Even if her face was stinging from being wiped, she felt an unprecedented warmth.
Before, she hadn’t noticed it. Even during that accident on the great river, she had made a decision in an instant. By the time she woke up, it wasn’t long before she learned the outcome from Tugena. She had been happy then, but compared to this time, it was entirely different. Though both involved life-and-death separations, and the time wasn’t long, the first time she had fallen from the waterfall and hadn’t heard the things Kasan had spoken of, nor had she ever felt this kind of blood connection. So, facing the miracle of life restored before her eyes, she could hardly bear the thought of a third time.
Of course, she didn’t want such a thing to happen again.
Even though she supported Xi Yi’s decision to risk his life to save Saina, deep down, she didn’t want him to sacrifice his life for Saina. She didn’t want anything to happen to him.
Thinking this, the moisture in her eyes grew heavier.
Xi Yi’s gentle smile faded instantly. He instinctively wiped the corners of her eyes again, then lowered his head to gaze at her for a long time. Finally, he lifted her chin firmly, his voice trembling slightly: “Sha Yi, you…”
He stopped mid-sentence and didn’t continue.
At first, it didn’t seem like much, but his words left her utterly confused. Moreover, he hadn’t revealed any hint of his meaning. She pondered for a while but still couldn’t figure out what he wanted to say. In the end, she could only raise her head and look at him in bewilderment.
Xi Yi remained silent, withdrawing his hand from her cheek and instead brushing her lips lightly. The next second, he swiftly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace, then bent down and captured her soft lips with precision.
Sha Yi was startled but quickly reacted, wrapping her arms around him in return.
The kiss was incredibly sweet, melting away all her worries and melancholy, leaving her utterly intoxicated.
However, she also instantly noticed the metallic taste in her mouth—earlier, in her frantic state, she had forgotten about it when she saw Xi Yi alive. Now, Xi Yi must have noticed this detail. He was anxious but didn’t know what to do—otherwise, why would he inexplicably wipe her lips?
Now, seeing that she seemed fine, he must have tried to comfort her, but he wasn’t sure how to do it best. So, in the end, he simply kissed her.
She had been slow to realize it.
But for this indirect comfort, Sha Yi felt her heart still longed for it. At least, in this moment, she was willing to drown in the tenderness he gave her.
Yet she also knew he was badly injured—not as severe as Saina, but still serious. She couldn’t let him worry any longer. Moreover, she needed Tugena to tend to his wounds as soon as possible.
This ancient world was nothing like the modern one. No matter how strong Xi Yi’s resistance was, the conditions here were far worse. If his wounds became infected or festered, it would be truly uncontrollable.
Thinking this, Sha Yi instinctively reached out to push away the sturdy man still kissing her.
But Xi Yi remained unmoved. He even resisted her push with a mischievous force, leaving her breathless while he stood firm.
The vast difference in their strength left her helpless, but she still didn’t want him to ignore his injuries.
After a moment’s thought, Sha Yi mustered all her strength to push Xi Yi again.
This time, though she didn’t succeed, Xi Yi let out a low groan, as if she had touched a wound. And she indeed felt something wet and sticky on her hand.
It must be blood.
And based on her understanding of Xi Yi, if it were just a minor wound, he wouldn’t have made a sound. His pained groan now suggested something was seriously wrong.
Panicking, she immediately turned her head to avoid his kiss and blurted out urgently, “Xi Yi, stop! Don’t you realize you’re injured?”
Unfortunately, the man ignored her. After his pained groan and her reflexive loosening of her grip, he became unrestrained again, turning her face back to his and kissing her a second time.
What a reckless, lust-driven man!
Sha Yi was both furious and amused, unable to resist muttering under her breath, “Xi Yi, if you keep acting so recklessly, I’ll make myself just as injured as you!”
This finally startled the stubborn man who had been intent on kissing her. He stopped abruptly and pulled back.
She thought he would apologize, but in that instant, he bent down and lifted her into his arms. “I was worried about you…”
“Have you even looked at your own injuries? Are you really this reckless?” Unprepared for his reaction, Sha Yi felt torn between laughter and tears. “If you keep being as stubborn as you were the first time on the great river, I swear I’ll follow you to death. If you don’t care about yourself, don’t expect me to care about your child either!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the man’s strikingly deep and beautiful brown eyes narrowed slightly, and he murmured her words back to her: “My child… my child…”
He had known for a while that she carried his blood in her womb, and he had been overjoyed. But hearing her say “your child” now filled him with even greater excitement.
Yes, this was his child—his and hers. She had never phrased it like this before. Hearing it for the first time, he found it unbearably sweet, a feeling so intense it could overshadow everything else. Lost in this joy, he almost forgot the dull, heavy pain of his wounds.
Long ago, he hadn’t known what it would feel like to have a woman carry his child. In fact, every time he remembered how half-dead Xigu had been after giving birth, he had felt a strange fear.
Back then, he hadn’t known if he would ever truly have a woman—one who belonged entirely to him.
But women were scarce here, and since childhood, he had been raised with the rule of one partner per person. So he had always thought he would either live his life alone or find a woman who belonged only to him.
As it turned out, he was incredibly lucky. He had met her. Just as he had once told her, he had liked her from the first moment he saw her. From that moment, he had felt an overwhelming desire to make her his.
She was so different—more delicate than any woman he had ever seen, with skin so fair it was unlike anything he had encountered. Even her face was unique, so beautiful he always wanted to lean in and kiss her.
And in their early days together, she would sometimes throw little tantrums or act stubborn, but he adored it. He had never felt such possessiveness or protectiveness toward any other woman. Even when she resisted his touch or seemed repulsed by him, he never once thought of giving up on her. Though rejection often left him disheartened, he couldn’t bear the thought of letting her go, of her leaving him or belonging to any other man.
Before her, he had never begged any woman for anything. But with her, he often found himself unable to control his heart or his actions. Just from what he could remember, he had already pleaded with her countless times.
Just like his heart—he wanted to see her every moment, to have his life intertwined with hers at all times. He could give up everything else, but he couldn’t lose her. So he was always afraid she might leave him one day. After all, she had never promised him anything, and other men were always eyeing her. Between them, if he were honest, he had essentially forced her to stay with him.
Looking back now, all those past moments were beautiful. Even the times he had shamelessly begged her not to leave—he had done so willingly, without regret.
Meeting her must have been fate.
She was indeed far more delicate than other women. He was almost certain that without him, she would have died long ago. But she was also incredibly clever. Take the past rainy season, for example—with all its disasters, they might not have survived without her.
She always came up with the strangest ideas. He didn’t know where she came from, but the things she brought with her were as mysterious and rare as she was.
He also remembered her telling him she was from another group. At first, he hadn’t doubted it, but as time passed, he grew increasingly certain her origins weren’t as simple as she made them sound.
But it didn’t matter anymore. The only thing he feared was losing her.
As long as she stayed by his side, nothing else mattered. He didn’t care about anything else, and he feared nothing.
Now, in this new place, he had finally gotten all of her—and planted his seed in her womb. He felt they could never be separated again.
It was this thought that had steeled his resolve during the explosion, braving the flames and flying debris to save Saina.
He had told himself he couldn’t die. He had to save Saina, and he had to survive—because he didn’t want to leave her, and they still had an unborn child.
His child… she had said it was his child!
Unconsciously, he lowered his head to look at her still-flat stomach, his heart bursting with joy. Unable to resist the temptation of her words, he reached out and gently stroked her belly.
He truly looked forward to this child’s arrival, and he would never let her suffer like Xigu had with Masa.
He even greedily hoped… he could have more children with her!
Seeing him silently repeat her words twice and then fall quiet, Sha Yi grew a little worried. She waved her hand in front of his face, but Xi Yi didn’t react—not even a blink.
Sha Yi was baffled again.
Fortunately, Xi Yi’s daze didn’t last long. He quickly snapped out of it and gave her a silly grin.
Sha Yi sighed in relief and gestured for him to put her down, but he still refused to listen, stubbornly holding her tight.
In the end, Sha Yi had no choice but to relent.
But considering his soot-covered body and wounds caked with dirt—and recalling Saina’s terrible state—she realized that even if Xi Yi took her back now, Tugena likely wouldn’t have time to tend to him first. It would be better if she cleaned his wounds herself.
With that in mind, she stopped insisting he put her down. Instead, she pointed toward the edge of the forest and asked softly, “Xi Yi, do you want to clean your wounds first?”
“Wherever you go, I go.”
His answer wasn’t what she had asked for, but it revealed the depth of his feelings for her. At that moment, she just stared at him, unable to muster any teasing words.
The atmosphere between them was warm and serene. In their exchanged gazes, she felt she could see everything he desired and thought.
He never wanted to be apart from her—and neither did she.
She was absolutely certain that without her, he wouldn’t last a moment. And without him, she wouldn’t fare much better!
Just like earlier, when she had instantly decided she would live and die with him.
Since neither could live without the other, they might as well live well together.
To hell with group conflicts, tribal formations, matriarchies, and patriarchies!
She wanted only him, just as he wanted only her.
Life was unpredictable, disasters happened, and happiness was hard-won. Both of them needed to cherish what they had now.
She didn’t respond to his irrelevant answer, and he didn’t press her further. Instead, as he gazed at her tenderly, he seemed to ponder something briefly before grabbing a thick vine and climbing swiftly without hesitation.
Xi Yi wasn’t heading toward the shallow waters at the forest’s edge.
After a brief pause, Sha Yi quickly understood his intention.
His goal wasn’t hard to guess. It was winter, and the weather was cold. Going to the hot spring behind the stone cave where they had once lived would be perfect.
But mostly, she was worried his injuries wouldn’t withstand the long journey.
Xi Yi, however, clearly hadn’t overthought it. He seemed in far better shape than she had imagined—nothing like the unsteady steps he had taken when emerging from the thick fog earlier.
Perhaps he had recovered, or perhaps he was simply too exhilarated.
In any case, his one-armed climbing was just as agile as when he had first rescued her. If anything, he seemed to grow even more energetic as he went.
Seeing this, Sha Yi stopped voicing unnecessary concerns and let him have his way.
Xi Yi clearly adored her compliance—his radiant expression said it all.
He climbed swiftly, much faster than walking. And since they didn’t need to navigate winding paths, it wasn’t long before the hot spring came into view.
The water was as clear as ever. Despite the chaos in the forest, this place remained unchanged. The only difference was the faint mist seeping from the rocks—more noticeable now, likely because the weather had grown colder, making the contrast between heat and cold more pronounced.
Upon reaching their destination, Xi Yi finally set her down—though reluctantly. But he knew his limits and didn’t cling to her, simply removing his hide pants and stepping leisurely into the water.
By now, she was used to his unabashed nature.
They had long since bared themselves to each other, body and soul. After everything they’d been through, she found this directness refreshing—she didn’t mind it at all.
But Xi Yi seemed hesitant about something. Once in the spring, he turned his back to her.
Whether he was afraid she’d refuse to wait by the shore out of shyness or hiding a serious wound she didn’t know about, she couldn’t tell. But she noticed that now, only when removing his pants by the spring did he move with his usual decisiveness.
Sha Yi felt a pang of reluctance.
After a moment’s thought, she slowly removed her own hide garments and slipped into the water from the edge.
Hearing the movement behind him, the muscular man in the spring stiffened slightly. He kept his back to her but turned his head to look at her the next second.
His deep brown eyes held surprise, joy, and a hint of nervous uncertainty.
Without hesitation, she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
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