At this point, considering all factors and possibilities, she was almost certain that this dormant volcano was on the verge of eruption—and it was likely to be the oldest type of melt-through eruption. As for the form it would take, she couldn’t say for sure.
Before arriving here, she had once witnessed a gentle volcanic eruption while traveling. It was a type of eruption resembling boiling water spilling over from a pot—highly fluid lava with little gas content, no explosive force, and a slow flow rate, making it practically harmless.
But the current situation was clearly different. Leaving aside the bizarre weather—rainstorms elsewhere while this place was scorching under the sun—just the tremors from underground ruled out the possibility of a gentle eruption. If the volcano beneath them was of the violent explosive type, escaping would be nearly impossible, even if they left immediately. Moreover, the fact that one area had such drastically different weather conditions likely signaled that something terrible was about to happen.
At this point, she could only hope that the eruption would be an intermediate type—somewhere between violent and gentle. Only under such circumstances would they have a slim chance of survival.
The problem was still severe. She could hardly think of any other opportunities.
If they were lucky enough, the wisest course of action would be to evacuate this place by the next day at the latest.
Before her thoughts could settle, Sha Yi suddenly felt the massive rock she was lying on tremble violently. The entire cave shook slightly, and small rocks began tumbling down. Deep, muffled roars echoed from beneath the ground.
“That tremor is back!” Xi Yi quickly warned beside her. In the next second, his strong arm pulled her halfway under him.
Sha Yi froze for a moment before realizing that Xi Yi had propped himself up with one arm, shielding her completely from the falling dust and debris.
Touched, she also understood that at this moment, he was the one who needed care—his wounds couldn’t afford to be contaminated by dust. But trying to rush out with him now would only worsen the situation. She was almost certain the tremors would be short-lived.
Her mind racing, Sha Yi quickly devised an alternative plan.
Immediately, she wriggled out from under him and, before he could react, knelt over his back, using her body to shield his wounds from the falling dust and rocks while covering her own head with her hands.
Relatively speaking, this was a good solution. But Xi Yi wasn’t cooperating. He tried to get up immediately, but the pain from his wounds slowed him down significantly. In the end, she easily stopped him and instructed him to cover his head with his hands before he finally settled down.
By the time the tremors stopped, Tu Ge and Jialuo from the other side of the cave had already come over with torches.
It seemed the two had also suffered from the dust storm—covered in grime, Jialuo had even torn off more of his already tattered feathered skirt. Now, he was chewing on a tubular grass stem, blowing into it nervously, his face pale with fright.
Tu Ge, on the other hand, appeared calmer. He squinted at her and Xi Yi for a while before finally relaxing when he confirmed they were unharmed. “This has been happening every night for the past two days. Looks like we’ll have to move tomorrow.”
“That’s the plan—but not just moving. We need to leave this place!” Sha Yi patted the dust off herself and slowly climbed down from the boulder. Glancing back at the still-distressed man, she said gravely, “The volcano is about to erupt. We must leave as soon as possible—and not just a short distance. We may have to travel very far.”
“What’s a volcano?” Before Tu Ge could speak, the man chewing on the grass stem couldn’t help but interject. “How far do we have to go?”
“It’s hard to explain what it is, but it’s right beneath us. The tremors just now were likely caused by the volcano’s internal activity and underground magma. Its eruption is like the fire we use daily, but it flows like water—extremely hot. It can flatten the land and caves, turning everything it touches to ash. Once it cools, it’ll resemble a swamp.” Sha Yi gave a brief explanation before asking thoughtfully, “Jialuo, where do you usually live?”
“Where there are no big trees.”
A completely irrelevant answer. Sha Yi took several deep breaths to suppress the urge to kick the idiot out. “How far is it from here?”
“About ten days by bird.”
This time, at least, he wasn’t spouting nonsense. Sha Yi sighed in relief. “How fast and enduring are the Giant-Toothed Eagles?”
“Takeoff and landing take a while, but once they’re flying steadily, they’re pretty fast—faster than any land animal I’ve seen. As for endurance…” Jialuo removed the grass stem from his mouth and thought carefully. “If they’re well-fed, they can fly all day. But they don’t like flying at night unless they’re hunting snakes.”
“How do you usually find them?”
As soon as she asked, Sha Yi felt Jialuo would veer off-topic again. Before she could clarify, he answered faster: “I just ride them when I see them! Why bother looking? There’s usually a bunch squatting outside the cave—can’t even shoo them away!”
Of course!
Sha Yi struggled to contain her frustration, but Tu Ge couldn’t hold back and snapped, “She’s asking how we can find the Giant-Toothed Eagles now that we’re stuck in this damned place! How can you be this stupid?”
“Why ask me?” Jialuo widened his eyes in disbelief. “Don’t you know? Are you blind in the head too?”
Tu Ge flared up. “I know, but she doesn’t! I’m explaining for her! How can you mess this up? Can’t you answer anything properly?”
The two bickered endlessly, making Sha Yi’s head throb. She waved her hands impatiently to silence them.
Tu Ge snatched the grass stem from Jialuo’s hand and waved it in front of her. “See this? Every rainy season, he uses this to trick a bunch of male birds.”
“Recovered?” Sha Yi raised an eyebrow at the older man, unable to resist teasing. “You grabbed it so accurately—how bold of you.”
Catching her insinuation, Tu Ge quickly shoved the grass stem back into Jialuo’s hand and changed the subject with a straight face. “That was just luck. Weren’t you asking him how to find the Giant-Toothed Eagles? Let him finish!”
Sha Yi turned back to Jialuo, who was utterly clueless about their exchange. Glancing between them, he snapped, “Didn’t I already blow it?”
“Blowing it calls them?” This time, it was her turn to be surprised.
“That’s the unique call of the female Giant-Toothed Eagle,” Tu Ge explained again. “Only during the rainy season, and only the females make that sound. We might not hear anything special, but the males within a certain range can.”
“But didn’t some of them already leave with the exchanged goods? And without anyone managing them, would they still stay here?” Sha Yi questioned. “This is a forest full of giant trees!”
“I don’t know if they’d leave on their own, but every time I come here with a few, I can take the same number back when I leave.” Jialuo snorted disdainfully. “Sure, they don’t fly well in the forest, but it’s the rainy season now. There are giant snakes here. Which is more appealing—going back or hunting giant snakes?”
Shoving the grass stem back into his mouth and blowing haphazardly, Jialuo added scornfully, “So stupid!”
This was definitely revenge!
But… who was the real fool here?
She admitted she knew little about Giant-Toothed Eagles—but that was because she’d never seen them before!
Right now, they were even hiding their raft to sleep. What was the point of blowing the grass stem to summon the eagles?
Were they worried their hiding spot wasn’t conspicuous enough? Afraid Sai Na wouldn’t find them?
The volcano wasn’t the only danger here!
She’d met fools before, but never one this dense.
Sha Yi felt like she was about to lose it. Without holding back, she pointed toward the back of the cave. “Why did you cover the fire’s traces before sleeping? What’s the raft for? Don’t tell me you were just bored! Besides the volcano, Sai Na is a threat too! He has over ten people with him—we only have four! What’s the point of luring those eagles here now? To give them directions?”
The barrage of questions left Jialuo dumbfounded. Staring at her blankly for a long moment, he coughed awkwardly and stammered, “Well… rocks were falling earlier… and you said something about a volcano erupting. I thought it was starting right away! Of course I had to blow a few times. Those stupid birds have terrible sense of direction—it’ll take them some time anyway…”
Unable to find words to describe this idiot, Sha Yi could only turn away, considering the possible consequences of the eagles’ arrival.
Jialuo cautiously sidled up to her, looking conflicted. “Uh… is there any way to fix this?”
“Yes.”
“What?” Seeing her quick response, Jialuo’s eyes lit up. He thumped his chest. “Tell me! I can do it!”
“As the ‘lustful female bird,’ I think you should find a place to lure the males—and Sai Na’s group along the way.” Sha Yi pointed outside the cave, frowning. “Go on. Just don’t lead Sai Na here!”
Beside her, Tu Ge also waved his hand, urging him to leave.
Jialuo deflated instantly. “You’re being unfair!”
Glancing back at Xi Yi, who was still lying silently with his head down, Sha Yi suddenly understood his mood. He had probably realized there was nothing between her and Jialuo, so he was relieved but also jealous—and frustrated by his injuries.
Her heart softened, and she lost all patience for bantering with Jialuo. “Then what do you suggest?”
Before he could answer, a chaotic flapping and strange thudding echoed from outside the cave. Strong gusts of wind from the eagles’ wings rushed in, silencing Jialuo.
Tu Ge, however, started cursing. “Perfect timing! Those damned birds—they’ve never come this early before! This is all your fault! Why did you have to blow that thing?”
Unable to bear Tu Ge’s scolding, Jialuo jumped up. “Let’s just ride the birds and leave! Easy!”
“You just said the eagles don’t like flying at night!” Tu Ge exploded. “Are you stupid? Can’t you remember what you said two seconds ago? Are you blind in the head? If it weren’t for your ‘female bird’ call, would they even be here at night? Go ahead—try making them fly now!”
Another retaliatory remark. These two would drive her crazy if left together. Helpless, Sha Yi pushed past them and walked toward the cave entrance.
Under the clear night sky, even with the dim moonlight, the reflection from the shallow water and the torchlight behind her allowed her to see the eagles clearly.
Five golden-black Giant-Toothed Eagles occupied all the open space outside the cave. One had even knocked over a bamboo-like tree, while another was sprawled on the ground, struggling to get up.
It was almost comically stupid, but Sha Yi couldn’t laugh.
Because two of the eagles were clutching something in their talons—two giant snakes. Though smaller than the one they’d seen near their temporary cave, they were still massive. In a one-on-one fight, even the most agile Jialuo would be swallowed instantly.
Tu Ge also noticed the scene and gasped before cursing again. “Jialuo, are you insane? Didn’t you know these stupid birds would bring snakes when you blew that thing?”
“I…” Jialuo wanted to retort, but the horrifying sight outside left him speechless. Finally, he crossed his arms and gave up. “Fine, I’m insane! I forgot! You try chasing them away!”
Ignoring Jialuo’s shamelessness, Sha Yi noticed something odd—the two snakes in the eagles’ grasp weren’t resisting. Instead, they were desperately writhing, trying to slip between the birds’ bodies.
Strange.
She remembered the last time Jialuo had pushed her out of the cave, the giant snake had fought fiercely despite being surrounded—even attempting to eat the eagles.
But these two were doing the opposite—not resisting, just trying to escape. Even as the eagles’ talons pierced their flesh, they ignored the pain.
She couldn’t figure out why until another tremor shook the ground, toppling the four standing eagles.
With their slender talons, they weren’t built for stability. Standing still on soft sand was impossible, and the two snakes seized the chance to slither away.
The moment the eagles loosened their grip, Sha Yi got a clear look at the snakes. They resembled the glowing serpent from before, with bony plates—though smaller, except for the larger plates on their tails.
But the snakes weren’t fleeing to attack—they were just running.
Unfortunately, the sandy ground made movement difficult.
Within moments, the tremors stopped, and the eagles stood back up. The two that had lost their prey quickly recaptured the snakes.
Now, the snakes thrashed even more violently—but still didn’t fight back.
After some thought, Sha Yi concluded it must be related to the tremors.
The snakes’ bizarre behavior only confirmed her suspicion—this place was definitely a volcanic crater, and an eruption was imminent.
In modern times, animals often behaved abnormally before natural disasters—restlessness, mass migrations, etc.
But here, they had no way of knowing, as they’d seen no living creatures besides plants. Even the aquatic animals Xi Yi mentioned were nowhere to be found.
Now, however, things were different. The eagles had come because of Jialuo’s call, but the snakes were another matter. Even when facing their natural predators, resistance should be instinctive—yet all they did was flee.
This only reinforced the idea that something was terribly wrong here, and disaster was approaching.
“These snakes…” Just as she was about to explain the situation to the others, Sha Yi’s sharp ears caught another strange sound in the distance. She immediately fell silent.
It sounded like human voices, but they were indistinct and far away, so she couldn’t be sure.
But based on Xi Yi and Tu Ge’s accounts and previous events, she could only assume it was the group that had split from their original tribe to follow Sai Na.
If it was them, their purpose was obvious—to capture her.
As Tu Ge had guessed, Sai Na’s group had been staying in a cave just beyond the underwater passage. They’d probably been searching for her or the others for the past two days, finding no bodies, so they remained vigilant.
Or perhaps Sai Na had planned to scour the entire area. Either way, their nighttime search couldn’t have been intentional—most ancient tribes avoided nighttime activities, especially in the dead of night.
There was only one reason for this: the Giant-Toothed Eagles.
Jialuo had really outdone himself this time!
Glaring at the man fiddling with his feathered skirt, Sha Yi muttered, “Idiot, you’ve successfully led Sai Na’s men here. What’s your brilliant plan now?”
“What else can we do?” Jialuo rolled his eyes, unwilling to think too hard. “Fight or run. They’re here for you, not me. Not my problem!”
“Nice way to kick us while we’re down. Sure, Sai Na wants us—but if we meet, do you really think you two will walk away unscathed?” Sha Yi scoffed. “Given your habit of causing trouble every rainy season, Sai Na would chop your head off first. You think you’re safe? You might even die before Xi Yi and me!”
“I don’t cause trouble every rainy season!” Jialuo protested. “I didn’t come last year!”
“Let’s just focus on what to do!” Sha Yi was exhausted by Jialuo’s obliviousness. If they weren’t relying on each other now, she’d have kicked him out long ago.
“Then I’ll just hand you and the injured guy over to Sai Na. Once he has you, he won’t bother with us!” Jialuo plopped down defiantly. “Tu Ge and I can leave easily. Why should I worry with you?”
“You really are stupid. Do you think you can just ride away on a bird?”
“Why not? Those without birds would envy me!”
“Your memory’s terrible. Who was the one shot down over the river? You think riding a bird makes you untouchable? I made you fall before—Sai Na has more than one person. Making you crash again would be child’s play!”
“You mean they have those flying things that can stab people too?” Jialuo gasped.
“We were from the same tribe. What we have, they have—including rafts.” Sha Yi sighed. “Thanks to you, we’re in this mess. Now you’ve even summoned the eagles. Don’t you think you’re nothing but trouble?”
“Why talk about me at a time like this? Discussing Tu Ge might be more helpful.” Jialuo tugged Tu Ge toward the cave entrance, ready to bolt.
Sha Yi grabbed his feathered skirt, gritting her teeth. “Go! Drive those eagles inside—snakes included!”
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