7 - Dungeon Growth Log

--- "Did you kill it?" Unexpectedly, instead of showing any gratitude for her heroics, Chu Yao seemed extremely angry. "Yes," Xia Ge answered, confused. "That was an Yuemei." The Yuemei was a classic element of this fantasy universe. The book's explanation was somewhat convoluted, and Xia Ge had skimmed through it; she knew it was a spirit inhabiting a garment. When worn, it could lend strength to humans; a determined person could turn the Yuemei into a powerful weapon. Conversely, a weak-willed individual would be controlled by the Yuemei and become its puppet. The woman rolling her eyes was likely controlled by the Yuemei. No… It looked more like she was dead. "Of course I know it was a Yuemei!" Xia Ge thought Chu Yao was about to say something grandiose, but then the almond-eyed assassin narrowed her eyes, as if sensing something. She shot Xia Ge a fierce look, "I'll remember you. Next time, I'll settle this!" Before Xia Ge could react, the dagger stuck in the ground vanished without a trace. "I won't kill you, but I won't let you off easy either!" How could Chu Yao let someone take advantage of her? Xia Ge chuckled, thinking that with her tail between her legs, what more trouble could Chu Yao cause? She decided the Yuemei deserved more study. Jumping off the table, Xia Ge approached the woman in the grey vest lying dead on the ground, planning to tear off a bit of cloth for research. But before she could act on her thought— A strange burnt smell emerged, mixed with the crackling sound of something burning. Xia Ge immediately had a bad feeling. She stiffly turned her head towards her usual study spot. Her original chair, where she would copy texts, was now speckled with green throwing stars. Earlier, a crumpled piece of paper was thrown at her by Ye Ze when he brought her food, landing under the pearwood table. She hadn't had time to pick it up. Now, that paper ball was burning. The table legs were also burning. Wait, wait— “Ahhhh——” The flames, as if aware of Xia Ge's panic, deliberately burned the legs of the table slowly. Just when Xia Ge noticed the issue and tried to save the rice paper on the table— “Boom——” The intense flames exploded into a brilliant display, devouring everything on the table! In a blink, over three hundred sheets of rice paper, which Xia Ge had copied all day, turned to ashes. “Damn! Damn! Damn! My homework, ahhhhh——” Someone grabbed her collar, dragging her back, while she wailed with tears streaming, "Don’t hold me back! My homework, ahhh——" Finally, Xia Ge understood why moths threw themselves into flames. She was like that moth, desperate to extinguish the fire though it meant risking everything! ...Wait, who was holding her? Is this a ghost or the Yuemei revived? Impossible, the Yuemei was definitely dead. The system indicated the Yuemei's soul core, and her strike had surely hit the mark—no chance of a mistake! Ghosts... Does Dan Peak have ghosts? Xia Ge's body was frozen in fear. Not the Yuemei, not a ghost; then… who was behind her? Suddenly, the fire extinguished, leaving a faint scent of burnt pearwood. A girl's voice coolly filled the air, "Xia Wuyin." Xia Ge: "..." Great, after dealing with a tough killer, now came an even harder-to-deal-with senior sister. Voices one after another, beautiful and melodious, as if she was in some romantic reverie instead of reflecting at the Masters' Pavilion. Before she could compose herself, her senior sister spoke icily, "Just now... what were you shouting about?" Xia Ge feigned ignorance, "Ah, what? What did I shout about? I didn't shout anything." Gu Peijiu remained silent for a moment. Just as Xia Ge thought she had gotten away with it, she was lifted and turned. Under the bright moonlight, Senior Sister’s cold, aloof face met Xia Ge’s gaze. "Xia Wuyin, just now you said, who tried to tarnish your innocence?" Xia Ge: "..." Pure embarrassment. Gu Peijiu’s expression was serious, and Xia Ge didn’t know how to start with her usual humor. After a long while, with a stiff face, she met Gu Peijiu’s eyes and spoke in an equally serious tone. "...I was just joking." So, could Senior Sister put her down now? Evidently, Gu Peijiu couldn't hear her internal plea. She looked deeply at Xia Ge, clearly skeptical of the "just joking" claim. But with Xia Ge acting like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, Gu Peijiu knew she wouldn't get the truth. She maintained her grip, carrying Xia Ge over to the fallen Yuemei. “Did you kill it?” Xia Ge played dumb, "Ah? I don’t know. Wasn't me—" [Ding! Congratulations! You've acquired the "Loves to Lie Outer Disciples" impression from Gu Peijiu! This impression reduces credibility with her by 60%. Please take note.] Xia Ge: "..." Under her senior sister’s cold stare, Xia Ge hesitated, "It really wasn’t me..." More useless system notifications, please stop! “Oh?” Gu Peijiu’s eyes narrowed at the lying disciple in her hand, "So you mean, the Yuemei came in, toppled the tables, smashed into the wall, and then stabbed itself?" “Why would it do so many unnecessary things...” Xia Ge couldn't help but retort, then quickly shut her mouth. Gu Peijiu lifted her higher, eye level with her own, expressionless, "I also think it wouldn’t do so many unnecessary things." "......" Xia Ge weakly admitted, "I really don’t want to tell the truth..." "Speak," Gu Peijiu instructed. Clearly in distress, Xia Ge explained, "Just now, a perverted female assassin came here, and she..." She paused. Gu Peijiu frowned. Xia Ge continued in a small voice, "...she touched my chest." Gu Peijiu: "..." “She was so strong! Both strong and perverted! In one kick ‘bam,’ she sent this creature flying into the wall! She broke those tables! Don’t make me pay for them, I have no money!” Gu Peijiu remained expressionless: "..." "And she killed the Yuemei!! She even burned my homework to cover it up! She must've fled when she sensed Senior Sister coming! Such a coward!!" Xia Ge covered her face with her hands, crying piteously, "Senior Sister, I was serious earlier, please stand up for me! I... I not only lost my innocence... Ugh, Senior Sister!! She also burned the three thousand copies of Daoist Teachings I just transcribed today!! What a wretched assassin!!!" Gu Peijiu: "…Putting aside the innocence, did you really transcribe three thousand copies today?" Xia Ge sobbed, “Yes, yes, three thousand copies—” [Ding! Congratulations! You've acquired the "Full of Lies Outer Disciples" impression from Gu Peijiu! This impression reduces credibility with her by 100%. Please take note.] Xia Ge: "..." Of course, Senior Sister wouldn’t believe it! Useless system, no need to emphasize it! Without evidence, even if Senior Sister didn’t believe it, there was nothing to be done. Besides, it had all burned down! Who knew how many copies had been there— Without evidence, a slight exaggeration might slide, right? Gu Peijiu coldly looked at her, then released her, tossing her aside, "Three thousand copies of the Daoist Teachings would be about three hundred sheets of rice paper each, totaling ninety thousand sheets." She gestured to the charred remains of the pearwood table near the window. The blackened paper remnants floated in the breeze, "Xia Wuyin, Dan Peak's reflection cottage doesn’t even have that many sheets—did you really transcribe ninety thousand sheets this afternoon?" Gu Peijiu had visited in the morning, and at that time, Xia Ge had only copied three or four sheets, while joking with Ye Ze. It was likely she had observed that too. Xia Ge: "..." Under the moonlight, Gu Peijiu slightly smiled, her expression mocking as she looked at Xia Ge, "Quite capable." Xia Ge, with nothing but a thick skin to rely on, conceded, "Senior Sister's math is impeccable. Actually, I transcribed thirty copies..." “Xia Wuyin.” Gu Peijiu interrupted, her dark eyes emotionless, "I can ensure that if you lie to me once more, Daoist Teachings, I will make you transcribe them three hundred thousand times." "You'll stay in the reflection cottage forever." Xia Ge: "..." "I had no intention of pursuing how many copies you’ve transcribed." Gu Peijiu’s tone softened slightly seeing Xia Wuyin’s fear, "Today's disturbance and your fright are due to my poor supervision." "But since you have chosen Dan Peak, remember, its disciples carry the weight of righteousness and the world; courage and courtesy are secondary. In life, the most important is, without honesty, nothing stands." Pausing on each word, she spoke "Without honesty, nothing stands" with utmost clarity. Her delicate features touched by moonlight, her voice cool as a spring breeze, she continued, "I don’t know your past, nor do I intend to judge your character, but in my presence, you must speak the truth." Xia Ge felt utterly defeated. --- "Bro, even if she told you the truth, with her current credibility score of zero, you wouldn't believe her, right?" Xia Ge belatedly started worrying about her utterly bankrupt credibility in front of her senior sister. "Now, I'll ask, and you answer." Xia Ge replied, "…Ask away." Thirty thousand times copying the Daoist Teachings was indeed terrifying... Gu Peijiu fixed her eyes on Xia Ge and asked deliberately, "Who killed this Yuemei?" "…” Xia Ge felt herself choke, hitting the nail squarely on the head. "Answer." "...I killed it." Xia Ge tried to sound earnest, "That thing was rushing to kill me. I grabbed the assassin's dagger, threw it at the Yuemei, and killed it." Gu Peijiu gave her a look, noting Xia Ge's ‘dead pig unafraid of boiling water’ demeanor. She mentally noted the obvious inconsistencies in Xia Ge's story—how easy could it be to snatch a dagger from an assassin? Moreover... Gu Peijiu surveyed the dead Yuemei on the ground and the corpse wearing it. The Yuemei's soul core was located at the shoulder, and the cloth covering it had been precisely cut by a blade. Such precision and control of force were extraordinary. With skills like these, Gu Peijiu found it hard to believe this person couldn't pass even the simplest Dan Peak fasting test. She frowned slightly. This child... [Ding! Congratulations! You've obtained the "Cunning Rascal" impression from Gu Peijiu! This impression increases your credibility with her by 10%. Please take note.] Xia Ge: "..." Stupid system. She really didn’t want to know what this eccentric senior sister thought of her! ...And what the heck is a "Cunning Rascal"? Why does being a "Cunning Rascal" increase her credibility by 10%? Does this senior sister have unusual tastes or something... While Xia Ge was internally grumbling, she heard Gu Peijiu say calmly, "I won't ask you any more unnecessary questions." Xia Ge’s inner monologue paused for a second—Really? That’s it? But happy moments never last more than three seconds. "Now, I give you two choices." Gu Peijiu continued, "First, you stay in the reflection cottage and copy the remaining Daoist Teachings." She glanced at Xia Ge, beautiful black eyes shimmering with a subtle light, "I know you only copied one sheet today." Xia Ge: "!!!" Seeing the crafty youngster in hemp clothes looking as if the sky had fallen, Gu Peijiu knew she was right. She felt a momentary headache. To think she really only copied one sheet... This kid’s trickery truly is foolproof. "Second choice. If you wish…" Despite her headache, Gu Peijiu continued, "As compensation for the fright you suffered, you won't need to copy the Daoist Teachings anymore. The deducted allowances will also be returned." Xia Ge was stunned, "What kind of choice is this?" "Hmm, I need a personal attendant. You have some good potential." Xia Ge: "..." Gu Peijiu tilted her head, speaking softly, "Or, continue copying the Daoist Teachings?"