The black unicorn that appeared before Hua Mu in a protective stance was just over a meter tall. Its body was rounded, and aside from the finger-length horn on its forehead and the pair of small wings spread on its back, it looked for all the world like a pony.

Its glossy black mane seemed to flutter in the wind, scattering shimmering particles in the sunlight.

It was beautiful, but it looked utterly useless!

Hua Mu sank into despair.

The ice wolf, seemingly dazed by the impact, shook its head and fixed its gaze on the unicorn.

Luna’s earlier dauntless momentum quickly vanished under the giant wolf’s green gaze. Its once-spread wings drooped, and it let out a pitiful whimper.

Hati opened its massive jaws. Transparent saliva dripped from its mouth, turning into ice crystals in mid-air that vanished before hitting the ground.

Of course, it wasn’t real saliva. Hua Mu had been licked for so long, yet there wasn’t a single trace on her body—the wetness between her legs was her own doing.

She was just too pathetic, to be directly… by…

“Lu-Luna?”

When Hua Mu saw her little unicorn’s four legs trembling as if it wanted to retreat, her heart sank.

Luna seemed to hear its master’s call. It twitched its ears and took a step back.

Don’t retreat!

Hati stared intently at its prey, closing in step by step. Luna retreated two trembling steps before plopping right down on the ground and covering its small head with its wings.

Hua Mu covered her face in sorrow. She was done for. Her spirit animal was as pathetic as she was. She was going to be eaten; they were all going to die. And right before dying, she had experienced the most humiliating thing of her life.

She could only hope Hati’s mouth was big enough to swallow her in one gulp, so there would be no pain.

“Wuwuwu…”

But the terrible event never came. After waiting for a moment, Hua Mu only heard the unicorn’s pitiful sobs—which, for some reason, sounded almost pleasant.

She peeked through her fingers and saw that detestable ice wolf holding the poor, weak, and helpless baby unicorn—which hadn’t grown at all in six years—and licking it fiercely. It looked partly like a mother wolf grooming her cub, and partly like it was cleaning its prey. For some reason, it also looked a little… erotic.

“Ha-Hati?”

Since the scene looked surprisingly peaceful, she tried calling the ice wolf’s name. But it ignored her, concentrating on licking Luna’s horn. Luna, held trembling in its embrace, didn’t dare move. It could only let out low murmurs that sounded both pained and pleased, its large, teary eyes pleading with Hua Mu for help.

My god, what on earth was going on?

Hua Mu felt a strange stirring as she watched. After waiting a while and seeing that the Sentinel’s spirit animal was no longer paying attention to her, she tentatively moved.

Sorry, Luna. Mama can’t even save herself. You’ll have to be the bait for now.

The Miss decisively abandoned her pet—no, her spirit animal—and turned to check on the Sentinel’s condition.

Bai Zhen was still breathing, but she was completely unconscious. Hua Mu didn’t know if this was temporary or the legendary Eternal Night; she only knew she couldn’t just let Bai Zhen lie there.

The Sentinel was in terrible condition, covered in blood, her face deathly pale.

Hua Mu tried calling her name, but there was no response.

The ice wolf seemed completely unconcerned about its host’s crisis, merely repositioning Luna to continue licking its neck.

What kind of majestic wolf was this? It was acting more like a husky.

Hua Mu felt a mix of disdain and relief—at least it probably wouldn’t bother her for now. Ignoring her own wretched state, she suppressed her heartache and fear, first cleaning Bai Zhen’s wounds and applying medicinal herbs.

But then she was at a loss. How exactly was one supposed to soothe a spirit animal?

Hua Mu began to rack her brain, trying to recall her lessons.

Sentinels and Guides had more than just spirit animals; they also had a mental landscape, the place where their spirit animal resided. This so-called mental landscape wasn’t a physical object, nor did it exist in any part of the body. To put it more mystically, it was dependent on spiritual existence, a rift connecting a higher dimension to the third dimension.

Ordinary people would find it difficult to imagine the state of another dimension, but Sentinels and Guides didn’t need to, thanks to their connection with their spirit animals. They could “see” this place, and every Sentinel and Guide had their own unique mental landscape. A spiritual bond meant opening one’s mental landscape to another, allowing their partner’s spirit animal to “nest” within it.

Wait, that’s about spiritual bonding!

Hua Mu cast a tragic glance at the two spirit animals still “passionately entangled” over there and continued to recall her teacher’s words.

There were two ways for a Guide to soothe a Sentinel’s spirit animal. Unbonded Sentinels would typically release their spirit animal from their mental landscape for a public Guide to soothe. Bonded Sentinels and Guides would enter the landscape to intervene more directly.

So, was she supposed to soothe that big ice wolf?

Luna had completely stopped struggling. It lay in Hati’s embrace with an air of utter resignation, letting out a soft hum with every lick.

That’s not right! She remembered that soothing a Sentinel’s spirit animal required the Guide’s spirit animal, but hers was currently being groomed by the other one.

What on earth was going on?

Wait, Bai Zhen was unconscious, and Hati was acting on its own. This wasn’t a normal soothing procedure at all. It was…

“After a Sentinel goes berserk, they are highly likely to fall into Eternal Night. The only solution is to enter their mental landscape. A highly compatible Guide must draw out the spirit animal, use its power to open the landscape, and then retrieve the Sentinel’s consciousness from the black hole of their soul.”

So, was Hati supposed to lead the way for her?

Not only could Hua Mu not control Luna adeptly, she didn’t even know what abilities it had besides being highly compatible with nearly all Sentinels. As for the mental landscape, she had only seen it vaguely once when she awakened. The experience had been so profound that she had long since forgotten what it looked like.

Looking at the unconscious Bai Zhen, Hua Mu’s heart ached.

What must this person have been feeling when she taught her those survival skills and prepared food for her?

“Bastard! Bai Zhen, you bastard!”

If she had told her earlier, she could have had some guidance. Now she was completely in the dark.

But… Bai Zhen didn’t know she could help, and probably never dared to hope for it.

The longer she waited, the harder it would be for the Sentinel to awaken. Left with no choice, Hua Mu suppressed her fear and slowly approached the two spirit animals.

Luna happily raised its head, its limpid eyes shining with hope. Hua Mu guiltily avoided its plea for help and cautiously called out to the ice wolf.

“Ha-Hati?”

She had never been so shamelessly sycophantic in her entire life.

Hati’s ears twitched, a clear sign it had heard her, but it didn’t even spare her a glance.

So was all that passionate licking earlier just an act? This scumbag wolf, whose affections changed as fast as lightning!

“Yip~” Luna whimpered, trying to get attention.

Hua Mu found that she could somehow understand its cry. She looked at it apologetically, trying to convey her regret.

After all, if this lecherous wolf wasn’t licking Luna, it would be licking her.

Luna seemed to understand her, slumping back down dejectedly. Only then did the ice wolf shift its attention to Hua Mu, its pair of eerie green eyes seeming to ask, “What is it?”

Hua Mu figured other Guides wouldn’t use such a foolish method to communicate with a spirit animal, but it was all she could do.

“Do you know how to enter Bai Zhen’s mental landscape?”

Hati didn’t seem to understand, staring at her blankly.

Hua Mu had no choice but to explain with words and gestures.

“Your master, Bai Zhen, she’s in great danger right now. Can you take me to her mental landscape? I-I’m a Guide. I can help her.”

Hati watched her indifferently, as if it either didn’t understand or didn’t believe her.

After trying for a while with no response, Hua Mu gave up and returned to Bai Zhen’s side, intending to move her to the bamboo bed.

Although Hua Mu wanted to change her clothes and wash herself, she couldn’t leave Bai Zhen unattended, so she had to pretend to forget about it.

It was practically dry by now anyway. Thankfully, it had only been a little, so she could convince herself to ignore it. Besides, no one else would ever know. She could just pretend it never happened.

Hua Mu tried her best to remain optimistic. At least Hati was still around, which meant Bai Zhen’s life wasn’t in immediate danger. Now, she just had to find a way to bring Bai Zhen’s consciousness back… and when she did, she was going to give this foolish Sentinel a piece of her mind.

Sixty kilograms was far too heavy for Hua Mu. She had to stop and rest after dragging Bai Zhen less than a meter at a time.

Hati’s eyes never left her once she touched its host. Finally, as if it couldn’t bear to watch any longer, it released Luna, rose, and walked over to them. It lowered its head, gave Bai Zhen’s body a gentle nudge, and hoisted her onto its back.

Hua Mu stared, dumbfounded.

Was it true that a spirit animal was like its master? Since Bai Zhen was so capable, did that mean this lecherous wolf was capable too?

She glanced at the unicorn sleeping nearby—she wasn’t sure when it had dozed off—and couldn’t help but feel discouraged.

So was it her fault that Luna was so “adorably dumb”?

Hati carried Bai Zhen to the bamboo bed and gently set her down. It then returned to its spot, picked Luna up in its mouth, moved her near the shelter, and settled down in a protective stance.

Hua Mu re-treated the wounds with water and herbs. She tried calling out to Bai Zhen, communicating with Hati, and commanding Luna, but all her attempts failed.

By mid-afternoon, she was overcome by hunger and had to eat. Remembering that Bai Zhen hadn’t had lunch either, she brought the prepared food to the bamboo bed.

A Sentinel in Eternal Night would have a slower metabolism, but that didn’t mean they didn’t need energy. On the contrary, since there was no telling when they might awaken, it was best to replenish their nutrients as early as possible.

With no way to set up an IV or a feeding tube, Hua Mu could only hope that Bai Zhen would have some instinctual reaction and swallow the food.