Hua Mu was so anxious that she checked on her clothes every few minutes to see if they were dry. It was pointless, of course, and she was starting to despair.

“Miss, what’s wrong?”

Bai Zhen sensed her agitation. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to ask. Because Hua Mu wouldn’t let her get close, she had been standing more than five meters away.

Hua Mu’s legs were so sore she wanted to cry.

She was so tired. Why did something good always have to turn bad?

“I… I can’t stand anymore…”

In the end, she had no choice but to ask Bai Zhen for help.

“Then you should sit for a while.”

Easy for you to say. Does this idiot have any idea what my situation is right now???

“Where do you think I can sit?”

As Hua Mu spoke, she tugged at the hem of her jacket, subtly reminding the Sentinel of her current state.

Bai Zhen realized what she meant and was momentarily at a loss.

Hua Mu was only wearing Bai Zhen’s jacket. The wide collar barely rested on her slender, delicate shoulders, looking as if it might slip off with the slightest movement. The hem just managed to cover the upper half of her thighs, leaving her two thin, bare legs exposed to the air. Considering what was—or wasn’t—underneath, the scene was indescribably erotic.

Of course, Bai Zhen couldn’t think of the Young Lady in an erotic way, but for some reason, her face suddenly flushed, her heart pounded, and her mind went blank.

“Then… then please just hold on a little longer…”

She didn’t know what she was saying, only that she had to suppress the suggestion forming in her mind. The Young Lady didn’t even want her to come near, so how could she possibly be willing to sit on her?

This heartless, ungrateful wretch was actually telling her to keep standing!

Hua Mu was so angry her chest hurt!

“Hold on a little longer”—so easy to say. She had just done strenuous physical labor yesterday!

“I don’t want to stand! My legs hurt, I feel awful, I’m going to die!”

Hua Mu felt so sorry for herself. In such a miserable situation, she only had a heartless Sentinel for company.

Hearing the severity in her tone, Bai Zhen forgot about being scolded and nervously approached.

“Miss, you’re not going to die… If you’re tired, I… I can carry you on my back?”

The Sentinel had racked her brain to come up with a compromise. If Hua Mu was on her back, she wouldn’t be able to see anything, so the Young Lady probably wouldn’t be so shy.

That sounded reasonable enough, and it was less embarrassing than sitting on the Sentinel. Hua Mu didn’t even have the composure to pretend to hesitate and quickly told Bai Zhen to squat down in front of her.

Her legs were truly sore, as if they’d been filled with vinegar. Her muscles ached, and her tendons felt like they were constantly being stretched.

Bai Zhen’s shoulders and back, broader than the average woman’s, looked sturdy and reliable. Hua Mu held down the fabric over her bottom and carefully climbed on.

Bai Zhen subconsciously reached back to help lift Hua Mu up, only to get a handful of smooth, delicate skin.

“Bai Zhen!!!”

The Young Lady’s furious roar echoed in her ears as a flurry of small fists rained down on her shoulders. Bai Zhen was a bit dazed. She checked the sensation in her hand again, and upon realizing what she’d done, she almost dropped Hua Mu.

How dare she touch her again after being hit!

Furious, Hua Mu lowered her head and bit the back of Bai Zhen’s neck, only to have her own teeth ache from the impact.

“Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! You pervert, you lecher, you hooligan!”

Bai Zhen frantically set her down and prostrated herself to apologize.

“I’m sorry, Miss. I… I didn’t do it on purpose…”

To Hua Mu, it was obvious she’d done it on purpose. She had even felt her up so carefully after being hit. If that wasn’t intentional, what was?

“You’re lying! You… you damn Sentinel!”

Hua Mu jumped up and down while holding down the hem of her jacket, forcefully punching Bai Zhen’s lowered head.

She was a pure young maiden! A place that no one besides her parents and aunt had ever touched in her entire life had just been thoroughly felt up by this big idiot!

Her honest appearance was just a facade after all. There wasn’t a single Sentinel who didn’t covet her, and this Bai Zhen was no exception!

Bai Zhen couldn’t find the words to defend herself. Flustered and unsure what to do, she endured Hua Mu’s weak blows and pressed her head deep into the sand.

“It was my fault. You can punish me however you like, Miss. Just… just don’t be angry…”

Hua Mu was angry, but she hadn’t really considered how to punish her. How could she? This Sentinel was thick-skinned; hitting her only made her own hands hurt. And she was always so timid and fearful that scolding her was no fun at all.

“Tell me, did you do it on purpose?”

This was too dangerous. Her chastity was in grave danger! A major crisis!

“I didn’t… Miss, I really didn’t do it on purpose…”

Bai Zhen had always looked up to Hua Mu with admiration and longing. Even if you gave her a hundred and eighty times the courage, she would never dare to do something that would make Hua Mu dislike her. She truly hadn’t realized what she was doing just now; after all, she had never… never touched someone in that kind of place before.

She could only hate herself for not being quick-witted enough, for offending the Young Lady, and for being unable to explain herself.

Still trying to argue!

Hua Mu hated this even more than being touched!

Bai Zhen’s tall body lay prostrate at her feet in a posture of submission, but her obedient appearance didn’t make Hua Mu happy in the slightest.

Hua Mu wanted nothing more than to kick her, but considering she was wearing nothing underneath, she put her foot back down.

When Bai Zhen didn’t hear a response from Hua Mu, her heart sank like a dead cinder. She had worked so hard to win the Young Lady’s trust, and now it was all for naught. Perhaps this was the punishment for her secret delight.

“Miss, I truly never meant to offend you… If… if you don’t believe me, after we get back, I… I’ll resign from my post as your guard…”

She couldn’t think of any other way to prove her innocence. The only thing that came to mind was to get out of Hua Mu’s sight. Her heart was filled with reluctance, making her words sound less than confident.

Hua Mu’s heart skipped a beat, and her mind was thrown into chaos.

If this Bai Zhen wasn’t going to be her guard, whose guard did she want to be?

“Resign then! Anyway, I also…”

Hua Mu felt incredibly wronged.

Was it so hard to admit she wanted to touch her butt? She even had to resign over it.

Bai Zhen detected a sob in her voice and frantically tried to look up, but Hua Mu snapped, “Don’t look up! Stay down.”

She had already made the Young Lady very unhappy, so she certainly didn’t dare to disobey her again and lowered her head once more.

A moment after Bai Zhen prostrated herself again, she felt a sudden weight on the small of her back. The distinct sensation on her exposed skin made her realize that the Young Lady was sitting on her.

She quickly adjusted her position, afraid she might let her fall.

“M-Miss…”

“My legs are sore. Being my stool is your punishment.”

Bai Zhen didn’t feel like this was a punishment at all. If anything, wasn’t it more like a reward?

If the Young Lady wanted her to be a cushion, she would be the Young Lady’s cushion. If the Young Lady wanted her to be a stool, she would be the Young Lady’s stool!

“Yes…”

Hua Mu felt a pang of bitterness. She couldn’t believe that after throwing a tantrum, she had to be the one to find a way to back down.

Did this Sentinel have a hole in her head? Resigning just like that? The line of Sentinels who wanted to be her guard could circle the equator!

Hmph. Of course, it wasn’t like she had to have Bai Zhen as her guard. But she was the Inner Tower’s most outstanding graduate in the last decade. If she wasn’t going to be her guard, whose would she be?

“I’ll tentatively believe you didn’t do it on purpose just now. And since you’ve done a good job protecting me these past few days, let’s just forget about what happened.”

Bai Zhen was deeply moved. “Thank you, Miss.”

At first, Hua Mu had only sat down out of spite. But after calming down, she found it was becoming more and more comfortable, which made her a little uneasy.

“Ahem, forget it. I was a bit too worked up… Are you tired?”

Her aunt was a queen who placed great importance on human rights. If they were at the Grand Duke’s residence, she would never do something like making Bai Zhen act as her stool. But just now, she had been anxious and angry, and her legs were sore and aching. Then she saw that blockhead’s sturdy lower back and sat down without a second thought.

Would Bai Zhen think she had a bad temper? Would she feel insulted? Would she still want to resign?

“Not at all. Miss, are your legs still sore?”

Hua Mu’s weight was nothing to Bai Zhen. Not only did she not feel insulted, but she was also deeply moved by her trust. To be willing to sit on her while wearing nothing underneath—this must be the Young Lady’s way of comforting her and showing her trust!

The Sentinel’s concern made Hua Mu a little uncomfortable.

“They’re okay…”

“If you’re not comfortable, please tell me.”

“Uh, I’m not uncomfortable.”

Alright, it was actually quite comfortable.

How on earth did Bai Zhen train her back? Even with a whole person sitting on her, it didn’t give way in the slightest.

“That’s good.”

What was so good about it? Why did she get the feeling Bai Zhen was actually quite happy?

Don’t tell me she’s a masochist!

Hua Mu glanced at the back of Bai Zhen’s head and magnanimously decided not to bicker with her anymore. In a stiff voice, she asked, “What’s our plan now? Should we check out the rainforest?”

She’d better not provoke her too much verbally, or this simpleton might try to resign again—and the thought of her resigning was not beneficial to her own survival on this deserted island.

They had been on the island for nearly a month, but they had explored less than five percent of its total area. Their activities were almost entirely confined to the outskirts of the rainforest. Bai Zhen was very goal-oriented. They weren’t here to explore, so as long as Hua Mu’s safety and their survival were guaranteed, she wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks.

“Miss, I’m afraid there might be potential dangers in the rainforest. Why don’t we head north for a while longer? If we don’t find anything, we can go back south.”

Hua Mu had no objection to not entering the rainforest, but going back south… She didn’t want to go back to a life where she couldn’t bathe every day. Since they were already stranded on the island, as long as they could light a signal fire, it didn’t matter where on the coast they waited for rescue. She really wanted to stay here.

It was a bit of a shame to abandon the shelter they had built, but they wouldn’t be living there for much longer anyway. With Bai Zhen around, everything else could be dealt with; only the water source couldn’t be moved.

“Then let’s wait for the clothes to dry and check further north.”

However, she was also afraid there might be real danger here, so she decided to check it out first before making a final decision.

After lunch, the clothes were finally half-dry. Although they were still a bit uncomfortable to wear, it was better than not drying them at all.

Bai Zhen washed her remaining clothes and hung them up where they were, then continued north with Hua Mu on her back.