He looked anxious and furious, and when he saw her, his anger reached its peak. She suddenly felt a bit afraid. Remembering she still wasn’t wearing her outer clothes, she quickly reached for the clothes on the withered tree. But Sha Yi misunderstood, thinking she was trying to climb the tree to escape. He rushed over and grabbed her wrist with such force that it felt like he might crush her bones.
The pain sent a cold sweat down Sha Yi’s back, and she instinctively shrank back into the tree hollow. However, this action completely enraged him.
Almost uncontrollably furious, he yanked her out of the hollow, gripping her shoulders with both hands. His brown eyes burned with anger. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. His face flushed red with rage.
Sha Yi noticed his expression—it was a complex mix of emotions: panic, tension, anxiety, sorrow, but above all, anger.
Perhaps he was panicked because he had discovered her sudden disappearance, tense because he wasn’t sure if she had left on her own, anxious because he couldn’t find her, and heartbroken because when he finally did, she was bathing alone in the woods—breaking her promise and betraying him by trying to escape. All of this, as he saw it, had driven him to uncontrollable fury.
Maybe he did have a reason to be angry. The mistake lay in her not telling him when she left. Though she had simply wanted to avoid a repeat of the awkward situation by the lake the first time, he didn’t know that.
So, she shouldn’t blame him.
Now, Sha Yi was covered in sweat, his muscular chest heaving violently. His wounds seemed to have reopened, and fresh blood seeped out where scabs had barely formed.
Feeling guilty, she ignored the fact that he was still gripping her shoulders tightly. She reached for the half-dry cotton nightgown by the hollow and carefully began wiping the blood from his chest.
Sha Yi froze, letting her tend to his wounds. His grip on her shoulders loosened slightly, but he still didn’t fully trust that she wouldn’t run. Besides, her skin was so soft and smooth that he didn’t really want to let go.
Unaware of his thoughts, Sha Yi finished cleaning his chest wounds, then slipped under his arm to tend to the injuries on his back as well. Afterward, she tossed the bloodstained nightgown into the water in the hollow to wash it again. Finally, she casually took the bone knife from his waist.
As she reached for the knife, she felt Sha Yi stiffen. She guessed that after this incident, his distrust of her had resurfaced. But she didn’t want to dwell on it. In this ancient world, relying on him had become inevitable. Escaping was a foolish idea she wouldn’t repeat—every danger here was life-threatening.
His injuries were more important. Deep down, she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
Just as she was thinking this, a pair of rough, warm hands settled on her waist, making her shiver.
She was only wearing underwear, leaving most of her body exposed. Fresh from her bath, her skin was still cool, and her waist was particularly sensitive. The sudden touch of Sha Yi’s hot, calloused hands sent an involuntary tremor through her.
Noticing her reaction, his hands, initially tentative, slid from her waist to her abdomen. Then he moved closer, pressing his broad chest against her back. The intense heat made her uncomfortable.
Ignoring her discomfort, Sha Yi stubbornly maintained the intimate embrace from behind, neither speaking nor letting go.
Sha Yi twisted a few times, trying to break free, but it was futile. Eventually, she gave up and focused on her task.
The bone knife’s blade was thin and sharp—not as precise as a modern fruit knife, but serviceable enough to cut the threads of the nightgown.
Soon, under her clumsy knife work, the cotton nightgown became a large piece of fabric with two long straps. However, it was still wet and needed to dry before it could be used for bandaging.
She also washed the animal hide Sha Yi had given her earlier. Without soap from the bathtub, it wasn’t perfectly clean, but soaking it in water was enough for now. If they traveled along the river later, she could consider using soap to wash the remaining dirty clothes.
Once everything was settled, Sha Yi reluctantly released her. She turned to face him, only to find him staring intently at her body.
Apparently, his initial rage had made him overlook her attire…
Sha Yi glanced down at herself and sighed. Lingerie was indeed provocative—even modern men couldn’t resist its allure, let alone a man from ancient times.
Fortunately, she had worked as a model and was used to such gazes.
But Sha Yi was clearly different from modern men. While contemporary guys might steal a few heated glances, he outright reached for her breasts…
Annoyed, she slapped his hand away and thrust the pale yellow hide toward him.
Sha Yi froze, staring at her for a long time before shaking his head in refusal, his expression unreadable.
Confused, she pushed the hide toward him again. When he still wouldn’t take it, she rolled it up and forced it into his arms.
She believed his belongings should be returned to him. In this era, every piece of hide was hard-earned, especially one as soft and high-quality as this. Besides, she had already found her own clothes—though they were still wet, she could wear them once they dried.
The only regret was the lack of shoes. She didn’t know how long she could walk barefoot.
Opposite her, Sha Yi’s expression darkened completely. He frowned, looking at her with disbelief, his brown eyes filled with sorrow and hurt. After a long, silent moment, he hesitantly spoke:
*”Kenkulunla, layik nanuo…”* (*”Don’t leave me, you promised.”*)
This wasn’t a question. She vaguely understood *”Kenkulunla,”* but the rest was unclear. After a moment of thought, she shrugged and shook her head to indicate she didn’t understand.
Unfortunately, her reaction seemed to give Sha Yi the wrong idea. His sorrow instantly turned to despair. She guessed he had misinterpreted her, but before she could explain, he silently turned away.
She could see his entire body trembling—as if struck by a blow or wrestling with intense emotions.
After a while, he remained standing there, his silhouette lonely and desolate.
Suddenly, Sha Yi remembered something she had once seen on a nature documentary: in some primitive tribes, affection was expressed through the exchange of specific gifts.
Had Sha Yi given her the hide for that reason?
Considering all his actions and his current despair, she estimated there was a 90% chance her guess was correct…
Had she just rejected him?
Would he abandon her now and leave her alone?
—
**Note:**
*”Kenkulunla”* – Don’t leave me.
*”Layik nanuo”* – You promised.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage