Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 396 Ghosts in Civilization (Part 1)

Qiu Chuji set the direction but did not interfere too much. He had plenty of time, so he had enough time to make mistakes.

Watching a potential civilization gradually emerge from nothing is an extremely rare experience for him.

Most importantly, this way he won't feel bored, and will instead think more about what 'loneliness' is, and why 'I' should live such an immortal life. This may seem pretentious, but it is actually accompanied by questions about eternity and eternal existence.

Qiu Chuji was already very clear that the so-called test of time was not probing whether the nature of gold was perfect and immortal, but rather how strong 'my' desire for existence was, and whether it was truly enough to sustain me to the endless other shore.

As explored in many stories of immortality, when familiar relatives, friends, and even enemies are irrevocably killed time and time again, will the one who survives still choose to exist firmly, instead of gradually collapsing, going mad, and eventually wanting to self-destruct at any cost?

In a sense, this test is also a form of responsibility to the general public!

Because the power and authority wielded by Golden Immortals are too great, if an immortal and powerful being goes mad and wants to destroy himself, it may be accompanied by more than just the destruction of a world.

Therefore, let the truly immortal be immortal, and let those who will crumble in time be obliterated by time.

This may be the last act of mercy that time bestows upon all living beings, those below the Golden Immortal level.

The saber-toothed leopard population that remained under Qiu Chuji's protection was reduced to only the old, weak, sick, and disabled. So even though there were still some remaining herbivores for them to hunt, the efficiency was still low. Every day, young and old leopards starved to death or were kicked to death by angry large herbivores during the hunt.

The entire group was once reduced to less than thirty.

Qiu Chuji didn't know whether this group of fragile leopards would perish alongside the growth of a new generation and then enter the next cycle, or whether, among them, a slightly smarter leopard would suddenly have a flash of inspiration and begin to understand how to use tools, thus initiating the earliest prototype of civilization.

He wasn't really involved; at most, he would occasionally keep the campfire burning among the leopards.

Use the firelight to guide them forward.

Just as the old leopards were dying one by one, and the young leopards were gradually coming of age, a lame leopard suddenly, for some unknown reason, wrapped a vine around its missing left forepaw and then wedged some sharp bones into it.

Its claws are not widely spaced, so they are not very flexible. The resulting bone claws are very rough and look like they would fall apart with the slightest force, but this is indeed an improvement.

Knowing how to use tools is to ignite the first spark of civilization.

This spark is in grave danger in the savage storm. If this lame leopard cannot use its bony claws to catch prey, or even starves to death because of this 'foolish' behavior, then the other leopards will subconsciously avoid this behavior and continue to retreat into savage ignorance.

Qiu Chuji did not interfere with the leopards' self-generated civilization, but he chose to help them preserve this 'spark' so that the flame of civilization could burn and grow vigorously within this leopard population.

So, after the lame leopard failed to hunt several times, Qiu Chuji would secretly intervene, using stones to launch a surprise attack from a distance just as the leopard was about to catch its prey, thus helping the lame leopard to succeed in its hunt. This was done several times until the leopard became more and more accustomed to the bony claw on its left forepaw and was able to survive independently.

Several more months passed, and the lame leopard became a skilled hunter in the leopard pack, showing no less proficiency than a normal adult leopard.

Thus began a bloody struggle between the newly adult leopard king and the lame leopard for dominance within their species.

What appears to be a clash and collision between two ferocious beasts is actually equivalent to the first battle between savagery and civilization.

Qiu Chuji remained an observer throughout, without intervening.

He did too much, so even if he truly ignited the flame of civilization, it would be exceptionally fragile.

The tranquil Nile River could not sustain the prosperity of ancient Egypt, but the Yellow River's fierce blows forged the most resilient people.

Suffering is certainly not something to be celebrated, but greatness often does emerge from suffering.

The battle between the two leopards lasted from noon until evening. Of course, most of the time they just circled each other, roared, and searched for each other's weaknesses.

Even the strongest and most skilled hunters in the wilderness would not choose a hunting method that would cause them great harm.

This can lead to many uncontrollable consequences.

The setting sun stained the ochre-red rocky ground like bloodstains, and the lame male leopard lay on a dead tree stump, its right forepaw curled up.

The young leopard king let out a low growl, his spine arching into a full moon.

They all had some fine bloodstains on their bodies. These bloodstains looked messy, but they were not fatal or seriously injured. With the leopards' physical condition, they could recover after a day or two of rest.

At this moment, after a long period of probing each other, they are about to push their physical strength to the limit.

Suddenly, the lame leopard tilted to the left, and its mutilated limbs unleashed a thunderous diagonal slash.

As the young leopard was thrown over, its sharp teeth also snapped at the lame leopard's throat.

At this moment, a hint of victor's joy was already showing in its eyes. It was still the king of this leopard pack, the successor chosen by 'God'.

Click!

The sharp fangs bit into a cold, hard object.

A hint of human-like astonishment flashed in the young leopard's eyes.

The next moment, sharp bone claws pierced deep into its eye sockets and violently crushed its brains.

The lame leopard king has a lame left forepaw, but this also gives it a sharper, longer, and more pain-resistant bone claw.

In the fading light of the setting sun, the lame new king also had a thick, hard bone wrapped around his neck.

This is the 'armor' it prepared for itself.

The limp leopard's victory also signifies that this leopard population has entered the next phase.

The use of simple bone tools enabled them to hunt more efficiently, and the entire population began to multiply rapidly.

Some naturally weak leopard cubs were not abandoned, but survived.

In just three years, the leopard population, which originally numbered less than thirty, has expanded to more than one hundred.

Time flies, the years are like a shuttle.

Fifty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The leopard populations that initially used bone tools had long since spontaneously spread and split due to food shortages in their hunting grounds.

Today, at least several thousand leopards that know how to use their bone tools live in an area spanning hundreds of kilometers.

They used bones as blades and armor to tame herbivores.

At the same time, a simple division of labor began to take shape within the group.

The naturally strong leopards were still responsible for hunting and guarding the hunting grounds, while the weaker leopards were responsible for sharpening bone tools and making equipment.

Even Qiu Chuji, who had been observing from the sidelines, found it all quite amazing.

In just fifty years, these leopards have already mastered the art of using bone tools. This demonstrates that the development of civilization is not a gradual process; rather, it is characterized by a period of rapid growth when a new mode of production is introduced, followed by a long period of waiting and accumulation only after the potential of this new mode of production has been fully explored.

Until the next change arrives.

Two hundred years have passed!

The leopards that Qiu Chuji was familiar with had been dead for many years.

Qiu Chuji could no longer recognize their descendants.

It's not that he doesn't have the memory, but... there's simply no need for him to recognize it anymore.

By the third generation, it had become so blurred within the leopard population that it was difficult to distinguish who was whose descendant.

The bone artifacts used by leopards not only failed to progress, but actually showed a trend of regression.

The reason is simple: they do not have their own writing system or way of recording information, and leopards have a very short lifespan, averaging less than ten years.

Due to their short lifespans and the lack of mature records and teaching methods, the experience in making bone artifacts relied entirely on experienced craftsmen mentoring newcomers.

As a result, even if one or two leopards in the pack happen to be quite amazing and able to make some exquisite bone tools, they will forget the better bone tool making methods because of the lack of successors. They will return to the stage where they can only use crude and simple bone tools, or even to the point where they are not much different from the bone tools used by the lame leopard king in the beginning.

Qiu Chuji would occasionally feel a little anxious for them, but he just kept watching, gradually becoming indifferent and detached.

The leopards used bone tools to carve his vague outline and appearance on the stone, then lit a bonfire and circled around the stone carving as if dancing.

But the 'gods' they worship are getting further and further away from them, and are less and less standing with them to communicate.

Five hundred years later, the leopard population had expanded to a radius of one thousand kilometers, and thus reached the ceiling of population expansion.

If they migrate further outwards, they will soon lose their civilization and regress to a state of barbarism and ignorance.

For the same reason, they do not have their own written language or recording method.

The method of passing the 'fire' hand in hand has too little ability to resist risks and the range of its actual spread is too small.

Finally, an old leopard, whose body had aged and could no longer hunt, recalled the past and began to carve many patterns on the stone wall with its bone blade.

These patterns convey vague messages, yet they mark the beginning of the earliest written records.

Before its death, the old leopard taught several cubs how to recognize and distinguish these simple patterns.

Thus, the first 'writing' appeared in the leopard pack.

Qiu Chuji made a rare appearance and, in front of many leopard kings, treated these little leopards who could recognize 'writing' with considerable courtesy.

For example, personally roasting a bull deer for these leopard cubs would allow them to enjoy truly delicious cooked food, instead of simply throwing their prey into the fire and then rummaging through it until it was half-burnt and half-raw, as many leopards do.

These leopards who could read began to enjoy a special power and status within the leopard pack, distinct from that of the king.

They are equivalent to Qiu Chuji's 'priests', possessing the ability to communicate with 'gods'.

The script circulated among these priest leopards, and more was created and invented.

Bone artifact civilization, with the help of writing, spread further, allowing more leopards to enjoy the glory of civilization.

Thanks to their bony tools, leopards were able to hunt more food, and thus they aspired to the life of 'gods,' trying to cook more food.

As leopards have become accustomed to eating cooked food, their life forms have also changed with each generation.

They are smarter and live longer.

The average lifespan has changed from less than ten years to twenty or even thirty years.

About 1,300 years after the development of bone tool civilization, the leopards had occupied the entire Yangtze River basin, a vast fertile land of about 3,500 kilometers.

The primitive hunting civilization entered a period of resource depletion.

More and more leopards are no longer able to earn a living by hunting.

This is determined by the limits of nature's carrying capacity.

They are carnivores; even if they can occasionally eat grass, they cannot eat too much, otherwise they cannot survive.

For leopards to eat meat, they need to eat a sufficient number of other animals.

The main force among them are naturally those larger herbivores.

Even though herbivores are relatively large, have abundant meat, and have a high birth rate, nature cannot provide them with more suitable habitats.

Moreover, the increase in the number of leopards has indeed squeezed out a large amount of living space for other animals.

At the same density, the number of leopards increased, while the number of other animals decreased.

As a result, the lower-level leopards began to frequently go hungry.

Thus, before agriculture and animal husbandry truly developed, the war that swept through the entire leopard population was already underway.

The leopards split into multiple groups and began a long period of fighting, even resorting to cannibalism.

Civilization has once again faded, and barbarism has taken over.

More than a hundred years later, this long-lasting war finally came to a temporary end.

There were no real winners in this great battle. It stopped only because too many leopards had died, leaving room for them to survive.

They did not truly resolve the conflict; they merely postponed it.

If we compare them to the trajectory of human civilization, then the next step for leopards should be to embark on a true path of agriculture and animal husbandry, and even to learn metallurgy, extracting sharper and stronger tools from natural ores.

But leopards are not like that!

They took a different path.

Some leopards have discovered that some tree sap has the effect of repelling predators, while others can produce a peculiar attraction.

So groups of leopards set off in droves, choosing to go to more distant places to attract and drive more animals to their usual gathering places.

Leopards don't like to eat plants, but they have started to graze on the mountains and forests by utilizing some plants unique to this world, becoming the supreme beasts that roam the land!

(End of this chapter)