Chapter 256: The Situation Has Turned Against Them

Yeli arrived quite quickly.

Not long after the agreement was made with the woman from the old settlement cave, he swiftly led his group over.

Originally, she had thought that, given Yeli’s suspicious nature, it would take at least until the afternoon. But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.

At this moment, Sha Yi was somewhat puzzled.

However, she and the few men were currently hiding in the dense foliage a fair distance from the giant pit, so she didn’t dare make any rash decisions. She simply observed for now.

Just as Garlo had told her earlier, he lay motionless by the edge of the oil pit, pretending to be dead, with the black wooden arrow still sticking straight up from his back.

Truth be told, she was still a bit worried about his arrow wound. But Garlo had clearly stated that it was just painful, and since he was still lively as ever, she didn’t insist on having the arrow removed.

For now, it seemed to be working.

She guessed that even if Yeli had his doubts, seeing such a scene would put him at ease.

At the moment, Yeli’s group stood not far from the pit, and the woman from the old settlement—the one who had been stabbed in the thigh—was speaking to him.

Kapa and the other women from before were still bound, their faces slightly reddened as if they had been slapped a few times. Sha Yi suspected that Yeli might have actually struck them.

Xiyi wasn’t among this group. Sha Yi counted—excluding Kapa, Yeli had brought about seven or eight people, roughly a third fewer than their original numbers.

Those missing were likely left behind at the temporary camp to guard Xiyi.

Perhaps Yeli still harbored some suspicion toward them, which was why he had come with only part of his group, leaving Xiyi behind. He didn’t want to risk everything at once, so he split his forces.

Ironically, they had also split their own forces. No matter what Yeli did, he was destined to miscalculate.

She was certain that Saina would take advantage of their absence to strike. Once Xiyi was rescued, Yeli would be in deep trouble.

Thinking this, she felt much more at ease, though still a little nervous. After all, if Yeli were truly that simple-minded, they wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.

But what was done was done. Overthinking was pointless now. She just hoped no further complications would arise.

However, Yeli didn’t go straight to Garlo to inspect him. Instead, he signaled for the injured woman from the old settlement to check.

This made Sha Yi somewhat anxious, as she wasn’t entirely confident in that woman either. The only reassuring thought was that if things went south, Garlo, Kapa, and the others were skilled enough to break free easily.

So, Sha Yi kept her eyes fixed on the woman as she approached. Only when she saw the woman’s calm expression did she finally exhale in relief.

True to her earlier promise, the woman answered Yeli exactly as they had agreed, showing no signs of betrayal.

But Yeli—his thin frame and dark gray eyes betraying his distrust—still wasn’t satisfied. He called two of his men to inspect Garlo as well.

Fortunately, Garlo cooperated perfectly, lying completely still.

The two men, however, seemed reluctant, their faces even showing faint resentment. Still, they complied.

Sha Yi studied their faces, feeling a vague sense of familiarity, though she couldn’t place where she’d seen them before. She decided they must be from Garlo’s group, the Manlun people.

Their expressions of disgust and reluctance were so genuine that even from a distance, she could confirm the woman’s words were truthful.

Once the two men gave the same report as the woman, Yeli finally seemed convinced. He stood silently for a moment before leading his group toward Garlo.

But instead of inspecting him, Yeli raised a half-length bone spear.

It seemed he intended to stab Garlo with it.

Of course—with a captive like Xiyi, why would he care about a “half-dead” prisoner like Garlo? Besides, they had a history of enmity. Garlo had once escaped from Yeli’s grasp, taking a large portion of his group with him. Add to that Garlo’s cunning and difficulty to control, and it was no surprise Yeli wanted him dead.

Now, everything depended on the actions of those few men and Garlo’s timing. Otherwise, their side would be in even greater danger.

Beside her, the men had already drawn their bows, and Sha Yi instinctively clenched her fists.

Everything was going according to plan—except for the fact that they couldn’t just shoot Yeli down. The lack of precision and the difficulty of a one-shot kill were major drawbacks.

Just as she was thinking this, a rustling came from the bushes a few steps behind Yeli’s group. Sha Yi reflexively turned to look and saw several figures darting out with incredible speed—so fast she could barely make them out. One of them even swung out on a thick vine.

In her memory, only one person had ever swung through the trees like that.

Her heart leaped. Instinct told her it was Xiyi!

But before she could call out, Yeli, standing by the pit, turned sharply as if to flee. However, the men and women beside him reacted instantly, grabbing and restraining him.

Caught off guard by yet another betrayal, Yeli froze for a moment before letting out a furious, almost insane roar. With strength belying his thin frame, he threw off the two women holding him and, without hesitation, raised his bone spear and stabbed at one of the men.

The man couldn’t dodge in time. The moment the spear struck, he screamed and let go.

Seizing the chance, Yeli broke free.

But he failed to notice the “dead” man behind him suddenly springing to life. Garlo kicked him square in the back with tremendous force, knocking the wind out of him.

By the time Yeli caught his breath, Xiyi and Saina had already reached him.

Yet Yeli paid them no mind. His rage was entirely focused on those who had betrayed him. Even as three men lunged at him, he hurled his bone spear with all his might at one of the women who had been thrown aside—the one closest to Sha Yi’s hiding spot.

The woman startled but managed to leap aside just in time, narrowly avoiding the deadly projectile.

But in the next second, Sha Yi realized in horror that the spear, fueled by hatred and brute force, was now hurtling toward her.

With its original target gone, the spear’s momentum carried it straight at her—just like Kapa’s arrow before.

Sha Yi cursed inwardly.

Xiyi must have seen it too. He roared and sprinted toward her, but how could he outrun a spear?

Panicking, Sha Yi tried to move but found her legs numb from crouching too long. Her heart sank.

At the last possible moment, one of the men beside her—one of Saina’s followers—shoved her hard. She tumbled to the ground just as a sharp *whoosh* cut through the air above her, followed by a solid *thunk* as the spear embedded itself deep into a tree trunk behind her.

The shaft still quivered slightly.

Sha Yi shuddered.

Thankfully, she had been pushed. Even if the fall hurt, it was far better than being impaled.

Everyone around her exhaled in relief—especially Xiyi, who had somehow reached her in the blink of an eye.

Before she could fully process it, he scooped her up and crushed her against his chest.

Pressed against his warmth, Sha Yi felt like crying. It had only been a day, yet it felt like an eternity.

Then she caught the scent of blood on him.

Remembering Kapa’s earlier words, she immediately struggled free.

Xiyi looked confused until he realized what she was checking for. He smiled gently and shook his head, signaling that it wasn’t serious.

And indeed, compared to some of his past injuries, these were minor.

But if every wound were compared to those, he’d need more than one life to survive.

Right now, his body was covered in small, shallow cuts—likely from tight bindings or beatings with bone weapons. The jagged edges of those tools would naturally leave marks.

Still, it angered her. Seeing him hurt was unbearable, especially knowing Yeli was responsible.

Fuming, she stepped around Xiyi to glare at Yeli by the pit.

One look, and she nearly cursed aloud.

Noticing her expression, Xiyi turned—only to see that Yeli, despite being at a disadvantage, had somehow seized Saina.

Now, with a bone knife pressed to Saina’s throat, Yeli’s dark gray eyes burned with malice and a hint of triumph.

Sha Yi was speechless.

Saina’s injuries must have never fully healed. Otherwise, someone like him would never have been caught so easily.

And now, she could see fresh blood soaking through his clothes. Worse… it seemed he had been distracted because of her.

—From the way he had been facing them, his back to Yeli, and the fact that Yeli had been a step behind him, it was clear Yeli had exploited the moment Saina’s attention was on her.

That damned bastard!