Chapter 5: My Enemy Came to Save Me
Chapter 5: My Enemy Came to Save Me
The old witch seemed to be avenging Chu Cheng'an for kicking her earlier. She walked slowly to the iron pot, deliberately torturing his mind and moving slowly to prevent him from getting into the pot immediately.
The big iron pot is actually the deep big round pot that witches often use in Western fairy tales. It is rarely seen in the world nowadays.
The old witch placed Chu Cheng right on top of the pot, leaving him lying there with his legs weak, on the wooden table for seasonings that she had brought.
From his angle, he could just see bubbles popping out of the pot.
This is the signal that the pot is boiling, it is time to put the food in the pot...
Chu Chengan closed his eyes, admitting his bad luck: "I originally thought that with my strength, I could at least live two more episodes..."
The difficulty of the first story simply left him dumbfounded. If the game was going this way, wouldn't it be unsolvable? The protagonist's legs were broken and he couldn't walk, so how could he throw the big boss into the iron pot?
As expected, the old witch's skinny claws did not come to grab him. Instead, Chu Cheng'an heard footsteps approaching from afar.
Lu Zhenqiu? Didn’t he run away?
Chu Cheng'an suddenly opened his eyes, but didn't see clearly what Lu Zhenqiu was holding in his hand.
Lu Zhenqiu used the thing in his hand to pry the bottom of the big pot, and the seemingly heavy pot fell towards the old witch in an instant, and Lu Zhenqiu's own hand was burned by the edge of the pot. Chu Chengan was very distressed when he saw this. He was afraid that he would never be able to repay this favor unless he paid it tenfold.
The old witch was also badly scalded and splashed with hot oil, but she did not lose her ability to move. She jumped a few times on the spot and then flew out of the garden railing.
The iron pot and the table for placing seasonings also disappeared at this time.
It was almost there, what a pity.
It doesn't seem to work to use a hot pot of boiling soup to pounce on the boss, and no wonder, because the original book says that the only way to do it is to throw the old witch into the big pot.
Lu Zhenqiu was injured, but he shook his hands as if nothing happened and pulled Chu Chengan down from the high platform.
"Is your hand okay? Is it serious? There's no cold water here to wash your hands... Damn it."
Seeing Chu Chengan staring at his hand so anxiously, Lu Zhenqiu smiled imperceptibly.
"Nothing, just a minor injury. Can't you move your leg?"
"Well, now that I think about it, although I still can't walk, I'm feeling a little better now. It feels like a tingling sensation after being under great pressure... I think it will be fine in a while."
"So that's how it is. I understand this game. We have to keep eating candies to paralyze ourselves. The one who eats the most will become bait to attract the old witch to catch him and put him in the pot. The other partner will take the opportunity to throw the old witch into the pot. This is a game that tests the players' ability to cooperate. If you are matched with a pig teammate, you will be buried with him."
Lu Zhenqiu looked at Chu Chengan, who looked a little embarrassed.
Chu Chengan immediately replied: "Are you looking at me? Of course I'm not a pig teammate, I'm a god teammate... Emmmm, let's keep working hard next time, and it's your turn to eat more candy next time. I'm strong, I'll take the opportunity to lift the old witch up and throw her into the big iron pot."
Lu Zhenqiu looked at him, as if considering the credibility of Chu Cheng'an's words.
Chu Chengan hastily testified: "You have to believe me. You burned your hand trying to save me. If I abandon you and run away, wouldn't I be worse than an animal? I would even despise myself."
"Really? If I'm in danger next time and I need you to sacrifice yourself to save me, will you save me?"
Why do you have to make it sound so serious? Do you want him to sacrifice his life?
But Chu Chengan still said: "I will save you. Although I was also on a mission just now, the fact that you saved me will definitely not change. Just think of it as I owe you a life, and I will definitely return it to you in the future."
When Lu Zhenqiu heard Chu Cheng'an say this, he finally smiled happily.
This smile is so beautiful. Why didn’t Chu Chengan realize that Lu Zhenqiu is so beautiful before?
After being absent-minded for a moment, Chu Chengan remembered something and asked him, "What was that thing you brought over earlier? It was so heavy that it could overturn the pot."
Lu Zhenqiu plucked a few flowers and used their branches for demonstration.
"I took a few chocolate bars, but they were very fragile and broke easily, so I took a big bundle and tied them up with long rubber bands, which made them easier to break and more durable."
Chu Chengan sighed: "As expected of someone who has been to school."
Lu Zhenqiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Why? You don't go to school?"
"That's not called going to school. I go there to sleep, but you go to school to really learn knowledge."
After Chu Cheng'an was rescued, his attitude towards Lu Zhenqiu changed 180 degrees. He sincerely felt that Lu Zhenqiu was much smarter than him.
Why would he, a sports student, learn cultural knowledge? Isn't it enough for him to be physically strong? But now it seems that this game is not something that can be played safely just by being athletic...
Chu Chengan returned the coffee carving needle in his pocket to Lu Zhenqiu and apologized to him solemnly.
"I'm sorry...
"It's okay. In such a dangerous situation, people will have a stress response, which is normal."
What Lu Zhenqiu said was so nice, he was so well-educated, it was just him who was ignorant. Chu Chengan thought with some shame.
Lu Zhenqiu helped him sit down on the sofa in the living room to discuss the next countermeasures.
"I don't know if the dungeon boss has her own IQ. Does she hold a grudge? Will she wait for another person to come over after the pot boils next time..."
Lu Zhenqiu opened his mouth. How should he respond?
Chu Chengan immediately added: "I don't mean anything else, I'm just worried about you. If I'm too late to save you, wouldn't I regret it for the rest of my life and live in the shadow of the day you got into trouble... Bah, bah, bah, I don't say anything offensive like that." He had the same concerns that any normal person would have.
Go over the next plot in your mind first.
Lu Zhenqiu said considerately: "It's okay. If you try your best, I won't blame you even if I can't save you."
"Okay, just based on your words, I will go through fire and water to complete the task!"
Lu Zhenqiu lazily found a seat facing him and sat down: "Is your leg healed? Then should we rest for a while or continue?"
"Hmm... I don't think the dungeon boss will come so soon. Even if we eat a lot of food in the house, she will still come to the garden to cook at the next hour after a while. Why don't we lie down and rest for a while? Let me take a look at your hand again."
Chu Cheng'an wanted to stand up and move towards Lu Zhenqiu, but his legs were still numb, and he accidentally fell on Lu Zhenqiu, scaring him.
"Uh, sorry, sorry, my leg isn't fully healed yet." There have been so many embarrassing things today, not to mention this one.
Lu Zhenqiu helped him up and helped him stand straight.
He opened his palm to show Chu Chengan.
Chu Chengan looked at it in surprise: "It's all bubbling, let me blow it for you."
"……unnecessary."
"There's no way to apply cold compress here. Try moistening it with your saliva and see if it feels better." Chu Cheng'an was a little annoyed that he hadn't learned the emergency treatment knowledge after being injured.
"No, that's it."
The two chatted for a while about their school days, reminiscing about their high school life, and then asked each other how college was going.
Even when Chu Cheng'an asked Lu Zhen where his injury was during the Akita track race, he remained silent.
It was soon noon, and the sun shone through the huge glass window, making the whole living room warm. If it weren't for the dungeon boss that wanted to kill them, and the candies and chocolates all around them, they would have thought they were on vacation in a secluded place.
Lu Zhenqiu took a slightly hard soda biscuit and placed it under his head as a pillow. He slept on the floor and gave the sofa to Chu Chengan.
"Call me when you need to eat later." Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
This seemed like he completely trusted the other party, and Chu Chengan felt a great sense of responsibility.
"Okay, I will definitely push the old witch into the pot. The next time the boss appears, I will definitely clear this dungeon." Chu Chengan made up his mind secretly.
He lay down on the sofa to rest, closing his eyes. He couldn't sleep, and his mind kept recalling what happened today, from how he ate the dungeon boss because of overeating, to how he couldn't move his legs, and the boss carried him out, to the hot smoke rising from the boiling pot, to Lu Zhenqiu who came and went...
After repeating today's events several times, he recalled yesterday's events again. He pressed Lu Zhenqiu down and reached into his pocket to grab his needle.
Just like that, it got dark.
Chu Chengan's sixth sense told him that the night dungeon boss would come again.
Chu Chengan gently woke up Lu Zhenqiu.
Lu Zhenqiu opened his eyes and imitated Chu Chengan in the morning. He searched for some food in each room, including the garden outside, and put it all into his mouth to digest.
Chu Chengan also ate a few biscuits to replenish his energy.
The big battle is coming, and this time, he must win!
Everything is ready, all that's left is to wait with bated breath.
After 22:00 at night.
From the kitchen there was a sound of a pot hitting the floor.
The two looked at each other and said, "This time we're not in the garden, but in the kitchen?" Why did they change the venue?
The kitchen is not as big as the space outside, and I’m worried that some actions may not be able to be performed.
But now is clearly not the time to worry about that.
Lu Zhenqiu felt that his legs were gradually becoming unable to move.
He said to Chu Cheng'an, "Hide quickly in the bedroom, or the old witch will grab you one by one."
Chu Chengan wanted to go back at him, but even if the old woman caught him, his legs were strong enough for him to escape or fight back.
On second thought, this does not conform to the original plot. In the original novel, the younger sister Gretel did not confront the old witch head-on. She took advantage of the old lady's inattention and pushed her into the pot from behind.
Respecting the original is everyone's responsibility.
Chu Chengan went back to his bedroom and hid.