After a thorough search, Haoyun and his friends finally found a tiny mushroom in the bedroom of Little Tiger's parents. Dao Lao carefully picked up the less-than-half-inch mushroom and realized it was the same type as those they had found in the tent and carried all the way here.

"If this mushroom is poisonous, why would it be in Little Tiger's home?" Haoyun asked, puzzled.

"Maybe it's like those carrots? Only we have adverse reactions to them, while for them, it's just ordinary food?" Dream Jia suggested.

"Or maybe these mushrooms just look colorful and strange but aren't actually poisonous," Dao Lao added.

"In that case, why don't you try it?" Haoyun immediately suggested after hearing Dao Lao's theory, with Dream Jia supporting the idea.

Just as Haoyun and Dream Jia, with mischievous smiles, were trying to convince Dao Lao to taste the mushroom, Little Tiger's voice came from outside the hut: "Dinner's ready! Time to eat, everyone!"

Dao Lao felt a wave of relief and gratitude towards Little Tiger for his timely interruption and quickly rushed out of the hut, saying, "Hey, Little Tiger, you're back so soon! Ah, you came just in time! Thank you for preparing the food for us!"

Little Tiger was puzzled by Dao Lao's sudden enthusiasm but, being only two years old, didn't think much of it. He cheerfully said, "No trouble at all, it's what I should do. Hurry and eat while it's hot! We still need to attend the ceremony to worship the gods later."

After inviting Haoyun and his friends to eat, Little Tiger placed the plates on the grass outside the hut, then eagerly sat down cross-legged and started enjoying a piece of roasted sweet potato. Despite their worries about the food tasting strange, Haoyun and his friends couldn't resist the various roasted vegetables on the plates. They each cautiously picked something that looked reasonably safe and took a bite. The good news was that the food didn't taste strange. The bad news was that, even without any weird flavors, it wasn't particularly delicious either.

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce! This is Boss Tiger, who specializes in exchanging collected goods with outsiders in the east of the village." Little Tiger pointed to a middle-aged tiger who had come back with him, standing quietly with a polite smile not far away.

Then, Little Tiger said to Haoyun and his friends, "Didn't I mention before that our Yimu Village exchanges specially made fish jerky with outsiders for collected goods? I thought you might be too tired from the journey to go out and exchange items, so I specially brought Boss Tiger over."

Upon hearing this, Dao Lao quickly got up and said, "Nice to meet you, Boss Tiger. Come over and sit. Have you eaten yet? Would you like a roasted melon?"

Boss Tiger smiled kindly and shook his hand, "Nice to meet you all. There's no need for such courtesy, please continue eating. My family is already prepared for dinner; they're just waiting for me to finish this transaction and return. Hehehe."

It was clear that despite his polite words, Boss Tiger was subtly urging them to complete the transaction. Unable to refuse, Haoyun and his friends quickly fetched the three baskets of items they had carried from the tent to expedite the exchange.

"Here are the three baskets. Name your price," Dao Lao said, pointing to the baskets on the ground.

"Alright. I'll weigh them first and then give you a price," Boss Tiger responded with a smile.

He then pulled a scale from behind his back and began weighing the items. Haoyun and his friends exchanged confused glances, as they hadn't noticed the scale before. Reluctantly, they focused on Boss Tiger's large backside, wondering how the scale had been hidden there. They couldn't help but marvel at the bizarre and grotesque details designed by the countess.

As Boss Tiger weighed the mushrooms, he frequently cast peculiar and admiring glances at Haoyun and his friends. "These mushrooms are quite something! They're very difficult to gather, so it's rare to see such a large amount collected at once. You all must be very brave and skilled. I'm truly impressed."

Curious, Haoyun asked, "Oh? Why do you say that, Boss Tiger?"

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Boss Tiger looked surprised and, after shaking his head, explained, "These mushrooms are extremely dangerous. Not only are they highly poisonous, but they also release their toxins when picked to protect themselves. Additionally, they ignite easily and can explode violently. You didn't know any of this?"

Fearing their cover might be blown, Dao Lao quickly replied, "Oh, Boss Tiger, we really didn't know any of that. We just found these strange mushrooms while collecting materials and picked a basketful out of curiosity. Hahaha! If we'd known they were so dangerous, we would have stayed far away from them!"

Dao Lao dared to lie because he believed that in the scenario created by the Countess, Yimu Village was the only village where everyone was disguised as tigers. The "outsiders" mentioned by Little Tiger and others were merely a preset concept. In reality, Dao Lao and his friends hadn't seen any characters disguised as other animals. This meant that even if Dao Lao blatantly lied, as long as he pretended to be an outsider, the villagers of Yimu Village would believe him due to their lack of accurate knowledge about outsiders.

Indeed, Boss Tiger, upon hearing Dao Lao's explanation, made a "so that's how it is" expression and continued, "My goodness! You outsiders are really bold! You dare to collect these mushrooms without knowing anything about them. But I am curious, how did you manage to gather so many mushrooms without knowing their dangers and without any protection? Are you perhaps experts from another world?"

Although Boss Tiger's comment about being "experts from another world" was a joke, Haoyun and his friends couldn't laugh because they truly were experts forced into this world. So, Haoyun changed the topic by asking, "Boss Tiger, if these mushrooms are so dangerous, what are they used for?"

Seeing that Haoyun and his friends didn't want to talk about themselves, Boss Tiger stopped probing. It was impolite to inquire too much about outsiders. He then seriously explained, "These mushrooms contain a potent toxin. Excessive exposure can cause severe poisoning and death. However, if the mushrooms are ground into powder and used in controlled amounts, they can be used medicinally to treat various pains caused by illnesses."

"Of course, collecting these mushrooms is extremely dangerous and often fatal for the gatherers. This makes the mushrooms a rare resource with high exchange value. Also, because of their dangers, they are a special controlled material in Yimu Village. Only licensed merchants like me dare to handle them," Boss Tiger added with a hint of pride.

Haoyun and his friends felt chills, realizing that they had been carrying around a basket full of highly toxic and explosive mushrooms. They were also annoyed at Little Tiger for not mentioning the dangers. Additionally, they couldn't understand why such expensive and dangerous mushrooms would be found in Little Tiger's home.

"Boom! Crackle-crackle!"

Just as Haoyun and his friends were completing the transaction, fireworks suddenly lit up the night sky. The entire Yimu Village and Jile Lake were bathed in colorful lights. The villagers were instantly thrown into a sea of joy.

"Hey, I gave you a good price! Are you going to exchange or not? I'm in a hurry to finish and get back to my family for the worship ceremony!" Boss Tiger finally urged impatiently.

"Exchange! We'll exchange!" Dao Lao quickly agreed. For them, the information about the mushrooms was more important than the exchange itself.

"Great! Here's the exchange card. You can come to my shop later for the flavored fish jerky. Hehehe. Our fish jerky is made from the freshest lake fish from Jile Lake. Every outsider who has traded with us has praised its taste!" Boss Tiger boasted as he handed a wooden card to Dao Lao. Then, he casually slung the three baskets over his shoulder, greeted Little Tiger, and hurried off. Judging by his satisfied expression, he must have made a good profit from the transaction.

After Little Tiger finished his food, he took Haoyun and his friends to check out Boss Tiger's shop. Once they confirmed when the latest batch of flavored fish jerky would be ready, they headed to the worship ceremony. By the time they arrived, the lakeside was already packed with villagers.

The villagers gathered around a huge altar by the lake, eagerly watching the fireworks display in the night sky. After the fireworks, the village chief, surrounded by servants, shakily ascended the altar and began the ceremony in a language incomprehensible to Haoyun and his friends. The ceremony, although lengthy, was monotonous. It consisted mainly of the villagers, led by the chief, kneeling and chanting over the mirror-like lake.

However, after the ceremony, the village erupted into celebration. The once solemn venue was transformed by even more spectacular fireworks and various performances, plunging the villagers into a frenzy of joy.

The villagers danced to the offbeat music and cheered at the thrilling performances on the altar, which included fire hoop jumping, water escapes, aerial acrobatics, and knife throwing. The excitement and applause from the villagers were unending. But Haoyun and his friends, who had witnessed many brutal circus performances, looked pale and grim, unsure how to vent their anger amidst the joyous crowd.

"That blasted Countess! Torturing us is not enough; she dares to mock us with these things! Don't let me catch the chance, or I'll make sure you regret it!" Haoyun cursed fiercely over the system channel. At the same time, he politely declined an invitation from a clown dressed as a tiger to participate as a guest in a knife-throwing performance.

"Ahem, ahem. Good evening, dear foreign friends!" Just as Haoyun and his companions were feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the repetitive circus performances and preparing to leave, they heard a hoarse voice behind them. They turned around to find that it was the old village chief, played by Daddy Cat, who was greeting them. He was sitting very weakly in a wheelchair-like chair, accompanied by two burly clowns dressed as tiger servants.