Chapter 229: Chaotic Situation

Before the night was over, the very thing she feared had come to pass.

Garou had appeared in the evening, and by midnight, he was back again.

Since she had mentioned Garou’s earlier words to Xi Yi before bed, Xi Yi had also relayed the information to the others. Thus, with everyone prepared, their gathering was swift.

Unlike before, when Garou had avoided the others and brought only general news, this time he not only knocked on her and Xi Yi’s door but also unhesitatingly called everyone out. Moreover, the news he brought left the group seething with anger.

Among the two merged groups, aside from them, the rest hadn’t seen Garou in a long time. Their side was relatively calm, but Tuge’s group was entirely different. After all, to those people, Garou was still considered a leader, and following him had brought them many benefits.

Even though some of them might have originally come from Manlun’s side, and even though they were still wavering, they hadn’t yet made the decision to join Manlun.

So, at this moment, their reactions were genuine and natural.

With everyone gathered, Garou laid out the entire situation.

The gist of it was that Yeli had launched a sneak attack on Saina in the afternoon, followed by another in the evening. Then, by midnight, the focus had shifted toward their side. Additionally, Saina was also leading Yeli’s people toward them.

In essence, Garou wanted to emphasize two points.

First, Yeli’s attack on Saina could be seen as a diversion or as intentional, but the primary target was actually their side. Of course, killing two birds with one stone was even better—at the very least, this “hidden agenda” approach effectively dispelled their suspicions on the surface. Second, Garou wanted to highlight Saina’s unreliability. On this point, he was entirely self-serving, using Saina’s actions to draw trouble toward them in an attempt to force their side to abandon cooperation with Saina.

Had she not known about Garou’s plan to set fires, she might have believed him. After all, Saina’s intentions were deep—at least, that had always been the case before. Using this to sow discord would have almost certainly succeeded.

But Garou had miscalculated.

While the others were busy cursing Saina for his treachery, she saw the situation clearly—as did Xi Yi.

A single glance between them was enough for mutual understanding.

At this point, Sha Yi couldn’t help but feel some resentment.

Garou’s attempt to gain an advantage had backfired, and now he was reaping what he sowed. Even if Yeli was determined to attack them, had Saina not come their way but instead gone in the opposite direction, Yeli’s forces wouldn’t have fully concentrated here, as Saina would have drawn away some of them.

All things considered, Garou had undoubtedly taken the opportunity to kick Saina while he was down.

Moreover, the first fire he set was likely meant for Saina.

He had actually intended to use Yeli’s hand to eliminate Saina. Regardless of what promises he had made to her earlier, he had gone back on his word afterward. But someone like Saina wouldn’t be so easily outmaneuvered.

The reason Saina had chosen to come their way was probably because Garou had ruined their most advantageous position. Additionally, joining forces with them was likely the wisest choice. Even if it meant drawing Yeli’s forces together, they could still unite as one.

Beyond that, there was probably also an element of deliberate revenge against Garou.

But Garou was no pushover either. If Saina dared to come, he dared to frame him, outright telling everyone that this was proof of Saina’s unreliability and his intent to betray them all.

Seeing that neither she nor Xi Yi spoke up, Garou tried to further confuse the group and deepen their hostility toward Saina.

But Xi Yi had no patience for his nonsense. He immediately cut in with a stern voice, “Garou, stop projecting your personal feud with Saina onto everyone else. At a time like this, can’t you see how serious the situation is?”

His words were icy, and it was clear that Xi Yi was angry.

This was also the first time Sha Yi had seen him exude the aura of a true leader.

She had always felt that Xi Yi wasn’t suited to be the head of a group, let alone a tribe. But the current circumstances made her realize that adversity truly was the catalyst for change.

With just that one sentence, Garou was left speechless. Though his face turned red with frustration, he didn’t argue with Xi Yi or provoke him as he had before. In the end, he merely let out a disgruntled huff.

Compared to the others, who were still confused by the two men’s conflict, Tuge clearly understood Garou better. Seeing this, he quickly muttered under his breath, “You disappeared for so long, did nothing, and left us to fend for ourselves. Stop scheming and just follow orders for once. Don’t drag everyone down with you!”

At this, Garou’s sulky expression shifted to one of stunned disbelief. Just as he was about to lash out, Sha Yi quickly intervened, “Enough! Yeli’s people are almost here, and you’re still bickering?”

Cut off mid-outburst and knowing he was in the wrong, Garou finally fell silent, though his reluctance was still written all over his face.

She was used to Garou’s lack of cooperation, just as Tuge was used to mocking him. They didn’t expect anything from him anyway, so they might as well let it go.

With that thought, she glanced back at Xi Yi.

Understanding her meaning, Xi Yi raised a hand to quiet the murmuring crowd. “What I have to say is simple, and I hope you’ll all cooperate. We didn’t all come from the same group originally, but now that we’re together, I hope everyone can unite and let go of past grievances.”

Without giving them time to respond, Xi Yi quickly outlined the situation, including all the “good deeds” Garou had done. In the end, the rules he set were straightforward: focus only on Yeli. As for Saina, let bygones be bygones—but only for now, given the immediate threat. Given Garou’s vindictive nature, merging with Saina’s group afterward was out of the question.

This assurance pleased Garou immensely, so he quickly shifted from reluctance to active participation.

Another reassuring condition was the cooperation with Kasan and Kapa.

Additionally, there was the matter of guarding Yelei.

The entire explanation and deployment were swift, and the large group went from confusion to full comprehension in no time.

However, by the time everyone was armed with bows and metal weapons and in position, a considerable amount of time had passed.

This was likely going to be a chaotic battle.

Sha Yi didn’t participate further. Xi Yi was worried about her, and she wasn’t keen on facing such a scene either, so she simply retreated into the brick house, opting to stay out of the fray.

Still, she had never imagined that, beyond the struggles of hunting animals, conflicts between people—between groups—could escalate to this scale. Never having witnessed it before left her unprepared, and now that it was happening, it felt surreal.

That was exactly how she felt now.

Looking back, even when Garou had captured her, it hadn’t reached this level.

Outside the window, everyone was ready with torches.

According to Xi Yi’s plan, Garou’s group had more experience in fights and skirmishes, so they were positioned near the trench. The rest were stationed inside and on the other side.

On one hand, this was to prepare for Saina’s arrival. On the other, even if Yeli’s side didn’t have bows, they could still throw bone spears. A trench could trap people, but not spears, so their side needed to neutralize the spear throwers first to give their archers a chance.

Xi Yi didn’t dare let Garou join this group. Instead, he sent him, Tuge, and Masa to guard Yelei in the earthen kiln.

With Garou’s ruthlessness and cunning, handling Yelei wouldn’t be a problem. The main concern was preventing another clash with Saina—their feud had escalated to a life-or-death level. To be safe, this was the wisest arrangement.

Sha Yi remained tense, sitting by the window and watching the scene outside.

They waited for a long time, but even as dawn approached, Saina still hadn’t arrived. Instead, a large group of women appeared on the other side of the trench.

Sha Yi was puzzled at first, but after some thought, she understood.

Even if Saina was heading their way, there was still some distance to cover. Moreover, Saina was unlikely to take a straight path—he was probably leading his pursuers on a winding route through the forest, buying time while exhausting their stamina.

He must have guessed Yeli’s intentions.

The primary target was their side; Saina’s group was secondary. Taking them down would be ideal, but if they couldn’t be dealt with quickly, Yeli’s forces would eventually converge at the shallows. So no matter what, as long as Saina moved in this direction, Yeli’s pursuit would follow.

It was a calculated gamble.

After waiting a while longer, as the sky brightened with dawn, Sha Yi faintly recognized a familiar face among the women across the trench.

It was Kasan.

She sat behind a group of younger women, speaking to them, though from this distance, her expression was unreadable.

Sha Yi couldn’t guess her thoughts.

The problem was, she didn’t see Yeli.

From the moment they appeared, the women had been standing in silent confrontation with them, holding bone spears but making no moves or signals.

On their side, following Xi Yi’s earlier reminder about their cooperation with Kasan and Kapa, no one dared to act either. They, too, waited in silence.

Now, it seemed the stalemate wouldn’t break until Saina arrived.

They couldn’t decipher Kasan’s intentions, and Kasan was likely waiting to see how things unfolded with Yeli before making a move.

There was no rushing this.