Chapter 180: An Unexpected Reunion

It was a rather warm and cozy evening.

After finishing dinner, the two of them played around for a while before lying down to rest.

Xiyi held her in his arms and quickly drifted off to sleep, but Sha Yi found it hard to fall asleep.

In ancient times, unlike the modern era, there were no forms of entertainment. Moreover, without the social interactions of living in a community, people went to bed even earlier—a rather frustrating reality.

Sha Yi eventually dozed off amidst her wandering thoughts.

In the middle of the night, however, she was startled awake by a commotion outside the stone cave.

It sounded like a large group of people making noise. Though the echoes in the cave made it hard to discern clearly, she was certain it was the sound of many voices.

In her mind, this area was supposed to be uninhabited. The sudden arrival of people gave her an odd feeling.

Still, she lay quietly for a while longer.

She couldn’t tell who the voices outside belonged to, nor whether it might be Saina and his group returning unexpectedly. Instinctively, she grew wary and even a little resistant.

As she hesitated, Xiyi, who was holding her, stirred as if he had also woken up.

Unable to hold back, Sha Yi whispered, “Xiyi, do you hear the noise outside?”

With a low hum, the man tightened his arms around her and murmured, “Let’s listen for a bit longer to figure out what’s happening.”

Sha Yi silently agreed—it was exactly what she had been thinking.

After all, this wasn’t like what they had seen earlier in the evening. The situation outside had appeared suddenly, and they were completely unprepared. Caution was necessary.

Xiyi held his breath for only a short moment before suddenly sitting up. Without even a word, he rushed to the cave entrance and began moving the large stones blocking it.

Sha Yi didn’t know what he had heard, but judging by his actions, he must have recognized the people outside.

Perhaps it was Xigu and the others!

Her heart pounded wildly—she was both hopeful and afraid. Still, she followed Xiyi’s lead, getting up to grab the lighter and relight the two bonfires.

With the help of dry branches, grass, and resin, the pitch-black cave was instantly illuminated.

Given that it was the middle of the night and recalling what had happened with Tuge and Jialuo earlier, Sha Yi also grabbed two banana leaves and lit them, placing them near the cave entrance.

Xiyi had already cleared an opening wide enough for two people and rushed outside without hesitation. Standing at the entrance, Sha Yi could barely see anything in the darkness, but she could faintly make out that the noise was coming from the shallows.

After listening for a while, she began to recognize some of the voices—even the rough, hoarse voice of a woman she had heard many times before. A long-lost familiarity.

It sounded like… Xigu!

It might really be her!

Xiyi had lived with Xigu and the others for years, so he wouldn’t mistake their voices. If they had survived the volcanic eruption and somehow made their way here, reuniting now would be nothing short of fate.

Sha Yi’s heart swelled with joy.

If Xigu and the others had arrived, at the very least, they wouldn’t have to worry about Saina’s group anymore. If they could form a new settlement together, they could merge into a single tribe.

In ancient times, strength in numbers was an undeniable truth.

But for now, if they had arrived in the middle of the night, they must have endured a lot—possibly without even eating. The journey must have been exhausting.

Thinking quickly, Sha Yi grabbed some roasted meat and set it over the fire. Considering the size of the group, she also gathered the dry grass and branches Xiyi had brought back earlier and started more fires.

Her fire-building skills were far from perfect, and it took her a while to set up three somewhat unstable bonfires. By the time she had placed enough meat over them, the commotion from the shallows had moved closer to the cave entrance.

They were here!

Sha Yi instinctively turned her head but barely had time to react before a tall, burly figure swept her up in a tight embrace, even spinning her around a few times. Finally, the woman complained, “Sha Yi, why are you still so thin and light? Has Xiyi not been feeding you enough meat? After the rainy season, you should start thinking about having a child. How are you going to manage like this?”

Such blunt and crude words could only come from Xigu. But Sha Yi didn’t mind the roughness—instead, she hugged Xigu back, her heart racing with excitement. For a moment, she felt so overwhelmed she could cry.

In truth, they had only been apart for a few days—not even a full month. But so much had happened in between, filled with twists and hardships. Reuniting now was nothing short of a miracle.

This must be what it meant to cry from sheer joy.

Xigu was Xiyi’s sister, which technically made her family too. And then there were the others—people who had survived life-and-death situations together. The feeling of regaining what was lost was indescribable.

It was like believing someone had died, mourning for them, only for them to suddenly reappear. Anyone would be moved to tears.

Before Sha Yi could respond, Xigu immediately turned her attention to Xiyi, shouting loudly, “Xiyi, you little rascal! Don’t you know you should be fattening Sha Yi up? How is she supposed to bear a child when she’s this thin? Don’t tell me you’re not planning to work on that this winter!”

With that, Xigu raised her hand as if to smack Xiyi.

But Xiyi just grinned foolishly, letting her scold him.

Sha Yi couldn’t bear it and quickly stepped in to stop Xigu. “Xigu, don’t hurt Xiyi! He was badly wounded by Jialuo’s bone spear and still hasn’t fully recovered. Even if you’re eager for a child, at least wait until he’s healed! Besides, I’ve always been like this—it’s not Xiyi’s fault!”

The words spilled out before she could think. Only after speaking did Sha Yi realize how blunt she had been—especially in front of Xigu, defending Xiyi so openly. Her face flushed red.

Just as she turned to flee, the man she had been protecting grabbed her arm and pulled her firmly into his embrace.

Sha Yi was mortified.

Xigu, however, burst into laughter. “That’s more like it! Honestly, I think Xiyi’s injury is nothing serious—it shouldn’t affect reproduction. You two can start working on it anytime.”

The others laughed along.

Sha Yi didn’t dare say another word. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Xiyi, though he kept holding her hand, refusing to let go. Helpless, she had no choice but to sit beside him.

Once everyone had entered the cave, Sha Yi noticed two people being carried in—Masa and Marui, father and son.

Sha Yi was startled, but Xigu waved it off casually. “They got bitten by giant mosquitoes the night before. We were in a hurry and didn’t have time to find zhi grass. Now that we have more people and a stable place, they can just rest for ten days or so—it’s no big deal.”

Xiyi, however, couldn’t help but chuckle. He got up and handed Xigu the zhi grass they had found a few days earlier. “We looked for this recently. It was hard to find, and someone even stole two stalks. This is all that’s left.”

“It’s enough,” Xigu said, her eyes lighting up. Still, she had no intention of applying it herself and instead called over a few other women to help with the task.

Once the grass juice had been applied to Masa and Marui, the group quickly settled in, setting up more fires and starting to roast meat.

Xigu sat down with them and began chatting. “Back at the main river channel, I thought something had happened to you and Xiyi. What really went on?”

Sha Yi didn’t hold back and recounted everything that had happened with Jialuo and Tuge.

Though Xigu also expressed disgust toward the two, she didn’t say much more—after all, Tuge had saved Sha Yi and Xiyi. But when Jialuo’s name came up, Xigu nearly jumped to her feet, vowing to make them pay.

Sha Yi was both amused and exasperated but still asked earnestly about their group’s journey.

According to Xigu, after turning away from the waterfall and heading toward the grasslands, they had traveled toward their usual summer roaming grounds. But the situation there was no better than by the river—flooding was severe, with tributaries overflowing and even the forests submerged. The constant tremors from underground forced them to keep searching for a new settlement.

Their final departure from that area had been a stroke of luck. Due to the rising waters, they had already moved to the edge of the forest, where the terrain was higher and conditions slightly better. They had planned to settle there, but just as they were unloading the raft, the ground split open—right before their eyes, the elevated cave they had intended to live in cracked in half. Terrified, they had no choice but to abandon the spot and seek new land beyond the flooded area.

That same night, they had seen and heard the distant upheaval at their old settlement.

They didn’t know what it was, but the destruction was catastrophic. Underground magma surged up, obliterating vast stretches of forest and even igniting the black sediment in the grasslands. The river water couldn’t stop the flowing lava or the raging fires.

Though they were reluctant to leave their land, they were grateful they had gone when they did—otherwise, they might have met a terrible fate.

Sha Yi also felt a surge of relief.

It was sheer luck that they had encountered the ground fissures caused by the eruption at just the right moment. In that land, aside from their own groups, there had been no one else. Now that both Xigu’s and Saina’s people had escaped safely, the only ones left behind were likely those from the original cave settlement—just as she had suspected.

Though she felt a pang of regret, she wasn’t sad.

Once the meat was roasted, Xigu and the others began eating ravenously, as if they hadn’t had a proper meal in days.

While urging Xigu to slow down, Sha Yi began considering the issue of housing.

With so many people arriving at once, the cave was far too small for a settlement. Privacy was also a problem—especially given Xigu’s blunt remarks about reproduction. Even if the others weren’t embarrassed, Sha Yi couldn’t bear it.

Finding more caves in this area was impossible, and the giant trees here were much smaller than the towering ones from their previous home.

After much thought, the best solution seemed to be building individual houses. But constructing wooden cabins or making bricks would be difficult—the former required sturdy tools, while the latter demanded knowledge and experience. Neither was easy. For now, she wasn’t sure how to bring it up.

Perhaps, if they could find bamboo-like plants here, they could build bamboo houses. After all, cutting bamboo would be much easier than felling thick trees. But she wasn’t sure if such plants existed here—or even in this era. They would have to take it step by step.

When she finally voiced her idea, the others were stunned.

Sha Yi wasn’t surprised. They had only ever lived in caves or tree hollows—building houses was a foreign concept. Their tools were mostly bone-made, barely sufficient for basic tasks, let alone logging.

Even their raft had been made possible only by the lightning strikes during the rainy season.

Still, after hearing her out, many agreed to search for bamboo-like plants, while others suggested using the raft as a base for a makeshift house.

Sha Yi gladly accepted their enthusiasm.

With this group around, she hardly had to worry about anything.

They had spent the entire rainy season together, enduring countless hardships. When she had been captured by Jialuo, they had even been willing to trade all their food for her. She would always be grateful for that.

At this moment, Sha Yi suddenly felt that every problem had a solution.

Just like when she had first arrived in this world, struggling to adapt.

People grew resilient through hardship. And as for the limitations imposed by nature—they could overcome them with their own hands.

No one was born with everything. With effort, they could create shelter and weapons.

Their shared settlement was likely just a step away from becoming a true tribe.

After finishing the roasted meat, Sha Yi helped Xigu take stock of the supplies they had brought.

Food was relatively plentiful, and they had plenty of containers. Though they hadn’t had much chance to hunt along the way, they had managed to keep almost everything intact—including the bows, arrows, and even the entire raft.

With these resources, supporting twenty-one and a half people (accounting for the injured) in the short term wouldn’t be a problem.

Besides, hunting in winter wasn’t too difficult, and with so many men around, basic needs would be met.

The real challenge now was housing. Sha Yi guessed that the most feasible option for now was using the raft as a base for a temporary shelter. The gaps could be easily filled with the sturdy bamboo resin they had used before, allowing the single men to share the space for the time being.

Once the plan was settled, she stopped overthinking it and got up to help the other women tidy up the remaining supplies.

Meanwhile, Xigu and Ximang began whispering to each other.

Sha Yi couldn’t hear them, but from the occasional sly glances they shot her way, she had a strong suspicion they were discussing how to get her pregnant as soon as possible.

She wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea, but their suggestive looks were downright unbearable.

In a corner of the cave, Masa, now treated with zhi grass, had regained some mobility and was playing with the little wolf pup. The sight made Sha Yi smile.

It had been an exhausting day—constant drizzling rain, emotional highs and lows, cooking dinner three times, and being woken up in the middle of the night.

Still, she was happy with how things had turned out.

At the very least, Xiyi could finally relax and focus on healing. With more people around, hunting wasn’t an urgent necessity anymore.

As for children—aside from her initial nervousness, the presence of other women now gave her a sense of security. She even felt a flicker of anticipation.

A child with an ancient man—just the thought was surreal.

But she doubted she could escape it. The rainy season was over, and everything was settled. With their mutual promises and Xiyi’s energetic persistence despite his injury, she suspected he would take action in a matter of days.

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder—what would a child of hers and Xiyi’s look like?

Perhaps it was best to let things unfold naturally.

Once everything was tidied up, the group settled down to sleep in the outer cave, while Sha Yi followed Xiyi back to the raft in the inner chamber.

Lying down again, both were utterly exhausted. But the joy of reuniting after believing all was lost kept them awake, buzzing with excitement. They talked late into the night before finally falling into a deep sleep.