Old Qian replied vaguely, "That's not something we can decide. If Ge Mei said we two are going to hell while he ascends to heaven, that's up to the King of Hell to rule; how could we possibly interfere?" With that, he glanced towards Ma Xiong. Ma Xiong then realized Ge Mei had been playing him. He shot a somewhat resentful look at Ge Mei, only to meet Ge Mei's ravenous eyes—gazes that, under normal circumstances, would have taken that ambiguity as an undeniable certainty, but now, could only treat the within-reach certainty as mere ambiguity. Ah, there was no helping it; it was all Lu Zong's fault.

Old Qian noticed a massive rock ahead resembling a mushroom cloud and quickly urged everyone to take cover beneath it. "We’ll wait right here. If we’re meant to survive, we’re lucky; if not, we’ll see if we can last a week in the shadow of this mushroom cloud. By then, maybe we really will manage to survive. Hurry up; the sun is about to rise." Saying this, he was the first to dash towards the mushroom cloud, leaving the other two staring blankly at the mushroom cloud-shaped stone Old Qian had indicated.

Ma Xiong, in particular, was instantly captivated the moment he looked at the thing. Its upper section was enormous, flat, and graceful, and beneath the flat, round canopy, there were even cracks resembling a mushroom’s gills. Supporting this mushroom cloud above were thick, incredibly hard vine-like structures, resembling the fungi found in nature so closely. If it hadn't appeared in this desolate, uninhabited Great Desert, the group would surely have believed it to be man-made.

Ma Xiong couldn't afford to ponder further; he already felt the surrounding temperature climbing higher. Perhaps in a moment, he would be desiccated into a mummy or a sun-dried corpse. He quickly gave chase, and Ge Mei followed without hesitation. Damn it, if they were all going to die anyway, even if he died under the skirt of this mushroom cloud, he would have no regrets.

He followed Ma Xiong into the shade of the mushroom cloud. Although the air beneath was intensely hot, it offered relative comfort compared to that malevolent sun. Yet, they all understood that it was still morning, and the sun remained scorching. They could only imagine the degree of heat when the sun reached its zenith at noon.

Ge Mei asked Ma Xiong, "Ma Xiong, how much water do we have left? How long can it sustain us?"

Ma Xiong reached to his waist, took out the canteen, shook it, weighed it carefully in his hand, and finally said with disappointment, "All together, it’s less than one and a half flasks. We need to conserve every drop."

Old Qian listlessly glanced at the canteen in Ma Xiong's hand, and his eyes immediately flared with thirst, a hunger so intense it could rival that felt for a nude beauty. At that moment, one would probably find little argument if the water were exchanged for his life.

Ma Xiong noticed Old Qian’s lecherous little eyes fixed on the small canteen and said with a look of resignation, "These two flasks must last us the entire day. We must cherish it dearly and not waste a single drop. If we finish this water and haven't found a source, there will be no replenishment, and then we will truly be at a dead end. If everyone understands this, then listen to my instructions next, alright?"

Ge Mei nodded and said, "I don't care. I’m practically collapsing anyway. I should have died long ago; living this long is my sin. God, please grant my wish."

Old Qian suddenly replied, "Ge Mei, you don't need to blame yourself so much. Everyone has their own way of surviving. Even if it’s different from others, it’s still a state of being for a person alive. Isn't this also quite good? No need to worry about making a living or finding food; isn't living like this even freer and easier?"

Ge Mei shot Old Qian a cold look, then retorted, "You certainly take things lightly. Hmph, you say that because you haven't experienced what it's like to be in my position. I believe if you ever became me, you’d regret it. Just wait and see. Wasn’t your thing stolen too? In a few days, you’ll truly get a taste of my experience."

Ma Xiong wasn't a fool. Hearing their exchange, he sensed there was much hidden meaning in their words. However, it wasn't the right time to inquire, so he buried the thoughts deep within, choosing silence. Yet, inside, chaos reigned, as he vaguely felt that Ge Mei seemed to belong to a different world than his own.

The sun gradually rose, and the shadow of the mushroom cloud shrank smaller and smaller. Helplessly, they all eventually crowded together. Now, no one had the energy to think about anything else. Seeing their parched and weak states, one felt an overwhelming urge—if they didn't drink soon, they would join the ranks of the dead. Who knew which family would be fortunate enough to see the next reincarnation? These three nuisances, if they were reborn into anyone's lineage, that family would surely face misfortune. After all, none of the three were normal; all were mysterious in their own way.

Ma Xiong raised the canteen in his hand and took a small sip, but accidentally gulped down a large mouthful. He made up his mind: since death was imminent, why not die heartily? He then handed the remaining entire flask of water to Ge Mei, saying, "Here, you two share this whole flask. Consider this last bit my final meal. Cheers, everyone."

With that, he clinked his canteen against theirs, producing a crisp metallic sound. He downed the entire flask in one go, the relief so thorough it was almost as exhilarating as using a drug. He let out a satisfied burp and leaned back against the rock to rest. With heavy eyelids, he looked toward the canteen in Ge Mei’s hand, only to notice that Ge Mei showed absolutely no interest in it, as if he didn't need water at all. Moreover, looking at his skin, he showed no signs of dehydration; it remained plump and supple. Ge Mei handed the canteen to Old Qian and asked, "Old Qian, do you still need water?"

Old Qian took the canteen and gulped down a large mouthful, but it seemed he couldn't swallow any more. However, in front of the others, how could he bear to spit out such precious water? He forced it down with difficulty, then handed the canteen to Ma Xiong, saying, "Ma Xiong, you drink this." Without hesitation, he passed the canteen to Ma Xiong, while he himself slumped onto the rock, looking listless. Watching these two strange individuals, suspicion clearly clouded Ma Xiong's face. What was going on with them? How could they show no interest in such precious water? Had dehydration driven them both mad? But that wasn't right; even dehydration wouldn't affect the mind like this. How could their brains be malfunctioning?

However, seeing how uncomfortable they both looked, he couldn't bring himself to refuse them or force them to drink. He quickly put the canteen away. If he encountered Lu Zong later, he could use this water to save his life. He believed that if the other two didn't drink further, his hope of finding Lu Zong and surviving would grow. With this thought, hope for life reignited within him.

But he still felt that Ge Mei and Old Qian were likely not normal people at this moment. If they weren't fools, they must be deranged. Based on his thirty years of experience in the mortal realm, he had never encountered people this resilient.

He looked curiously at Ge Mei and Old Qian. Old Qian’s skin now also appeared slightly supple, even carrying a hint of rejuvenation. Ma Xiong found the scene amusing, so he stopped staring intently and prepared to just recline idly for the whole day.

Suddenly, he noticed something carved into the stone against which Ge Mei was leaning. When they first arrived, the carving had been buried by wind-blown sand, and Ge Mei had sat right on top of it. But after the sand blew away, he seemed to glimpse some characters etched there. His curiosity was instantly ignited, and his gaze locked onto the pattern behind Ge Mei.

Ge Mei noticed Lu Zong staring at him intently with a lustful gaze and felt a little embarrassed. But he was too lethargic to speak; he couldn't even be bothered to move. He decided to let it be; at least this proved his personal charm. Thinking this, he deliberately struck a more exaggerated pose to display his allure.

Unexpectedly, Ma Xiong spoke, "Ge Mei, don't move around. I think I see something, something really strange. It looks like writing, but I can't make out what it says. Move aside so I can look."

This remark infuriated Ge Mei. He hadn't expected the scoundrel to behave like a pervert even in this place. Angrily, he slapped Ma Xiong across the face, and a brilliant five-fingered flower instantly bloomed there, its vibrancy incomparable.

Ma Xiong immediately saw stars. Before he could grasp what had happened, he just stared blankly at Ge Mei.

Ge Mei cursed, "Damn dirty hooligan! You can see the tattoo on my body, so tell me, what else did you do while I was sleeping last night? Tell me quickly, or I won't let you off." Saying this, his large eyes stared intently at Ma Xiong, making Ma Xiong feel as transparent as glass.

Ma Xiong stammered for a long time, unable to react, only touching his mouth with his hand, somewhat indignantly saying, "What the hell is wrong with you? I said there were characters on the rock behind you, what does that have to do with me? Does that writing on the rock have something to do with your body? I’m confused. I was just talking about the rock, not you. Why are you getting so angry?"

Upon hearing this, Ge Mei quickly turned to look back. Indeed, he saw distinct characters imprinted on the stone. He instantly felt a tightness in his chest; he had been too rash just now, jumping to conclusions and wrongly accusing an innocent person without thinking carefully.

What surprised him, however, was that he felt absolutely no trace of regret, which was quite unexpected.