Chapter 144 A Great Path Hidden in Poisonous Mushrooms! Red Umbrellas, White Poles
Halfway up Qingfeng Mountain, the afternoon sun by the Lingquan Lake was just right.
Having eaten and drunk their fill, the five little ones ran around on the grass, digesting the Jade Qilin roast meat and Dao seasonings that would make even an Immortal Emperor envious. That great demon, who had been scared into a little white cat, lay obediently at Xiao Yuer's feet, not even daring to flick its tail.
“Whew—it’s easy to get sleepy after a full meal.”
Lin Yuan stood up from the large green rock, gave a long stretch, and patted the dust off his hands.
“Children, gather up!”
Lin Yuan shouted toward the grass. The five little ones immediately lined up in front of him like well-trained little soldiers.
“Our second practical lesson this afternoon is Wilderness Survival and Plant Identification.”
Lin Yuan casually pulled a few handfuls of unknown, flexible vines from the lakeside—in the eyes of Demon Venerable Wanhua, those were [Nine Heavens Star-Entwining Vines] capable of binding a True Immortal. Lin Yuan's hands flew as he wove five small, exquisite vine baskets in no time, handing one to each child.
“The mountains are full of treasures, especially in autumn. After a few rains, the wild mushrooms in the forest must be growing well. Our task this afternoon is to pick mushrooms, and we'll stew chicken soup tonight!”
As soon as he heard about chicken soup, Zhang Xiaopang’s mouth began to water again, and he excitedly raised his small basket: “Teacher! I’m the best at picking mushrooms!”
Lin Yuan smiled and rubbed Xiaopang’s head, then his expression turned solemn and his tone became serious.
“However, picking mushrooms is an art. Although mountain mushrooms are delicious, many are highly poisonous. Today, I will first teach you a life-saving mnemonic. Memorize it well!”
Lin Yuan cleared his throat and recited word by word:
“Red umbrella, white stem, eat them and you'll lie on a plank.”
“Lie on a plank, sleep in a coffin, then get buried in the mountain together.”
This popular anti-poison jingle from Blue Star was recited by Lin Yuan in an extremely serious tone.
But in the ears of Goudan and Tiezhu before the podium, the moment these words entered their ears, it was like thunder from the Nine Heavens!
“Red umbrella... white stem...”
Goudan’s whole body shook, and his Innate Immortal Bone hummed: “This... this is a Supreme Sealing Mantra that points directly to the Origin! Teacher is teaching us the supreme Dao Arts to avoid Primeval Taboos!”
Tiezhu was also drenched in sweat, his eyes filled with awe: “Lie on a plank, sleep in a coffin... Words become Law, a single sentence decides life, death, and Reincarnation! What a terrifying Curse Law! Is this Teacher's attitude toward those poisonous things?!”
The two peerless prodigies immediately imprinted this 'Supreme Mantra' deep into their Souls, for fear of forgetting a single word.
“Do you all remember it?” Lin Yuan asked.
“We remember, Teacher!” The five little ones answered in unison, especially Goudan and Tiezhu, who shouted louder than anyone.
“Alright, let's go! Old Wan, keep an eye on the back, don't let the children drift apart.”
Lin Yuan used his cane to lead the way, guiding the group into the dense Purple Bamboo Forest behind the lakeside.
This Qingfeng Mountain had just been formed, and the Spiritual Qi in the forest was so dense it was almost dripping.
After only a few steps, Lin Yuan stopped.
At the base of an ancient tree ahead grew a cluster of mushrooms emitting a nine-colored divine light. These mushrooms were crystal clear, with shadows of the sun, moon, and stars flowing over their caps, emitting an exotic fragrance that made one feel like they could ascend amidst glowing clouds with just one sniff.
[Nine-Colored Star Abyss Mushroom]!
This was a Supreme Immortal Medicine that could only grow in the depths of the Void Realm after millions of years of stellar power tempering! If a Mortal took a bite, they could directly cross the Star Orbit and Star Ring to reach the Star Abyss Realm!
When Goudan and Tiezhu saw this cluster of mushrooms, their eyes almost popped out, and their breathing instantly became rapid.
“Immortal... Immortal Medicine!” Goudan was so excited he was about to reach out and pick it.
Whack!
Lin Yuan struck his cane next to the cluster of Nine-Colored Star Abyss Mushrooms, stopping Goudan's hand.
“Goudan, did you forget the mnemonic I just taught you?”
Lin Yuan frowned, pointing at the cluster of mushrooms emitting nine-colored divine light, and said with a look of disdain: “The more brightly colored and gaudy a mushroom looks, the more poisonous it is! Look at this mushroom, it even glows and has all these colors. If you eat this, forget lying on a plank, you probably won't even have a chance to be rescued!”
As Lin Yuan spoke, he used his cane to disdainfully shove the priceless cluster of Nine-Colored Star Abyss Mushrooms into the nearby mud.
“Don't even touch this kind of poisonous mushroom, remember?”
Goudan watched the Supreme Immortal Medicine being stepped into the mud, his heart bleeding wildly. But Teacher's words were like a heavenly decree; he could only nod heavily with tears in his eyes: “I... I remember! The brighter it is, the more poisonous it is!”
Tiezhu swallowed hard nearby, completely abandoning any thought of treasure hunting. In Teacher's eyes, anything with good colors was poison!
The team continued forward.
Along the way, they encountered the [Nine Nether Ice Soul Mushroom] emitting cold air, the [Heaven-Burning Scorching Sun Fungus] burning with flames... without exception, Lin Yuan kicked them all aside on the grounds that the 'colors were too strange' or they 'didn't look like normal-looking mushrooms'.
Holy Lord Zixiao and the Nine Nether Devil Emperor, hiding at the very back of the group, had now transformed into the most professional 'scavengers'.
“My god! That's an Ice Soul Immortal Mushroom that can extend Lifespan by thirty thousand years! The Great One actually kicked it away because he thought it would freeze his hands?!” Holy Lord Zixiao trembled with heartache and hurried over to carefully pick up the kicked-apart mushroom into his arms.
The Nine Nether Devil Emperor, holding a pile of [Heaven-Burning Scorching Sun Fungus], smiled so wide his mouth almost reached his ears: “We're rich, we're rich! Scavenging for trash behind the Great One's team is ten thousand times more bountiful than our Holy Land's treasury!”
The two peerless experts followed behind, picking things up with great joy, like mice that had fallen into a rice bin.
At this time, Lin Yuan finally stopped in front of a piece of dead wood.
His eyes lit up, and he crouched down.
On the dead wood grew a few gray-brown, unremarkable, and even somewhat shriveled mushrooms.
In the eyes of Old Wan, Goudan, and the others, these mushrooms were pitch black, emitting an aura of deathly stillness that swallowed all life! This was the most notorious demonic poison in the myriad worlds—the chaos life-devouring fungus! Even an Immortal Emperor would have their Lifespan sucked dry if they touched even a bit of it!
But the moment Lin Yuan approached, this terrifying life-devouring fungus was suppressed by his invisible taboo aura, and all the deathly stillness instantly vanished, making it look like ordinary dried mushrooms.
“Mm! This is the good stuff!”
Lin Yuan satisfiedly picked these gray-brown mushrooms and placed them in his small basket.
“Look at this color, this texture, it's exactly the same as the Shiitake Mushrooms from my home on Blue Star! This kind of unremarkable mushroom is incredibly delicious when stewed in chicken soup!”
Holding that 'chaos life-devouring fungus', Lin Yuan's eyes suddenly became somewhat dazed, and a faint smile appeared on his lips, yet it was mixed with endless emotion.
“Speaking of which... it's been a long time since I've had authentic chicken stew with mushrooms like back on Blue Star. The things in this cultivation world may be large and varied, but they always seem to lack that earthly touch of home.”
Lin Yuan murmured softly, as if lost in distant memories.
“Blue Star...”
Hearing this word, Goudan and Tiezhu held their breath, their hearts surging with waves of shock once again.
That was the Supreme Divine Domain that Teacher constantly thought of!
And the reason Teacher kicked away those nine-colored immortal medicines that could drive the Immortal Realm mad, yet uniquely favored this terrifying 'chaos life-devouring fungus', was not because of any toxicity at all!
It was because... this gray-brown mushroom looked like a divine object called a 'Shiitake Mushroom' from his home, 'Blue Star'!
Teacher is using these objects to express his homesickness!
Goudan and Tiezhu exchanged a look, seeing deep awe and emotion in each other's eyes. To have reached Teacher's supreme Realm of creating worlds with a single thought, yet still retain such deep nostalgia for his homeland—this is truly returning to simplicity!
“Let's go, pick more of these gray-brown ones. Tonight, Teacher will show off his skills and let you taste what authentic Blue Star flavor is!”
Lin Yuan shook off his bit of loneliness, put on a smile again, and happily led the five little ones through the Purple Bamboo Forest to find those 'unremarkable' top-grade mushrooms.