That was the settlement of a certain tribe. Due to the two days and three nights of torrential rain and thunderstorms, the entire settlement was completely destroyed. When Sha Yi went out in the middle of the night to gather grass stems and pick wild fruits, she had been terrified by the horrific scene illuminated by the flashes of lightning.
She understood Xi Yi’s intention at a glance—he wanted to search the ruins for something edible for the baby. She neither opposed nor supported this idea.
The baby had been picked up by her in this forest. The charred human figure she had seen above the vine cradle must have been its mother, and the situation here was identical. Therefore, they likely belonged to this tribe, so there might indeed be food in the wreckage to soothe the baby’s hunger. That was why she didn’t object.
However, considering that the original settlement had turned into ruins, with charred corpses mixed with broken wood and scattered grass piled haphazardly in the filthy water, it was far from clean. For this reason, she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea.
But there was no other option at the moment. She and Xi Yi could survive on shriveled wild fruits, but the baby couldn’t. Everything depended on luck now. She could only hope Xi Yi would find something clean.
By the time Xi Yi handed her the divided fruits, Sha Yi’s stomach was growling with hunger. Without caring whether the sour fruits tasted good or not, she took them and started eating immediately. Fortunately, though the fruits were somewhat shriveled, their flavor was still acceptable.
Midway, she couldn’t resist giving the baby a small piece. The child didn’t hesitate—it ate whatever she offered. But since it had no teeth, after smacking its lips a few times, the small piece slipped out of its mouth intact. Sha Yi had no choice but to give up.
Having gone without food for quite some time, coupled with the recent series of exhausting events, Sha Yi ate quite a few fruits before finally feeling slightly full.
Xi Yi also ate a lot. Originally, he had brought back a small animal, but due to the incident with the blood-sucking vines, only its fur and fat could be used. Just thinking about it now made Sha Yi regret their earlier decision.
After finishing the last fruit on her side, Sha Yi stretched contentedly—only to suddenly notice Xi Yi staring intently at her… abdomen. She was speechless. Had she eaten so much that she now had a little belly?
Before she could even glance down, Xi Yi swiftly reached out and touched her flat stomach. Sha Yi was stunned, but he just chuckled at her, his expression carrying satisfaction and anticipation—though he looked rather silly.
Especially since, lost in his own thoughts, the baby he had been holding slipped completely out of his arms, ending up in an uncomfortable head-down position. The little one struggled desperately, but Xi Yi remained oblivious.
Sha Yi was so shocked by his obliviousness and lack of care that she broke into a cold sweat. In the end, she couldn’t take it anymore and snatched the baby to hold herself.
When the rain lightened a bit more, Xi Yi finished eating, and the sky brightened slightly. He spoke briefly to her, and Sha Yi roughly understood that he intended to go alone to the ruins to search for food.
She really didn’t want to go herself, but she was also uneasy about letting Xi Yi go alone. However, considering the rain outside was still heavy, she agreed.
The baby couldn’t have been born long ago, and in this short time, it had already endured so much suffering. She couldn’t bear to take it out into the rain again, nor could she risk anything happening to it. Leaving it alone in the small shelter was also out of the question. After weighing her options, she had no choice but to support Xi Yi’s decision.
Xi Yi quickly left the shelter, moving swiftly and agilely. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from her sight.
Meanwhile, she held the baby, leaning against the side of the shelter, staring helplessly at the faint, tragic image of the settlement through the deep green mist under the gloomy sky.
She could already make out some blurred outlines, but nothing was clear enough.
The situation in this settlement was completely different from that of Xi Yi’s cave dwelling. It seemed they lived in tree hollows, as the forest here was filled with towering, densely packed giant trees—a practical adaptation to the environment.
Under the lightning at night, she had also noticed that many of the fallen charred trees had large openings in their trunks. These hollowed-out trees were exceptionally thick, much like the one she and Xi Yi had once lived in. In a normal season, living like this would undoubtedly be far more comfortable than staying in a cave.
Perhaps this was the lifestyle and tradition of this tribe. In contrast, Xi Yi’s cave settlement seemed more like a temporary communal space. As for how they lived outside the rainy season, she had no idea.
While lost in thought, the baby fell into a deep sleep again. Likely weakened by prolonged hunger, it had little energy left. Though she pitied it, she felt it was better for the child to sleep and gently placed it on a large leaf.
When she sat back down by the fire, it suddenly occurred to her—Xi Yi and Xi Gu, along with the others, had ventured out in the middle of the stormy night and brought back people from different tribes. The realization struck her like lightning.
No wonder Xi Yi was familiar with this place. Even in the dead of night, he had found his way here safely. Despite the eerie sights, he remained unafraid and even intended to search the wreckage for food. It seemed that the night he and Xi Gu had gone out, this was where they had come.
Those who later joined Xi Yi and Saina’s tribe must have been the survivors of this thunder-stricken settlement!
Connecting what she had seen with her speculations, everything became clear to Sha Yi.
But under such disgusting conditions during the rainy season, these people couldn’t have been unaware. Why hadn’t they moved away earlier? Had the thunderstorms never affected this place in previous rainy seasons? Was this time purely an accident?
Yet last night, she had clearly seen another nearby area struck by lightning as well…
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