58 - Dungeon Growth Log

The Jinjiang Healing Soup Dumplings were really effective. After eating and taking a nap, Xia Ge felt as if she were pumped full of adrenaline. So when Gu Pei Jiu came in with breakfast, she saw the young person who should have been resting in bed already sitting on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a blanket, barefoot, and looking incredibly bored. "Morning, Sister." Xia Ge beamed, "It's another full-of-energy day." Hmm, what? Holding hands? Ah, at this age, some things are better left unthought of. Sister didn't say anything, so it's best to just let it be. Gu Pei Jiu, dressed in fresh Danfeng robes, glanced at the pair of small, white feet swinging off the bed due to not being able to reach the floor. She paused slightly, "Put on some socks." Xia Ge pouted, "Sister Bi Xi took my socks yesterday. I don't have any clothes left... She even wanted to take my pants!" Socks didn't matter, but the pants were definitely not up for grabs. Luckily, Bi Xi didn't truly intend to take them. She just gave Xia Ge a look of disdain and then took the socks away. Gu Pei Jiu: "...She should have prepared new clothes for you." Xia Ge: "No, no, no!" Just as Xia Ge finished speaking, Bi Xi entered with a sour face, laying a neatly folded hemp robe next to Xia Ge, "Miss had a set of outer disciple clothes altered for you the other day. It's just now ready." "Thank you." Xia Ge's eyes curved into a smile, "Thanks for the trouble, Sister." "You should thank the young lady," Bi Xi replied. "Thank you, Senior Sister," Xia Ge adapted quickly. Bi Xi said no more. Gu Pei Jiu spoke, "Bi Xi, you may leave." "Yes." After Bi Xi left, Xia Ge held the clothes and looked at Gu Pei Jiu, eyes sparkling, "Sister, you are so kind." Gu Pei Jiu said indifferently, "Getting up so quickly, aren't your injuries painful?" "I heal fast," Xia Ge laughed, "It doesn't hurt anymore." Gu Pei Jiu frowned slightly, "Even if it doesn't hurt, don't move around recklessly." "Oh..." Xia Ge pondered, "Sister, has Ye Shi Xiong... already gone to Jianfeng?" "He has," Gu Pei Jiu replied, "He wanted to come see you, but the procedures to transfer peaks are complicated. He probably didn't have the time." "Oh," Xia Ge sounded disappointed, "I see." Clean and tidy in her red and white Danfeng robes, the bloodstained outfit from yesterday seemed like a mere illusion. ——You should rest. ——Danfeng disciples, without trust, they cannot stand. Xia Ge's grip tightened slightly as she bit her lip, "Sister." "Yes?" "I went to the back mountain," Xia Ge looked at her, "Punish me." Gu Pei Jiu looked back at her, eyes cool and clear, "Is that all?" Xia Ge: "And...that jade was not an heirloom; it was a parting gift I intended for Ye Shi Xiong." Just as Xia Ge wanted to say more, she saw Gu Pei Jiu take out a familiar jade piece from her sleeve. The Ghost Dragon Jade, with its missing right corner, looked menacing yet incredibly familiar to Xia Ge. "What else?" Gu Pei Jiu pulled up a chair and sat down, casually adopting a posture for a heartfelt conversation, the jade in her hand glowing softly, "Why did you go to the back mountain?" Xia Ge: "..." This is cheating. "I... went to dig for Liuli wood." Xia Ge slumped, giving up, "I should just come clean." "The injuries on you?" Gu Pei Jiu raised an eyebrow slightly. The youth wrapped in the blanket said nothing this time, lowering her head, her hands clutching the bedsheet, silent. "Why aren't you talking now?" Gu Pei Jiu's voice was indifferent. "You said without trust, one cannot stand... I don't want to lie to you anymore." Xia Ge's voice was low, "So... let's not talk about it." Morning light gently seeped in. Before Xia Ge, who kept her head down, appeared a hand. Slender fingers, white as snow, and a thumb clasping a piece of jade with a missing corner. Xia Ge stared at the hand, momentarily unable to tell if the jade or the hand was more beautiful. She was dazed for two seconds before coming to her senses and looking up at the other person. The girl's eyes in her red and white Danfeng robes were clear and cold, "Take it." Xia Ge pursed her lips slightly and did not take it. "The injuries are on you." Gu Pei Jiu's voice was calm, "It doesn't matter if you don't say it. It's irrelevant to me anyway." "Take it; thirty recitations of the Danfeng precepts at the Thought Hall." Only then did Xia Ge reach out and take the jade. Her hand was small, matching her frail and slender stature. She slowly took the jade from Gu Pei Jiu's hand, her rounded fingertips brushing against the palm, causing a ticklish sensation. "...Thank you." "No need to thank me." Gu Pei Jiu calmly withdrew her hand, "I told you, Ye Ze has already gone to Jianfeng. If you want to find him, you'll have to go there yourself." The cool touch of her palm lingered. This child's hand was still very cold. "It’s okay, Sister. I can go find him now!" Xia Ge said, about to hop off the bed barefoot. Yet immediately, her shoulder was held down. The scent of sandalwood from the girl was cold and crisp. "Stay." She said calmly, "It's time to eat." So thin. Xia Ge, holding the Ghost Dragon Jade, looked longingly at the buns placed on the table, "Thank you, Sister... I'll definitely copy the Danfeng precepts properly!" After finishing her breakfast and changing her clothes, Xia Ge pushed open the door, feeling the long-lost sensation of sunlight. She looked at the jade in her hand and, after a heartfelt farewell to her senior sister, cheerfully went down the mountain. Bi Xi watched the boy going down the mountain with some concern. Although she didn't like him much, to be fair, his injuries were quite severe... Bi Xi hesitated and spoke, "Miss..." "It's none of my business what he does." Gu Pei Jiu gave her a cold look, "Why are you worried?" Bi Xi was left speechless. She didn't particularly worry either, but... Before, Miss, didn’t you seem more worried? After returning to her room, something light fell from Gu Pei Jiu's sleeve. She realized it was a green hair tie with a missing corner. She had found the hair tie on the back mountain. Originally, it was supposed to be given back to him with the Ghost Dragon Jade, but somehow, it was left out. The green hair tie lay in stark contrast to her white boots, much like the boy's bright smile. Gu Pei Jiu bent down to pick up the hair tie, her pale fingers intertwining with the bright green, much like fresh willow buds in spring. She clasped the hair tie in her palm and fell silent. == Carrying the Ghost Dragon Jade, Xia Ge merrily descended the mountain. The effect of the Jinjiang Soup Dumplings was really magnificent; she felt full of energy without any of the expected post-injury weakness. Only, she had to be careful not to strain the wound on her abdomen, or it would hurt a lot. First, she went to the carpenter at the village down the mountain. No more messing around with glazed wood boxes; she simply ordered a plain black wooden box. System: "..." Wouldn't this have been easier from the start? Making a small box was simple and wouldn't take long. Taking advantage of her free time, Xia Ge went to buy some gold-colored brocade from Aunt Zhang at the fabric shop. Whether it was buying the box or the brocade, she noticed that everyone looked at her strangely. ...Excitement? Curiosity? Or... something? Whatever it was, it resulted in almost a hundred percent turn-back rate. "Hey, hey, look..." "Is that Xia Wuyin?" "..." Their stares gave Xia Ge goosebumps; she felt they were discussing her behind her back, but it was awkward to ask directly. At moments like these, she really missed Ye Ze. If Ye Ze were here, he'd definitely mock her first and then arrogantly spill the beans on everything she wanted to know. Sigh, she really didn't have many friends. The only person she could have a drink and chat with had gone. System: "Not to state the obvious, but why didn't you join him at Jianfeng? You know the plot—" Xia Ge: "...Little Puppet." System: "Hm?" Xia Ge's expression became sorrowful: "Would you really let your host run thirty laps around Lingxi Peak under the scorching sun? Would you let your host patrol the three peaks with a sword until three in the morning? Would you let your host wake up at four in the morning to do morning exercises? Would you?" System: "..." Honestly, a bit of training sounds good to me. Xia Ge's face remained expressionless: "I know you would, but I'm not that dumb." After picking up the box from the carpenter's, Xia Ge returned to her little wooden house. She meticulously cut the brocade into two pieces, placing one inside the box to cushion the Ghost Dragon Jade, while using the other piece to wrap the outside of the box, tying a simple knot. "Ah, exquisite." Xia Ge stroked her chin, quite pleased with her handiwork, "Even though it's not a glazed wood box, this is still good. The gesture is what counts, right?" The system decided to stay neutral: "When do you plan to give it to him?" Xia Ge looked at the sky; it was only noon, "I go to Beast Peak often, but I've never been to Jianfeng." As to why she didn't go... Well. The boys and girls of Jianfeng could be quite aggressive, with a strong fighting spirit. For safety reasons, she rarely set foot there. Placing the box in her ring, Xia Ge thought for a moment, "I don't know where Ye Ze has been assigned at Jianfeng... I'll scout the situation tonight, and in the meantime, I'll go to the Thought Hall to look up some information and copy the Danfeng precepts thirty times." Xia Ge touched her bandaged wound; thirty copies, clearly, her senior sister was going easy on her. Unable to stand the strange looks from the people around her after stepping out, Xia Ge decisively took the shortcut to the Thought Hall. Although the Thought Hall was a place for reflection, it also contained many texts. Since Danfeng had many disciples from humble backgrounds, there were few who made mistakes. If disciples from other peaks did err, they rarely received the punishment of copying texts in the Thought Hall—Jianfeng disciples, for instance, might be punished by running a hundred laps around the three peaks, while Beast Peak disciples might be punished by making their summoned beasts run a hundred laps, which supposedly caused them more heartache than running themselves. Of course, some quirky instructors might still send people to the Thought Hall to copy texts. In reality, of all the sneaky and mischievous Danfeng disciples, Xia Ge had essentially claimed half of the Thought Hall for herself. The Thought Hall was built against the mountain. The sunny spot where Xia Ge often copied texts was clean and orderly, no trace of the previous mess left by the Yi Mo's attack. Pearwood desks were neatly arranged, and just a few steps further lay the wooden door to the library. Xia Ge entered the Thought Hall and retrieved her identity jade token, pressing it into a concave slot beside the door, where it fit perfectly. The wooden door slowly rose, revealing the concealed library carved into the mountainside. Xia Ge, familiar with the place, stepped inside as the door slowly closed behind her. The dark pathway was faintly lit by candles in the stone walls, making it not too dark. "Every time I enter this door, I feel like I'm walking into a super cool secret passage, as if, at the end, there might be a treasure chest that could make me rich overnight," Xia Ge mused, stroking her chin. She reached the end and gazed at the rows of bookshelves, sighing, "Sadly, reality is always disappointing." The system, after a long silence, finally remarked, "...There is a golden house in the books." Golden house? Xia Ge: "Non-existent." System: "...So what are you here to find?" Xia Ge walked over to the shelf labeled 'History,' her lips curving slightly as she gazed at the thick volumes lined up on the shelf. "I'm here to find clues about the Soul-Calming." No golden house, but maybe some traces of beauty, like the presence of Lingxi Laozu. Author's Note: Sorry if the quality suffers due to exams recently. I'll try to write more tomorrow. == Idle moment, threw a landmine on 2018-06-21 23:45:51 only threw a landmine on 2018-06-22 07:54:45 Yu Li Yusheng threw a landmine on 2018-06-22 12:22:53 Shuang Chen threw a landmine on 2018-06-22 14:28:24 I'm tired threw a landmine on 2018-06-22 18:04:39 You might not believe it threw a landmine on 2018-06-22 22:03:49 You might not believe it threw a landmine on 2018-06-22 22:03:54 You might not believe it threw a landmine on 2018-06-22 22:04:21 Chen Su threw a landmine on 2018-06-22 22:42:28 Thanks for the landmines, everyone! == Reader "boluoboluome," irrigated with nutrient solution +3 on 2018-06-22 22:36:17 Reader "irony," irrigated with nutrient solution +10 on 2018-06-22 22:23:20 Reader "You might not believe it," irrigated with nutrient solution +3 on 2018-06-22 22:03:07 Reader "Mo," irrigated with nutrient solution +20 on 2018-06-22 21:49:22 Reader "←ran," irrigated with nutrient solution +23 on 2018-06-22 21:24:59 Reader "Old Rain," irrigated with nutrient solution +2 on 2018-06-22 21:03:56 Reader "Gu Gui," irrigated with nutrient solution +1 on 2018-06-22 19:03:14 Reader "Seems Like Flowing Years," irrigated with nutrient solution +1 on 2018-06-22 16:40:27 Reader "Falling Leaf Following Wind," irrigated with nutrient solution +10 on 2018-06-22 16:38:59 Reader "Yuzao's Brother-in-law," irrigated with nutrient solution +1 on 2018-06-22 16:22:58 Reader "Chilly," irrigated with nutrient solution +70 on 2018-06-22 14:55:50 Reader "Liang Yan," irrigated with nutrient solution +1 on 2018-06-22 14:52:09 Reader "Drama Queen," irrigated with nutrient solution +1 on 2018-06-22 12:20:46 Reader "Zhang Goudan," irrigated with nutrient solution +1 on 2018-06-22 11:51:12 Reader "", irrigated with nutrient solution +1 on 2018-06-22 09:27:52 Reader "Eighteenth Prince," irrigated with nutrient solution +1 on 2018-06-22 08:42:36 Reader "Cutie," irrigated with nutrient solution +1 on 2018-06-22 02:20:58 Reader "Male Prostitute," irrigated with nutrient solution +6 on 2018-06-22 01:10:23 Reader "Gu Yue Sheng Sheng," irrigated with nutrient solution +80 on 2018-06-22 00:43:00 Reader "Falling Leaf Following Wind," irrigated with nutrient solution +20 on 2018-06-22 00:27:17 Reader "Flying Immortal Gazing at Snow," irrigated with nutrient solution +10 on 2018-06-22 00:19:27 Reader "Village Rain," irrigated with nutrient solution +1 on 2018-06-22 00:13:54 Reader "Jockey," irrigated with nutrient solution +20 on 2018-06-21 23:51:55 Reader "Jin Ke," irrigated with nutrient solution +10 on 2018-06-21 23:36:47 Thanks for the nutrient solutions, everyone! Love you all!