After her eyes gradually adjusted to the complete darkness, Sha Yi belatedly realized that the gap in the cave entrance was blocked by something furry.
She couldn’t discern its fur color or identify the species. From the intermittent flickers of light that seeped in as it shifted, she could only tell it was a relatively small animal. As for what it actually was, she had no idea.
The earlier cries must have come from it, but she had no clue whether it was carnivorous or herbivorous. So, despite seeing it pitifully stuck outside the cave, Sha Yi didn’t dare make any sudden moves. Instead, she considered calling Xi Yi over to take a look.
After hesitating for a moment, she picked up the soiled menstrual cloth and slowly descended the uneven slope inside the cave.
Xi Yi was still deep in sleep, the animal skin covering him exactly as she had left it.
Seeing him like this was rare. In all the time they had spent together, she had never seen him sleep so soundly. Usually a light sleeper, he would wake at the slightest disturbance, even when exhausted. Yet now, he had managed to sleep this deeply—truly remarkable.
Perhaps it was due to extreme fatigue, or maybe he had finally let his guard down around her completely.
Either way, she couldn’t bring herself to wake him immediately. Since he rarely got such rest, she decided to let him sleep a little longer.
As for the unlucky creature outside the cave—whether it was a predator or prey—it could wait. She wasn’t about to disturb Xi Yi’s peaceful slumber for its sake.
She knew very well what mattered more.
After sitting for a while, she stood up, stepped past the others, and entered the small cave where they cooked.
Xi Yi would likely be hungry when he woke up, and since she couldn’t sleep anyway, she might as well prepare some soup. The weather was slightly chilly, and staying near the fire would keep her warm.
The water in the containers had been prepared the night before, so she barely had to put in any effort. However, one thing bothered her—the embers in the fires hadn’t been preserved well. Now, only one of the multiple fire pits was still burning.
With no other choice, Sha Yi went back to the bathtub to retrieve the lighter, then returned to the fire pit to mix resin with dry branches and grass stems to restart the fire.
She had initially planned to use the usual plant for soup, but when she spotted a pile of dark brown mushrooms on a large leaf nearby, she changed her mind.
Grilling enough meat for the entire cave by herself was unrealistic—her cooking skills weren’t great, and attempting it would only be torturous.
But soup alone wouldn’t fill their stomachs, and they’d likely end up needing to grill meat later anyway. So, she decided to make mushroom and meat stew instead. She and Xi Yi had once eaten something similar in the vine-covered paradise, and it had been delicious. Now that they had salt, the result would probably be so good that she wouldn’t even need to wake anyone up.
With that in mind, she distributed the cleaned mushrooms among the cooking containers, took a bone knife, and sliced some of the marinated meat into strips, adding them to each pot. Finally, she placed the containers on the wooden racks over the fire and began stoking the flames with more dry branches.
These containers weren’t ideal for cooking, especially when filled to the brim. Their thickness meant they took forever to heat. If not for the special oil coating them, they’d probably burn away entirely after just an hour or two of cooking. Normally, they only filled them halfway to speed things up.
But since it was still early, she decided to go all in and cook a full pot.
However, since she rarely participated in cooking—and when she did, she used her stainless steel pot, which heated much faster—it wasn’t until now that she realized they needed proper lids. Relying on leaves to cover the pots wasted half the heat, making the already slow cooking process even more tedious.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, Sha Yi couldn’t take it anymore. Frustrated, she rushed back to the bathtub to grab her stainless steel pot for the third time. But just as she turned around, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, and a warm head rested against her shoulder.
“Sha Yi…”
His voice, low and husky, carried the lazy tone of someone just waking up. For the first time, she detected a hint of seduction in his tone—so captivating that it nearly made her legs give way. Thanks to his grip, she steadied herself, but the stainless steel pot slipped from her hands.
Sha Yi was utterly stunned.
Luckily, Xi Yi reacted quickly. The moment the pot fell, he reached out and caught it, avoiding the embarrassment of waking the entire cave.
In that instant, Sha Yi flushed crimson with embarrassment, while Xi Yi perked up with interest.
Every time she showed even the slightest hint of shyness, he became energized. This time was no exception—just a blush from her was enough to banish his sleepiness entirely.
Seeing that he was about to pull her into an embrace, she quickly pushed him away and pointed toward the cave entrance, whispering, “Xi Yi, there’s something blocking the cave entrance. Shouldn’t you go check it out…?”
Though initially annoyed at being pushed away, the mention of something at the entrance immediately snapped him back to seriousness. “I’ll go look,” he said.
With that, Xi Yi swiftly climbed the uneven slope with agile steps.
Still uneasy, Sha Yi followed him.
At the gap blocked by the boulder, the animal was still there, but now it seemed to have wedged its head inside. She could see something resembling long, furry ears drooping at the entrance, but she still couldn’t identify the creature.
Xi Yi began pushing the boulder aside with his bare hands. Before she could warn him to be careful, he had already moved it.
When they finally saw what was at the entrance, she froze in shock. Xi Yi, too, stood dumbfounded for a long moment before slowly uttering a few words:
“Shang Xin Ma!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage