Chapter 166: Riding the Bird

Quickly gathering her things, Sha Yi barely had time to help Xi Yi apply the herbal juice before dashing out of the cave.

The two men were still squabbling, but Sha Yi ignored them and went straight to check the remaining fish in the stainless steel pot.

Everything except the tail was still there.

As she had expected, Jialuo had only taken the least desirable part—the tail.

But there was another baffling detail: the fish wasn’t even fully cooked yet. Sha Yi couldn’t understand how Jialuo had managed to take a bite. A small chunk was clearly missing from the tail in Tuge’s hand.

Watching their antics, she suddenly couldn’t tell who had taken that bite.

Not daring to return to the cave, Sha Yi crouched by the fire, stoking the flames while patiently waiting for the fish to cook.

The other fire, fueled by an abundance of resin, burned fiercely, but the meat roasting over it was turning charred. With no other choice, Sha Yi flipped the meat, picked out a relatively better piece, and used a fruit knife to slice it onto a large leaf.

Soon, the fish soup emitted a fresh, savory aroma. Just as the two men finished fighting over the half-raw fish tail, Sha Yi swiftly lifted the pot before they could approach.

Jialuo’s face twisted in anger, while Tuge, seeing her unwillingness to share, resignedly took the charred meat from the fire and began gnawing on it.

Seizing the opportunity, Sha Yi also grabbed the half-pack of sliced meat she had prepared earlier.

When she turned around, Xi Yi had already emerged from the cave. His warm brown eyes held a faint smile as he watched her. The distance between them was short, and though the weather wasn’t particularly clear, the light outside was sufficient for her to notice that his complexion had improved significantly compared to the previous day.

His movements were also steadier, though he still walked slowly, likely due to lingering pain from his wounds.

Afraid that excessive movement might strain his injuries, Sha Yi hurried to his side, supporting him as he sat down before handing him the food.

Xi Yi wasn’t picky—he devoured the charred meat without complaint.

Jialuo, however, was far less accommodating.

Staring at the pot, which contained nothing but broth and a tailless fish, Sha Yi realized he hadn’t followed her instructions to add edible plants. As for salt… she couldn’t even be sure if he had added any. Dipping a twig into the soup confirmed her suspicion—Jialuo had thrown in everything indiscriminately.

Resigned, Sha Yi fetched some salt crystals and stirred them into the soup.

The fish soup turned out surprisingly delicious, with only a faint hint of fishiness.

Perhaps it was because she hadn’t eaten fish in so long, but she suspected Xi Yi would enjoy it too. After all, in all her time living with him, she had never seen him—or anyone else—eat fish.

Like shrimp, aquatic creatures might simply have never crossed their minds as food.

But fish were different from shrimp. The first bite might taste overwhelmingly fishy.

Wanting Xi Yi to have a pleasant impression of the soup, Sha Yi considered finding some edible plant stems or leaves to enhance the flavor. However, she wasn’t sure if they could be found nearby, nor was she as knowledgeable about local flora as Jialuo and Tuge. In the end, she returned to the cave and retrieved some dried edible leaves stored with the cured meat.

As it turned out, her concern was unnecessary.

Xi Yi wasn’t like her—or modern people. He lacked her finicky palate and didn’t find the fish soup fishy at all. In fact, he ate it with great relish.

The bones of this peculiar fish were large and neatly arranged, making deboning effortless. Within moments, Xi Yi had finished both the fish and the soup.

Sha Yi was both surprised and pleased.

In stark contrast, the other two were far less content.

Jialuo and Tuge crouched by the fire, angrily gnawing on the charred meat while glaring at her and muttering complaints.

After watching them for a while, Sha Yi realized they might devour all the meat again, just like the previous day. She immediately set down the pot and snatched two pieces for herself.

This sent Jialuo into a rage. He jumped up and yelled, “You damn cheat! Why are you so biased? You give everything to that cripple, and he doesn’t even do anything! Is this fair?”

“You’ve got some nerve,” Sha Yi retorted, slicing the meat without even looking up. “You eat our food, use our things, and even the roasted meat was prepared by me. What exactly have *you* done to deserve anything?”

Jialuo flushed red. “That’s nonsense! I chased off the birds and snakes!”

“Shouldn’t you clean up your own mess?”

Tuge couldn’t help chiming in. “Jialuo, why are you making such a fuss? They’re mates. Besides, wasn’t it you who stabbed him in the first place? He hasn’t even complained, so why are you whining nonstop? If you really want to argue, let him stab you back first…”

Jialuo was about to explode when the ground suddenly trembled violently again. Sha Yi nearly dropped the meat in her hands, but Xi Yi reacted swiftly, catching it before it could hit the sand.

This tremor was far more intense than any before. The fire scattered, the underground rumbling grew louder, and the shaking lasted much longer.

When it finally subsided, Sha Yi stood up and noticed several purple petals drifting down from above.

She instinctively looked up and saw them falling from the bamboo-like tree. Turning to examine the tree, she was stunned to find that its pale trunk had, overnight, sprouted numerous tiny purple flowers, stretching from the base all the way to the top. The blossoms were dense but small—so small that they would have gone unnoticed if not for the tremors.

In fact, without the quake, she might never have noticed them at all.

The sudden appearance of these flowers was undeniably strange.

Somewhere in her memory, she recalled a tour guide explaining that certain volcanic plants undergo changes in their growth patterns before an eruption—including flowering.

But the examples she had heard of were small shrubs, not trees like this.

After a moment’s thought, Sha Yi decided it was time to leave.

Better safe than sorry. All the signs pointed to this being a volcanic crater, and the increasing tremors suggested an imminent eruption.

Without further delay, she helped Xi Yi to his feet and signaled to the other two. “We’re leaving now. The volcano is likely about to erupt. Don’t ask questions—just get out of here first.”

After instructing Xi Yi to wait by the cave entrance, Sha Yi hurried back inside, grabbed their pre-packed belongings, and carried out the bundle of grass stems Tuge had prepared.

Despite his penchant for mischief, Jialuo proved reliable in a crisis. While she retrieved their things, he helped haul out the bathtub and quickly herded the giant-toothed eagles over.

Even Xi Yi, despite his injuries, pitched in. His taller, stronger frame made it easier for him to load the birds, and he assisted with securing their cargo. Sha Yi would have preferred he rest, but there was no stopping him.

The rainy season was nearing its end, and though it had brought countless troubles, it offered one advantage: felling trees was easier without tools. Once winter arrived, gathering materials like wood would become far more difficult. Lacking proper tools was always a handicap, so Sha Yi made sure to bring the raft as well.

Fortunately, the raft wasn’t heavy, and with multiple giant-toothed eagles, transporting everything wasn’t an issue.

Soon, all their belongings were strapped to the birds. Led by Xi Yi, the four of them quickly reached a shallow sandy stretch.

The terrain was difficult—each step was a struggle, especially for the large, heavy eagles. But with no better alternatives, they had no choice but to press on.

Sha Yi paired up with Xi Yi. Though Jialuo had suggested splitting up to distribute the weight, she insisted on staying with Xi Yi to monitor his injuries.

The food and raft went on one eagle, the bathtub on another, Jialuo and Tuge each took one, and she and Xi Yi shared the last. If any bird grew too tired mid-flight, they could rotate.

The two eagles carrying the cargo took off first, running the length of the shallow stretch before launching into the air. Tuge went next, followed by her and Xi Yi—all without issue. But when it was Jialuo’s turn, disaster struck.

The moment his eagle reached the end of the shallow stretch, it plunged straight into a tributary. Tuge nearly laughed himself out of the sky.

Sha Yi, however, knew every second they lingered increased their danger. The giant-toothed eagles couldn’t hover—they had to keep flying in circles to stay aloft, which drained their stamina rapidly. She urged them onward impatiently.

Just then, the ground shook again—harder than ever. Rocks and sand tumbled, and even the small tributary below churned with unseen currents.

The violent tremor sent Jialuo scrambling to his feet, and his drenched eagle flapped wildly, scrambling ashore.

This time, the second attempt at takeoff was a success.

Sha Yi suspected the earthquake had scared both man and bird into action.

The giant-toothed eagles were undeniably fast. Aside from their poor balance and directional issues caused by missing tail feathers, they were an excellent means of escape.

If only they’d had them earlier, they might have avoided the disaster on the great river!

These eagles seemed to have no natural predators in this era—as if they existed solely to hunt giant snakes. Yet they lived in nearly treeless areas, surviving on smaller serpents.

Humans, however, were another story. If not for people like Jialuo and Tuge plucking their tail feathers, perhaps the forests wouldn’t be overrun with giant snakes, and Xi Yi’s group wouldn’t have had to relocate to this disaster-prone area.

Such massive yet docile birds, wasted for no good reason.

Returning to the present, Sha Yi recalled the forest where she and Xi Yi had first met. It had been perfect—except for the giant snakes. If they’d had giant-toothed eagles back then, even that wouldn’t have been a problem.

The flight didn’t last long. By afternoon, they landed again—not because the birds were tired, but because everyone was hungry.

They stopped in an unfamiliar forest. Having witnessed Jialuo’s disastrous landing earlier, Sha Yi chose to land on the canopy of a massive tree. Though they still tumbled, the branches and leaves cushioned their fall.

Jialuo and Tuge weren’t so lucky.

Jialuo crashed into a clearing, rolling several times with his eagle before plunging into a small lake. Sha Yi couldn’t help but wince—starting and ending in water.

Tuge’s landing was even worse. Before he could even guide his eagle, they collided with a tree trunk and slid all the way down, proving Jialuo’s earlier taunt about “blindly crashing into trees” true.

Sha Yi watched in disbelief before deciding to ignore them.

This forest was clearly at a higher elevation than their previous dwelling, so even if floods struck there, this area remained unaffected.

Given the conditions, Sha Yi guessed the eagles had covered a considerable distance. Though the weather was poor and the sun obscured, the state of the forest’s waterlogged ground gave her some clues.

Xi Yi set up the fire while she gathered dry branches and leaves. In a forest like this, such tasks were simple.

Even after heavy rains, a few sunny days could quickly dry out the trees and foliage in a sparse, low-canopy woodland like this.

They roasted meat again, thankful their raft’s food supply was ample. Otherwise, with bottomless pits like Jialuo and Tuge around, they’d have run out long ago.

Strangely, Tuge hadn’t vomited since joining them.

She doubted it was due to the salt—he’d only had it for a day or two. But if not that, she couldn’t think of another reason.

Shrugging it off, she handed meat to Xi Yi to roast. While he cooked, she lifted his robe to apply Tuge’s herbal juice to his wounds.

Xi Yi’s healing was remarkable—his wounds had already scabbed over in just a few days. But the deep gashes had reopened slightly during the journey, seeping fresh blood.

Sha Yi’s heart ached, though she couldn’t tell if the damage was from riding the eagle or their rough landing.

Either way, flying had been unavoidable.

For now, she could only tend to his wounds. Proper treatment would have to wait until they settled somewhere stable.

Xi Yi was a better cook than her, but she refused to let him overexert himself. The moment Jialuo and Tuge limped over, she shoved the roasting meat into their hands.

Though annoyed, they took over without protest.

Xi Yi looked torn between amusement and exasperation, but he didn’t stop her. In fact, Sha Yi sensed he rather enjoyed her assertiveness with Jialuo and Tuge.

Perhaps it was the satisfaction of petty revenge.

Even if nothing existed between her and them, he clearly disliked any interaction—even arguments. The previous day, his jealousy had been obvious. But he also understood that avoiding Jialuo and Tuge entirely was impossible, so he’d kept quiet.

Now, with this rare opportunity, he was more than happy to let her take charge.