Chapter 162: Potential Danger

When the second portion of roasted meat was brought in, Xi Yi kept eating until the sun set, though it was unclear whether it was intentional.

Yet, she stayed with him until nightfall.

Xi Yi was very different from before.

In the past, even though he loved clinging to her, he still kept the bigger picture in mind. Now, however, he disregarded everything else, holding onto her tightly without a care for the two people outside the cave. His jealousy was blatant, and his possessiveness grew even stronger.

Even while eating, he refused to let go of her, ensuring she had no chance to leave his side for even a moment.

His abnormal insecurity made Sha Yi feel both heartbroken and helpless.

She knew about his childhood.

From birth, he had been without parents. Though Xi Gu and Xi Mang had looked after him along the way, they were just children themselves at the time. No matter how mature they were, their care could never compare to that of parents.

Take Xi Gu, for example—her rough upbringing likely shaped her masculine demeanor. And Xi Mang, being a man, meant their care, no matter how attentive, could never be as tender. Moreover, they probably never had the time or opportunity to truly nurture Xi Yi with deep affection.

As for the jungle tribe, shelter and aid were already the greatest kindness they could offer. Coexistence was hard enough, let alone emotional care—that was simply out of the question.

Yet, despite such circumstances, they managed to grow up well and even developed a sense of gratitude, which was no small feat.

Still, because of this, she often wondered if Xi Yi clung to her because he sensed a maternal quality in her.

Come to think of it, she did seem to have inherited her mother’s temperament. Though she also had her father’s assertiveness, that trait was likely recessive, surfacing only occasionally—like in her attitude toward Jialuo.

With Xi Yi, aside from her initial urge to escape him, she had never shown even a hint of resistance or rejection toward him afterward.

It was his unwavering devotion that made her reluctant to leave him, and Xi Gu’s stories of his childhood only deepened her compassion for him.

Like what had happened two days ago on the main river—whenever she thought about it, her heart ached.

In that situation, if he had let go of her hand, he wouldn’t have been stabbed by Jialuo. He could have saved her later. But he stubbornly refused to release her, choosing instead to endure the stab wound rather than loosen his grip.

To an outsider, it might have seemed like he was frozen in fear or simply inflexible.

But she knew better. In that critical moment, he had tightened his hold on her.

He didn’t want to lose her—not even for a second. Compared to letting go, he would rather die under that bone spear than risk her drowning.

Perhaps it was his deep love for her that drove him to act that way, but he had miscalculated one thing.

She had feelings too. When he made that choice, she was just as devastated. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have cut the vine when Saina tried to pull her out of the water.

At that moment, she truly thought he was dead.

She had shot an arrow at Jialuo, but at the waterfall’s edge, she was powerless against Saina. She had wanted to stab him, even drag him down to die with her.

But she knew it was impossible. He had too many companions—they wouldn’t let her pull him into the water. If she had acted recklessly, she would have been captured immediately.

She had been ready to die, never expecting the outcome to reverse.

Had she known he was alive, she wouldn’t have acted so rashly.

Yet, without that impulsive rage, she might not have reunited with Xi Yi so soon. If she hadn’t decided to die with him, she might have been with Xi Gu and the others now, while he would likely have been killed by Jialuo.

Compared to losing him, Sha Yi suddenly felt grateful.

No matter what dangers lay ahead, no matter if they had to face Saina again—as long as Xi Yi was with her, she felt no fear.

Life or death didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were together.

She stayed with him until the sky darkened completely.

Tuge brought two torches, but his poor eyesight made it hard for him to find a place to secure them. In the end, it was Jialuo who cursed his way through the task, jamming the sticks into a crevice in the rock to provide light inside the cave.

As for outside, according to Tuge, they had extinguished the remnants of the fire and covered the ashes with some unidentified sandy substance.

Food, the bathtub, and other items were all moved in through another entrance, but the raft was too big to fit, so it was left outside.

Sha Yi was thoroughly unimpressed.

She had been about to praise Jialuo for his clever idea of covering the ashes with the sandy particles, but then he went and proved himself an idiot again.

If he could cover the ashes, why not the raft?

Those yellowish granules were loose enough—covering the raft would have been no trouble at all. But the fool just didn’t think of it.

In the end, she had to order him to do it, and Jialuo reluctantly complied, cursing her again before leaving the cave.

Sha Yi was used to it and ignored him.

Once everything was settled, they divided the space. The cave was long and narrow, with an angled middle and openings on both ends, so Jialuo and Tuge took one side while she and Xi Yi took the other.

Thankfully, the square boulder was large enough for both of them. Jialuo and Tuge weren’t so lucky—during the day, she had noticed only a small, irregularly shaped rock on their side, barely wide enough for one. All night, she heard the sounds of them falling off.

When things finally quieted down and Sha Yi went to extinguish the torches, she saw that Tuge had given up and was sleeping on the ground while Jialuo sprawled across the rock.

Unlike them, Sha Yi didn’t dare sleep so carelessly.

The cave entrance was still open. This area was strange—there were no large rocks to block the opening, and the bamboo-like trees had barely any leaves. The few that remained were only palm-sized, making it impossible to use them to cover the entrance.

She didn’t dare suggest using the raft either. Tuge’s words weighed on her—right now, Saina was more terrifying than any beast. With their group absent and their numbers few, she didn’t want to take unnecessary risks.

Xi Yi wasn’t sleepy either. Even as he lay on his stomach, he reached out to hold her.

She let him, and he spoke up: “Sha Yi, I’ve been here before.”

She was surprised.

He continued, “I’ve come here several times. Xi Gu and Xi Mang have too. But we always stumbled upon it by accident. When we tried to find it on purpose, we never could. It’s strange.”

“When was the first time?” She held his arm and whispered, “And the most recent?”

“The first time was when I was very young. I came with Xi Gu and Xi Mang. We stayed in this cave overnight, then left because there was no food—just some weird creatures living in the water.”

After a pause, he added, “The most recent was last summer. Xi Mang and I were heading to the woods near the grasslands, but while swimming across the river, the water suddenly churned violently, and we were swept here.”

“Water tremors?” Sha Yi shuddered. “Like what happened on the river this time?”

“Now that you mention it, it does seem the same. But this time was much stronger and happened more often. Last time, it was just once, and the strong currents were mostly because we were near the waterfall—the terrain played a big part.” Sensing her tension, he paused. “The first time we came, there might have been faint tremors here, but it was hard to tell. It was only in this area—outside, you couldn’t feel it at all, so we didn’t think much of it.”

According to Xi Yi, the underground tremors had likely started over a decade ago, possibly even before he could remember. Back then, they were weaker and less frequent. The difference now was that the tremors were more noticeable here than in other places they’d been.

Aside from the odd creatures he mentioned—the aquatic life—and some unusual plants, there were no other living things here.

Based on her earlier speculation at the hot spring cliff, if she wasn’t mistaken, they were likely standing atop a volcanic crater.

This volcano was most likely dormant.

It might have existed since ancient times. She didn’t know if it had erupted violently before, but over the ages, tectonic shifts could have gradually covered the crater. Yet, the fertile ash from past eruptions remained in the soil—otherwise, these strange bamboo-like trees wouldn’t grow here.

As for the odd creatures Xi Yi described, they were probably some ancient species of fish, possibly warm-water dwellers. Geological shifts and underground water systems might have forced them to evolve to survive here.

The absence of other animals likely meant they had migrated. Unlike fish, land animals weren’t bound by such constraints—they could move freely.