Drilling Wood to Make Fire

The second day.

The sun shone brightly beneath a clear, cloudless sky.

Yang Yu rose early and began moving about the tribe's camp.

He looked at the lush woods around him, searching for flexible vines, or horn vines.

After finding some horn vines, he used his small hands to braid them into a twisted rope. Satisfaction filled his eyes.

He was no primitive tribesman. He was an exemplary young man from the twenty-second century, capable of using anything around him to make things far beyond the current era.

Once he had made the rope-like vine, he found two sturdy branches and tied them to either end of the twisted rope.

Then he found a branch about as thick as an adult's thumb and began grinding it hard against a stone.

The little girl, who saw his unusual actions, poked him in confusion. She kept babbling, as if asking what exactly he was doing.

Unfortunately, Yang Yu could not understand her at all.

Seeing that he did not understand her meaning, the little girl did not continue chatting with Yang Yu. Instead, she walked out of the camp and began her own work.

After tireless effort, Yang Yu finally sharpened the branch and began searching for dry, broken branches.

Since the woods surrounded their camp, and the weather seemed to be around autumn, he easily found plenty of suitably dry branches.

Carrying the twisted rope and wooden stick he had made, along with the dry branches he had found, Yang Yu also gathered many dry leaves before returning to the tribal camp.

By the time he finished all this, he had already spent an entire day.

The two men who had gone hunting had also returned.

Today's harvest was fairly good.

They had brought back a wild boar, enough to solve the camp's survival needs for several days.

Yang Yu did not waste any time. After watching the four adults finish eating, he placed the branch on the ground and spread the leaves over the dry wood. Then he took the sharpened stick, fastened it to the twisted rope, and began drilling wood to make fire in front of everyone.

He would never forget how he had shivered from the cold the previous night.

The few adults, including the little girl, all watched Yang Yu's actions in confusion.

They did not understand.

What could this strange-looking child possibly do?

As the friction grew faster and faster, the dry branch began to give off wisps of smoke.

Seeing this, Yang Yu's eyes lit up.

Fire!

He had finally made fire!

He sped up his movements.

The dry leaves around it caught fire as well.

The people around him all dropped to their knees and prostrated themselves before Yang Yu, babbling wildly.

Yang Yu was instantly left somewhat bewildered.

One had to understand that in this era, fire was a power that only the Heavenly God could control.

Yang Yu paid them no mind. He hurriedly found more dry branches and placed them atop the burning flames.

He could not let the fire go out.

If it really went out, would all his effort not have been wasted?

Seeing Yang Yu busily working, the adults all went to gather dry branches.

Before long,

the flames had become a bonfire.

Yang Yu looked at the sight, a faint smile filling his eyes.

At last, primitive society had gained fire.

A sense of accomplishment slowly spread through his heart.

He did not stop there. Taking the sharp Stone Knife, he cut off some wild boar meat and placed it over the fire to roast.

The others watched the child in confusion, but they had already witnessed his miraculous abilities.

He could actually control the flames that only the Heavenly God could control. Could he be the Heavenly God?

Under Yang Yu's control, the small piece of meat was roasted golden brown without being burned.

As if!

In his previous life, he had grilled meat with several of his cousins every few days. How could he possibly burn it?

He was a professional.

The cooked meat gave off wave after wave of enticing fragrance.

The adults' noses twitched repeatedly.

Yang Yu was not stingy. He divided the cooked meat into several portions, giving the first pieces to the little girl before handing the rest to the four adults.

As the cooked meat entered their mouths, their taste buds instantly awakened.

They also felt the difference between raw and cooked meat.

Time passed peacefully.

In the blink of an eye, ten years had gone by.

The Primitive Tribe where Yang Yu lived had undergone enormous changes.

It had grown from a mere six people to a total of twenty-six.

Some outsiders had joined the camp, while several of the adults had also had children.

Yang Yu had even taught these primitive people how to speak Mandarin, along with many basic survival skills.

The things he introduced had begun guiding the tribe toward orderly, normal development.

By now, Yang Yu's position in the tribe was unshakable.

The various miracles he displayed had won the faith of countless tribespeople. No one dared disobey him.

"Winter is Coming. The food we have stored is enough to get us through this harsh winter."

"From now on, we don't need to go hunting anymore."

Yang Yu sat around the fire with many tribespeople, looking at everyone present, men and women alike.

"Yu, that little bit of food may be enough for us to eat, but it won't be enough to feed our livestock."

The little girl from back then now wore clothes woven from wool. She had grown into a graceful young woman, her brows knitted tightly as she spoke.

Her status in the tribe was now second only to Yang Yu's.

That was because, under Yang Yu's guidance, she had led the tribespeople out of the caves and taught them to build the simplest houses.

"Gather grass nearby and use it to feed the sheep and domesticated pigs."

"Even though winter is coming, we must rely on our own hands to get through it."

"When spring arrives and the flowers bloom, we must plant crops, then harvest them in autumn."

"We must achieve self-sufficiency."

Yang Yu looked seriously at everyone present and said, "That way, we can escape the risks of hunting and reduce our losses."

"I'm afraid that still won't be enough."

An elderly man frowned at him and said, "Yu, we all know how much you've contributed to the tribe, but..."

"While winter is coming, let's cut down all the trees around the tribe and expand our territory."

"Moving around will get our blood flowing and keep our bodies warm."

Yang Yu said, "Next year, two more children will be born in our tribe. Our houses definitely won't be enough, so while the severe winter is here, we should cut down the surrounding trees and build houses. We must ensure that the newborns grow up safely. As time passes, our tribe will only grow stronger."

"Also, I plan to establish rules concerning human ethics and morality. These will be the rules of our tribe. You will only obey; you have no right to refuse. From now on, our tribe will implement the systems of marriage and family."

"If I have relations with Lin Er, then Lin Er will be my wife, and no one else may touch her. The children she gives birth to will be my children, but the tribe will raise them."

"No house may be occupied by multiple people. Only one man, one woman, and their children may live in a house. No one else may enter. Otherwise, it will be considered contempt for the tribe's rules. Under tribal law, that person will lose their tribal status and be expelled from the tribe."