SDIWD - Chapter 116
Chapter 116
A new year, a new beginning. If she were still in the Imperial Capital, Hua Mu would have had to wake up early on this day to go to the outer suburbs to pray for blessings. But life on Dream Isle had a timeless quality to it; as long as they weren't worried about food, the two of them were free to do as they pleased.
Hua Mu awoke to the sound of rain. Rain on the first day of the new year was a novel experience for her—in the Imperial Capital, it would only be snowing at this time.
"Miss, are you awake?" The Sentinel had woken up earlier than her and asked softly from behind, "Are you hungry? I'll go make breakfast."
Hua Mu grabbed the arm wrapped around her and shook her head, whining in a sleepy, clingy voice, "No, let's sleep a little longer."
Bai Zhen, of course, had no objections. She held Hua Mu in her arms like a precious treasure, gently stroking her platinum-blonde, medium-length hair.
"Did I tire you out?"
The Sentinel's tone was perfectly serious, clearly born of concern. But no matter how she heard it, the Young Lady found it lewd. She turned her flushed face away and mumbled, "I'm not that tired…"
Although her stamina was indeed no match for Bai Zhen's, she had made some progress over this period!
Aroused by her shy appearance, Bai Zhen's heart stirred, and she couldn't help but plant a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Hua Mu froze for a moment, then took the initiative to lean in and ask for a kiss.
This Sentinel was just like that—gentle and innocent, treating her with cautious reverence, as if she were a priceless treasure. Only when Hua Mu made the most forward of advances would she show a hint of fervor. Hua Mu was tired of it, tired of being reserved. She'd lost count of how much dirty talk she'd used; in front of Bai Zhen, she no longer had to worry about her own limits.
Hua Mu's girlish demeanor was incredibly endearing to Bai Zhen, who simply pulled her on top of herself and gave her a long, meticulous, and tender kiss.
Rainy days were always perfect for staying home, and even more perfect for being lovey-dovey with a lover. The wind and rain outside only accentuated the tranquility and comfort within, as if they were the only two people left in the world—and on this island, they truly were.
The thought inevitably brought a sense of unease and helplessness to Hua Mu's heart, but the moment she saw Bai Zhen's face, the moment she was held in the Sentinel's strong arms, she would feel incomparably at ease.
If it was just the two of them, what did it matter if they were on a deserted island? Only after truly possessing something could one understand the regret of what they never had. Every time Hua Mu looked back on the past, she felt a lingering fear. If not for this miraculous turn of events, she and Bai Zhen might have truly missed their chance.
And how would her world have been any different from being on a deserted island then?
"Bai Zhen."
"Hm?"
"I like you."
Although they had done everything, Hua Mu rarely said the words "I like you"—the Young Lady was, in some respects, quite reserved.
The Sentinel was clearly stunned as well. It was a long moment before she replied, her eyes moist, "I know, Miss. I like you too."
A triumphant expression appeared on Hua Mu's face. She poked Bai Zhen's shoulder with a slender finger and asked, "If you hadn't gotten together with me, would you have felt regret?"
"In the past, I probably would have felt a kind of regret I couldn't quite put into words. But now…" Bai Zhen looked at her, her expression incredibly solemn, "I would feel that life is worse than death."
Sentinels had a powerful sense of dependence on their Guides. In a bonded pair, if the Sentinel died, the Guide could, to a large extent, survive. But if the Guide died, the Sentinel would almost certainly be unable to bear the pain of losing their partner—the royal family of the Sheng Chao Empire seemed to be an exception.
Ultimately, the very nature of Sentinels destined them to be sensitive and delicate; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them fragile.
Even Bai Zhen could not endure the pain of being separated from Hua Mu.
Hua Mu saw the alarm and unease on her face; such a mere hypothetical was enough to fill the Sentinel with anxiety and fear.
"Don't you worry," she said. A Bai Zhen like this was truly pitiable, and Hua Mu felt a surge of heroic spirit to protect her lover, vowing, "I'm here. When we get back to the empire, I'll handle my aunt and father. My aunt is generally very reasonable. She can't possibly separate a Sentinel and Guide who have already bonded."
Bai Zhen didn't shatter her innocent belief, simply smiling and nodding. "Then I'll be counting on you, Miss."
Hua Mu's vanity was greatly satisfied, and her mind began to stir with other ideas. The two of them were fairly reciprocal in that department, but Hati was more aggressive than Luna, and Bai Zhen's stamina was leagues better than hers, so most of the time, she was left with no strength to fight back by the end.
But speaking of which, since they were both women, there was no rule that only the Sentinel could take the lead. She could do it too!
Bai Zhen looked so delicious. Why couldn't she have a proper taste?
"Bai Zhen."
The Sentinel watched as the person on top of her developed a mischievous expression, and for some reason, a bad feeling crept into her heart.
"Wh-what is it, Miss?"
Hua Mu leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Tell me…"
After hearing her words, Bai Zhen's face flushed red all the way to the base of her neck. She stammered, "This… I-I don't know how to explain it…"
"How could you not know? There must be a way. If you can do it, then of course I can too!"
"But this is… it happens naturally."
Then why couldn't it happen naturally for her? Was it because Luna was a bit dumb?
"I don't care, you have to teach me. It can't always be you… right!"
"Ahem, ahem…" Compared to the Young Lady, the Sentinel's threshold for embarrassment was clearly much lower, and she was already struggling to handle the situation.
Hua Mu paid her no mind and simply took matters into her own hands.
"If you won't teach me, I'll just try it myself. I'm a top student too, you know!"
"W-wait, Miss, don't… Mmph!"
"Eh…"
Outside, the sound of the rain grew louder, pattering against the roof covered in waterproof cloth and palm leaves. Although this new dwelling was near a water source, they had still built a water collection system when constructing it.
Rainwater trickled down along the eaves into a collection trough, then flowed towards a bamboo filter standing at the end of the corridor. The filter was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, filled in sequence with palm bark, charcoal, and canvas. After passing through the filter, the rainwater finally fell into a water tank.
The tank wasn't large, and the rainwater soon overflowed, spilling everywhere.
By the time Hua Mu came to her senses, most of the day had passed.
"Miss, are you hungry?"
Hua Mu listened lazily to the Sentinel's voice, feeling that the question sounded familiar.
"Mmm…"
This time, she was truly hungry. Her stomach was cramping.
What was she trying to do earlier?
Ah, whatever. Food first!
The Young Lady had no energy, so the task of cooking naturally fell to the Sentinel. The ingredients were already prepared anyway; all she had to do was heat them up. Not only did Bai Zhen heat up the food, but she also held Hua Mu and fed her directly.
The Young Lady thoroughly enjoyed this life of blissful indulgence, eating with great relish.
"It feels like this rain won't stop anytime soon."
On Dream Isle, it was perfectly normal for it to rain for several days straight, so Hua Mu didn't think much of it.
"Then let it rain. It's a good chance for us to rest for the new year."
The Sentinel looked slightly worried. "But your birthday is coming up soon, and I wanted to finish building the bathroom before then."
Although it wasn't cold to bathe directly in the water in this weather, Hua Mu still longed for an occasional hot bath—especially during her period.
"Oh, you're still thinking about that? Forget it, I was just saying. We can take our time."
Hua Mu herself had forgotten she had even requested a birthday present.
"But not long after your birthday is…"
Not long after her birthday was her period, and Hua Mu dreaded those few days.
"Alright… but I think there should be enough time. We still have ten days."
Just as Hua Mu was talking with Bai Zhen, she saw the other woman's brow suddenly furrow. At almost the exact same moment, Hati shot out of her mental landscape.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?"
"It's that spirit animal from last time."
"Ah, where is it?" Hua Mu quickly summoned Luna, then hurriedly added, "Quick, quick, let's put on some clothes first."
The host could see through the spirit animal's eyes!
Seeing that Hua Mu was worried about something completely different from her, Bai Zhen couldn't stay tense for long.
"It's alright, Miss. First, see where it is."
"Oh, right!" Just as Hua Mu was about to give Luna a command, the unicorn had already run to a corner of the room on its own. It stuck its head through the wall and returned, carrying the half-fish, half-bird spirit animal in its mouth.
"Gurgle."
The spirit animal's tail drooped listlessly. It looked even smaller than last time.
"Why is it smaller again?" Hua Mu remembered that it had looked much better after being soothed by Luna before.
Bai Zhen's brow furrowed as if she were struggling with something. After a long silence, she said, "Miss, its host is probably dying."
"Wh-what? Should we go save him? But where is he?"
Although Bai Zhen didn't want Hua Mu to see those things, she couldn't bear to do nothing. For a spirit animal to still exist on the island after so many years, perhaps it was fate. Regardless of whether the final decision was to save it or not, and whether they succeeded or failed, it was better than just watching it fade away.
She was afraid that if she did nothing, the memory would haunt her in the future.
"Not we, but I. I will go take a look… into the depths of that cave."
Hua Mu finally realized that the Sentinel's attitude was a bit off. From Bai Zhen's tone, it was clear she knew a lot more but had been vaguely putting her off.
"Wait. Before we argue about whether you go or we go, don't you think there's something you need to explain to me? You knew all along, didn't you? What this thing really is."
Luna set the spirit animal down and licked it, then began to release white light from her horn again. Hati, for once, didn't throw a tantrum. Instead, he walked over to Luna's side and tentatively nuzzled the little creature he couldn't see.
"Miss, do you remember what I said about intelligent lifeforms?"
Hua Mu didn't much like this inscrutable side of Bai Zhen. She frowned. "I remember. Are you saying it's the spirit animal of an intelligent lifeform?"
"Yes and no. The genetic modification project was actually divided into two major parts. One focused on Sentinels and Guides, while the other focused on the study of intelligent lifeforms. The two sections were independent but also collaborated. You should already know that they mixed the genes of intelligent lifeforms into human test subjects. But… what about adding human genes to intelligent lifeforms? In a way, those are the true 'monsters'."
Comments
Post a Comment