Chapter 186: Mutual Utilization

But in the end, the group that had followed Garo managed to stop the troublemaker.

So, in the end, Tuge happily stayed with Sha Yi and her group, while the others occupied a spot not too far or too close, settling down to eat and rest.

As for Tuge, he naturally remained with them.

His eyes seemed much better, though not fully recovered. At first, he panicked when Xigu grabbed him, but having seen much in his time, he quickly calmed down.

Thanks to efficient teamwork, while the group talked, the women—who were keeping an eye on the brick-making while also roasting meat—had already prepared a good amount of food.

But it still wasn’t enough, so the men who had participated in the hunt ate first.

Ever since Sha Yi had joined these people and discovered how to make salt crystals, she had received special treatment—priority in everything.

The group was grateful, and she didn’t put on airs to refuse, accepting their kindness graciously.

This time, Tuge also benefited from the arrangement. Unlike before, Sha Yi didn’t scowl at him, and Tuge, knowing better, didn’t bring up past grievances. Instead, he devoured the food as if he were starving.

In no time, he had gnawed through a large piece of roasted meat with his chipped teeth.

Xigu looked disgusted, while Sha Yi and Xiyi exchanged glances without a word.

The four of them waited until Tuge had eaten his fill and finally couldn’t hold back any longer: “Alright, what’s this all about?”

“You can’t possibly be unaware of Garo’s intentions. Since you came here with a clear purpose, just spit it out. No more beating around the bush. If you want to merge, drop the scheming and stop playing games!” Sha Yi shot him a sharp look. “Otherwise, like I said before, go back where you came from!”

“Why so harsh? If it weren’t for me, would this man of yours even be alive?” Tuge grumbled, snatching the piece of meat Xiyi hadn’t yet eaten. Chewing messily, he added, “Besides, it’s not me being sneaky—it’s Garo. I can’t control him!”

Xigu yanked the meat from Tuge’s mouth and snapped, “We didn’t bring you here just to eat! If you’re only taking and not giving, you’ve got some nerve. Do you think any group would want someone as useless as you?”

Unfamiliar with Tuge’s temperament, Xigu reacted with his usual temper. Sha Yi, however, knew Tuge had a strange personality and expected him to flare up. To her surprise, the old man instead crawled over, grabbed her leg, and wailed, “Sha Yi, who is this? Why is he bullying me?”

The act was eerily similar to Garo’s antics, making Sha Yi’s skin crawl. She glanced at Xiyi, who looked equally exasperated as he nudged Tuge’s clawing hands away and pulled her aside without a word.

Sha Yi figured Xiyi still felt grateful toward Tuge for saving him. If not for that, he probably would’ve tossed Tuge out long ago.

Moreover, Xiyi had no ambition. His only concern was staying with her. Unlike Garo or Saina, he had no interest in scheming or power plays.

She didn’t expect him to offer solutions—whatever she decided, he’d follow. So she cut straight to the point: “According to Garo, you’ve lived long enough to know plenty—certainly no less than Xigu. Today, you’re going to tell me everything about that female-dominated group. If you hold back, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“How can you be like this?” Tuge grumbled. “So ungrateful!”

“Seems like your eyes healed but you forgot how to see people. Stop dangling the fact that you saved Xiyi over our heads. You’ve already been repaid.”

Though Tuge and Garo often fought, Sha Yi hadn’t forgotten they came from the same group. No matter how much they bickered, they never abandoned each other—proof of their bond. Their hesitation now was just about securing the best terms for their group in the merger. But she needed to pry the truth from them—things they knew but her group didn’t.

Tuge immediately adopted a look that said, *I knew you were no different from Garo*, and huffed, “You want me to spill everything, but you haven’t promised us anything!”

“Don’t get it twisted. *You* came to *us*, not the other way around. If you don’t show sincerity, why should I promise you anything? You’ve got your own mess to clean up, yet you’re trying to take advantage? Dream on. Either talk now or crawl back to Garo and get lost!” Sha Yi’s patience snapped, reverting to the fiery temper she’d had when first captured. “Xigu, throw him out!”

Xiyi, having seen her clashes with Garo and Tuge before, wasn’t surprised. Xigu, however, gaped before suddenly slapping his thigh in approval and bending to grab the old man’s collar.

Tuge instantly deflated, even the haughty expression he’d copied from Garo vanishing. “I was wrong!”

*Typical—only yielding when forced.*

Now even Tuge was shameless like this. Was Garo’s whole group the type to respond only to toughness?

Understanding dawned, though Sha Yi didn’t show it. She waved for Xigu to let go.

Xigu complied, and Tuge wasted no time stuffing the snatched meat back into his mouth before mumbling, “I know they came from the west. Long ago, they were like us. I’ve been to their place—originally no different, with more men than women, just smaller groups.”

“I wasn’t part of Garo’s group back then. Mine lived near theirs. But something happened there—like what happened here, except the ground split open. Many men died during hunts, unable to escape, including most of my group.” He paused. “I was young then, barely escaped, and ended up with Garo’s people. After that, I rarely saw them.”

“At first, they moved to that forest full of venomous snakes. Just women, in groups, hardly any men. Later, they migrated north. We visited their old settlement—found lots of dead newborns, all girls.”

“After that, apart from what we saw on the way here, I only saw them once more. By then, they’d formed a huge group. More men, but still few. And the women did the hunting—hardly ever saw men in the hunting grounds.”

Sha Yi interrupted, “On your way here, did you notice if their numbers had grown?”

“Counting newborns?” Tuge thought, then nodded. “Yes, many more. More than our two groups combined. Mostly women. I think they’ve been searching for a new home—maybe something was wrong with their last one.”

“Something wrong? Like the giant snakes here?” Xiyi finally spoke up. “Xigu said their place didn’t have that problem.”

“That’s what I heard too,” Xigu added. “But I’m not sure.”

“No giant snakes,” Tuge confirmed. “But I don’t know the real reason. All I know is most of their babies were girls, and few survived even without danger.”

“Where did you run into them? And why did Garo think of stealing women? Your group’s small—he’s not that stupid. What gave him the idea?” Sha Yi pressed.

“Hmph!” Tuge scowled. “That idiot wasn’t after women at first. It was the plants and seeds those women carried.”

“Why would he want those?”

“He’s always been obsessed with figuring out plants. And those seeds grew edible greens—no idea where they found them!”

*Those women knew how to cultivate?*

Sha Yi was stunned. If they had such resources, why migrate again? And the skewed birth ratio and high infant mortality puzzled her.

After a long silence, she returned to the topic. “You were riding birds—how did you get caught stealing plants? And lose two men?”

“That’s thanks to Manlun,” Tuge said, finishing his meat. “You know him, right?”

Sha Yi nodded.

“Those women were on foot. We’d already grabbed seeds and plants—they couldn’t stop us. But then Manlun tried to kidnap two women and got captured himself, along with one of his followers.”

Sha Yi laughed. “Garo’s so fierce, yet he can’t control his own? Bet he wanted to steal women himself!”

“You know Garo and Manlun don’t get along—saw it back in the cave. We weren’t originally one group.” Tuge smirked. “As for whether Garo wanted women… you should know, shouldn’t you?”

Sha Yi felt played but didn’t get a chance to retort before Tuge rambled on: “Garo’s flawed, but he’s stubborn about women he’s set his mind on. Never seen him so serious. Otherwise, he wouldn’t insist on merging or give those two women from your old settlement to other men.”

The mention of Garo’s schemes darkened Sha Yi’s expression.

*Serious? More like obsessive interference!*

A guy who forces his way in, bullies others, and plots murder when refused—only to grovel when cornered, clinging like a leech.

She’d had enough of this clingy, two-faced man.

What he wanted now was no different from Saina’s original plan—one woman for three men.

Some small groups did that, but Xiyi’s people didn’t, and she couldn’t accept it either.

So Garo, unwilling to be driven away, was probably here mainly for *her*.

That bastard even stirred trouble along the way—a walking disaster!

Annoyed, she felt Xiyi’s arm tighten around her waist, sensing his anger too.

Frustrated but helpless against Garo’s shamelessness, she realized driving him off was hopeless. He’d cling to her stubbornly. The real issue remained the women’s group.

Noticing her silence, Tuge spoke again: “Because of this, we argued with Manlun even before arriving. And some of his people are here.”

Was he hinting at something?

Sha Yi eyed him suspiciously as he puckered his wrinkled lips. “Our group has big problems, but merging is best. Neither of us has as many as those women. If they dared take our men, they’ll take yours too.”

“Save the sweet talk.” Sha Yi smirked. “I know your game. Garo’s demands are off the table. After merging, he doesn’t get to call the shots. The rest is negotiable.”

Cornered, Tuge puffed his cheeks but stayed silent, finally mimicking Garo: “Liar! Tricked me into talking!”

Amused by his frustration, Sha Yi laughed. “What did you expect? You knew this would happen.”

“Of course I knew!” Tuge grabbed more meat, eyes shifting. “But that’s not my problem. Don’t tell Garo I told you.”

*Like that’ll work.*

With so many witnesses, even a fool would know he’d spilled the beans.

Sha Yi held back laughter but nodded. “Fine, I won’t. But I’ve got something to tell you too.”

“What?” Tuge mumbled through a mouthful.

“Remember the group that captured you? They’re here.”

“You saw them?” Tuge nearly dropped his meat, scanning their faces. “Saina? He’s alive?”

Sha Yi shook her head. “I didn’t see Saina, but others from his group. He’s probably with them.”

Grumbling, Tuge frowned. “Why tell me this?”

“Don’t you think this place is too complicated? Your group’s divided, we’ve got history with you and Saina, and now you’ve provoked a huge new female group.” She paused for effect. “See the problem?”

“What’re you getting at?”

“You handle Garo and Saina. I don’t care how. Just make sure they don’t cause trouble. Then we’ll deal with the women’s group.”

“M-me?” Tuge stammered. “You think Garo’ll listen to me? That hothead—”

“Your problem. If you can’t convince him, no merger.” Sha Yi smiled sweetly. “I won’t risk fighting two fronts because of your infighting.”

Tuge jumped up, indignant. “You’re using us!”

“Mutual benefit. Focus on making the merger work—you know how it is.”