CH 17

Xiao Zhenyun stayed awake until dawn broke before finally drifting off to sleep tired. By the latter half of the night, the rain had gradually calmed. By the time Si Di groggily opened his eyes, the rain had ceased completely, leaving behind a clear blue sky. The forest had been awakened by the calls of birds, and life sprouted anew, vibrant and lush.

After a night’s rest, Si Di enjoyed rare months of sound sleep. The sentinels’ strong physical constitution, coupled with ample rest, left him feeling refreshed and full of energy, ready to cross the Sada Strait on foot.

It had been a long while since he felt so relaxed. Even the intense headaches that had plagued him for months due to the collapse of the spiritual domain had temporarily subsided. Emotions such as irritability and anger, which had become inseparable companions, had vanished.

Xiao Zhenyun initially believed he had overdone his late-night vigil and was no longer sleepy. But when he exchanged a glance with Si Di and saw that his companion was awake and at ease, Xiao Zhenyun’s eyelids drooped, and he immediately slipped into sleep.

Si Di sat there in shock, suddenly realizing why he had been able to sleep undisturbed the entire night. It hadn’t occurred to him that Xiao Zhenyun would willingly stay awake all night to watch over him.

Amid his surprise, Si Di felt a sharp object press against his back. Turning around, he found himself face to face with a pair of round, gleaming black eyes.

The stag blinked and then curiously shifted its gaze to Si Di’s back. Its interest in humans clearly paled in comparison to its fascination with spiritual bodies. It promptly rose and circled around Si Di, moving on to sniff the awakened black wolf. With a soft nibble, it bit the wolf’s ear. The black wolf, sensing its master’s complex emotions, did not resist and obediently allowed the deer to groom it into a clean, flat-headed ‘brother.’

After a silent pause, Si Di slowly stood up. He picked up his clothes from the ground, took a sniff, found the odor somewhat unpleasant, and eventually decided to gather them all in one hand.

“Tai Ji, guard the place.”

With those words, he leaped out of the cave.

In the warm and gentle afternoon, Xiao Zhenyun could imagine no better way to wake up than to be greeted by the aroma of food, his eyes opening to a ready meal presented directly to him.

Fortunately, his dream came true, but unfortunately, only half of it did.

Upon opening his eyes, he did indeed find food – two palm-sized, green fruits that looked so sour they made his mouth water. What was key, though, was the row of teeth marks left on them, a clear sign that the stag had brought these over, specially offered to its beloved master.

But what had fully startled Xiao Zhenyun was the pungent smoke. Coughing twice, he propped himself up and saw wisps of black smoke rising outside the cave. A quick scan revealed the absence of wolf, deer, and human alike. His clothes were gone too. Xiao Zhenyun felt like the seventh fairy who had lost her clothes, standing there bewildered and bare.

“Si Di?” Xiao Zhenyun called loudly, “Are you outside?”

The instant the words left his mouth, a shadow leaped into the cave, followed by the appearance of a wolf head and a deer head at the entrance.

Si Di was wearing nothing but a large pair of underpants, no socks, and his bandaged hand was exposed. Walking over barefoot, he asked, “How do you feel?”

“Not bad,” Xiao Zhenyun yawned lazily, tucking away the troublesome deer horn and ear. Though the deer tail was also a bother, he decided to leave it be, given the hole in the back of his underwear. Si Di had done the same, although with the much more cumbersome trailing wolf tail. They both kept their ears while allowing the tails to remain.

Xiao Zhenyun inquired, “What’s happening outside? If you set the mountain on fire, you’ll end up in prison.”

“…” Si Di wasn’t quite used to this strange new style of Xiao Zhenyun, but unexpectedly, he doesn’t hate it. Right now, he was soaked with Xiao Zhenyun’s scent, having just been soothed by the mental link. He couldn’t muster any hatred towards Xiao Zhenyun; instead, he felt a certain reliance. Suppressing the instinct to seek intimacy from the guide, Si Di steadied his mindset and lightly remarked, “I’ve been searching for dry twigs and grass all morning, left them out in the sun for a few hours, but they’re still a bit damp.”

Without waiting for Xiao Zhenyun’s opinion, Si Di half-kneeled and effortlessly scooped up the guide. They jumped down the mountain briskly.

Down there was a half-dead campfire, next to it a skinned snake and seven or eight deformed fruits. Si Di settled Xiao Zhenyun in a relatively dry spot and reluctantly plucked a slightly red fruit from the berry pile. After wiping it with his fingers, he tossed it over, saying, “This one should be sweeter.”

Clumsily, Xiao Zhenyun received the fruit, gave it a half-hearted rub with his fingertip, then stuffed it into his mouth, only to be met with a sourness that contorted his face, “…Sweet??”

Si Di resisted a laugh, covering his lips. From the corner of his eye, he saw Xiao Zhenyun’s frustrated expression, a slight frown creasing his refined and flawless profile. He suddenly realized that his Little Uncle did possess quite the handsome appearance.

Although the title of ‘Sick Beauty’ had circulated within their guild for a while, Si Di had never really taken notice of Xiao Zhenyun’s looks. Yet, that fleeting glance just now shattered his prejudice, even momentarily distracting him.

Beauty lies in the soul, not just the skin. A pleasing appearance is lifeless; it’s only when the soul is infused that true attraction takes hold.

After a few bites, the remaining fruit was tossed to the stag. The spiritual form, unaffected by the sourness, wagged its tail and ate happily.

After a bit of fuss, the fire finally kindled. Si Di arranged the snake meat and hung his freshly cleaned clothes nearby. With everything set, he found a spot to sit and initiated a conversation mode with Xiao Zhenyun.

Xiao Zhenyun adopted a friendly and attentive stance for the interaction, while Si Di, on the other hand, found himself at a loss for what to say next.

Tai Ji let out a yawn and lazily lay down near Si Di’s legs, its ears perked, vigilant and ever-ready to detect any nearby movement. Si Di patted Tai Ji’s head, then suddenly pointed at the stag, “What’s its name?”

The stag, upon being called, raised its head expectantly, looking at Xiao Zhenyun, hoping its owner had come up with a pleasant-sounding name.

But it’s less-than-responsible owner shattered its hopes. Xiao Zhenyun shook his head without a hint of remorse, “No name yet, haven’t thought of one.”

Si Di’s eyebrow twitched slightly, seemingly having an idea. However, naming a spiritual body was a rather intimate act, and their relationship hadn’t yet reached that level, so he lowered his gaze, refraining from saying anything.

“Si Di,” Xiao Zhenyun suddenly spoke, “you still haven’t answered me. Why did you save me yesterday?”

The last time this was brought up, Si Di clearly evaded the question. But today, he chuckled softly, his green eyes meeting Xiao Zhenyun’s gaze without hesitation, “Which kind of answer do you want to hear?”

Xiao Zhenyun’s interest was piqued, “Start with a pleasing one.”

Si Di adjusted the firewood and calmly said, “Your crimes don’t warrant death, and I don’t have the authority to judge you. Plus, as a sentinel, I can’t stand by and watch a guide die, even if that guide isn’t worth saving.”

“Ha, hypocrite,” Xiao Zhenyun commented mercilessly.

Si Di followed with a sneer, a hint of concealed anger flickering in his eyes, his tone turning emotional, “If I didn’t have this touch of hypocrisy in me, do you think you’d still be alive?”

Xiao Zhenyun raised an eyebrow, “And what about your true intentions?”

“…On this deserted island, there’s likely only you and me among humans. Who knows when rescue will come? Du Nai cut off all communication between the flying aircraft and the ground a long time ago. The Union might not even know when the aircraft crashed. To find this island in the vast Sada Ocean is no less difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.

If I kill you, I’ll be the only one left on this island… Loneliness can kill too. I’ve experienced that, trapped in a desolate area for a whole month, I understand the bone-deep solitude.”

Though Xiao Zhenyun hadn’t been in a similar situation, he could understand. He listened as Si Di continued, “Furthermore, saving doesn’t mean I can’t kill you later. If you don’t behave well, if you rub me the wrong way, I’ll just finish you off. Toss you into the sea, who would know?”

“…So, how should I behave?” Xiao Zhenyun asked fearlessly.

Si Di didn’t answer this question; the fact that Xiao Zhenyun dared ask it here was an answer in itself.

“And I know you, you lack courage, and you don’t need to involve yourself in those illegal experiments with the MP Institute. What benefit is there for you in turning regular people into superhumans? Instead, pursuing legitimate research should be your goal, and your investments were probably swindled by the MP.”

“You know?” Xiao Zhenyun was puzzled. He had thought Si Di was convinced that ‘Xiao Zhenyun’ and the MP were two peas in a pod. “Then, at the last banquet…”

“I was just trying to scare you that time.” Si Di smirked, a mix of pride and teasing in his smile. “You’re quite obedient, got scared all at once. Did you rush back that night to have your people check the MP’s research data, got a shock from what you found, and quickly pulled out your investments?”

“…” Even though what Si Di said had nothing to do with reality, it strangely aligned with the situation. Xiao Zhenyun didn’t want to respond to it, and he even considered stuffing those wet words back into Si Di’s mouth.

“Do you follow the aftermath? Your sudden withdrawal caused quite a bit of trouble for the MP. Some shareholders followed suit and sold, which significantly impacted their new projects’ external fundraising. It was practically a funding failure. That’s why you became a target of retaliation by the MP.”

Xiao Zhenyun truly had no idea about this. Unexpectedly, he found a touch of schadenfreude in the situation and chuckled, “No wonder… So, my current predicament has a cause. Otherwise, I kept feeling that it was all because of you, suppressing resentment.”

…Si Di fell silent for a few seconds, then asked earnestly, “The incident where the MP hired an overseas special forces assassination group to ambush and annihilate the Storm Squad, what role did you play in that?”

This time, Xiao Zhenyun began his silence. After a long pause, he slowly said, “I wasn’t aware beforehand… but I’m not innocent. I hoped you would die during that mission.”

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