Under the special effect brought by the lighter, the unfamiliar man indeed showed signs of fear and refrained from taking any further action against her. As a result, both sides fell into a prolonged silence.
Sha Yi was more than happy to have a moment to catch her breath. Though the situation was unexpected, she welcomed it.
The only thing troubling her was that Saina was still unconscious, which was far from ideal.
Moreover, the giant-toothed eagle beneath them, which had been floating on its back since they fell in, showed no signs of movement, as if it were already dead.
Sha Yi couldn’t quite figure it out. After all, the surface below was a thick, viscous liquid rather than solid ground, making it impossible for the fall to have been fatal.
If it wasn’t the impact, then what could have caused such a massive bird to die instantly?
After pondering for a long time without reaching any conclusion, Sha Yi had to abandon the thought and instead turned her attention to slapping the cheeks of the man who had been unconscious beside her for so long.
Waking Saina up was no easy task. It took her considerable effort before he finally stirred, groaning in pain as he regained consciousness.
The dim lighting and his position beside the bird’s wing made it difficult for her to assess his injuries, but she suspected they were severe—his face was deathly pale, covered in sweat, and his rapid breathing betrayed his agony.
She wasn’t entirely comfortable with him lying on the other side of the bird’s wing, but pulling him over to the belly was out of the question. Had he been uninjured, it might have been manageable, but given his condition and the fact that the belly was much higher than the wing, she had no choice but to climb down herself.
Fortunately, the wing was massive and sturdy enough to support them both. She quickly helped him lie down properly.
Only when he was settled and she leaned in closer did she finally get a clear look at his wounds.
Amidst the splotches of blood, a gruesome injury marred his waist, dangerously close to the wound he had sustained when they first met. Unlike the deep gash from before, this new wound was a large, scorched area—as if something intensely hot had seared his flesh. Though it hadn’t penetrated deeply, the severity of the burn and the alarming amount of blood loss indicated just how dire his condition was.
The injury must have been there for some time. What had initially been a relatively serious flesh wound had worsened due to lack of proper treatment, and now it was in a critical state. Just looking at it made her wince in sympathy.
As she hesitated, the pale-faced man suddenly let out a low chuckle. “Scared, huh? I didn’t want you to see me like this either. But ever since I first picked you up, every time we get close, it’s always like this—me badly injured, torn between resentment and anticipation…”
“When did you get this wound?” Ignoring his resigned words, Sha Yi couldn’t help but ask, her voice laced with concern. “Why do you always have so many injuries? And why do they never seem to heal?”
“Can I take that as you worrying about me?” Coughing weakly, Saina fell silent for a moment before replying with self-deprecation. “I don’t want to tell you why. That way, you’ll keep guessing. At least in situations like this, you’ll keep thinking about it.”
“Do you have a martyr complex?” Sha Yi was exasperated by his stubbornness. “Or do you actually want to die here?”
“If fate decides I die here, then so be it.” The man shrugged, his expression indifferent. When he looked at her, there was even a hint of hope in his eyes. “Dying by your side isn’t so bad, is it?”
Sha Yi shot him a glare, seriously considering abandoning this reckless man. “You might want to die, but I don’t!”
“I won’t let you die.” His carefree demeanor vanished as he suddenly grew serious. “No matter what, I’ll make sure you leave here unharmed.”
“Really?” Sha Yi gestured at his condition, propping her chin on her hand. “In your current state, do you honestly think you can protect me? If anything, you’ll be the one relying on me to get out.”
“Trust me.” He coughed again, his face contorting in pain as the movement aggravated his wound.
“Trust isn’t enough. Explain how you plan to get us out of here with that injury—especially since you refuse to tell me how it happened!” Frustrated, Sha Yi tugged at the torn piece of animal hide covering his waist, only to notice the bleeding had worsened. Panic crept into her voice. “How did you even treat this before? If this keeps up, you’ll bleed out!”
“Curious? Fine, I’ll tell you.” To her surprise, the man seemed in high spirits, laughing for the third time despite the pain it caused. “I got this wound back at the double-mouthed cave. When the accident happened, I didn’t know you’d already left. I went back to look for you, but the ground was shaking violently—rocks were flying, the mountain was splitting apart, and some strange liquid burst from the earth…”
“So your injury was caused by lava?” Sha Yi gasped. “Didn’t you realize how dangerous it was? Why did you stay?”
“Lava?” The man paused, then nodded. “That’s a fitting name. That liquid was red and orange, smoking and moving fast. It looked scalding hot, burning the entire land into pieces. I was hit by one of the exploding splashes. After that, I followed the others here. I didn’t expect you’d still be here too. But I couldn’t come out sooner—our people aren’t skilled at treating wounds.”
Halfway through his explanation, she had already pieced everything together. Yet hearing the rest still left her with an odd feeling.
According to his account, his injury was entirely her fault.
The realization made her heart heavy, but she refused to dwell on it.
After all, most of their suffering had been caused by him. Though he cared for her, he was also the root of their troubles. He had sown the seeds and now reaped the consequences. To her, this was simply karma.
If he thought her cold-hearted for it, so be it.
But it seemed she had overthought it—he showed no signs of blaming her. When she remained silent, he simply smiled again. “If I die here, let the people who followed me join your group. They mean no harm.”
“Absolutely not!” Sha Yi scoffed. “When you betrayed us, they left without hesitation. Now that things have gone wrong, they want to come back? Dream on!”
Unable to ignore his worsening wound any longer, she began removing her skirt. “If you were the mastermind, they were your accomplices. If you die here, they’ll follow sooner or later. We won’t give them another chance!”
Ignoring his injury entirely, the man watched her actions with amusement. “It hasn’t been that long, but you’ve changed so much—more than when we were at the double-mouthed cave. I’m starting to wonder if you’re even the same woman I cared about back then.”
Rolling her eyes, Sha Yi folded the skirt in half. “Finished your last words? Good. Sit up so I can bandage your wound. Once that’s done, get me out of here. After I’m safe, you can die here all you want.”
His laughter only grew at her sharp words, though the effort of sitting up made him grimace in pain.
Sha Yi ignored him, bending down to wrap the skirt tightly around his waist. “Take a deep breath!”
He obeyed, and she quickly tied the makeshift bandage in place.
Luckily, the skirt was just long enough to wrap around his waist and knot securely. Still, it was frustrating—so many of her clothes had been sacrificed for bandages, and she was running low. She wasn’t even sure she’d get this skirt back.
Unaware of her thoughts, the man began fidgeting with the skirt, as if uncomfortable with the tightness.
Sha Yi sighed and pushed his hand away. “Stop fussing. This is pressure bandaging—if it’s not tight, it won’t stop the bleeding. We don’t have proper supplies, so deal with it. You’ve already decided to die anyway!”
Reluctantly, he lowered his hand and lay back down, murmuring, “What about that strange, hostile guy?”
“Over there, on the other wing of the eagle.” Sha Yi jerked her chin toward the other side of the bird, keeping her voice low. “Staying here isn’t an option. This bird seems dead. Do you have any ideas for getting out?”
“I don’t even know where we are!” He groaned, rubbing his forehead. “How am I supposed to come up with an escape plan so quickly?”
“Then where did all that confidence come from earlier?”
“Confidence is necessary. Otherwise, we’d just be waiting to die. Sometimes you have to say bold things first—it gives you the drive to actually try.”
Defeated by his twisted logic, Sha Yi threw up her hands. “Fine, you’re right. So now I just sit back and wait for your brilliant plan?”
Ignoring her sarcasm, the man grew serious. “Do you know what’s going on here? And why hasn’t that guy attacked us? Did he not pass out from the fall?”
“He’s perfectly fine. He already tried to attack me while you were unconscious—it just didn’t work. I think he’s afraid of this.” She held up the lighter but didn’t dare ignite it again. “When I lit it earlier, it burned some of his hair. I doubt he’ll make any sudden moves now, at least not here.”
“Then why didn’t you keep using it?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage