Chapter 49: You Have Been Poisoned

“You little brat, do you really think I have to beg you?”
“And now you’re trying to raise the price?”
“Help if you want to, don’t if you don’t.”
“Is a meal incomplete without carrots?”
“Hey, hey, hey, come back.”

Li Changlu turned his head with a grin and stopped in his tracks. After seeing so much haggling in the marketplace, he knew it all came down to who needed what more.
It seemed Miss Mingshan needed him more.

“Go on then, name your terms.”
“I don’t even have a place to stay yet, sleeping in the corner of the tavern every night—my back is killing me.”
“Accommodation? That can be arranged right away. A room on the second floor.”
“Hunting monsters for missions is exhausting. I keep dreaming of reaping without sowing, an easy life. I wonder if that’s possible?”
“Don’t even think about it. Absolutely not. This world has its own rules, and so does food and drink. You can only earn your keep by completing tasks,” Miss Mingshan replied without hesitation.
“Then what about that bowl of noodles you just gave me?”
“If they tasted good, then they were just an ordinary bowl of noodles.”
“So even monsters have to earn their keep, and I can’t go out and scare little kids either? There’s no sense of ambition in that,” Li Changlu sighed.
“The real great demons don’t think that way. Those mountain kings, demon kings—they…”
Miss Mingshan’s face filled with longing, but she didn’t continue.
“Go on,” Li Changlu urged, full of anticipation…
Could it be that demon kings and mountain lords can eat for free?
Can they bully men and women at will?
Can they lead a pack of cronies to stir up trouble everywhere?
Just the thought of it made him a little excited.
That’s the way to be a monster.
“They have to abide by the tavern’s rules, too.”
“….”
“Well then, young sir, can you start tending the fire for me now?”
Miss Mingshan seemed afraid Li Changlu would come up with more bizarre demands. She quickly laid a dainty hand on his shoulder, her demeanor enchanting, her voice meltingly sweet.
“I have one last concern—will I die doing this?”
“Why would you? You’re just tending the fire.”
“Why was the Monkey King trapped under Five Finger Mountain? Because he smashed the Queen Mother’s Peach Orchard and threatened someone’s interests—so he was hunted down. Isn’t it the same with what I’m doing now?”
To Li Changlu, he was just like the Monkey King. If the tavern’s food and drink were essential to monsters’ survival, and he could produce these necessities,
That meant he too could control the lifeblood of all the monsters.

One day, no one would dare cross him. They’d all be forced to curry favor with him…
And when he was in a bad mood…
He could even open a Monster Tea House or Monster Internet Café across the street and challenge them head-on.
A person with the power to break the rules would surely be quietly snuffed out.

Seeing Li Changlu’s earnest face, Miss Mingshan burst into laughter, her beauty blooming even brighter, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
“Young sir, don’t be like that—you’re so funny when you try to be serious.” She ran a slender finger along Li Changlu’s cheek, admiring that innocent, handsome face.
“Is it not so?”
Li Changlu was lecherous, but cherished his life. In his eyes, this alluring demoness before him was no different from a Spider Spirit—
Beautiful, but deadly.
“The Bonfire skill is extremely rare, and even fewer monsters can learn it. You’re only the third I’ve ever seen with this skill. It’s like matching blood types for a kidney transplant—the odds of acquiring it are extremely low.”
“And even if you do ‘get’ the skill, without strong enough demon energy you can’t even upgrade it. So all those scheming thoughts in your heart—they’re impossible to realize. You’re no threat to the tavern or the monsters in this world, and no one wants you dead.”
“Upgrade?”
Embarrassed at having his thoughts laid bare, Li Changlu asked,
“Yes, as the skill levels up, its effects increase. With your current demon energy, you’re lucky if the fire in the stove doesn’t go out.”
“If it were our tavern owner, though… tch tch…”
Miss Mingshan seemed to recall something, but stopped herself from continuing.
“By the way, does this skill have any side effects?”
Li Changlu pressed on. Back in the tomb, Fatty Wang had mentioned side effects—possibly burning himself if he wasn’t careful—so he’d warned Li Changlu to use it sparingly.
Just thinking about it was terrifying. Last time, he’d used it to save Little Qing, but…
Nothing seemed to happen.
Was that fat man just trying to scare him?
Or perhaps he was protected by protagonist’s luck.
Was he really fine?
He couldn’t ruin his handsome face…
“It will keep consuming your demon energy until you perish.”
…
Li Changlu was left speechless for a long time.
He wanted to curse Fatty Wang to high heaven.
Damn that fat man…
Still couldn’t let go of the grudge from when he’d pulled down his pants…
“But you don’t need to worry. As long as your demon energy is at one, you’ll be fine. So there’s no danger in helping me tend the fire.”
“What if my demon energy goes negative?”
Li Changlu asked, eyes wide.
“What? How could demon energy ever be negative? If you have no demon energy, that means you’re dead. You’re hilarious, young sir.”

Clearly, Miss Mingshan didn’t have Little Qing’s sense of perception. She had no idea that the monster standing before her already had a demon energy of minus twenty-one.
Li Changlu was so frightened he hurriedly patted himself down—
Luckily, he still felt real enough.
“All right, all right. If you keep dawdling, the fire’s going to go out,” Miss Mingshan reminded him.
Li Changlu just shrugged, then pulled a lighter from his bag and flicked it on slowly. A wisp of black flame appeared.
“What are you doing?”
Miss Mingshan was baffled, watching him.
“Tending the fire. Don’t you use a lighter?”
Li Changlu was amused—she’d been so anxious just a moment ago, and now she was questioning him.
“Young sir, the fire goes inside,” Miss Mingshan pointed to the stove’s opening.
…
“Ah, Little Qing, what happened to you? How did you faint?”
“Oh, I failed to protect you! That dear Fatty entrusted you to me with his dying breath.”
“Oh, my heart aches! I’ve let down his dying wish.”
“I’ll take you out to see a doctor. Hold on!”
Li Changlu recited with dramatic flair, then picked up the unconscious Little Qing, determined to leave the kitchen.
“You sly fox, your acting is too childish before your big sister. That bowl of noodles just now—was it good? Well, you’re poisoned. Surprised?”
Li Changlu stopped in his tracks.
He noticed Ah Huang, the dog lying on the floor, watching him with a schadenfreude in his eyes, nearly grinning from ear to ear. No wonder…
So that desperate look while eating the bun earlier was real?
You’re a dog, and you don’t even guard the door.
Just here to enjoy the show?
But…
Just because you say I’m poisoned, I am?
I’d rather die than yield.
If you have the guts, try and kill me!
I, Li Changlu, will never be a slave…
“Young sir, just get up. As long as you help me tend the fire, I’ll give you the antidote and keep my promise about your conditions.”
Miss Mingshan was delighted, hurrying to help Li Changlu, who was kneeling there as straight as a post, tears glistening in his eyes.
A man’s knees are worth their weight in gold, but life is more precious. Li Changlu had already died once—staying alive was more important than anything.
“Sis, you said tend the fire, not burn me up!”