Du Lai: “…”

He stood in silence for a long moment, looking steadily at Fu Miaoxue.

Fu Miaoxue stared back at him. “What? Too embarrassed to admit it?”

Du Lai let out a helpless sigh and lifted his hand to tap the side of his own head. “Young mistress, I am a person with a functioning brain.”

“What does that mean?” Fu Miaoxue asked suspiciously. “I never said you had no brain.”

Du Lai said nothing more and turned to leave.

Fu Miaoxue furrowed her brow, turned it over in her mind for a moment — then suddenly understood. Immediately furious, she shouted at his retreating figure: “Du Lai, are you tired of living?! Get back here!!!”

Going back was out of the question, at least not now.

Fu Miaoxue stamped her foot hard, so angry she could have spit blood.

“What does that even mean? Does that mean only a brainless person would like me?”

She pursed her lips. The anger faded, and a pang of sadness crept in.

——From childhood to now, aside from her grandfather, no one had ever liked her.

……

Du Lai climbed to higher ground and surveyed the area.

To find a freshwater source in such a vast stretch of primal jungle, the first step was to read the vegetation. The closer to water, the better the plants grew — their leaves would be lusher and more vibrant. There might also be birds and small animals.

He observed for a while and spotted a place that seemed very likely to have a water source — neither too far nor too close. Its position, relative to the large boulder and the beach, formed something close to an equilateral triangle.

When he had said it confidently to Fu Miaoxue, he hadn’t been entirely certain. But now, seeing it with his own eyes, he finally let out a true breath of relief.

When he thought about it, it was rather remarkable. Stranded on a deserted island, and yet the island had no shortage of freshwater, no shortage of food, and no large dangerous animals. Even when they faced the desperate situation of not being able to make fire, heaven had sent a thunderstorm to give them one.

He truly didn’t know whether to call them unlucky or lucky.

Du Lai tightened the bamboo tubes strapped to his body and set off toward his destination.

Along the way, whenever he spotted wild fruit, he reached out and picked it to tuck into the bamboo tube. Even if it wasn’t fully ripe yet, the fruit would continue to ripen while it was stored.

As he drew closer to the water source, he came upon another large stretch of bamboo forest.

Bamboo was an extraordinary thing. The thick bamboo joints could be used as containers; the thin bamboo branches could be woven into items like baskets and mats. Beyond that, bamboo could serve as aqueducts, shoulder poles, walking sticks, and vaulting poles — the uses were endless.

But at the same time, bamboo forests were full of danger. Snakes were among the creatures most fond of nesting there — the bamboo viper being the most typical example. One bite from that, and the consequences would be dire…

Though he wasn’t sure exactly what species of snakes inhabited this island, it was better to be cautious.

He slowed his pace, broke off a branch to probe the ground ahead, and carefully scanned his surroundings.

Snakes typically matched the color of bamboo, and he had no desire to step on one and get bitten.

Moving slowly like this for a stretch, he encountered two. One was knocked by the branch and slithered off quickly. The other was coiled around a bamboo stalk, completely motionless.

A close call, but he got through unscathed.

A little further on, he finally found the water source — a small stream, roughly two meters across.

Du Lai felt his luck was holding — flowing water was far cleaner than a stagnant pool, and would harbor far fewer parasites.

He followed the stream upward until the path was blocked by several enormous boulders and he could go no further. Only then did he unstrap the bamboo tubes and fill them to the brim with water from the upper stretch of the stream.

The process of finding water went more smoothly than he had anticipated. The round trip took only a little over two hours. If not for the stretch through the bamboo forest where he had to move slowly, Du Lai felt he could have been even more efficient.

When he returned to the large boulder, Fu Miaoxue was already back, imitating the method he had used the day before — roasting clams.