He only held her for a brief moment to comfort her before letting go.
For the first time, he released her while she was still crying.
Sha Yi froze for a moment, sensing something was wrong. When she turned back, she saw Xiyi already facing off against Jialuo.
One stood tall, frowning down with disdain, while the other crouched on the ground, tilting his head in a provocative glare.
Though silence still hung between them, the undercurrent of hostility was already surging violently.
This was the kind of tension where a single wrong look could spark a fight.
Truthfully, she had long noticed Xiyi’s resentment toward Jialuo—just like his past conflict with Saina. But now, he was injured.
Jialuo wasn’t Saina, and Xiyi wasn’t the same either.
Back then, despite his fury, Xiyi had held back when he saw Saina was wounded. Though they clashed again later, it was only because Saina provoked him—after all, they were from the same settlement.
But Jialuo was different. He wasn’t part of Xiyi’s group, nor was he the type to compromise like Saina. Jialuo was impulsive, prone to violent outbursts, and often resorted to underhanded tricks. Forget his cunning—just considering the current situation, Xiyi was severely injured, putting him at a disadvantage.
Not to mention, their builds were nearly identical.
Right now, the best course of action was to downplay the whole thing. If Xiyi found out what Jialuo had done to her, he’d fight to the death to kill him.
And Jialuo? He was hardly the type to back down.
If Xiyi struck now, it would be exactly what Jialuo wanted.
Judging by Jialuo’s behavior, he had likely long since grown impatient with Xiyi. If Xiyi didn’t gain the upper hand this time, Jialuo would probably seize the chance to eliminate him—and she’d likely be forcibly taken away!
The scariest part was that Jialuo had probably already been scheming this.
Realizing this, Sha Yi quickly turned back—but she was too late to stop Xiyi.
He nearly kicked Jialuo straight out, but Jialuo wasn’t about to take the hit lying down. He immediately shoved Tuge aside and lunged back.
Back and forth, the two began brawling. In no time, both were bruised and bloodied—especially Xiyi. Since he had initially been facing away from her, she could immediately see his freshly treated wound tearing open again from the violent movements.
Crimson blood gushed out, and Sha Yi felt her heart twist in pain. Panicked, she cried out, “Stop fighting! Xiyi, Jialuo—both of you, stop!”
Beside her, Tuge was equally frantic. “Why are you two going at it like this? If things escalate, you’ll just create more grudges! What’s the point? It was a misunderstanding before—what’s the reason now? We all escaped together—can’t you just help each other out?”
But unfortunately, their words fell on deaf ears.
The two men—one consumed by rage, the other dead-set on destruction—were locked in a fierce battle, neither willing to yield.
What worried her was that Xiyi wasn’t at a disadvantage, nor was Jialuo gaining the upper hand. They were evenly matched—yet her heart remained heavy.
Realistically, Xiyi’s severe injuries should have made it impossible for him to withstand Jialuo’s relentless attacks. Yet not only was he holding his ground, he was even retaliating with equal force—which only worsened the tearing of his back wound.
It was likely sheer fury fueling his strength. But even if he won, what good would it do? In the end, he’d still be falling right into Jialuo’s trap.
Sensing the danger, she moved to intervene—but Tuge beat her to it, rushing between them.
Unfortunately, though both men pulled their punches, the momentum was too strong. In the end, Tuge took a solid hit from each.
Whether the blows were too heavy or he was simply too fragile, after those two hits, he swayed and collapsed.
Both men froze for a moment—but Tuge’s presence wasn’t enough to stop them. Within seconds, they were ready to fight again.
This time, Sha Yi didn’t hesitate. She rushed between them. “Stop! Both of you, stop right now!”
The two men halted immediately. Though anger still simmered in their eyes, neither spoke another word.
After shooting Jialuo a fierce glare, Sha Yi pulled Xiyi aside, her heart aching as she guided him to sit on the flattened raft. “Don’t fight anymore. You keep reopening your wounds. Last time, it was the saber-toothed tiger—you had no choice. But this is different.”
“But…” Xiyi glanced down at her, his words trailing off, his eyes still smoldering with suppressed rage.
She knew his anger wouldn’t easily fade, but she also knew that telling him the truth would only pour fuel on the fire. Compared to his injuries, her grievances didn’t matter.
After all, she hadn’t actually been harmed—just harassed by Jialuo. At worst, it could be called an “attempt.”
In this ancient era, they didn’t distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior—especially not with someone like Jialuo, who was used to taking what he wanted. She had no reason to let his bad habits wound Xiyi’s heart.
Glancing at Jialuo from a distance, she noticed the wound on his arm and seized the opportunity to redirect Xiyi’s anger. “Actually, it wasn’t what you thought. This whole thing… it’s kind of my fault.”
“What happened?” His attention successfully diverted, Xiyi’s expression shifted to concern. “Tell me.”
“Earlier, Mi Mi bit Jialuo, and he threw it against the cave wall. I got angry, yelled at him, and he said some harsh things. I was upset about Mi Mi and couldn’t help crying.” She pointed to the poor little creature still lying dazed on the ground.
“That’s it?” Xiyi glanced skeptically at the wolf pup by the wall.
“Didn’t you see his wrist during the fight?” She picked up the pup and showed him its mouth. “Look—there’s blood.”
“As long as you’re okay.” Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Xiyi finally managed a faint smile. “And don’t worry about the wolf pup. They’re tough—this one’s probably just dazed. It’ll recover soon. If it does die, I’ll get you another.”
Just that morning, he’d been jealous of her affection for the pup. Yet now, because of her words, he was saying this. Sha Yi’s heart ached. Softly, she murmured, “Compared to you, I’d rather you be okay. Look at you—your wound’s torn open again. Tuge’s bandaging was all for nothing. You’ve lost so much blood. Do you think you’re made of iron?”
“Iron?” His curiosity piqued, Xiyi instantly forgot his earlier frustration. “What’s that? Something to eat?”
Unable to stay stern, Sha Yi burst out laughing.
Tears still streaked her face, and now laughter bubbled up—she was utterly exasperated. But what could she do? Xiyi was from ancient times. Bronze hadn’t even been discovered yet, let alone iron.
The stainless-steel basin and fruit knife she had were just anomalies from her time-traveling. She couldn’t expect him to grasp the concept of metalworking overnight.
“Iron isn’t food. It’s like the basin we use or my knives. Want to try eating those?” Teasing, she tugged at him. “Turn around—let me check your wound first.”
Xiyi obeyed immediately, turning without protest.
The wound on his back was far worse than before—not only had the scab torn open, but the gash had widened, raw flesh exposed as blood seeped steadily. Though the flow wasn’t heavy, if this continued, he risked losing too much blood.
Panicked, Sha Yi glanced at Tuge—still unconscious—and Jialuo, who was slapping his face with no effect. Without another thought, she grabbed the dried bathrobe and remaining herbs from the tub and pulled Xiyi up. “Come with me to the shallows. I’ll treat it again.”
With a quiet “Mm,” Xiyi stood willingly—no trace of his earlier reluctance when Tuge had tended to him.
The sky had darkened, but the reflection off the water provided enough light for her to work.
It took considerable effort, but she finally managed to dress his wound properly.
Yet Xiyi remained restless, completely disregarding his injury. He reached for her, only stopping when she fixed him with a stern look.
In the end, he settled for sitting on the shore, watching her bathe.
By now, she was used to his affectionate touches and their long-standing intimacy. The initial resistance had faded, but she was still inexperienced. Even though he’d seen her naked countless times, shyness lingered. So she deliberately turned her back to him.
Xiyi didn’t complain.
The fact that she hadn’t shooed him away and even let him stay like this was enough to thrill him.
Though the dim light and water’s refraction obscured the view, it didn’t dampen his joy.
This was her way of trusting him completely.
Of course, if not for his damned wound, he’d have rushed into the shallows and embraced her without hesitation.
But… to avoid her anger, he’d behave.
After all, she’d already promised him—once those two annoying nuisances were gone, she’d be his alone.
With that thought, Xiyi relaxed.
By the time they returned to the cave, Tuge had woken up. He’d been muttering curses at Jialuo but clamped his mouth shut the moment he saw Sha Yi and Xiyi.
Jialuo, however, smirked at her—as if mocking her for hiding the truth, his eyes gleaming with smugness.
She glared back, refusing to waste words on him. Not even insults felt worth the effort.
By the raft, Mi Mi had woken up. Seeing them approach, it wagged its tiny tail and let out a soft whimper.
Sha Yi’s heart melted. She hurried over and scooped the little creature into her arms.
Xiyi’s face instantly darkened.
Amused, she handed the pup to him, and his sulky expression eased slightly.
Across the cave, Tuge hesitated before nervously speaking up. “Uh, Sha Yi… about that hide?”
She pointed to the one she’d thrown at Jialuo earlier, signaling with her eyes for him to take it.
Tuge fidgeted. “It’s getting cold at night… two people… need two hides…”
Sha Yi’s gaze flicked between Tuge and Jialuo, who lounged against the wall, legs swinging. Irritation flared.
Without a word, she strode over, snatched the hide from Tuge, and—under their stunned stares—hurled it out of the cave. Then she pointed outside and snapped, “Tuge, that hide’s yours. If you want it, go get it. If you want another? Dream on. And tonight, both of you sleep outside. If either of you dares stay, I’ll block this cave and burn it down!”
Tuge gaped, realizing she blamed him for helping Jialuo trap her. With a sigh, he muttered under his breath and shuffled out.
Jialuo, however, didn’t budge. He smirked at her, his expression taunting: *What are you gonna do about it?*
Sha Yi wasn’t in the mood to argue. She held up the hollow grass stem she’d taken from him earlier. “If Tuge freezes to death out there, don’t come crying to me. And don’t worry—I’ll prepare plenty of roasted bird meat for your journey tomorrow. You two can crawl back home.”
The threat hit its mark. Jialuo shot to his feet, frantically patting himself down. When he came up empty, he trembled with rage, pointing at her wordlessly before finally storming out with a furious curse.
Relieved, Sha Yi exhaled deeply and tossed the grass stem aside before sitting back on the raft.
Jialuo was shameless and despicable. If she hadn’t accidentally picked up that stem during his earlier assault, she wouldn’t have had any leverage over him. With their new, safe location, just threatening Tuge wouldn’t have been enough.
The mere thought was infuriating.
Xiyi, however, was delighted.
Without being asked, he cheerfully gathered large stones and barricaded the cave entrance—ignoring his injury entirely.
Soon, Tuge’s pitiful voice echoed from outside. “Just one more hide! Just one! It’s almost winter—nights are freezing!”
Disgusted by his dramatics and his attempt to get a hide for Jialuo, Sha Yi scoffed. “If you care so much, give him yours. Or better yet—let him cuddle with those five giant eagles he attracted!”
“Liar! Shameless woman!” Jialuo’s furious shout followed. “If you hadn’t stolen my stem, I wouldn’t need a hide!”
“I *found* it. You know what you did—don’t play dumb.” She shot back, fed up. “And don’t push me. If I really decide to scheme against you, you’ll regret it.”
Silence fell outside. No more shouts, no curses—as if both men had instantly fallen asleep.
Sha Yi savored the quiet, saying nothing more.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage