Going up to the new horse?
Sha Yi swore she had never seen such an animal before, not even on the nature channels she often watched in modern times!
Could it be an ancient species of horse?
The name sounded similar, but its build was far smaller compared to modern horses.
As the two stood there stunned, the Pliocene horse, which had been lying limp at the cave entrance, let out another mournful cry—a sound neither quite like an elephant nor a donkey—adding a touch of desolation to the stormy scene.
In the dim light, Sha Yi could still make out its appearance, which, like its build, was vastly different from modern horses.
Apart from its yellowish-brown fur, based on its markings, it resembled a modern sika deer more, though with differences. Its sides had more light-colored spots than a sika deer, it lacked antlers, and its feet had three toes—a central toe in front and two smaller ones behind, forming a triangular, non-merging shape. Its head was shorter, giving a plump impression, and its mane was notably short.
As if sensing their hesitation, the Pliocene horse at the cave entrance let out another low whimper, then struggled to half-rise and inch further into the cave until it reached her feet near the entrance.
It nuzzled her leg with its damp head, as if pleading.
Sha Yi noticed that the short stretch of stone it had crawled over was marked by a long trail of blood, stretching from beneath its body all the way outside the cave. Against the water, it formed a thick, muted crimson.
It seemed severely injured, the relentless bleeding making Sha Yi uneasy.
Come to think of it, the horse had been at the cave entrance for quite some time. Out of caution and not wanting to disturb Xi Yi’s rest, she had left it alone. Now, that seemed like a mistake.
Outside, the blood it had left behind had dyed the pooled rainwater a deep scarlet under the downpour. As they stood frozen, more rain fell, slowly diluting the crimson stain on the ground.
Over and over.
Sha Yi felt its condition was dire.
Her hesitation might very well cost it its life.
Especially since, upon closer inspection, she noticed its belly was unusually swollen. Could it be…?
She didn’t dare finish the thought. Xi Yi, however, seemed to have noticed something. He suddenly bent down, swiftly dragging the Pliocene horse further inside before lifting the boulder and pushing it back into place.
This time, he sealed the entrance tightly, leaving no gaps—even the small opening from before was now blocked.
She wanted to ask why, but he gently nudged her, signaling her to move deeper into the cave.
Though puzzled, Sha Yi didn’t press. His urgency suggested something was amiss—perhaps an unforeseen emergency.
Following his lead, she obediently descended the slope near the entrance, sat back by the bathtub, and fumbled for the lighter, igniting a spare torch nearby.
Xi Yi followed closely behind. As the torch flared to life, he carried the barely alive Pliocene horse down. It looked like it had more breaths behind it than ahead.
Remembering his urgency at the cave entrance, she opened her mouth to ask—but in that instant, Xi Yi turned, and she caught a clear glimpse of the other side and rear of the horse.
—It was a mangled mess!
As if mauled by a carnivorous predator, its hindquarters and one side were crisscrossed with deep, jagged wounds. Its rump was torn to the bone, and one of its hind legs hung by a thread of flesh, a horrifying sight.
At that moment, even without asking, she understood Xi Yi’s decision to seal the cave and his urgency in bringing her back.
Given the horse’s condition, it was clear it had been attacked. If the path had been safe, why would it have fled in panic to a human dwelling?
Undoubtedly, in its mind, whatever pursued it was far more terrifying than humans.
If so, sealing the cave was necessary. Leaving an opening risked discovery by the predator, which would eventually force its way in.
And this was their shelter. Even with numbers, they were ill-prepared for a sudden assault by a massive beast—especially with women and children inside. Avoiding confrontation was the wisest choice.
Moreover, the cave was no place for a battle between man and beast. Come to think of it, she had never seen Xi Yi or the others hunt predators. Typically, they only pursued larger herbivores like four-horned deer.
Even during their initial encounter with the juvenile saber-toothed tiger, Xi Yi had only climbed a vine—never engaged it directly.
The lack of proper weapons remained a critical weakness. Though arrows had been invented, the thick hides of many prehistoric beasts made lethal shots incredibly difficult—especially given their enormous size.
It seemed finding metal ore was now a necessity.
Considering everything, she finally understood why everyone had initially chosen the old cave dwelling over this place across the water.
During her time there, she had never seen any dangerous animals pass by the old cave. Here, however, they had barely spent a day before facing such terror—and dawn hadn’t even fully broken!
Just the night before, they had still carried over their carefree habits from the old cave, wandering and running about. Only now did they realize how lucky they had been to avoid danger.
This place was nothing like the Eden-like safety of the old cave. Danger lurked everywhere, especially on stormy nights. Recalling her first trip here with Xi Yi under similar circumstances, she wondered—was this the cave where Xi Mang had met his tragic end…?
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage