Chapter 177: Bad Luck as Retribution

The four of them finally got to eat grilled meat by noon.

Garo and Tuge were the ones who roasted the meat, while she and Xi Yi prepared a meat soup. Exchanging dishes between the two pairs left everyone quite satisfied.

However, their containers were far from sufficient. They only had two brought from their original cave dwelling, and the rest hadn’t been allocated to their raft back then.

In the end, each side could only have one.

Sha Yi felt it was absolutely necessary for Xi Yi to prepare a few more containers. Otherwise, when the need arose—like now—they’d be severely lacking.

After the meal, Tuge voluntarily applied the herb stems to Xi Yi’s wounds, while she tidied up the mess. When she went to the shallows to wash the stainless steel basin and wooden containers, Garo also stood up, intending to follow her, but Tuge quickly stopped him.

In the end, she headed to the shallows with the playful young hybrid wolf cub in tow.

Sha Yi wasn’t sure if this new land near the water had everything they needed like their previous dwelling, but there was still plenty of the soap leaves Garo had tossed over the day before. Using those, she quickly cleaned all three items thoroughly.

Considering Tuge would still be busy applying the herb paste to Xi Yi’s wounds for a while, Sha Yi decided to sit for a short while on a rock by the shallows.

This stretch of water somewhat resembled a seaside landscape.

Though it stretched endlessly, the water was crystal clear, reflecting the sky in a pale blue hue. The sediment here was also high in sand content, even taking on a faint golden-yellow tint, much like a beach. The slope from the shallows toward the center of the water was gentle.

Just like when they had arrived the evening before, the spot where the giant-toothed eagle had landed was deep enough to submerge most of a person, yet still quite a distance from the shallows. It was a rather favorable setup—though oddly mismatched, it was still pleasing to the eye. At the very least, any aquatic creatures in the shallows would be clearly visible.

As for the land beyond the shore, apart from the area where they were staying, there was a sizable stretch of forest further back. The unexplored territory was vast, but it seemed harmless enough—at least, she didn’t think giant snakes would be lurking there.

After sitting for a while, Sha Yi returned to the cave, with the playful cub quickly following behind.

Inside the cave, Tuge had already finished applying the herb paste to Xi Yi, and the atmosphere among the three was particularly awkward.

Sha Yi understood the situation perfectly but didn’t comment further. Instead, she pulled Xi Yi out of the cave.

Seeing this, Garo and Tuge also followed them out.

Without wasting words, Xi Yi described the appearance of the antidote herb to the two, then pointed to the area they had searched that morning, signaling them to pick another spot to look for it.

The two exchanged a glance but said nothing, silently walking off. This suited her just fine.

Walking in the opposite direction of Garo and Tuge with Xi Yi, Sha Yi felt much more at ease, though she still fervently hoped they’d find the antidote herb.

Otherwise, once those two were paralyzed, they’d have to go through the trouble of carrying them back.

Xi Yi still forbade her from doing any of the searching. While he sifted through the unfamiliar plants, she followed behind, watching.

After walking for what felt like ages with no success, Sha Yi couldn’t help but ask, “Can’t find it?”

Pointing at the endless expanse of dense greenery, Xi Yi, visibly exhausted, replied, “The antidote herb is tiny compared to other plants, making it much harder to find. Even back where we lived, it wasn’t common. Normally, we’d have to search for it in advance as a precaution. But if we knew giant mosquitoes were around, we’d prepare banana leaves early to prevent bites.”

After a long moment of frustration, Sha Yi hesitantly asked, “Then how did you find it that time I got bitten?”

“That time, I was chasing that juvenile saber-toothed tiger. During the day, I happened to pass by a spot where some antidote herbs grew.” Clearly worn out, Xi Yi stood up and slowly sat beside her. “Who knew that before I could even burn the banana leaves that night, you’d already been bitten? You were crying so hard—it really scared me. I had to go find the herb immediately. I’d planned to wait until dawn, but that forest was full of giant snakes. Luckily, I didn’t run into any.”

So it really was a matter of luck.

What was amusing was that she had been crying due to the shock of her sudden time-travel, but Xi Yi had mistaken it for unbearable pain from the mosquito bite. Thankfully, he’d gone to find the herb—otherwise, she’d have been completely at his mercy!

Now, the ones in a miserable state were undoubtedly Garo and Tuge. Not only had they been bitten by giant mosquitoes without realizing it, but even after half a day of searching, they hadn’t caught a glimpse of the antidote herb.

The greatest tragedy probably couldn’t compare to this!

Faced with an entire day of fruitless searching, she wondered how those two were feeling.

After a moment of schadenfreude, Sha Yi couldn’t help but feel troubled again.

Since last night’s incident, she had been subconsciously wary of Garo. Every time she thought about it, she felt like abandoning him to his fate. But when it came down to it, she couldn’t bring herself to be that ruthless.

After all, Tuge had helped Xi Yi. Though their relationship seemed strained on the surface, if she really abandoned Garo, Tuge would likely choose to stay with him.

After much deliberation, she still couldn’t reach a conclusion. Frustrated, she turned her head and noticed something resembling a coconut hanging from a vine nearby. She plucked one and handed it to the man beside her. “Xi Yi, is this the same as the coconut from last time?”

Shaking his head, Xi Yi smiled and took the fruit, pulling open the protruding stem to show her. “It just looks similar. This one’s hollow inside.”

Sighing in disappointment, she took the fruit back. Then it struck her—this could serve as a water container. If she cut open the rounded bottom and split it in half, it might even work as a bowl for soup.

With that thought, even if it wasn’t an edible fruit, it wasn’t a total loss.

Unexpectedly, Xi Yi, who had been sitting to her right, suddenly stood up. Before she could react, he had already plucked a small, low-growing plant from beneath the vine of the misleading fruit.

Sha Yi’s sharp eyes immediately recognized it—the very herb Xi Yi had described to the other two earlier. Green with hints of blue, its leaves were smooth on one side and serrated on the other. When uprooted, its stem was purple, but it soon turned pale yellow.

A strange-looking plant, but it was indeed the antidote herb.

At that moment, her heart leaped with joy. Not only that, but Xi Yi also pulled out several more clusters, yielding a surprisingly decent amount.

Originally, she had planned to return later, but since it was still early, heading back now might mean they could send those two packing by the end of the day.

With that in mind, she shared her plan with Xi Yi, who readily agreed.

The four of them met halfway. Just from their defeated expressions, Sha Yi could tell Garo and Tuge had returned empty-handed.

Before she could speak, Tuge suddenly let out an “Ah!” and collapsed. Sha Yi instinctively reached out but failed to catch him.

In her daze, Garo, who had been standing behind Tuge, swiftly sat down on his own.

Sha Yi was startled before realizing—Tuge must have been bitten by a giant mosquito, and the toxin had taken effect. After the pain came paralysis, and with his nervous system out of control, he couldn’t stand on his own.

As for Garo…

After a moment’s thought, Sha Yi figured it out and couldn’t help but curse under her breath—*How cunning!*

He had simply calculated that since Tuge’s paralysis had set in, and they had been bitten around the same time, he would be next.

Rather than endure a hard fall, he chose to sit down preemptively. By the time he couldn’t move anymore, he’d already be in position.

Though she despised Garo for his cruelty, deceit, and cunning, she had to admit his reflexes were impressive.

Sensing her disdain, Garo shot her a glance. Though clearly displeased, he said nothing.

Eager to get rid of them sooner, Sha Yi didn’t dwell on it. She took the antidote herbs Xi Yi handed her, washed them in the shallows, and brought them back. Xi Yi chewed the stems into a paste and applied it to the two men.

However, since both had been bitten on the face, Xi Yi had to carefully separate small portions of the paste for those areas. For the larger bites on their bodies, he opted for a firm slapping method.

When applying the paste to Garo, Xi Yi used considerable force, slapping so hard that Garo grimaced and glared. Sha Yi, meanwhile, burst into laughter, nearly doubling over.

Once everything was done, Xi Yi carefully stored the remaining herbs and instructed the two, “There shouldn’t be any dangerous beasts here. Just lie still. The herb will take effect soon, and you’ll recover. Then you can head back to the cave on your own.”

Tuge grumbled in protest, and Garo frowned deeply, clearly unhappy.

Sha Yi, however, felt immensely satisfied. She circled the two before saying leisurely, “You two are too heavy. Xi Yi, despite his serious injuries, already spent a whole day searching for the herbs. Don’t forget—those injuries are thanks to you.”

Pausing, she couldn’t help but smirk. “As for me, I can’t carry either of you. It’s still early, so I’ll head back to prepare food for your journey. Once you’re back, you can leave.”

With that, she pulled the tubular herb stems from her pocket and placed them in Tuge’s hand before turning to Garo. “That thing you used to attract the male giant-toothed eagles—I left it with Tuge. Ask him for it later. Those eagles left yesterday. If you lose it, you might really have to crawl back!”

Garo’s veins bulged in anger, but Sha Yi was in high spirits. After giving the two a final glance, she happily linked arms with Xi Yi and headed back to the cave.

Xi Yi also seemed in excellent spirits, completely ignoring the two as he walked leisurely with his cheerful companion.

Left behind, the two unfortunate souls were utterly disheveled.