Chapter 3: Mushroom

Chapter 3: Mushrooms

A cluster of mushrooms grew in the corner, small gray-brown umbrella caps.

Lin Su recognized this type of mushroom; they were called Coprinus micaceus. Despite their terrifying name, they were non-toxic, though you shouldn't eat them with alcohol.

Since this place was neither heaven, nor hell, nor some fictional world from a book that wrapped up before the apocalypse, it meant there was no disgusting genetic contamination here!

All food was pure and unprocessed!

Dragging his broken leg, Lin Su hobbled over to the corner, leaned against the damp earthen wall, and eagerly grabbed a few and popped them in his mouth.

The young mushrooms were slippery and tender, and they didn't taste great raw, but Lin Su wolfed them down with relish.

He hadn't tasted normal food in nearly ten years.

After the apocalypse, thanks to the horrific genetic contamination, any food had to be turned into a sticky paste by a machine, mixed with a bunch of chemicals to neutralize it, before it could become a lump of who-knows-what that was barely edible.

Even food produced before the apocalypse couldn't escape being indirectly contaminated—there were no exceptions.

Once you ate that stuff, your soul would just up and leave, ascend to heaven, and you'd break free from the cycle of desire and enter nirvana—life wasn't worth it.

That stuff was a straight-up attack on your taste buds. Just thinking about it now made Lin Su shudder in disgust.

In comparison, these raw mushrooms were a total delicacy.

After finishing one cluster, there was another nearby. Lin Su was about to pick them when a slender, pale hand suddenly shot in, reaching for the mushrooms.

"Slap!"

Lin Su slapped away the hand competing with him for food, picked them, ate them, then slowly turned around.

Fu Yun, seeing his hand slapped, was stunned for a moment. He blinked, rubbed the back of his hand, looking hurt, and then turned to pick another cluster of mushrooms.

Lin Su lazily leaned back against the wall, finding the kid's childishness kind of funny.

He didn't stop the boy.

Fu Yun warily picked a cluster of mushrooms, shot Lin Su another cautious glance, and quickly stuffed them into his mouth.

He chewed... hmm... Fu Yun's delicate brows furrowed. This... chew... wasn't good at all. Why was that dude eating it like it was delicious?

Lin Su waited patiently. The pretty boy chewed slowly and carefully, and it took a while before he was about to swallow.

Just then, Lin Su flashed a wicked smile, pinched the boy's jaw, and pulled the chewed-up mushroom mush out of his throat.

"It's poisonous. You'll die if you eat it." Lin Su put on a stern face to frighten him.

"Cough, cough! ... Die?" Fu Yun was caught off guard. He covered his neck and coughed for a moment, looking dazed at Lin Su's words. Suddenly, countless images flickered through his mind like shadows of butterflies—

Bright red blood splattered on the window, a bloated body floating in the water, being buried deep in the mountains by a torrent of mud and rocks, a blinding white light at the moment his breath stopped...

All these images passed like fleeting shadows, like a book slowly opening, then pages flipping quickly. Fu Yun, unable to read their meaning, couldn't grasp anything from them, but a chill rose from deep in his bones.

Seeing him so dazed, he really was gone in the head now. Lin Su pinched his cheek and shook it, continuing to scare him: "Yep, you'll die."

Fu Yun's face hurt from the pinch. He suddenly struggled out of Lin Su's grip and said in defiance, "But you didn't die." Besides, he should know this mushroom—it's not poisonous.

Meaning, if Lin Su ate them and lived, they weren't poisonous.

Oh? Using logic, huh? So he's not totally dumb after all!

Lin Su paused, his tone dropping to something deep and meaningful: "Actually, I did die."

Fu Yun stared at him, frowning in confusion. Suddenly, he gently placed his hand on Lin Su's wrist.

"You're not dead." Fu Yun said stubbornly. "You're injured, badly, but you're not dead!"

But then, he murmured in bewilderment, "...How strange. Why aren't you dead?"

Lin Su looked down and saw his hand resting on his own pulse.

He had to admit, no wonder he was destined to be the infamous 'evil doctor' one day—even as a fool, his medical instincts were still intact.

He smiled, shrugged, and didn't bother arguing: "Oh, I came back to life. Guess heaven couldn't bear to let a genius like me—wise and handsome—die so young."

"Then why did you lie to me?" Fu Yun understood a little. He looked deeply wronged, touching his hand and then his neck, couldn't help accusing Lin Su: "And you hit me! Who are you?"

As he spoke, the corners of his eyes reddened, the flush spreading across his porcelain-white skin. His big black eyes gleamed, shimmering with light, like a pitiful little kitten.

Lin Su stared at him.

This kid's face is totally cheating!

He pinched Little Fool's cheek, his inner devil stirring: "Me? I'm your big brother. Come on, say it."

"Big brother?"

More images flashed through Fu Yun's mind—one was a blurry figure, another was the person in front of him... but neither felt quite right.

He shook his head. But did he have a brother?

"Aww, atta boy!"

Lin Su smiled, squinting, and ruffled Little Fool's soft hair like he was petting a cat.

So adorable!

Lin Su suddenly felt a surge of affection, like finding a kitten.

He wouldn't let Little Fool eat the mushrooms because, although they were non-toxic, they grew in damp, filthy conditions. Eating them raw could easily upset his stomach, and he didn't want him to die from something stupid like a lung infection followed by acute gastroenteritis.

He had his superpower to protect him, so it was fine.

But as for cooking...

Lin Su looked around.

The old house had two rooms, with doors and windows completely rotten, open to the elements. There were no bed boards, no tables, no chairs, and no stove.

When the original Lin Su and Fu Yun were kicked out of the gambling den, they only managed to grab some important and essential items—blankets and clothes—and they barely managed to grab two boxes of books.

One box contained Fu Yun's medical texts; the other was the original owner's. The original owner had always used the identity of a scholar to slack off, but he never actually studied the books.

He still had in his pocket the three qian of silver that Fu Yun had given to the original owner.

I wonder if it’s enough for the medicine and consultation fees?

Lin Su rubbed his fingers together. Even a momentary touch had felt scalding hot, showing how severe the Little Fool's fever was.

He couldn’t help but click his tongue and call out, “Time to put those doctor skills to use, Little Healer! Go find yourself some herbs to eat!”

The books said the Little Fool was an extraordinary healer, even after becoming a fool.

“…” Fu Yun froze, then slowly looked toward the last clump of mushrooms in the corner.

He was so hungry.

Lin Su: …

He sighed and propped himself up on the wall, dragging his broken leg to stand.

Luckily, Fu Yun had treated and splinted the broken leg earlier, and his technique was good. If Lin Su used half of his Superpower to protect it, it probably wouldn't shift out of place.

He ruffled the Little Fool’s hair and decided to mercifully save this newly acknowledged little brother. “Come on, let’s go out with your big brother.”

What else could he do? As a martial artist, after he accepted being called “big brother,” he had to look after this foolish younger brother.

First, find a doctor to treat the Little Fool, then buy cookware and food to get by.