Yang Zicang looked down at his calloused hands and the flint they held.
杨子藏低头看了向自己变得粗糙的手，以及手上的火石。
Despite a full decade having passed, even with his speed enhancement, he had personally experienced nearly two years of it.
整整十年时间，哪怕是有加速能力，依旧切身经历了近两年的时光。
A complete failure!
大失败！
Yang Zicang let out a sigh, resigned to giving up and leaving.
杨子藏叹息了声，自己还是放弃离开吧。
Before returning to the real world, he wanted to go back and visit the small tribal group he had first encountered years ago.
在回到现实世界前，他想回到多年前前最开始遇见的那个小族群去看看。
[I will initiate time acceleration to reach a point half a month from now.]
[我要进行时间加速，前往半个月以后。]
[I have consumed 15 R.]
[我消耗了15R。]
……
……
The jungle after the rain was especially verdant.
雨后的丛林格外青翠。
Yang Zicang, leaning on a long spear-staff, emerged from the woods, which had grown slightly lusher.
拄着长矛杖的杨子藏从变得繁茂些的树林中走出。
The wild tribesmen were hiding in the recesses of a rock face in the distance, some grooming the hair on their bodies, others pounding stones with wooden mallets to craft relatively convenient rock tools. The moment they spotted someone appear, they suddenly stirred with commotion, but instantly, a voice cowed them into submission.
野人们都躲在远处的岩壁凹坑内，捋着身上的毛发，或是在一旁用木锤敲打着石块来制作相对趁手的岩石工具。瞧见有人出现，他们忽地骚乱起来，但马上一道声音将他们震慑住。
A slightly aged, burly wild tribesman stood up, hesitantly craning his neck to look at Yang Zicang.
已略微有些老态的魁梧野人站起身来，迟疑地探头看向杨子藏。
“Hmm.”
“唔。”
“Hmm, hmm hmm!”
“唔，唔唔！”
Several wild men hung their arms and half-squatted beside this upright, peering figure.
几只野人吊着手臂半蹲在这直立探头的野人身旁。
Looking at the patchy deep and light-colored fur, a smile spread across Yang Zicang’s face as he stated clearly and articulately:
看着那深一片浅一片的毛发，杨子藏脸庞浮现笑意，字正腔圆的道：
“Xiao Wu!”
“小武！”
A Wu let out a loud cry, tumbling and scrambling out of the pit, his feet sinking into the mud, mud spurting up between his toes.
阿武哇地大叫，连滚带爬从坑内跑出来，脚丫子插在淤泥中，脚指缝涌起道道泥浆。
Yang Zicang wore a smile as he watched him run over and crouch down beside him.
杨子藏含笑看着他跑来蹲在身边。
“Long time no see, Xiao Wu.”
“好久不见啊，小武。”
Yang Zicang touched the dark, greasy hair on his head, studying these faces that had changed so much. For them, being in one’s thirties or forties was already old. The robust young men who were seventeen or eighteen back then had now stepped back from the front line, spending their days in the clan grinding stones or gathering fruits.
杨子藏摸了摸他头上油腻的黑发，看着这些变化很大的面孔。对他们来说，三四十岁就已经很老了。当年十七八岁的硬小伙，如今已经退居二线，在群落里做些磨石摘果的事情。
“I’m sorry, it was my fault.”
“对不起，是我的错。”
Of course, A Wu couldn’t understand what he was saying; he merely found it amazing that the “unfathomable one’s” voice rose and fell with varied tones, clear and diverse.
阿武当然听不懂他在说什么，只是觉得“无法理解之人”的声音抑扬顿挫，清晰多变，很是神奇。
A Wu, deliberately like an ape, half-squatted and took Yang Zicang’s hand. Yang Zicang followed him in confusion, while the other wild men gathered around and moved along as well. It seemed A Wu still commanded some authority.
阿武故意如猩猩般，半蹲着拉起杨子藏的手。杨子藏疑惑的跟着他而去，众野人也都围在他左右随之前行。看来阿武依旧还是有些威望。
Before long, Yang Zicang came to a pile of stacked branches.
没多久杨子藏来到了堆聚集在一起的树枝堆旁。
The way it was arranged was just like the bonfire he had started back then.
这堆砌的形状，好像当时自己升的那堆篝火。
A Wu looked at him expectantly, pointing with his finger toward his own mouth, and then at the burn scars on his body.
阿武期待的看着他，用手指指了指自己的嘴，以及身上的烧伤疤痕。
“You want to learn to make fire?”
“你们想学生火？”
Yang Zicang’s heart felt as if something had struck it.
杨子藏内心像是被什么击中。
“But these rain-soaked logs won’t ignite. Follow me, Xiao Wu.”
“但这些被雨淋过的木材可点不燃。跟我来吧，小武。”
For the remainder of the half-day, he led the savages in gathering dry wood, fetched water from the stream using a gourd ladle, and even dissected a chance encounter with a wild ox using a stone knife. When sparks finally ignited the hay, the elders among the savages expressed a mix of fear and anticipation, while the younger generation recoiled in pure terror, stepping back.
接下来半日，他带着野人们收集干燥木材，用葫芦制成的水瓢从溪边取水，甚至还用岩刀解剖了一头偶遇的蛮牛。当火星终于引燃干草时，当年见识过的野人们表情又畏惧又期待，而年轻一代则是纯粹地惊恐着后退。
“This is what we call ‘making fire’; this is ‘dry,’ and this is ‘wet.’”
“这就叫做‘生火’，这是‘干’，这是‘湿’。”
Yang Zi Cang gestured with his hands, pointing out the difference between dry hay and green grass, performing a demonstration.
杨子藏用手比划指着干草与青草的区别，并作示范。
The firelight flickered on everyone’s faces, and A Wu stared at it contemplatively. Suddenly, with a “pop,” a ladle of water doused the flames.
火光映照在众人脸上，阿武沉思的看着它。突然“啪”地声，一瓢水将火扑灭。
A Wu leaped aside, startled and wide-eyed at Zang Cang’s action.
阿武跳到一边，大惊失色的看着杨子藏的动作。
“Ah, hey, eh?”
“啊诶咦？”
Yang Zi Cang pointed at the water, then at the fire, and he finally understood—whether this being might be angry again.
杨子藏指了指水，又指了指火，他这才明白，是不是这位存在又发怒了。
“It’s getting late; tonight, we’ll feast.”
“天色不早了，今晚我们来吃大餐吧。”
The beast dissected in the afternoon couldn’t be left behind, wasting it. Yang Zi Cang dissected it right before their eyes, leaving all the other savages utterly dumbfounded.
下午被解剖的的野兽当然不可能丢弃。杨子藏当着他们的面解剖，看得众野人目瞪口呆。
The sun sank completely below the horizon, as the fire crackled and burned.
夕阳完全沉没，火光噼啪燃烧着。
Night—a night that hides countless dangers. Every night for the long, centuries-long history has been a dangerous world, where, for these primitive people, wolves and tigers could emerge at any time, stealing away their fragile lives.
黑夜，隐藏无数危机的黑夜，漫长岁月以来的每个夜晚对于众野人来说，都是随时会冒出豺狼虎豹，夺取脆弱生命的危险世界。
But not tonight—tonight is different.
可今晚不一样。
The firelight reflected off the mountain walls and the edge of the distant forest; the sight of the flames sent any passing beasts scurrying far away.
火光映照着山壁与远处的树林边缘，一些路过的野兽瞧见火光立即跑得老远。
At the reappearance of the fire, the few surviving members of the group that had once followed A Wu dared not come any closer. Yet the aroma of the roasting meat seemed to unlock a new region in their brains, making it impossible to resist its temptation.
见到火光再现，曾跟随阿武出去的那批野人中，还存世的寥寥几人根本不敢再上前。但烤肉的香味又让人仿佛开辟了新的大脑区域般，令他们难以忍受诱惑。
“Come and eat,” Yang Zicang said, pointing to the bonfire.
“来吃啊。”杨子藏指着篝火道。
Hiding behind the elders for some time, a childlike ape, licking his fingers as he smelled the meat, finally gathered the courage to step forward.
后方一个小孩般的猿人藏在老人们身后许久，闻着肉香，吮着手指的他终于鼓足勇气走上前。
“Call it fire. Fire.”
“这叫火，火。”
“Vire,” the child managed, his voice labored with a rough accent.
“活。”小孩吃力用生涩的口音道。
Hearing the slightly imperfect pronunciation, Yang Zicang smiled and nodded, then passed a roasted skewer of meat to the child.
听到这个不太标准的字眼，杨子藏笑着点点头，将手上烤好的一串肉递向那孩子。
A Wu swallowed his saliva as he gazed at the “divine man” ahead.
阿武咽了口口水看着前方的“神人”。
He never stopped yearning for that taste of sweet potato from years ago.
他无时无刻不在怀念当年那一口的地瓜。
Under the focus of dozens of pair of eyes, filled with myriad emotions, the slender young boy, swallowing saliva, hesitantly stared at the skewer held by Yang Zicang before slowly stretching out his dark little hand to take it.
在周围数十双蕴含各种情绪的目光中，身材纤细的小男孩咽着口水，迟疑的看着杨子藏举着的肉串，缓慢伸出黢黑小手，将其接过。
The boy sniffed it, then attempted to tear off a piece of meat with his teeth—only to freeze in place, as if turned to stone.
小男孩嗅了下，尝试着用牙齿撕下块肉，随后他目光就定住了，仿佛石化般。
The surrounding savages watched nervously. Two or three seconds later, the child let out a howl and wolfed down the roasted meat into his mouth. Before finishing chewing, the boy stared intently at the other pieces of meat on the campfire, gasping heavily, his eyes like that of a little tiger locking onto its target.
周围的野人们看得紧张无比，两三秒后，这小孩唔嗷一嗓子嚎叫，狼吞虎咽的将烤肉塞进了嘴里。还没嚼完，小孩就目光炯炯、喘着粗气的盯着篝火上其它肉块，眼神仿佛是只锁定目标的小老虎。
With an example set, more people stepped forward. They painstakingly tried to pronounce the word “fire.” As long as they succeeded, they were rewarded with meat personally roasted by Yang Zicang.
有了示范，更多人走出。他们吃力的发出“火”这个发音，只要成功的，都得到了杨子藏亲自烤的肉。
Before long, everyone in the entire primitive tribe started jumping around as if a monkey nest had been disturbed.
没多久，整个原始族群的众人都跳了起来，仿佛捅了猴窝。
Yang Zicang, who had brought such “deliciousness,” was now worshipped by the crowd. They desperately wanted more of this kind of food.
而带来如此“美味”的杨子藏，已经被众人膜拜，他们迫切想要吃到更多这样的东西。
……
……
Over the next few days, Yang Zicang patiently taught these people how to make fire, sharpen stone knives, and roast meat.
接下来几天，杨子藏耐心教导着这些人如何生火，以及打磨石刀，以及烤肉。
They already knew how to use vines as ropes, so their intelligence wasn’t entirely hopeless. With someone guiding them hand by hand, some among them finally began to show talent—especially the children, who picked up simple skills quickly.
他们已经会用藤蔓作绳索，智商方面并不是不可救药，有人手把手教导，其中一些人终于开始展现出天赋，特别是些小孩，学会了些简单技巧。
“From now on, this is for you.”
“以后，这个就给你们了。”
Before leaving, Yang Zicang placed two flints into the rough palms of A Wu, who crouched in front of him.
离去前，杨子藏将两块火石放在蹲在前方的阿武毛躁的掌中。
The savages stared in disbelief at this scene—this incredible man had given their fellow clan member something that could produce “the light that illuminates the dark.”
众野人不可思议的看着这一幕，这个神奇的人居然把能制作“照亮黑夜”的东西给了自己的族人。
“Ah hoo!” “Sha hur!” “See muh!” “Wu wuh!”
“啊呜！”“下啊胡！”“些姆。”“唔武！”
They imitated Yang Zicang’s pronunciation, shouting and dancing around him.
他们学着杨子藏的发音在周围跳唱吼着。
A Wu looked down at the stones in his hand, his brain slow to react. When he lifted his head again, the figure before him had vanished, just like that unforgettable night.
阿武低头看着手中的石子，他的大脑还未反应来，当他再抬起头时，身前已经如永远忘不了的那个夜晚般，失去了的踪迹。
A few years later, YangZicang, leaning on a staff and with a water jug dangling by his side, walked through the Gobi Desert.
几年后，杨子藏拄着杖，吊着水壶行走在戈壁沙漠中。
This clay water jug was not for himself—whenever he encountered people fleeing from giant desert centipedes and losing their way, he would feed them a few mouthfuls of clear water from the jug to replenish their strength.
这陶水壶不是为了自己，每当遇到被沙地大蜈蚣追得不知跑到什么地方的人时，他就会为这些因逃命而失去方向的原始人喂上几口壶中清水，补充他们的体力。
Before him stretched an endless expanse of yellow sand.
眼前黄沙漫漫。
“There are no statues or ruins here either. Have I truly come to the wrong dream?”
“这里也没有雕像，也没有遗迹。我是不是真的来错了梦境。”
[I actually doubted the power of the royal court—the very thought is laughable.]
[我竟然怀疑王庭的实力，太可笑了。]
YangZicang shook his head in speech disbelief.
杨子藏无语的摇摇头。
Every time he tried to wake up, the model would behave like this.
每当自己想要苏醒之时，模型就会这样。
“You won’t let me wake, but you also won’t take me to the place of statues. Why create such a vast dream if not to show off your wondrous might?”
“又不让我醒，又不带我去雕像之地。搞出这么大范围的梦境是来干嘛呢，显示你们的神奇伟力吗？”
“Hata!”
“哈塔！”
A voice came from beside him.
一道声音从身旁传出。
YangZicang turned to look and saw a little girl with green leaves on her head.
杨子藏扭头看去，是个顶着绿叶的小女孩。
“It’s you—you’ve followed me all this way. What an energetic little one you are.”
“是你，居然跟我这么远。真是个精力旺盛的小家伙啊。”
Her small face was flushed red from the sun as she stared intently at the water jug hung on the wooden staff.
她小脸晒得绯红的紧盯着木杖上的水壶。
“Want some?”
“想要？”
YangZicang smiled, took it off, swished it around a bit, and handed it to the child.
杨子藏笑着将其取下，晃了晃后递给这孩子。
“Eh? A-me?” She pointed at herself.
“咦？阿么？”她指了指自己。
“It’s a gift for you. Be careful not to break it, though—it won’t survive a drop.”
“送给你，小心别搞坏咯喔，它可不经摔。”
The child set the green leaf aside, picked up the water pot on the sand pile, and shook it while holding it.
小孩子将绿叶放在一边，拿起沙堆上的水壶抱着晃了下。
After Yang Zicang reached over and removed the cork cap, the child quickly peered into the opening with one eye, tilting the water pot up as if hoping the sunlight could help see the inside more clearly.
杨子藏伸手将木塞取下后，小孩赶紧拿一只眼睛望进去，边望边抬起了水壶，像是想对着阳光能将里面看得更清楚。
Then the first mouthful was drunk by her eyes.
然后第一口水就被她的眼睛喝下了。
“Wa-wah!”
“哇瓦！”
The child was astonished.
小孩震惊了。
“A-mo, a-yo wa.”
“阿么，阿哟瓦。”
Pointing at the magical gourd-shaped pottery pot in her arms, the child spoke with disbelief.
小孩抱着神奇的葫芦状陶罐，不太确信的指着它道。
“You’re pretty polite, you know, little brat.”
“你还挺有礼貌的嘛，臭小宝。”
Yang Zicang rubbed her head: “Go ahead, take it. Uncle said I’m giving it to you, so it’s for you.”
杨子藏揉了揉她的头:“拿去吧，叔叔说送当然是送的。”
After saying this, he stood up—tall and straight—and walked forward. The other party might not understand his words, but she would definitely catch the gesture.
说罢，他站起修长笔挺的身躯往前走去，对方听不懂自己的话，但做出动作对方肯定能懂。
The child looked at the water pot, then at Yang Zicang, trailing behind with a few more “ah-ya-ya” sounds before clutching the pot and, with the green leaf on her head, scampered off into the distance.
小孩看看水壶，又看看杨子藏，着呀呀的声音又跟了段路，才抱着水罐顶着绿叶飞快跑远了。
Suddenly, there was a crack—a smack.
突然，啪嗒一声。
Yang Zicang turned his head to look. The child—whether from too much excitement, or the hot sand being too slick and uneven—had fallen to the ground. The clay water pot was shattered into many pieces. The remaining clean water seeped quickly into the sand and vanished.
杨子藏转头看去，那孩子也不知是太过激动还是沙地太烫太滑，居然摔倒在地。瓦水壶碎成了好几片，剩余的清水渗入沙地迅速消失。
The child paused for a moment, then burst into loud, wailing sobs.
孩子愣了下，哇哇大哭起来。
In the middle of the desert, to have obtained such a peculiar water container—this was a treasure never seen before—but she had screwed it up.
在沙漠中能得到如此奇特的储水工具，这是从未见过的宝贝，可自己却搞砸了。
Far away, Yang Zicang watched her with a smile, arms folded, as the child continued crying for several minutes. “Ah, forget it. Looks like I’ll have to start a pottery class.”
远处的杨子藏笑呵呵的抱臂看着她，几分钟后这孩子居然还在哭:“唉，算啦，看来得开个陶艺班了。”