Why is there such a huge question mark above your head?

"I really am not used to this yet."

After finishing his Xingyi Quan practice in the morning, Du Ruo washed up. He had recently begun training in Xingyi Quan again.

He used to think he had mastered the art, believing further practice would yield no progress. However, the insights gained from his recent experience with the Horse and Eagle forms made him realize how much he still lacked. It felt as if he had assumed he reached the max level, only to discover he was actually just at the beginning.

As for what he wasn't used to—that was, of course, the absence of the bracelet on his wrist. He had grown so accustomed to wearing it that taking it off felt strange.

Du Ruo hadn't let Li Qiyao take the bracelet away. After using it for so long, he had identified many of its pros and cons, so he didn't want to replicate it. After all, he no longer needed to pinch pennies as he once did.

"Uncle, where are we going to play today? I don't want to watch TV anymore."

Yaya sat on a small stool, holding a steamed bun. She took small, reluctant bites; it wasn't a fish-filled bun, which she disliked.

"Wait for your dad to come pick you up. You're going to your grandparents' house today," Du Ruo’s mother interjected before he could speak.

"…Sigh…"

The two exchanged a glance and sighed in unison. Yaya sighed because her grandmother really couldn't cook fish, and there was no uncle there to buy her various types of seafood. As for Du Ruo, he sighed because if Yaya went to her grandparents', he would be even more bored.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before her father arrived to pick Yaya up. Left with nothing to do, Du Ruo drove to the guesthouse.

Since he had no plans, he figured he might as well see if there was anything he could help with at the guesthouse. They had hired a student from the village for the summer a few days ago; it didn't cost much, and the student helped Yang Ling handle quite a few tasks.

Du Ruo wandered around, and everything seemed to be in perfect order.

"How’s business lately?"

Du Ruo sat on the sofa in the lobby, casually striking up a conversation. In reality, he received daily logs from Yang Ling on his phone that detailed the shop's situation.

"It's okay, but not as good as before. When the tavern owner was still here, our reservations were booked out a week in advance. Now, we occasionally have one or two vacant rooms."

Yang Ling clicked through the computer, frowning as she replied to messages, clearly troubled by the situation.

There was no helping it; their guesthouse relied somewhat on the traffic generated by Xiang Yuanyuan, the tavern owner. Actually, they were doing fine—the guesthouse next door was doing even worse, with frequent vacancies.

"I see... just handle it as you see fit."

Du Ruo couldn't do much about it. After all, it was he who had persuaded Xiang Yuanyuan to stop drinking and go traveling a few days ago. In a way, he was partially responsible.

But there was nothing to be done now. He and Xiang Yuanyuan were just friends; he couldn't exactly stop her from going out to have fun, nor did he have the standing to do so. Hopefully, once Xiang Yuanyuan returned, everything would return to normal.

"I'm heading out. Call me if anything comes up."

Du Ruo left immediately.

"Sigh... forget it. If he doesn't care, why should I?" Yang Ling watched him leave and shook her head. She had originally hoped that Du Ruo would win the tavern owner over, which would have solved everything.

...

"Du Ruo! Heh, I'm coming over to eat at your place for lunch."

As Du Ruo was walking back to his courtyard, Yang Chenguang popped out from the side, carrying a bamboo basket. His hair and clothes were covered in dried leaves and debris.

"What, you're learning from me and running into the mountains now?"

Du Ruo looked at Yang Chenguang. Since the two of them had shared a meal of bullwhip soup, he hadn't seen the guy for a few days. Seeing him today, he looked worse for wear, with dark circles under his eyes.

"I'm doing some serious foraging! You know it rained last night, right? Look at this."

Yang Chenguang stepped forward and shoved the basket toward Du Ruo with a grin.

"Are these mushrooms? You actually know how to forage for mushrooms?"

Du Ruo looked inside; the basket was full of mushrooms that looked quite fresh. He knew there were mushrooms in the mountains, but he didn't know which were edible and which were poisonous, so he never paid much attention. He was surprised Yang Chenguang dared to pick them—he doubted the man had the expertise to tell them apart.

"I know what I'm doing! You're joking, right? Would I go up there if I didn't know?" Yang Chenguang boasted, patting his chest.

"You're sure? This isn't a joke. If we eat these, I might be fine, but I can't say the same for you."

Du Ruo was skeptical. He picked up a mushroom and inspected it; they all looked fine, yet they all looked potentially poisonous. He couldn't tell the difference at all.

"Don't worry, don't worry! I picked these with my uncle. He goes foraging all the time, and he's perfectly fine. Anyway, take them back, wash them, and get them boiling. I'm going home to change, and I'll be over soon. We're having hot pot."

Yang Chenguang was actually a bit uncertain himself. Truth be told, he was just trying to escape his wife—she had been asking for "homework" too frequently lately. He had used picking mushrooms with his uncle as an excuse to get a good night's sleep. He had eaten mushrooms before but never picked them himself. However, his uncle did forage often, and he had shown the mushrooms to his uncle. The ones that could kill a person had been weeded out, so he believed it should be... fine.

He was still congratulating himself on his brilliant decision. Otherwise, he suspected his wife would have been "harvesting his mushrooms" all night long.

"Oh well, he’s usually reliable. I've heard mushroom hot pot is delicious, so I'll go slice a few pounds of beef and have a proper meal."

Du Ruo examined the mushrooms again. They were fresh. He had always heard that mushrooms from Yunnan were delicious, so he figured he’d give it a try.

For the sake of a good meal, Du Ruo went all out. He identified the mushrooms online one by one to ensure there were no highly toxic ones, washed them thoroughly, and made a simple mushroom hot pot with water and salt. He even followed an online guide, set a twenty-minute timer, and sliced several pounds of beef.

"Wow, it smells amazing! That trip this morning was definitely worth it."

While Du Ruo was still slicing beef, Yang Chenguang arrived after his shower. He was immediately drawn to the hot pot on the table and couldn't help but praise it.

"Bring the beef over. By the way, your wife and kid didn't come?"

Du Ruo called out. The beef was ready, but the hot pot needed another ten minutes.

"Forget them. I’m afraid... *cough*, let's just taste it first. If it's good, I'll go pick some more tomorrow." Yang Chenguang almost blurted out that he was afraid his whole family would get poisoned, but he coughed to cover it up.

"Let's skip the alcohol. I read online that you shouldn't drink when eating wild mushrooms."

Du Ruo had no intention of bringing out booze anyway. He hadn't missed the look on Yang Chenguang's face, but the mushrooms did smell divine, and the taste seemed promising.

"No alcohol, no alcohol. I have things to do this afternoon. Let's just eat. Is the time up? Can we eat yet?" Yang Chenguang's eyes remained fixed on the mushrooms.

"Almost. Let's eat the mushrooms first. If we're still hungry, we'll start on the beef." Du Ruo checked the time and brought out the bowls and chopsticks.

"Drink the soup first, drink the soup! *Slurp*—so fresh!"

Yang Chenguang was impatient. Honestly, staying in the countryside instead of heading to the city wasn't just about avoiding the grind; it was about enjoying food like this. They had fresh vegetables and fruits, and for meat, they could find locally raised stock or the occasional wild game (though hunting protected animals was illegal). But things like these mushrooms or wild greens were hard to find fresh in the city.

The two men ate quickly. In the sweltering heat, sitting in the air conditioning, eating hot pot, and chatting—it was quite an experience.

Yang Chenguang didn't have a large appetite. Once he finished the mushrooms, he couldn't eat anymore, so he sat to the side, slowly sipping a bowl of soup.

Du Ruo, however, hadn't had enough. He started cooking the beef in the mushroom broth.

"It's so hot today. I feel sleepy right after eating. *Haah*—"

Having eaten his fill, Yang Chenguang didn't leave. He grabbed a bottle of calcium milk from the fridge—the kind Du Ruo bought for Yaya—and drank it. He yawned as he drank, and combined with his dark circles, he really looked like someone who hadn't slept in days.

"I can't take it, I need a nap. Du Ruo, wake me up in a bit. I have to go back and livestream this afternoon."

Without waiting for a response, Yang Chenguang lay down on the sofa and fell asleep.

"..."

Du Ruo opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he heard Yang Chenguang start to snore. He couldn't tell if the guy was suffering from mushroom poisoning or was just genuinely sleepy.

"Whatever. I feel fine, so it should be okay. The beef is delicious. Keep going, another plate."

Du Ruo felt fine—in fact, he felt quite energized. Yang Chenguang had only eaten about a quarter of the giant pot of mushroom soup, and the rest was consumed by Du Ruo. He figured it wouldn't be an issue, so he kept eating.

Du Ruo sliced four or five pounds of beef. Cooking it in the mushroom broth was delightful, and he couldn't stop. He was enjoying himself more and more, though it was a pity the broth's flavor was fading. Just then, he noticed Yang Chenguang sitting up.

"Chenguang, these mushrooms are great. Let's go pick some more tomorrow with your uncle, or you can take me along. I’m not quite full yet."

"Enough, enough! Can't have any more. Any more and my waist will hurt tomorrow..." Yang Chenguang sat on the sofa, one hand on his waist, the other waving dismissively.

"?"

A giant question mark appeared over Du Ruo's head, and he looked at Yang Chenguang with suspicion.

"Eh? Du Ruo, why is there such a huge question mark over your head? It looks just like... right, just like the question mark over an NPC's head in the game *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*. But why isn't yours golden? Is this not a main quest?" Yang Chenguang looked curious, his eyes glazed over.

"Great, no doubt about it—he's poisoned."

Du Ruo knew immediately. He knew Yang Chenguang had played that game over a decade ago but stopped after getting married. He never talked about it, and his current state was clearly the result of poisoning.

Du Ruo muttered to himself. He checked his own body again, and after confirming he was fine, he turned off the hot pot, finished the remaining beef, and went to get his car keys.

He grabbed his phone and keys and helped Yang Chenguang out. At the door, he told Yang Chenguang to stand still, then went back to the hot pot. Ignoring the heat, he drank the rest of the mushroom soup in large gulps. Halfway through, he remembered something and poured the remaining liquid into a container.

"The taste is really good. I heard reheated mushrooms are even more toxic, so I shouldn't waste it. Actually, I'll keep some. I heard they can test what kind of mushrooms were eaten to provide an antidote. Don't know if it'll work, but I'll bring it anyway."

Du Ruo mumbled, then turned to help Yang Chenguang again.

"Whoa, Du Ruo, are you from the Carefree Sect? Your light-body technique is so good, you just split into three people!" Yang Chenguang swayed as he walked, pointing and shouting.

"Du Ruo, slow down! Don't run the red light! Stop, running a red light is wrong. Wait for it to turn green." Yang Chenguang, sitting in the back, leaned forward and pointed at a teenager with dyed red hair on the side of the road, insisting that Du Ruo stop.

"It's green, it's green. It's already green. He just isn't wearing a hat, that's not running a red light." Du Ruo humored him while continuing to drive.

It didn't take long to reach the town hospital. At the emergency room, the nurse heard "mushroom poisoning" and immediately went to fetch a doctor.

The doctor asked a few questions, then called over another doctor—reportedly from Yunnan—who took Yang Chenguang away. He told Du Ruo to pay the fees and mentioned hospitalization.

"What a mess."

Du Ruo paid the fees on his phone using the bill, but he hesitated, wondering whether to call Yang Chenguang's father or his wife.

"Hello? Sasha? It's Du Ruo. Listen, Chenguang ate some mushrooms this morning and got poisoned. He's at the hospital and needs to be admitted... What? You're already on your way? How did you know?... Oh, his uncle is poisoned too? Okay, no worries. Just come over, I'm at the emergency room. I assume they ate the same mushrooms."

Du Ruo hung up, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Before long, Yang Chenguang’s wife and father arrived with his uncle. Now, both uncle and nephew were being taken away for stomach pumping.

With nothing to do, and being sensitive to the smell of the hospital, Du Ruo found a quiet corner in a stairwell to wait and see how things developed.

"Drink—ha! Drink—ha!"

A faint sound drifted over, accompanied by the whistle of a weapon cutting through the air. Bored, Du Ruo became interested. He followed the sound up the stairs toward the top floor.