He changed Tiwat

"You mean... the person who's been following us is still around here?" Han Fulai replied in a low voice.

Jiang Xue nodded slightly.

"Although I can't feel it anymore, I believe the person who was monitoring us before is still hiding around us."

“Try to lure that person out…” Many plans flashed through Han Fulai’s mind, but he quickly rejected the idea. “No. Not now.”

His eyes were fixed on Zhiqiong, who knew nothing about it, and the eccentric Old He.

If it were just him and Jiang Xue, they could simply create an opportunity for her to be alone and see if the monitor would take advantage of the situation... But that wouldn't work now. Zhiqiong was completely defenseless and affected by the black mud; she needed protection. And Lao He was mentally unstable and also needed someone to watch over him.

Regardless of who is tracking and monitoring them, Han Fulai's top priority right now is to bring Zhiqiong and Lao He back to the camp safely.

Han Fulai and Jiang Xue exchanged a glance.

"Still the same formation," Han Fulai said.

Jiang Xue glanced into the darkness behind her. "I'll cover the rear."

After they had walked a hundred meters, a blue shadow appeared in the darkness, its emerald eyes fixed on only one target—Han Fulai.

Chapter 163 The Methods of the Biophysical School

On the way back, Han Fulai and Jiang Xue were on high alert, constantly paying attention to their surroundings and Lao He's mental state.

To be honest, walking through the towering cliffs and abyss with such tension was pure torture. Especially for Han Fulai, a clerical secretary, the return journey was far more tiring than the journey there.

Fortunately, Lao He didn't cause any trouble along the way, and the watcher in the darkness never showed up. The group returned to the main mining camp without any incident.

Although Jinwu was working on improving the backup "Lumenite" catalyst at the camp, she was somewhat distracted, frequently peeking out of her tent to glance at the camp entrance. This is why she was the first to notice Han Fulai and his group's return.

Upon seeing the familiar Lumenis light, Jinwu practically ran over. Just as she was about to ask Han Fulai if he had found Zhiqiong, she saw a white-haired, purple-skinned "wild man" emerge from behind Han Fulai.

But Jinwu's surprise lasted for less than two seconds.

Her eyes suddenly reddened.

"Old He! I knew you were still alive!"

Even though Lao He had changed into this state, Jinwu still recognized his "master" who had been missing for several years just by looking at the outline of his facial features.

She raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, then punched Lao He hard in the shoulder.

Han Fulai had a bad feeling, fearing that Lao He would go crazy. He was about to step between the two when he saw Lao He just stare blankly at Jinwu, without saying a word or making any move—perhaps he still remembered that familiar fist in his fragmented memory.

Then, Zhiqiong peeked out from behind Lao He and awkwardly grinned at Jinwu: "Jinwu, look, we've found Lao He..."

Jinwu slapped her on the head, then pulled Zhiqiong's head into her chest.

"It's good that you're back... Don't run around on your own next time. Come to my tent later, I need to have a good talk with you."

Then she let go of Zhiqiong, turned to Lao He, and said with a smile, "Oh my... Your family even invited me to a banquet, but I said at the time, 'Why have a banquet if I haven't seen the body!'"

"A feast?" Old He glanced at Jinwu, rolled his eyes, and suddenly grinned foolishly. "Eat... mushroom meat... hehe... I had a really good meal of mushroom meat, little mushrooms, mushroom monsters, big mushrooms... hehe..."

"...What are you talking about?" Jinwu asked curiously. "Speaking of which, how did you end up like this? You must have suffered a lot in the mine... But, it's good that you're alive!"

Old He nodded vigorously, "Good! Live mushrooms taste good...hehehe..."

"Old He?"

Seeing Lao He's erratic behavior, Jinwu cast a questioning glance at Han Fulai and Zhiqiong.

Han Fulai shrugged. "He looked like this when we first saw him... This might be related to the 'mushrooms' and 'mushroom meat' he ate..."

At this moment, Jiang Xue, who was bringing up the rear of the group, also came over. Han Fulai and Zhiqiong briefly told Jinwu what had happened along the way, while Jiang Xue added a few more details.

After listening to Han Fulai and the others' explanation, Jinwu finally understood the situation.

"So that's what happened... The environment beneath the Abyss of Layered Rocks is extremely dangerous for ordinary people, and the plants growing there might even be harmful. That's why Huishan Hall strictly forbids miners from eating those things. But Old He has been trapped down there all these years out of necessity... But how can he go home like this..."

She sighed at Lao He. Lao He didn't seem to care as he scratched his messy beard, muttering "mushroom" under his breath.

“Mushrooms…” Jinwu suddenly clapped his hands. “In that case, Haidifu might have a solution. After all, he is a scholar from Sumeru and must have studied mushrooms.”

As she spoke, she ran off in a flurry of activity.

A short while later, she pulled Haidif out of what looked like the most luxurious tent in the distance.

Heidi was currently in his tent studying the photographs Zhiqiong had taken. In his scholarly eyes, these photos revealed the secrets of the geological changes in the Stratostrata Abyss. Compared to two years ago, the lower layers of the Stratostrata Abyss had undergone significant changes, clearly requiring major revisions to his thesis.

"I was halfway through writing the report when I was forcibly dragged here, Jinwu. Even if you're the safety manager for the exploration team, delaying my research progress... I'll seriously consider reducing your pay!" Haidifu complained to Jinwu, twitching his goatee.

"The issue of compensation is fine with me." Jinwu retorted directly to Haidifu, "Come on, help me take a look at this person's situation."

"My ears are so itchy...hehe..." Old He was picking at his ears like a big monkey, using the motion of picking lice.

When Haidifu saw Lao He, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh? Who is this person? Why does he look so strange?"

Although it was a very impolite remark, Lao He clearly didn't care about other people's opinions. Jinwu then recounted what Han Fulai had just told her to Haidifu.

Haidif's expression changed noticeably. The "young scholar's" face, which looked to be over forty, became serious and furrowed, making him look closer to fifty.

"Can I check on his condition?" Haidif's tone was a mixture of excitement and fear.

"Okay." Han Fulai nodded. Old He had eaten "mushroom meat" not long ago, so his mental state should still be in a "stable period".

For safety reasons, they placed Lao He in a makeshift tent outside instead of taking him to the medical tent, where Qi Ding, whose mental state had also not yet returned to normal, was lying.

This silly old man is now lying in the tent, clutching his toy doll and refusing to let go. He doesn't come out at all except to eat, drink, or relieve himself; all he does is talk to the doll. And what he talks about is all about how much he owes his daughter, nagging and fussing, which Jinwu can't be bothered to pay any attention to.

Haidifu trotted back to the camp and quickly returned with a toolbox containing a magnifying glass, small tweezers, small scissors, gauze, and even a funnel-shaped stethoscope-like object. It looked like a medical kit, but it could also be Haidifu's academic research tool.

In short, Haidif, armed with these tools, examined Lao He thoroughly using a diagnostic method resembling modern Western medicine.

Old He was surprisingly cooperative, standing obediently in place without making a fuss. However, the way he stared at Haidifu was a little creepy, as if he was wondering, "Can this guy be eaten?"

Then Haidifu asked Han Fulai for a "star mushroom" and examined it carefully with a magnifying glass.

After the examination, Haidif held up a small pair of tweezers in front of everyone—it was a thin white thread he had pulled from Lao He's ear, which looked just like a strand of Lao He's hair.

“These are mycelia,” Haidif said. “You see, he kept saying his ears were itchy, right? That’s because spores of this fungus entered his ear canal.”

He then held up the "star mushroom" beside him. "And this fungus... ah, this kind of mushroom, although long-term consumption can indeed cause mental instability, it is not that harmful to the human body."

"So, he can recover?" Jinwu's face was full of surprise.

“Hey, his condition isn’t as bad as you think. And don’t underestimate the methods of our Sumeru-sei school!” Haidif said proudly. “I’ve already cleaned the fungus from his ear. Next is preparing the medicine. As long as we give him some medicine to help his disordered nerves recover, and he gets some rest, there’s a good chance he’ll recover.”

Jinwu nodded, "Then I'll cover the cost of making the medicine..."

"No need, no need," Haidifu waved his hand dismissively. "The raw materials for the medicine are quite cheap, about the same as renting a private room at Xinyuexuan for a month. It's not a large sum..."

"...Is this the big spender from Sumeru?" Han Fulai had seen many wealthy people in Liyue, but he was still secretly astonished by Heidif's way of calculating money. Booking a private room at Crescent Moon Pavilion for a month would cost at least several million Mora, and Heidif spoke of it as if he had casually spent money in a game.

"I'll find a way to pay you back this money..." Jinwu's hand, which was clenched tightly around his chest, tightened.

"No need to pay this amount; it just adds to my report. Actually, I discovered this special mushroom during the last investigation, and I wanted to study the long-term effects of consuming it on the human body. Now I finally have experimental data..."

With his report on his mind, Haidif waved and went back to his tent in silence.

Han Fulai followed behind without saying a word.

Chapter 164 Haidif is lying

Outside, Jinwu looked at Old He, who had changed his appearance, and couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

"Old He, he's knowledgeable and helpful, always taking good care of the new guys. Everyone at the mine has always thought about him. After he disappeared back then... everyone thought Lord Yan was blind, how could a good person not get a good reward? Fortunately, he survived, and there's still hope for recovery..."

Zhiqiong raised her hand and gently patted Jinwu's arm in a comforting gesture.

"Although Prince Yan is no longer here... have you heard of him, Sister Jinwu? Hero Han is... cough cough... a 'successor of the Emperor'! So the fact that we were able to bring Lao He back is thanks to Prince Yan's blessing, right?"

"Heh." Jiang Xue chuckled faintly when she heard the words "May the Prince of Yan bless you."

Zhiqiong didn't know why Jiang Xue was laughing. Jiang Xue's face was hidden under a mask, so Zhiqiong couldn't see his expression.

Otherwise, she would have noticed that Jiang Xue's expression at that moment was one of sorrow.

“Yes…” Jinwu sighed, “If only there had been someone like that in the exploration team two years ago…”

The figures from her memory flashed before her eyes: Azadi, the wandering scholar from Sumeru; the taciturn brothers He Zhi and He Wei… But in the end, only Jin Wu's name was signed on the “Investigation Report on the Spirit Stone of the Layered Rock Abyss”, because none of those people had survived the Layered Rock Abyss.

The black figures that appeared alongside the black mud permanently etched those lives into the shadows of the towering abyss.

Perhaps she will never forget the sun-shaped emblem on those black armors.

Even now, that emblem still appears in Jinwu's nightmares from time to time.

"It's good to be alive...it ...."

Jinwu shook his head and glanced at Lao He again.

"Once he recovers, we'll send him home and tell his close friends. They'll all be so happy that he can go back this time."

The tent in Haidifu could be described in one word: messy.

Various academic reference materials were piled up on the small, simple desk, with the rest spread out on the floor. Besides the books, there was also a device on his desk that looked somewhat familiar to Han Fulai. Although its design had a Sumerian style, as if it were pieced together from green branches and vines, the main part was exactly the same as what Han Fulai had seen during his student days.

A cylindrical tube with lenses at both ends and a knob in the middle for adjusting the magnification of the lenses—this is undoubtedly a device known as a "microscope".

Of course, this thing might have other names in the Sumeru Teaching Academy.

As soon as Haidifu entered the tent, he couldn't wait to sit down at the table and put the "star mushroom" he got from Han Fulai and the mycelium he got from Lao He's ear into the "microscope" for observation.

It wasn't until he remembered he needed to make some experimental records and started rummaging through his notebooks on the messy desk that he discovered there was another person in the tent.

Han Fulai had been standing in the tent for almost five minutes.

"Mr. Han, is there something you need from me?" Haidif asked, but the impatient expression on his face clearly indicated that he was being asked to leave.

"Oh, I have some questions I'd like to ask Mr. Haidif. I'm sorry to take up your time." Han Fulai ignored Haidif's attitude and answered politely.

“Oh…” Haidif knew that this Deputy Director Yuehaiting was not someone he, the financial backer of the exploration team, could boss around, so he could only suppress his inner desire to conduct research.

"what's up?"

Han Fulai approached Haidifu's desk and pointed to the "Star Mushroom" he had placed on the shelf.

"I just heard you say that Lao He became like this because he had been consuming this fungus for a long time, which caused his mental breakdown, and that his 'itchy ears' were caused by fungal spores entering his ear canal?"

“Yes. Old He’s symptoms are medically termed ‘fungal infection’,” Haidifu solemnly uttered a professional term to Han Fulai.

He paused, then said, "Uh... although you Liyue people may find it hard to understand, in the eyes of us bio-theorists, everything in this world—plants, animals, minerals—is made up of very tiny things."

“Take this mushroom, for example… Actually, mushrooms aren’t plants, but rather, well, large ‘microorganisms,’ or what are called ‘fungi.’” Haidif gestured with his thumb and forefinger. “In fact, there are many different kinds of ‘fungi’ in our lives…”

"The food we eat will get moldy if left out for a long time because of the presence of 'mold'; the flour we use to make bread needs 'yeast' to ferment; and some fungi can grow on people's feet, which is what we commonly call 'athlete's foot'..."

As he spoke, Haidifu lifted the hem of his robe, intending to take off his shoes so that Han Fulai could personally experience what "athlete's foot" was like...

Han Fulai quickly stopped Haidifu's rather witty explanation of science: "I understand, really!"

He could certainly understand that mushrooms were a type of "fungus," a subject covered in biology lessons during the nine-year compulsory education system, and Han Fulai certainly knew that—but it was precisely because he knew that the matter seemed all the more bizarre!

Because on the continent of Teyvat, where technology has only reached the steam engine era, the scholars of the Sumeru Church are already able to observe microorganisms and accurately classify mushrooms as "fungi," which means that the Sumeru Church's level of biology has at least advanced to the level of Earth in the 1980s!

The concept of "fungus" is relative to "bacteria".

This shows that, at least in the microscopic realm, the technology of Sumeru is already very close to the level of the era before Han Fulai's time travel—and this is only the tip of the iceberg that Han Fulai is currently aware of.

For Han Fulai, a liberal arts student, his knowledge of biology basically stopped at the test points before the high school entrance examination. However, he still remembered that his junior high school biology teacher—an old man in his fifties with gray hair—once told them in class that the biology textbook he used when he was a child was very different from the one Han Fulai and his classmates used when they were in school. For example, when that teacher was in school, mushrooms were still considered plants.

The concept that "mushrooms are fungi, not plants" is known to most students who have received nine years of compulsory education in China, but this only came about after the 1980s. Before 1969, biologists worldwide generally believed that mushrooms were plants! It wasn't until American biologist Weytek proposed the "five kingdoms classification system" that the academic community gradually began to change its understanding and recognize that "fungi are organisms that exist between animals and plants."

The five-kingdom classification system divides organisms into five major categories: the "prokaryotes" which includes bacteria and algae; the "protists" which includes paramecia and amoebas; the "plants" which includes all kinds of plants; the "animals" which includes all kinds of animals; and the "fungi" which includes yeasts and mushrooms.

This distinction was made possible because humans at that time could observe biological cells through various scientific means, distinguish between "prokaryotic cells" and "eukaryotic cells" in organisms, and differentiate between bacteria and fungi, two different types of microorganisms.

However, in Liyue, or rather, in most countries of Teyvat, people's understanding of life is still limited to a very basic "two-world system"—the dichotomy of plants and animals.

In the eyes of the people of Liyue, a mushroom that doesn't move is a plant, while a mushroom monster that moves is an animal.

In fact, even in China, this dichotomy was applied for more than a decade before Han Fulai was born.

But it was precisely because Haidifu had mentioned "fungi" in front of them that Han Fulai followed Haidifu into his tent to confirm it. Besides gaining a better understanding of the level of Sumeru technology, Han Fulai had also confirmed one thing through their conversation—

Haidif is lying!

Chapter 165 Haidifu is not a "sucker" at all

"Mr. Haidif, you just said that Lao He's symptoms are caused by a 'fungal infection,' is that right?" Han Fulai confirmed again.

“Yes.” Haidif nodded without hesitation.

"And then Mr. Haidif said before that there really is a way to cure Lao He?" Han Fulai continued to ask.