34 - Dungeon Growth Log

With great care, Xia Ge tossed the elixir materials and two refined golden elixirs provided by the senior sister into her Flow Silver Ring. Holding a brand-new elixir book gifted by Gu Pei Jiu, she felt genuinely delighted. In high spirits, Xia Ge descended the mountain without taking any shortcuts, choosing instead to walk down the stone steps. The main path of the Elixir Peak comprised 999 stone steps, turning and winding up to its peak. It made walking convenient, though completing the journey was a test of one's endurance. But descending was easier than ascending. Since Suoxi was midway down the mountain, Xia Ge took the main path. The stone steps were bustling with people, and Xia Ge saw many unfamiliar faces. Some faces were very young, not even wearing the red headbands of Elixir Peak. "These must be the new disciples recruited by Elixir Peak." Eyeing the youthful faces passing by, Xia Ge rubbed her chin. "This year's competition should be lively." Time had flown while she was being a lazy fish. Just as Xia Ge was about to leave, an odd sensation suddenly crept into her heart. She abruptly halted, clutching her chest. This feeling...? It was akin to the sensation she had when she first created the Liuli puppet, being emotionally drawn in. The Liuli puppet was nearby! Xia Ge quickly turned her head. However, all she saw were rows upon rows of unfamiliar young faces, no one she recognized. And that feeling was fleeting. Standing still, Xia Ge didn't move. "Xiaoge, is the Liuli puppet nearby?" The System hesitated. "It seemed like there was a trace... just now." A faint green light flashed across Xia Ge's eyes as she scanned the crowd sideways. —[Puppet Detection] [None] No puppets detected. There was no level panel for the puppet, nothing at all. But that fleeting moment couldn't have been an illusion. The System pondered, "It's possible the other party used a white talisman to hide their puppeteer aura. With the talisman's protection, even puppet detection wouldn't reveal anything." Xia Ge switched off the puppet detection, rubbing her chin. "This is intriguing..." During Lingxi Peak's recruitment of new disciples, did the Thousand Souls Sect send someone as a spy? Considering Bai Ren and Bai Luo's short stature and doll-like faces, they could easily blend in with a bit of disguise. She once tried to plant a puppet into the demon sect but failed due to the distance. Who knew the situation would take such an unexpected turn? It was hard to say if it was a blessing or a curse. The System hesitated. "Host... what are you planning?" Xia Ge replied, "Nothing in particular." "But it's quite strange." She thought for a moment before furrowing her brow, "By the way, does the part where Ye Ze is at Lingxi Peak in the book involve the demon sect?" The Thousand Souls Sect was merely a background element in the earlier stages of "Boundless Wind and Moon," mainly to provide context that there was a formidable demon sect for the protagonist to level up against later. In the early stages, before the male lead became powerful, it was just a setting piece. "Host, I don't recall some parts of the plot," the System reminded. "Some functions are damaged and can only be restored by continuous upgrading. But you must follow the plot..." Xia Ge rolled her eyes. A System that didn't remember the plot required her to follow it? Nonsense. If not for her laziness and the convenience of following the plot to avoid unknown butterfly effects, she would have long overturned the entire story. In the future, however, driven by her humanitarian spirit, some ridiculous plot points in the book would definitely need changes. Unable to find the disguised Bai Ren and Bai Luo, Xia Ge let it go. Sooner or later, they would reveal themselves to cause trouble, no rush. Thinking this way, Xia Ge relaxed and continued her leisurely walk down the mountain. "Hey, by the way, Xiaoge, why do you insist on me following the plot?" "I don't know, but you must follow the plot." "That's quite suspicious of you." "......" "Xiaoge? Hey, don't ignore me, I'm just kidding." "......" "If you don't talk, I get bored......" "......" "Sigh, forget it." Feeling a bit regretful, Xia Ge returned to her little nest. Her first action upon returning was to wash up and go to bed. System: "......" Wait, don't you have many things to do?! What kind of absurd operation is 'wash up and go to sleep'?! Outside, it was just noon, with the sun shining brightly. Although the door was tightly shut, the glaring sunlight still pierced through the tattered paper window, making the room quite bright. But there were always ways to deal with such things. "Ah... so comfortable." Xia Ge found the cloth strip she used to cover her eyes last time, tied it, stretched lazily, then lay on the bed properly. She sighed contentedly, "Wouldn't it be great if one could stay in bed for a lifetime?" System: "......" "Although you're ignoring me, I actually trust you a lot, Xiaoge," Xia Ge muttered while curling up under the quilt, yawning, "So sleepy..." The System paused, "Just sleep then, you're so talkative." Xia Ge drifted into a hazy dream. In the dream, someone stroked her face, their voice ethereal and distant. "...I will be your army." "Please, don't abandon me." The murmur faded, replaced by the clear, sweet voice of a young girl, singing an incomprehensible yet joyful nursery rhyme, which gave a headache. "......Lost path, no return...... Foolish girl, silly puppet, threading sugar figurines; Making candy people, dragon people, throwing beans to make wooden people... Warlords and kings buried in yellow earth, white bones waiting for one's return—giggle-giggle..." "Giggle-giggle..." Are you a chicken? Giggle-giggle what? Besides, who uses wooden people and girls to thread candied hawthorns? Come here, let's have a chat! What kind of nonsensical song was this! A sense of inexplicable frustration arose, and Xia Ge pulled off the cloth strip from her eyes, rubbing her temples in slight pain as she woke up. Checking the time, well, she had slept right from noon to midnight. "What kind of nonsense were they singing..." System: "???" Xia Ge: "Nothing, just had a dream." She got up and deftly began changing clothes. The System noticed something off, "What are you doing?" Xia Ge put on nightwear over her undergarments, as if it was the most natural thing to do. "Running some errands." System: "......" Wearing the Ghost Dragon Jade and rolling up her sleeves, Xia Ge declared, "I don't believe the Liuli wood in the back mountain can vanish overnight. No matter how skillful, there's bound to be some leftovers!" System: "Must you find it... why not get a wooden box from the carpenter's next door?" Xia Ge sighed deeply, "Because only Liuli wood can demonstrate my sincerity in not deliberately damaging the Ghost Dragon Jade." System: "......" No, no matter how luxurious the Liuli wooden box is, it has nothing to do with you not deliberately damaging the Ghost Dragon Jade, really. Sneaking to the back mountain, Xia Ge skillfully avoided Jianfeng's watchful eyes, "Besides, Xiaoge, have you heard the story of buying the case to return the pearl?" System: "......" I concede defeat.jpg Thus, living a reversed day-night cycle, Xia Ge adopted a night owl lifestyle: sleeping during the day to conserve energy and searching for Liuli wood at night. However, her efforts yielded minimal results. System tried to persuade, "You won't find Liuli wood in the back mountain, why insist on it?" Xia Ge: "I don't know." System: "......" Xia Ge: "Initially, I thought I could find it. Now that I can't, it feels like there's nowhere else to go at night." Oh, so you mean you're already adjusted to this reversed day-night cycle and don't want to revert, so you're playing in the back mountain out of sheer stubbornness? System: "...... Can't you read books in the house?" Xia Ge: "Too many candles wasted, I'm poor." System: "...... You'll get caught in the back mountain sooner or later." Xia Ge hummed but didn't respond. Actually, she didn't know why, but recently she felt as if something was drawing her to the back mountain. Not the Liuli wood, but something else. Xia Ge glanced at the bright moon outside, her heart beating slightly faster. ... She had to go. Meanwhile, Ye Ze found it strange that Xia Wuyin next door, who usually spent his days eating, drinking, and playing, was behaving like a changed person. He was always buying buns and pancakes early in the morning and then staying indoors, studying rigorously, with no visits to drink or wander around. He seemed to be diligently preparing for exams, displaying a sense of perseverance and diligence Ye Ze appreciated. It appeared his words that day hadn't gone in vain. That little fellow had surely taken them to heart, now dedicating himself to intensive studies, reminiscent of Ye Ze's own younger days. Under such circumstances, it wasn't right to disturb him. In reality. By day, inside the room. The blank elixir book Gu Pei Jiu gifted was casually tossed onto the table. Xia Ge, embodying the image of a diligent student, comfortably turned over in bed, naturally hugging her wooden pillow, drooling, "It smells like roasted chicken... so fragrant... I want to eat..." System: "......" By nightfall. Xia Ge almost treated the back mountain as her private garden. Under Xia Ge's Ghost Phantom Technique, the patrolling Sword Peak disciple, as oblivious as a wooden puppet, didn’t detect anything amiss. After much effort, Xia Ge unearthed a tiny Liuli Tree from a clump of weeds beneath a cedar tree. Staring at the fingernail-sized, faintly glowing Liuli Tree under the moonlight, Xia Ge remained silent for a long time. The System couldn't bear it: "Let it go. It's still just a child." Xia Ge sneered, "I’ve been digging in the back mountain for days and only found this one. You expect me to let it go?! Who’s going to let me go if I do?" System: "......" So why are you so set on using Liuli wood? Confused.jpg But a fingernail-sized Liuli Tree obviously couldn’t grow overnight. While the System was contemplating, it suddenly heard Xia Ge's wistful voice, "Doraemon puppet..." System replied flatly, "Plant growth liquid is available in the points shop, but it only works on ordinary plants. It’s useless on spirit wood. If you want spirit plant growth liquid... you’d be better off getting a surprise gift box." As the System spoke, Xia Ge had already opened the points shop, glanced at the impressive zero behind the [Spirit Plant Growth Liquid], and silently closed it. Indeed, in this world, there's no reprieve for the poor. But she was unwilling to give up. Focusing on the small glowing Liuli Tree in the shrubbery, Xia Ge asked, "How many points could it be worth?" System: "One point, maybe." The Liuli Tree really is just a child. Begging you to let it go. "Tasteless, but a pity to waste," sighed Xia Ge as she stood up. "It's a chicken rib." "Yoo yoo..." Just as Xia Ge was lamenting, a low, indeterminate cry suddenly echoed from deeper within the forest. In the deathly quiet of the back mountain, where even the cicadas didn’t chirp, the call was especially eerie and abrupt. Only then did Xia Ge realize that, in her quest for Liuli wood, she had unknowingly ventured beyond the back mountain's outer perimeter into its depths! No wonder she hadn't found any Liuli wood in the outer perimeter after several days, but here was a tiny one. "Yoo yoo..." I need to leave this place immediately! Xia Ge stood up, about to activate the Ghost Phantom Technique, when a heart-wrenching shriek pierced the air. Several dark shadows erupted from the dense undergrowth, charging at her with murderous intent! "Aw—" "Aw—ooo—" A flash of ferocity passed through Xia Ge’s eyes. With a silver gleam from her tail ring, a massive scythe materialized. Gripping the handle, she swung it horizontally without hesitation, cutting down the cedar tree where the Liuli wood grew. Leaping up, Xia Ge kicked the trunk, sending it crashing towards the dark figures. Using the momentum to activate the Ghost Phantom Technique, she flashed several times away from her original spot. The place she had been standing was immediately peppered with old swords, and the fallen cedar caused a domino effect, toppling three to four other trees. The last tree even uprooted, resulting in a cacophony of crashes and a scene of total disarray! Author's Note: A big thanks to the following for their support: Cat Boss threw a landmine - June 1, 2018, 07:30:49 Cat Boss threw a landmine - June 1, 2018, 07:31:09 Cute Little Hedgehog threw a grenade - June 1, 2018, 11:01:58 Moshang Huakai threw a landmine - June 1, 2018, 17:22:19 Thank you all for your landmines and grenades, I love you all! = = Reader "Chen Yanran" irrigated with 20 bottles of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 18:00:51 Reader "Ming Buhu" irrigated with 2 bottles of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 13:33:44 Reader "Zui Sha Chang" irrigated with 10 bottles of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 13:23:52 Reader "Baicha" irrigated with 1 bottle of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 12:35:45 Reader "Xijing" irrigated with 1 bottle of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 12:18:28 Reader "Nao Zi Jin Shui Hui Sha" irrigated with 10 bottles of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 10:41:43 Reader "Yue Zhi Ying" irrigated with 1 bottle of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 08:41:52 Reader "Bu Xiao" irrigated with 10 bottles of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 08:38:04 Reader "Shiba Shi Zi" irrigated with 5 bottles of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 08:32:24 Reader "Tong" irrigated with 10 bottles of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 08:22:09 Reader "" irrigated with 10 bottles of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 07:04:23 Reader "Xue Er Lun" irrigated with 1 bottle of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 05:45:26 Reader "Watermelon Loves Potatoes" irrigated with 10 bottles of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 00:14:33 Reader "Luo Shu" irrigated with 10 bottles of nutrient solution on June 1, 2018, 00:05:54 Thank you all for the nutrient solutions~ Here’s your extra chapter as promised at 11:30~ Happy Children's Day =w=