在那里。”
……
……
Half a day later, the expectant young man followed these creatures, who regarded him as a divine being, outside a concave valley nestled by mountains and rivers.
半天以后，充满期待的年轻人跟随着这批将自己视作神人的生物，来到依山傍水的凹谷外。
Gathered at a large horizontal hollow deep into the cliff face, which could provide shelter from wind and rain, were numerous unclothed savages, both big and small.
可挡风避雨，深入崖壁的大横坑外聚集着好些身无丝缕的大小野人。
The more Yang Zicang looked at them, the colder his heart grew— they couldn’t even create stone knives.
杨子藏越看心里越凉，他们甚至都不会造石刀。
“It seems I have to search elsewhere.”
“看来要去别的地方寻找才行。”
Although he was extremely unwilling to admit it, from the cliff hollow, which could be fully seen at a glance, there were no signs of human civilization or artifacts.
虽然极其不愿意承认，但从一眼就能看完的崖壁凹坑可以看出，这里毫无人类文明造物的迹象。
So, the acceleration ability wasn’t granted for nothing. He had to traverse the entire land walking, a hundred miles a day at that? Just how large was this world?
果然加速能力不是随便给自己的，是要自己走遍大地吗，一日百里，这个世界究竟有多大？
……
……
Several days later.
几日之后。
Walking through the forest, Yang Zicang suddenly stopped in his tracks as a wolf howl faintly echoed from across the mountain.
行走在林中的杨子藏突然顿住脚步，山对面隐隐传来狼啸声。
“A wolf?”
“狼？”
No, there were other sounds besides it— extremely indistinct human cries of pain.
不对，还有别的声音，是极其含糊的人类惨叫声。
Without hesitation, Yang Zicang immediately accelerated time by running and arrived at the mountain forest. In the distance, about a dozen wild wolves were skulking around, baring their fangs with a menacing aura that exuded terror.
没有犹豫，杨子藏立即奔跑着加速了时间来到那处山林。远处还有十数只左右游走的狼犬，呲牙咧嘴散发着令人恐惧的气息。
What surrounded the wolves was a cave entrance raised half a person’s height from the ground; the screams emerged from this makeshift camp of savages.
被狼群围着的，是一个离地半人多高的洞穴，惨叫便是从这野人营地传出。
A young man, bow drawn and arrow nocked, dashed through the woods, his deployed ability making his movements as swift as lightning.
青年张弓搭箭地穿过山林，调度能力让他的动作快如闪电。
[Deploy!]
[调度！]
Whiz! Whiz! Two arrows precisely pierced the throats of the two lead wolves. The sudden assault threw the wolf pack into chaos, while the distant savages stared dumbfounded at this magical “little twig.”
嗖！嗖！两支箭矢精准命中两只头狼的咽喉。突如其来的袭击让狼群阵脚大乱，远处野人们则目瞪口呆地看着这神奇的“小树枝“。
Yang Zicang shifted left and right, a golden aura shimmering on his fist upon punching the wolf-dog before him. But the wolf-dog showed no sign of being struck by temporal power, merely tumbling to the ground.
杨子藏左右腾挪，拳头上金辉浮现，一拳打在身前这只狼犬身上。但这狼犬根本没有任何被时序打击到的现象，只是掀翻于地而已。
“This…”
“这…”
Indubitably a dream training ground—he could only rely on pure physical power to contend with the wolf pack.
果然是梦境的训练场，只能依靠纯粹的肉体力量与狼群周旋。
With Yang Zicang’s intervention, the savages’ pressure was instantly alleviated, and the battle’s momentum reversed within a minute or two.
有了杨子藏的加入，野人的压力骤减，战况在一两分钟内便扭转。
“Woo~”
“呜嗷~”
The wolves raised their heads, howling in chorus.
众狼犬仰头呼啸。
A robust, formidable silver wolf leaped onto a boulder and howled back in resonance, its cold, piercing gaze fixed upon Yang Zicang from the edge of the forest.
一只身材壮硕的威武银狼跃上巨石高声回应，目光冰冷它的死死盯住树林边缘的杨子藏。
“Wah yi ah yee ah—wah ah yi wah ah yi!”
“哇呀，啊呀呀，哇啊呀哇阿呀！”
In the cave, an old wild man wrapped in animal skins gestured anxiously, signaling Yang Zicang to quickly climb a tree for shelter.
岩洞中，一个腰缠兽皮的老野人焦急地比划着，示意杨子藏赶快上树避难。
The wolfhound king paid no heed, leaping down from the boulder as the pack fell back in unison, recognizing that only their leader could face this foe.
狼犬王可不管这么多，它从巨石上一跃而下，众狼犬默契后退，这是狼犬之王才能应对的对手。
The wolfhound king lunged fiercely.
狼犬王凶猛扑来。
The only “old wild man” wearing fur immediately covered his eyes, but soon heard several whimpering cries.
唯一挂着皮草的“老野人”顿时捂住了眼睛，可没几下他就听到几声“嘤嘤”惨叫。
Boom!
嘭隆！
Yang Zicang landed a fierce kick on the wolfhound king’s head. “Haah!” The wolfhound king tumbled several times across the ground. As it lifted its head, a rock the size of a watermelon came hurtling toward it.
杨子藏猛地一脚踹在狼犬王头颅，“哈啊！”狼犬王轰地在地上接连翻滚几圈，刚抬起头，一块西瓜大的岩石呼啸而至。
Smash!
嘭！
Brains splattered.
脑浆迸裂。
The wolfhounds scattered several paces back, wailing in sorrow. But before their howls could fade, another stone came flying.
众狼犬哗地四散跑远几步，无不哀鸣。但还未等它们嚎完，又一块石头砸来。
The old wild man stood dumbfounded at the cave entrance, the other wild men gazing at Yang Zicang as if he were a deity, having dispatched these fearsome creatures with just a few moves.
洞口老野人脸上呆愣着，众野人仿佛看天神般看着杨子藏两三下就打跑了这群让人恐惧的东西。
In their limited understanding, it seemed that, aside from larger beasts, nothing had ever so easily slain the wolfhound king. This youth, thin to the bone and hairless, had nonetheless taken on their greatest fear alone.
在他们那有限的智商思索下，似乎除了更大的猛兽，从未有谁能如此简单杀死狼犬的首领。这个青年瘦得不行，身上连毛都没长，却能和自己恐惧的对象单挑。
Yang Zicang stepped forward to retrieve his two arrows. For now, every arrow used was one fewer, and unable to rely on temporal strikes, he knew he needed to figure out how to craft his own.
杨子藏上前将自己射出的两根箭矢拔下，这东西目前可是用一根少一根，没办法用时序打击，自己得想办法研究下怎么造才行。
The old wild man walked near Yang Zicang and waved his arms like a gorilla to greet him. The other wild men shouted “Wahoo” with great excitement.
老野人走到杨子藏不远处，双手如同猩猩挥舞般打着招呼。众野人“呀呼”直叫，兴奋不已。
“Stop shouting, how annoying.”
“别叫了，烦死了。”
Looking around, it was nothing but trees and a natural rock cave with still no signs of human civilization.
四望一眼，这里除了树木就是一个天然的岩石洞穴，还是没人类迹象。
Petrified glyphs on the rocks outside the cave resembled children’s drawings, perhaps depicting pterosaurs or butterflies.
洞外的岩石上画着宛如幼童的壁画，可能画得是翼龙，或者蝴蝶。
Though it seemed much like the previous place, Yang Zicang climbed into the cave on his own to have a look. Since he had saved the people there, the wild men didn’t stop him.
虽然大概跟上个地方一样，但杨子藏还是自顾自的爬上洞穴进去观看，作为救了这里的人，众野人倒也没拦着他。
It was pitch black inside, with markings on the walls even cruder than oracle bone script.
洞里黑乎乎的，墙上画着比甲骨文还不如的画。
No statues.
没有雕像。
Yang Zicang turned back, deeply disappointed.
杨子藏失望不已的回头。
……
……
In a gentle breeze with warm sunlight, Yang Zicang stepped out from the dark cave mouth. The old wild man stood waiting with wrinkled, dried dates, grinning and holding them out to the young man who emerged.
微风暖阳中，杨子藏从黑乎乎的洞口走出。老野人捧着干瘪的枣儿等着，咧嘴笑着递给出来的年轻人。
After some hesitation, he picked one up and said, “Alright, all of you should grow well and try to invent a written language as soon as possible. I’m heading off now. See you.”
犹豫了下，他还是捡起一粒道：“好了，诸位好好发展，争取早日出现文字。我先撤了，再见。”
With that, he gripped his bow and jumped down the cave platform, ready to leave. Unexpectedly, the old wild man ran up and grabbed him, pointing at the bow in his hand.
说罢，他握弓跳下洞口准备离开。谁知老野人跑上前扯住自己，指了指他手上的弓。
“You want this? Oh no, that’s not happening.”
“你想要这个？这可不行。”
Most of the surrounding wild men didn’t realize the bow’s value—they were just scared. Only this sly old fellow knew a good thing and set his sights on it.
周围大多数野人都不明白这弓的价值，只是害怕。唯有这老野人最精，打这玩意儿的主意。
“Ooh ooh ooh, hoo.”
“唔喔唔喔。”
The old savage pointed at the bow, then babbled something to a few of his tribesmen behind him.
老野人指了指弓，又对着身后几个族人一阵唔呀说了阵。
Yang Zicang looked on as two female savages hesitantly sized up their hairless counterpart; one of them nodded slightly shyly to the old savage and took two steps forward.
杨子藏看去，两个女性野人迟疑地上下打量着无毛的同类，其中一个还略带害羞的对着老野人点点头，往前走了两步。
“Hey, wait a minute,” Yang Zicang waved his hand in panic, “I have no interest in becoming a live-in son-in-law here.”
“喂，等等，”杨子藏慌张地摆手，“我可没兴趣在这里当赘婿啊。”
He even lost the interest in demonstrating how to draw and shoot the bow to the group of savages, quickly accelerating time and vanishing on the spot, leaving the savages in a panicked commotion.
他连再给这群野人演示下拉弓射箭的兴趣也没有了，赶紧加速时间消失在了原地，看得众野人大惊的乱成一片。
……
……
Three months passed.
三个月过去。
Yang Zicang traveled hundreds of miles in all directions. The most “advanced” tribe was only at the level of cracking nuts with stones. He made stone spears for one of the tribes, but it changed nothing.
杨子藏走遍方圆数百里。最“先进”的部落也不过是会用石头砸坚果的程度。他为其中一个部落制作了石矛，但这改变不了什么。
“If they can’t even polish stones, how can they make statues? There’s no civilization at all…”
“连石块都不会打磨，如何制造雕像呢？根本没有文明…”
Standing in the forest, Yang Zicang gazed at the boundless primordial jungle, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. This world was unimaginably safe.
站在山林的杨子藏望着无边的原始森林，感到深深的无力。这个世界安全得不像话。
“Where on earth is the Bloodline Sculpture?”
“血脉雕塑到底在哪？”
Should he consider using the second postal opportunity…? He rubbed the post emblem that unfolded from the glow of the makeshift model, lost in thought. No, he couldn’t waste this opportunity; at the very least, he had to figure out what was going on.
难道要考虑使用第二次邮递机会…？他摩挲着手中由模型光芒展开的邮徽，陷入沉思。不行，不能如此浪费次数，至少要搞清楚是怎么回事啊。
Several figures of savages loomed into the woods with a “rustling” sound, having just survived a bloody battle but miraculously caught a few wild beasts.
林中“沙沙”响地出现几个野人的身影，他们刚经历一场血战，捕获到几只野兽。
These gains came at the cost of human lives.
这些都是拿人命换来的。
Seeing the “ancestors” of humanity struggling to survive in such a harsh world, Yang Zicang let out a bitter sigh in his heart.
见人类的“先祖”们在这样的世界艰难求生，杨子藏心中难免酸楚叹息。
“This is only a dream. Once I’m gone, you will be freed.”
“这只是梦，等我走后，你们会解脱的。”
Ten years later.
十年后。
Yang Zicang stood on a prominent, high outcrop of rock, his expression solemn as he gazed into the distance.
杨子藏站在块凸起的高耸岩石上，神色肃然地遥望远方。
He had traversed every inch of an area spanning over two thousand square kilometers, yet found no trace of any prehistoric civilization.
他已经走遍了方圆两千多公里内的每一寸区域，却找不到任何史前文明的遗迹。
Could it be on the other end of the continent?
难道在大陆另一端吗？