Chapter 189: Premeditation or Accident

He was testing her attitude toward Garlo to determine her stance, and possibly even the stance of their entire group.

At this moment, she had no doubt that he was fully aware of their side’s movements.

As for him appearing here now—on one hand, it might have been a coincidence that they crossed paths, but on the other, it was highly likely that he had other intentions.

Sha Yi suddenly remembered that she and Xi Yi had come to this spot earlier in the morning. When they reached the bamboo grove by the shallows, there had been movement in the vegetation on the opposite side.

Now, she couldn’t help but suspect that the disturbance back then might have been caused by Saina or someone from his side.

However, the man standing opposite her showed no intention of offering any further explanation.

After a brief moment of thought, Sha Yi decided not to hesitate either. “So, what you’re saying is that the reason you’re here today is to go to our side and tell us that you’ve captured Garlo?”

“Whether I go or not isn’t the point. The point is, you happened to be here today, and I do need to tell you this.”

“Talking to a smart person should be easy, especially someone like you. But somehow, talking to you just feels exhausting.”

The man chuckled silently, paused briefly, then spoke again. “Then just tell me directly—what’s your decision regarding Garlo?”

“What exactly are you asking?” Sha Yi sighed, still exasperated. “If only you could be more straightforward.”

“Your own stance, as well as that of both groups. I want all the answers.”

Dropping the mushrooms she had been holding, Sha Yi crossed her arms. “You’re asking so much, and in such detail. What guarantee can you give me in return?”

“What do you want?” He countered with a question of his own, then fell silent for a long moment before speaking again. “As long as it’s within my power.”

Sha Yi stared at him, unwilling to take the bait.

Seeming to understand her meaning, the man let out a wry laugh. “Your side holds all the advantages now. Do you really think I’d be foolish enough to make an enemy of you?”

“I just want a guarantee. After all, no one can predict your thoughts—they could change in an instant. I won’t be as naive as before, blindly trusting appearances.”

“I’ve never schemed against you.”

“Right, you just had designs on me. But what’s the difference between that and scheming? You didn’t actually harm me, but your actions still drove me to the brink.”

Seemingly taken aback by her sharp words, the man was stunned for a long moment before responding.

After a prolonged silence, he finally said slowly, “I was just… unwilling to accept it.”

“And now? Have you accepted it?”

“Do you think I have?” His expression remained unreadable. “But what can I do even if I haven’t?”

“Then let’s return to the original topic.”

“As I said, I won’t oppose you—never. But that doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on Garlo. After all, he’s not exactly pure in his motives either. There’s already bad blood between us, and there’s no guarantee he’ll behave himself here. At the very least, I hope you can give me a satisfactory answer on this matter.”

“Do you know why Garlo came here?”

“I do. Including the situation between you and him.”

“You even know about that?” This time, Sha Yi couldn’t hide her shock. “Since when?”

“After you fell from the waterfall, I didn’t just learn about you and them being in that cave on the night of the search. I know those mountains better than anyone. The reason I didn’t come to see you immediately was because I was afraid you’d hate me—I thought Xi Yi was dead, and you needed time to adjust to everything.” He took a deep breath, his expression suddenly turning grave. “But everything turned out differently than I expected, including your relationship with Garlo. My instincts told me something else would develop between you two. And then… I found out everything.”

“Your mind is truly deep.” Sha Yi couldn’t help but mutter. “So, are you planning to make things difficult for Garlo?”

“I’d like to. But regardless, you have to give me a guarantee—that you won’t give Garlo any opportunities. Of course, if he chooses to side with you, I won’t make things too hard for him. But that’s only if he cooperates.”

“Garlo just wants to take advantage of our side. As for betrayal or switching sides, I’m not too worried about that.”

Recalling Garlo’s past behavior, she still believed he wouldn’t go that far. But if it were someone else… that was another story. Like that Manlun, for instance.

She didn’t know much about him, but that didn’t stop her from speculating. Tuge had also expressed reservations about him. Thinking this over, Sha Yi decided not to hold back. “But when Garlo and the others came here, two men were taken by that group. One of them already had issues with Garlo. If you’re going to target anyone, you should be careful—don’t pin the blame on Garlo later when problems arise. At least in this matter, he’s innocent.”

“Conflict seems to be everywhere in settlements. Trying to unify small groups into a larger one really does come with its share of problems.” The man sighed, then got straight to the point. “Last night, Garlo ran out—probably targeting me. But unfortunately, it wasn’t me. He was tricked and then had the bad luck of running into me. But that pit wasn’t dug by me. His cunning is still a step behind.”

“So?”

“So… shh…” Just as he was about to continue, the man’s expression suddenly changed. He raised a hand in a gesture for silence.

Sha Yi froze. By the time she reacted, a massive golden-black figure burst out from the woods beside them. She instinctively turned to look—only to see the enormous creature already closing in.

There was no time to run. Sha Yi gasped as a cold glint flashed from the giant bird’s back, and a pair of rough, dark hands reached for her.

Panicked, she didn’t expect the lean man standing opposite her to suddenly lunge forward, pinning her beneath him in an instant.

In that split second, she heard the familiar, grating sound of a blade slicing through flesh.

At the same time, the man on top of her let out a low groan as his body was yanked sideways by some external force.

When the oppressive golden-black figure finally retreated from above them, Sha Yi realized it was a massive Terror Bird—and riding it was a stranger.

This wasn’t the burly Manlun, but someone she had never seen before.

Now, he was gripping a strange bone weapon, leisurely steering the Terror Bird—whose momentum had carried it too far—back around with a tug on its neck.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

His were dark and ruthless, pupils an unusual shade of gray, cold and sharp—just like his thin, cruel eyes, exuding malice.

His build could be described as slender—even leaner than Saina’s wiry, muscular frame. He wore a spotted animal hide slung diagonally across his body, with what looked like a beast’s tail tied around his waist. His brown hair was only slightly shorter than hers.

Now, he was glaring at her with icy hostility, urging the Terror Bird to charge again.

Sha Yi was baffled—and terrified.

Why was he targeting her?

She didn’t even know him! Even if there was bad blood, there had to be a reason, right?

Puzzled, she watched as the strange, gloomy man made no attempt to explain himself, instead raising his weapon with clear intent to strike.

This time, she didn’t freeze. Instead, she spun around and sprinted toward the massive tree behind her.

The cold-eyed man curled his lips into a cruel smirk.

A second later, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out—just as Saina’s voice shouted a single word:

“Down!”

Reacting instantly, she threw herself flat onto the ground.

In that millisecond, the projectile whizzed over her. But before she could get up, a massive shadow loomed over her.

Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up—just in time to see the cold-eyed man reaching for her again.

But he didn’t succeed.

Another projectile whistled through the air, forcing the stranger to jerk his hand back from her neck. Not only that, his entire body twisted awkwardly to the side.

In one fluid motion, he dodged, twisted, and kicked—just as a black-and-red arrow grazed his waist.

Sha Yi turned reflexively and saw Saina, who had been standing quietly talking to her earlier, now in a drawn-bow stance.

That arrow had come from him. Now, he was already nocking a second one.

But his own condition wasn’t good.

She could see blood staining his arms and torso. The animal hide skirt he wore, tied high around his ribs, had been torn open, revealing a gruesome, bloody wound on his abdomen.

That skirt had probably been covering the injury.

Saina was already badly wounded.

From the moment they met today, she had noticed how unusually pale he looked—but she hadn’t expected this.

She didn’t know where his injuries came from, but ever since she first saw him, he had always been hurt.

Now, in his severely wounded state, facing off against this stranger, he stood no chance—even with his bow.

This place wasn’t close to either her settlement or his. The fact that this stranger dared to appear alone meant he was confident—or at least prepared. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have acted so boldly.

After all, for days now, this area had only been frequented by her group and Saina’s.

Sha Yi quickly thought of the female-dominated group that was on its way.

But… could this stranger be from their ranks?

If not, then where did he come from?

And he was riding a Terror Bird!

Could he be connected to Garlo’s group?

Or was he one of the two men taken from Garlo’s side?

But Tuge had only mentioned Manlun, not this man—suggesting that, compared to the other captive, Manlun was the leader.

Moreover, this man clearly wasn’t someone to be trifled with. In fact, Manlun paled in comparison.

What confused her most, though, was why he had attacked them the moment he appeared.

From his actions, it was clear his goal was to kill her. Saina had only been caught in the crossfire because he was protecting her. His true target was her—and her alone!

At this moment, Sha Yi realized—he must have overheard her conversation with Saina.

Or perhaps… he was the other eavesdropper from the night before?

But she couldn’t fathom his motive!

Unless… if he was the leader of that female-dominated group, then his actions might make sense.

She had always assumed that in prehistoric times, human progress and development transitioned from matriarchal to patriarchal societies. But she had forgotten that the shift between the two could involve struggle and choice.

If such a person existed, it wasn’t hard to deduce that his group was highly aggressive.

Secondly, Manlun’s hatred for Garlo might be the direct reason they were now facing this stranger’s attack.

After all, back in the settlement cave when she was captured, Garlo had lost a significant amount of food because of her—and because of her, he had humiliated Manlun.

At the time, it seemed like Tuge’s attitude was solely Garlo’s doing, unrelated to Manlun.

Moreover, Manlun and Garlo had always been at odds beneath the surface. Tuge had mentioned that before this migration, Garlo had clashed with Manlun’s faction in their original settlement.

Manlun being captured mid-journey might have been an accident.

But given the current situation, this felt far more like a premeditated attack!