Gritting her teeth, Sha Yi continued to watch for a while longer, but soon felt her stomach cramping again, unable to hold back a few dry heaves.
Since her time-traveling journey began, though her endurance had gradually strengthened, she still hadn’t fully adapted to everything in this era.
On the other side of the tree hollow, Xi Yi, who had been stunned by the series of drastic changes, finally snapped out of his daze at the sound of her retching. He gently patted her back a few times, then grabbed a thick vine and his bone spear before leaping out of the hollow.
This time, his thoughts aligned with hers.
Sha Yi didn’t stop him. She called out to him and quickly handed over a fruit knife. Xi Yi paused briefly before swiftly taking it. In the blink of an eye, he was already standing firmly on the ground.
The giant serpent was still thrashing in agony. Its massive body twisted violently, and coupled with its frenzied pain, approaching it was not only difficult but dangerous—one wrong move could send them flying.
Below the tree, Xi Yi cautiously circled the serpent a few times. Seeing that the behemoth showed no intention of attacking, he finally positioned himself near the tail. Unexpectedly, the serpent suddenly struck, rearing its head and lunging to bite.
Sha Yi screamed from above. Xi Yi, however, moved nimbly, ducking just in time to evade the attack. In one swift motion, he thrust his bone spear into the serpent’s exposed belly. Unfortunately, the spear’s sharpness and hardness were insufficient—it barely pierced the flesh before the handle snapped under Xi Yi’s force, breaking cleanly in two.
Enraged by the strike, the serpent grew even more frenzied and attacked again. Xi Yi reacted quickly, tossing the broken spear aside and leaping away, narrowly dodging the serpent’s fangs. But he failed to notice the massive tail swinging toward him at the same moment. The tail struck his back with full force, sending him flying backward.
Sha Yi’s heart leaped into her throat. After an agonizing wait, she finally saw Xi Yi groan and slowly rise from the ground. His chest and back were now crisscrossed with deep, bloody gashes. The blow must have been severe, but at least the serpent was already critically wounded—otherwise, that tail strike could have been fatal.
Meanwhile, the serpent struggled to attack again, but its throat was too badly pierced, blood loss too great, and breathing too labored. The distance was also too far, leaving it powerless against Xi Yi’s staggering form—though its predatory hunger remained undiminished as it desperately slithered toward him.
Just as Sha Yi grew anxious, the marmoset, which had been resting nearby, unexpectedly let out a bird-like chirp and sprang into action. In a flash, it latched onto the serpent’s head again, and several streaks of silver light burst forth.
Instantly, the serpent began writhing madly.
This time, Sha Yi saw it clearly—the marmoset’s tail tip wasn’t just translucent bristles. Those bristles could harden like porcupine quills, likely hollow in the center, allowing it to inject a silvery-white toxin into the serpent’s body. The toxin sprayed out rapidly, creating the illusion of flickering silver light.
With the marmoset’s intervention, the serpent’s death throes were futile. Its massive body whipped up violent gusts, further ravaging the forest but achieving nothing else.
Perhaps the marmoset’s toxin took effect, because just like the night before, the serpent’s frenzy soon gave way to limp exhaustion. By the time Sha Yi looked over, Xi Yi had already seized the opportunity. Gripping the fruit knife, he lunged at the serpent’s neck and delivered several decisive slashes—finally severing its head from its body.
Sha Yi felt the tension in her chest finally ease.
After so much fear and stress, it was time to rest—otherwise, her nerves might snap.
But before she could fully relax, Xi Yi suddenly let out a furious, grief-stricken shout from below.
Reflexively, Sha Yi looked down.
The serpent’s head had been tossed aside, but a large, mucus-covered object was slowly sliding out from the bloody neck stump.
Sha Yi realized her stomach was still sensitive—just this brief sight made her nauseous. Since waking, she hadn’t eaten anything, so vomiting wasn’t an option, but the disgust was overwhelming.
Xi Yi remained frozen beside the serpent’s corpse, staring blankly as the object slid out.
Sha Yi wanted to call out to him, but before she could speak, he bent down and violently yanked the object free.
Sha Yi was stunned, her breath catching in her throat. She gaped in shock for a long moment before dry heaving again.
—What had been dragged from the serpent’s belly was unmistakably a human corpse!
Even wrapped in mucus and contorted into a grotesque shape, she could instantly tell it was a human body. However, whether due to a violent death or prolonged digestion, the face and limbs were partially damaged. Unless one was intimately familiar with the person, identifying them would be impossible.
The sight was utterly revolting. Sha Yi had assumed even Xi Yi, accustomed to bloody battles, would be repulsed—but she was wrong.
Xi Yi was on the verge of collapse. He remained bent over the corpse, his body rigid and trembling uncontrollably, as if deeply traumatized.
Suppressing her discomfort, Sha Yi tentatively called his name, but he didn’t respond.
She had never seen him like this.
From her vantage point at the tree hollow, she couldn’t see his face or expression, but she could feel his overwhelming despair—oppressive and helpless, like losing a loved one.
Perhaps the person in the serpent’s belly had indeed been someone he knew…
Otherwise, why would he react this way?
The explanation made sense, so she refrained from disturbing him further. He clearly needed time to process his emotions.
As for her, she was merely an outsider in this tragedy. Beyond sympathy, she had no personal stake in it.
Sha Yi sighed and quietly lowered her head, busying herself with packing their belongings in the hollow.
They couldn’t stay here much longer. The battle had already left the forest in disarray, and now the giant serpent’s corpse would undoubtedly attract scavengers. For their own survival, fleeing was the wisest choice.
Xi Yi, lost in grief, clearly wasn’t thinking about anything else. As the more level-headed one, she had to make the practical decision.
But her packing was short-lived—Xi Yi soon climbed back up.
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