Sha Yi wanted to escape.
This strange and savage man had no restraint in his actions, always eyeing her with hostility, treating her as anything but an equal. It was utterly terrifying. With Xi Yi absent and no one to save her, if she didn’t find a way to flee quickly, she feared he would only grow more brutal.
Determined, she seized the moment he approached to leap down from the high ledge.
Having been in this world for nearly two months, she hadn’t achieved much, but her physical condition had improved somewhat. The height wasn’t too strenuous for her.
Yet she was wrong—terribly wrong. Underestimating the wild man’s speed and strength came at a heavy cost. She barely took two steps before he pounced, slamming her to the ground.
The impact was immense. Though the ground was relatively soft, it couldn’t cushion the force of his tackle combined with his considerable weight. The collision left Sha Yi in excruciating pain, feeling as though her organs had been jolted out of place. By the end, she lacked even the strength to get up.
This wild man was truly ruthless!
Only when he saw she had no intention of running did he slowly rise.
Sha Yi couldn’t see his expression—nor did she want to. The moment the weight lifted from her back, she could finally breathe again. But then, without warning, he twisted her arms behind her back and effortlessly hauled her up.
Already aching from his brutal tackle, the sudden wrenching of her arms left Sha Yi unable to even cry out. She could only resign herself to his mercy.
Yet, unexpectedly, just as she was bracing for the worst, the wild man abruptly stopped. He seized her chin, forcing her head up.
The position was agonizingly awkward, his grip so tight it brought tears to her eyes. But he paid no mind, focused solely on scrutinizing her.
Sha Yi had no idea what he wanted. After all this torment, she was disheveled, covered in mud and filth. Not only had this trip been for nothing, but she’d also suffered inexplicable abuse—utterly senseless.
Judging by his demeanor, he clearly despised her. So why was he so relentless in tormenting her?
During the rainy season, everyone was busy seeking shelter. On this rare sunny day, instead of hunting, he chose to torment one of his own kind. Was he dissatisfied with the amount of rainfall these days?
The slopes were already devastated, the forests ruined, and the waterlogged ground deep!
Yet the man still gripped her chin, his gaze now tinged with suspicion.
A moment later, he pressed his thumb against her face and began scrubbing vigorously.
Sha Yi was utterly baffled. She had no clue what the damned savage was doing…
It wasn’t until his fingers reached her cheeks that realization struck—he was trying to wipe off the green stains on her face!
Earlier, she had crushed soapleaf juice into a lather to wash her hair. Halfway through, she’d fallen asleep. With her head tilted back, the leftover foam had dripped onto her face and dried without her noticing.
When this wild man first appeared, he’d called her thin and ugly. Thin she could accept—she was indeed slimmer than the women here—but ugly? She refused to believe that. Racial differences aside, she wasn’t *that* unattractive. Now, it made sense.
It was all because of the green stains covering her face!
No wonder he’d called her ugly. She’d essentially turned into a frog or toad. Given his cruel nature, such remarks were inevitable.
Now, he was rubbing her face vigorously, his suspicious gaze suggesting he’d noticed something beneath the green stains—prompting him to scrub it off for a clearer look.
A sudden dread gripped Sha Yi. If he wiped away the green stains, things could escalate badly.
Given his initial behavior and the scarcity of women in this primal era, if he saw her true complexion, he might abduct her—even if he despised her. He likely had companions, and in a society where reproduction was paramount, a woman’s appearance was secondary.
If such dynamics existed in modern times, the ancient era would be far worse.
Recalling his earlier attitude—though tinged with curiosity, it was mostly disdain—Sha Yi resolved to reinforce that disdain and ensure it stayed that way.
Thinking fast, she twisted her neck and bit down hard on his finger—again.
This time, she put all her strength into it.
Startled, the man jerked his hand back with a low grunt, but not before his finger was bloodied.
Now thoroughly enraged, he reached for her again without hesitation.
In an instant, he seized her damp hair, yanking it back into the hand that pinned her arms. Then, as if to strike her, he raised his other arm high.
Sha Yi clenched her teeth, bracing for the blow—but it never came. When she cautiously opened her eyes, she found the wild man had lowered his arm. Instead, he was crouched slightly, glaring at her with fury in his dark eyes, yet with an unreadable glint.
Sha Yi refused to show weakness.
She’d noticed earlier that while this savage was brutish, he seemed to hold back slightly when she resisted. But if she displayed typical feminine fragility before fighting back, he showed no mercy.
In short, this wild man responded to strength, not pleading.
Rather than gambling on unlikely pity with tactics that backfired, she’d rely on her own analysis and take her chances.
Some pain was better than losing her life. She wasn’t foolish.
With that, she lifted her chin and glared back defiantly.
For a brief moment, the wild man seemed taken aback—perhaps surprised by her bold retaliation. But the hesitation vanished as quickly as it came. The next second, his lips curled into an amused smirk, and his grip tightened.
A chill ran through Sha Yi. Had she just become prey in a cat-and-mouse game?
Just as her unease peaked, a rustling came from the thick foliage near the cliff. A low, hoarse voice uttered two syllables, and instantly, the wild man released her.
Caught off guard by the sudden freedom, Sha Yi collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, her half-kneeling posture softened the fall. The man glanced back at her briefly before vanishing into the undergrowth.
Lying on her side, Sha Yi exhaled deeply, but the two syllables from the leaves echoed in her mind—
*Jia Luo.*
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage