Chapter Forty-three: Confidence

Bitter, unbearably bitter. The moment the inky black cap of the Ghost Umbrella Mushroom touched her tongue, Catherine could taste nothing but its overwhelming bitterness—she suspected even swallowing a lump of coal wouldn’t be as harsh. From the tip of her tongue to the root, her senses were so numbed she could barely curl it anymore. If this was all, she might have endured, but what truly vexed her was that the white part of the Ghost Umbrella Mushroom was incredibly delicious.

The savoriness rivaled the beetle-shaped cordyceps she’d tasted before—if served alone, Catherine could have devoured an entire plate. Yet now, this deliciousness became the perfect companion to the bitterness. Each time her tongue threatened to go numb from the acrid torment, that savory flavor would ‘helpfully’ emerge, reviving her senses, only to deliver her back into a deeper abyss of bitterness.

It was like torture. Grimacing, she choked down the first mushroom. For the rest, Catherine didn’t dare chew; she stuffed them whole into her mouth, craned her neck like a turkey, and forced them down, eyes rolling from the effort. Only after an arduous struggle did she finally catch her breath.

She stuck her tongue out as far as she could, fanning it desperately to relieve her nerves before the coming ordeal. To lighten the mood for her viewers, she joked, “You have no idea how bitter this thing is. Those who’ve watched my show might remember when I swallowed a seven-step viper’s gallbladder raw in the Tachira Basin. I spent half the night vomiting bile! But compared to this Ghost Umbrella Mushroom, that gall’s bitterness was nothing. And this time, I didn’t even throw up! I must really be evolving, ha!”

“I wouldn’t dare touch that thing. It looks sinister! The host actually ate it—respect!”

“What’s that ink-like stuff dripping down? Any science buffs care to explain?”

“Since it’s called ‘Ghost Umbrella Mushroom,’ someone must have discovered it before. Shouldn’t there be records?”

“Maybe Ms. Ling named it herself?”

“Why are we discussing this? Isn’t the real point that the host is about to risk her life?”

“That scorpion… it’s enormous.”

“I’ve never seen a scorpion that big. It must be a thousand times larger than usual!”

“Look at those massive pincers! They look fierce. Wonder if they’re as deadly as they seem.”

“People doubting a scorpion’s pincers? A palm-sized scorpion can snip a branch in half! Imagine that at this scale. Of course it’s dangerous!”

“Viewer ‘Fabre’s Direct Descendant’ just sent the host a Meteor Firestorm! Message: Farewell, host! I looked it up—a record exists in my ancestor’s book. In ‘The Insect Journal,’ our ancestor called it the ‘Sand King.’ It has extremely high resistance to physical attacks, and you’re definitely no match for it right now!”

“Viewer ‘Right Guardian of the Martial Dao Sect’ sent three Meteor Firestorms! Message: Fabre was impressive, but he wrote from a mage’s perspective. Does he understand the power of the Grand Martial Dao Sect? I believe in the host!”

“Viewer ‘Left Guardian of the Martial Dao Sect’ sent three Meteor Firestorms! Message: Fully support the host, no explanation needed!”

“Viewer ‘Big Sis Catherine Is the Cutest in the World’ sent a Meteor Firestorm! Message: No explanation, Catherine is the best!!”

“You up there—look at Catherine’s bark-like face and still call her the cutest? Aren’t you disgusted?”

“You must be an idiot. Judging people so superficially?”

“Viewer ‘Big Sis Catherine Is the Cutest in the World’ sent another Meteor Firestorm! Message: My love for Catherine is real—got a problem, bite me?”

“That’s right! Ms. Ling’s background is mysterious, but Catherine is practically a pioneer of martial arts. Can’t people be more respectful?”

“After seeing her regrow a severed limb, don’t you realize the impact martial arts will have on society? If she makes it out of the beast jungle alive, we might see dozens of new industries! Showing the host some respect now can only help. Catherine is—wait, host, what’s wrong?!”

“Host, what happened? Why did you suddenly collapse?”

“Host…”

The viewers were still bickering when a sudden wave of terror swept through the chat. Catherine, who had been smiling just moments before, turned deathly pale, broke out in a cold sweat, and collapsed without warning. Her body arched like a giant shrimp, clutching her abdomen, writhing in agony as her exposed skin flushed crimson before their very eyes.

At that moment, Catherine felt as though a storm was raging inside her belly, as if a blunt knife were twisting endlessly at her lower abdomen. It was as though her stomach and intestines were being mashed together. Even with her current willpower, she couldn’t endure it, and a painful groan escaped her lips.

“It hurts, doesn’t it? Just bear with it,” Ling Mo said with an air of indifference. “The organic compounds in the Ghost Umbrella Mushroom are highly complex. So far, apart from the beneficial components, there are also toxins that can cause acute liver failure. With your current physique, you can withstand it. Hang in there.”

At that moment, Catherine wished she could bite Ling Mo to death—always telling her the risks only after she’d eaten something. This way of doing things was absolutely maddening! But she had no time to be angry. The searing pain was spreading, reaching even her limbs.

Since advancing to Intermediate Martial Master, her internal perception had become far sharper. She could sense the harmful components of the Ghost Umbrella Mushroom gathering around her liver, inhibiting its ability to detoxify, while her blood carried these poisons throughout her body, inflaming her nerves and causing intense pain everywhere.

Of course, she could also feel the beneficial substances integrating into her system. Carried by her blood, they seeped into the smallest capillaries. Her body, stripped bare by previous battles, drank them in like rain after a drought, using them to repair all manner of damage—be it old wounds or those now caused by the poisonous mushroom.

But it was so slow! The repairs lagged far behind the destruction—the healing simply wasn’t fast enough! Catherine grew anxious, thinking, If only the healing could speed up!

Then, something miraculous happened. It was as if her blood heard her call: it surged faster, and the rate of repair leapt forward!

“Ugh!” Before she could feel relief, a new, sharper wave of pain struck. Ling Mo, though facing away, sensed the change and chuckled. “With your blood flowing faster, the toxins are spreading more quickly too—the pain ramps up. But overall, the beneficial elements in the mushroom far outweigh the harmful ones. The sooner you finish the repair, the less damage the toxins can do to your body’s foundation. So, summon your willpower!”

Willpower? I’d rather just pass out right now!

The agony drove her mind to the brink of delirium. Ling Mo’s voice seemed to echo from a distant place, yet also whispered at her ear. She was oblivious to everything around her—her perception turned inward, growing ever clearer. In the darkness, she could trace the currents of pain flowing through every capillary, every nerve ending. Deeply etched in her consciousness, these sensations gradually outlined the inner details of each organ in her mind: kidney, intestine, pancreas, liver, lung, heart…

Upwards she went, past the neck, just as the structure of her brain was about to reveal itself, a thunderclap burst in her mind—a jolt like lightning striking overhead. Her entire body shivered, awareness snapped into razor-sharp focus, and all pain vanished as if it had never existed. The world around her came into perfect clarity, her body restored to its peak—and more than its peak!

Her withered figure plumped with vitality like a balloon filled with air, bark-like skin took on a radiant sheen, and an unprecedented strength surged within. A powerful confidence rose in her heart, and her control over her body reached a new summit. Recalling her battle with the butcherbird, she realized she’d missed at least two chances to turn and escape; if she’d seized them, she never would have lost her hand.

She could now sense her internal energy reserves with perfect clarity. What once would have lasted an hour and a half was now down to half an hour after repairing her depleted body. If she fought all-out, she had only five minutes.

Catherine turned to face the enormous scorpion. Ling Mo had already let it go. It flexed its limbs where it stood, radiating a wild, primordial, dangerous aura. Its beady, jet-black eyes locked onto Catherine. Though this scorpion exuded a savagery far greater than the butcherbird, Catherine felt unwavering certainty—five minutes was enough. She would win!

(P.S. The author’s Weibo account is also called Black Tide 3. Just search for people by that name. Since images can’t be posted on Qidian, the Weibo will display, in order, the real-life inspirations for the fantasy creatures in the book, and will also share some videos. Check it out for a better reading experience with visuals!)