Chapter 30: Birth from Heaven, in the World of Forgetfulness

Why do the smarter people tend to do foolish things? (Gu Long)
……
Gilly also seemed to smell the delicate fragrance emitted by this strange mushroom. She turned her head and asked, “What’s this smell?”
Liu Yi dug hard, then shook his head. “I don’t know either. But whatever this is, it must taste great. I’ll dig it out by the root.” As he dug deeper, reaching over a meter down, he noticed that the roots beneath the mushroom resembled a human, with two arms and two legs.
Finally, drenched in sweat, Liu Yi pulled the deep red mushroom out by the root…
The even stronger fragrance made Liu Yi want to take a bite. When he saw it clearly, he was stunned—it looked exactly like a child about a meter tall, with what seemed to be an umbrella-like hat on top. Under the sunlight, this strange underground plant emitted a faint red glow, stunningly beautiful.
Gilly packed up the last “Compassionate Grass” and put it in her backpack before walking over. “What’s this? Let me take a closer look.”
Liu Yi handed her the large red mushroom. “It seems edible.”
Gilly smiled. “How do you know it’s edible?” She examined it carefully.
As she looked, she said, “I heard from my father before that there are spirits in Moon Warehouse Mountain. They might dwell in certain magical plants, which gradually transform into the appearance of spirits and absorb the energy of heaven and earth. Hmm… since this big mushroom looks so human-like, maybe there’s a spirit inside.”
Liu Yi asked in curiosity, “What are spirits?”
Gilly, admiring the glowing mushroom in her hand, replied, “According to legend, when Pangu created the world, the three realms were in chaos. Yet from this chaos emerged a form of life—spirits. They could be fire, water, wind, or earth.”
“Pangu liked to catch spirits as food because they absorbed the energy of heaven and earth, strengthening his power. So many spirits were captured to fuel his strength. But later, when Pangu created the first divine beast, the Sky Dragon, the remaining spirits disappeared.”
“After Pangu and Nüwa created life, these spirits could dwell in magical plants. As the chaos in the world faded, they couldn’t reproduce, so very few remained.”
Liu Yi shook his head. “That sounds amazing. Then these spirits must be older than the history of the demon race.”
Gilly shook her head. “I’m not sure. It’s just a legend. Who knows what they really are…”
Suddenly, a white object shot out from the middle of the red mushroom—like water yet having a shape. It rushed at Gilly’s face and disappeared instantly.
Everything returned to normal in an even shorter time than a flash of lightning. Liu Yi was shocked and asked urgently, “What was that just now?”
Gilly looked at the mushroom in her hand, which no longer glowed, and shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Suddenly, a voice came to Gillier’s mind: “Eat the ‘Earth Spirit Mushroom’ in your hand; it will grant you immortality.” Gillier replied sharply, “Who are you? Where are you?” Liu Yi watched Gillier’s reaction and asked anxiously, “What’s wrong? Who are you talking to?” The voice in Gillier’s mind spoke again, “I am now part of your body. We can communicate directly through thoughts.” Gillier quickly replied to Liu Yi, “It’s nothing.” She tried to think in her mind, “Who are you?” Sure enough, the voice came again, “The elf that Pangu didn’t eat—also the last elf.” Gillier continued to think, “Oh, haha. So if you want me to eat that ‘Earth Spirit Mushroom,’ it’s so you can stay in my body forever, right?” A woman’s laughter came from her mind, “You’re quite smart, little girl.” Gillier replied angrily, “No! Get out of me right now! Don’t stay in my body!” Watching Gillier’s behavior, Liu Yi thought to himself, “Could she be possessed? What should I do?” The elf replied, “I only occupy a tiny space in your mind, and you don’t even use that part. Why be so fierce? If you don’t want me to speak, I won’t, but asking me to leave? Never! Hmph.” Gillier stamped her foot—clearly facing an opponent even more stubborn than herself. She reacted angrily, “I refuse to eat it! When I die of old age, you’ll die with me!” The elf replied calmly, “You have no choice. You must eat it. It’s fate. If you don’t eat this ‘Earth Spirit Mushroom’ today, you’ll never be with Liu Yi.” Hearing this, all of Gillier’s anger vanished instantly. She asked urgently, “What are you talking about?” Liu Yi watched Gillier from the side—stamping her foot, getting angry, and now suddenly blushing. What was going on? The elf replied, “Don’t underestimate me. I’m one of the earliest forms of life in this world. I absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Though I’ve slept underground for thousands of years, every element in the air tells me everything that happens in the world at every moment.” Gillier asked anxiously, “So what?” The elf replied, “I can’t reveal the secrets of fate, or I’ll drag you down into punishment. But I can warn you—your future hardships are unimaginable. If you want to be with Liu Yi, you must eat it.” Gillier asked anxiously and shyly, “How do you know about me? I… I want to be with him. Are you lying to me?” The elf didn’t answer directly but sighed, “Do you know? This is fate—a destined love across three lifetimes. Neither you nor he can escape it. You must take control of your own future. I can only warn you this much. If you refuse to eat it, fine. When you die, I’ll find another host. Think about it yourself.” Gillier immediately smiled obsequiously, “Can’t I eat it? You’re so old—don’t be hard on me, an ignorant little girl like me.”

The spirit in Gillier’s mind was clearly a female spirit, and all female animals share one common trait: they won’t allow others to call them old, not even if it’s the truth.
The spirit screamed frantically, “Am I old? Huh? How old?”
Gillier immediately felt huge beads of sweat appear at the back of her head, as if she had said something wrong.
Liu Yi continued to observe Gillier. Something seemed very wrong with her.
Just then, Gillier bit into a giant mushroom and said to Liu Yi, “What are you staring at? Is there something wrong with me?”
Liu Yi waved his fan and said, “No, it’s not that there’s something wrong with you—it’s that everything about you is wrong.”
It seemed as if Gillier suddenly remembered something and quickly asked the spirit in her mind, “Hey, are you there?”
The female spirit replied unhappily, “Stop calling me ‘hey.’ My name is Nalan. I have a name.”
Gillier continued, “Sister Nalan, may I ask—can I give some of it to him? That way, he can also live forever.”
The term “sister” seemed to please her greatly, and Nalan replied, “He has his own path. If you give it to him, he’ll die. This ‘Earth Spirit Mushroom’ has absorbed the energy of heaven and earth for thousands of years, so its power is unimaginable. Without my help, anyone who eats it will have their meridians burst.”
Gillier said, “Hmm, I get it.”
When Gillier looked at the “Earth Spirit Mushroom” in her hand again, it had become smaller than her palm. She opened her mouth and ate it all. It was fragrant, sweet, and incredibly delicious…
Liu Yi opened his mouth wide and asked, “How could you eat it all? You didn’t even leave any for me.”
Gillier shrugged and said, “As you can see, I only took a couple of bites.”
Liu Yi felt utterly speechless…