Chapter Twenty-Five: Nonviolent Noncooperation

"Don't agree just yet. Let me check if she left me any messages in the private inbox."

After instructing his sister, Mu Chen scanned through his private messages at lightning speed.

After sifting through hundreds of messages, he finally found Yang Zhiying's note.

"Mu Chen, due to a lack of food, we ate the corrupted meat slab from the malformed creature. The child fell into a coma after eating it. I'm asking you for the reason, and if possible, I hope you can help us with food."

Mu Chen: "......"

It had only been a few hours, and she'd already forgotten the awkwardness of being refused face-to-face? It seemed they regarded him as their lifeline in desperate times.

He instinctively gazed at the malformed creature meat in his backpack, and a prompt appeared.

[Malformed Creature Meat: Basic material for some recruitment scrolls. Of course, some lunatics eat it directly. Upon consumption, Sanity decreases by 2 points.]

If memory served, losing half of one's Sanity would result in dizziness and coma. Dr. Mu immediately diagnosed the patient's condition.

"......"

Without any intervention, the child would likely awaken within a few hours, and Yang Zhiying's message had been sent just an hour ago.

Hesitating for a moment, his mind began to clear.

Her family had already reached the food storage base, yet now she was contacting him for help because the child ate malformed creature meat. Considering how stubborn her family was when they left...

Most likely, they had already encountered the Ten-Death Beast!

Yang Zhiying hadn't mentioned it in her message, but Mu Chen was almost certain.

"Heh."

Mu Chen let out a cold laugh. If it was an equal exchange, he wouldn't mind extending a helping hand.

After all.

Having saved them, a bit of compensation wasn't too much to ask.

Upon further consideration, the [Servant Recruitment Scroll] seemed perfectly suitable!

It would be a win-win; the Yang family wouldn't suffer a loss, the child would be saved, and Yang Zhiying could complete her [Newcomer's Quest] as well.

Finding Yang Zhiying's friend request in the inbox, he accepted it and immediately sent her his terms.

No need for long explanations, as time was of the essence...

"That's fine, but I want the Servant Recruitment Scroll from your Newcomer's Quest. If you agree, tell me your current coordinates."

After stating his demand, he turned toward the hot water kettle inside the house.

"Sade, hurry up and boil a pot of hot water."

...

It wasn't long before Yang Zhiying replied with her agreement.

With everything settled, Mu Chen shared the general situation with Mu Jiu'er.

"Brother, according to what you said, the child should wake up in a few hours. So why have Sade boil hot water?"

"Childish questions, why bother asking so much? If you keep pressing, we'll just say we're going to save someone!"

Mu Jiu'er: A

Are you kidding me???

"Hot water is a cure-all; you just don't understand. Whether it's man to woman, woman to man, or even man to man, woman to woman, it works wonders."

For instance.

"Got a cold? Tell her to drink more hot water!"

"Headache? Drink more hot water!"

"Stomachache? Drink more hot water!"

"Sprained ankle? Drink more hot water!"

Of course, the delivery matters; don't just casually say 'drink more hot water,' or no one will appreciate it. They might even blame you.

Therefore.

Go and actually pour her a cup of hot water, feed it to her, and tell her it's the best remedy for her symptoms—before she wakes up, that is.

...

The Yang family was no exception. At this moment, Mu Chen was planning to "treat" them in this very way.