Most of the orders were for Black Truffles, though people only wanted small amounts—a pound or two at most. After all, they're quite expensive at 560 yuan a pound, so most were just buying them to try something new.
Thanks to the hype generated by Europeans, everyone had more or less heard of Black Truffles, but most of his fans had never actually seen one in real life.
There was also one whale who wanted twenty pounds, but he wasn't in a hurry. He said to prioritize the other fans, and he would buy any that were left over. He was mostly just worried Li Xiang wouldn't be able to find that many in one day.
Even though there were plenty on the mountain, you couldn't find them just by looking. It still took a bit of skill and luck.
Otherwise, with gold just lying all over the ground, wouldn't everyone be rich?
Some people specifically requested Caesar's mushrooms, while others wanted termite mushrooms and big-foot boletes.
When it came to looks, to be honest, the Caesar's mushrooms were the prettiest. Of course, they still couldn't compare to the vibrant colors of the poisonous varieties.
"Everyone, look. Here's a cluster of very alluring mushrooms, but you absolutely cannot eat them. This is the infamous 'little red umbrella.' One bite, and you'll be pushing up daisies."
Li Xiang had found a small patch of brightly colored mushrooms. They had red caps covered in dense, white, scale-like spots. It was obvious at a glance they were no good, so he decided to share the discovery with his fans.
"It's called the fly agaric, also known as *Amanita muscaria* or toadstool. Of course, it's not the most poisonous mushroom out there. Many others are far more toxic."
"That's not to say plain-looking mushrooms are always safe. For example, there's one called the destroying angel. It looks pure white and tender, but it contains a toxin called amatoxin, which is toxic to both the liver and the nervous system."
With a bamboo basket on his back, the thirty-kilogram High-Density Blade in one hand, and a phone on a selfie stick in the other, Li Xiang walked and streamed through the mountain forest, chatting with his fans.
"Brother Xiang, Brother Xiang, are there any Hand-rubbing Greens?" a fan asked.
"Hand-rubbing Green, huh? Let me look. I'm sure there are some around. I saw a few earlier." Sure enough, after searching for just a few minutes, Li Xiang found them.
The fan got excited at once. "Can you pick some Hand-rubbing Green and sell them to me? I really want to experience the hallucinations."
The other fans were intrigued as well. They all expected Li Xiang to agree, but to their surprise, he just shook his head. "I don't sell these."
"Why not? Aren't there many of them on the mountain?"
Li Xiang replied, "No, there are actually quite a lot."
"Afraid we can't afford them?"
Li Xiang quickly explained, "You've misunderstood. That's not it at all. The thing is... this Hand-rubbing Green is neurotoxic. I can't sell it. I have to guarantee the food safety of all the mushrooms I sell."
Many people actually eat Hand-rubbing Green. There's a famous saying in the neighboring Yunnan Province: "If you end up in the hospital from eating mushrooms, it just means you didn't cook them thoroughly."
This wasn't Li Xiang being overly scrupulous; everyone's body is different. Some people might only experience mild hallucinations, but others could suffer severe damage, land in the ICU, or even die.
Damaged neurons don't regenerate. With minor, short-term nerve damage, recovery might be possible. But if the damage is severe and you miss that golden window for recovery, the chances of a full recovery become extremely small.
'This was about his fans' health—something that could affect them for the rest of their lives. Some money was worth earning, and some simply wasn't.'
After his explanation, Li Xiang thought he might have offended his fans, but he had his principles and felt he had to stand by them.
But unexpectedly, after a moment of silence, the chat flooded with wave after wave of praise. The stream became so active that several hundred new viewers were drawn in.
"Brother Xiang, you're a man of integrity!"
"Such noble character!"
"Brother Xiang is eternal!"
'What the hell? What are they even saying?' Li Xiang was speechless.
He thought for a moment before offering some advice. "If you all really want to try Hand-rubbing Green, I don't recommend doing it at home. I'd suggest going to Spring City. The doctors there have extensive experience with mushroom poisoning. If you eat them somewhere else, the local doctors might not know how to treat you, even if you get to a hospital."
"Also, when you do eat them, make sure someone is with you. In other words, leave someone sober to call 911!"
"Brother Xiang, you're hilarious."
"Alright, let's get back to gathering mushrooms. How much I find will depend on luck, but I can guarantee that every mushroom you buy from me will be absolutely safe and delicious."
"Go, Brother Xiang! We'll buy everything you find today, no matter how much it is!" one fan declared, and the others quickly chimed in with their agreement.
"Thanks, everyone! I'll do my best to find as many as I can, haha!" Li Xiang felt a surge of energy. He had a hunch he was going to make a nice little profit today.
Li Xiang ventured much farther this time, since he had already combed through the nearby areas on his last trip.
In the end, he harvested over twenty pounds of Black Truffles, eight or nine pounds of Caesar's mushrooms, over ten pounds of big-foot boletes, about five pounds of matsutake, and roughly three pounds of morels—all valuable mountain delicacies. As for the common little mushrooms, his bamboo basket had limited space, and since they wouldn't fetch a high price, he simply ignored them.
It wasn't just the small mushrooms; he also passed by other inexpensive varieties, like puffballs—also known as horse-fart bubbles. They were perfectly good to eat, but since today's stream was focused on gathering mushrooms for sale, Li Xiang couldn't be bothered to even glance at them.
Seeing it was getting late and the forest was growing dark, Li Xiang said goodbye to his fans. He told them to send him their orders via private message, and once he got home, he would portion out the mushrooms for each person. He would then go to the county town the next day to mail them.
He had also received a fair number of donations (gifts sent by fans) during the stream. It wasn't a huge amount, just two or three hundred yuan, but he was still pretty happy about it.
The darkening forest grew increasingly menacing, with some areas looking like they concealed lurking Demon Fiends and monsters. But with his Night Vision Superpower, Li Xiang could see everything clearly. And with the sharp High-Density Blade in his hand, he wasn't afraid in the slightest.
'I could keep gathering mushrooms and streaming into the night. I could probably even create a scary, intense atmosphere to draw in more viewers.'
However, he was worried that if he returned too late, his grandmother would be at home worrying all by herself.
His grandmother was already in her seventies. It would be unfilial of him to make her worry for no good reason.
WOOF WOOF~
Li Xiang was still several hundred meters from home when his two dogs came racing over to greet him excitedly. Night had completely fallen by then, and the dogs' four eyes glowed with a faint green light in the darkness, making them look a bit like wolves.
'Well, Chinese Field Dogs are descendants of the Asian gray wolf, after all.'
Dahuang circled him nonstop while Er Huang kept trying to jump up on him, begging to be held. Li Xiang had no choice but to give each of them a hug and a pat on the head. Only then, satisfied, did the two dogs lead the way, wagging their tails.
"Xiang'Er, why are you back so late?" His grandmother came out at the sound of his arrival, her face full of delight. Just a moment ago, she had been terribly worried, afraid that her grandson had gotten into some kind of trouble in the mountains. She had even been on the verge of asking the village chief, Li Jinyu, or her son's childhood friend, Jiang Jianguo, for help.
"I went a bit farther today," Li Xiang said, setting his bamboo basket on the ground. "I actually started back before six, but I got held up on the way." He pointed to his bountiful harvest, showing off a little. "Grandma, look how much I found, huh?"
"Oh, my dear grandson, you're so capable!" His grandmother was stunned, and then a wave of pride washed over her. 'Who else in this entire village,' she thought, 'young or old, could go into the mountains for half a day and return with so many precious mushrooms?'
Although her eyesight had been failing due to old age, it had improved after drinking Li Xiang's Tier One Exotic Grass Soup. She could see with perfect clarity that there wasn't a single cheap mushroom in that basket.
After dinner, Li Xiang started sorting the mushrooms. He picked out any debris, shook the dirt off, and separated them by type. Then, he used an old-fashioned steelyard scale to weigh them.