Chapter 36: Biochemical Accident

　　"What is all this?" Young Master Feng's question broke the silence.　　"What Mr. Egg has been looking for... the Glowing Jelly Mushrooms..."　　Back in the Qinling Mountains, we'd scrambled over hills and valleys for days and only found one tiny specimen, which we'd treasured and carefully stored in our pack. Now, look at this place. These Glowing Jelly Mushrooms were everywhere, as common as wholesale goods, not looking valuable in the slightest.　　"Are these things edible?" Young Master Feng plucked a pink one, turning it over in his hands several times, but ultimately didn't dare put it in his mouth.　　"Don't eat that!" Mr. Egg urgently stopped him.　　Puzzled, I asked, "Why not? I ate one before, remember? They're not poisonous!"　　"That's not the point!" Mr. Egg snatched the mushroom from Young Master Feng's hand, pointing at its cap. "The color is different. The one you ate was blue. The one in his hand is pink!"　　"But they look pretty much the same?" As I said this, I reached out and picked a green Jelly Mushroom, sniffing it.　　"Not even close!" Mr. Egg said, his expression serious. "Even within the same fungal species, different subspecies can't be eaten indiscriminately! You must test to know if they're toxic or not! And don't you eat that one either!"　　"Is that really necessary?" I muttered under my breath.　　Mr. Egg sighed, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Ever heard of Russula subnigricans? Highly toxic! But its close relative, Russula nigricans, is an edible mushroom. They look incredibly similar. Make a mistake, and you're dead! Listen, in the wild, if you're not one hundred percent certain a mushroom is safe, you don't eat it. Unless you fancy taking a permanent nap!"　　"Alright, alright. You're the expert. We'll listen to you." I reluctantly tossed the Jelly