31 - Dungeon Growth Log

### Chapter 31 Ye Ze hurried to the Suoxi Pill Pavilion and found Xia Ge there, huffing and puffing as she tried to ignite the furnace and toss in materials. “……” A young girl in a red and white maple robe was sitting nearby with a white, delicate hand holding a red-covered alchemy book. Her posture was elegant and upright, and her expression was calm and composed. When she saw Ye Ze, she was slightly surprised. But Xia Ge, who was painstakingly refining pills, had eyes that lit up instantly! {Little Golem, here's my chance to slack off!} System: “……” "Ye Ze?" Gu Pei Jiu frowned slightly, her voice calm. "What’s the matter?" Xia Ge looked at the doorway where Ye Ze stood as if she were seeing the rising sun and her life’s faith. Her actions of placing ingredients into the furnace slowed down. Unexpectedly, a nonchalant "smack" landed softly but decisively on her head, accompanied by the faint aroma of sandalwood. "Focus." “Ow, that hurt!” Xia Ge immediately clutched her head, feigning pain. "Ah, I can't do it anymore, my head hurts! Senior Sister, your hit seems to have struck my vital meridians—I don’t think I can continue—we should take a break!" She threw a sidelong glance full of SOS signals towards Ye Ze—— Ye Ze, this is your moment to rescue your bro from the flames! Ye Ze, however, seemed oblivious to her desperate glances, remaining indifferent. "Senior Sister, I have something I need to tell Xia Wu Yin." Hearing this, Xia Ge’s eyes brightened up like a thousand-watt bulb. So you did come here to rescue me from the fire and water! Good brother! I’ll definitely take you along when we go drinking at Mo Village in the future! I won't ever complain about your foul mouth again! I also have a lot to tell you! Gu Pei Jiu tapped the restless Xia Ge on the head again with the book in her hand, her voice thin, "No breaks. Speak after class." The first sentence was directed at Xia Ge, the second at Ye Ze. Ye Ze bowed his head, immediately conceding, "Yes." Xia Ge: "……???" Wait… are you really this weak in combat spirit? Are you really the protagonist?! You're acting like a background character!! Isn’t Gu Pei Jiu one of your future wives…? And you're this much of a coward in front of her?! Raise your head, look at your wife, and confidently refute her! Then heroically take your little brother, Xia Wu Yin, out for some fun! Go for some fun! But Ye Ze couldn't hear Xia Ge’s internal complaints. Faced with Xia Ge’s fiery gaze, he remained unmoved and calmly continued, "Senior Sister, may I wait here?" Gu Pei Jiu gave a slight nod in agreement, then glanced at the crestfallen Xia Ge who seemed to have lost her will. She gave a soft knock on his head again, her voice as calm as usual: "Let's continue." Xia Ge forlornly resumed tossing ingredients into the furnace. Ah, alchemy, so uninspiring, so tedious. As the sun set in the west. “Ah—it’s done!” Xia Ge, with a sooty face, dug out a greenish pill from the ashes of the furnace, tears of joy in her eyes, "Senior Sister!! It’s no longer black this time!!! Have I achieved mastery? Have I reached the pinnacle of my life—" Gu Pei Jiu was just about to say something as she looked at the green pill covered in black soot when she heard Ye Ze’s cool voice from the side. "Xia Wu Yin, fasting pills are brown." Xia Ge: “……” I take back what I said. That foul-mouthed brat Ye Ze either had onions or garlic today, his breath is truly foul. Ignoring him. Xia Ge looked pleadingly at the red-and-white-robed girl beside her, "Senior Sister..." The young boy, all sooty from digging through the furnace, held up the green pill appealingly, hoping for some recognition from Gu Pei Jiu. Inside, Gu Pei Jiu felt a strange emotion at the sight. This little trickster. He doesn't even realize his face is dirty. She approached him and took out a clean white handkerchief from her sleeve, gently wiping the soot from his face. The cool scent of sandalwood wafted softly, and the fabric felt gentle against his skin. Xia Ge looked at the girl’s jade-like fair face and felt her gentle movements. For some reason, she blushed a little. …She looked so disheveled now. “Mm.” Gu Pei Jiu returned the handkerchief to her sleeve and gently patted Xia Ge’s head, her voice clear like a flowing stream, “Much better than before.” The hand on his head was unbelievably gentle. Xia Ge snapped back to reality, suddenly feeling that the green pill in her hand was a bit of an eyesore, “...It’s green.” "It’s because some verdigris accidentally got mixed in during the refining process," Gu Pei Jiu explained calmly, withdrawing her hand after a pause, “That’s normal.” Xia Ge sheepishly grinned, “Hehe, is that so.” Gu Pei Jiu nodded slightly, “Class is over, you can go now.” Xia Ge immediately forgot the small matter of having failed the concoction, “Ah, class is over! Ye Ze, do you have any evening classes today? If not, let’s head down the mountain for a drink…” The young girl’s voice was cool and clear, “Xia Wu Yin, if I see you drinking at the foot of the mountain again, you’ll lose three months’ stipend.” Xia Ge: “……” Ye Ze looked at Xia Wu Yin with an expression that screamed idiot: “……” Xia Ge: “Ye Ze… let’s head down the mountain and have that, um, what?” System: “……” Host, you should just quit while you’re ahead, seriously. Leaving the Suoxi Pill Pavilion, the two headed down the mountain together. Without the pressure of Senior Sister, Xia Ge felt much more at ease. She yawned lazily, "Senior Brother Ye, what’s the matter?" You even went all the way to Suoxi, you must be in quite a hurry. Under the shadows of the trees, while Xia Ge was focused on concocting the pills earlier, she hadn’t noticed Ye Ze was wearing the Danshuang inner robes. But now under the dimming sunset light, the elegant inner robes highlighted his eyebrows with an indifference. Even in response to Xia Ge’s question, he remained silent. Xia Ge’s steps faltered slightly. …Ye Ze rarely wore the Danshuang robes in front of her, apart from that unusual incident at the Reflecting Pavilion. She came to a standstill. Under the heavy tree shadows, a young boy dressed in plain clothes with a green ribbon in his hair stood still, tilting his head and smiling wryly, “Senior Brother Ye.” Ye Ze also came to a stop. “...Can we still drink together?” She suddenly asked an unrelated question. Ye Ze’s pupils contracted slightly. After a long pause. “...We can.” “Oh.” After that, they fell into a heavy silence, the air grew stifling. The time was about right. Xia Ge crossed her arms and leaned lazily against a tree, staring at the red sky in the distance, finally breaking the silence, “Hey, Senior Brother, that outfit looks great on you.” Ye Ze clenched his fists and pursed his lips without speaking. “Just say it.” Xia Ge smiled, “What’s the matter that’s making our foul-mouthed Senior Brother Ye so troubled?” But this time, unlike in the past, he didn’t get upset by her words. He simply looked at her, silent. Xia Ge felt uncomfortable under his gaze, finally giving in and rolling her eyes, “Fine, I can’t take it anymore, what’s with that look? Just say what you need to say, I still want to go down the mountain for a drink!” “Senior Sister wants me to go to Sword Peak.” The young boy spoke quietly, “Xia Wu Yin, I’m leaving Dan Peak.” …So it's finally time. The young eagle was ready to spread its wings. Xia Ge’s eyes curved into a smile, “Congratulations.” Congratulations, you’re finally starting to grow strong. ——Before you become the sole master of the desolate Ye family, all the humiliation and sorrow are your foundations for strength, all the anger and hatred are your sources of wisdom. Hearing the light-hearted congratulations in Xia Ge's voice, Ye Ze felt an inexplicable rage. ——Did she really not care at all?! “…Do you not understand what I mean?!” The boy in elegant Dandong robes suddenly flushed red, grabbing Xia Ge by the collar. “Do you realize why you can live so leisurely on Dan Peak, Xia Wu Yin? Do you understand anything at all?!” ——Do you care about anything at all?! The setting sun was like blood. Xia Ge felt a bit helpless. Of course, she understood. No one understood better than she did. The difference between outer and inner disciples. Their disparity wasn’t just in the plain and Dandong robes; it was a fundamental societal divide. One was the master; the other was the master’s dog. And a masterless dog would be bullied. But a dog with a master, well, people would hesitate to bully it. After all, hitting a dog depends on the master. The boy’s voice lowered, resting his forehead on Xia Ge’s shoulder, full of complexity and fatigue, “Xia Wu Yin, I can no longer take care of you.” Dan Peak and Sword Peak were different. Once he was at Sword Peak, he couldn’t even protect himself; he no longer had the ability to look out for this person. Rarely did Xia Ge’s smile fade, and she fell silent. After a while. Ye Ze heard himself speaking. “Pass the exam, get into the inner sect of Dan Peak.” “I know, you just don't want to do it.” "If you wanted to, you could achieve it." Xia Ge said nothing, gazing at the vibrant, blood-streaked sunset. She suddenly felt that the phrase "The sun sets in the west, heartbreakers are all over the world" was very apt. It seemed that she hadn't returned all the classical poetry she learned to the PE teacher after all, which was great. She truly was an excellent student under the national education system. “...I won’t go to Sword Peak until your exam is over.” Ye Ze slowly let go of Xia Ge’s collar and closed his eyes. He turned away and left. He would continue to protect her with the status of an inner disciple of Dan Peak for now. ——“Xia Wu Yin, this is all I can do for you.” "Ye Ze." The boy, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. Ye Ze’s steps halted slightly. The blood-red sunset reflected in Xia Ge’s eyes as she leaned nonchalantly against the tree trunk with her arms crossed. “After you get to Sword Peak, don’t let anyone bully you.” Ye Ze: “……” “I’m serious. If anyone bullies you, tell me, and I swear I’ll help you beat them up.” Ye Ze snorted and headed down the mountain by himself. The boy’s back, clad in the elegant Danfeng robes, remained straight and proud. Both arrogant and noble. “Worry about yourself instead.” ——Don’t make me worry anymore, Xia Wu Yin. After Ye Ze left, Xia Ge looked up at the sky. System: “...So?” Xia Ge: “Finally, it's this day... Should I wrap up my Ghost Dragon Jade?” System: “Why wrap it up?” Xia Ge lifted her delicate fingers, and her silver ring shimmered. She deliberately adopted a coquettish tone: “Because I’m a refined young lady.” System: “...” Just shut up, really. Xia Ge picked some wild fruits on the mountain and wrapped them up. The sun had completely set, and the sky was filled with stars. Holding the pile of fruits, she looked up at the stars, then shyly spoke up, "Ghost Dragon Jade... I chipped one of its corners before, giving it to someone like that might look a bit shabby." System: “…” ... That’s really troubling for you. Xia Ge: “So, Doraemon Golem, is there anything in the points store that can restore items?” System: “...” Would it kill you to look it up yourself?! And what the heck is ‘Doraemon Golem’!! Author’s Note: 28653085 threw a landmine at 2018-05-28 15:42:34 Xing threw a grenade at 2018-05-28 23:35:08 Kuang threw a landmine at 2018-05-28 23:58:16 Chai Gui threw a landmine at 2018-05-29 00:26:23 Forty-eight Years Old Plane threw a landmine at 2018-05-29 07:28:42 Winter Sunshine threw a landmine at 2018-05-29 10:50:06 Fourteen threw a landmine at 2018-05-29 10:53:18 Shelly threw a landmine at 2018-05-29 13:28:14 Irony threw a landmine at 2018-05-29 17:36:24 = = Reader “Yue Zhi Ying”, irrigated with 12 nutrient solutions on May 29, 2018 18:58:24 Reader “Irony”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on May 29, 2018 17:36:24 Reader “Wang Si Xia Qing”, irrigated with 5 nutrient solutions on May 29, 2018 16:37:40 Reader “Fusheng”, irrigated with 40 nutrient solutions on May 29, 2018 16:23:49 Reader “Yi Ming”, irrigated with 30 nutrient solutions on May 29, 2018 14:13:09 Reader “Ni Feng Mu Geng”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on May 29, 2018 13:18:23 Reader “Jane Mo”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on May 29, 2018 12:11:20 Reader “An Miao”, irrigated with 15 nutrient solutions on May 29, 2018 08:04:09 Reader “Forty-eight Years Old Plane”, irrigated with 50 nutrient solutions on May 29, 2018 07:28:42 Reader “1”, irrigated with 2 nutrient solutions on May 29, 2018 04:09:06 Reader “1”, irrigated with 1 nutrient solution on May 29, 2018 04:08:09 Reader “Murmur”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on May 29, 2018 02:25:19 Reader “One Fish”, irrigated with 1 nutrient solution on May 29, 2018 00:09:12 Reader “”, irrigated with 20 nutrient solutions on May 28, 2018 23:47:52 Reader “Tang Jia Xiao Qi”, irrigated with 20 nutrient solutions on May 28, 2018 23:45:55 Reader “Cat”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on May 28, 2018 23:38:52 Reader “kryyyy”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions on May 28, 2018 23:13:03 Reader “Yuan”, irrigated with 2 nutrient solutions on May 28, 2018 23:03:59 Thank you all for the landmines and nutrient solutions! 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