Chapter 129

Chapter 129: There Are Subtitles Over Your Head

Shen Sang Ruo kept working. After she picked one Illusion Mushroom, she suddenly remembered she should warn Fang Yu that the mushroom in her hand was one of the poisonous ones.

On his side, Fang Yu had set his eyes on a mushroom that gave off a sweet, tempting smell. “I’m pretty sure Sister Sang Ruo also has this kind, so it must be safe,” he told himself. He pulled out a Fire Striker from who-knows-where, roasted the mushroom on the spot, and popped it into his mouth. Then he sighed from the heart: “Mmm~!”

By the time Shen Sang Ruo walked up to him, he had eaten the entire mushroom. She frowned and asked, steady but firm: “What did you eat?”

“The same mushroom you just picked,” Fang Yu said, pointing at the Illusion Mushroom in her hand.

Shen Sang Ruo fell silent. [He really trusts me, huh.]

“What’s wrong?” Fang Yu asked, confused.

“I was about to tell you that one is poisonous.”

“Ah?” Fang Yu startled so hard his hands crossed over his chest by reflex. When he realized he still felt fine, he added, puzzled: “But I don’t feel anything. Oh, right, Sister Sang Ruo, when did you learn a new technique?”

“What new technique?” Shen Sang Ruo asked.

“That,” Fang Yu said, pointing above her head, “the words up there. When you speak, matching text appears right there. It’s super handy.”

Shen Sang Ruo sighed and rubbed her forehead, then explained to Fang Yu: “That’s not a technique. It’s your hallucination. You’re already poisoned.”

“Ah?”

“That mushroom is called the Illusion Mushroom. After you eat it, you’ll see things that aren’t real.”

“Then why are you picking that?” Fang Yu yelped and tossed another Illusion Mushroom out of his hand.

“For emergencies,” Shen Sang Ruo answered lightly. “Illusion Mushrooms are mild. They only have light poison and cause hallucinations.”

“You should be glad I had no plans to kill or burn anything today, or I would have picked truly deadly ones,” she added, cool and dry. “You would already be lying flat.”

Fang Yu patted his chest: “Good thing, good thing. I will never eat random stuff again.” The moment he finished, his eyes went blank. He stared past her and said, dreamy as a child: “Sister Sang Ruo, there are so many tiny people dancing behind you.”

Shen Sang Ruo did not hesitate. She flicked a Clearheart Pill into Fang Yu’s mouth as his hallucinations grew worse. The visions vanished from his eyes. He still sounded a bit regretful: “It was kind of fun, like opening a new world.”

“You can roast a few more, then,” Shen Sang Ruo quipped. “Friendly reminder, if you eat too many Illusion Mushrooms, the toxins stack up, gather in your head, and turn you into a fool.”

“I’ll pass,” Fang Yu said with an awkward grin.

After they picked all the top-grade mushrooms in this sea, Shen Sang Ruo told him her plan: “I’m going deeper into the Phantom Mirage Domain. I can draw you a path out so you can end your training early. These mushrooms are more than enough for you to hand in.”

Fang Yu shook his head like a rattle drum: “I can’t, Sister Sang Ruo. I’m afraid I’ll lose the map again. Then I really won’t be able to get out.”

She eyed him and her mouth twitched. He was not wrong. After all, this was the guy who wandered from the outer edge all the way into the deep zone by accident. But she could not escort him out on purpose either. Shen Sang Ruo fell into thought.

Fang Yu stared at her with hopeful eyes and offered a solution: “Why don’t you take me along? If we run into unknown ground, you can toss me ahead to scout.” He added quickly, afraid she would refuse: “I’ll tell my Master when I return. We will thank you properly.” Then he kept piling on: “Our whole Joyous Union Sect will remember your great kindness!”

“Fine. Follow me,” Shen Sang Ruo agreed at last. [Consider it making friends with the Joyous Union Sect and laying groundwork for Ninghua Sect.] She did not know that because of this choice, the Joyous Union Sect Master would someday come find her with family in tow.

“But you must obey my orders along the way. Do not act on your own like you did just now, or I will leave you in the Phantom Mirage Domain,” Shen Sang Ruo said, expression turning serious.

Fang Yu nodded again and again, promising with all his heart. Only then did they start out together.

On the road, Fang Yu never asked what Shen Sang Ruo was looking for. He might be careless, but he understood what to ask and what not to ask. He was already grateful to get a chance to explore the deep zone. He was not about to pry.

Before long, they reached the foot of a huge mountain. This was the tallest mountain in the Phantom Mirage Domain, the place where people said the Mountain God lived. Whether or not the Mountain God was real, since they were passing by, Shen Sang Ruo clasped her fists and bowed to the mountain with sincere respect. She prayed in silence: [Please let me find the Ten-Thousand-Year Myriad-Transforming Wood.] Fang Yu copied whatever she did and bowed too.

“Let’s go,” she said, and they moved on.

After the mushroom sea, they found a “sea” of Fish Mint. The lush plants had just pushed out of the soil, half a palm high, at their most tender stage. The earth here was soaked in Spiritual Qi, so the Fish Mint was extra good. Even from far away, its scent drifted to them.

Shen Sang Ruo did not mind the smell. She even took a few deeper breaths. Fang Yu, however, pinched his nose and groaned: “Ew, what is that smell? There’s no river here, so why do I smell fish?”

And it was very strong.

“You mean these,” Shen Sang Ruo said, pointing to the little plants at their feet. “This is Fish Mint, also called Fish Mint. Many people think it’s a delicacy, but many others, like you, can’t stand it.”

Fang Yu fought the urge to gag and said: “It’s too sharp. My nose feels broken.” He could not imagine how this could be food.

“You can wait over there while I dig some,” Shen Sang Ruo told him. She had wanted to bring some back for Su Xi Yu and the others as a specialty of the Southwest, but never got the chance. This patch was perfect, so she might as well dig a bit.

“Okay,” Fang Yu said. He did not get it, but he respected her choice.

Shen Sang Ruo took a small tool from her Cosmos Pouch and chose the tenderest patch. She started digging. As she worked, a beam of golden light shone out of the soil. On the other side, Fang Yu was drinking water to calm himself. He saw the flash behind him, turned, and sprayed water everywhere.

“Wait, where did Sister Sang Ruo go?” he blurted, stunned.

He thought he faintly heard a voice, slow and solemn: “The God of Fish Mint will bless every child of the Phantom Mirage Domain.”