39 - Dungeon Growth Log

Xia Ge: “Yeah, I think so too. So, to prevent such a tragedy, we need to get out of here quickly.” A Chan smiled slightly: “The young master is quite motivational.” Xia Ge spoke earnestly: “Right?” Despite their conversation, both walked very slowly. This stone path was still adorned with night pearls every three steps, but there were no murals or formations between them, leaving it empty. “A Chan, what did the blue deer you saw look like?” Xia Ge asked casually. “It was a doe with blue plum blossoms,” A Chan's voice was gentle and sweet. “A few days ago, I was so tired from embroidering my wedding dress that I fell asleep and heard a child singing: ‘Lost deer, not to return… Yesterday deep in a dream I saw the deer, upon waking, I found myself in this stone room.’” Lost deer, not to return. Could it be that A Chan also has some karmic connection from a past life? “Did you check any other places?” Xia Ge inquired. “I am naturally timid…” A Chan's voice was mournful, “Fearful of encountering ghosts, I didn’t dare wander.” “Oh…” Xia Ge then fell silent, continuing to carry A Chan while walking forward. This time, the stone path seemed particularly long, and they hadn’t reached the end even after a long while. “Grumble...” Xia Ge paused, expressionless. “Hmm… I’m hungry.” Suddenly, she felt extremely hungry. A Chan’s eyes widened slightly, “Young master…?” “It’s nothing, let's keep going.” Xia Ge said no more and continued walking forward with A Chan on her back. A Chan was so light that it almost felt weightless. The system was a bit worried. “Host, are you alright? If we can’t find the way out...” “I will get out.” Xia Ge sighed, “I still need to win first place.” If you put effort into something, you must get results. If you promise someone something, you must see it through. That’s why living is so tiring. “Young master, look… it seems we’ve reached the end.” A Chan’s voice carried surprise, “There’s a wall ahead.” Xia Ge looked up. Indeed, a stone wall blocked her path, and on it was half of a colorful mural. In the half-mural, a woman in a green silk robe stood atop a mountain peak, surrounded by mist. Her gown fluttered in the wind; her eyes carried cold resolve. With hands as white as jade, she gently blew a bone flute. Her black hair danced in the wind, exuding elegance and unparalleled grace. However, the lower half of the mural was missing, the green mountain abruptly cut off, preventing a view of the scene below. Beside the mural, a poem was written in a flamboyant style. Propping up A Chan, Xia Ge pondered with some difficulty, “...The ancestor stands so high up...dressed so lightly, mustn’t she be cold?” System: “…” Absent the anticipated approval, Xia Ge regretfully turned to the poem and read it aloud, word by word. “White bones lament, flute’s sorrow ends, one sad song… final rest for the soul.” Xia Ge’s pupils contracted slightly. —Final rest?! A coincidence…? “Young master… So, what is this place, and who is in the mural?” A Chan asked softly, with a hint of curiosity, “I am very curious—can the young master tell me?” “This is the tomb of Ancestor Lingxi,” Xia Ge replied. “The person in the mural should be Ancestor Lingxi… Who would have thought she could play the flute? Quite the talent.” She could not play it herself. “So it’s Ancestor Lingxi.” A Chan seemed to understand. “Then… does the young master have a way to get through?” Xia Ge looked at the wall with some difficulty, “...Though it seems disrespectful to our ancestors, based on the situation, the only option is to break it.” System: “…” A Chan forced a smile. “Young master, can’t you think of another way?” Xia Ge carefully let A Chan lean against a side wall, then knocked on the mural with her scythe, producing a “thud-thud” sound. As suspected, it was not a solid wall. Xia Ge immediately felt confident. She turned to A Chan. “Wait a moment, don't worry, it will be fine soon.” Finished speaking, she raised her hand and swung the scythe at the head of Ancestor Lingxi in the mural! “Leave some mercy, young master!” A Chan called out. System: “Host, don’t commit sacrilege—” But before Xia Ge’s scythe could touch the mural, blinding golden light suddenly erupted from the wall! A tremendous force then violently threw Xia Ge back— An unfamiliar flute tune quietly began to play. In the depths of the underground tomb, rather than feeling eerie, the sound gave a sense of calm and ease. Xia Ge’s pupils contracted slightly. When bounced away, shadows flickered, and she spun mid-air, landing steadily on the ground. The golden light faded, and the stone wall shattered on its own! The flute tune mellowed, and a few gentle melodies accompanied the scattering fragments, gradually dissipating. Xia Ge stood up. Beyond the shattered wall lay an extraordinarily spacious stone chamber. The room was dazzlingly bright; the intense light made Xia Ge’s eyes ache. Squinting, she tried to see more clearly and couldn’t help but click her tongue. The walls of the chamber were encrusted with countless night pearls as though they cost nothing. The floor was no longer stone slabs but a layer of glass reflecting the luminance of the night pearls, creating a spectacle reminiscent of a starry sky, incredibly stunning. The flute music ceased. Xia Ge moved closer but dared not step inside. She cautiously observed the dazzling chamber, murmuring, “…Is this the end?” Beside her, A Chan rose, her red sleeves trailing, speaking gently, “It appears so.” Xia Ge: “…Isn’t this a burial chamber? Where’s the coffin?” System: “Maybe there isn’t necessarily a coffin.” As Xia Ge’s eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed at the deepest part of the chamber, atop a small glass-wood pedestal, something was placed. Under the crystal-clear reflections, the sandalwood chest appeared strikingly conspicuous. Xia Ge spotted the chest, feeling an inexplicable twinge, “...It looks like there’s a box.” A Chan responded with a soft “mm,” “Could it be… the ancestor’s ashes?” Xia Ge: “No coffin? Isn’t that too eerie?” Reduced to a mere box? For a venerable ancestor to end up like that? A box was bad enough, but why did the entire burial chamber lack any accompanying items beyond night pearls? How much did the ancestor like night pearls in life? While Xia Ge mourned for her ancestor, she suddenly heard the earlier serene flute music again. This time, the song wasn’t as leisurely; it carried an inexplicable sadness. Xia Ge instinctively looked back at A Chan. The young girl in the blood-red wedding dress stood beside her, staring blankly at the glass-wood pedestal and its box, her pitch-black eyes showing a complexity Xia Ge couldn’t decipher. However, it seemed she didn’t hear the music. Xia Ge paused slightly, “...A Chan, do you hear anything?” A Chan glanced at her, puzzled, “Sound? No.” So she didn’t hear it? What did this mean, then, this flute music— Just as she pondered, the flute melody suddenly rose to a crescendo! A dazzling golden light radiated intensely from the night pearls, causing Xia Ge’s pupils to contract. Across the glass floor, countless intertwined golden lines began to glow, meticulously outlining a formation Xia Ge did not recognize! As the formation was half-complete, a torrent of violent spiritual energy surged! The flute music turned tremendously stirring, as if playing a battle tune! Within the small stone chamber, a storm arose, echoing with wild songs. With the surge of energy, a huge tornado formed in the middle of the chamber, drawing the wind from the passage into the vortex! Xia Ge clamped her scythe against the stone wall, struggling to stabilize against the sudden suction force. But before she could catch her breath, she saw a flash of crimson; A Chan was being pulled into the vortex! Xia Ge’s left hand shot out, grasping a small piece of A Chan’s sleeve, “A Chan!!!” But the force was overwhelming. Xia Ge, weakened from spending too much energy in the chamber and with her stomach growling, felt her grip on the scythe weaken. She gritted her teeth, “...Don’t move!” Within the spiraling wind imbued with a fervent melody, Xia Ge saw flashes of golden light illuminating the glass floor. When the light cleared, Xia Ge gasped—a multitude of demonic puppets emerged from the golden glow! The stone walls also sprouted numerous black vines, growing rapidly. The pedestal with the glass-wood carving was now guarded by a puppet crafted entirely from glass wood. Its transparent body revealed a stone etched with symbols inside. Xia Ge’s pupils contracted slightly—that puppet’s stomach… contained a rune stone! Could this be the rune stone that allows for teleportation?!! The flute music surged to another climax! In an instant, countless black vines wrapped around A Chan’s clothes, a powerful force pulling from the opposite side. Xia Ge held onto A Chan’s sleeve with a death grip, not letting go. Her left hand, bandaged tightly, started bleeding from the exertion! Reopening wounds brought sharp pain. Xia Ge clenched her teeth. “Young master—” A beautiful woman, her black hair flowing and red dress resembling blood, looked at the black-haired youth with a hint of unusual emotion in her eyes, “Let go—” “Shut up!!” Xia Ge held onto the other’s sleeve tightly, forehead veins bulging, using all her strength to drag A Chan towards her— “I, damn it—am Lei Feng!” “Rip—” The fabric tore with a sharp sound. Like a snapped string, the grip abruptly loosened. Xia Ge's heart sank. Countless vines swarmed, entangling the lady in red, leaving behind only a torn piece of red silk in her hand and a lingering soft resonance. “—Lei Xiao Gong Zi, I will remember your life-saving grace.” The flute music began to descend, and the wind started to subside. Xia Ge blankly stared at the fragment of red silk in her hand. When she looked up again, countless thorny vines had penetrated the body of the woman clad in red, suspending her high. Her eyes were closed, her life uncertain, and drops of darkened blood slowly trickled down the vines, eventually dripping onto the gleaming, gold-etched glass floor. The vines were poisonous!! For a brief moment. Xia Ge felt an emptiness deep in her heart. “...Did I fail to save her?” “Is she... just going to die in front of me like this?” ——Just like many, many years ago. ——A friend dying right in front of her, powerless to stop it. The system urgently urged, “...She’s not dead! Host, snap out of it! She can still be saved!!” [Black Vine: A black thorny vine with a slow-acting toxin. Effect: The toxin can paralyze someone within three hours, and they will gradually lose consciousness after four hours.] The music of the flute surged again! In the massive stone chamber, the formation glowed with golden light. Countless puppets rushed at her, the intruder! Xia Ge abruptly snapped back to awareness, pulling out her scythe with a "shing" sound. The flowing silver ring shimmered briefly, and a blood-red fasting pill appeared in her hand! ——Now was not the time to be in a daze! “Three days,” Xia Ge swallowed the fasting pill, her eyes gleaming green as the puppet detection activated, revealing that the ones charging at her were all C-rank puppets. The larger puppet guarding the pedestal, the one that seemed to contain the teleportation rune stone in its stomach, was B-rank— “What, are all of Ancestor Lingxi’s puppets this useless?! I thought at least an SSS-rank puppet would be guarding this place. This is so pathetic, how could they be guarding the tomb—” Xia Ge tightened her grip on the scythe, “—It’s disgraceful!” --- **Author’s Note:** 1 landmine was thrown by user “小何” at 22:21:03 on 2018-06-04. 1 grenade was thrown by user “咕咕咕的七彩鸽子” at 23:35:47 on 2018-06-04. 1 landmine was thrown by user “柴归” at 23:37:43 on 2018-06-04. 1 grenade was thrown by user “咕咕咕的七彩鸽子” at 23:42:29 on 2018-06-04. 1 landmine was thrown by user “芸芸众生” at 23:47:30 on 2018-06-04. 1 landmine was thrown by user “零尘” at 23:49:17 on 2018-06-04. 1 landmine was thrown by user “迷失在笼子里小咪” at 23:55:30 on 2018-06-04. 1 landmine was thrown by user “迷失在笼子里小咪” at 23:56:00 on 2018-06-04. 1 landmine was thrown by user “猫叶子” at 09:06:46 on 2018-06-05. Thank you for the landmines! --- Reader “sheepdeer” watered with 20 drops of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 20:34:03. Reader “呱儿子去哪儿了” watered with 10 drops of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 19:12:43. Reader “胡不喜” watered with 1 drop of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 15:36:21. Reader “胡不喜” watered with 1 drop of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 15:36:18. Reader “一丘” watered with 10 drops of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 15:21:09. Reader “emmm。” watered with 9 drops of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 13:51:19. Reader “emmm。” watered with 1 drop of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 13:50:22. Reader “gabriel狐狸” watered with 60 drops of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 13:48:25. Reader “李木” watered with 20 drops of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 13:39:45. Reader “” watered with 1 drop of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 13:36:01. Reader “小狼君” watered with 10 drops of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 13:19:24. Reader “给我一个你” watered with 1 drop of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 13:19:05. Reader “果果” watered with 1 drop of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 12:08:39. Reader “ran” watered with 6 drops of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 09:16:12. Reader “没名字的名字” watered with 20 drops of nutrient solution on 2018-06-05 at 05:14:27. Reader “零尘” watered with 3 drops of nutrient solution on 2018-06-04 at 23:49:17. Reader “咕咕咕的七彩鸽子” watered with 10 drops of nutrient solution on 2018-06-04 at 23:37:17. Ahhh, thank you so much for the nutrient solutions, everyone~