Stranger Danger

Chapter 287: Fungus Tree

Chapter 287: Fungus Tree

“You’re not going to leave, Brother Huang Yu?”

Everyone let out a sigh of relief when the Ghost Song was gone, but now that threat was over, they were starting to get funny ideas again.

The young Taoist named Huang Yu smiled but did not respond to their question.

“You’re going to head deeper, aren’t you? Can you tell us what’s inside the center, Brother Huang?” No one here was stupid. They figured out Huang Yu’s plan immediately.

“Brother Huang, this is the Graveyard of Demons. The opportunities in this place are not yours alone to take. Since you hail from a distinguished sect, surely you’re not planning to claim all the profits for yourself, right?”

“He wouldn’t! Brother Huang is the disciple of Trueman Yellow Dragon. He wouldn’t sully his own reputation!”

“Indeed! Brother Huang is a kind, big-hearted man. He would never do such a thing!”

“Hahaha, you’re right.”

It sounded like everyone was praising Huang Yu, but in reality they were forcing him to reveal what he knew about the center of the Graveyard of Demons. If he refused to divulge his secret, then he would surely be attacked by everyone.

“May the heavens’ blessing be with you,” Huang Yu chanted while performing a salute. Despite knowing that the jianghu warriors were threatening him, he replied amiably, “I’m not keeping it a secret on purpose. I just don’t want you all to lose your lives.”

“Hahaha! Are you suggesting that the secret is so terrifying that even listening to it might cost us our lives?” A brawny, ferocious-looking man laughed. “Don’t worry! I, Cheng Pu, don’t believe in superstition!”

“Yeah. I’m no one special, but I’m a bold guy. Why don’t you tell me the secret and see if it can actually scare me to death?”

“Yeah, Brother Huang. Just tell us already!”

“Hehe. You mean well, but it looks like everyone think you’re just trying to be selfish, Huang Yu!” A woman wearing a half-transparent veil giggled.

The woman had a comely face and a shapely figure. The fact that her robes were thin and revealing did nothing to stop the flare of lust that everyone felt when they looked at her.

“If you won’t say it, then I’ll say it for you.”

“Past this tree is the true center of the Mountain of Demons, the Guixu. Everyone buried there is a champion of champions who once shaped the world with their might. For example, the ‘Sword Demon’ Gudu Wuxing, the ‘Joy King’ Luo Qianqiu, the ‘Demonic Sovereign of Six Desires’ Yu Wuxin, the ‘Heretical One’ Ying Ruoxu and more.”

Every time she mentioned a name, she would drag it out on purpose as if drawing out the jianghu warriors’ desires. And it worked. Their breathing grew heavier, and complexion grew redder as they clung onto every word. It was because the names she mentioned were so famous that everyone and their mothers knew about them. They might not be invincible under the heavens, but they were still one of a kind.

For example, the “Sword Demon” Gudu Wuxing was a famous swordsman who was never defeated for as long as he lived. One iron sword was all he needed to triumph over the jianghu.

The “Joy King” Luo Qianqiu was a free man who traveled all over the world and got himself involved with all kinds of worldly affairs for fun. He might be no noble, but everyone who knew him thought him as a king of his own right.

The “Heretical One” Ying Ruoxu was a man who did whatever he wanted. There were countless people who hated and resented him to this day, but there were also many who respected and feared him.

Deeply satisfied with the crowd’s reactions, the woman continued with a giggle, “The Guixu is the true Graveyard of Demons. The graves we encountered outside came after the Guixu.”

“Is she lying or telling the truth?” Ye Qing asked Chu Qingge with a whisper.

“She’s lying,” Chu Qingge replied without hesitation. “I’ve never heard of anyone from Yin Mountain Palace entering the Guixu, not to mention that they simply don’t possess the strength to do so.”

“Just because you haven’t heard of it doesn’t necessarily mean that it isn’t true, does it?” Ye Qing asked suspiciously.

Chu Qingge explained, “The ‘Sword Demon’ Gudu Wuxing is a member of the Gudu Clan, and he had died in his clan’s Swordsgrave. Therefore, there is no chance he would be buried in the Guixu.”

“The ‘Joy King’ Luo Qianqiu is really the royal descendant of the previous dynasty, and he once colluded with imperial officials and jianghu warriors in hopes of starting a rebellion. He was later captured and imprisoned in the Frozen Pond of Sky Prison for life. He was cremated after he died, and his ashes were scattered across the mountains and rivers. Naturally, Luo Qianqiu didn’t have a grave or a cenotaph, so how could he have a grave in the Demon’s Tomb?”

Ye Qing watched Chu Qingge closely as if trying to discern if she was lying. If what you said is true, then why is everyone believing her?

Once again, it was like Chu Qingge could read his mind. “None of this information were publicized, so it’s perfectly normal for these ignorant people to know nothing about it. I don’t know if the Demon Sovereign of Six Desires and the Heretical One are buried here though.”

At this point, Ye Qing was almost certain that Chu Qingge was telling him the truth, which meant that that seductive woman was lying out of her ass to fan the flames. What a terrible person!

“And why are you telling them about all this, Yu Feifei? It’s not like anyone can enter the Guixu, much less these useless pieces of garbage,” Zhong Ji sneered.

Yu Feifei pulled a strand of hair behind her ear and giggled. “Because they want to hear about it. It’s that simple. As for whether they possess the courage and strength to head in, that’s not my problem, is it?”

“You have too much time on your hands!” Zhong Ji scoffed. He then strode right past the stele and into the Guixu, disappearing into the darkness in just the blink of an eye.

“Hmph! And here I thought it would actually be dangerous. Where’s the danger?”

“Yeah. Why would anyone be afraid to enter the Guixu if there’s no danger?”

“Hehe, you guys keep chatting. I’m heading in first.”

“Don’t even think about it, bud!”

“Here I come, seniors!”

It was like someone had unclogged the rock sitting atop their fountain of greed and desire when Zhong Ji had entered the center of the Mountain of Demons safely, not to mention that they could never resist the names “Sword Demon”, “Joy King”, “Demon Sovereign of Six Desires” and more.

If they could obtain their inheritance or even just a speck of their possessions, they would be set for life.

They weren’t stupid, of course. They knew that there was likely no chance they would actually obtain what they wished for. Even so, they would rather shoot for the moon than not at all. After all, you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.

And who could say they would never succeed? One had to get stupidly lucky at least a couple of times in life, right?

For the sake of their future, for the sake of that what if, they were willing to gamble with their lives.

“Fools!” Chu Qingge commented.

“Greed is a powerful motivator!” Ye Qing shrugged. He completely understood the jianghu warriors’ sentiment if nothing else.

Chu Qingge replied with indifferent eyes, “In this case, it’s going to cost them their lives.”

“What do you mean?” Ye Qing asked, but he got his answer before Chu Qingge could say anything. A group of jianghu warriors had just reached the tree when suddenly, they scattered about in panic. It was because the bodies hanging on the vines suddenly opened their arms and caught the nearest warriors in a deadly embrace.

No one here was a weakling—those who were were already dead—but those who were caught couldn’t break free no matter how hard they struggled. Even scarier was the fact that the corpses grew countless long, branching, filamentous fungal threads that crawled into their body through the pores, mouth, eyes, ears and more.

It wasn’t long before fungus of all kinds burst out of their bodies. There were white mushrooms, red mushrooms, tree fungus, lion’s mane, and even lingzhi. It was like they had transformed into a mushroom incubator.

The jianghu warriors still weren’t dead, however. They were still struggling to break free. But the fiercer their struggle, the faster and more colorful the fungus grew.

When all of the fungus had reached full maturity, they swelled bigger and bigger until they abruptly exploded into clouds of blood red spores. As the spores touched the surviving jianghu warriors’ skin or entered their body through their mouth and nostrils, fungus began growing on their bodies as well.

In just a dozen breaths or so, almost everyone was completely covered in fungus. It looked just like a mushroom farm.

“Gulp...”

To say that Ye Qing was horrified by this turn of events would be an understatement. The one silver lining was that the red spores wasn’t spreading in their direction. More accurately, it looked like some sort of strange power was keeping it from spreading. If that wasn’t the case, he would’ve run off a long time ago.

It was at this moment Chu Qingge said, “It’s not over yet.”

As if on cue, countless vines dropped down from the tree branch and pierced through the jianghu warriors’ skull. Then, it pulled them into the air. Their struggles eventually ceased, and the mushrooms and fungus on their body stopped growing as well. The way they glowed slightly in the dark was both eerie and beautiful.

“That explains why the previous corpses were covered in mushrooms.” Ye Qing exclaimed in realization as he recalled the withered fungus he saw on the dead bodies.

“This tree is most likely the Fungus Tree, a rare Stranger,” said Chu Qingge after looking away from the body and examining the tree for a bit.

“This is the Fungus Tree? I’ve read about it, but this is the first time I saw it in person,” Ye Qing exclaimed in realization.

The Fungus Tree was a Stranger that indiscriminately transformed all living creatures within its range be it flora or fauna into its host.

It was said that the fungus growing on the Fungus Tree was actually edible. In fact, it was the natural food for those people who lived in places where food sources were scarce.

However, those Fungus Trees were usually as big as a shrub only. A Fungus Tree that was over fifty meters tall and had a massive tree trunk was practically unheard of.

“These mushrooms should be pretty delicious!” Ye Qing said suddenly while rubbing his nose.

Chu Qingge replied matter-of-factly, “They’re both delicious and nutritious.”

“The stronger the host, the better the fungus it grows. In fact, these mushrooms are as effective as certain medicines and food, if not more so. It’s why Tai An and some dignitaries privately raised Fungus Trees to farm their mushrooms.”

Ye Qing looked tempted. “Now I’m hungry.”

Luo Zhan: “...”

Huang Yu: “...”

Everyone else: “...”

Are you guys serious?

If you are, are you guys alright in the head?

“As you can see, not everyone can enter this place.” Luo Zhan glanced at those who lagged behind the initial group and so was lucky enough not to get caught in the death trap before adding, “Do as you see fit.”

With that, Luo Zhan strode into the Guixu as well. He didn’t forget to give Chu Qingge an imperceptible nod when he was walking past her.