After a whole night of chattering, they finally managed to pry some information out and sent Tuge away. The two of them cuddled for a while before settling down to sleep.
However, the sleep wasn’t peaceful, as strange noises kept coming from the corner outside the stone cave.
Sha Yi was so annoyed by the disturbance that she sent Xi Yi to check. Each time, all he saw was a massive black shadow frantically fleeing. Eventually, even Xi Yi couldn’t take it anymore and simply stationed himself at the cave entrance, ready to rush out whenever the noises returned.
Turns out, it was Jialuo eavesdropping.
The two of them ended up brawling outside the cave again, and soon, everyone who had just fallen asleep was collectively awakened.
Their fight escalated into a full-blown group brawl.
Sha Yi had a splitting headache and went to ask Tuge about it, only to find him covered in bruises. She immediately understood—Tuge had likely been beaten up by Jialuo earlier.
The brawl lasted well into the early hours of the morning, with no way to stop it. Furious, Sha Yi stormed back into the cave and slept for a long while. By the time dawn broke, the fighters were exhausted and retreated to their respective territories.
With no further clashes between the two groups, Sha Yi finally relaxed.
Xi Yi didn’t return to sleep. Instead, he was at the cave entrance, cooking meat soup. When he saw her approaching from afar, he stood up awkwardly, seemingly remorseful for failing to stop the fight with Jialuo the previous night.
Sha Yi initially wanted to ignore him, but seeing the fresh wounds on his body—including reopened scars on his back that had almost healed—her heart softened.
After all, it was she who had asked him to investigate outside the cave. If not for her request, he probably wouldn’t have fought with Jialuo.
But this moment of weakness led to him pinning her down once again.
In the quiet dawn, by the half-open cave entrance and the cooking fire, atop an animal hide, Sha Yi suffered his relentless advances.
Even after fighting Jialuo half the night and staying awake, he was still full of energy. Her momentary indulgence had only fueled his insatiable appetite.
Since Xi Yi had first tasted intimacy, he had hardly let a day pass without claiming her—except during her monthly cycle. Sha Yi began to regret whether she had been too accommodating.
But the man who had already devoured her didn’t care about her thoughts now. At the moment, he was more focused on cooking soup for her—likely with the intention of fattening her up.
Xi Yi’s meat soup was delicious, especially with the addition of fresh edible greens. She ate much more than usual.
After the meal, Xi Yi took her to see the prey they had caught the previous day.
Her eyes immediately landed on the white creature with black spots—it did resemble a sheep. However, it had four horns: two straight and two curled, round ears, and thick, curly wool. Its size was comparable to a half-grown calf in modern times.
It had an injury on its hindquarters, likely from an arrow during the hunt, but the wound wasn’t serious. Now, it sat listlessly in a corner of the enclosure.
The rest were smaller animals, including more pheasants and an increased number of large rabbits. But what excited Sha Yi the most was spotting what looked like an egg inside the enclosure.
She wanted to crawl in and retrieve it, but Xi Yi instantly grabbed her shoulder, signaling her to wait. He quickly found a long stick and rolled the egg out.
It was indeed an egg—about the size of her palm, fitting for the pheasants’ size, though there was only one.
Sha Yi couldn’t hide her delight.
This was just the beginning. If they managed to raise these animals well, the eggs would multiply. Eventually, they could hatch more pheasants or even cook them if there were enough.
Though Xi Yi had told her winters here weren’t too harsh, he also mentioned that each winter grew colder than the last. Regardless, they needed to prepare, just as they had for the rainy season.
No one could predict when disasters—natural or man-made—would strike.
Fortunately, winters were dry, eliminating the threat of giant snakes and making hunting and daily life easier.
As for warmth, aside from the cotton-like plants she had seen earlier, the wool from this sheep-like creature could also serve as insulation. If it was female or paired with a mate, they might even get milk.
Beyond livestock, there was farming.
Sha Yi wasn’t well-versed in agriculture, much like her unfamiliarity with local plants. At best, she could teach basic sowing or planting techniques, but she had no idea which crops could withstand winter temperatures.
Perhaps the female-dominated group Tuge mentioned knew more about farming. They carried seeds and stems—why would they bring seeds if not for cultivation?
While she held some hope, she couldn’t be sure whether their arrival would be good or bad. After all, sudden additions of strangers or new elements always brought tension.
Just like when Jialuo’s group had traveled far to join their settlement.
Sha Yi suddenly felt they needed to hurry and build their houses.
Preparation was always wise.
According to Jialuo, the female-dominated group wasn’t far away. And as Tuge said, they had taken two men from his group, meaning they might eye men from other groups too. Even if they sought friendly relations, mutual benefits were necessary—otherwise, the strong would always seek to dominate the weak. No group would willingly merge as subordinates.
Though their current group was still clan-based, the female group might already be a tribe. Once tribes formed, power struggles and ambitions followed.
Just look at Jialuo—his group was likely somewhere between a clan and a tribe.
But Jialuo’s stubbornness was another headache.
Add to that the tension with Saina, and the dynamics among the three groups here were already delicate. And now, Jialuo’s group had provoked yet another unfamiliar group.
Sha Yi’s head throbbed. She didn’t want to think about it anymore.
Xi Yi, however, seized the moment to lead her toward higher ground on the other side of the cave, whispering mysteriously, “Sha Yi, come with me. I forgot to tell you something yesterday.”
Puzzled, she followed obediently.
The path was long and winding, but they eventually reached a damp woodland. Thankfully, it was still early, and the woods were quiet.
Sha Yi caught sight of a small lake.
Nestled beneath the trees, its surface reflected the pale dawn sky, softer and more beautiful than the lake where she had first bathed—even more stunning than the vine-covered paradise near their old cave. The water’s edge and bottom had faint white deposits, creating a mesmerizing sight.
Dazed, Sha Yi instinctively moved closer, but Xi Yi crouched and pointed at the water, whispering, “The lake tastes like salt crystals—just like the ones we use to preserve meat.”
Sha Yi was stunned.
A salt lake?
Unable to resist, she dipped her finger in and licked it.
Slightly salty with a hint of bitterness.
It was indeed salt. She nodded unconsciously. “This is a salt lake.”
Seeing her confirmation, Xi Yi grinned. “We passed by here while hunting yesterday. I was thirsty and took a drink—never expected it to taste like salt. Can we use it to preserve food like mineral salt?”
“Of course!” Sha Yi was thrilled. After longing for salt for so long, it had appeared effortlessly. “The process is similar, and since it’s not the rainy season anymore, we can even dry it in the sun. This discovery couldn’t have come at a better time. If we’d waited until the female group arrived, we might not have had this chance.”
Infected by her excitement, Xi Yi’s eyes sparkled. “Then come see this too. Yesterday, we also found many bamboo-vine trees here. But because of the newcomers, no one mentioned it.”
Sha Yi couldn’t contain her joy. She threw her arms around the tall man’s neck and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
Her initiative delighted Xi Yi, who promptly lifted her into his arms. Grabbing one of the thick vines hanging from the trees, he swung them both onto another vine.
Aside from the time he had rescued her, this was only the second time she’d seen him swing on vines. His agility, speed, and flexibility were as impressive as ever. After a few swings, they had left the salt lake far behind, landing near a shallow shore.
The layout of the shore was similar to their cave’s surroundings, but the vegetation was vastly different. While their area was sparse, this place was dense with bamboo-vine trees.
There they were—the long-missed bamboo-vine trees. Their intertwined trunks, resembling woven chairs, stood closely together, leafless, with countless finger-thick vine tubes hanging between them. A gentle breeze carried a faint lemony fragrance.
Sha Yi felt that perhaps, in just this one day, they could make significant progress on their houses. Even if the bricks weren’t here, they could take the entire gum-filled vine tubes back—after all, they were the natural containers for the tree’s adhesive.
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