When she lay down again, Xi Yi was clearly no longer as relaxed as before, nor did he have the energy to skin the saber-toothed tiger. He was too anxious to sleep.
If Xi Gu couldn’t escape disaster, Xi Yi would have to endure the pain of losing a loved one for the second time.
It was one thing when he was too young to remember, but the blow of losing Xi Mang had already been devastating enough. He could only hope that Xi Gu would be spared.
But this was truly beyond human control, and the fact that they weren’t together only made it worse.
Sha Yi knew she couldn’t offer any comfort, so she silently turned over and said nothing more.
Xi Yi, however, immediately moved closer and embraced her. “Sha Yi, do you know why I was so determined to hunt that saber-toothed tiger?”
His deliberately light tone was clearly an attempt to change the subject and ease his inner turmoil.
But this forced shift in topic also revealed the depth of his pain. Though she immediately guessed his thoughts, Sha Yi didn’t call him out. Instead, she gently followed his lead: “Is it because of what you said earlier—that the saber-toothed tiger was too much of a threat?”
Xi Yi shook his head slightly and smiled. “That’s only part of it, not the most important reason.”
“Then what is it?” She turned over and casually stuffed the furry wolf pup into his arms. “If you don’t tell me, I won’t know.”
Holding the fluffy cub, Xi Yi spoke slowly. “It’s because of Xi Mang. He was badly injured by a saber-toothed tiger. I’ve always known that he didn’t die directly from the giant snake’s attack—it was because the tiger’s injuries left him unable to escape, and that’s why he was killed by the snake.”
Without waiting for her to ask, he continued, “At the time, I took him back to the new cave where we later lived. We often stayed there outside the rainy season, and I’d never seen any other dangers there before, so I left him alone without worry.”
“But I was wrong. The rainy season was about to start, and I don’t know how that snake ended up there or how we crossed paths with it. When I found Xi Mang’s body, I was devastated. I couldn’t even understand what had happened at first. It wasn’t until we moved into that cave that I realized—even though it wasn’t far from our old settlement, it wasn’t the same place. Danger was everywhere.”
Sha Yi was stunned by the chain of events and the intricate connections. But she also knew that the past was the past. No matter how tragic it had been, no matter how much regret lingered now, it would always remain a scar—something that couldn’t be undone, etched into the heart, aching every time it was revisited. The pain would only fade if he could let it go.
With that in mind, she chose not to say much more. She simply nestled against his chest and gently stroked the small animal in his arms.
Xi Yi didn’t speak again. He fell asleep later in the night, seemingly exhausted.
Sha Yi didn’t disturb him and soon drifted off as well.
The night passed peacefully, save for the intermittent tremors of the earth and the occasional explosive sounds in the distance.
By morning, Xi Yi was already up. He must have risen early to prepare breakfast, because by the time she woke, he had already roasted meat, boiled broth, and even skinned the massive saber-toothed tiger.
Garo and Tuge had also woken earlier than her.
But Garo seemed off. He wasn’t as talkative or unrestrained as he had been in the past few days. Instead, he sat high on a thick tree branch, occasionally glancing back at them with a listless expression, even lacking his usual enthusiasm for food.
Sha Yi couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him, but she had a vague feeling it might be related to the look he’d had by the lake the day before. Still, she couldn’t guess the exact reason and didn’t feel like dwelling on it.
After eating, Sha Yi fed the wolf pup some broth and finely chopped meat from the soup. The cub had barely any teeth yet, so it clearly wasn’t ready for solid food.
Unfortunately, there were no coconut-like substitutes for milk here, so she had to make do.
Luckily, the little creature wasn’t picky. After its brush with death, it mostly curled up and shivered.
By the time they set out again, it was already late.
The sky was still overcast, and Sha Yi suspected there might be another heavy rain before the end of the rainy season.
After discussing with her, Xi Yi firmly told Garo and Tuge that they wouldn’t be going to their settlement. Instead, they planned to stop at a suitable spot along the way.
Tuge didn’t react much, as if he’d expected this.
But Garo’s face darkened in shock. He didn’t say another word to them, skipped the meal, and was the first to mount his giant bird and fly off.
Sha Yi was baffled, Xi Yi looked displeased, and Tuge just clicked his tongue.
It seemed both men had some understanding of the situation, but neither bothered to explain it to her.
Only after mounting the giant-toothed eagle did Sha Yi think to look back.
In the direction of the lake, the volcano was still erupting intermittently. From her high vantage point, the sight was small but clear—the entire volcanic site was engulfed in lava and flames, with ash drifting through the air. The sight filled her with a bleak, ashen sorrow.
Xi Yi probably still clung to a sliver of hope, which was why he refused to go too far. His goal was likely to make it easier for any survivors to find him.
She understood his feelings and respected his decision.
It took the five giant-toothed eagles half a day to cross the vast expanse of water. They finally stopped when they reached another small patch of forest.
As usual, they set about starting a fire and roasting meat. Xi Yi didn’t say much—perhaps because she, Garo, and Tuge had handled these tasks the past few days, and he felt somewhat stifled. For the last two times, he’d quietly taken on the work without complaint.
As for Garo, he’d been acting strangely ever since the incident at the lake. Watching him, Sha Yi had the impression that the personality she’d first encountered had resurfaced.
Without his usual extreme mischief and occasional foolishness, she suddenly realized how unsettling his moodiness could be—just like when they’d first met. If she hadn’t caught him off guard and tricked him back then, he probably wouldn’t have obeyed her so readily.
That said, truly controlling Garo would never be easy.
Even in their current delicate dynamic, her upper hand was partly due to circumstance and partly sheer luck.
Now, he still refused to engage with anyone, sitting alone on a gnarled tree root with a dark expression.
Left with no choice, Sha Yi went to gather dry branches and leaves herself.
Fortunately, the forest by the water was small, and she quickly circled half of it without much effort.
She collected plenty of dry wood and even stumbled upon some shrimp in the shallow water—a rare sight she hadn’t seen in a long time.
She immediately set down her gathered items and started catching the shrimp.
Just like before, these shrimp were as foolish as the ones by the big river—easy to catch without any effort.
Sha Yi was thoroughly enjoying herself. The shrimp barely reacted when caught, and even after being placed on the shore, they hardly moved. With behavior like this, she could probably catch a whole group without them trying to escape. All she needed to do was fetch a container to carry them back later.
Just as she was inwardly celebrating, a tall figure suddenly cast a shadow over the water in front of her.
Startled, Sha Yi turned and saw it was Garo. She relaxed and went back to catching shrimp, but he abruptly grabbed her wrist.
Alarmed again, she reflexively glared at him, only to find his eyes filled with hostility—none of his usual carefree demeanor remained.
He stared at her for a long moment before hesitantly asking, “How do you feel about Xi Yi?”
Sha Yi was baffled. “Why are you asking that?”
“That’s none of your concern!” he snapped, glaring at her. “Just answer the question!”
The audacity.
Sha Yi immediately grew annoyed. “You’re the one asking me a question, and I can’t even ask why? How is that fair? You tell me it’s none of my business, but then demand an answer from me? If your business isn’t mine, why should I explain anything to you? That’s not how it works!”
Stunned into silence, Garo gaped at her for a moment before his expression darkened with anger. “You have to tell me. Otherwise, I’ll drag you back tied up if I have to.”
“Please. It’s a ten-day journey to your place even on birdback. Forget about tying us up!” She shook her arm, signaling for him to let go. “Besides, why do you care how I feel about Xi Yi? That’s my secret. I won’t tell you unless you explain why you’re asking!”
His frown deepened, and after a long pause, he gritted his teeth. “Back in my tribe, there’s a woman. At first, I hated her because she lied to me. But then we spent several days together because of certain circumstances. During that time, we argued every day. Then one of her men came for her. Seeing her with him made me uncomfortable. I want to know if she really cares about him, so I’m asking how you feel about Xi Yi!”
“Why didn’t you mention this before?” Sha Yi gave him a curious glance but kept bending down to catch shrimp. “But it is surprising that any woman in your tribe would dare argue with someone as hot-tempered as you. As for how I feel about Xi Yi—I like him a lot and want to be with him.”
“That’s it?”
“What else?” she retorted. “Are you trying to figure out what kind of feelings you have for her?”
“Yes! If you know, tell me!” Like a drowning man clutching at straws, Garo grew agitated.
Sha Yi rolled her eyes and shook off his hand, mimicking his earlier tone. “How should I know? I’m not you! I only know my own feelings. If you really want to know, go ask her yourself. You’re insane!”
Blocked again and thoroughly insulted, Garo’s face darkened. But he restrained himself this time, neither yelling nor throwing a tantrum. With a cold snort, he turned and walked away.
Sha Yi almost laughed, but something about his final expression struck her as odd. She turned it over in her mind but couldn’t make sense of it. Eventually, she dismissed his strangeness and went back to catching shrimp.
Once she’d gathered enough, she rinsed them several times with some grass stems before returning to the campfire to fetch the stainless steel pot.
She counted roughly twenty shrimp in the pot—more than enough, but they’d have to be cooked in batches if they were to roast, fry, or boil them.
At the moment, Xi Yi had just started roasting meat, so preparing the shrimp would be a hassle.
But Xi Yi didn’t complain. He quickly set up another fire, added resin to fuel it, took the pot from her, and began roasting them himself.
Touched, Sha Yi sat beside him to watch.
Soon, all the food was ready.
Garo still hadn’t come to eat, so Tuge took his portion to him.
As for Xi Yi, Sha Yi had a vague sense that he knew something—or perhaps he simply had no goodwill toward Garo. Either way, he didn’t ask a single question about the latter’s absence.
The atmosphere was undeniably strange.
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