Meng Qiuzhen shook his head, deliberately putting on a panicked tone: "Brother Xiaomi is a good person..."
Before he could finish, the bald young man cut him off, raising his voice in a shout: "It's just as I thought — those Mushroom Person scoundrels coerced Miss Fang! Let's head into the settlement right now and report to the Elder. Move!"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Meng Qiuzhen simply went with the flow, joining the bald young man, Huang Xiaomi, and the others as they made their way deep into the Tusi settlement.
Along the way, the bald young man kept his voice low, repeatedly coaching Meng Qiuzhen: "Sister Fang, you'd better report everything properly when the time comes, or you'll end up in trouble too. Those Mushroom People are an alien race and nothing good — he's as good as dead!"
Meng Qiuzhen said nothing.
Huang Xiaomi, bound and unable to move, called out: "That's right — I tricked Fang Tu and forced her into it. You've caught me, but you're going to bring a world of trouble to the Tusi people! Someone will definitely come to rescue me."
Having been saved by Fang Tu, Huang Xiaomi clearly didn't want to drag his savior into it either, so he deliberately said this.
The bald young man ultimately escorted Huang Xiaomi into the Tusi settlement's prison, earning the Elder's praise and encouragement.
After the group dispersed, the bald young man invited Meng Qiuzhen to his home: "It's getting late, Sister Fang — why don't you come over to our place for dinner and stay the night? When we were neighbors back in the day, we used to play together all the time. Besides, my mother would be so happy to see you!"
"So, this 'Blue Beast' has this connection with Fang Tu?" Meng Qiuzhen nodded, following the plot development.
Soon, Meng Qiuzhen arrived at the bald young man's home with him.
It was a very ordinary two-story bamboo house.
Only the bald young man and his mother lived there.
Pushing open the kitchen door, the bald young man shouted: "Mother, look who I've brought back for you!"
"It's you, Miss Fang. Haven't seen you in many days. Are your parents doing well?" The bald young man's mother was very enthusiastic.
"They're both doing well, thank you, Auntie," Meng Qiuzhen replied perfunctorily.
The bald young man's mother nodded, her face beaming with a smile: "Since Miss Fang is here as our guest, you two go sit down. I'll stir-fry a few more dishes."
The bald young man couldn't wait to show off: "Mother, you must make more delicious food today. This meal is also a celebration feast for your son."
"You brat, what kind of scheme are you cooking up now?" The bald young man's mother immediately furrowed her brows.
The bald young man patted his chest: "Mother, your son has truly accomplished something great this time! I caught a mushroom man right on the street and hauled him into the clan's prison."
"What?" The bald young man's mother froze mid-motion.
The bald young man hurriedly recounted the whole story.
But the bald young man's mother furrowed her brows and turned to look at Meng Qiuzhen: "Xiaofang dear, this rascal of mine has always been one to talk nonsense. Is what he's saying actually true?"
"It's true." Meng Qiuzhen nodded, then added, "But Big Brother Huang Xiaomi, the mushroom man, really is a good person. I..."
She hadn't finished speaking before the bald young man cut her off yet again: "Alright, Xiaofang, I've warned you several times already. You can say things like that at home, but whatever you do, don't go spouting off outside."
"Alright, alright." The bald young man's mother waved her hand. "You brat, the soy sauce at home has run out. Go to the shop on the corner of the street and pick some up."
"Huh?"
"Hurry up and go — how am I supposed to cook without soy sauce?"
"Oh, alright, alright."
After the bald young man left, the elder woman walked over to Meng Qiuzhen: "Come, Xiao Fang, tell Auntie properly what happened."
And so, the third act of the dream passed like this.
The fourth act arrived.
Late at night, in a dungeon.
"A different identity again?" Meng Qiuzhen came to his senses and immediately noticed this change.
He had shed the identity of the mortal Fang Tu and once more become a Gu Master, with cultivation reaching as high as the Fourth Transformation!
"She's the bald young man's mother?" Meng Qiuzhen then realized, to his surprise, that the bald young man's mother was actually a Mushroom Person.
Meng Qiuzhen immediately formed a conjecture: "I suspect my current identity must be that Huang Wan."
This dreamscape came from Paradise Earth. One unique aspect was that the identity within each act of the dream was not fixed.
"Perhaps in the next part of the dream, I might even play the role of Immortal Venerable Paradise Earth." Meng Qiuzhen smiled.
Up to this point, he had yet to see Immortal Venerable Paradise Earth in the dreamscape.
In the first act of the dream, Meng Qiuzhen had already learned that among the Mushroom Clan where Huang Xiaomi lived, there was a former shamaness named Huang Wan. She possessed formidable strength and was the only great healer with any hope of curing the epidemic disease afflicting the Mushroom Clan.
Yet from the old Mushroom Clan grandmother, he learned that this former shamaness Huang Wan had apparently been expelled from the clan for some reason.
"This Mushroom Clan member Huang Wan had been living under an assumed identity, hidden away among a human settlement called the Tujia Stronghold. To perfectly conceal her identity, she had even adopted a human youth. If that bald young man knew that his 'mother' was also a member of the Mushroom Clan, I wonder what expression he would make?"
Meng Qiuzhen smiled.
He spent a very short amount of time quickly familiarizing himself with the Gu Insects on his person.
The Gu Insects were quite comprehensive, covering all aspects including offense, defense, movement, and healing. From some of the auxiliary Gu Insects, Meng Qiuzhen keenly sensed that these particular insects could very likely be combined and arranged together to form mortal-path killing moves.
Unfortunately, the current situation did not permit it. Meng Qiuzhen had no way to experiment with combinations of killing moves.
"The third act has already provided very obvious clues. This Mushroom Clan member Huang Wan, though expelled from the clan, clearly still cares deeply about the Mushroom Clan. She came to rescue Huang Xiaomi that very night."
"I must act as quickly as possible!"
Meng Qiuzhen set off immediately, venturing deep into the dungeon.
The dungeon's structure was quite simple, practically laid out at a glance.
Before long, at the very deepest part of the dungeon, he found Huang Xiaomi chained to the wall.