Sha Yi stared at the devastated area for a long time until a faint glimmer of dawn broke through the dim clouds.
In that very moment, the entire forest settlement completely shed its shadowy appearance beneath the thinning mist, and she was unexpectedly able to see its true condition.
It was truly horrifying—far worse than what she had seen in the middle of the night. Moreover, what she had witnessed earlier was only part of it. On the other side of the flooded area, there were also massive trees with hollows lying haphazardly, clearly belonging to the same group. The devastation on both sides was nearly identical, equally chaotic.
Yet, she still noticed something peculiar.
What she had mistaken for withered vines hanging down under the lightning the previous night now appeared to be anything but ordinary vines. Their length was absurdly excessive, almost encircling the entire forest settlement, and their cross-section was as thick as a forearm. Their color, too, was unusual—instead of the typical green of plants, they bore a strange, metallic ochre hue.
Yet they were undeniably plants, now wilted and clinging to broken branches and fallen trees. If one wasn’t paying attention, they might not even notice them!
Sha Yi vaguely sensed that these strange ochre vines were problematic, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what was off about them. In the end, she had to let it go.
Still, she couldn’t help but wonder at the sheer scale of the lightning strike. Common sense dictated that a normal thunderstorm would only damage a tree or two in close proximity. The current situation was anything but normal.
Even in this dense forest of towering trees, the destruction spanned an enormous area, yet the ochre vines remained completely unscathed—something that raised serious doubts.
Sha Yi silently observed for a while longer, but the outcome was the same. She could easily spot the anomalies, but the underlying cause remained elusive.
Just then, a rustling sound came from the tangle of fallen vegetation. When she looked up, she saw Xi Yi forcefully parting the damp, slippery leaves and quickly stepping out.
He had brought back quite a few things.
Several animal hides, a broken bone spear, two wooden containers, a simple crisscrossed vine basket, and a large hard-shelled fruit that resembled a coconut.
The rain outside the shelter had lightened further, though it still drizzled steadily. Xi Yi was drenched from head to toe, his damp, slightly curly hair framing a face that mirrored the bleakness of the weather—pale and sorrowful.
Sha Yi guessed it was because he had just returned from the lightning-stricken area.
Perhaps the first time he went, he hadn’t seen it clearly, or perhaps he hadn’t been able to take it all in. But now, faced with the horrific scene and the charred corpses strewn about, he seemed deeply grieved.
For the moment, she said nothing, gently taking the items from his hands and retrieving the bone knife from his waist to prepare the coconut-like fruit.
But he didn’t let her do it. The moment she set the fruit down, he took the knife from her, pressed it against the fruit, and made a few quick cuts. Then he motioned for her to fetch a wooden container while he picked up the large fruit and began squeezing it forcefully.
Soon, a thick, milky-white liquid oozed out. By the time Xi Yi had flattened the fruit to the point where no more liquid could be extracted, the container was nearly half-full.
Though the fruit resembled a coconut and its juice was similarly colored, it carried a rich, creamy aroma—almost like real dairy. Curiosity got the better of Sha Yi, and she took a sip. The taste was remarkably similar, with a faint sweetness that made it incredibly pleasant.
At this point, Sha Yi was about seventy to eighty percent certain that this fruit’s juice was likely used as a substitute for breast milk. If ancient women lacked sufficient nutrition and couldn’t produce milk, this could serve as an alternative.
She couldn’t definitively speak to its nutritional value, but at the very least, infants wouldn’t reject it based on taste alone—and that was enough. Sometimes, all people needed was a temporary solution.
With that in mind, she quickly brought the infant over, gently waking him before carefully tearing off half a leaf to scoop up the milky liquid and feed him.
The baby was surprisingly cooperative. He didn’t fuss at all, drinking the juice obediently.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t used to drinking this way, and his lack of teeth made the entire feeding process especially messy. Sha Yi ended up covered in sticky juice, spilling nearly half of what was in the container before finally managing to fill him up.
Of course, the little one simply closed his eyes and fell asleep the moment he was full, leaving Sha Yi in disarray.
Throughout this, Xi Yi sat quietly beside her, watching. Only after she finished feeding the baby and he had fallen back asleep did Xi Yi finally speak, his words heavy with concern and anxiety.
This time, Sha Yi understood him completely. He was suggesting they return to the cave settlement. This forest was far too dangerous, and they had no experience living here. If they stayed any longer, the situation might spiral out of his control.
Now, with the lightning subsiding and the rain gradually easing, it was indeed the best time to go back. If they missed this window, things could quickly become unmanageable.
So she nodded quickly and began gathering their belongings with him.
Xi Yi was visibly pleased by her compliance. The weight in his heart lifted somewhat, and he leaned in to kiss her forehead before running his large, rough hand through her hair, his eyes filled with tenderness and affection.
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