Chapter 262 | Chapter 263 | Chapter 264
Chapter 262: The Mutated Golden Oyster Mushroom
There was not a single mushroom in the world that could resist Huai Yu’s sweet talk.
The mutated golden oyster mushroom was no exception.
Moreover, ever since the cataclysm, it had been growing entirely alone in this cave, making it incredibly innocent and easy to trick… Ahem, rather, it was a beautiful mushroom with a kind heart.
There was no need for the foxtail grass to sweep back and forth over its body at all; with just a single shake of its own accord, a thick layer of spore powder cascaded down. Huai Yu hurriedly stopped it:
“Don’t get excited, don’t get excited!”
“Dropping so many spores all at once, I won’t be able to collect them all—come on, stay still, let me sweep them slowly.”
If any more fell, she would end up covered in them when she slept tonight.
To show her sincerity, she gave instructions to the dumbfounded Zhou Qian standing on the side: “Brother Zhou Qian, where is the water we just used to steam the locust flowers? Pour it over this log to get it wet.”
Then she looked up again, continuing to gaze at the golden oyster mushroom: “This water is still a bit warm. Once the log cools down later, we’ll roll it around in the spore powder on the ground, then take it out and throw it into the thickets outside.”
She dangled a carrot: “Think about it, with the sheer capability of your spores, once a rain comes down, they’ll completely cover the trees!”
And how!
The golden oyster mushroom grew proud as well: before it mutated, it used to grow freely in the woods, springing up in massive clusters. A single dead tree trunk could produce vast swaths of them, and any forager who saw it would beam with joy!
Now that the spores it had accumulated for years finally had a chance to reproduce, the entire mushroom expanded and stretched itself open even further. Huai Yu grew mad with anxiety watching it—stop expanding, if you open up any more, the mushroom will get too old!
She made a prompt decision: “But as you can see, we don’t have anything to eat after coming up the mountain. We’re so pitiful.”
“If you’re not afraid of pain, could you let me break off some mushroom to whip up a soup?”
For a golden oyster mushroom this massive, and with its emotions so easy to sense, its mutation value was bound to be high. And as everyone knew, once a plant crossed the critical threshold, it actually became much more delicious.
Huai Yu looked utterly pathetic.
Zhou Qian stood a short distance away, not daring to breathe—honestly, it wasn’t like they had to drink this mushroom soup, right?
Yet the golden oyster mushroom didn’t mind at all. After all, how could a plant feel any sense of pain? Its spores were its everything! It absolutely had to give birth to millions upon millions of golden oyster mushrooms across this entire mountain!
Thus, Huai Yu waved her hand at Zhou Qian: “Brother Zhou Qian, you’re tall. Help pick a tender spot and slice a piece off.”
Zhou Qian: “…”
Captain Zhou, who had entered and exited the wilderness multiple times, had never heard such an absurd request in his life.
But seeing Huai Yu’s expectant look, he slowly relaxed his tense body, walked over to the stone stove, and picked up the kitchen knife.
The golden oyster mushroom had mutated many years ago, and its cap had fully expanded, but that didn’t affect its tenderness in the slightest.
As the heavy kitchen knife sliced down from the edge, apart from the slightly hard outer crust of weathered skin, the texture inside felt exactly like cutting a regular mushroom.
Soft yet resilient. If stewed with meat, it would soak up all the broth, and a single bite would probably send juices spraying everywhere!
Realizing his mind was wandering, Zhou Qian accidentally exerted too much pressure and sliced off a massive chunk.
Huai Yu leaned over to look. “That much?”
But it didn’t matter: “Brother Zhou Qian, help whittle some thin twigs later. Whatever we can’t finish, we’ll use to make grilled mushroom skewers.”
After saying this, she couldn’t help but give Zhou Qian an approving look. She had originally been afraid he would be too embarrassed to make a move!
Zhou Qian stood to the side in silence, cradling the heavy piece of golden oyster mushroom. He silently shaved away the aged outer shell bit by bit, letting the brown hard crust drop to the ground. Huai Yu couldn’t resist turning back to look at the golden oyster mushroom again: “Um, if we pass by your place when we head down the mountain, could you give us another large piece?”
She sounded quite bashful: “Look at this shell of yours, it formed so perfectly. After we take it back, we won’t even need to coat it in mud; we can just bury it straight in the stove ashes to roast slowly. The beggar’s mushroom that comes out in the end will definitely be incredibly delicious!”
She praised: “You look super tasty.”
The golden oyster mushroom was overjoyed.
As a non-toxic mushroom, being eaten was its destiny! Furthermore, it was highly delicious!
It began to shake once more. Seeing Huai Yu gleefully roll the wet log across the ground until a faint layer of yellow powder spores adhered to the rough bark, it agreed wholeheartedly.
Fungi were incredibly hard to eradicate. As long as its spores were still growing, it could wake up inside a new little mushroom at any time! A mere aged physical shell—eat it if you like!
The golden oyster mushroom quickly reverted to its quiet nature.
As a mushroom, it inherently preferred to shrink back into a corner, and it would be best if the whole world ignored it.
Just now, it had summoned up its courage for the sake of reproduction, but seeing its wish fulfilled and that wet log thrown into the jungle, it instantly became motionless again, unilaterally blocking out the entire world.
Meanwhile, Zhou Qian sat down in silence, watching with his own eyes as Huai Yu boiled water anew, threw the pan-fried shrimp from noon and the freshly sliced mushroom into the pot, and simmered a fresh pot of lightly salted mushroom soup.
As for the remaining pieces, she cut them into chunks, pounded the dry chilies into a fine powder, and gave them a thorough rubbing with the garlic cloves, shrimp oil, and salt. Then she urged Huai Yu: “Brother Zhou Qian, hurry up and whittle some thin twigs!”
Once the soup in the pot was ready, they could directly grill the mushroom skewers.
Paired with her own dense, griddled flatbread, dinner was once again a delightful spread of both meat and vegetables, tasting absolutely wonderful.
By this time, Zhou Qian, who had deftly shaved the thin twigs, had learned to adapt. While Huai Yu was threading the skewers, he proactively helped carry her sleeping bag outside to shake off the faint layer of spore powder.
As he shook it, he couldn’t help but look up at the ceiling, thinking to himself that the exceptionally fierce mushroom Kuang Biao had described—the one that would parasitize the human body and continuously reproduce and mutate—probably wouldn’t pose any threat in the future.
Then he couldn’t help but look back at Huai Yu.
The weather was hot, and since she was tending the pot close to the fire, her cheeks were flushed a brilliant red, with layers of fine sweat breaking out on the tip of her nose and forehead.
Yet the firelight danced in her eyes, and to her, every blade of grass and tree in this mountain was both kind and capable of communication.
Just like this mutated golden oyster mushroom—who would have known its parasitic nature was simply because its spores couldn’t shoot outward?
Looking at the spore powder that covered the ground and would easily fly up at the slightest disturbance, he finally stood up again and picked up the back basket. “I’ll go gather some leaves to pad the bed too.”
If they truly slept on the freezing stone floor, they would probably inhale a noseful of spores the moment they turned their heads at night.
But this kind of work really wasn’t suited for him. The trees on the mountain had been growing for many years; each one was tall and massive, and not a single side branch proactively extended its leaves toward him.
To the point where, by the time he managed to gather a full basket of leaves with great difficulty and returned to the cave, Huai Yu was already waving a handful of grilled mushroom skewers at him:
“Brother Zhou Qian! Hurry up! This is seriously so delicious!”
Chapter 263: Japanese Knotweed
Although there were no lavish meats or grand feasts, dinner had been eaten to utter satiety.
Zhou Qian still didn’t dare to completely lower his guard, but lying on the leaves that carried a unique plant fragrance, he drifted into a deep sleep before long.
In the pitch-black night, the Boston ivy at his feet extended its branches outward with a tiny shudder. Feeling the fine spore powder blanketed across the floor, it mistook it for dirt and gleefully gathered it all night long.
As a result, when Zhou Qian woke up in the morning and took a step outward, he felt as if his leg had been cast in lead, weighing down heavily.
The Boston ivy on his leg had a track record. Though it lacked a mind, it possessed instinct. Even though it was merely a length of mutated material coaxed into its current state, it always felt like it could take root in the soil and survive.
When digging the vegetable garden, it couldn’t resist secretly hoarding soil, but there wasn’t a speck of dirt to be found in this cave. Surely there was nothing to hide here, right?
Zhou Qian knit his brows, guessing that perhaps because he hadn’t used his legs and feet with such high intensity for a long time, the prosthetic limb on this side felt heavy to use…
It seemed he would have to make time to go for a follow-up exam.
He took a couple more steps outward, and soon adapted to the weight.
By this time, Huai Yu had happily jogged back from outside, cradling a few stalks of a green and red-spotted tubular plant, and hurriedly instructed Zhou Qian to boil some water.
He asked with some confusion, “Japanese knotweed?”
The scientific name was Japanese knotweed, but locals actually preferred to call it sour cylinder stalks. True to its name, it looked like a hollow cane and tasted quite sour.
“Mm,” Huai Yu answered joyfully. “Brother Zhou Qian, you ate the steamed locust flowers with such gusto yesterday! Breakfast is very important too, so I wanted to go out and trade for a few more locust flowers—but look! I found Japanese knotweed instead!”
“This tastes sour and should be exceptionally appetizing, right? Your appetite yesterday was quite good.”
She muttered away. Seeing that Zhou Qian had already deftly set up the pot to boil water, she nimbly chopped the knotweed into segments, waiting to blanch them in the pot.
Zhou Qian could eat anything, but his skills were limited to a single chaotic stew. While waiting for the water to boil, Huai Yu instructed him: “Keep an eye on it when it’s blanching later. Scoop them all out in about half a minute.”
Otherwise, because the knotweed had a high water content, blanching it for too long would cause the inside to turn entirely to juice, leaving only a layer of skin on the surface, which would ruin the texture.
She peeled two more cloves of garlic, looking at the remaining half head with a conflicted expression. “If I had known, I should have brought a couple of fresh chilies along.”
Zhou Qian had never imagined he would be able to eat such a pleasant meal in the mountain forest. At this moment, he was already thoroughly satisfied. “There are too many things to bring. We just need to pick the most essential ones. Three canteens of water were already very heavy.”
“There aren’t three canteens of water left!” Huai Yu pointed happily to a corner. “Once breakfast is finished today, we’ll only have one canteen of water left. We’ll explore until noon and then head back!”
She said profoundly, “It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality. I can’t get used to sleeping in the wild at all now!”
Zhou Qian thought to himself that she had fallen asleep the moment her head hit the makeshift pillow yesterday, showing absolutely no signs of being unable to adapt.
While they spoke, the water in the pot came to a boil.
Zhou Qian hurriedly dumped all the chopped knotweed inside, seriously counting the seconds in his heart. Once he reached thirty, he quickly scooped them out.
Though he was a bit clumsy, he performed the task meticulously. Huai Yu was highly satisfied. “Alright, let me tear these into thinner strips. Brother Zhou Qian, continue boiling the water. These will need to be blanched a second time in a moment, also for half a minute.”
“So troublesome…”
He was actually a bit unaccustomed to this. In the past, upon waking up in the morning, he would perform a simple wash, swallow his dry rations, and immediately set out on his mission.
Yet now, he was spending so much time making breakfast early in the morning, and it was all for the sake of his atrophied gastrointestinal tract…
For a moment, Zhou Qian felt both touched and a bit self-conscious.
But mostly, he felt happy.
Huai Yu, however, stole a careful glance at him. She thought to herself that, for one, the sky wasn’t completely bright yet, making the mountain paths a bit difficult to navigate. For another…
Walking forward with Zhou Qian, climbing the mountain felt like a military mission. Who wouldn’t want to slack off a bit more during work! By taking a bit longer to make breakfast, wouldn’t she be able to walk an hour less?
But right now, she merely smiled, looking as sweet and obedient as usual. Zhou Qian was deeply moved. He focused even more intently on his silent counting and quickly finished blanching the peeled knotweed for the second time.
The knotweed was blanched perfectly. Having prepared the garlic and chilies on her end, Huai Yu heated the pot, poured in the oil, and tossed in the ingredients to stir-fry until fragrant. Then she threw in the drained knotweed to stir-fry together.
After being scalded by the water, the knotweed transformed from its tender green, red-spotted state into a dull, grayish-green mass, completely lacking any visual appeal.
But Huai Yu was right about one thing.
Even though it was a simple vegetable stir-fry and the oil carried a hint of shrimp flavor that didn’t quite match, it tasted sour, savory, and incredibly crisp in the mouth. It quickly made his mouth water, prompting him to instinctively lean over and take another bite of the flatbread!
This curious combination was like white congee paired with pickles—an exceptional match.
The two devoured the contents of the small pot like a whirlwind, quickly filling their empty stomachs.
Once they finished eating and packed up their gear, Zhou Qian looked at the two empty canteens and the final canteen of water in the basket, making his final decision—
“Heading down the mountain should be a bit faster than climbing up, plus we’re already familiar with the path. But after all, we’ve been walking for a day, and your stamina probably won’t be able to keep up… So, we must head back at 12:00 noon.”
Huai Yu silently calculated the time, unable to help feeling a bit disheartened. “The schedule is planned so tightly. All those good things I encountered along the way—I won’t have a chance to pick any of them, will I?”
She cast another resentful look at Zhou Qian: he was clearly doing this on purpose.
Zhou Qian ruffled her hair. “As if I don’t know you? The things you encountered on the way up but didn’t touch—you probably want to gather them all on the way down! Why else did you bring so many bags?”
He then pointed up at the massive mushroom above them. “I’m truly afraid you’ll make me carry half this mushroom canopy back when the time comes.”
It wasn’t that he couldn’t carry it, but aside from this half of a mushroom, there were plenty of other good things on the mountain.
A small amount of such a burden was a sweet thing, but if it became too much…
Zhou Qian felt his leaden leg, sensing that he didn’t have quite as much energy today.
Huai Yu: …
While being pressed down until she ducked her head, she couldn’t help but sigh: how did he guess so accurately! That was exactly what she had been thinking.
After all, the mushroom before them was so——————big, it could practically cover the entire top of the mountain! It would be an absolute pity not to bring it back.
Even the golden oyster mushroom itself was willing; it would truly be a waste not to slice off a massive portion.
Not just Huai Yu, but Zhou Qian himself wanted to bring some back! After all, despite the lack of ingredients, the grilled mushroom skewers last night had tasted exceptionally fresh, savory, and tender.
He stiffened his face and let out a light cough. “Just this once.”
Chapter 264: Discovering the Daoist Temple
Zhou Qian still hadn’t noticed anything unusual with his leg.
Although it had felt somewhat heavy when he lifted it early in the morning, he had chalked it up to the discomfort of his uneven legs. Now, after traversing a section of the mountain path, he had quickly grown accustomed to it. A full day and night of navigating the mountain trails had successfully brought him and Huai Yu deep into the heart of Sanqing Mountain.
Or rather, it couldn’t quite be considered the true depths.
It was just that the original paths had long since been overtaken by trees, and areas that were already desolate and uninhabited before the cataclysm were now even more insurmountable. All they could do was slowly explore by winding around the route of the old tourist pathways.
Now, deep within this boundless forest, a dilapidated Daoist temple poked its sharp eaves out from the trees.
The ancient palace was weathered and mottled by time, yet seeing it still standing there quietly gave one the feeling that everything would eventually settle and pass.
The hope brought by the sheer existence of certain buildings would always shine brightly.
For a moment, Zhou Qian was somewhat dazed.
Huai Yu also stood frozen on the spot. “This place… feels a bit familiar.”
But for some reason, the images that flooded her mind were swaths of overwhelming roses. Vibrant green leaves, vines covered in sharp thorns that left flesh mangled and bloody, and roses that turned from white to pink after drinking their fill of fresh blood…
Huai Yu shook her head hard.
Zhou Qian looked at her worriedly. “What’s wrong?”
She thought about it. “I think I remembered something about the Rose Corridor, but the memory isn’t very pleasant. And that Rose Corridor doesn’t seem like the one I know.”
Zhou Qian began to hesitate. “The Daoist temple—are we still going in?”
Sanqing Mountain’s Daoist temple had been quite famous locally before the cataclysm. Although the temple wasn’t large, was old, and was maintained in a rather primitive state, even its incense offerings hadn’t been as prosperous as other Buddhist temples.
But now that it was hidden behind layers of trees, and Zhou Qian lacked an ability, he didn’t feel he could go up against an unknown mutated creature. If Xiao Yu insisted on going inside, the two of them would likely be taking a substantial risk.
Yet just as they were hesitating, Huai Yu’s eyes suddenly lit up. She pointed to a spot on the side overgrown with shrubs and small trees. “I have an impression of that place!”
She turned her head back, her eyes entirely filled with excitement. “It’s here! Brother Zhou Qian! This is where I woke up!”
But… she quickly grew bewildered again.
Because she only remembered that when she woke up back then, it seemed to take very little effort to walk to the edge of the Rose Corridor. Yet now, the two of them had been rushing non-stop and it had taken a whole day and night!
Was her perception of distance flawed?
Or was it because she was in a daze back then, so she couldn’t remember clearly?
Zhou Qian knit his brows. “You mean, that tree cocoon you described before is highly likely to be here?”
Huai Yu nodded.
That tree cocoon was incredibly comfortable to sleep in. Ever since she formulated the plan to go into the wilderness, she had been wanting to bring it out. That way, she could place it in the car and sleep comfortably every single day, even when they went to the wilderness.
However, she was too embarrassed to mention this idea to Zhou Qian. He already lacked trust in her abilities as it was; if she said something like this, it would sound entirely like a child playing house…
He probably wouldn’t support her even more.
Now…
“We’re already here anyway!” Huai Yu uttered these words with resounding conviction. “Let’s go inside and take a look!”
Zhou Qian nodded decisively. “Stay behind me. Be careful.”
Parting the layers of hanging vines before them, Zhou Qian led Huai Yu inside, only to find the space within suddenly opened up.
Those vines acted more like a concealing wall. Behind them, the entire Daoist temple still maintained its original, aged appearance, as if it hadn’t been invaded by mutated plants at all.
Even beneath the dilapidated wall of the temple, a solitary and frail wild rose had managed to grow two or three pitiful branches, which bore heavy, blooming flowers.
But none of this caused Zhou Qian to lower his guard.
“Do you still remember where that tree cocoon was?”
Huai Yu furrowed her brows. “It seemed to be right next to some trees…”
But right now, there were no trees in the main hall, not even a single wild weed, let alone the milky-white tree cocoon Huai Yu had described.
A layer of dust had settled over the floor of the Daoist temple, and the prayer mats were similarly caked in thick grime. The walls shed mottled bits of earth, and the curtains draped over the Daoist deity were completely coated in a thick layer of dust.
It didn’t look like anyone had been here.
Naturally, there were no traces of plant growth either.
Zhou Qian led her toward the rear hall. However, just as they bypassed the towering altar table, a sudden tightness gripped his chest for some unknown reason. The hairs all over his body stood on end. Then, without seeing anything clearly and relying solely on pure instinct, he wrenched his body sideways and threw a fierce whip kick toward his diagonal front!
Shhhk!
In that brief split second, Huai Yu saw nothing clearly. She only spotted a brownish-yellow shadow flash past like lightning, vanishing from her line of sight in the blink of an eye!
At that exact moment, Zhou Qian suddenly reached out, grabbed Huai Yu’s arm, and flung her back with immense force!
Bang!
Huai Yu only felt her body tilt uncontrollably before being thrown into the distance by a massive strength. Caught entirely off guard, her head crashed directly against the towering altar table, letting out a dull and resonant thud.
However, Zhou Qian had likely controlled his force; though her head was ringing, she hadn’t broken her skin.
Nevertheless, that loud bang shook down all the dust from the altar table. It cascaded over her head and face in a thick cloud, causing Huai Yu to hold her breath, yet she still couldn’t stop a fit of hacking coughs!
Amidst her ragged coughing, a prayer mat suddenly slammed heavily against her body. With a sharp riiiip, the aged prayer mat was instantly gouged through by a sharp claw, sending shreds of yellow foam rubber flying everywhere.
The next moment, a muffled groan escaped Zhou Qian’s lips.
Huai Yu’s heart tightened. She instantly wrapped her arms around a thick pillar beside her, then peered out anxiously—
In such a dangerous crisis, protecting herself was the best way to lighten Zhou Qian’s burden!
When it came to lying low, she was clearly exceptionally decisive!
However, this glance revealed three deep gashes already carved into Zhou Qian’s left arm. Bright crimson blood was rapidly soaking through his gray sleeve. The long sleeves he had intentionally worn to fend off insects upon entering the mountains couldn’t stop the blood from streaming all the way down his arm to the back of his hand, dripping down in steady droplets!
“!!!” Huai Yu bit her lip tightly, terrified that crying out would distract him.
And only now did she clearly see exactly what had launched this sudden attack—
It was a macaque.
A massive macaque that could stand and walk nimbly upright just like a human.
Its face was a flushed, vivid red, and its eyes were a bloodshot, terrifying crimson! Its brownish-yellow pupils bore a faint tint of green, crisscrossing with the dense web of blood vessels around them, looking exceptionally sinister.
Below, sharp and ferocious canine teeth were bared outside its lips, and its dense, thick coat of brownish-yellow fur looked like an impenetrable suit of armor.
Although its foot claws were planted flat on the ground, they still retained a slight, curved arch, as if they could effortlessly grip the wild branches in the forest, or the high pillars and curtains within the Daoist temple.
No wonder there wasn’t a single trace of footprints in the dust on the floor, and no wonder they hadn’t detected its presence at all. This mutated macaque had likely been coming and going from above the entire time!
“Skreeeech—”
The creature let out a sharp, frenzied shriek, its nostrils flaring as if it were savoring the scent of blood in the air.
