Chapter Thirty-Five: The Labyrinth of Caves

Mr. Shi’s strength was beyond doubt. Before Chi Sui had much time to feel afraid, the giant boulder blocking the cave entrance was pushed aside.

Immediately, a cold and damp aura wafted out, and the sound of wailing became even more distinct. Facing this chill, Chi Sui couldn't help but shiver. Although it was early summer and the outside world was bright and sunny—so much so that Chi Sui had been wearing short sleeves for days—the temperature inside the cave felt like the dead of winter. She couldn't help but hug her arms tightly.

Mr. Shi spread his wings in front of her, blocking the cold draft coming from within. Only then did Chi Sui let out a long sigh, finally feeling a bit better.

"Are we really going in? It feels so terrifying in there."

Mr. Shi patted her shoulder to reassure her: "Don't be afraid. I'll take the lead; just follow me."

Seeing that Mr. Shi was determined to enter, Chi Sui had no choice but to grit her teeth and follow. She wasn't afraid of ghosts, but that only applied when she knew for certain that ghosts didn't exist. The problem was that, given the worldview of the Sky Islands, she couldn't help but feel they might actually be real.

Walking with difficulty, Chi Sui felt a lingering sense of unease, but following behind Mr. Shi at least provided some comfort, making her feel slightly less afraid.

The cave entrance wasn't actually very large. Mr. Shi could only just squeeze through with his wings spread, and Chi Sui, following behind, had most of her vision blocked. She had expected it to be an ordinary, cramped cave, but once they were inside, she discovered it was a world of its own. The cavern, which barely allowed Mr. Shi to unfurl his wings at the entrance, opened up into a space spacious enough for dozens of people to walk through.

Unlike the cluttered, messy place Chi Sui had imagined, the interior was clean, as if it had been swept. In a place that should have been pitch black, the dark green moss coating the walls emitted a dim light, just enough to see their surroundings.

As soon as Chi Sui entered, the wailing sound in the cave ceased, making the dim, quiet cavern feel even more eerie.

"Mr. Shi..."
"Mr. Sh..."
"Mr..."

The words Chi Sui had just spoken echoed through the cave, and she quickly bit back the rest of her sentence. Upon hearing the echo, Mr. Shi’s voice appeared directly in her mind: "This cave shouldn't have echoes; there must be echo-bats. Don't worry, these magical creatures only repeat sounds if you provoke them; they aren't inherently dangerous."

Chi Sui nodded, deciding to control her urge to speak. The echo wasn't dangerous, but it was incredibly unsettling in such a vast, empty cave.

She followed quietly behind Mr. Shi. From the outside, the path hadn't looked very long, but inside, there were many forks in the road. Chi Sui marked every junction, but by the time they had passed three, she saw a mark she had already made.

Clearly, they were lost.

Seeing that Mr. Shi was still intending to move forward, Chi Sui quickly stepped up and grabbed him. When he looked back in confusion, she pointed at the mark on the junction.

***

The mark at the junction left Mr. Shi silent for a long time. After a while, his voice reached Chi Sui’s mind: "A miscalculation. It seems there isn't just one, but a whole group of them in here."

"I can't feel any airflow from the other side; the exit must be sealed. The terrain here is complex, and we won't be able to get out for a while."

Chi Sui’s heart skipped a beat as she asked internally, "Then what should we do?"

"Simple. We head back the way we came. I opened the path we entered through."

The moment the voice in her head faded, the air currents around Mr. Shi began to stir violently. As the wind picked up in the cave, that familiar wailing sound began again. But soon, as if interfered with by something, the sound stopped abruptly.

"Caught it. Let's go."

Chi Sui, who had been standing firmly on the ground, was suddenly lifted into the air. Then came a rapid flight just above the ground. Chi Sui covered her mouth, afraid she might scream. Fortunately, the cave was relatively clean, or the flying dirt and stone debris would have left her bruised and battered.

Mr. Shi was fast, but after following the sound, they found nothing left at the source except for an improperly covered hole. Beside the hole sat a rather abstract-looking mushroom.

Why abstract? Its vibrant purple cap was covered in white spots—the entire shape was a purple version of a fly agaric—but at the base of the stem, there was a crude, hand-drawn crying face.

Looking purely at its appearance, it was actually somewhat cute.

Chi Sui crouched down to examine the mushroom closely but didn't dare to touch it. Common sense told her that such brightly colored mushrooms were usually poisonous, and the fact that it had a facial expression made its presence in this dark, gloomy cave even more bizarre.

"It still got away. Pick up this mushroom and bring it with us."

Mr. Shi's words left Chi Sui feeling bewildered. She pointed at the mushroom on the ground and replied, "Why pick this thing up? It looks dangerous."

Mr. Shi laughed, and his laughter rippled through the cave, echoing from all directions. Chi Sui quickly gestured for him to stop, almost reaching out to cover his mouth. This was essentially a sonic attack—it was even more terrifying!

Restrained, Mr. Shi covered his mouth apologetically and transmitted again: "My apologies, I didn't think. Don't let its bright colors and weird shape fool you; this is an edible magical ingredient, one of the top-tier ingredients recognized by your people."

"The Crying Mushroom."

"It is said that this mushroom tastes delicious, and after eating it, it can draw out the emotions buried deep in a diner's heart."

Chi Sui couldn't quite believe it. Who would be brave enough to eat a mushroom that looked like this? As for drawing out deep emotions, wouldn't it just make you see hallucinations?

She reached out to pick it up, but as soon as she got close, the mushroom suddenly let out a faint wailing sound. Her hand froze in mid-air, and she jumped back, darting behind Mr. Shi in one swift motion.

"It... it... it can talk!"
"Talk~"
"Talk~"

She couldn't help but speak, and sure enough, the echo returned.

"This kind of mushroom makes a sound whenever there is a breeze; it emits a wailing noise like crying. This is a normal phenomenon."

Still shaken, Chi Sui took two deep breaths before daring to reply: "But its mouth moved! Isn't this thing alive?"

"It has already been plucked, and it will lose this activity before long. According to your criteria, this mushroom has no intelligence and no self-awareness. Aside from its strange sound, it is just an ingredient."

Mr. Shi’s answer didn't make Chi Sui feel much better. She took two steps forward and waved her hand; the slight breeze she created indeed caused the mushroom on the ground to emit a faint wailing sound.

Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and continue to ask: "It's too terrifying for this sound to be in the cave. How do I make it stop?"

Mr. Shi’s voice came quickly, but the content made Chi Sui’s expression crumble.

"It's simple. Cover its mouth."

"Cover its mouth?"

"Exactly." Mr. Shi nodded sincerely.

Chi Sui sighed. The strangest ingredient had the simplest handling method. She quickly reached out and, just as the mushroom sensed the airflow and began to make a sound, she accurately covered its mouth.

The wailing sound stopped.

"Let's go back first. There should be more than just this one in the cave, and I can't fit into the burrows. We'll go back and get some help."

"We're coming back...?"