Chapter 168: Take It Out

In that brief moment of distraction, the saber-toothed tiger had already steadied itself, though the collision seemed to have left it dazed, shaking its head several times.

It was in that instant that she clearly saw where the black wooden arrow had struck.

Sha Yi’s shot had been remarkably precise—the arrow had avoided the ribs from behind, instead piercing straight through its vulnerable underbelly from rear to front. The force was so considerable that only half of the arrow’s fiery red fletching remained visible.

Drops of bright red blood were slowly seeping from the wound.

The saber-toothed tiger, as if only now feeling the intense pain, attempted to lunge again but halted midway, repeating the motion several times.

Seizing the opportunity, Sha Yi swiftly crouched and pulled her aside, deftly taking the bundle of arrows she had been holding.

Given the circumstances, it seemed Sha Yi intended to use the bow to take down the saber-toothed tiger.

But there was only one bow, and if Sha Yi had to bear the brunt of the attack alone, he would have no chance to fire a third shot. Someone else needed to distract the beast—preferably someone who could engage it in a prolonged struggle.

Sha Yi immediately thought of Jialuo.

Yet he was still staring at the bow in Sha Yi’s hands, frozen in shock.

Before she could call out to him, the saber-toothed tiger erupted in fury again, seemingly provoked by the pain. However, the black wooden arrow embedded in its abdomen significantly hindered its movements. Compared to its first two lunges, the third attack was noticeably weaker.

Sha Yi seized the moment and decisively fired a second arrow.

The sound of the arrow cutting through the air echoed once more as the black wooden shaft shot toward the tiger’s chest.

Mid-leap, the tiger had no chance to dodge or change direction, taking the second arrow head-on.

The arrow struck its muscular chest, but due to the distance and the obstruction of bone, it didn’t penetrate deeply. Still, the impact sent the massive beast staggering, causing it to collapse awkwardly among the four of them.

Sha Yi quickly called out to Jialuo and tossed him the fruit knife in her hand.

Jialuo, snapping out of his daze, caught the knife mid-air. As he lunged forward, the tiger suddenly raised its head, jaws snapping. Jialuo barely managed to leap back in time to avoid the bite.

The tiger, however, used the moment to rise, growling low as it glanced between them, as if weighing its options.

Sha Yi broke into a cold sweat.

She regretted handing Jialuo the knife too late, missing the perfect opportunity. Had he been armed earlier, he could have capitalized on the tiger’s vulnerable moment when it fell sideways.

Now, the tiger had been given another chance to retaliate.

But there was no helping it—the situation was sudden, and the beast’s sheer size meant that even if Jialuo had acted, killing it outright or escaping unscathed was far from guaranteed.

Now, the impossibly large saber-toothed tiger launched another attack. This time, it didn’t target her or Sha Yi but instead went for Jialuo and Tuge.

Perhaps the two arrow wounds had made it wary of the bow, or perhaps Jialuo’s earlier provocation had enraged it despite failing.

This gave Sha Yi a golden opportunity. She saw him swiftly nock another black wooden arrow and draw the bowstring.

Sha Yi handled the bow with remarkable skill, his aim deadly accurate—likely honed from frequent hunting with bone spears. Whatever the reason, as long as he maintained distance and bought time, she had little to worry about.

Jialuo, however, was in trouble.

As the tiger pounced, he kicked the stunned Tuge aside and rolled away, narrowly avoiding its claws. But this didn’t guarantee his safety.

Repeated failed attacks drove the tiger into a frenzy. After another missed swipe, it swiftly turned and lashed out again.

Jialuo had no choice but to keep rolling to evade, completely robbed of any chance to counterattack.

A faint twang of the bowstring signaled the release of Sha Yi’s third arrow.

This time, it missed.

Not due to poor aim or technique—the tiger twisted at the last moment, barely dodging. The black wooden arrow grazed its fur and embedded itself deep into a nearby tree.

The thud of impact made the tiger turn its attention back to Sha Yi and her.

At this critical moment, it halted its assault on Jialuo, locking eyes with Sha Yi and growling menacingly. Its claws flexed as it shifted direction again.

Sha Yi sensed danger.

The beast wasn’t stupid—it recognized Sha Yi as the greater threat and abandoned Jialuo to focus on him.

With two light steps, the tiger suddenly accelerated and leaped.

The situation was dire. Beside her, Sha Yi hadn’t yet nocked the fourth arrow. Sha Yi nearly screamed in panic.

In the critical moment, however, the tiger didn’t leap as expected. Its forelegs left the ground, but its hind legs faltered. Sha Yi turned to see Jialuo seemingly yanking its short tail.

The forceful pull disrupted the tiger’s controlled pounce, reducing it to a clumsy, short-distance jump. The hard landing likely aggravated its wounds, prompting a furious roar.

Jialuo didn’t relent. Seizing the rare chance, he stabbed the tiger’s flank with the fruit knife.

The sudden pain made the tiger leap again, but Jialuo had already withdrawn the knife, leaving its counterattack to miss.

Still, the tiger’s sheer size made the knife seem ineffective. Despite the stab, it retained enough strength to move.

In the split-second standoff between the tiger and Jialuo, Sha Yi fired the fourth arrow.

This time, he drew the bowstring to its limit. The bamboo bow’s resilience and the horsehair string’s elasticity, combined with the tiger’s defenseless state, sent the black wooden arrow straight through its shoulder blade.

A deafening roar followed—but the tiger still didn’t fall.

Sha Yi feared it was about to go berserk.

Given their size and the limited effectiveness of their weapons, taking down such a massive carnivore was a stretch. Their counterattacks had barely made a dent.

But lamenting wouldn’t help now.

Their priority was finding a better way to kill the tiger—otherwise, all four of them would end up as its meal.

Especially since it had now fully fixed its gaze on Sha Yi.

She lacked their size, strength, and skill. Sha Yi was severely injured, Jialuo couldn’t use the bow, and Tuge was hopeless. Their roles couldn’t be swapped, adding to her frustration.

Before she could think further, the tiger lunged at Sha Yi again.

In this situation, drawing the bow was impossible.

Sha Yi reacted instantly, rolling away. But the tiger, anticipating the move, used its massive size to pivot and rebound off the ground mid-leap.

Sha Yi had no escape—behind him stood the giant terror bird, still frozen in place.

If he tried to flee backward, he’d collide with the bird and be caught by the tiger’s claws. If he ducked under the bird, the tiger’s landing spot would crush both bird and him beneath.

Sha Yi nearly cried in desperation, helpless to intervene. Jialuo, too, was frozen in shock, knowing he couldn’t reach them in time.

Just as she thought Sha Yi was doomed, he suddenly curled under the terror bird.

It was over.

Her mind went blank.

As predicted, the tiger’s hind legs landed with its full weight and momentum, its forelegs slamming beside the bird. The bird staggered.

Sha Yi’s eyes widened as she saw the man beneath the bird gripping its golden talons tightly.

A realization struck her, and she fell silent.

Sha Yi was trying to topple the terror bird.

Though the bird was slow on foot, its slender golden legs were formidable. Normally, it used them to launch itself into flight, capable of bearing several times its weight. The talons, long and sharp, were perfect for catching snakes.

Sha Yi’s plan was clear.

He understood the tiger’s intent—if it tried to crush him, he’d redirect the force onto the bird’s talons.

In a split second, his plan worked.

The tiger’s full weight pressed onto the bird, which couldn’t withstand the force. Sha Yi, using his feet as a pivot, leveraged the tiger’s momentum to shift the weight backward.

A desperate screech from the bird was followed by a heavy thud—the tiger now pinned beneath it.

Before it could rise, the sound of tearing flesh came from the bird’s talons.

The tiger roared again, this time in agony. It struggled futilely, its abdomen bleeding profusely.

Sha Yi stood stunned before snapping back to reality.

By then, Sha Yi had slipped out from under the bird’s talons, covered in blood.

Terrified, she rushed to pull him up. He gasped for breath before weakly standing with her help.

“I’m fine…” Though exhausted, he reassured her. “This isn’t my blood. The bird’s talons gutted it.”

She didn’t believe him—he was drenched in blood, his robe soaked.

Still, she wiped the blood from his face, but he pulled her hand down and hugged her tightly.

After a long moment, he whispered shakily in her ear, “For a moment, I thought I’d die under its claws.”

Sha Yi shuddered, shaking her head. “You wouldn’t!”

He continued breathlessly, “When I grabbed the bird’s legs, I remembered the dream I had days ago. Did I tell you?”

“You woke up jealous!”

He chuckled weakly, coughing. “I kept dreaming… after falling into the river, you cried. I couldn’t bear to see you cry… so I couldn’t die… couldn’t…”

Her earlier frustration melted into tears. “I was so scared… I really thought you’d die.”

Sha Yi laughed again but winced, inhaling sharply.

She remembered his back wound.

Ignoring his protests, she broke free and lifted his bloodied robe.

Just as feared—the rolling, crawling, and toppling the bird had reopened his wound. The bleeding was severe, and she suspected much of the blood on his robe was his own.

Unfazed, he pulled her back into his embrace, staining her with blood.

Resigned, she let him hold her. His wounds needed Tuge’s attention, but she couldn’t let him push himself further.

The situation was dire—he had no choice but to act, but the cost was too high.

As for the tiger, it wasn’t dead but had lost all ability to attack. It now lay half-propped on the bird’s talons, twitching, its blood pooling beneath.

The terror bird remained pinned, unable to free its talons or stand, looking around innocently.

Likely, at least one talon had pierced the tiger’s heart, while others shredded its organs. The small entry wounds belied the talons’ devastating grip.

Secondly, the saber-toothed tiger was large and heavy, while the giant-toothed eagle used a falling motion to pierce its abdomen with sharp claws. The one being pierced would slide downward, while the piercer’s claws would move upward. This opposing force created a tearing effect.

Moreover, since the giant-toothed eagle needed to walk, run, and jump, its feet also had five toes—four in front and one in the back, with the front four being long and the rear one thick. When they grabbed snakes, aside from their body-crushing finishing move, they also relied heavily on the strength of most of their claws.

Snake skin was slippery and rough, and although the saber-toothed tiger was covered in thick fur, it unfortunately exposed its soft and vulnerable belly. In such a situation, even if the eagle couldn’t kill it in one strike, it could still wear it down to death.

On the other side, Garlo and Tuge were stunned for a long while before snapping back to reality. By the time the two approached, the saber-toothed tiger was already nearly dead.

But Garlo’s ruthless and cautious nature was fully exposed. Unable to resist, he took the fruit knife and stabbed the tiger’s massive body several more times, even delivering a final slash to its neck.

Though Sha Yi found it somewhat ridiculous, she didn’t stop him. At a time like this, caution was a good thing. She figured that even if he hacked the tiger into pieces right now, she wouldn’t say a word.

The problem was, even at the very end, he still wouldn’t relent, slashing the tiger’s neck a few more times before finally sitting down, exhausted.

Tuge, however, didn’t understand. Pointing at the giant-toothed eagle, he complained, “Get it down! If you don’t, how’s the eagle supposed to stand up?”

Garlo glared at him irritably. “What if it’s not dead yet? Let it hang there a bit longer!”

“You’ve practically decapitated it—how could it still be alive?” Tuge wailed in frustration. “Should I try decapitating you too and see if you can still jump up?”

“Are you blind?” Garlo turned his head sharply. “How did you see that?”

“Ahem…” Caught off guard, Tuge quickly deflected. “Didn’t you guys put salt crystals in the food? My vision’s just gotten a bit better. Don’t worry about it…”

Garlo snorted, unable to spot the flaw, and leaned sulkily against a tree. After a while, he turned back. “Hey, I want this pelt!”

The words were directed at Xi Yi, but Sha Yi was the one who flared up with anger. Just as she was about to retort, Xi Yi spoke first. “You can have the meat. The tiger pelt is out of the question.”

“You!” Garlo nearly jumped in fury. “You think I can’t take you on?”

“I didn’t say that.” Xi Yi replied calmly, unfazed. “But the pelt isn’t yours.”

Blocked again, Garlo couldn’t find a rebuttal. After a long pause, he finally spat out, “If you don’t give it to me, I won’t help you skin it!”

“Suit yourself.” Xi Yi remained indifferent.

“I’ll take the giant-toothed eagle too. Don’t even think about riding it—and that goes for you too, Tuge!” Garlo snapped again.

“Then ride it away yourself.” Xi Yi was still unruffled. “We’ll part ways here. No need to trouble your Tuge anymore.”

Repeatedly shut down, Garlo couldn’t muster another word and sat sulking alone.

Tuge, however, even in silence, couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire. “I’m going with them!”

Garlo was nearly fuming to death.

Sha Yi almost laughed and casually agreed, “Sure.”

The successive provocations turned Garlo’s face green with rage. Finally, he scrambled to his feet and stormed off toward the corpse of the adult dire wolf, muttering indignantly, “Fine, keep it! Like I’m stupid—I’ll just skin the wolf instead!”

Sha Yi ignored him.

After helping Xi Yi sit down, Tuge took the initiative to examine his wounds. The various plant stems he had gathered earlier in the volcanic cave were still there, making the treatment process straightforward and well-equipped.

As she watched from the side, Xi Yi picked up the trembling dire wolf pup from the ground and handed it to her.

Sha Yi was overjoyed.

Now that the threats were gone and danger had passed, she finally had the leisure to relax. She had completely forgotten about the pup, and if Xi Yi hadn’t brought it over, she might never have remembered.

The dire wolf pup was indeed plump and soft, its fur fluffy and pleasant to touch. It was tiny, barely half the length of her forearm. Though its head was pointed, it wasn’t unattractive. Its claws, however, were an exception—even at this young age, they were already half the length of her pinky finger. By adulthood, they would surely grow to the inch-long claws she had seen on the adult dire wolves. Moreover, they didn’t seem retractable like modern cat claws. Given their inverted sharpness, she assumed this was their permanent form.

But she was wrong. When she tried touching them, the claws slowly retracted into the flesh on the back of its paws. Surprised but delighted, Sha Yi couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing her amusement, Xi Yi grinned as well. “Do you like it?”

“Yes!” she answered without hesitation, her heart swelling with joy. “I’m going to raise it!”

“It’ll be very obedient when it grows up,” he said, laughing again.

“But I’m not sure if I can actually raise it properly. I’ve never kept a pet before.” Stroking the adorable furball in her arms, Sha Yi grew a little worried. “And you said it usually doesn’t attack people—but it still can, right?”

“Only if its life is threatened. It’s different from raising one intentionally. Their attitude toward humans is similar to that of giant-toothed eagles—relatively gentle. But they’re smarter. Giant-toothed eagles don’t even resist or flee when facing humans, while dire wolves keep their distance. Someone in our group once raised one for hunting, but it was killed by a saber-toothed tiger during a hunt.”

“So they’re still obedient?”

Subconsciously, Sha Yi felt that the dire wolves Xi Yi described were likely the ancestors of modern dogs. Though they didn’t look exactly alike, their roles were similar.

Still, on that first night when she encountered the snake, it was the dire wolf that had saved her. Though it was a coincidence, she couldn’t help but feel fond of them—even though she hadn’t understood their nature back then and had assumed they were as dangerous as the giant snakes.

“Yes, very obedient. But they have one trait—I’m not sure if it’s a flaw or an advantage.”

“Is it the strong vengefulness you mentioned earlier?”

Nodding, Xi Yi pointed at the pup in her hands. “If that adult dire wolf hadn’t died, it would have fought the saber-toothed tiger to the death. Their vengefulness is most evident when it comes to their young.”

“Really?” Sha Yi couldn’t help but feel curious.

“Dire wolf pups have a hard time surviving.” Sighing, Xi Yi explained slowly, “They’re born just before the rainy season, when survival is already difficult. Giant snakes appear during the rains, making the threats even greater. So, dire wolves kill any snakes they can handle—though whether they eat them is another matter.”

Pausing, he added, “Remember when you saw that saber-toothed tiger as a cub? The snake you spotted in the grass was likely killed by a dire wolf. Each wound on it had four distinct claw marks.”

“I know about that…” Scratching her head, Sha Yi felt a little embarrassed. “You might not believe this, but the night before you saw that snake, I actually witnessed a dire wolf killing it. The snake was coming for me, but the wolf intercepted it, and I managed to escape…”

Hearing this, Xi Yi froze briefly before smiling again. “Good thing you’re alright.”

“Yeah, that dire wolf seemed really aggressive—it fought the snake with a fury.”

“Probably because it had just lost its pup. Dire wolves go berserk when they see snakes—they’re natural enemies. But dire wolves themselves are rare.” Stroking the trembling gray pup in her arms, Xi Yi mused, “A dire wolf usually gives birth to over a dozen pups, but after a rainy season, none may survive. The ones that do are incredibly lucky—like this one. Normally, you wouldn’t even find one.”

“No wonder Garlo didn’t recognize it.” The memory of Garlo kicking the pup made her heart ache.