By the time they returned to the settlement cave, the sky hadn’t completely darkened yet, but everyone was already back. The few women who had stayed behind had even prepared the roasted meat for dinner.
However, due to the injuries, dinner was delayed.
After their group carried all four rafts into the cave and Xi Yi placed the four Passa tree trunks used as boat poles aside, Sha Yi finally found time to check on the injured.
Almost everyone in that team had suffered some injuries, with many having broken skin and bleeding. Several women were chewing some kind of plant stems to prepare a poultice for their wounds.
The most severely injured man was laid on an animal hide. A bone spear had pierced his shoulder blade, and though it was already covered with a thick layer of crushed green leaves, the sight was still gruesome. Yet, he seemed completely unfazed, chatting animatedly with others as if he felt no pain.
Sha Yi found it distressing, but Xi Yi remained much calmer. After comforting her for a while and instructing Xi Gu to accompany her for dinner, he went to talk with Sai Na.
Dinner consisted of nothing but roasted meat, and when thirsty, they could only drink water. The entire meal left Sha Yi feeling stifled.
As for today’s incident, Xi Gu didn’t even bat an eye, acting completely indifferent. She ate and drank as usual, as bold and unbothered as ever.
Sha Yi was puzzled until, near the end of the meal, Xi Gu suddenly leaned in and said, “Things like this happen a lot during the rainy season. There was an incident a few rainy seasons ago, and even when we were little—though it wasn’t frequent, everyone knows about it.”
As soon as Xi Gu spoke, Sha Yi grew curious. “Why do those people do this? What’s their goal?”
“Isn’t it obvious? The first two times, it was just to get food because hunting is really difficult during the rainy season. If we didn’t have the salt crystals this time, we’d probably be short on food too.” Xi Gu, who had been squatting, plopped down and chewed on a thin stem. “It’s the same group—no more than twenty people—always acting like savages. Back when we were at the old settlement cave, they didn’t care that we outnumbered them. Now they’re even more brazen!”
The salt crystals were indeed a boon she had brought. If not for the accidental discovery of the salt deposits, even Xi Yi and the others would have struggled terribly this rainy season. But this small group that launched the ambush clearly hadn’t benefited from the salt crystals, so their problems remained the same. Hunting during the rainy season was, as Xi Yi had said, only possible on the rare clear days when they could fully avoid the lightning. Even then, they had to watch out for giant snakes and beasts—it was no easy task.
Even if they managed to get some food, it couldn’t be preserved for long. Hunger was inevitable, and that was likely why those savages had turned to raiding other settlements.
But they were clearly seasoned raiders, just like the wild man’s aggressive attitude toward her that morning. Their brutality must have been honed through repeated conflicts over time.
It wasn’t just speculation—she had never seen Xi Yi and the others resort to savage plundering. Even when there had been unpleasantness at the old settlement, there had been no violent clashes.
Now, though, the situation was truly unsettling.
She couldn’t help but think that if those people came to raid, they wouldn’t leave empty-handed. It was a fight to the death otherwise.
“So how did you handle it in the past?” Sha Yi glanced at Xi Gu, feeling completely at a loss. “Did they ever succeed in stealing food before?”
“Of course we never let them take anything! Those savages!” Xi Gu gritted her teeth. “They might even be from the same group as the ones back then!”
“The ones back then?”
“Do you know why we went to help the people in the forest that night at the old settlement cave?”
Sha Yi was confused.
“Do you know how Xi Yi and my mother died?”
“Wasn’t it… an accident during Xi Yi’s birth?”
“It wasn’t that simple.” Xi Gu scoffed. “Back then, those savages came to steal food. It wasn’t even the rainy season yet, but they attacked suddenly. No one was prepared. Almost everyone in our group died in that fight. Xi Yi was born during the escape.”
“What happened after?”
“After that, the survivors—the ones you first met, except for Xi Mang—were all very young. We had no food, no shelter, and lived in constant fear. Luckily, during the rainy season, we ran into the people from the dense forest tribe. They helped us, and we lived with them for many rainy seasons.”
So that was it.
She had always wondered why they had ventured so far into the dangerous forest on that stormy night to help the forest tribe. As for Xi Yi, she had assumed he had gone there once before and thus knew the way and the dangers. But now it made sense—no one could learn so much from a single night’s journey. It was because he had lived there as a child.
Still, she couldn’t understand why Xi Gu hadn’t told Xi Yi the truth about their mother’s death. Given Xi Gu’s vengeful nature, it seemed odd. She pressed further, “Xi Gu, why didn’t you tell Xi Yi the real cause of your mother’s death? Or about these savages?”
“Knowing the truth wouldn’t change anything. Those people are long gone. As for these savages,” Xi Gu snorted, “even though they come from the same direction, they’re not the same group. I don’t want Xi Yi risking his life over this. With Xi Mang gone, Xi Yi is all I have left. Don’t tell him either.”
Sha Yi saw the logic in Xi Gu’s reasoning and nodded. It was the first time she had seen Xi Gu show such resolve, but the feeling didn’t last long.
The next moment, Xi Gu snarled furiously, “Those egg-hatched bastards should’ve gone after the food at the old settlement cave! How dare they come here? After lying low for so many rainy seasons, they’ve gotten bold—hurting people on sight! This time, we’ll make sure they don’t leave on their feet!”
Sha Yi was stunned.
Xi Gu was still the same after all. But then again, it wasn’t her fault. Today’s conflict had been entirely provoked by those savages. It was like a modern robbery, except here, there were no laws to enforce justice. In this ancient era, the only option was to fight back—showing weakness would only invite endless exploitation.
No wonder Xi Gu held grudges. Even Sha Yi felt that a decisive end had to be put to this, or it would never stop.
During the rainy season, such conflicts were like adding frost to snow. They had to be resolved with full force!
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