Chapter 165: Farewell, Sai Na

At these words, everyone outside the cave fell into silence.

After a long pause, the indifferent voice spoke again: “If you can’t find them, forget it. Let’s all go back.”

They were retreating so easily?

Sha Yi found it strange, but the chaotic footsteps outside the cave were unmistakable, leaving her no choice but to believe it.

The tension in her heart eased, and she finally relaxed, though she remained cautious and didn’t dare make a sound.

Xi Yi was the same, holding her tightly without letting go. He was even calmer than she was—she couldn’t sense any unease from him.

Inside the cave, Jialuo and Tuge also remained silent. The entire cave was quiet, save for the struggling and hissing of the two snakes.

Strangely, the five giant-toothed eagles hadn’t made a single sound either, which surprised her. But as the night wore on, they still didn’t call out, so Sha Yi could only assume they weren’t the type to vocalize at night.

Pressed against Xi Yi, she fought exhaustion for a long time before finally succumbing to sleep. When she woke again, daylight had broken.

The giant-toothed eagles were still crowded together inside the cave, blocking the entrance. The two snakes, however, had stopped moving. The one on their side seemed to have died from exhaustion, while the other, though still faintly twitching, appeared listless. She couldn’t see clearly, but she was certain it was on its last breath.

Xi Yi hadn’t woken yet. She guessed it might be due to the pain from his wounds and the effects of the herbal juice. Otherwise, given his usual habits, he would’ve been awake long ago.

Jialuo and Tuge were also fast asleep. She didn’t even want to comment on those two lazybones, but she was determined to leave as soon as possible. The thought of the volcano beneath them made her uneasy.

Grabbing the lighter, she decided to roast some meat or cook a pot of soup first, while also searching for edible plants.

She was still worried about Xi Yi’s condition.

Outside the cave, the weather wasn’t great—unlike the blazing sun of the previous day. Perhaps because she had woken early, the area was shrouded in damp mist. The sky was overcast, windy, and bitterly cold, the chill seeping into her skin along with the fog.

Starting a fire wasn’t easy, at least not for her. She rarely did it, so she lacked experience. It took her a long time to finally get a fire going, but the result was far from ideal—crooked and unstable. She had originally planned to place a stainless steel pot over it but didn’t dare risk it. Instead, she skewered some meat and roasted it over the flames.

Sha Yi searched for edible plants but found none. However, not far from their cave, she discovered a shallow pool slightly deeper than the one in front of the cave. Inside were some oddly shaped fish.

The fish were white, with bizarre appearances—flat bodies, golden fins on either side, and faint golden edges on their scales. Their tails were fan-shaped, and their eyes were blue. They weren’t large, each about half the length of her forearm. There were several of them in the shallow water.

She wanted to catch one but worried it might be poisonous. After hesitating for a while, she finally went ahead and grabbed one.

The fish offered little resistance, and its body was unexpectedly soft. As soon as she lifted it, two large, round bubbles formed near its gills, accompanied by faint gurgling sounds, as if it were angry. Sha Yi couldn’t help but laugh.

Returning to the fire, she followed the modern fish-cleaning process from memory—scaling it with a fruit knife, gutting it, and rinsing it clean before tossing it into a pot of water.

Still determined to find edible plants, she turned to leave—only for a figure to suddenly block her path. Instinctively, she stepped back to avoid them, but the person grabbed her wrist.

Startled, she reflexively looked up—and froze.

The person holding her was Saina!

He stood there, staring intently at her, gripping her wrist tightly with an unreadable expression.

She struggled several times but couldn’t break free. Frustrated, she snapped, “Let me go!”

Ignoring her resistance and words, he continued staring. Then, to her shock, he reached out with his other arm, as if to pull her into an embrace.

Sha Yi shoved his arm away, her disgust flaring so strongly that her strength surged. Caught off guard, he loosened his grip just enough for her to wrench herself free.

But the moment she tried to run, he seized her arm again—this time with even greater force. No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t even twist her arm free.

Saina leaned in from behind her, his voice soft: “Sha Yi, I’ve been waiting here all night for you.”

Her heart skipped a beat, but she kept her expression neutral, saying nothing while struggling harder.

He seemed determined not to let her escape again. The more she resisted, the tighter his grip became. “Last night, I almost believed your trick. I’ve known for a long time how afraid you are of snakes. When I saw those two giant snakes, I immediately thought you couldn’t be here. But the snakes were only struggling—not attacking. That’s when I realized.”

“Let me go! I don’t want to hear it!” Her wrist ached from his grip, and her arm was twisted painfully behind her. Already filled with resentment toward him, her anger flared even hotter.

“You *will* listen,” he said, ignoring her fury. “I believe once I’m done, you’ll have questions for me.”

“Don’t be so confident. You and I have nothing to do with each other. Why would I ask you anything? What does it have to do with me?”

“If you won’t ask, then I’ll say it all myself.” He smoothly took over, smiling. “I can even ask myself the questions you’d have. Just listen.”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Her patience snapped, and she spat the words through gritted teeth. “You scheming, backstabbing coward!”

Sighing, Saina said helplessly, “So you already know.”

Sha Yi refused to respond, but he continued, “I never wanted it to come to this. Like I told you back in that small cave behind the old settlement, I also wanted an exclusive bond between a man and a woman. But Xi Yi was there long before me. I even offered to share you with him, but your reaction crushed me. The rules of his group disgusted me. I felt like I had no chance at all.”

“So you decided to kill him?”

“Yes. From that moment, I thought—maybe if he were gone, I’d have a chance.” His voice carried a trace of bleakness. “But I was wrong. Your resolve at the waterfall shattered me. Why couldn’t you consider me? I told you I didn’t care how many men you had. Why couldn’t you—”

“I follow the same rules as Xi Yi. I will only have one man in my life—one pure bond. There won’t be a second man or a second bond!”

Stunned into silence, Saina finally spoke again, disbelief written across his face. “Not even if Xi Yi died? No second man? No second bond?”

“You’ll stop at nothing to get what you want. Do you really think someone like you is capable of pure feelings?” Sha Yi sneered. “You’d even harm your own companions for your own sake. If a woman were to follow you, what’s to stop you from killing her later if you fell for someone else and circumstances didn’t allow it?”

“Is that what you’re worried about?”

“Why would I worry about that? The only one I’ve ever loved or cared about is Xi Yi. Why would I care what happens to you?”

“Xi Yi is dead. Why can’t you let go?”

“If you think Xi Yi is dead, why do you think I’m still alive?” She had no intention of revealing that Xi Yi was alive. The man before her seemed unhinged, and she didn’t want Xi Yi to face his schemes again.

Caught off guard by her question, Saina froze before answering with a sigh, “I tested it beforehand. To prevent accidents, I didn’t use the raft. I couldn’t be sure I could tie you securely with the vines, so I wrapped myself in a long vine and let the waterfall’s current take me. I tried three times—I survived each fall. But I never imagined you’d cut the vine yourself just to escape me!”

Shocked by his recklessness and audacity, she still felt no sympathy. If anything, his cunning disgusted her further. “Just because *you* survived, you forced the same risk on others? You claim your feelings are deep, but I’m *glad* I cut that vine. You and Xi Yi are nothing alike. If it were him, he’d rather lose everything than hurt someone else like this!”

“I wouldn’t have done it if I weren’t desperate. I’m not as cold-blooded as you think. I just wanted a chance!”

“But you went about it in the worst way. You tore others apart for your own gain—you’re deranged!”

“When you find something you truly want, shouldn’t you fight for it?” he growled. “I refuse to accept it. Why should I step aside for others? What do I gain from that? Will anyone step aside for me? Will anyone even remember my sacrifice? They wouldn’t spare me a second glance!”

“Fine. You can say that. You can do that. But your methods are vile. What you call ‘fighting’ isn’t fair—it’s murder!”

“Vile? Fair?” Saina laughed darkly. “This world was never fair. Why did Xi Yi meet you first and not me? If it’s already unfair to me, why should I play fair?”

“As for ‘vile methods,’ all I did was tie up that blind man. How is that any different from the original plan to set a fire? There was only one person there. If I’d set the fire, wouldn’t he have burned anyway? The truth is, those savages planned it all with the people from the old settlement. I just happened to overhear. If I’d told you, it would’ve been a favor. If I didn’t, was it really my fault?”

“You exploited Jialuo’s taboo. You overheard what he told me, didn’t you? That’s why you used his hand to eliminate Xi Yi!”

“I admit I had that thought. I *did* want Xi Yi gone. But isn’t that how this world works?” His voice softened again. “I don’t know why you think this way. I used to be like what you described—but I lost too much. That’s why I lived in that small cave behind the old settlement since I was young. You stayed there—you know it’s no paradise. But I lived there for years. You’ll never understand my pain or what I’ve been through.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“What I want, I’ll never let go. I won’t give up for others, and I refuse to sacrifice for meaningless gratitude.” His words were deliberate. “It’s the same as survival. Like I said, stepping aside only benefits others. No one remembers my sacrifices, and no one will ever return the favor. I won’t be that person anymore. I *will* take what’s mine!”

“And if you never get it in this lifetime? What then?”

“I’ll keep fighting. I won’t let go. Even if it kills me, I’ll hold on until the end!”

At first, she had despised him. But now, she wasn’t sure if his thinking was wrong or if she had been too rigid. Her heart was a storm of conflicting emotions.

People were different. Eras were different. Those who had lived through different pasts held vastly different beliefs and followed different rules.

Xi Yi and Saina were proof. Xi Yi had met her first—if fairness were the measure, she couldn’t argue otherwise.

This era had no concept of destiny. Everything was fought for—and that was acceptable. But their hearts were worlds apart. One was gentle, kind, and forgiving. The other was relentless and calculating.

Perhaps, in this ancient world, harming Xi Yi wasn’t wrong. The people from the old settlement had grieved briefly when she rejected them, then moved on. But Saina was different. He had fought alongside them, making her see him as a close companion. Her expectations of him had been higher—which was why his betrayal was so hard to accept.

Speaking of it, aside from Saina’s ruthless tactics against Xi Yi, it’s hard to judge who was right or wrong. Her perspective was merely shaped by modern notions of reason and justice. In ancient times, mutual competition was natural—it was the most primal instinct. Thus, Garo’s behavior was nothing out of the ordinary. As for Saina, apart from harboring certain feelings toward her and doing things to Xi Yi that she found unbearable, he hadn’t really clashed with her otherwise.

Xi Yi, on the other hand, was the closest to what she considered a “normal” person in her mind. So, she largely supported everything he did. Coupled with Saina’s excessive betrayal and her own involuntary bias, she fully aligned herself with Xi Yi’s perspective and stance.

At this point, she no longer wanted to dwell on other disputes. However, when it came to matters of principle, she had to emphasize:

“Saina, the other issues you mentioned are your own business, and I have no right to comment. But what you did to Xi Yi is unforgivable. Don’t say it was because of me—think about it yourself. Even if I weren’t involved, even if your relationship wasn’t the best, you were still companions living together. And companions should never betray each other.”

She paused before continuing, “If you really want to fight for something, go ahead. No one can stop you. But don’t go too far. This time, I won’t hold it against you. But if you ever harm a former companion again, I swear, I’ll make you pay. Don’t underestimate me, and don’t take my words as a joke. You know I have the ability to do it.”

Her words left the man completely silent. The grip on her arm loosened significantly, and Sha Yi took the opportunity to pull free. As she turned away, she heard him softly ask, “Is Xi Yi still alive?”

Frowning, she finally gave a slight nod and a quiet affirmation.

A long silence followed.

In the stillness, the sound of an eagle’s cry suddenly echoed from the cave behind them. Sha Yi turned to see the giant-toothed eagles being herded out of the cave.

After spending the night cramped inside, the large birds looked sluggish, but they had no choice against Garo’s rough handling. Once outside, they immediately began fighting over the half-dead luminous snake.

Garo didn’t leave the cave immediately. Instead, he went to their side and drove out the other two eagles as well.

The scene repeated itself—the birds, though sluggish at first, quickly regained their vigor and joined the fight over the snake.

Garo soon emerged from the cave and, spotting Sha Yi from a distance, immediately complained, “The meat’s burnt! Tuge’s already been smoked to death by your cooking, you know!”

Startled, Sha Yi quickly turned to look where Saina had been standing—only to find no trace of him.

At some point, Saina had left without a word.

Though she found it a little strange, she was relieved by the outcome. If he had stayed, Garo might have picked a fight with him, and that would have disturbed Xi Yi, which was the last thing she wanted.

Garo and Xi Yi already didn’t get along well. Adding the instigator into the mix would only create chaos—and if Saina’s companions showed up, they’d be in real trouble.

Truthfully, she still harbored some resentment toward Saina, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Xi Yi’s condition was her biggest concern, and with Garo being utterly unreliable, she had no choice but to let it go.

“What are you looking at?” Garo snapped, noticing she wasn’t paying attention to the roasted meat. He stomped over and pointed angrily at the fire. “Are you blind like Tuge? Don’t you even know where your own food is? You—huh?”

His rant abruptly stopped as he spotted the stainless steel basin. “What’s this?”

Sha Yi glared as Garo stuck his dirty fingers into the basin to poke at the cleaned strange fish. Enraged, she kicked at him and snapped, “Get your filthy hands off! Dump that water and refill it, then set up another fire!”

Startled by her outburst, Garo grudgingly obeyed, emptying the basin but not before giving the fish a few more curious prods. As he refilled it with water, he asked, “Is this food?”

“What else would it be?” Still irritated from her encounter with Saina and with no patience for Garo, Sha Yi kept her expression cold. “Make sure the fire can hold the basin!”

Garo stared greedily at the fish. “I get to eat first, or I won’t do it!”

“Fine, you eat first. That pretty tail part—go ahead and take it.”

She wasn’t even sure if the fish was poisonous. If he wanted to be the first to try it, let him. She was just glad someone was volunteering as a test subject.

If his greed got him in trouble, that was his problem.

Delighted, Garo quickly gathered thick branches and built a sturdy fire. Once done, he squatted nearby, eagerly waiting.

Sha Yi knew exactly what he was thinking—he didn’t want to bother with fire-making when she had an easier method. Without another word, she lit the fire with dry grass and added resin for a stronger flame.

“Keep an eye on the fire,” she instructed. “And add some of the salt crystals I gave you earlier. If you find any edible plants, throw those in too. The faster it cooks, the better—we’re leaving today. I’ll go pack. Time’s tight.”

Garo nodded impatiently, waving her off.

She knew he just wanted to sneak a taste while she was gone. Considering the fish’s potential toxicity, she didn’t bother arguing.

Garo was no saint—greedy and reckless. If he ended up poisoned, well, Tuge was around. He wasn’t fragile. He’d survive.

With that thought, she left without worry.

Back in the cave, Xi Yi was still asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, Sha Yi quietly gathered their belongings.

When she went to Tuge’s cave to check on the packed food, she found him already awake, squinting as he used a bone knife to cut grass stems. A small stone hollow held some crushed herbs, though plenty were scattered around.

His vision must have worsened—he was practically pressing his face to the ground.

Unable to watch, Sha Yi took over, finishing the cutting and grinding the herbs before handing them to him.

Tuge snorted and waved her off. “Just apply it yourself when he wakes up. My eyes are worse today—I need more of that stuff you mentioned!”

“Then go eat first. The roasted meat should be ready.” Since Xi Yi was still asleep, she set the stone aside. “Oh, and don’t touch that weird thing Garo’s cooking. Let him eat it first—I don’t even know what it is.”

“Huh?” Tuge paused mid-step, turning to squint at her in confusion before suddenly grinning. “Testing for poison, eh? Let him eat it—hopefully, it kills him!”

Chuckling, he skipped toward the cave entrance—only to slam headfirst into a protruding rock with a loud *thud* and a pained yelp.

Sha Yi watched as he clutched his head, slowly pulling himself up while feeling his way along the wall.

At that moment, she felt she had truly grasped the meaning of “pride comes before a fall.”

But her peace didn’t last long. Soon, another round of howling erupted outside the cave.

The noise woke Xi Yi.

Outside, Garo and Tuge were inexplicably brawling. Sha Yi was baffled—until she spotted the half-eaten fish tail in Tuge’s hand.

Ah. So the strange fish wasn’t poisonous after all.