SDIWD - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Of course, Bai Zhen had no idea she was being silently criticized by her Miss again. After taking off her clothes, she began to walk into the deeper water.
She possessed wilderness survival skills, but opportunities to carry out missions in such circumstances were few and far between. In terms of practical application, she had only encountered it during a few pitiful training exercises. Moreover, for a Sentinel, the priority wasn't surviving in the wild, but completing the mission. Compared to spending time searching for food, they needed more patience and perseverance to lie in wait; enduring hunger was far more important than finding food.
When it came down to it, this was her first time fishing in the sea.
The shallows only had small, finger-sized fish, so Bai Zhen needed to go into deeper water to find fish suitable for Hua Mu to eat.
Hua Mu watched as Bai Zhen walked into the sea. After a few splashes, she disappeared from sight.
She still had confidence in her Sentinel.
Bai Zhen had graduated from the Tower with the best results in a decade. If she couldn't even handle this, the Tower's standards would be utterly disappointing.
Blue sky, turquoise sea, white sand, black reefs—the natural scenery was undeniably beautiful. But with no idea when rescue would arrive, being stranded here alone was exceptionally difficult for Hua Mu to bear.
She could hear the sound of the waves, yet the surroundings still felt terrifyingly quiet. With Bai Zhen out of sight, she almost believed she had been stranded here all alone.
Hua Mu anxiously glanced at her watch, only to realize she hadn't checked the time before, so she had no idea how many minutes had passed. She just felt time was crawling by. With every passing second, it was as if she could hear a long, drawn-out ticking in her ears.
No, that wasn't right. She clearly felt it was far too quiet.
Unable to sit still, Hua Mu pushed herself up using the trunk of a nearby tree. It was a relatively short coconut tree, and its leaves provided perfect shade.
She was only about a hundred meters from the sea, on a coastline that stretched for just a few hundred meters. To her left and right were black rock cliffs, eroded by wind and rain. Behind her, however, was a gentler-looking slope where weeds grew thicker and thicker as they spread inland.
Even without a close look, Hua Mu was certain there was a dense jungle of considerable size on the island.
She glanced around before her gaze swept over the small patch of shallows. The SOS sign Bai Zhen had just made with stones was exceptionally conspicuous. The sign gave her a sense of security, a reminder that she wasn't alone.
The surface of the sea was unusually calm, without a single ripple in sight. Hua Mu found it hard to believe that just half a day ago, she had survived such a terrible shipwreck. Though she tried her best not to dwell on it, she couldn't stop the terrifying memories from flooding back.
Has Bai Zhen been gone too long?
A strange sense of panic began to creep over Hua Mu, and the wounds on her body started to ache faintly. She couldn't help but glance at her watch again, only to find that barely a minute had passed.
Hua Mu could feel her emotions spiraling, but she couldn't stop her mind from racing.
That Bai Zhen... she survived the shipwreck, but is she going to drown just trying to catch a fish for me?
She knew the thought was absurd, but after staring at the perfectly calm sea for a while longer, she couldn't suppress it.
After waiting for another minute or so and still seeing no sign of Bai Zhen, Hua Mu finally couldn't bear it any longer and ran limping toward the sea.
It wasn't that she was worried about that damned Sentinel's life and safety; she was just worried that she wouldn't be able to survive on this deserted island without her!
"Bai Zhen! Bai Zhen!" As a lady from a prestigious family, Hua Mu rarely raised her voice like this, but right now, she couldn't care less.
Walking barefoot on the sand itself wasn't so bad, but there was a considerable distance between where she had been resting and the shore, and the path was littered with gravel and sharp rocks. By the time she reached the water's edge, the soles of her feet were screaming with piercing pain.
"Bai Zhen, Bai Zhen..." Hua Mu felt her panic was ridiculous, and calling out so desperately for her Sentinel was utterly humiliating. But she couldn't stand being alone a moment longer. "Bai Zhen!"
An unknown amount of time passed as she called out, but Bai Zhen still hadn't surfaced. Hua Mu collapsed dejectedly at the water's edge. Though she refused to believe her Sentinel could have gotten into trouble so easily, panic had already shut down her reason.
Bai Zhen's spirit animal was not suited for underwater movement, and the marine environment was too complex for her to risk letting her senses run wild. Sensory overload was extremely dangerous even for a bonded Sentinel, let alone an unbonded one like her, stranded on a deserted island.
Unable to rely on her enhanced senses, Bai Zhen was no different from an ordinary soldier with slightly better physical fitness, and catching fish with her bare hands was no easy task. Fortunately, the nearby schools of fish seemed to have never encountered humans, and she finally managed to catch a few. She had swum a bit farther out to catch them, so by the time she faintly heard Hua Mu calling her name, it was already too late to respond immediately.
She hurriedly surfaced and saw Hua Mu sitting at the water's edge in the distance, the seawater once again soaking the hem of her skirt.
Thinking something had happened, Bai Zhen's heart clenched in panic. Without a second thought, she swam back with all her might.
"Miss!" She frantically tossed the two fish she was holding aside and knelt beside Hua Mu. "What happened?" she asked anxiously. "Why did you come over here?"
"You damned Sentinel!" Hua Mu looked utterly wretched. Her long, light-gold hair, usually so smooth and lustrous, was now a tangled mess. Her eyes were red and brimming with tears. Without another word, she grabbed a handful of wet sand and threw it hard against Bai Zhen's chest. "Why did it take you so long to catch two fish? Aren't you Sentinels supposed to have keen senses? Why were you so slow to come back when you heard me calling? Were you doing it on purpose!"
The moment Hua Mu saw her surface, she felt all the strength drain from her body. Relief washed over her, quickly followed by a surge of annoyance.
Seeing Bai Zhen's anxious expression, she felt both soothed and, at the same time, overcome with the urge to vent all her frustrations on her.
Bai Zhen was being thoroughly berated, but her attention was completely elsewhere.
"Miss, you're injured!"
In her panicked rush to the shore, Hua Mu had been too consumed by anxiety and an indescribable fear to pay any mind to the excruciating pain in her feet.
Now that it was pointed out, the pain became even more piercing. Her once smooth, fair toes were cut and bleeding, and the soles of her feet were covered in wounds. Having collapsed on the beach, her injuries were now soaking in the saltwater.
"It hurts!"
To hell with the dignity of a Grand Duke's daughter! The pain was killing her!
Bai Zhen was both anxious and heartbroken but didn't know how to show it. She felt a sudden impulse to lift Hua Mu into her arms but hesitated, held back by the rule established on the very first day they met.
"Miss..."
Hua Mu hated Bai Zhen's rigidness. Seeing her just staring blankly at her feet, she couldn't help but snap, "Well? Aren't you going to pick me up?"
Bai Zhen hurriedly knelt and scooped Hua Mu up by the waist.
The Sentinel had a lean physique, but her chest was full and soft. Having just emerged from the sea, her body was dripping wet, and even in her utterly unalluring underwear, she somehow looked a little sexy.
Lifted in her powerful arms, Hua Mu nestled into her embrace and couldn't help but feel a sense of security.
But the moment she saw Bai Zhen's stiff, uninteresting, almost robotic face, her anger flared up again.
Her Miss is injured! Can't she show even a little worry or concern?
Of course, Bai Zhen was oblivious to Hua Mu's girlish thoughts. She carried her to the shade of the tree in a few steps, set her down, and immediately prepared to treat her wounds.
Seeing her rash movement, Hua Mu, both embarrassed and angry, held down the hem of her skirt with one hand and used the other to stop Bai Zhen's head as it lowered.
"What do you think you're doing?"
As the daughter of a Grand Duke, Hua Mu had been pampered since childhood, and her body care was meticulous. From her skin down to each strand of her hair, every part of her was exquisite. Her small feet were fair and pink, her rounded toes like pearls, and her thin toenails were lustrous and translucent.
Though her face was impassive, Bai Zhen held Hua Mu's feet with extreme care, as if she were afraid of breaking them.
Seeing her anger, Bai Zhen knew her own foolishness must have provoked her again. She hurriedly bowed to apologize.
"Miss..."
Hua Mu was so angry she wanted to shove her foot in Bai Zhen's face. She managed to restrain herself, but ended up kicking her shoulder instead, which only made her grimace in pain.
"What were you trying to do just now?"
Bai Zhen was all lean muscle, so she barely felt the kick. She remained kneeling, unmoving, and said respectfully, "I wanted to treat your wounds."
Treating wounds is one thing, but what was with lowering her head like she was about to kiss my feet?
"And how did you plan on treating them?"
With your mouth?
"I..."
Just as Bai Zhen was about to answer, she suddenly realized why Hua Mu was angry. Although social customs were now quite liberal, the royal family still adhered to the most traditional etiquette. Whether a noble lady's feet could be touched was debatable, but they absolutely could not be kissed.
Although she had only intended to clean the wounds, it still involved contact with her mouth, which was tantamount to a marriage proposal.
"I-I'll go find some fresh water to wash your wounds..."
For once, Bai Zhen had a clever idea, but Hua Mu was about to lose her mind.
"Don't you dare leave me here alone."
She had just had a taste of being alone, and her racing thoughts were enough to drive a person mad.
"Then, then..."
The sun was about to set, and venturing deep into the island to find fresh water now was not a wise move, especially with Hua Mu in tow.
Bai Zhen racked her brain but couldn't figure out what to do. In the end, it was Hua Mu who spoke up.
"Just use some coconut water to rinse them for now," she said. "We'll deal with the rest later."
To suggest something so extravagant in such a dire situation—it was something only a pampered young lady like Hua Mu, who knew nothing of worldly hardships, would do.
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