Although Xu Huo had said Chi Xian didn't need to help, now that he was already here, there was no way he wouldn't go down and take a look.
Once he'd finished recording the fungi growing on the bodies, Xu Huo headed down the stone steps toward the cave deep underground.
Chi Xian hadn't left, and Xu Huo had expected him to come back. Besides, even if Chi Xian didn't go down now, he'd return to take a look later. They might as well deal with it together.
"Old Xu?" Chi Xian called from outside the cave. "Is it dangerous down there?"
"There are poisonous insects," Xu Huo warned him.
It didn't take long for Chi Xian to come in. He knew a great deal about fungi and could tell which kinds were safe to touch and which weren't. As soon as he entered, he took out a recorder and began taking picture after picture of the brilliantly colored clusters.
"Natural fungi really are the only ones that can create a sight this magnificent," he said. "Lots of people use fungi to make art, but nothing they make can compare to this."
Xu Huo looked up as well. "It's beautiful."
After taking enough pictures, Chi Xian collected some fungi as samples. Then he came over and asked what Xu Huo was doing.
He was a clever man and didn't need Xu Huo to explain much. After taking a look, he said, "I'm afraid this fungus of yours won't survive very long."
"How can you tell?" Xu Huo asked, eager to learn.
"From what I can see, your fungus doesn't feed on other fungi. It only eats this kind of cicada fungus growing on the stones. Cicada fungus is a very unusual kind. It counts as poisonous, but unlike other poisonous