"Oh, my dear Host!"
This is insane, even when you've become a cripple, you can still kill a giant snake!
Fortunately, she hadn't rushed to use the unused talisman to pay off debts. She immediately burned a Healing Talisman and fed it to him.
When Shang Yanting fell from a height, his injuries worsened. He couldn't stop coughing up blood and was unable to move.
The corpse of the giant snake blocked the cave entrance. Its head was blown off, but its body was still writhing violently.
Jia Xitong carefully grabbed Shang Yanting by the elbow and maneuvered him over the snake. Not far ahead, she heard the sound of dripping water. As she turned a corner, the scene ahead left her stunned.
A pool of water.
A pool of luminous water!
The faint glow emitted by the pool illuminated the interior of the cave. Around the edge of the pool grew a few equally luminous plants, with thumb-sized red fruits already ripe on them.
On the ground there was also a snake's skin.
The gigantic snake skin was obviously freshly shed by the snake outside.
Jia Xitong maneuvered the puppet Little Raccoon around to survey the area, confirming there were no other demon beasts before dragging the snake skin on the ground to make a simple ground mat.
She dragged Shang Yanting onto it, then went directly to the side of the pool.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the glowing source was not the water itself, but the stones covering the bottom.
The water was so clear you could see strange fish swimming within.
Each of these fish was half a meter long, plump and sturdy, with beak-like mouths resembling birds', and a glowing stripe across the dorsal fin.
If fish can survive in this water, then it must be drinkable for humans too.
Jia Xitong thought, extending her paw to scoop some water from the pool. Before it all dripped away, she managed to moisten Shang Yanting's lips with the last few drops.
"Can this water be drunk?"
After administering it, she observed for a moment.
Once she was certain that it hadn't poisoned Shang Yanting, she reached for the pool to scoop more water once again.
The fish in the pool noticed her approach and slowly gathered nearby. Jia Xitong looked at these seemingly naive fish, reminiscent of koi in a world park eagerly anticipating food.
An idea came to her mind, and she extended her paw to greet them. Suddenly, a strange fish darted over with lightning speed and bit onto the raccoon's paw.
The fish was incredibly strong, almost pulling Jia Xitong into the water.
She reacted swiftly, jerking backwards violently and flinging the fish onto the shore just before it could drag her down. The elongated teeth of the fish had already embedded into the raccoon's paw. She hadn't expected such fierceness from the fish in the water.
Moreover...
"Oh dear Host, I caught a big fish!"
Shang Yanting was roused by the commotion, opening his eyes tiredly to witness the little beast dragging a fish larger than its own body. His gaze fell on the pierced paw. "Doesn't it hurt?"
"The puppet is injured, but my main consciousness is in your Sea of Consciousness, so I don't feel it."
With that, she placed the big fish at his feet, then turned her attention to the plants growing around the pool.
The fruits around the pool appeared thoroughly ripe.
A gentle squeeze caused their skins to split open, releasing juice that drenched the raccoon's fur. Unfortunately, the puppet could not smell nor did it need to eat.
She plucked the damaged fruit and tossed it into the pool.
The fish in the pool, as if starved for years, swarmed it instantly as the fruit juice hit the water.
The thumb-sized fruit was quickly consumed, leaving not even a drop of juice behind.
She stood by the shore for a moment of observation—
No fish died after eating the fruit.
If fish can eat it, then humans likely can too.
Jia Xitong plucked a small fruit and fed it to Shang Yanting, "Try this, my dear Host."
She acted faster than she spoke, leaving the delicate protagonist no room for refusal.
The sweet flavor burst in his mouth, the juice flowing down his throat and turning into a warm current, momentarily easing the constant pain in his dantian.
Shang Yanting's tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly due to the alleviated pain, "... It's edible."
By the light emitted from beneath the lake, Jia Xitong glanced at Shang Yanting.
Ravaged for days, he seemed nothing but skin and bones. The once pristine image of an aristocratic young master was now overshadowed by gloom.
He hadn't spoken voluntarily in days.
Once she considered him merely a character in a book, now she saw him as a person. As the only friend in this Otherworld, a sense of sympathy came over her.
Jia Xitong gently tapped his wounded hand with another clean, furry paw, comforting, "Don't worry, your hands and feet will heal. After all, you're destined to become a God one day!"
Shang Yanting's eyelids fluttered slightly, his gaze fallen on the scruffy, knotted little beast beside him, with a newfound ripple in his once lifeless eyes.
The furry paw on the back of his hand suddenly released its grip, he watched the little beast lift the fish beside him, now with its eyes rolling back.
"One fruit is not enough, let me cook fish for you."
The fish scales were hard.
But the extracted meat was incredibly tender, almost like jelly.
After consumption, Shang Yanting felt the same warmth filling his body, though the effect was slightly less than that of the red fruit.
Shang Yanting's gaze turned to the pool; could this place be a haven of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures?
As Jia Xitong fed him the second piece of fish, he resisted the intense craving within him and moved away.
"What's wrong?"
Jia Xitong looked at the piece of fish in her paw. Could it be poisonous?
Shang Yanting displayed a complicated look in his eyes, closing them briefly before resuming his indifferent demeanor, "The fish in this lake and the red fruits nearby are not ordinary."
He directly revealed his discovery to the demon beast in front of him.
No matter what purpose it had, it should take what it needed and leave. He didn't need anyone's pity, nor did he want anyone's company. Just take the stuff and go, stop following him.
"Not ordinary?"
Jia Xitong shoved the piece of fish from her paw into his mouth, "If they're not ordinary, you should eat more."
Indeed, even without clear instructions, the male protagonist can discover his serendipity. Hearing this, Jia Xitong quickly fed him the fish, then swiftly ran to the pool to count.
There were still 11 small red fruits by the pool
and 21 fish in the pool.
Watching the small beast's back as it picked fruit, there was a hint of irony in Shang Yanting's eyes.
What was he expecting?
In this world, everyone is driven by profit.
No one genuinely cares for him. If there's even a slight temptation, people will reveal their true colors.
They all deserve to die!
Shang Yanting's gaze was both oppressive and stubborn, tinged with a destructive madness.
"Oh, dear Host."
Jia Xitong turned around with the picked red fruits in her arms, extending her furry paw to feed him another red fruit.
The sweetness burst on his tongue, bringing warmth to his heart.
"Why such a face, my dear Host? Is the fruit spoiled?"
She watched his somewhat twitchy face with slight concern.
The male protagonist isn't that easy to poison to death, right?
"... No."
Shang Yanting had trouble articulating his current feelings.
Jia Xitong watched him until his expression gradually eased before feeling slightly relieved, then placed all the fruits in front of him:
"I sense these small fruits are completely ripe, worrying they might spoil, I've picked them all. Please try to finish them before they go bad, my dear Host."
Saying this, she... plopped down as the raccoon, her puppet's time of use expired.
Now, he was the only one left in the cave.
With both hands disabled, feeding himself would be challenging.
One piece, two pieces...
Shang Yanting suddenly paused, looking indifferently at the neatly arranged fruits and the dirty puppet beside him. His emotions churned within his heart, and after a while, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath; he wouldn't believe in anyone anymore!
At the same time, Jia Xitong heard the long-awaited sound of the system.
[Congratulations, task performer, you have gained 1 trust point from the protagonist. Current trust value 1/100]