13 - Dungeon Growth Log

The young girl in Xia Ge’s arms sobbed uncontrollably. Although Xia Ge wanted to comfort her, she didn't know what to say. Truthfully, she was more concerned about the pancake she had just thrown away than the act of comforting someone. So, where did she toss it just now? The pancake was firmly wrapped in oil paper; if she found it, she might be able to wipe it and eat it... System: "Didn't you just throw it away? Why are you looking for it now?" Xia Ge's expression turned serious: "Because it's not just a pancake." System: "…?" Xia Ge: "It's also worth two coppers! Do you understand? Two!" System: "…" Watching someone else be so petty can be an indescribable experience. “A pancake?” A strange yet somewhat familiar girl's voice sounded, and then Xia Ge felt her collar grabbed and herself lifted off the ground. "Do you want to eat a pancake?" Xia Ge: "…" For some reason, Xia Ge suddenly felt the urge to explain that she meant an edible pancake, not one of phallic nature... So she explained, "No, I was saying I lost my pancake..." Could you please put her down? She was still holding a young girl, and it was getting a bit heavy! Chu Yao raised an eyebrow slightly. "Lost?" She had seen that boy's ghostly speed when she arrived and the pancake that had been thrown only to be stepped on by someone else. Wasn't the boy the one who threw the pancake himself? Chu Yao frowned. And that speed just now... is it really the level of an outer disciple? Just as Xia Ge was about to continue explaining, she heard a familiar boyish voice. “Little brother… I just picked it up… Is this your pancake?” Without even opening her eyes, Xia Ge nodded immediately, “Yes, yes, it’s mine——” Whether it’s a golden pancake or a silver pancake, any pancake found on the ground is definitely her pancake! Li Liu, holding the pancake he'd treaded on twice, was about to apologize to the junior disciple who was being single-handedly held up by Chu Daren and tactfully offer to replace it. Instead, before he could say anything, he suddenly found his hands empty—— Li Liu: "Hey, it’s not…” How was she so fast even with her eyes closed... He watched as the junior disciple, with green hair ties, held the crying girl in her left arm and stuffed the pitiful pancake into her chest with her right hand. Cutting him off, she said, “Thank you, senior brother, for picking it up for me! I’m deeply grateful! May I know your honored name? I’ll surely visit to thank you someday for this act of pancake kindness!” Li Liu glanced at the green hair tie on the junior disciple’s head, feeling an indescribable sense of awkwardness. Little brother, are we even in the same sect... And what is this “act of pancake kindness”? Li Liu: "...No, actually that pancake is…” “Huh? Were you asking where to buy the pancake, senior brother? You can see Uncle Xu’s pancake shop as soon as you enter the village. His pancakes are really delicious, no need to thank me, go try it quickly, senior brother——” Li Liu: "No, that's not…” Chu Yao shot a cold glance over with her pale brown almond eyes, “Speak quickly if you have something to say!” As a disciple of Sword Peak, his stammering was frustrating to watch. Her words choked Li Liu into silence, and finally, he muttered, “Okay, forget it…” Xia Ge cut in briskly, “Senior brother, is there anything else?” Under Chu Yao’s icy glare, Li Liu broke into a cold sweat, hesitating: “…No, nothing.” ——Little brother, it's fine to grab pancakes with your eyes closed, but be sure to open them when eating. With that, an anxious Li Liu left. System: [Why didn't you let him finish talking?] Xia Ge: [He’d definitely gripe about me picking the pancake off the ground. What if he says it out loud? Do I have no pride?] System: “...” So you know it's picked off the ground, huh? Suffocating. Li Liu left, and the villagers around, intimidated by Chu Yao’s status as an inner disciple, dared not approach, observing from a distance and whispering. “Sword Peak really only sent Chu Daren down the mountain...” “Ah…” “But what if Chu Daren leaves Sword Peak...” “Still a long way off...” “Hey… you guys.” Chu Yao, lifting Xia Ge by her collar, cast a sidelong glance at the surroundings, frowning fiercely, “What are you looking at?! Got nothing better to do?!” The crowd scattered like startled birds. The young girl, exhausted from crying, hiccuped pitifully. Xia Ge, holding her, felt her arms ache and sighed helplessly, “Could you please put me down? Why keep holding me up?” With a slight frown, Chu Yao replied, "You're too short... I have something to say to you." She disliked bending over to talk to short people. Xia Ge was horrified, "Please, you don’t need to say anything more! I won't...won’t offer myself to repay the debt!!" A vein on Chu Yao’s forehead throbbed—excellent. Since meeting this boy, this was the second time she’d heard that unspeakable rule. She absolutely did not want to acknowledge the foolhardy rules set by some ancestor of Lingxi Peak! "No offering yourself in repayment," Chu Yao gritted out mockingly, "And besides, you're too short and not worthy." …This... This statement is quite loaded! Xia Ge stared in horror, "I'm so beautiful. If I were taller, wouldn't you forcibly take me?!" Chu Yao, relying on her willpower, managed to suppress the urge to throw the boy away instantly. She had seen thick-skinned people before, but never someone this ridiculously shameless! The young girl in Xia Ge’s arms couldn’t understand their heavily “meaningful” conversation. Crying until she could barely breathe, Xia Ge, despite her surprise, felt a tad worried—being held up this high by the Sword Peak hero made it difficult to safely lower the girl…no, to set her down. “...Even if you grew as tall as Sword Peak itself, I wouldn’t forcibly take you." Chu Yao gnashed her teeth, "That rule doesn't apply to me—” Xia Ge caught the crucial point, looking troubled, "I won’t grow as tall as Sword Peak... But even if I did, and you didn’t forcibly take me despite how good-looking I am, does that mean there's something wrong with your eyes?" Chu Yao: “...” It’s your brain that’s the problem, isn’t it? “Wah——!” The young girl sobbed, heart-wrenchingly. Chu Yao wisely gave up engaging in conversation with the fool, placing her sword back into its scabbard with a casual spin and then gently setting the tearful girl on the ground, resisting the urge to thrash the person she was still holding. “Hey, stop crying.” “It’s getting late, you should go home.” The girl trembled, her eyes brimming with tears, sniffled, “Sister, are you from Sword Peak?” Chu Yao, typically impatient, found herself unwilling to be harsh with the crying child, “Mm-hmm, I am.” Dealing with kids was such a hassle. “Will... will I become like you someday?” The little girl clung to her blue and white pants, her tear-stained eyes now bright as stars, "Become someone who can kill lots and lots of bad puppets with one sword..." Chu Yao raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. So, this little girl... admired her? She felt a moment of pride. "But it wasn’t me who saved you," Chu Yao said, holding up the pancake-clutching fool. "But I want to be like you!" the girl suddenly shouted, her tear-reddened eyes now shining with determination, "I want to be someone who can defeat bad people!" Xia Ge, relieved that the hero wouldn’t demand a beautiful person like her to offer themselves in repayment, yawned. Being held and swayed around while having not slept for two days was making her drowsy. But this little girl’s thoughts were a bit off. Chu Yao narrowed her eyes, a wild grin spreading across her face, “Foolish girl, what are you dreaming about? I am the strongest on the whole of Sword Peak. Want to be like me? You're far off.” Xia Ge, feet dangling in mid-air, listened lazily, disinterested. Who was more powerful, this so-called strongest person of Sword Peak or the one who had shattered fourteen pearwood desks with a kick? Oh...it reminded her that there was indeed a prodigious girl in Sword Peak in the book, whose swordsmanship led to unparalleled victories. She was the unrivaled blade of Lingxi Peak and the unequivocal legend of Sword Peak. But, legends were meant to be broken. Sigh, though now, Ye Ze didn’t seem like the kind to break legends. Chu Yao raised her chin, a sparkling canine tooth glinting at her lips, “But I allow you to admire me. Become the strongest person in Lingxi Peak after I leave Sword Peak!” The little girl stared at Chu Yao, and for a moment, her eyes shone even brighter. The teenage hero’s voice was wild and confident, “So long as I am on Sword Peak, no one can surpass me!” Xia Ge didn't need to open her eyes to know that anyone who could utter such words was naturally dazzling. But Xia Ge was very sleepy now. Xia Ge: Sigh, hardworking people are always so dazzling and enviable. System: You’re making sarcastic comments, aren’t you? Xia Ge: Why work so hard? Being a well-fed slacker is so much better. System: ...You should spend your life scavenging pancakes, garbage. Xia Ge shook her head. The confident Sword Peak girl didn’t manage to convey what Xia Ge wanted to tell the young girl. What a pity. After all, she was the prodigy of Sword Peak. But, young girl... Becoming a formidable killer and becoming a hero capable of saving others are entirely different concepts. However, some things can only matter if they’re said by someone naturally dazzling. People only listen to the victors. Unfortunately, Xia Ge was neither a victor nor anyone’s guiding star. She was just a salted fish—a person trying to save someone but always getting intercepted halfway. And the words of a salted fish hold no weight. The system tried to comfort her: "Just so you know, I looked it up. When a salted fish is pulled out of the water, its scales also glisten in the sunlight." Xia Ge: "Oh, maybe because it's on the verge of dying then." System: "..."