Chapter 104: Quenching Thirst with the Thought of Plums

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Under the blazing sun, the ground squirrel monster carried Li Changluo across the scorching desert, though neither knew how long they had been walking. According to this path, it wouldn’t be long before they emerged from the desert—it was, after all, its own territory. Yet the old woman, who was the ground squirrel in disguise, was reaching her limit. Parched and weary from carrying Li Changluo, she couldn’t help but reflect inwardly:

This desert is unbearably hot...
This young man is truly kind...
He respects his elders so deeply...
So considerate...
And so heavy...
Dealing with a little monster is really exhausting...

Suddenly, realization struck her.

Oh, right, I was supposed to eliminate this trial participant—that’s my duty. Damn, I nearly forgot my responsibility...

“Grandma, this last drop of water is for you,” Li Changluo said weakly, slowly offering the water bottle to her.

“You...” The old woman’s clawed hand slowly extended, ready to subdue him with a move, but she froze upon seeing the water bottle he held out.

“There’s just one sip left. You should drink it,” Li Changluo said earnestly, his face radiating a solemn generosity, as if to say:

Look how much I care for you—I’m giving you the last drop of water.
This isn’t just water; it’s life. I’m giving you my life—please drink.

“Please drink...” Li Changluo urged magnanimously.

“What are you...” The old woman was moved once more. She stared at the water bottle in Li Changluo’s hands, speechless for a long moment, quietly retracting her sharp nails.

There really are good monsters in this world...

Gazing at Li Changluo’s sincere and selfless expression, she even forgot that the water originally belonged to her.

Trembling, she took the bottle from his hands, raised it to her lips, and after much coaxing, managed to extract a single drop. She savored that drop as if it were the source of life itself.

In her eyes, this was no ordinary drop of water.

This was humanity—at the brink of life and death, there truly are good monsters...

However...

Just as she eagerly wanted to share this realization with Li Changluo, she was stunned to see—

Li Changluo was holding an ice cream cone, licking it with unrestrained delight.

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“Hey, kid, you have ice cream—why didn’t you pull it out earlier? Are you teasing this old lady?” The old woman was furious. Damn it, with my intelligence, and you dare to bully me? You’re asking for rebellion...

“Grandma, look closely at this,” Li Changluo said thoughtfully, holding up the cone.

“What’s so special about it?” she asked.

“Does it quench thirst?”

“Obviously not. Water’s better.”

“Do you want to eat it?”

“Isn’t that obvious? With the scorching sun overhead and ice cream in the desert, who wouldn’t want some?”

“Exactly,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“Have you heard of ‘quenching thirst by thinking of plums’?”

“Hmm, and what does that have to do with this?”

“I don’t want you to collapse here in the desert and be unable to leave, so I came up with this immature idea. When you see the ice cream, don’t you feel energized, as if your fatigue just vanished?”

Li Changluo held up the cone, explaining seriously to the old woman.

She pondered his words carefully and suddenly found them quite reasonable...

Seeing him eat the ice cream made her so angry she trembled, forgetting her thirst and exhaustion. Though immature, this idea worked.

This fish-lipped young man still hasn’t realized I’m a bad person...

He even always thinks of me. I was wrong to suspect him—he’s a good young man.

With that thought, the old woman quickened her pace, carrying Li Changluo to get out of the desert faster.

The harsh sun was setting, and the desert’s temperature was dropping rapidly—that unique temperature difference of the desert...

At night, the cold could even freeze a person to death.

Finally, Li Changluo spotted a distant place shining like a cluster of stars—like a city.

“We’ve finally made it,” the old woman said, nearly crying with joy. She knew this desert well but had never found it so difficult before.

So tired.
Feeling utterly drained.

Li Changluo reluctantly climbed down from the old woman’s back. Looking at the frail, stooped little old woman before him, he couldn’t help but feel deeply moved.

Being carried across the desert by someone...
How shy...
How...
Exciting...
I want...
To do this again.

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“Thank you for saving me, young man. Up ahead is Devil’s City,” the old woman said, holding Li Changluo’s hand, tears streaming down her face with gratitude.

She still felt something strange but couldn’t quite put her finger on it...

Nonetheless, meeting such a kind young man for the first time, who tried so many immature ways to save her—it was truly admirable.

There really are good monsters in this world, aren’t there?

After countless words of thanks, the old woman suddenly transformed into a soil-colored ground squirrel and swiftly burrowed into the sand, disappearing into the desert...

In the tavern, silence fell.

The crowd watching the live broadcast gaped in shock, mouths agape for a long time before they recovered.

“Really shameless...”
“Unabashed—how can such a vile monster exist?”
“Are they bullying the monster?”
“Yes, bullying a young little monster, acting all high and mighty...”
“That poor little monster was led straight into Devil’s City...”
“Damn old woman, bullying a little monster is no skill. Come at me if you dare, come on!”

The crowd grew agitated. An old monster with a wooden cane and a mouth full of dentures angrily bit down hard on a sausage monster in front of him, refusing to let go.

“That little monster can’t even save his own life, yet he still hopes to win. Our bet is completely lost. Miss, can you open a market to bet on how the little monster will die?”

The dice monsters gathered around the dealer were utterly disheartened. In their eyes, it was no longer about whether Li Changluo could pass the trial or even survive—it was about how he would die.

Their only hope for comfort now was to find the poop monster...

A fierce beating vented their anger.

Meanwhile, the tavern keeper, Bai Lianhua, leaning against the wooden railing watching the broadcast, smiled faintly—not with a pure, sweet smile, but with a confident smile that showed everything was under control.

“Boss, she’s gone...” At that moment, the tavern’s accountant, Lin Dandan, hurried over, looking flustered. He pushed up his glasses and whispered.

“Boss, she’s right here.”

Bai Lianhua pursed her lips and smiled.

“......”

Lin Dandan.