Mushroom Fantasy Realm, Be Your Sister
The name "Forbidden Ancient Forest," which sounded taboo, gave Xie Jinhui a natural reason to take my hand before the portal opened.
But as soon as the light gate closed, I shook him off.
The environment they found themselves in was nothing like the gloomy, cold, and dangerous forbidden lands they had imagined, where fierce guardian beasts might appear at any moment.
In the ancient forbidden forest, the sacred trees are lush and verdant, each tree exuding the gentle grace of a loving elder.
Some of these branches dance high up, forming a canopy, while others hang down to soothe the monkeys, deer, rabbits, and groundhogs that might peek out from who-knows-where in the forest.
There was no blue sky in the entire forbidden area, but rather a bluish-gray ocean current flowing through the air.
It's as if the forest is immersed in the ocean, but it's not.
The air was filled with lively, shimmering star spirits, wandering celestial souls, and the forest's eyes, which resembled tiny, glowing insects.
The grass on the ground was like flowing water, but it was soft and damp when you stepped on it, yet it didn't stick to your feet.
Xie Jinhui had assumed that such a place would not be guarded by any divine beasts, but he accidentally broke a small ball of light that was shimmering in the forest currents.
Then I saw an eleven-headed lion-headed serpent-bodied beast lying on its side and floating past me, revealing eleven smiles from a sweet dream.
From the fragments of the dream it scattered before my eyes, I saw that it seemed to have grown larger, and its body was no longer a snake, but had transformed into a thousand hands and a thousand feet.
Its bloated body occupied the entire forest, as if the entire forbidden area were its embodiment.
I had a feeling that the moment Xie Jinhui and I entered, we were essentially swallowed up by it.
Xie Jinhui said that if we are not good "food" and affect its "digestion", then the power of the entire forest will be used to eliminate the invaders.
No wonder it's a forbidden area; we got eaten the moment we entered...
However, as Xie Jinhui and I followed the signs to Lord Gu Ming's territory, the old trees, soft as marine life, were very friendly to us.
One moment he'd rub his head, the next he'd touch his face, and then he'd incite the monkeys to cheer and scream in welcome.
How do trees make a sound? Imagine the sound of a supple vine whipping flesh; that's their laughter.
The wooden sign for the Gu Ming territory was planted in an open space surrounded by old trees.
Yes, it's an empty lot, because this place has no grass growing on it; it's bare but glossy, like the large face of the moon.
Xie Jinhui and I stood at the boundary between the grass and the open space, both stroking our chins, trying to figure out where the door was.
I tried touching the edge, but it was empty; there was no boundary marking the territory.
Given Xie Jinhui's status in the Immortal Realm, he could have easily gone anywhere without hesitation, but he didn't.
He simply lifted one foot, carefully extended the front half of his foot onto the open ground, and stepped on it.
Before anyone could even put their foot down properly, a large amount of mushroom mycelium, several times thicker than a spider web, began to shoot out from the edge of the perfectly circular open space.
These mycelia quickly intertwined and climbed each other, and in the blink of an eye, a palace wall of mycelia as tall as the forest and seemingly endless in all directions appeared before our eyes.
Thankfully, Xie Jinhui pulled his foot out quickly, otherwise he would have been trapped in place by the power of the mushroom, waiting to be digested by the forest or the Mushroom Clan.
I'm not exaggerating; I've never heard of these mushrooms not being interested in immortal beings or immortal bodies.
After all, the bodies of mortals are created by plucking, picking, adding, and modifying the bodies of immortals.
Before long, the semi-circular gate in front of us, with its strong sense of depth, vines, mycelium, spores, and flowers, split into two doors from the outside in and opened wide.
I think a few mushroom soldiers will jump out and interrogate Xie Jinhui and me.
As a result, two graceful and well-mannered young women emerged briskly from the tree-hole-like archway and invited us inside.
Apart from their large heads, the two girls were very slender, with skin so smooth it looked like it was filled with water.
I glanced to the side and saw Xie Jinhui swallow hard. I immediately stepped on his foot, which hadn't been pressed down by the mycelium wall, and quietly and unhappily reminded and mocked him.
"Xie Jinhui, they are mushrooms!"
As we walked in, Xie Jinhui, limping, tilted his head and said softly, still savoring the moment.
"Yuanhe, I miss you. You haven't looked at me properly in so long."
Look, isn't your shadow on this mushroom mycelium wall beautiful?
My head is spinning a little. I'm right next to him. He says he misses me, but that's probably just a lie.
Hehe, I really want to drive Xie Jinhui away like a spider web, so that his increasingly close body and the dampness in the mushroom palace won't stick together.
The hammer in my heart struck with a dull, muffled force, until finally, it became inseparable from him.
The interior of Lord Guming's palace was surprisingly large, with its circular foundation steps being more than ten times the size of the open space they had just seen.
Not to mention the magnificent mushroom-shaped roof at the top of the dome.
Despite its large size, the palace is exceptionally well-lit.
Looking up, you can see a series of unique mushroom-shaped windows, which are the true images of the mushroom heroes who have made great contributions to the Mushroom Clan over generations.
There are so many windows, I can't count them all, there must be at least four thousand.
The mushroom palaces were everywhere, with diffused light spots emanating from the openwork.
Lord Mushroom was very frugal. Apart from a mushroom throne high in the palace, the palace only contained a few mushroom stools, mushroom tables, mushroom lanterns, and mushroom pillars.
It was full of mushrooms; I felt like I was being pickled alive just standing there.
As soon as Lord Fang of the Mushroom River saw us enter, he immediately rose from his throne and came down to greet us.
"Welcome, Your Excellency, Savior God."
It wasn't until I touched the Mushroom Lord's smooth and warm arms that I realized how beautiful and delicious the immortal body of the ancient sorcerer mushroom was.
Unable to resist, I touched the beautiful lord's soft, white hand and said greedily.
"My lord, what a savior! I dare not accept such a title."
The lord looked me over for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"How can you call me sister? Your master, Lord Tongtang, and I..." She paused, a helpless sense of relief in her voice, "Never mind, it's impossible anyway, just call me whatever Goddess Yuan'e calls me."
With my mouth watering and listening to the lord's words, coupled with her lingering expression, I suddenly realized something extraordinary.
If my senior sister has a physical body and needs help, it's not difficult for my master to travel to the forbidden ancient forest.
But if he has some "special" grudge against Lord Guming, it would be perfectly normal for his master not to come.
It's not appropriate to pry into the lord's private affairs on a first meeting, but asking your master about it later is also not advisable.
My heart, it seems, can only be calmed by focusing on doing the right thing.
Xie Jinhui accepted Lord Guming's bow without ceremony.
He truly deserves it; he can accept the worship of all the people in the world.
These are my true feelings, but I won't worship him unless...
Paying homage to heaven and earth?
*Slap* I mentally gave myself a good dressing down.
I'm really scared. Every time I look at Xie Jinhui today, my mind starts to wander.
It's probably because we haven't seen each other for so long.
Once my senior sister's matter is settled, I need to make him stay with me for a while and get tired of seeing his face.
Lord Guming's gaze lingered for a moment, as Xie Jinhui and I suddenly met eyes, drawing out the quiet mycelium that seemed unwilling to be disturbed.
Then I realized I had drifted off again, so I quickly explained the purpose of my visit.
I had just finished telling my senior sister, Xianbei'er, her request to borrow more than 3,700 mushroom spirits from the Guming Clan to form a physical body.
Suddenly, countless projectiles burst forth from the ground inside the hall, shouting, "No, no!"
The palace is filled with useless mushroom ministers.
Fortunately, the mushroom palace is hollowed out, so it doesn't trap sound...
Lord Mushroom pressed down with his white hand, and His Highness instantly fell silent, as did the mushrooms and mushroom pieces.
“Goddess Yuan’e,” Lord Guming said politely, “I can grant your request solely because of Lord Tongtang.”
Moreover, these are two revered deities who have come in person.
I could tell that her tone was about to change, because the mushroom ministers below were straightening their mushroom backs, ready to speak at any moment.
The Lady of the Mushroom River gave her ministers a knowing smile, and the ministers breathed a sigh of relief.
"Two venerable gods, the primordial spirit is the entirety of our life force, our lifeblood, and our consciousness for our Guming clan."
You both said it was for a friend's loan, and I believe that.
But I don't think you can understand how much we cherish the primordial spirit, or the arduous process of cultivating a celestial spirit from a single spore.
She sighed as she spoke, gazing at a hollowed-out window, revealing her hidden worries.
"I'm afraid that even if you borrow it and return it, you'll still be just like the immortals of the past, completely ignorant of us and making wild guesses and assumptions."
We, the Mushroom Clan, are born with a fondness for darkness, but we are not inherently dark. Our ability to dissect mortal bodies is natural, not cruel.
At this point, the ministers below, all of whom were like mushrooms, agreed and voiced their support.
Lord Guming is right, and I would also like to agree. If the Immortal Realm didn't have reservations about their clan, why would they call such a peaceful and joyful forest a forbidden area?
Perhaps the Lord of the Mushroom River read my thoughts, for her watery eyes softened into gentle ones.
“How about this,” she said, “if the goddess Yuan’e is willing to go to the Guming Illusionary Realm and personally experience the hardships our people have endured to grow up in the illusionary realm.”
"Then I'll lend it to you."
The mushrooms at the bottom have mushroom heads, and some have stretched out their mycelial networks, looking reckless and about to erupt in anger.
Some, more discerning of the weight in the lord's words, would shove the angry mushroom back into the ground and whisper something.
"The goddess Yuan'e will be the future empress. Just imagine how she will leave an impression on her of the true situation of our people."
The misunderstandings and pain we have endured for so long will no longer be a sword hanging over the heads of our descendants.
I felt terrible listening to their words. I never imagined that the mushrooms in the forbidden area would endure criticism to the point of willingly lending their primordial spirit in order to seek justice.
A mushroom can only possess one elemental spirit in its entire life.
Lending out more than 3,700 mushrooms is equivalent to putting that many mushrooms into a state of suspended animation, which is almost like risking one's life.
If the primordial spirit falls into the hands of an untrustworthy outsider who borrows and never returns it, they will not only reveal the secrets of their race after their physical bodies wither away.
Dried and rotten mushrooms can also become an unpredictable source of disease and contamination within the population.
So when Lord Mushroom asked to enter the illusionary realm for a trial, such a simple request, I readily accepted without hesitation.
Lord Guming nodded silently and asked me tentatively.
"Goddess Yuan'e, if I told you that you would have to survive alone as a mushroom in the illusion for 50,000 years, would you still be willing?"
Wow, fifty thousand years! How long have I lived? But...
No, please, Yuan'e!
I stepped forward and said resolutely, "For my senior sister, for the Gu Ming clan, this goddess is willing."
Xie Jinhui frowned, surprised, and asked, "Fifty thousand years?"
Yes, I feel uncomfortable.
I thought to myself: Am I going to be separated from him for another 50,000 years?
I looked at him with reluctance.
The Mushroom Lord summoned a large clump of crystal-clear mycelium and projected it towards a mushroom fossil in the palace.
The mushroom fossil suddenly lit up and transformed into a flat, mushroom-shaped door.
The air is filled with the aroma of mushroom spores and mushrooms.
It seems that this is the entrance to the Mushroom Realm.
Actually, I don't need to think about it; mushrooms are naturally very considerate.
As soon as the mycelial light gate appeared, a small mushroom pulled a place name sign out of the ground.
"Mushroom Illusion"
Lord Guming smiled knowingly and calmly at Xie Jinhui's doubts.
“Your Excellency need not worry. Fifty thousand years in the illusion is but half a cup of tea’s time for us in the temple. Please stay a while and wait.”
Hearing this explanation, I immediately felt relieved.
Hurry up and go in, hurry up and come out, so that you can fulfill your senior sister's request and not keep Xie Jinhui waiting too long.
Without a second thought, I walked toward the gate of the illusion.
His Highness's mushroom ministers were filled with mixed emotions.
"The goddess Yuan'e is truly remarkable; she was willing to endure fifty thousand years for her senior sister..."
"What a touching sentiment from the mushrooms!" The little mushrooms with name tags still buried at my feet raised their mushroom heads and smiled at me.
"Goddess Yuan'e, if I were your friend, I would be overjoyed..."
I smiled at him, thinking it best not to be too friendly, lest he die.
Just as I stepped through the gate to the illusion and walked a few steps along the mushroom mycelium path, I heard the mushrooms at the entrance let out an excited cry.
"Does the Savior God also want to go in? If you go in, it won't just be 50,000 years, you'll have to stay inside for 100,000 years."
Oh? One plus one equals ten! Hehe!
I turned around and looked at the blurry figure outside the illusionary gate, and said without hesitation, "Xie Jinhui, come on!"
If I were to remain a single mushroom for 50,000 years, I would feel lonely.
Then if another silly mushroom comes along, those 100,000 years won't seem like much, right?
I saw Xie Jinhui step one foot in, and I swung my leg and ran into the depths of the corridor.
If mushrooms were to be ranked by who was born first, then I would be Xie Jinhui's older sister, and my mushroom head would have to be taller and bigger than his.
Just then, I heard Little Mushroom behind me sigh with emotion and speak.
"I never imagined that the Savior God would be willing to stand up for his friends..."
It must have been Xie Jinhui who interrupted Mushroom, and then he said with a smile, "I'm not doing this for my friends."
Immediately afterwards, the sound of his footsteps was exactly the same as the sound of my footsteps.
"I did it for God..."
He chuckled to himself.
"girlfriend."
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