SDIWD - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The average temperature on the island wasn't very high, but the sunlight was intense. Direct exposure could quickly cause dehydration.

Hua Mu had lost her shoes and lacked stamina, so she could only be carried on Bai Zhen's back. She wasn't completely idle, though; she held up her jacket to shield them both from the sun. However, as Bai Zhen ventured deeper into the island's interior, the sparse forest gradually thickened, and the sunlight became less fierce.

The reason even Hua Mu could immediately tell the island was quite large was the conspicuous mountain, several hundred meters high, a considerable distance away from them. Water flows downhill. Their primary objective this time was to find a clean and stable water source, so Bai Zhen's destination was the low-lying area at the foot of the mountain.

They had been stranded here after a storm the previous day. If there was a mountain stream, it shouldn't have dried up yet. Their luck was better than they'd imagined. The island's vegetation seemed quite rich. Although they hadn't found a water source yet, they had spotted some banana trees.

When Hua Mu first saw them, she was delighted, thinking they would have more fruit to eat. But it turned out that only a few of the banana trees had bunches of green fruit, each smaller than her palm. The rest were either fruitless or their fruit had already been eaten by insects and birds.

"Tsk, none of these are edible!"

Hua Mu, half-sitting on Bai Zhen's arm, looked at the clearly unripe bananas with some regret.

Bai Zhen, however, didn't leave immediately.

"Miss, are you thirsty?"

Hua Mu had just had some coconut water not long ago, so she wasn't thirsty yet.

"I'm not thirsty. Besides, the bananas aren't ripe, and even if they were, they wouldn't quench my thirst."

Bai Zhen understood. Without further explanation, she silently memorized the location of the banana trees. "Let's keep moving, then."

Hua Mu wasn't stupid. Realizing she had misunderstood Bai Zhen's meaning, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed and ashamed. Forget wilderness survival; she would struggle even if thrown into a bustling city alone. Growing up in the royal family had indeed made her pampered, but it had also given her a greater sense of crisis in certain respects.

She knew she couldn't rely on Bai Zhen completely. One day was fine, two days maybe, but what if it was longer? She had to start learning from Bai Zhen right now.

"Ahem," for Hua Mu, swallowing her pride to ask a question required some mental preparation. She cleared her throat for a while until Bai Zhen asked what was wrong. Only then did she speak. "Just now, if I had been thirsty, what would you have done?"

Because they had agreed that their first foray inland would last half a day at most, they hadn't brought cumbersome things like coconuts.

Bai Zhen always answered Hua Mu's questions without fail.

"I would have cut a section of the banana tree's stalk for you."

Hua Mu pursed her lips but ultimately didn't voice her disdain.

"Is that thing edible?"

"It rained so heavily yesterday, the stalk should have stored a lot of water."

Hua Mu wasn't thirsty, so she was more concerned about the taste than its water-storing properties.

"Does it taste good?"

"Er..." Bai Zhen had never drunk it either.

Hua Mu couldn't help but smack her. "You'd dare give it to me when you've never had it yourself? How bold of you."

Bai Zhen thought the Miss had a very good point and was instantly filled with shame.

"Then... then next time, I'll taste it first."

Getting angry at someone who agreed with everything you said was actually quite boring. Hua Mu didn't even know if she should be angry.

"Forget it, forget it. Let's just hurry up. I'm not thirsty anyway. Oh, right, if you see anything useful along the way, you have to tell me about it."

Bai Zhen's stamina was so good it made Hua Mu question life itself. She had barely rested last night, had eaten only a little coconut and shellfish, and had drunk almost no water. Yet today, she carried Hua Mu steadily through the muddy and rugged forest for so long without even breathing heavily.

There were no established paths on the island, only the occasional animal trail. Bai Zhen often had to backtrack, which took up a lot of time. But Hua Mu noticed she was very purposeful, constantly identifying her surroundings and adjusting her direction as she headed toward the mountain.

"What are you smelling?"

After observing for a long time, Hua Mu finally figured out what she was doing.

"I'm smelling for water, Miss. There should be a water source nearby."

Water has a smell? Hua Mu had been drinking water for so many years and never knew! As for the briny smell of the sea, she had been smelling it for two days and was already getting used to it.

Sentinels truly had a natural advantage in wilderness survival, something she could never learn. Hua Mu sighed with emotion and reminded herself once again that she absolutely had to win Bai Zhen over.

"What kind of water source? Is there a lot of water?"

Of course, she had other, more pressing matters on her mind right now. For example, taking a proper bath! In order to minimize her trips to the toilet, she hadn't even dared to eat much! If there was a lake where she could bathe, she could grudgingly accept her situation.

"It should be quite abundant."

Bai Zhen also seemed somewhat pleased. Hua Mu couldn't help but say happily, "That's great!"

However, when she saw what Bai Zhen called a "quite abundant water source," her heart sank. Forget a lake, there wasn't even a pond. There was only a stream meandering down the mountainside. At its widest, it was no more than two meters across, and its deepest part would probably only come up to her thighs—her thighs.

The small stream flowed under the dense shade of the trees. It was noticeably cooler here than outside, and even Hua Mu thought she could smell that so-called "scent of water."

Although the reality was a far cry from her expectations, having some water was better than none. Plus, the stream looked very clean, and it wasn't as if she couldn't bathe in it. Hua Mu composed herself and accepted the situation.

"Can we drink this water?"

She asked casually, but Bai Zhen had taken their earlier conversation to heart.

"I can taste it first."

Hua Mu found this utterly pointless. If it wasn't drinkable, wasn't this just asking Bai Zhen to be her poison tester?

"No need. It looks clean enough. Put me down, I want to drink some water."

There were a few rugged little paths by the stream, connecting to several flat spots right by the water. They were covered in overlapping footprints, likely from wild animals that had come here to drink.

Bai Zhen carried Hua Mu across the animal trail, then carefully set her down on her own shoes.

"Miss, be careful not to hurt your feet."

Hua Mu actually quite wanted to wade in barefoot, but her feet were injured, and she hadn't even had a drink of water yet. Washing her feet first would be a bit much.

"Carry me over there to sit."

Not far from them, there was a smooth rock by the water's edge, perfect for sitting on.

Bai Zhen carried her over and spread her jacket on the rock. As Hua Mu sat down on solid ground, her heart, which had been adrift all morning, finally settled.

Bai Zhen had brought half a coconut shell. She squatted to one side, washed it clean, scooped up half a shell of water, sniffed it carefully, and only then passed it to Hua Mu.

"Miss."

Always 'Miss' or 'Young Lady'.

Hua Mu couldn't help but grumble inwardly as she took the water from Bai Zhen.

Does this woman still not know my name?

With this thought, she took a rather indignant sip of water.

The stream water wasn't exactly crisp and sweet, but it was cool, and felt quite refreshing as it went down her throat. Having not had any water for over a day, Hua Mu found that this first sip tasted even better than the coconut water.

Seeing the look of pleasure on Hua Mu's face as she drank, Bai Zhen finally squatted down and scooped up a handful of water for herself. But as soon as the water entered her mouth, her brow furrowed slightly, and she looked worriedly toward the mountain peak.

Due to the sea winds, most islands didn't have very high peaks. And most islands that did have mountains were formed by volcanic activity.

There was no obvious smell of sulfur in the water, but she still felt something was different. For now, she couldn't be sure, and she didn't want to say anything to worry Hua Mu. Even if it was a volcano, based on the current situation, it was likely just a dead or dormant one.

Completely unaware of Bai Zhen's concerns, Hua Mu finished her water and sighed in satisfaction.

Bai Zhen remained vigilant, monitoring their surroundings. Judging by the animal tracks, the largest creatures were likely wild boars. They might pose a threat to an ordinary person, but to a Sentinel, they were merely a meal on legs. More than that, she was afraid that snakes, insects, or other creepy crawlies might frighten Hua Mu.

Seeing her standing stock-still, her sharp gaze scanning the area, Hua Mu lifted her foot and kicked her leg lightly.

"Are you done drinking?"

"Miss, I'm finished. If you're rested, we should head back. I'll come back later to get water."

Carrying Hua Mu, Bai Zhen had taken many detours. If she were alone, she could have covered the five or six kilometers of straight-line distance and back in just over ten minutes. The forest was much more dangerous than the beach. Even if she was on full alert, she couldn't guarantee that nothing unexpected would happen.

"I don't want to go back yet..." Hua Mu hadn't done the most important thing yet, how could she go back?

"Is there something else you need to do?"

Bai Zhen was a little confused.

In such an unfamiliar environment, one must not be impatient for quick results. Every action had to have an intended objective. Once that objective was achieved, no matter what happened, they had to regroup and make a new plan.

Their objective today was to find a water source. It was great that they had other gains along the way—like discovering some banana and palm trees—but it was best not to linger any longer.

Hua Mu fidgeted for a moment. "I want to take a bath."

Bai Zhen froze.

For a Sentinel on a mission, any need beyond protecting their master and survival was non-essential, let alone bathing.

"But..."

It was too dangerous.

Hua Mu put on her "Young Lady" airs. "No buts. I didn't wash yesterday, and I feel disgusting."

Bai Zhen knew Hua Mu was very particular about hygiene, and she genuinely felt that it would be a great injustice for a noble lady like her to be unable to bathe. The Miss was different from people like her. Her skin was so delicate it seemed it would break at the slightest touch. Of course, something like bathing couldn't be delayed.

"Then... alright."

Bai Zhen nodded in agreement. Hua Mu was overjoyed, just waiting for her to leave. But she waited for a long while, and the other woman just stood there like a tower, showing no intention of leaving.

"I said I want to take a bath!"

Hua Mu was getting anxious.

Bai Zhen thought she needed something. "Miss, do you need a towel or..."

What towel would she need in the middle of nowhere! Was this Bai Zhen looking down on her intelligence?

"Why haven't you left yet?"

Bai Zhen's brow twitched slightly. She said firmly, "I cannot leave."

Hua Mu: "..."

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