Li Ban carried the meat back to the storeroom.
The meat stew in the iron bucket was still steaming, its aroma quickly filling the entire storeroom.
Li Ban waited for the bucket to cool slightly before bending down to take his first sip.
But just as he lowered his head, his movement froze.
He straightened up again and carried the bucket back to Cell Thirteen.
"Ah! Meat! Ah! Meat!"
This time, the cat-woman started calling out from far away.
"I'm not bringing you meat," Li Ban said coldly. "Just some broth."
Li Ban took out a washed wooden spoon and carefully scooped a small portion for the cat-woman.
Instead of answering, the cat-woman chomped down on the spoon, releasing it only after licking it completely clean.
"Well?" Li Ban asked urgently.
"Delicious! Not enough! More!" The cat-woman cupped her face in her hands, looking blissful.
"Kind one, you're so good to me. Give me another sip!"
Seeing this, Li Ban scooped another spoonful for himself and eagerly brought it to his lips.
The cat-woman licked her lips and waited until Li Ban lowered his head before saying, "It's safe for me. But if you drink it without treatment, you'll be dead in three days."
Li Ban's body froze instantly.
His lips were barely a centimeter away from the spoon.
With trembling hands—this time from anger—Li Ban threw the spoon back into the bucket.
"Are you telling the truth?"
The cat-woman shrugged indifferently. "You know I've never lied to you."
"When you gave me raw meat before, you said it was safe for me to eat."
"That's right. But the stew you brought today is poisoned."
"Then why are you unaffected?"
"Fool, because I'm a Spirit Practitioner! This weak rat poison is like seasoning to me."
Rat poison?
Rat poison!
Li Ban never expected his precautionary measure would actually uncover poison!
Previously, the slaves' meals had always been prepared by Lu.
Everyone ate from the same pot and drank from the same bucket.
There had never been any issues.
After Lu killed the young male slave, Li Ban had been on guard for a while.
But he'd only been watching for attacks from Lu's tail—he never imagined she possessed rat poison.
This time, he'd only wanted to ask the cat-woman whether eating leopard meat might have side effects. He never expected to uncover poison.
"What kind of rat poison? From mimic rats?"
"How should I know? I'm not a poison master. But this toxin tastes similar to what I've sampled from mimic rat tails. Probably the same type."
Seeing Li Ban's ashen face, she flashed a mocking smile. "What? Did another slave successfully fuse with a mimic rat's tail?"
"...Yes. Is the poison the tail's ability?"
"The tail was always poisonous. Never thought anyone would actually fuse with such trash elements."
Li Ban didn't register the cat-woman's disdainful remark about tail elements—he was too busy grappling with shock and fury.
He couldn't understand why Lu wanted him dead!
When she'd killed the young male slave without hesitation, Li Ban had considered her ruthless, but assumed they'd had some unknown grudge.
But he and Lu had no such conflict.
At worst, he'd ignored her hardships and hadn't shared meat with her.
Was that worth killing over?
The main cause of her suffering was the jailers punishing her for murder.
And this leopard tail—Li Ban had risked his life for it. Why would he just give it away?
While Li Ban brooded, the cat-woman giggled behind her hand.
When he looked up, she immediately put on a sympathetic expression. "Poor kind one. Since you can't eat that meat, why not give it to me?"
This only angered Li Ban further.
"What will you trade for it?"
The cat-woman immediately pointed at her chest. "Me."
"Get lost!"
Her smile twitched, clearly caught off guard.
Abandoning her teasing, she said seriously, "Fine. You really can't eat this meat. Even if antidotes exist for rat poison, they're beyond your reach now."
"Tell me something useful. About Identity, elements, spiritual essence—anything else you know."
The cat-woman sighed. "It's not that I won't tell you. You're just not at that stage yet—knowing too much could be harmful. Right now... you're just a slave without Identity. For those with status, sharing advanced knowledge with you would be insulting. That would only bring you trouble."
Li Ban felt numb.
For slaves, even knowledge could be a crime.
"When I'm ready to know, you must tell me."
"Absolutely!"
"Can I eat raw meat?" Li Ban asked.
All cooking stoves were in the water room.
Li Ban didn't know when Lu had poisoned the food—his meat might have been contaminated in the kitchen.
"Now that you've started martial training, small amounts should be fine. Might give you diarrhea, but won't kill you."
"Fine."
Li Ban placed the bucket in the small door, watching expressionlessly as the cat-woman feasted—he suspected she was enjoying this.
After she finished eating with exaggerated delight, he retrieved the bucket and asked, "If... I were poisoned, what symptoms might I show?"
"Now that I've actually seen." The cat-woman pressed against the bars, eyes narrowed in a humorless smile. "First day—nothing. Second day—stomach pains. Third day—vomiting, diarrhea, profuse sweating, then death by blood vomiting."
She added quietly, "Since you naturally encounter mimic rats, poisoning wouldn't necessarily point to her."
Apparently, the cat-woman had seen slaves die from mimic rat poison before.
Right—on his first day, hadn't his eye infection come from being bitten?
Perhaps because the wound was in his eye, death came faster than through ingestion?
"I understand. Don't mention this to anyone."
"Who else would I talk to here?" The cat-woman flicked her ear idly.
Li Ban now realized the cat-woman wasn't simple—to her, he might just be entertainment in this death prison.
But that was fine. They both got what they needed—he wasn't losing out.
...
The next morning, Li Ban skipped breakfast, silently chewing raw meat in the storeroom.
As he ate, he told himself, "It's just data."
After finishing, he added, "I hate 100% realistic simulation!"
Trying to ignore the strange taste, he heard the tree-person jailer's call.
"Ban, come out!"
Li Ban hurried out, finding Tree-Person A waiting at the pit bottom.
"Sir!"
"You're coming out with me today."
Another outing?
Elated, Li Ban responded, "Understood!"
But then Lu rushed from the water room. "Sir, could I go today? I've finished all my tasks."
Tree-Person A showed no mercy, glaring down at her. "I'll take who I want. None of your business!"
He punctuated this with a whip crack across her arm.
Though after seeing Tree-Person A smash a leopard's skull with three lashes, Li Ban knew these strikes were light.
Lu clutched her arm and didn't dare speak again.
"Let's go. Early start today." Tree-Person A headed for the stairs first.
Head bowed, Li Ban followed silently behind.
"Ban." Lu suddenly approached, pressing five copper coins into his hand from nowhere, staring intently. "If you pass any markets... please buy some meat for me. Just a little. Keep the extra."
Tree-Person A paid no attention ahead.
Li Ban accepted the coins and forced a weak smile. "Sure!"