Chapter 173: What I Lack Is You

Feeling utterly heartbroken, Sha Yi was powerless to stop Jialuo. In just a short moment, he had pinned down her hands and feet.

But that wasn’t all. He loomed over her, glaring down with fury as he spat, “You’re pushing me!”

“You’re completely unreasonable and impossible to deal with!” Resistance was futile. Trying to fight him with her strength was like an arm trying to twist a thigh—she ended up panting heavily while he remained unfazed.

“I won’t waste words. If you still refuse, I’ll take you away right now. Just try me!”

Knowing she couldn’t overpower him with force, Sha Yi had no choice but to soften her tone. “Jialuo, just tell me clearly. Why are you forcing me? What do you lack? If it’s something we have, I’ll give it to you. Just don’t act like this. Let’s talk properly…”

“You said it!”

“Yes, I said it,” Sha Yi sighed helplessly. “Tell me what you lack.”

“If I say it, you’ll give it?” The man narrowed his eyes, half-believing. “Promise me!”

Sha Yi was speechless. “I promise. If it’s something we have, whatever you think you lack, we’ll give it to you!”

The man suddenly grinned, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

After a long pause, he enunciated each word deliberately: “I lack you. I want you. You said it yourself—promises must be kept!”

Sha Yi was completely dumbfounded.

This was clearly a blatant trap! But what did this lunatic want with her? Why drag her back to his territory? Sure, she’d mocked him a few times and maybe tricked him once or twice, but was he really that vindictive? Besides, they’d both played tricks on each other!

What kind of madness was this?

Was it because he coveted her modern belongings and wanted to take them all? Or was he afraid she’d refuse if he asked for too much, so he resorted to threatening her like during that trade?

Sha Yi thought it highly plausible.

But the man, growing impatient at her silence, erupted in anger: “Trying to go back on your word? You just promised me!”

“This… cough…” Mentally cursing Jialuo N+1 times, Sha Yi shrank back as he glared at her. “Do you want a lot of things but worry that asking for too much means getting nothing? So you’re pulling the same trick as when you kidnapped me last time…”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jialuo’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Do you really see me that way?”

“Don’t you?” Sha Yi peeked at him cautiously, but seeing his anger flare again, she quickly shut her mouth.

“Is that how you see me?” Jialuo’s mouth hung open, looking as if he’d been struck hard. “Am I really that despicable?”

“Do you really want me to say it?” Sha Yi hesitated, stealing another glance. “Fine, I’ll say it. The first time was at the cliff—you bullied me. The second time was by the river—you scared me. The third time, you conspired with the people from the old cave to trick me. The fourth time, you hurt someone I care about at the main river. And there were so many more after that. And now this! Every time, you’re unreasonable and domineering. What kind of person do you think you are?”

Stunned into silence, Jialuo opened and closed his mouth several times but couldn’t utter a word. Just when she thought he’d give up and let her go, his expression suddenly shifted. A sly glint flashed in his dark eyes, like a fox. “Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to stick to my old ways. If I lack something, I take it. No more pointless talk!”

“Wait—” Sha Yi panicked. “What do you want? Fruits, knives, bows, stainless steel pots, lighters, clothes, furs, food—just name it, and I’ll give it to you right away!”

“How many times do I have to say it?!” Jialuo roared. “I said I lack you! I want you! Can’t you understand?!”

Sha Yi was utterly stunned, unable to process his words for a long moment.

He was…?

She didn’t dare think it.

But he spoke again, his voice dripping with fury: “Don’t even think about staying with Xiyi. I’m taking you away tonight. If I don’t get my way, neither will you!”

With that, he grabbed her and flung her over his shoulder.

“Hey, Jialuo! Giant-toothed eagles won’t fly at night—you know that! Put me down first! You’re not making any sense—I still don’t understand what you mean!” Her stomach slammed against his hard shoulder, nearly making her vomit. “We’ve been through so much together. Why are you like this… cough…”

The man abruptly stopped and roughly yanked her down. “I’ve said it so many times, and you still don’t get it? A man wanting a woman—is that so hard to understand?!”

A man wanting a woman?

He wanted her?

Her mind went blank. Sha Yi froze.

Was this… a confession?

But was she really that irresistible? He’d often seemed like he wanted to strangle her, and she’d even outsmarted him a few times. How could he possibly like her?

It made no sense!

Her confusion must have shown, because Jialuo, mistaking it for disbelief, grew even angrier. With a rough shove, he knocked her to the ground again.

Caught off guard, her back hit the hard, uneven ground, and she gasped in pain. Before she could react, he pinned her down. “I’ve never needed anyone before, but you—this cunning woman—keep doubting me, refusing me! No one in my tribe has ever treated me like this. You’re the first to dare!”

“You’re intruding! I already have Xiyi—I won’t accept another man!” Sha Yi pushed at him furiously. “Besides, no woman would like someone as rough as you!”

Jialuo paused. “So if I weren’t rough, you would?”

“Are you selectively deaf? I said I have Xiyi!”

“Fine, I’ll overlook that man!” Jialuo gritted his teeth. “Just leave a spot for me. Many women do that—you know how it is. There are too few women—it’s your advantage!”

“I won’t share my man, and I won’t share myself either. Xiyi and I are each other’s only ones. There’s no room for anyone else. Stop bargaining—it’s impossible!”

Enraged, Jialuo grabbed her clothes, tearing at them. “Liar! You keep provoking me, then think you can just walk away? Not a chance!”

Panicking, Sha Yi tried to push his hands away, but her efforts were useless. As he gripped her arms tightly, his earlier words echoed in her mind. With a sudden burst of determination, she kicked him—hard.

Her aim was precise, steady, and merciless.

Caught off guard, Jialuo took the full force of the blow. A strange, intense pain shot through him, twisting his face in agony. He glared at her, speechless.

Seizing the chance, Sha Yi scrambled to escape. But after just two steps, he grabbed her ankle.

She turned to meet his dark, furious eyes.

Even in pain, he refused to let go.

Sha Yi was terrified. “Let me go, or I’ll scream!”

Jialuo only grinned crookedly, tightening his grip.

Just then, a small figure darted from the shadows. Before she could react, it lunged at Jialuo, sinking tiny teeth into his wrist. Short forelimbs wrapped around his arm, and eight sharp claws dug into his flesh.

It was Squinty—the tiny hybrid wolf pup!

Though small, hybrid wolves were born with sharp teeth and claws. Even in its early growth stages, its attacks had some effect.

Blood trickled from Jialuo’s wrist.

But it didn’t last. With a fierce shake, he flung the pup away.

It hit the cave wall with a pitiful yelp, unable to move.

Sha Yi’s heart ached with anger and worry. She opened her mouth to scream, but Jialuo clamped a hand over it.

Despite the bite and eight bloody scratches, he ignored the pain, silencing her struggles effortlessly.

Despair crept in.

Then, from the cave entrance, Tuge’s panicked voice rang out: “Are you insane? You said you’d talk properly! What’s this, Jialuo? What are you doing?!”

“Stay out of it!” Jialuo snarled, dismissing Tuge.

But Tuge rushed over, pulling at Jialuo’s arm. “Let her go! You’re making things worse! If I’d known you’d do this, I’d never have helped you! Don’t you know how far the stone cave is from the shallows? How could you be so stupid?!”

Tuge’s intervention gave Sha Yi a brief respite. As the two men argued, she mustered her strength and shoved Jialuo away, scrambling toward the exit on hands and knees.

Behind her, Jialuo roared in fury: “Stop her, Tuge, you idiot! Let me go—!”

Trembling, Sha Yi barely managed to stand—only to collide with someone else.

Stumbling, she looked up.

It was Xiyi.

Overwhelmed, Sha Yi threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

The cave fell into eerie silence.

Only her cries echoed now.

Xiyi took a moment to grasp the situation, then his brow furrowed.

Holding her close, a surge of unprecedented anger rose within him.

His instincts in the grove had been right.

This man—Jialuo—desired the woman he loved most.