The Legends of Ren Zu, Chapter Six, Section Four
With the help of Ambition Gu, Ren Zu and his two children - Great Strength True Martial and Carefree Wisdom Heart were able to finally capture Self Gu and emerge from the River of Time.
However, they had paid a steep price for this victory.
Their hearts had been greatly damaged by the emotions inflicted upon them by the River of Time and what they had endured while riding the blocks of Truthful Floating Ice.
"Finally, I found Self Gu," Ren Zu said.
Even if it was a small victory under the eyes of the world, when one was able to recognize oneself, it was a monumental achievement for oneself!
However, Ren Zu now had to come to face with reality.
Self Gu looked damaged - bruised and battered.
In truth, it wasn't just him - both he and Great Strength True Martial and Carefree Wisdom Heart had suffered greatly after they had been mislead by Lie Gu and wandered into Hu Land.
While in the River of Time, they had encountered several wounds. Their hearts were old; their spirits shaken.
"Father," Carefree Wisdom Heart said, pointing to where they were. "Look! Green Heaven is right above us!"
"Indeed," Ren Zu said, clutching Self Gu tightly within his hand. "But we've all suffered greatly. Green Heaven..."
"I've heard that in Green Heaven, there are a large number of Mushroommen," Carefree Wisdom Heart said. "The Mushroommen are said to be very kind and gentle and excellent healers. They don't fight with others and are very helpful. Maybe they can heal the wounds in our hearts?"
Great Strength True Martial examined himself. He had been wounded quite a bit, though he was less prone to admitting such.
Ambition Gu continued to burn. "Humans, do you not want to see the rest of the world? Do you intend to stop here just when you've found yourselves?"
Ambition knew no break nor any respite.
"We cannot continue on our quest unless we heal our wounds first," Carefree Wisdom Heart said.
Both Ren Zu and Great Strength True Martial knew this truth, but were reluctant to admit so.
Oftentimes, humans needed to rest and recuperate - but their other factors like Ambition blinded them to the truth of their state.
"Come on, let's not stay here any longer," Carefree Wisdom Heart implored.
Under her guidance, the three of them made their way up towards Green Heaven.
However, as they went into Green Heaven, they found a strange sight.
"Kill! Kill!"
"Those who do not look like us do not have our hearts!"
"Do not hesitate!"
"Slaughter them!"
"Someone help me- ah!"
"Reinforcements! Where are they?"
The trio had happened upon what seemed like a war that had broken out between two Mushroommen factions.
"Why are they fighting? I thought that Mushroommen were supposed to be kind and gentle," Carefree Wisdom Heart said.
"Shall we take a side?" Great Strength True Martial asked, his eyes blazing with the fires of Ambition. He wanted to prove himself - and for the strong there was no better place to prove oneself than upon the battlefield.
"Hold for now," Ren Zu said. He knew that they didn't have the strength to fight so many Mushroommen by themselves. But it was indeed odd.
The two of them went towards a corner of the battlefield, where they found an injured Mushroomman.
"Oh, Mushroomman, why are these two sides fighting?" Carefree Wisdom Heart asked.
"Why? Oh human, we realized that these Mushroommen were different from ourselves, and so we had to fight them," the Mushroomman said.
"Different? How are they different?" Ren Zu asked.
The Mushroomman pointed to the mushroom-like cap growing atop his head. It was in the form of a red mushroom with two spots on it. "Don't you see? Our caps have two spots on them. But those people over there - they have three spots! That is unfair! That is unjust! They are not like us! And so, we had to fight them!"
"Fighting over something that insignificant?" Carefree Wisdom Heart asked, but the Mushroomman had already died of his wounds before he could tell them anything beyond this.
The trio then wandered around Green Heaven, watching the Mushroommen go at each other like this.
Those who had blue mushrooms atop their heads fought with those with green mushrooms - and it wasn't just differences in colors that spurred them to fight. The number of spots atop their heads, their arrangement - all of these differences were enough for them to seek to fight with each other.
It didn't matter whether or not they had been living in peace next to each other for centuries - these small differences snowballed into issues which caused them to fight with each other.
"I don't think we can find any medicine for ourselves here," Great Strength True Martial said.
"Indeed, the Mushroommen are not as kind as the stories said," Ren Zu said.
Carefree Wisdom Heart, however, frowned. She felt that there had to be more to this story than what they were seeing right now.
As it was, it was during times of war that medicine got the greatest development.
So if there was medicine which could cure their ailments, it would be found here.
"Over there, I think I can see the Mushroomman Mycelium!" Carefree Wisdom Heart said.
The Mushroomman Mycelium was a vast network of threads that spanned all over the expanse of Green Heaven from one end to the other. The Mushroommen were all connected directly or indirectly through Mushroomman Mycelium.
"Maybe we can find help there?" Ren Zu wondered as they went towards one of the tendrils of the Mushroomman Mycelium.
The Mycelium was almost a living, breathing network that belonged to the Mushroomman.
"Oh, Mushroomman Mycelium," Carefree Wisdom Heart said. "We've come here to ask you for help."
"Oh humans, I would love to help you, but all of my resources must go to war. The wars going on above."
"But, Mushroomman Mycelium, why are there wars between the Mushroommen?" Ren Zu asked.
"Oh humans, we were once a kind and gentle race who lived here in harmony," the Mycelium answered. "However, that all changed when Beauty Gu came up to reside in Green Heaven."
"Beauty Gu?"
"Yes, once Beauty Gu came, all things started to change," Mushroomman Mycelium said. "Beauty Gu was dazzling, all of the Mushroommen wanted it. Fights began to break out over who got it. The Mushroommen turned against each other, eventually refining Envy Gu."
"Envy?"
"Yes, Envy Gu," Mushroommen Mycelium said. "And that Envy Gu has been stuck in my Mycelium for a long time. Because of that, all of the Mushroomman Mycelium have begun to turn against one another. They are envious of those of different colors, those who have different spots, those who have better breeding or feeding grounds, those of different heights, etc. They all cry out, 'Where is the fairness in this?'"
***
As Fang Yuan pondered over this part of the story, he felt like he had suddenly developed new insight into something that had slipped past him before. Many Gu Immortals kept copies of The Legends of Ren Zu precisely because it was a source of inspiration for many of them.
The Mushroomman Mycelium was a secluded domain of Heaven and Earth, and most people left it at that.
However, the way it behaved now seemed oddly familiar to Fang Yuan.
The Mushroomman Mycelium connected the Mushroommen together like it was some kind of hive mind.
Wasn't the same for the Embodiment of Humanity's Collective Will?
Could it be that it was created by Ren Zu after having seen the Mushroommen Mycelium?
Furthermore, recalling Beauty Gu's purpose in the story, he now looked at it with a different eye. Gu worms mentioned in The Legends of Ren Zu were almost always very peculiar or special - was there a use to Beauty Gu that he had overlooked?
He took out his own copy and continued reading, hoping to gain further insight.