Reign of the Phoenix

Chapter 84 – A Mushroom that Produces Hallucination
Little Ling’er looked at nanny whose face was slightly red from excitement. “Can we really get out of here? I’m scared of those bad guys, they’re always so mean.”

Nanny gently caressed the girl’s fuzzy little head. “Don’t worry, nanny will take you out of here tomorrow. Look what I’ve got, this is the Illusion Fungus, a very rare mushroom. In the folktale, this mushroom was stained by devil’s saliva. My teacher once told me that as long as someone swallows a little bit of this stuff, they’d see the things that you guide them to think or hear of. Once those animals eat this, I’ll be able to take my Little Ling’er out of this evil den.” Nanny showed Little Ling’er a blue mushroom with red spots.

Nanny hummed a tune as she cooked with a smile on her face; one that Little Ling’er hadn’t seen in a long time. Nanny prepared several dishes and brought them into the dining room in a good mood. Curious and also tempted for a new taste, Little Ling’er secretly scooped a spoonful of soup into her mouth.

The soup was delicious, and Little Ling’er felt especially happy after drinking it. She then thought of the woman – seeming to be her mother – who frequented her dreams, and the woman immediately appeared in front of her. The woman hugged Little Ling’er tightly and told her bedtime stories. Incredibly, all the animals and fairies in those stories all appeared in front of Little Ling’er, real and animated.

Before her eyes, all kinds of strange creatures and humans appearing and dispersing. They were amiable, constantly changing shapes in colorful smoke from one moment to the next.

Little Ling’er thought of the Little Big Brother who she helped flee a few years ago, and he immediately appeared in front of her as well, with a piece of phoenix tree leaf carved from jade in his hands. He gently hung the pendant around her neck and said to her, “Little Tabby, you must come to me. If you come find me, I will marry you.”

That night, Little Ling’er witnessed with her own eyes the fairies and goddesses she had heard in stories, as well as the beautiful scenery she had never seen before, held in the arms of nanny who was ever kind and patient to tell her all sorts of old tales.

Late at night, Little Ling’er woke up from her dreams with a stretch. Nanny looked at her lovingly. “Did my Little Ling’er see the immortals? Was it fun?”

Little Ling’er nodded. “I had a beautiful dream. I was very happy and I loved it.”

Nanny pinched her little face. “Little greedy thing, that’s what will happen when you sneakily drink that mushroom soup. Remember this well, okay? In the future, if someone is poisoned by this mushroom and sees terrible scenes, let them drink boiled wormwood water.”

Little Ling’er smiled innocently. “But Ling’er didn’t see anything terrible. They were all the gods, people and animals that I like.”

A bit later, nanny took Little Ling’er into the ringleader’s room. The floor was strewn with bandits tied up by nanny lying left and right. Little Ling’er counted 18 people.

Nanny smiled playfully at Little Ling’er. “Watch how nanny make these thieves also taste of pain

and fear.”

Little Ling’er applauded and cheered. She also loathed this group of brutal mountain bandits.

Adjusting her voice so that it sounded shrill and high-pitched, nanny shouted, “You audacious mountain bandits who did numerous evil deeds during your lifetime, today in my Palace of Hell, you shall be condemned for your sins. My little devil lot, get your torture tools.”

The bandits’ faces distorted painfully as they rolled and writhed on the ground.

“Chop off their limbs, cut open their stomachs and dig their hearts out,” nanny continued, and the bandits actually acted like they were really being tortured. Miserable screaming and wailing filled the area.

Little Ling’er clapped her hands happily. “Nanny is so formidable. Nanny is an immortal.”

Nanny covered her mouth to keep from burst out laughing. “Little devil lot, throw these bandits into the frying pan and fry them.”

That night, nanny tortured the bandits the entire night, making them wish they were better off dead than alive.

Little Ling’er pulled on nanny’s hand. “Nanny, forget it, spare them. Ling’er couldn’t bear it.”

Nanny pulled Little Ling’er close and stressed, “These people are all evil, and their sins can’t be cleared even if they die a hundred times. Being kind to bad people means pushing yourself into the fire pit. Remember, you cannot be kind to bad people.”

At daybreak, the bandits woke up from their nightmare to find their hands and feet firmly bound. Nanny found an iron chain and strung them together, then fixed the chain to the ground using nails. The ringleader of the bandits threatened ferociously, “So it’s you old witch who was doing the trick. Are you tired of living? I’ll kill you and your little thing.”

A callousness never seen before appeared on the young nanny’s face. “For three years, my Little Ling’er and I have stayed in this den of thieves. In the past three years, I have had enough of your bullying, and my little girl has been left a painful memory that can’t be erased for her life. Today, you shall pay for the crimes you’ve committed. I shall have you die here with a clear and conscious mind.”

Nanny pulled Little Ling’er into the courtyard. Then, she smashed several jars of wine on the floor of the room and poured another jar of lamp oil. Finally, she walked out of the room with a smile so sad yet beautiful.

Nanny leaned against the doorframe and gracefully blew the fire source, which slowly emitted a puff of smoke and sparks dancing around the bamboo tube.

Amidst the bandits’ noisy cries for mercy, nanny’s voice was especially sweet, “It’s time you paid your debts. Since it’s still not enough to pay for your sins even if you die, you’ll have to continue to pay in your next lives as animals.”

Nanny retreated out the door with a smile and threw the lit tube into the room.

Little Ling’er tightly grasped nanny’s hand and walked down the mountain without looking back. Behind her, the bandit lair was ablaze and flames rose into the sky with the echo of wretched wailing and howling. That was the first time in her life that Little Ling’er wasn’t afraid to see someone die in front of her. Her nanny taught her a lesson about good, evil, and karma.

Chiyun Yuexuan had an incredulous look on his face. “This kind of mushroom really exists? I also want to give it a try. Where did you find them and how did you get the people in the city poisoned?”

Murong Zhining smiled brightly and without a hint of any evil. “Two days ago when Mrs. Zhuang was buried, I found a clump of familiar mushrooms behind the grave post, and that night, I had a dream about the bandit lair. When I woke up, I knew it was my memories and that I really saw the mushroom before. When you were wrought up about how to attack the city, I thought of this mushroom. Just to make sure, I even got Cai Sang’s consent to verify it on her. After eating it, she experienced delusions as expected.”

Chiyun Yuexuan grew more eager as he got closer to the final answer. “How did Ning’er make people in the drink mushroom soup from so far away?”

Murong Zhining twirled a lock of hair. “I ordered people to go to the nearby fields and net a hundred birds. Then I let the birds starve for a day and a night. I cut the wicks into short pieces and soaked them in a pot of cooked mushroom soup, then tied them to the bird’s feet. Then, I had people release the birds at the city wall.”

Chiyun Yuexuan nodded in realization. “Since the birds hadn’t eaten all day and night, once released, they’d go looking for food and water. The mushroom soup on their feet will enter the city’s water supply and the garrison’s granary. The water source near our camp will also be affected by some birds, that’s why, last night, the soldiers in our camp had the imaginary symptoms.”

Murong Zhining repeatedly nodded. “Yesterday afternoon when your soldier attracted the attention of that Yao thief, the people I sent put the bird cages at the city wall. I expected that some birds would pollute the water source near us, so I added wormwood water to the chicken soup last night, but the soldiers on patrol last night didn’t get to drink it.”

Chiyun Yuexuan pulled Murong Zhining to his chest. “So, you told me to shout all the Jade Emperor stuff for people in the city to hear, and it produced hallucination and made them give up their resistance. My wife, you’re full of craft and tricks. Do you have any mushrooms left? I’d like to try them too.”

Murong Zhining poutily punched him. “Aren’t you afraid you’d see your inner demons?”

A flash of gloom passed through his eyes in a blink but was instantly followed by a brilliant light. “Since you saw me when drinking mushroom soup that year, I want to go back and see my Little Tabby too. Wifey, just one spoon of mushroom soup, pretty please?” His curiosity was intense.

Murong Zhining dragged him into her tent. “You really want to try it?”

Getting a firm nod from Chiyun Yuexuan, she took out a small cloth bag with small piece of blue mushroom umbrella inside. A mischievous smile played on her lips. “Aren’t you afraid that Ning’er will take this chance to kill you?”

Chiyun Yuexuan grabbed the mushroom and took a bite.

Falling into the bed, he smiled. “I’m doomed, I’m so doomed. I’m about to be killed by Ning’er. Oh and, when I have a fantasy later, give me some hints so that I can go back to the time when you saved me.”

Murong Zhining grinned wittily. “I actually think it was quite fun when nanny tortured the bandits.”

Chiyun Yuexuan complained plaintively, “Seems like I walked right into your trap and can only wait to be slaughtered. Fine, I’m ready for any ‘punishment’ my wife has for me.”

After just half an incense stick of time, Chiyun Yuexuan started to mumble in his daydream. He smiled as if he had entered a beautiful dream. “Little Tabby… So my Little Tabby is this beautiful? Come here, let Little Big Brother have a look. That’s right, you must take this to find me. If you come find me, I will marry you.” His eyes were closed and the smile on his face was pure and innocent.

Infected by his smile, Murong Zhining gave him a kiss on the cheek and gently guided, “We are flying. Look, this is the most beautiful place in the world – the Emerald Pond Abode of the Queen Mother of the West. Look over there, that’s the star river, made up of countless stars. Hurry, over here! This is Sister Moon’s home, the Moon Palace. Look at that rabbit, it’s making medicine, isn’t it cute?… Wow, this is the East Sea? I see the Crystal Palace. Is that a mermaid I’m seeing over there? I want to bully her and see her cry. When she cries, her tears will turn into pearls…”

…

It was noon when Chiyun Yuexuan woke up with a smile still hanging on his face. Murong Zhining was lying beside him, soundly asleep. She looked exhausted. He stroked her hair fondly and gently kissed her cheek. As if disturbed inside her dream, Murong Zhining pursed her lips and pushed him away in displease, then turned over and fell back into dreamland.

Chiyun Yuexuan hadn’t the heart to wake her up and left the camp alone. Feng Wenbin had been waiting outside for a while now. He didn’t dare to disturb Chiyun Yuexuan and Murong Zhining.