Just that one sentence alone made Sha Yi’s heart skip a beat, causing her to stop in her tracks immediately.
Behind her, Kapa, who had been following closely, failed to notice in time and bumped straight into her. Fortunately, he reacted quickly. Though he didn’t understand what had happened, he swiftly reached out to steady her, preventing her from stumbling and falling.
However, the collision startled her once again. By the time she turned around, her face had turned noticeably pale.
Kapa was also deeply alarmed. Holding onto her and seeing her pallor, he began to tremble slightly. “Sha… Sha Yi… what… what’s wrong with you?”
“I’m fine.” After a long pause, Sha Yi finally regained her composure, exhaling deeply before hesitantly asking, “Why did your mother say that?”
“Huh?” Slightly puzzled at first, Kapa quickly recalled the earlier topic and answered straightforwardly, “Are you asking about the meaning of my mother’s words? Honestly, I don’t really understand either. She’s always been the ‘shaman’ of the group, knowing things that most people don’t or can’t comprehend. But I have no such ability—my mother said I lack it.”
This sounded utterly mystical.
She truly couldn’t fathom why someone from such an ancient era could say something like that.
Of course, if it was just Kasang making things up—like how she had speculated about Yeli and Yelai based on a single encounter—then it wouldn’t be so surprising. But if that were the case, it would still highlight Kasang’s keen insight.
Otherwise, this was something modern science couldn’t explain at all.
Thinking this way, Sha Yi felt slightly more at ease. Still, she remained deeply intrigued by what Kapa had said, especially regarding Kasang’s role.
Given Kapa’s straightforwardness and stance, Sha Yi didn’t hold back her curiosity. “Kapa, are your mother’s prophecies always accurate?”
“Well…” Kapa glanced around cautiously, ensuring no one was nearby, then lowered his voice and leaned closer to her ear, speaking nervously. “There are times when they don’t come true!”
“Really?” Sha Yi was surprised again. “So, does she get it right more often than not?”
“Actually, my mother doesn’t make prophecies very often. She only speaks up when there’s a major issue. Most of the time, she doesn’t interfere with what Yeli and the others do.” Kapa sighed, sounding helpless. “This has its pros and cons. If she prophesies too rarely, it seems unimportant. But if she does it too often, there are bound to be inaccuracies. Either way, it’s problematic—Yeli is never happy. When my mother stays out of things, they think she’s useless. When she gets involved, they feel threatened.”
“Exactly,” Sha Yi nodded in agreement. “Yeli can’t tolerate others. He’s not like normal people—his ambitions are too wild. The only way to coexist peacefully with him is when he’s at the top. You either obey his every command, or you face death. I can’t quite describe the oppressive feeling he exudes, but in his mind, those who submit live, and those who defy him die. He wants to control everything about everyone.”
“Yes, yes, that’s it!” As if struck right in the heart, Kapa grew instantly excited, nodding vigorously. “He’s always been like this. At first, it wasn’t so bad, but over time, he became worse. Especially after women from smaller merged groups bore children for his men—they grew even more arrogant. Originally, they were just a group of ten or twenty men with no women. Who knew it would turn out like this?”
“To be honest, if you hadn’t let them run unchecked from the start, they might not have become so domineering.” Sha Yi shook her head regretfully. “But there was no other way. Both your group and ours were formed by merging smaller groups—it’s hard to unite completely. Comparatively, we’re slightly better off since we don’t have as many factions as you do.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” Kapa sighed in resignation. “And we joined Yeli’s group relatively late, so by then, many had already accepted his brutal ways. Our words and actions didn’t carry much weight.”
“Especially after the women had children with Yeli’s men, right?”
“Exactly.” Kapa nodded. “Since we’re on the topic, I have to tell you—my mother isn’t confident about this whole baby situation. She only said those things to stall Yeli because he always blames the women when something goes wrong. The worst part is, Yeli’s men force multiple women to be their partners, whether the women agree or not. But if men from other groups try the same, they’re forbidden. It’s outrageous!”
After a brief pause, Kapa continued, “And this issue of babies being born with problems has already killed many women. My mother couldn’t just stand by anymore, so she took a risk with those prophecies to buy time. But…”
He trailed off, looking nervous and apologetic as he glanced at her, opening and closing his mouth without saying anything further.
“But you didn’t expect the migration to be disrupted—first by Garo’s people, then by us, and now finding out this river mouth is already inhabited?” Sha Yi finished for him with a smile. “So, the only solution left is to deal with Yeli and Yelai, right?”
Kapa nodded again, though uneasily. “Can we succeed?”
“Originally, it was uncertain because none of us want to see our own people hurt. But if we let Yeli go, he’ll surely come back worse than ever.” Sha Yi pondered. “So, I think we have to give it our all, no matter the cost.”
Hearing this, Kapa grew visibly tense, but only for a moment before hardening his resolve. “We must take down Yeli. Even if it costs me my life, I’ll fight to the end. He’s already killed so many of us. Back when we were in the north, our group was about the same size as yours after merging, but now…”
“Don’t dwell on the past. And you don’t need to trade your life for Yeli’s—everyone will help bring him down.” Sha Yi patted the taller, dark-skinned woman reassuringly. “A life for a life isn’t worth it.”
It truly wasn’t.
She remembered that in prehistoric evolution, matriarchal societies emerged first, followed by patriarchal ones. Here, under normal circumstances, men outnumbered women, so women should be highly valued, their status above men’s.
But in Yeli’s group, due to natural imbalances, the gender ratio was reversed. They exploited the rarity of women to seize dominance.
Ultimately, this was an inevitable conflict between matriarchal and patriarchal systems—over which would take the lead.
Perhaps it was her speculation, or perhaps it was something history books never mentioned. She wasn’t sure if this had happened before, but given her time-traveling circumstances, she was witnessing it firsthand.
No matter what, she was betting on the matriarchal side winning.
She didn’t need to analyze their advantages or predict future developments—she just had a gut feeling. She couldn’t change history. No matter how extraordinary her situation was, a single drop in the ocean couldn’t stir waves. Even a whole river might not make a difference.
Sha Yi relaxed again.
Meanwhile, Kapa, after their exchange, looked on the verge of tears but managed to hold them back, sniffling as he hastily added, “Oh, and about Yelai—you might not know this, but while Yeli acts close to him, he actually wanted to kill Yelai before.”
“What?” This time, Sha Yi couldn’t hide her shock. “You’re serious?”
“Absolutely.” Kapa spoke firmly. “After my mother made the ‘live and die together’ prophecy, Yeli pressured her for a solution, threatening her if she didn’t give a clear answer. She had no choice but to tell him: ‘If one lives, both live; if one dies, both die. The only way to break this bond is if both have descendants.’”
“And then?”
“Yeli’s children all died. Yelai has none!” Kapa replied swiftly, a hint of smugness in his tone. “My mother wasn’t trying to protect Yelai. He’s cold and emotionless, but he just follows Yeli’s orders. At least he showed some reluctance when it came to the children.”
“How so?” Sha Yi asked, puzzled.
“Yelai’s women never bore children, while Yeli’s either died young or were sickly, slowing the group down during migrations—so Yeli killed them himself.” Kapa explained. “Once, Yelai tried to stop him, but Yeli was furious and beat him so badly he limped for a while. Coincidentally, that same night, Yeli fell down a slope and injured his leg. That’s when the ‘live and die together’ prophecy was proven true.”
“So that’s why Yeli wants to kill Yelai?” Sha Yi frowned. “Shouldn’t he be more cautious in that case?”
“He is afraid—that’s exactly why he’s so desperate to test it. He doesn’t want to risk his life because of Yelai.” Kapa almost laughed. “That’s why Yeli once stabbed Yelai with a bone knife in the middle of the night. If you don’t believe me, check Yelai’s waist—there’s a scar from it!”
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