"Come on, while it's dark and windy, Senior Brother will take you to the medicinal field. These herbs, you won't see them during the day."

With a wave of Inmu's hand, we were already on the mountain path outside the grass hut.

The cold night mountain wind blew, and I suddenly shivered, realizing that my clothes were soaked.

Under the frosty moonlight, Inmu walked and clapped his hands. Strange "crackling" sounds echoed from the ground, the grass, and the trees. A moist and fishy smell swept over.

Wherever my gaze landed, humanoid figures emerged, tilting their necks and looking up at the moon.

After taking the fairy pill, my eyesight improved, allowing me to see in the dark almost as well as in daylight. However, it was not as good as having normal eyesight. The thing closest to me, covered in grass debris, looked at the moon and then turned its neck to look at me with a "crackling" sound.

After seeing its appearance clearly, I was so shocked that I almost fell apart.

It was a face covered in mushrooms, no, not just the face, but also the body, densely packed with mushrooms of various sizes. It was truly a mushroom person, and this mushroom seemed to be the "immortal mushroom" that I had been longing to eat every day at the foot of the mountain.

I spat it out with a "wow."

Inmu clicked his tongue twice and said, "Third Master shouldn't have given you the fairy pill. He should have given you the forgetful grass. Forgetting everything would have solved it once and for all. Isn't it just like the soil? Isn't that good enough?"

As soon as I spat it out, the surrounding "crackling" sounds echoed like a torrential rain. All those mushroom people no longer looked at the moon but turned their heads to look at me all at once.

Inmu casually plucked a mushroom from one of the mushroom people and stuffed it into my mouth without hesitation. Then he grabbed me and ran, with the sound of rustling and crackling following closely behind.

"Quick, chew and swallow."

I felt nauseous, about to spit it out, but when I heard his words, I forcibly held it back. Hesitating, I was shouted at by Inmu, "Chew it! If you don't want to become their fertilizer, then fucking chew and swallow it for me!"

It was probably because there wasn't even a flying insect on the mountain.

I made up my mind and chewed on the mushroom with its fishy smell, swallowing it. The sound behind me suddenly stopped.

Inmu let out a sigh of relief and said, "I told you not to spit it out earlier. What a nuisance."

He turned around, clapped his hands, and under the moonlight, the densely packed mushroom people climbed up the trees and burrowed into the ground. In the blink of an eye, they all disappeared.

I had nightmares all night. I dreamt that my father and sixth grandpa had turned into mushroom people, and I had eaten all the mushrooms growing on them. When I woke up, I was drenched in cold sweat.

I suddenly remembered the small cloth bag my father gave me before I climbed the mountain. I took it out and unfolded it. Inside was a dried-up finger-like fungus, no, not similar, it was a finger. It was the little finger that sixth grandpa had broken while working five years ago.

So, my father and sixth grandpa had already sensed that something was wrong. They refused to let me eat the "immortal mushrooms" no matter what.

That's why they cried and tried to stop me from going up the Immortal Mountain.

I was so foolish, fantasizing about going up the mountain and eating immortal mushrooms every day.

No, I couldn't stay in this damn place for another day. I had to find a way down the mountain as soon as possible and take my father and sixth grandpa away from this strange island.

Fortunately, Inmu didn't bother me much during the day and only called me to learn about managing the medicinal field at night. So, I spent most of my daytime exploring Immortal Mountain, playing with the white apes, and searching for a way down.

Immortal Mountain wasn't that big. I circled around the mountain multiple times and basically figured out its layout. The Immortals lived in the Immortal Palace at the top of the mountain, and themedicinal field where Inmu took me was located halfway up the mountain.

There were several other areas of interest on the mountain as well. There was a serene lake surrounded by tall bamboo, where a group of cranes would gather every morning. The cranes were said to be the messengers of the Immortals.

There was also a hidden cave deep within the mountain, which emitted a mysterious glow at night. Legend had it that the cave was a gateway to another realm, but no one had ever ventured inside to confirm the truth.

During my exploration, I stumbled upon a small shrine tucked away in a corner. It was a humble structure made of stones and adorned with incense and offerings. Curiosity got the better of me, and I approached the shrine to take a closer look.

As I examined the shrine, I noticed a small, weathered scroll placed on a stone altar. Carefully, I picked it up and unrolled it to reveal a faded script. It was a poem, written in elegant calligraphy:

Amidst the clouds and mist, the Immortal's abode,

Seek the path of wisdom, let your heart be bestowed.

Beneath the moonlit sky, the cranes dance in grace,

Whispering secrets of the Immortals' embrace.

In the hidden cave's glow, a doorway to realms,

Unveiling mysteries, where the unknown overwhelms.

But tread with caution, for knowledge comes at a cost,

And the Immortals' power may be gained or lost.

The poem intrigued me further. It seemed to hold clues about the secrets of Immortal Mountain and the Immortals themselves. Perhaps, if I could decipher its meaning, I would find a way to escape this place and protect my loved ones.

I carefully rolled up the scroll and tucked it into my pocket, vowing to unravel its mysteries. With newfound determination, I continued my exploration, searching for more clues and a way to break free from the grasp of Immortal Mountain.