“That’s exactly what I mean.” Acknowledging Xi Yi’s point, Sha Yi added, “Yelai appears to be purely sullen by nature, while Yeli is far more complex. So, it wouldn’t be difficult to use this method to make Yeli grow weary of Yelai. After all, such unclear and inexplicable underlying connections would inevitably test the patience of an ambitious person like Yeli. He wouldn’t tolerate being controlled.”
“What about this time…”
Turning back to Xi Yi, Sha Yi shook her head. “Yeli is ruthless, but not to the point of disregarding his own life. Given his forced trust in Kasan, his apparent indifference toward Yelai is likely just a deliberate facade. In truth, he’s probably deeply worried and will soon turn against us.”
“Haven’t we already taken precautions?” Xi Yi asked, puzzled. “As you suggested earlier, I’ve informed everyone to stay vigilant these days.”
“It’s not enough. Before, it was just speculation, but now, with the news Garo brought, our assumptions about Yeli have been confirmed. Moreover, some of our previous analyses may need to be revised. Yeli will undoubtedly go all out to rescue Yelai, and we can’t afford to harm Yelai now.”
“Why?” Garo asked, confused. “In my opinion, we should just kill Yelai outright and take Yeli down with him. That would save us a lot of trouble!”
“I agree,” Xi Yi chimed in, unusually siding with Garo. “Otherwise, if it comes to a full-blown conflict, the losses could be even greater.”
Sha Yi shook her head again and smiled. “No, we absolutely cannot kill Yelai. If we do, Kasan will lose her leverage over Yeli. Right now, Yeli still fears Kasan. But if we kill Yelai, Yeli would have nothing holding him back.”
“What do you mean?” Garo glanced at Xi Yi, who looked equally baffled, and frowned. “Why can’t we kill Yelai? Didn’t Kasan say Yelai and Yeli share a life-and-death bond? Originally, we planned to use Yelai as a bargaining chip or for leverage. But from Kapa’s words, it seems Yelai and Yeli influence each other. Killing both would solve the problem—Yeli wouldn’t even have a chance to retaliate. Wouldn’t that be more advantageous for Kasan?”
“Unless…” Xi Yi furrowed his brows as Sha Yi remained silent. “You suspect Kasan is deceiving us? That this might be a trap she and Yeli set together?”
“Not necessarily. Kasan and Yeli are likely truly at odds.” Sha Yi looked at Xi Yi and then at Garo before continuing slowly, “What I mean is, Kasan’s claim about Yeli and Yelai’s ‘life-and-death bond’ is false. Their deaths wouldn’t actually affect each other.”
“How do you know that?” Garo exclaimed, his face full of disbelief. “Kasan is a ‘witch’—her prophecies are sacred. How dare you question her?”
“Sorry, but I don’t put much stock in ‘witches.’ So, I don’t agree with Kasan’s prophecy. All I’m saying is, whether Yeli or Yelai dies, the other won’t perish as a result. You can believe me or not.”
Seemingly taken aback, Xi Yi fell silent for a long moment before speaking softly, “I believe you.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Garo whipped his head around to glare at Xi Yi, but he quickly followed up, unwilling to be left behind: “Then I believe you too.”
Watching the two of them subtly competing, Sha Yi was speechless. Xi Yi was fine—after living together for so long, they had a foundation of trust. But Garo was different. Even though he claimed to believe her, his expression was one of sheer bewilderment, especially with his furrowed brows and confused look. It was downright exasperating.
After a long silence, just as Sha Yi was about to break it, Xi Yi spoke first. He seemed to have pieced together the entire purpose of the prophecy in that short moment and didn’t hold back: “Kasan’s original goal in saying this was likely to drive a wedge between the brothers. So, the ‘life-and-death bond’ is fake. But on the other hand, it also puts pressure on Yeli, keeping him from fully targeting her and ensuring her own safety and status.”
After a pause, Xi Yi continued, “Now, Kasan has tacitly agreed to cooperate with Garo—our side. But Kapa only told us about the prophecy, not its true purpose. That leaves a lot of unanswered questions.”
“Exactly.” Sha Yi nodded. “As I said before, Kasan is very clever. But her cooperation with Garo and us began under circumstances where neither side knew much about the other. She held back, testing us to see if we’d rush to eliminate Yelai.”
Hearing this, Garo immediately cursed under his breath: “That sly old fox! She’s up to no good!”
“Garo, you’re wrong. Compared to your past self, Kasan is far more honorable.” Sha Yi sighed, disagreeing with Garo. “She left us with her own vulnerability, not a trap. If we figured this out afterward, we’d leave room for both sides out of mutual consideration. But if we only focused on ourselves and forgot our allies, we’d kill Yelai outright, exposing Kasan’s prophecy as false. Then Yeli would have no restraints left—he’d go completely berserk, with nothing to stop his madness. At that point, he’d be utterly unrestrained.”
“And you’re saying this isn’t Kasan’s scheme?” Garo fumed. “If it backfires, we’ll suffer too.”
“Yes, but if you don’t do something stupid and expose the prophecy’s falsehood, you won’t have this problem. And even if it’s exposed, the entire group—everyone, including Kasan—would suffer. She didn’t favor her own side.”
Garo was left speechless by her words. After stewing in frustration for a while, he conceded: “Fine, let’s say you’re right. But what now?”
“You’re still planning to act alone, right? You’ll handle communication with Kasan. Tell her we won’t lay a finger on Yelai until Yeli is captured. And it’s best if she knows we don’t believe her prophecy.” After a moment’s thought, Sha Yi added, “Finally, make it clear that our side will always welcome her, Kapa, and anyone from her group.”
“You’re making decisions for me again!” Garo had been nodding along with her instructions, but at the last sentence, his face darkened. “We haven’t even merged yet, and you’re already acting like this. Soon, I’ll be under your thumb. No way!”
“Then take your group and leave. We won’t have to worry about you. Besides, your group still has Manlun’s people—keeping them here is a threat. And even if our groups merge, we’ll only be allies. Don’t overthink it.” Sha Yi shot Garo an annoyed look and began ushering him out. “Alright, we’re done here. You can go now. We need to rest. Go work on your grand plans.”
With that, Sha Yi ignored Garo, who looked ready to explode, and curled back under the warm furs.
If it weren’t for the possibility of urgent news, she wouldn’t have let Garo in at this late hour. Besides, she was in the throes of morning sickness—though it usually struck during meals, if she wasn’t careful, her symptoms could worsen.
Just half a night of discussion with Xi Yi and Garo had already left her feeling unwell. Otherwise, she would’ve grilled Garo further. After all, he was acting alone—slippery and cunning, but easily fooled and prone to getting tangled in circles. She was worried he’d end up in trouble.
Unfortunately, she could already feel something off with her body. Nausea was creeping in, and Garo had ulterior motives toward her. Normally, he was shameless enough—if he caused a scene now, it could derail their most critical plans. That was something neither she nor the rest of the group could afford.
So, she hurried him out.
Seeing this, Xi Yi immediately acted on her words, unceremoniously opening the door and motioning for Garo to leave.
Garo was furious, his face sullen. But there was no helping it—once the discussion was over, he had to act fast. They weren’t just competing with Yeli for advantages but also for time. That much, he understood without needing it spelled out.
Without another word, Garo suppressed his anger and slowly retreated from the warm brick house.
At that very moment, Sha Yi couldn’t hold back a wave of nausea, dry heaving into the furs.
Instantly, the room fell dead silent. Even Garo froze mid-step.
Sha Yi hesitated for a moment before peeking out from the furs. Garo had turned back to stare at her, his expression eerily intense. His dark, narrow eyes held an unreadable question—one she couldn’t decipher, nor could she guess what he was feeling.
All she could hope was that Garo wouldn’t let her pregnancy derail his mission.
She considered reminding him again to divert his attention but feared being too obvious might backfire, provoking him to cause trouble and torment Xi Yi. That would be worse than doing nothing. So, in the end, she stayed silent.
Garo’s confusion faded slightly, but he remained rooted in place, staring relentlessly.
Xi Yi was caught in a dilemma.
Sha Yi understood perfectly—at this moment, whatever Xi Yi did would be awkward. Balancing her and the bigger picture was the only way forward.
So, she said nothing more, quietly retreating under the furs.
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