He changed Tiwat

Han Fulai thought for a moment, then told Jiang Xue to be on high alert while he put the mushroom containing light energy into his pocket so he could take it back to the camp for research.

This special mushroom that glows has a cap shaped like a five-pointed star, and Han Fulai has tentatively named it "Star Mushroom" based on its shape.

During its growth process, the star mushroom is small and its light is dim, but a fully mature star mushroom is quite large, at least larger than the palm of an average adult male. A large star-shaped opening will split in the center of the cap of a mature star mushroom, which is presumably the opening through which it sprays spores for reproduction.

If the "mushrooms" Lao He mentioned in the miners' log were referring to these star mushrooms, then the place he chose to live should be in an area with a lot of star mushrooms—and Zhiqiong should have noticed the strangeness of these mushrooms along the way and thought of the same thing.

Zhiqiong might be searching for Lao He's whereabouts in this area.

The two began calling out Zhiqiong's name as they walked, and fortunately, they soon received a response.

"Hero Han, Hero Jiang! I'm here... cough cough cough... I'm here!"

Zhiqiong's voice was accompanied by a cough, as if she had shouted too loudly and strained her throat.

Han Fulai and Jiang Xue rushed to Zhiqiong's side.

Zhiqiong was still wearing her green adventurer uniform, carrying a large travel bag and holding a miner's lamp, looking quite energetic. Seeing that she had no injuries, Han Fulai was temporarily relieved. He was thinking of giving this little girl who was running around everywhere a few words when he saw Zhiqiong proudly pull out a map and hold it up in front of them.

"Look, I've drawn down the entire route I took, and I've marked all the locations I explored! I've also taken photos of the corresponding terrain!"

Looking into Zhiqiong's bright eyes, Han Fulai felt a little reluctant to scold her. He thought to himself, "Never mind, once I bring her back, Sister Jinwu will teach her a lesson..."

Meanwhile, Zhiqiong was still enthusiastically sharing her findings with Han Fulai and the others: "I found traces of someone... cough cough, someone lived around here. For example, chisel marks from miners' shovels, broken branches from trees cut by sharp tools, etc... some of the traces are still, cough, still very fresh. This means that Lao He is still alive!"

Although this was a significant discovery, Han Fulai was now more concerned about Zhiqiong's health. In just a few words, Zhiqiong had already coughed several times.

Jiang Xue also noticed something was wrong with Zhiqiong's voice and asked in a more forceful tone, "Did you touch the black mud?"

Zhiqiong paused for a moment, then answered in a nonchalant tone, "When I passed by that black mud just now, I happened to run into some strange monsters... cough... those monsters ran away when they saw me, and I accidentally got some black mud splashed on me... it's nothing serious."

As she spoke, she took out a camera, looking like she wanted to continue exploring.

"What do you mean it's nothing serious? You're coughing like this!" Han Fulai pressed down on Zhiqiong's shoulder to stop her from continuing to act tough. "We'll take you back to the camp now so that Sister Jinwu can treat you."

"No, no! I don't want to go back!" Zhiqiong struggled to break free from Han Fulai's grasp, looking defiant and resolute. "If we just keep exploring, we'll find Lao He! We're almost there!"

"Stop it. Shut up." Jiang Xue suddenly took two steps forward, glared at Zhiqiong, and raised one hand in front of her, making a shushing gesture.

He cautiously glanced around and muttered, "Someone's following us. I can feel their gaze."

Upon hearing this, Han Fulai raised the "Luminite" catalyst in his hand to expand the lighting range, but all he could see were water and densely growing plants.

All that could be heard was the sound of flowing water and the soft rustling of the wind through the grass.

"Could it be the Treasure Thieves, trying to cause us trouble?" Zhiqiong, flanked by Han Fulai and Jiang Xue, stammered. She still vividly remembered what happened to the Treasure Thieves yesterday.

Han Fulai shook his head immediately, "Impossible."

While there might be some fools in the treasure-hunting gang who are blind to the danger and want revenge on Han Fulai for stopping them from stealing the ore yesterday, this is an unknown watery area. The treasure-hunting gang has no reason to venture into dangerous territory to follow them—besides, how could the treasure-hunting gang possibly have the capability to follow Jiang Xue indefinitely without being detected?

Hiding and stalking them beneath this massive abyss, their intentions are clearly malicious; they are enemies, not friends. Furthermore, the fact that Jiang Xue only realized she was being watched now suggests their strength should not be underestimated.

Just then, a strange laugh came from afar—

"Hehehe...hehehe..."

Chapter 159 The "Savages" in the Underground Swamp

The laughter was hoarse and grating, as if it came from the friction of the throat bones, sending chills down one's spine.

In this unusual environment of the deep abyss, such laughter was truly frightening—Zhiqiong unconsciously pressed herself against Han Fulai's back.

"Who goes there!" Han Fulai shouted.

Jiang Xue turned her gaze toward the source of the laughter, and at the same time, Han Fulai poured immortal power into the "Luminous Stone" catalyst, instantly turning the catalyst into a flashlight that pierced through the surrounding darkness.

Having witnessed Han Fulai use it multiple times during his search for Qi Ding, Jiang Xue tacitly closed her eyes when the "Luminous Stone" shone brightly, thus avoiding blindness from the sudden burst of light—the person laughing in the darkness was not so lucky.

With a loud "whoosh," the person's eyes were burned by the bright light, and they covered their face with their hands.

Han Fulai also used this opportunity to see clearly who was hiding in the darkness.

About twenty meters away from them, in a patch of ferns, stood a hairy figure.

It wasn't because of the person's clothes that it was described as furry.

The person, or rather, the humanoid creature, was dressed in tattered clothes that barely covered his vital parts, and his exposed skin was a strange purplish-brown color, completely unlike human skin.

Its head, or rather its head, was covered in long, white hair, which was tangled and intertwined, making it impossible to distinguish between hair and beard.

If Han Fulai were to summarize the humanoid creature he encountered in a nutshell, it would be "savage."

The humanoid monsters he'd heard urban legends about probably looked like this. They lived in deep forests like Shennongjia, covered in hair, with strange voices, possessing a humanoid form yet not being human, and might even attack tourists…

Jiang Xue gripped her sword hilt, not drawing her sword rashly. The "savage" before them, at least for the time being, did not seem to pose a threat. If the creature wanted to attack, theoretically it could approach them silently using the darkness and the nearby vegetation as cover. The fact that it made sounds suggested the possibility of communication.

Han Fulai clearly had the same thought. He also maintained a safe distance and shouted, "Who are you?"

The "wild man's" eyes seemed to have adjusted to the bright light of the "lumenstone," and he lowered his hands that were covering his face, revealing a face full of wrinkles.

His face, like his body, was purplish-brown, except for his eyes—those eyes seemed bloodshot and frighteningly red.

The "wild man" grinned and laughed again.

"You guys, hehehe, what are you doing here?"

Although the voice was hoarse and indistinct, as if someone hadn't spoken in a long time... all three people present could understand it; it was the common Liyue language.

Normal Liyue people don't look as strange as him... In any case, it's a good thing that the other party can communicate.

"Could it be... Old He?" Zhiqiong whispered.

Although she had met Lao He before, it was several years ago. The person in front of her looked and sounded different from the Lao He she knew, but Lao He had been missing for a long time and was struggling to survive alone in the mine. He might have encountered some strange occurrence.

"Senior Jiang Xue, was the gaze you just felt his?" Han Fulai asked in a low voice.

"I'm not sure." Jiang Xue's eyes still held doubt.

This "wild man" did indeed appear silently. Jiang Xue had not noticed his presence before he made a sound, but in Jiang Xue's intuition, the feeling he got from this "wild man" was different from the gaze he had just felt.

The "wild man" who resembled Lao He walked slowly towards them.

Han Fulai noticed that the man had nothing on him except for pieces of cloth that resembled remnants of clothing; he had neither tools nor a miner's lamp.

If he were Lao He, how would he walk in the dark? Or is he able to see clearly in the dark?

Han Fulai remained wary and gestured for him to stop, saying, "Stop and answer my question: Who are you?"

When the man saw him speak, he reached up and picked at his ear, turned his head to the side, and pointed one ear at him: "Ah... what is it? Young man, what are you saying? I can't hear you."

Judging from his behavior, he really does look like an elderly person who is hard of hearing. Han Fulai remembered that Jinwu had said before that Lao He had been hard of hearing back then.

"Are you Lao He?!" Han Fulai raised his voice.

"Oh, yes." The man seemed to have heard him clearly and nodded vigorously. "Hehehe, I am Lao He."

Although he gave a positive answer, his eerie appearance and strange laugh only made people more uneasy.

The "wild man" who called himself Old He approached them, saying, "You...you weren't trapped down there like me, and you've eaten all the food, were you...Oh dear, your luck isn't so good either..."

What he said did match Lao He's experience... but it didn't make sense.

Just by looking at his and Zhiqiong's attire and equipment, it's clear they weren't miners who perished in the accident. However, judging from his strange appearance, his mental state is probably not quite normal either; expecting him to possess normal logical thinking is perhaps wishful thinking.

However, this did increase the credibility of the "wild man" being Old He. Even if this person had some ulterior motives, there was no need for him to pretend to be mentally unstable when approaching them; that would only make them more wary.

Old He didn't mind that they didn't answer. Instead, he tried to smooth out his tangled old face and made what he thought was a very kind expression—if he could trim his body hair, Han Fulai and the others might be able to see that it was a so-called "smiling" expression.

"Hehe, it's okay, I have some food here..." he said, turning around and waving, "Hungry for a long time, huh... hehehe... come with me..."

After saying that, he walked away into the depths of the underground water area on his own.

"I'll follow him, you guys stay a little further away and keep up with me," Han Fulai quickly decided.

It cannot be confirmed at this time that this strange "wild man" is Lao He, but the possibility is indeed very high. This person seems to be taking them to his base, where there may be items that can confirm his identity.

Han Fulai is now quite skilled and daring. At least in his eyes, this "wild man" poses no threat to him. Moreover, with Jiang Xue backing him up, he is even more fearless.

If this "wild man" is indeed the missing miner Lao He, bringing him back would certainly be a good thing—even from a utilitarian perspective, bringing out a miner who has been missing for more than two years would be extremely beneficial for Han Fulai to gain the support of the miners.

At the same time, this is also excellent publicity for his political achievements. Just imagine, the missing miners that Huishan Hall couldn't find back then, Han Fulai found them in just two days after going down into the mine. Doesn't that further prove his exceptional abilities as Vice Minister Han? Moreover, given his status and position, his willingness to personally risk his life to go down into the mine to rescue people instantly establishes a people-friendly image, which is perfect for publicity!

In this way, he can also gain more public support.

Having made up his mind, Han Fulai hurried a few steps and followed.

Chapter 160 Old He and the "Mushroom Meat"

The three followed the "wild man" deeper into the underground swamp.

The "wild man" who called himself Old He could indeed see in the dark—this might be related to his reddened eyes. In any case, he moved swiftly in the dark, without needing Han Fulai's "lumenstone" catalytic lighting at all; Han Fulai even had to jog to keep up with his pace.

However, this also shows that this person has a special physique and is agile, unlike an elderly miner who has been missing food and water for more than two years since the accident.

"What are you going to give us to eat? Is it... 'mushrooms'?" Han Fulai remembered the message that Lao He had left on the message board in the new mining area.

Before leaving the new mining area, Lao He apparently tried eating some kind of mushroom that grows in the deep rock abyss. Judging from his comments, he was initially quite resistant, but after trying it, he found the taste quite good and gradually began to eat mushrooms as a staple food. It seems that Lao He left the new mining area in order to find a place where more mushrooms could be found.

According to Han Fulai's conjecture, the mushrooms that Lao He ate were probably the glowing "star mushrooms" that he had discovered before.

If the "wild man" before him is indeed Old He, his current state is likely related to his long-term consumption of "star mushrooms" containing light energy. Of course, whether this is true or not, Han Fulai needs more clues to verify his conjecture.

Upon hearing Han Fulai mention mushrooms, the man didn't stop walking, but a hint of joy appeared in his tone, as if he had heard of some delicacy—"Mushroom meat? Hehehe, mushroom meat is delicious."

"Mushroom meat?" Han Fulai frowned. This was a strange way of putting it. Did it refer to dried and sliced ​​mushrooms? Or did it refer to the more palatable parts of the mushrooms?

Having been underground for so long, it's understandable that people would eat mushrooms as if they were meat because they don't taste meat in their mouths... Han Fulai became increasingly curious about what kind of food this person would bring out.

After jogging with the "wild man" for about five more minutes, the group arrived at an area with a network of waterways.

Several underground lakes have divided the land into small islands, which are connected by paths that emerge above the water. If there is sunshine and birdsong, this place may resemble the scenery of Dihua Island.

The Wangshu Inn on Dihua Island was built on a towering tree, and there was also a giant tree in front of them.

To be precise, this was a giant tree that had long since withered. Now, all that remained in front of them was a withered branch, which was so thick that it would take several people holding hands to encircle it, and its length exceeded one hundred meters, making one imagine how magnificent this giant tree must have been when it was alive.

The "wild man" skillfully slipped into the branches of the dead tree and beckoned everyone in—clearly, this was the "wild man's" "home."

The three followed the "wild man" through the hollow tree trunk and soon arrived at a spacious room.

Yes, the room.

A "bedroom" handcrafted inside a tree trunk.

Seeing the scene before him, there was no longer any doubt about the "wild man's" identity; he was none other than Lao He.

Inside, there are not only wooden tables, chairs, and benches, but even a wooden bed. The surrounding walls have been smoothed out, removing any sharp splinters. Above the walls are handcrafted cabinets containing some old pottery jars, likely household items brought down by the miners and moved here by Lao He.

As Jinwu said, Lao He is indeed a survival expert. Not only did he survive at the bottom of this giant abyss, but he also lived a decent life, making a "home" for himself there.

As soon as Old He came in, he went straight to the cupboard and started rummaging through the pottery jars.

Some of the earthenware jars contained rough, white rocks, which were likely rock salt. Other jars contained dried "star mushrooms," clearly "rations" prepared by Lao He.

Jiang Xue crossed her arms and silently watched Lao He's movements, while Zhiqiong raised her camera and began filming the "treehouse." She looked quite excited, her face full of curiosity.

Meanwhile, Han Fulai took the opportunity to carefully observe Lao He's bedroom, trying to find the thing that might have caused Lao He to become the way he is now.

Besides the furniture, there were some severely worn tools, such as a shovel with a broken handle, a pickaxe with a chipped edge, and a miner's lamp that had run out of power. On the table was a notebook without a cover—this must have been Old He's old miner's log.

The logs that Lao He left in other areas were torn from this notebook.

These things show that, thanks to his survival skills, Lao He maintained a "human" lifestyle for at least a considerable period of time. So what exactly turned him into this "wild man" state?

The answer might lie in that journal.

Han Fulai stepped forward and, using the light from the "lumenstone" catalyst, began to read the diary.

"...I set up a temporary camp here, which is dry and moisture-proof, and close to water and food..."

"...I've stopped counting the days; I need to find something to do down here..."

"...Qi Ding is looking for the toy he gave to his daughter a while ago... He's been looking for ages, but he can't find it anywhere. I'll help him look for it in the deeper parts of the area next time..."

Han Fu was taken aback when he saw this. Old He also knew about Qi Ding losing his toy doll.

Qi Ding's doll was lost during the emergency evacuation on the day the mine was closed, while Lao He disappeared on the same day. Logically, it was impossible for Lao He to have had any contact with Qi Ding, otherwise he wouldn't have been trapped in the mine.

Moreover, this part was written after Lao He arrived at the "treehouse," meaning that Lao He learned about this after the mine was shut down.

Who told him this?

Han Fulai turned to the next page, which only contained four characters—

My ears are so itchy!

He flipped the page again, "...My ears are so itchy, so incredibly itchy, so incredibly itchy, my ears...it's so annoying!"