27 - Dungeon Growth Log

### Chapter 27 Xia Ge looked up and saw, not far away on the mountain path, a girl dressed in hemp clothes with a red hairband being brutally pinned underfoot by a man in blue and white sword robes with a rat-like face. The man's face was twisted with a sadistic smile while the girl curled up in pain. "Who told you to block the path of my master?!" Hidden among the densely branched trees, Xia Ge could only now see that there were several other sword peak disciples in blue and white sword robes behind the man. Among them stood a girl likewise dressed in blue and white, but different from the others in that her wide white sleeves were beautifully embroidered with silver butterflies — so far away she couldn't see the girl's face clearly, but the silver butterflies gleamed blood-red in the sunset, strikingly eye-catching. ——"I really like butterflies. If one day, I'd embroider them all on my clothes." For a moment, Xia Ge was lost in thought. The rat-faced man's brutal treatment of the girl evoked no sympathy from the others, only hints of mockery and pleasure. "...I'm sorry..." The bullied girl curled up tightly, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... please..." The man gave a vicious kick to the girl's hunched back. This kick was so forcefully delivered that it sent her flying over three feet! "If 'sorry' worked, the Thousand Souls Sect could turn into a righteous sect!" The man spat, an expression of grim delight on his face, "Such spineless cowards of Dan Peak, only good at saying sorry! Hahaha, when it comes to facing the demonic cult, they'd be nothing but a bunch of soft-hearted weaklings!!" Sword peak disciples, often pampered and proud, commonly looked down on Dan Peak disciples, most of whom came from poor families. This was also why she dyed her red hairband green by accident and had never bothered to change it back. Less trouble that way. However, at this moment, the smell of fresh blood, mingling with the earthy scent of mountain plants, was unmistakably vivid like a dream. Outnumbered, and against sword peak disciples, the odds weren't in her favor. "Tsk." Xia Ge sidestepped to hide behind a beech tree, plucked a green leaf, and held it between her fingers, cold determination flashing in her eyes. "Chang Lu, that's enough." A girl's voice rang out indifferently, "Just let her remember this." That voice. Xia Ge's heart tightened for a split second, then she closed her eyes. "Heh heh heh, sure, sure! Did you hear that? Scram!" The rat-faced Chang Lu wasn't satisfied, storming over to the girl to give another vicious kick. Xia Ge's eyes flashed with icy determination, and the green leaf in her hand shot out backward! [Perfect Shot]! The green leaf transformed as it left her hand, becoming as hard as stone, imbued with fierce energy, slicing through Chang Lu's uplifted leg! "Ah—" A heavy thud and a blood-curdling scream echoed simultaneously, "My leg, my leg—who?!!" The surrounding sword peak disciples quickly drew their swords, scanning the area warily, but their eyes inevitably focused on the green leaf embedded in Chang Lu's right calf, horror creeping into their expressions. The leaf had pierced deeply into the right side of Chang Lu's calf, its bloody tip protruding from the left side, grotesque and terrifying. "Ah... it hurts—" Chang Lu's face twisted in agony, "Who, who, come out—" The basic version of [Perfect Shot] ensured projectiles would hit the puppeteer’s intended target, while the upgraded version infused the projectile with fierce energy, enabling it to pierce stone and metal, unstoppable and unwavering. Xia Ge held her breath, blending seamlessly with the overlapping beech branches and the color of her hemp clothes. If she remained careful, she might not— "Hiding, are we?" The voice of the girl was carefree, her gaze turning toward the beech tree where Xia Ge was concealed, lips curling in a half-smile, "Come out." —Even if we meet, we may not recognize each other. Regaining his composure, Xia Ge clutched the refined medicinal pill in his hand and then leisurely stepped out from behind the beech tree. "It's you—" Chang Lu's triangular eyes bulged as he glared at the hemp-clad youth emerging from behind the beech tree, eyes full of venom, "My leg—it's you!!!" "Huh? Me?" Xia Ge immediately adopted the look of a passerby shocked by the gathered sword peak disciples drawing their swords, "What did I do? Why are the sword peak brothers and sisters here?" His gaze shifted, landing on Chang Lu’s right calf, and he donned an even more frightened expression, "Oh my gods, brother, what's wrong with your leg?! How did it get so badly hurt?! Who dared to injure one of our Lingxi Sword Peak brothers?!" It was at this moment that Xia Ge saw the girl. Her black hair, silk-like, was tied back with a blue hairband knotted into a beautiful butterfly at the back. A crescent-shaped fringe adorned her forehead, her oval face pale like jade. With indifferently dark almond eyes, her thin lips wore a faint smile. Though a girl, she seemed younger than Xia Ge's own body, appearing about eleven years old. Clad in blue and white sword robes, her wide sleeves were intricately embroidered with a swarm of silver butterflies, almost coming to life in the sunset. Her posture was upright, and despite her youth, there was an innate haughty elegance in her brows. Indeed... "You brat—it was you just now!!" Chang Lu drew his long sword and pointed it at Xia Ge, his face contorted with rage, "Stop pretending!!" "What?" Xia Ge snapped out of it, wearing a confused expression, "What was me? I don’t know." "Kill him!" Chang Lu gritted his teeth, "Anyone who kills him, my Chang family will reward with a hundred mid-grade spirit stones!!" Nearby sword peak disciples were tempted, immediately pointing their swords at Xia Ge. "Hey, hey—" Xia Ge waved his hands, looking aggrieved, "Why me? I just came from Susie. Do you mean to say I hurt you, brother?" By now, Xia Ge was truly incredulous, gesturing at the wound on Chang Lu’s leg, "A flying leaf through stone...? Brother, do I look that powerful?" Chang Lu looked at Xia Ge's naïve demeanor, admittedly not resembling someone capable of wielding such extraordinary skill, but his frustration only intensified. How could a mere waste see him in such a humiliating state! Whether it was him or not, he had to die! Enduring the excruciating pain, Chang Lu sneered coldly, "If I say it’s you, then it’s you! Just accept your fate!" Typical sword peak disciple. Although it was indeed Xia Ge who did it, the attitude of 'it's my word against yours' was utterly infuriating. The Dan peak outer disciple beside them was curled up in pain, and the few sword peak disciples pointed their swords at Xia Ge, making the situation increasingly tense. The girl with embroidered silver butterflies on her sleeve just watched, a thin smile on her lips, her eyes indifferent to the situation. "Hey, hey—don't be like this, guys. We're all disciples of Lingxi Peak, wouldn't it be better to be harmonious?" Xia Ge raised both hands resignedly, "To be honest, this gentleman, I’m actually the inner disciple personally chosen by Dan peak’s chief disciple—" Afraid? Ha, even I have backing! "Bullshit!" Chang Lu, in agonizing pain, was desperate for a scapegoat. His philosophy was always deriving pleasure from others' suffering. He was now consumed with thoughts of making his opponent die miserably, regardless of who it was!! "Who is the chief disciple of Dan peak? And who the hell are you?! Why are you all standing there, get him—" "Wait." The voice of the girl with silver butterflies on her sleeve suddenly spoke up. "...Mistress?" Holding his leg, Chang Lu looked at Chu Yi, refusing to give up, "He—" "Let him finish." Chu Yi looked at Xia Ge, her eyes showing a hint of intrigue. This person... Chang Lu snorted coldly, mocking, "He's surely lying! This brat's hairband color is all wrong, and he's as skinny as a rake. Chosen? As if—!" "Hey, you’re out of line." Xia Ge glanced at the Dan peak outer disciple curled up behind Chang Lu, his brow furrowing slightly before speaking with a solemn expression, "The chief disciple personally said I had extraordinary bones and talent, making me an excellent candidate for alchemy. I didn’t believe it then—" Before Chang Lu could mock him, Xia Ge continued, "Until today when I made my first batch of pills—whether you believe it or not, I actually made ultimate pills on my first try!" Xia Ge brazenly lied, "Utterly exceptional!" System: “...” Your first attempt resulted in an explosion so bad not even pill remains could be found. The nearby sword peak disciples were stunned. No wonder, sword peak disciples prioritized swordsmanship and hardly knew much about alchemy, often looking down upon Dan peak's alchemical skills, thus knowing very little about it. Xia Ge, speaking naturally, took out two scorched "ultimate pills" from his pocket, his face deadly serious. "Look, this 'All-Reviving, Ultimate, Invincible Rejuvenation Pill' was concocted by me just like this! Today, our Dan Peak senior sister personally visited the Susie Alchemy Pavilion and gave me earnest instructions. Thankfully, I did not let her down!" System: "..." "You're spouting nonsense!" Chang Lu’s voice was laced with ridicule. "To me, those look like nothing more than two lumps of goat droppings you picked up from the road!" Xia Ge feigned shock. "How can such ultimate pills be compared to goat droppings? You’re a senior brother of Sword Peak, how can you speak so crudely!" While spinning his tale with full confidence, Xia Ge discreetly opened the system's points store. "Little Puppet, if I recall, don't you sell some practically useless Mary Sue holy water that, when sprinkled on anything, makes it sparkle with a brilliant rainbow sheen?" System: "…Indeed." System: "What are you planning?" The corners of Xia Ge's lips curled up slightly. {I'm looking for... someone who can appreciate the profound qualities of a pill, of course.} Author's Note: Huff and puff, I'm burying another clue. = = Reader "柴归" threw a rocket launcher at 16:12:57 on 2018-05-26. Reader "风葭" threw a landmine at 16:35:13 on 2018-05-26. Thank you, wealthy patrons (hugs). Reader "小獅2", watered the plant with nutrients +10 on 2018-05-26 21:00:07 Reader "1", watered the plant with nutrients +1 on 2018-05-26 19:59:36 Reader "繁笙旧梦", watered the plant with nutrients +1 on 2018-05-26 19:13:11 Reader "雪二纶", watered the plant with nutrients +1 on 2018-05-26 19:04:51 Reader "2", watered the plant with nutrients +10 on 2018-05-26 18:52:37 Reader "涼起647", watered the plant with nutrients +1 on 2018-05-26 17:38:05 Reader "舍得", watered the plant with nutrients +80 on 2018-05-26 17:22:14 Reader "李綺", watered the plant with nutrients +5 on 2018-05-26 16:59:43 Reader "注孤生", watered the plant with nutrients +10 on 2018-05-26 16:36:55 Thanks to everyone for the nutrient fluids!! = = Praise me, praise me (puffs out chest). Friendly reminder: Compliments like "little fairy," "pretty lady," "cute," "hardworking writer maiden," etc., just like long reviews, have a knack for hitting the weak spots of your decadent author, potentially resulting in double chapters! =w=