10 - Dungeon Growth Log
Since it was evident to Xia Ge that there was no legitimate reason left to delay tidying up the Reflection Pavilion until Ye Ze finished his class, she begrudgingly began the cleanup. However, expecting Xia Ge to stay quiet was impossible. This character, except when eating buns, was as noisy as ever. Xia Ge propped up the remaining intact table, looking pained at the sight of the wreckage all around: “Little Puppet, were you sent by Senior Sister to torment me? Why do you always insist I clean up on her orders?” The System responded coldly, zeroing in on the key point: “I am not a ‘monkey’.” Xia Ge retorted: “You weren’t like this before.” The System remained silent. Xia Ge continued: “Have you been charmed by her? I remember you rated her beauty as SSS.” Finding further conversation unnecessary, the System chose to maintain a golden silence. Xia Ge sulked: “So biased! You rated me as ‘null’. Are you saying you look down on me?” This time, the System responded with directness: “Yes.” Xia Ge, feeling wronged: “...Don’t be like that, we still have to be friends.” System: A cold shoulder.jpg Dragging out the chore of cleaning the Pavilion for the entire morning, and not seeing a glimmer of Ye "Savior and Cleaning Expert" Ze, Xia Ge knew he wasn't coming. Feeling utterly exhausted, she finally finished cleaning and organizing the Reflection Pavilion. By the time she came back to her senses, Ye Ze’s lunchtime was already over. Sigh... How wonderful it would have been if she could have coaxed the leading man to help her. Xia Ge felt a pang of longing. The strength of that assassin girl remained extraordinary, and while sweeping, Xia Ge indulged in counting that the girl’s kick had shattered a total of thirteen pearwood desks—a sheer display of her power and merciless intent. With such ruthless attacks, there was no way the Yi Mei demon could have survived. In the end, blaming her for the death of Yi Mei made no sense. Overlooking the fact that damage to the corpse wouldn’t harm the Yi Mei demon, Xia Ge heaped internal condemnation on the other party for their unreasonable fuss, placed the broom back in its original spot, rubbed her eyes, yawned, and finally walked out of the Reflection Pavilion with the glazed wood in hand. Squinting at the dramatic sunset on the horizon, Xia Ge pondered aloud. “But... why would a girl from Sword Peak disguise herself as an assassin to come to Reflection Pavilion?” The System was startled: “How do you know she’s from Lingxi Peak? And specifically Sword Peak?” “It’s simple. She didn’t kill me,” Xia Ge explained matter-of-factly, "She kept saying she’d kill me, had plenty of opportunities, and in the end only burned my alchemy manual—" “If she weren’t from Lingxi Peak, how else would she know I was transcribing books? And specifically target them for burning?” The System found the logic a bit flawed: “Why would a disciple of Lingxi Peak know you were transcribing books..." Xia Ge elaborated: "Lingxi Peak’s Disciplinary Pavilion is where disciples are punished by book copying." Reflecting on this point, Xia Ge felt indignant again, “Such a vicious woman! Luckily, I only copied it once. If I had obediently copied it thirty times, even if she saved me, I would’ve removed her mask and dragged her to Senior Sister!!” The System snorted: “Huh? She saved you?” Xia Ge sighed, “Little Puppet, I never realized you could be so dumb.” System: “...” “She did save me,” Xia Ge patiently explained, “That Yi Mei demon intended to kill me.” Those poisoned shurikens on the chairs would have killed her if she had been the slightest bit careless. Therefore... “She absolutely must be a disciple of Lingxi Peak,” Xia Ge said nonchalantly. “I told her that Lingxi Peak has a ‘Skinship and Life-saving Debt, Must Be Repaid with Marriage’ rule, and she did not deny it.” System: “...” Emotional attachment is fleeting, but trickery ensnares hearts. Indeed, it was true that Lingxi Peak had such an absurd ancestral rule. It was said that five hundred years ago, the founder of Lingxi Peak established numerous such rules, which every disciple, whether from the outer or inner sect, had to memorize thoroughly. “Someone with the power to shatter over ten desks with a single kick could only come from a place like Sword Peak.” Sighing, Xia Ge dropped the topic, “Little Puppet, I’ve gathered all the materials. How do I proceed with the upgrade?” Aren’t you curious which disciple from Sword Peak it was?! Suppressing its curiosity, the System replied: "...Find a secluded place and follow the prompts.” “Ye Ze’s class is almost over—why do people compete for inner sect discipleship if it's so exhausting...” Xia Ge pondered, “Hey, isn’t tomorrow payday? Didn’t Gu Pei—no, didn’t Senior Sister say she wouldn’t dock my pay?” The System remained silent. Xia Ge, used to this, didn’t mind. The System had always been taciturn, and after she tricked it a few times, it became even more reticent. Sigh, Little Puppet had grown cautious, and with less conversation, it was becoming harder to trick it. Truly worrisome. “First, let’s fill our stomachs.” Dan Peak was an incredibly tall mountain, with the Reflection Pavilion built halfway up, surrounded by mist. The inner sect disciples typically either knew how to concoct Breath-Suppressing Pills or had already fasted, resulting in minimal need for food. Ye Ze also knew how to make Breath-Suppressing Pills. Unfortunately, Xia Ge never touched the stuff. Kidding. Eating was such a wonderful activity! Why on earth would anyone use a Breath-Suppressing Pill, such a human rights violation, to curb their desire for good food? Without desires, are you even human? Totally illogical! Xia Ge, a person who prided herself on her logic, would never take Breath-Suppressing Pills. Why learn to make something if you won’t eat it? Hence, Xia Ge didn’t learn to make Breath-Suppressing Pills. At the end of the day, it’s desires that drive progress. But speaking of Ye Ze’s ability to make Breath-Suppressing Pills... To be honest, Xia Ge had read "Wind and Moon Unbounded" and knew how useless the male lead was early on, but she never expected him to be this bad. When it came to alchemy, he was hopeless. When he first joined Lingxi Peak as an outer disciple, Xia Ge was splurging her daily copper stipend on food and leisure, while Ye Ze was scrimping and saving for materials, spending every day in Dan Peak’s library reading "100 Techniques for Concocting Breath-Suppressing Pills." Xia Ge had watched in wide-eyed astonishment as he ruined hundreds of Breath-Suppressing Pill ingredients. Despite having already become an outer disciple living comfortably at Dan Peak, she could eat and drink to her heart's desire, while Ye Ze couldn’t afford even a morsel. Xia Ge felt sorry for all the wasted money. Yet, simultaneously, she deeply admired Ye Ze’s dedication. She understood what he was striving for and what fueled his efforts, but that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was that this person was genuinely striving for something he wanted. So, despite having no innate talent, Ye Ze aced the first inner sect alchemy exam, producing the most perfect Breath-Suppressing Pill in the shortest time, outshining all other new disciples. For the first time, Xia Ge saw Ye Ze, who usually appeared so timid that he didn’t even resemble the male lead, as someone who shone with brilliance. Not because he was the protagonist, but because every hardworking person shines. Thus, from the penniless Ye Ze, he became an inner sect disciple, then someone who could make Breath-Suppressing Pills. And compared to that, the Xia Wuyin of past fun and games remained the same salted fish Xia Wuyin. However... Though hardworking people do indeed provoke envy, she still preferred a more carefree lifestyle. Xia Ge, chomping on a wild grass stem, strolled leisurely down the mountain. At the foot of the mountain lay a small village where outer disciples resided. Their day-to-day tasks included obeying inner disciples, and maintaining order in nearby villages and towns—a mix of background extras and neighborhood wardens. The Wind and Moon Continent was a magical place; in the setting of "Wind and Moon Unbounded," there were no countries, only numerous organizations called [Order] that governed the land. The various sects, akin to schools, produced outstanding disciples for [Order] to protect the populace. Lingxi Peak too functioned like a school, admitting only talented individuals. Those without talent—who couldn’t pass the inner sect entrance exams—could only remain as outer disciples, working hard for the inner disciples, cleaning up, and assisting [Order] with local village and town administration. Of course, they also engaged in some small business. Xia Ge spat out the wild grass, fished in her pockets, and found two copper coins. She descended the mountain and headed directly for the pancake shop at the village entrance. “Uncle Xu, do you have any flatbreads left?” “Right on time, rascal!” With a hearty laugh, the bearded Uncle Xu, shirtless and with his hair tied back in a dirty yellow headband, expertly wrapped a fresh flatbread in oiled paper for her. “Freshly made—why are you so late? And where’s Ye?” “He’s still in class.” The oil-wrapped flatbread was scorching hot, and Xia Ge juggled it a few times before grabbing a corner of the oiled paper, sighing, “He works too hard every day.” Uncle Xu laughed heartily, “Look who’s talking. You, slacking off as usual. Youngsters should be more like Ye, working hard every day.” “Uncle, you just don’t understand,” Xia Ge commented, finally feeling that the oil paper had cooled down. She let out a long breath and continued, “Working hard doesn’t necessarily lead to success, but not working hard guarantees an easy life.” Uncle Xu chuckled, “You’re just looking for excuses to slack off!” “Enough talk, Uncle. I need to get back to my hard work,” Xia Ge replied with a mischievous grin, unwrapping the crispy flatbread and taking a bite. She bid farewell to Uncle Xu and walked back leisurely. Hard work? Not a chance. After finishing her flatbread, she planned to lie comfortably in her little room all evening, and then collect her allowance tomorrow for a drinking spree! What? Senior Sister wanted her to learn alchemy at Suoxi? Not a chance.jpg As she strolled down the cobblestone path, with the sounds of chickens and dogs in the background, Xia Ge occasionally greeted familiar faces while savoring her flatbread. She squinted her eyes in contentment. Her beautiful days were just beginning, with money, meat, and fine wine on the horizon. Why waste such wonderful times on the tedious study of alchemy? Live in the moment, for who knows what tomorrow brings, and enjoy each carefree day to its fullest. The small village was quite peaceful, mainly home to outer disciples of Lingxi Peak. Those who had outgrown the age requirements for inner disciples and decided to stay had settled here, making a modest living. Day by day, they lived quite a contented life. Overall, it was a fairly stable place, well-suited for retirement... But then— “Ahhhhh—” A woman's piercing scream shattered the tranquility in an instant! The quiet village was suddenly plunged into chaos. “AAAAH! A puppet has appeared! Notify the mountain immediately!” Xia Ge sighed, “...” Well... sometimes, there were small disturbances that broke the peace. Clutching her flatbread protectively, Xia Ge saw that after the initial panic, the villagers quickly organized themselves. Being outer disciples of Lingxi Peak, they were experienced in assisting [Order] in subjugating puppets and had plenty of field experience, so they should be able to hold out until help from the mountains arrived. Despite the commotion, there should be no major trouble, and certainly nothing that concerned a salted fish like her. Xia Ge discreetly made her way along the edges, cradling her precious, half-eaten flatbread, heading steadily toward her little house. But before she could move a few steps, someone grabbed her shoulder, “Kid, don’t go that way!” Barely had she time to react— [Blue Alert! C-rank puppet detected nearby! Host must dodge immediately!] C-rank puppet?! “Wah—” The sound of a child's wails filled the air! Without time to see who had grabbed her shoulder, Xia Ge spotted a few black-clad, fang-masked puppets wielding huge scythes not far away, and a child who had fallen clumsily in front of them. Xia Ge's pupils constricted in shock! Demonic C-rank puppets... And that child! —Dammit!