Chapter 24: You May Die Now

Once the three had moved far away, Lin Feng surveyed the pool from left to right. Finding a lower bank, he attempted to pull himself out. Because he was tall, strong, and had recently eaten, he was brimming with energy; after only two or three tries, he managed to lift his feet onto the bank and scramble out of the water.

Lin Feng immediately made his way back to the shelter. He found He Tiantian and Wang Xingyu already changed into dry clothes from their luggage. The remaining mushroom soup in the large clay pot was gone—presumably finished by Wang Xingyu. After all, He Tiantian was eager to curry favor with him and would naturally yield her share; besides, she had filled her stomach with some fishy-tasting wild herbs and wasn't all that hungry.

Perhaps finding the flavor of the mushrooms exceptionally delicious, Wang Xingyu had dug out the remaining ones and shoved two into his mouth. With a feigned sense of chivalry, he offered two more to He Tiantian: "Beauty, if I have something to eat, you certainly won't go without. Come, have some."

Seeing this, Cheng Xiangyu quickly intervened: "Don't eat them! Lin Feng said these mushrooms are poisonous if eaten raw; they must be boiled thoroughly. Young Master Wang, spit them out!"

"Damn it! Why didn't you say so sooner?" Wang Xingyu cursed in frustration. It was already too late to spit them out; he had been so ravenous that he had swallowed the poisonous mushrooms in a frantic gulp.

He Tiantian hurriedly set the mushrooms down and asked anxiously, "Sister Cheng, did Lin Feng say what would happen if we ate these poisonous mushrooms raw?"

Cheng Xiangyu shook her head. "He didn't. But I think we should go and rescue him. He's a doctor; he must know how to treat mushroom poisoning."

Wang Xingyu waved his hands repeatedly. "No, don't go save him. He must hate my guts right now. Even if you get him up here, he won't give me the antidote, will he?" He then began to reassure himself: "Even if these mushrooms are toxic, I don't think it's a big deal; otherwise, they wouldn't be edible even after cooking. Besides, I've eaten two already and don't feel anything wrong yet."

Cheng Xiangyu replied, "Perhaps, but it's best to boil them before eating."

Wang Xingyu nodded and said, "He Tiantian, go fetch some water so we can boil these mushrooms."

"Alright!" He Tiantian replied, but just as she stood up, she sat back down. "Young Master Wang, you forgot—we ruined the water source, and Lin Feng is still in that pool. We have no fresh water." With that, she cast a resentful glance at Wang Xingyu.

Wang Xingyu felt very annoyed and huffed, "Why are you looking at me? If there's no water, we can just roast the mushrooms!"

"Haha, that's right!" He Tiantian agreed with a smile.

Not far away, Lin Feng overheard this and couldn't help but laugh. These mushrooms needed to be boiled for twenty minutes to be safe. They couldn't be roasted at all; twenty minutes over a fire would leave them completely charred. He stepped out and said coldly, "Wang Xingyu, I'm back!"

"Ah?" Wang Xingyu gasped upon hearing his voice. He looked at Lin Feng with a face full of terror, his body trembling as he stammered, "Y-you climbed out of the pool? How is that possible?"

He Tiantian stepped back in fear but threatened, "Lin Feng, don't do anything reckless. Wang Xingyu is the son of the City Lord. Do you know the consequences of harming him?"

Cheng Xiangyu snapped, "Shut up, He Tiantian! What kind of situation do you think this is? How dare you threaten Lin Feng? Are you in such a hurry to die? Or do you actually think Lin Feng cares about Wang Xingyu's status?"

He Tiantian felt indignant but had no retort. Wang Xingyu also realized that if Lin Feng were afraid of threats, he would have compromised long ago. He quickly knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "Brother Lin, Brother Feng, I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please, let me go."

Lin Feng countered, "You tried to kill me, and you want me to let you go?"

Cheng Xiangyu intervened with a plea: "Lin Feng, I know you want to tear Wang Xingyu to pieces, and I agree he deserves to die. But if he is willing to be obedient and do as you say, your survival on this deserted island will be much easier, right?"

"Woo... Meow..." Just then, the sound of a leopard echoed from the jungle. Lin Feng was instantly gripped by worry for Qin Meng; he suddenly felt a desperate need to find her. Furthermore, he realized that with two women present—especially He Tiantian—killing Wang Xingyu wouldn't be easy, as He Tiantian was shielding him, and he didn't want to hurt Qin Meng's friend. Most importantly, Wang Xingyu had already eaten two raw poisonous mushrooms; if he didn't get help in time, he was likely to die anyway. Plus, the idiot wanted to roast them, which would only increase his toxicity.

Lin Feng sighed and decided to mimic Wang Xingyu's previous arrogant demeanor. He waved his hand and said, "Forget it. We are all stranded on a deserted island; we're all miserable, and life is hard. We shouldn't fight each other; we should band together for warmth. I am a magnanimous person, so I won't hold a grudge over what happened."

"I tell you to listen to me because I have more wilderness survival experience and know how to survive. I hope you can cooperate. Of course, if you have any questions about my methods, feel free to ask."

Wang Xingyu exhaled, silently relieved that Lin Feng wasn't going to kill him. However, he assumed Lin Feng was only acting this way because he still feared his status as the City Lord's son. He put on a hypocritical smile and said, "Lin Feng, thank you for forgiving me! Don't worry, I will cooperate with you from now on. Let's help each other until we are rescued."

Cheng Xiangyu laughed happily, "Haha, that's great! We are finally united. I believe as long as we work together, we can survive."

He Tiantian said nothing, though she thought to herself that Lin Feng wasn't stupid enough to actually kill Wang Xingyu.

Lin Feng said, "I'm worried about Qin Meng's safety. I need to go find her and look for some food along the way. You stay at the shelter, tend to the fire, and gather some firewood. Also, I suspect it's going to rain soon; you should find some mud to plaster the treehouse so the interior doesn't get soaked."

With that, he turned and left. Whether they followed his instructions or not, he didn't care. Right now, he only wanted to find Qin Meng.

Once Lin Feng was out of earshot, Wang Xingyu laughed and scoffed, "Heh, he thinks he's a prophet? Saying it's going to rain, so it rains? Expecting me to move mud to patch a treehouse? In his dreams!"

Cheng Xiangyu countered, "Young Master Wang, we should listen to Lin Feng! He has extensive survival experience; he's likely not wrong. Besides, it will rain sooner or later. Plastering the treehouse will not only keep it dry but also keep it warmer at night."

Wang Xingyu looked at her with disdain. "Cheng Xiangyu, are you kidding me? You're actually following the orders of an ordinary guy like Lin Feng? And you want to boss me around?"

Cheng Xiangyu didn't dare offend him and, left speechless, looked toward He Tiantian. Before He Tiantian could speak, Wang Xingyu cut in, "He Tiantian doesn't have time to patch the treehouse either. She needs to take our clothes to the beach to wash and dry them. And with the sun shining like this, it certainly won't rain anytime soon, so don't worry."

He Tiantian, hearing this, picked up the clothes she and Wang Xingyu had changed out of and said, "That's right, Sister Cheng. I don't have time to patch the treehouse; I have to go wash these."

With that, she left with the clothes. Cheng Xiangyu was left completely speechless. What bothered her even more was that Wang Xingyu had no intention of working either; he simply lay down on the medicinal herb mat Lin Feng had woven and rested.

What happened to the promises of building a shelter, finding delicious food, and not letting them suffer? Had he forgotten already?