Sha Yi was awakened by Xi Yi, the first time since her transmigration.
Bleary-eyed, it took her several confused glances at Xi Yi’s magnified face before she fully came to her senses—they were waiting for her to set off.
The night before, on their way back to the cave settlement with Xi Yi, she had shared some of her knowledge with him, analyzing their current situation and outlining her plans.
Though he didn’t fully grasp everything she said, he trusted her completely. The challenges she described were indeed the hardships they faced, so he chose to support and obey her unconditionally.
Upon returning to the cave, he relayed her plans to Xi Gu and the others. Like Xi Yi, they were somewhat bewildered, but they found her ideas intriguing and ultimately pledged their full support. As Xi Gu joked, giving it a try couldn’t hurt—things couldn’t get any worse.
However, the few members of Xi Yi and Xi Gu’s clan alone were far from enough. So Xi Gu, Ma Rui, and four others from their group went to other nearby clans to seek help. In the end, nearly half of the fifty-odd people in the cave settlement agreed to join, while the rest refused, unwilling to take the risk.
Sha Yi understood. Even in modern times, many people preferred to drift along, content with the status quo. Adventure and experimentation came with risks—bad luck could even cost lives. In this ancient era, being the first to take bold steps and rallying others to follow was an almost impossible task.
Xi Gu, however, was furious. He cursed those who refused as ungrateful and vowed to make them regret it.
Sha Yi found it both amusing and exasperating, but she secretly hoped for a big success the next day. Otherwise, disappointment would make it much harder to rally these people in the future.
What troubled her most was Sai Na’s entire clan volunteering to join. Honestly, she had hoped they would decline. But the opposite happened—before Xi Gu’s group even reached them, they proactively sought them out, bringing along two or three smaller clans and insisting on joining.
Xi Gu naturally didn’t refuse. More hands meant greater strength, and she was thrilled. In this matter, she was more than willing to let bygones be bygones and readily agreed.
Yet, under Sai Na’s meaningful gaze, Sha Yi felt deeply uncomfortable. She made up an excuse and retreated behind the animal hides to the bathtub. Xi Yi, concerned, left the group to follow her, leaving Xi Gu and Ma Sa to handle the rest.
Regarding the day’s arrangements, Xi Gu conveyed her instructions and, following her suggestion, promised those who joined that any mined salt would be evenly distributed among their clans. This was the biggest incentive and won overwhelming support.
Sha Yi had fallen asleep to the sound of their cheers, though she was startled awake a few times by dry thunder in the night. Nestled in Xi Yi’s arms, she felt safe, and with no rain accompanying the thunder, she quickly drifted back to sleep—until now.
Remembering last night’s events, Sha Yi hurriedly got up.
Accustomed to her cleanliness, Xi Yi had already prepared water for her, so her morning routine was quick. Before they left, he handed her a piece of roasted meat, his eyes slightly apologetic.
He knew she disliked greasy food in the morning, but he hadn’t wanted to wake her too early. Roasted meat was the only practical option—it could be eaten on the go, unlike mushroom soup or other cooked plants.
Sha Yi didn’t know how to describe her feelings. Xi Yi’s thoughtfulness and affection had reached an unparalleled level. Before her transmigration, she could never have imagined her future partner would be a man from the ancient past—one so incredibly warm-hearted. Now, she felt utterly spoiled by him, unwilling to be apart even for a moment.
Yet he still seemed worried she might be unhappy. Even as they left, he reminded her the weather was chilly and draped a thin animal hide over her shoulders.
Taking a bite of the tender roasted meat, Sha Yi couldn’t resist reaching out from under the hide to grasp his rough hand.
At first, Xi Yi was surprised by her gesture. But when he looked down and saw her blinking up at him, her delicate fingers still tightly holding his, he relaxed and smiled, turning his hand to envelop hers completely.
Sha Yi felt another surge of warmth in her heart, as if electrified. Even the greasy roasted meat tasted sweet.
Outside the cave, the air was damp and slightly foggy—whether from the weather or the early hour, sunlight had yet to appear.
In the clearing, the twenty or so people who had agreed to join the night before were already waiting. Xi Gu’s instructions had been thorough: everyone had brought tools—bone spears, knives, torches, large wooden containers for water, and sturdy, pre-twisted vines.
At the back of the group, she spotted Sai Na. He was watching her, his expression unreadable. When their eyes met, his gaze shifted to her and Xi Yi’s intertwined hands, a flicker of something unidentifiable passing through his dark eyes.
Sha Yi had no desire to prolong the silent exchange and turned away, following Xi Yi to the front of the group.
This mission had two objectives: first, to search the terrifying forest for the reddish-brown vines, and second, to locate the pit containing the mineral salt on the slope.
Xi Yi was assigned to the vine-searching team since he had seen those vines before. The group also included the newcomers who had originally lived near that forest—they knew the terrain best. However, since the usual entrance on the slope was flooded, they would have to find another way in.
As a result, the two teams would take entirely different routes. Sha Yi was reluctant but had no choice. For the sake of the mission, she handed Xi Yi a lighter and both of her fruit knives, hoping to ease her worries.
The remaining group, including Xi Gu and Sai Na, would accompany her to search for the mineral salt. Their task was relatively safer, requiring less travel but still physically demanding. If luck was on their side and they found the salt quickly, they’d have plenty of work ahead. Otherwise, it would be a long and exhausting endeavor.
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