The small boat journeyed on, stopping here and there along the way, but by the time the sky was darkening, they had yet to reach the Red River's end. Seeing dusk approaching, Han Cheng ordered the boat to halt at a nearby shallow bay.
Docking the boat, Third Senior Brother and Shang brought the small boat ashore to clear a space for cooking and resting. Those who had accompanied Han Cheng on a previous boat journey had no issues, having grown accustomed to it over the near month-long voyage. But for those experiencing it for the first time, the initial novelty wore off quickly, leaving many feeling uncomfortable and weak, their legs like jelly upon stepping onto solid ground.
Living accustomed to the land, they felt uneasy on the water, finding it lacking in stability. Third Senior Brother and Shang, taking their responsibilities seriously, arranged for guards while Han Cheng's absence required them to be particularly vigilant.
Han Cheng had decided to leave the Second Senior Brother behind after considering his prolonged struggle with intestinal parasites. Although the parasites had been eradicated after two months of treatment, his weakened state had yet to recover fully.
For the tribe's defense, it was essential to have someone in sound health. Additionally, several neighboring tribes that had frequent contact with the Green Sparrow Tribe had begun replicating bows and arrows. Han Cheng foresaw the inevitability of imitation from the moment the bows and arrows were introduced. After all, bows and arrows were not particularly complex devices—at their simplest, just bent sticks and strings. Imitation was a notable human trait.
His only recourse was to prolong the time it took for other tribes to replicate them as much as possible. Bows and arrows weren't particularly difficult for primitive people to learn. This fact was evident from the records of almost all ancient civilizations using bows and arrows.
The emergence of bows and arrows had pros and cons for the Green Sparrow Tribe. On one hand, it provided them with a more powerful and longer-range weapon. On the other hand, once the bows and arrows were imitated, the tribe, relying on tall walls for protection, faced a certain threat. Although the imitators' bows and arrows were less effective than those of the Green Sparrow Tribe, who could say they wouldn't improve the basic equipment?
In this world, seemingly miraculous occurrences were abundant, and humans were adept at creating miracles. These seemingly illogical events brought about change and propelled humanity from barbarism to civilization.
Otherwise, people should still be living like animals, fighting over a few fruits with broken heads and bloodshed. Yet, from the mountains of corpses, people emerged. In places ravaged by plague where both humans and animals perished en masse, some thrived, burying one body after another.
Humans are truly a miraculous species, capable of enduring hardships that seem insurmountable. Many times, before adversity strikes, people exclaim, "Oh my, how will we ever endure this?" But when adversity does come, those who previously expressed such sentiments often persevere just fine.
One of the most important factors in this resilience is human adaptability. The world is material and in motion, and humans living within it are no exception. In different circumstances and experiences, the same person will often exhibit different behaviors.
For example, there's Lu Meng, who, after three days of separation, showed remarkable insight; Zhou Chu, the prime instigator of trouble, who woke up to his folly; and those who, living carefree in the Green Sparrow Tribe, struggled for survival after being expelled, striving to recall the tools and survival techniques they had seen in the tribe.
However, due to Han Cheng's appearance, it wasn't easy for surrounding tribes to catch up to the Green Sparrow Tribe in terms of bows and arrows. While they were still reveling in their ability to replicate the most basic and long-range weapon, Third Senior Brother's bow was already wrapped in snakeskin, with deer sinew treated with pounding, replacing the string, becoming the bowstring. Iron arrowheads would also appear if they collected enough iron bacteria on this journey.
When those imitators exhausted their efforts to replicate these things, they would be even more sorrowful to discover that the Green Sparrow Tribe had already developed more powerful recurve and compound bows.
Of course, this was just Han Cheng's conjecture; the surrounding tribes were unlikely to replicate this. The iron, which gave Han Cheng a headache, was enough to trouble them. And Han Cheng wouldn't give them much time to complete these tasks. Before they could finish, the growing Green Sparrow Tribe would have already overwhelmed them.
"Brother Cheng, have some fish."
The sweet voice and the steaming grilled fish brought Han Cheng back to reality. He took the grilled fish offered by Bai Xuemei and reached out to play with her braids, his expression turning from a hint of helplessness to a smile.
Whether it's a series within one's lifetime or an endless series of generations, walking each step steadfastly is what matters. As for how far one can go, let it be; perhaps only fate or reaching that step will reveal.
After dinner, as darkness fell, everyone boarded the boat, pushing it away from the shore and securing it with poles for the night's rest.
Some were pleased to spend the night on the boat, like Bai Xuemei, while others, like Ironhead, trembled uncontrollably. Ironhead swore that even after a night of passion with his new bride, his legs had never trembled before.
The next day, after breakfast, the boat set sail once again. By midday, it anchored again, and everyone disembarked, staying here for two days before setting sail downstream once more.