Chapter 223: Sai Na’s Underhanded Scheme

After listening to her, Kapa quickly nodded vigorously, as if finding her words quite reasonable.

With that, the previously inexplicable incident came to an end.

Sha Yi let out a sigh of relief and turned to climb back toward the poolside.

During the earlier tussle with Kapa, she hadn’t felt the cold, but now, with the sudden absence of tension and commotion, Sha Yi abruptly realized how chilly she was.

The temperature wasn’t extremely low, but with water on her body, the winter air inevitably brought a biting cold. Shivering, Sha Yi hurriedly picked up her pace.

This time, Kapa didn’t stop her or pull her back. Yet, under such circumstances, Sha Yi suddenly discovered that the clothes she had left by the poolside were gone.

Just moments ago, she had clearly been holding them!

Sitting by the pool, trembling and pondering for a while, Sha Yi felt a creeping unease. She turned to look at the dark, muscular Kapa standing in the hot spring water, who responded with a broad grin—and then… pulled out a pile of soaking wet animal-skin clothes from the water.

In an instant, Sha Yi felt her lips twitch in exasperation.

But the dark-skinned woman holding the drenched garments seemed utterly oblivious, even wearing an expression of innocent confusion.

Sha Yi was instantly exasperated.

All she wanted was a simple bath. Why was it that when Xi Yi bathed, everything went smoothly, but when it was her turn, it felt like she’d run into a ghost?

Not only did Kapa suddenly appear out of nowhere, but she also had the misfortune of dunking Sha Yi’s clothes into the pool. What rotten luck!

Gritting her teeth and glaring at Kapa, Sha Yi angrily retreated back into the pool.

Kapa remained clueless, but upon seeing Sha Yi’s furious expression, she couldn’t help but shrink back slightly, looking somewhat sheepish. Still, she maintained her sentinel-like posture, half-submerged in the water.

At this point, Sha Yi was utterly aggrieved. Staring at Kapa, she grew increasingly frustrated. “Aren’t you cold standing there like that?”

“Cold?” Taking up her question, Kapa, who had only been slightly confused before, now looked utterly bewildered. “Before we came here, we lived the same way in winter as we did in summer. Though this place is a bit colder than where we used to be, the difference isn’t that big!”

“If it’s not that cold, then why are you wrapped in such a huge animal hide?” Sha Yi pointed irritably at the large pelt Kapa had discarded nearby. “Besides, this winter is clearly much colder than the last one. How can you say there’s no difference?”

“Actually, the purpose of wearing the hide is simple—to minimize injuries.” Kapa spoke earnestly. “As for how cold winter is, maybe the differences are bigger where you’re from. For us, there’s not much variation between our old home and here.”

Kapa’s explanation left Sha Yi momentarily stunned.

Previously, based on what Tuge had said, she had silently accepted that in this era, the northern regions were warmer than the southern ones. Yet now, Kapa was describing a scenario more akin to modern times, where the north was colder. Sha Yi no longer knew whom to believe.

However, Kapa and Jialuo’s group weren’t from the same place. Though they had once been neighbors long ago, Kapa’s people had migrated further north later. Their differing perceptions likely stemmed from living in different regions.

Perhaps both extremes were true in this world.

Sha Yi couldn’t be sure how many other phenomena here defied modern science or common sense. In any case, both Kapa and Tuge might be right—after all, neither had any reason to lie to her about the weather.

Initially, she had assumed Kapa wore animal hides because they simply didn’t know how to make pants or similar garments. It hadn’t occurred to her that they genuinely didn’t feel the cold.

Sha Yi let go of her confusion, only to recall Kapa’s mention of the hides’ defensive purpose. A new question arose. “By the way, you just said you wear hides to minimize injuries. What does that mean? Can hides resist stabbing?”

“Not entirely.” Kapa shook her head. “But the hide I was using earlier came from a black water beast. It can withstand bone knives. I don’t know about others, but my mother made sure I had one.”

“Didn’t she prepare any for Yeli and the others?” Sha Yi asked hesitantly.

Kapa answered swiftly. “Why would she? Hunting one of those black water beasts is incredibly difficult. Before we merged with Yeli’s group, our entire community only had two or three such hides. We never caught any after that—the cost was too high, and they’re hard to find, especially after we moved with Yeli. Besides, Yeli has always been at odds with us. If there’s ever a day he doesn’t think about how to eliminate my mother, I’d be grateful. Why would we tell them about the hides’ properties, let alone give them any?”

Kapa’s reasoning was sound, and Sha Yi could see the genuine loathing beneath her anger. Now, she was certain that if they allied with Kasan and Kapa’s faction, the latter would be more than willing.

Perhaps she couldn’t fully grasp the deep-seated hatred between Yeli and Kasan, but that wouldn’t hinder an alliance between strangers.

No matter what other reasons or conditions existed, hatred still reigned supreme.

With that question settled, Sha Yi turned her attention back to the black hide. “Isn’t it inconvenient to move around wrapped in such a large hide?”

“Of course it is. It’s not like we’re freezing to death. And thankfully, it’s not summer yet, or else…” Kapa sighed. “If we hadn’t run into that group with strange weapons, my mother wouldn’t have forced me to wear this thing. The hides others use are much lighter!”

“Strange weapons?” Sha Yi’s heart skipped a beat. “What kind of weapons? Like the ones our people use?”

“I’ve never seen your weapons, so I can’t compare.” Kapa answered honestly. “But I can describe theirs.”

Nodding, Sha Yi urged her to continue.

Kapa obliged. “Their weapons had two parts. I didn’t see them clearly, but they could shoot thin, hard black wooden sticks from far away. Their technique was similar to how we throw bone spears, but the effect was many times stronger—faster, more precise, and more powerful.”

Sha Yi immediately thought of Saina!

After all, no one on their side would actively attack Yeli’s group. And if anyone had such aggressive tendencies, it would be Saina.

But his injuries had been severe. How was he already causing trouble again after just over a month?

Moreover, given Saina’s current numbers, even with bows and arrows, how could he possibly gain an advantage against Yeli’s much larger group?

After some thought, Sha Yi wondered if Saina had noticed that while Yeli’s group was large, they weren’t entirely united. Still, without allies or insiders, exploiting that division would be difficult.

She couldn’t guess what he was plotting.

But that wasn’t the pressing issue.

Right now, she needed to focus on their own situation. Saina was cunning enough to have a plan, and if it failed, he’d likely find a way out.

She asked Kapa, “When did you encounter these attackers?”

“Hmm…” Kapa thought for a moment. “Not long after we arrived here, shortly after we agreed to cooperate with Jialuo.”

“Do you remember what their leader looked like?”

“He had very narrow eyes, was quite thin, with short hair and a cold face… that’s about it.” Kapa scratched her head. “The attack targeted Yeli’s group. They left us alone. He seemed to have a deep grudge against Yeli—he went berserk the moment he saw him. But I have no idea what their conflict was about.”

Listening to Kapa, Sha Yi frowned slightly.

Saina… was this his revenge against Yeli?

Was it because of what Yelai had done to her?

Originally, she’d assumed he was just scheming as usual, seizing opportunities to cause trouble and gain resources. But Kapa’s account made it clear—he was specifically targeting Yeli.

What worried her was that Saina might not know it was Yelai who had attacked her, and his retaliation was directed at Yeli.

If not for Yelai’s capture, Yeli wouldn’t have suddenly come to negotiate, nor would they have learned about the twins.

In that case, Saina likely thought Yelai had escaped.

Now, she wasn’t sure whether his ignorance was good or bad, nor whether his actions would backfire.

“Oh, one more thing!” Kapa suddenly added. “After the attack, my mother thought anyone hostile to Yeli could be a potential ally, so she sent someone to talk to them as they retreated. But the man completely ignored us, as if he didn’t trust us at all.”

Distrust—that sounded like Saina.

His paranoia and scheming nature were well-known. For a member of an enemy group to suddenly propose an alliance, it was a miracle he hadn’t attacked them outright. If he’d accepted without hesitation, that would’ve been truly bizarre.

Of course, that was just his nature. She didn’t want to judge, but she did want to know Kasan’s thoughts on Saina’s rejection.

She asked bluntly, “What did your mother say about the man refusing you?”

“Nothing much. She just told us that no matter what, we should avoid conflict with Yeli’s enemies and help them when possible.” Kapa was straightforward and guileless, answering without reservation—likely due to her trust in Sha Yi, fostered by Jialuo’s influence.