61 - Dungeon Growth Log

Chu Yao left, but Xia Ge didn’t. She squatted silently for a while in the small forest, lost in her thoughts. Finally, she activated her stealth skill and stealthily made her way back to Ye Ze's place. Though Ye Ze's residence was in the new disciples' accommodation area on Sword Peak, Xia Ge noticed that his place was quite isolated compared to where other disciples lived. It seemed intentionally placed to be out of the way, giving off an air of solitude. When she came during the day, she didn’t notice it amidst the bustling crowd. But now, in the stillness of the night, the small house stood out conspicuously and awkwardly. After a brief survey, Xia Ge settled herself on the tip of her toes atop a locust tree behind Ye Ze’s house. At that moment, she heard mocking voices from below. "What’s the matter? They came eagerly, and this is how you treat them?" "Oh dear, it's making me feel so sad I could cry—" "You think that by doing this, we won’t cause him trouble? All those with ants are ants themselves—" Accompanied by the dull thud of fists and feet, Xia Ge’s heart pounded. She looked down to see a young boy curled up beneath the tree, being beaten mercilessly. Almost by instinct, she plucked a leaf from the tree and, with a swift and precise throw, aimed it at the assailants! 【Warning! Prohibiting the alteration of the established plot!】 Just as the wind-imbued leaf was about to pierce through the chests of the three attackers, it suddenly became loose and weak. The system's warning was sharp and jarring. Xia Ge’s pupils contracted slightly, watching as the leaf fluttered down powerlessly and the assailant's fist plowed through it, landing harshly on the boy's face. A surge of anger flared up within her. “小傀！” The system’s voice was mechanically indifferent. 【Host is prohibited from altering the established plot】. Pulling up the skill panel, Xia Ge realized all her skills were disabled. Even the points shop wouldn’t open. She yearned to rush down and beat them up, but she knew that would be the most foolish approach. Even if she had her skills, she wasn't sure she could take them on. Even if she could— Ye Ze wouldn’t want her to see him. If she rushed down, it would only make him feel humiliated. Xia Ge slowly clenched the box in her hands. Having spent so much time together, she understood what kind of person Ye Ze was. Maybe she was being presumptuous, but Ye Ze... He didn’t want to appear utterly pitiful in her eyes, nor did he want to seem unattainably excellent. He was striving to maintain a balance— Both proud and humble. He would wear plain clothes to skip class and drink with her when he qualified to wear prestigious robes. Yet, he felt immense shame when she saw him in a pitiful state. That’s why he said those words before. She understood, so she said nothing. —But precisely because of that, he should not be bullied! He should always be proud and never feel any hint of humiliation in front of her. The moon was obscured by clouds, casting the surroundings into darkness. "What’re you glaring at? You think I won’t gouge your eyes out?!" A tall, thin figure sneered, kicking the boy's stomach, “Still acting tough, huh?” —Enough! Stupid as it might be, it’s better than watching him get beaten up! Xia Ge couldn't bear it any longer and was about to leap down when a dull thud echoed. The previously arrogant tall, thin figure was suddenly kicked to the ground by someone! "Who?! Who kicked me? Who dares to kick me—my father is—" The other two attackers also looked bewildered. In the deep night, a girl's voice, as cold as the wind, cut through the air, "Who is your father?" The voice was familiar yet carried an unfamiliar menace. Accompanied by the sound of ribs bending under pressure— "—Is he as much of a trash as you?" "Who—who?!" The two remaining attackers panicked. One of them weakly threatened, "I’ll tell you, my father is the head of the Qian family in Jinzhou! You'd better watch out!" His answer was a cold, sharp sword slicing past his face, narrowly missing his ear— "Sching!" The ice-cold blade embedded itself deeply into the locust tree where Xia Ge was perched, the entire tree trembling. Momentarily frozen in place, Xia Ge gripped the branch tightly, bewildered. The Qian family’s son was stunned for a couple of seconds before he felt a sharp sting on his face. Trembling, he wiped his face and found his hand covered in warm liquid. He screamed desperately, "My face! My face, ahhh—who are you! Who are you—I’ll—I'll never let you go!" "Me?" The girl's voice dripped with bloodthirst, "I’m your auntie!" In the next instant, the Qian scion was sent flying into the tree by a punch! As the branches shook, Xia Ge steadied herself. Another attacker was kicked to the ground, followed by the dull sounds of fists and feet. The once fierce assailants were reduced to helpless lambs, beaten senseless by someone who had suddenly appeared. "Well, weren’t you quite capable just now?!" “What are you cowering for?!" "Stand up and fight, huh?” Blow after blow, the newcomer girl took the principle of fighting fire with fire to the extreme under the shadowed moonlight. "What, is this all you’ve got? How did you even get admitted here?! Who's your father? Call him!" "What a bunch of trash." Beaten to the brink of consciousness, one of them spat out weak threats, groaning, "You, you just wait..." “Bam!” Coldly, Chu Yao glanced at the three unconscious figures sprawled in the dirt and let out a snort. She licked her lips, the faint moonlight highlighting the sharp, cold fangs at the corners of her mouth. Her voice was both arrogant and sinister, “Come on, I'll be waiting." Throughout it all, Ye Ze remained silent, leaning against the tree, observing her with a dazed expression and not saying a word. “What? Sleeping out here with the garbage from Dan Peak?” Chu Yao finished dealing with the aggressors and addressed the victim disdainfully, “Cowering like this, no wonder you get bullied.” Xia Ge, listening from the tree, felt a silent shame. “What are you staring at?” Chu Yao stepped on the head of the Qian family scion, then withdrew the sword embedded in the tree, “What? Are you so scared your legs have gone soft? Can't even stand up? With such cowardice, what are you doing at Sword Peak? Is the top student of Dan Peak blind?!” Ye Ze, hearing her insult Dan Peak, gritted his teeth in anger, “You… shut up!” In response, the girl’s cold blade brushed past his cheek. The moon reflected a cold light on the blade, and the sharp fangs at the corners of the girl’s mouth glinted. Her low, mocking voice followed. “To shut people up, first, you need power.” “You can’t even keep your companions from feeling pain; what kind of hero are you? Garbage.” Ye Ze seemed to have something stuck in his throat, unable to say a word. Chu Yao scoffed, casually swinging the sword before sheathing it, the blade singing as it went in. “If someone bullies you, you should bully them a hundred-fold in return. If they say something you don’t like, beat them until they can’t speak. If they resist, beat them until they can’t resist. If they disagree with you, beat them until they have no choice but to agree. Isn’t that enough?” Ye Ze gritted his teeth, remaining silent. “And what are you now?” Chu Yao sneered, stepping on the head of another fallen attacker. “Ah, the top student of Dan Peak has really got no eye for talent.” Ye Ze finally forced out three words, “… That’s not true.” His voice was dejected and uncertain. Xia Ge, observing the scene, was silent. “Not true? Just because you say so?” Chu Yao sauntered away, stepping on each of the three as she went, her voice distant. “Every piece of trash I’ve met was confident at some point, but later on...” Just when Xia Ge thought she hadn’t been noticed, the girl with the sword slightly turned her head, her light brown eyes catching the moonlight and looking directly at Xia Ge, then scoffed and looked away, “Time proves whether trash remains trash.” Xia Ge, caught staring: “…” Ah, how seriously awkward. After a pause. Xia Ge muttered to herself, “…Didn’t she say she wouldn’t get involved?” …and why did she say "trash remains trash" while looking at me? Suffocation. The system, seemingly just as stunned, was quietly unresponsive. Xia Ge squatted on the locust tree, looking down at Ye Ze who leaned against the tree, and felt an overwhelming mix of emotions. The boy sat silently for a while, then slowly used the tree for support to get up, heavy breaths and sharp gasps as he accidentally aggravated his wounds. He wobbled over to the three unconscious attackers and furiously kicked them! The dull sounds of flesh hitting flesh rang continuously, accompanied by occasional pained hisses from the boy when his injuries were jostled. However, the brutal pummeling didn’t stop. Like a wounded and enraged beast, only able to vent his impotence through revenge. Xia Ge quietly listened from the tree. Somehow, she felt she started to understand Chu Yao's meaning. —Only he could save himself. Only by becoming stronger could he make it. She slowly took out the black wooden box and opened it. The dragon jade with a missing right corner emitted a soft, gentle glow under the shattered moonlight filtered through the leaves. 【Beep—Restriction lifted!】 Xia Ge re-opened the skill panel. Her skills were now available again. Xia Ge took one last look at the boy beneath the tree. He was gasping for breath, exhausted from his efforts, but he hadn’t stopped. Under the faint moonlight, there was something ruthless and merciless in his eyes. Something unfamiliar. Different from the timid boy she had first met, the one she knocked to the ground with a single punch. ...but also not bad. “Finally, you're not a coward anymore, Ye Baozi.” She activated her stealth skill and went back to get some medicine. When she climbed up again, the boy was already lying on the ground, as if too tired to move. His eyes were closed, and he didn’t say a word. Xia Ge threw the medicine onto his face. “Hey.” The sudden impact on his face made Ye Ze hiss in pain. He opened his eyes to see the plain-clothed girl squatting on a tree branch above him. He froze for a moment, then his face flushed red. He turned his head away, unwilling to speak. “Did you knock them all down?” Xia Ge tilted her head. Without waiting for an answer, she continued with a smile, “You’re really amazing.” Ye Ze was slightly taken aback. He glanced at the three people sprawled around him. After a long silence, he muttered, “...No.” “It was you. I just saw it.” Xia Ge lied smoothly, “When I got here, you were beating them up. Now they’re all lying there.” After a pause, Xia Ge smiled with her eyes, “And you’re still awake.” Ye Ze placed his hand on his forehead, lips tightly pressed together, saying nothing. “Oh well, regardless of the process, the result is what it is.” Xia Ge said, “What are you lying there for? Stand up.” Ye Ze mumbled, “I’m not getting up. Shut up and go away. Why are you here?” "So embarrassing." “I just wanted to ask if we could still go drinking together next time?” Xia Ge asked, “You left, and now I have no one to drink with.” Ye Ze fell silent. “I have a feeling you won’t come down the mountain to drink with me anymore.” Xia Ge joked after a brief pause. Ye Ze still remained silent, but Xia Ge felt like he was silently agreeing. … Is it really like that? “What are you afraid of?” Xia Ge felt a headache coming on, “Afraid that they’ll come for me? Don’t joke, I’m strong too, you know.” Seeing the boy below staying mute like a stubborn mule, Xia Ge felt a growing urge to hit him. Is it so hard to say a word? “Alright, how about this.” Xia Ge sighed, “Let’s make a promise. When you can take these trash down without relying on anyone, when you are fearless—” “Come find me for a drink, okay?” The moonlight shimmered like silver. A long time passed, or perhaps it was only a short while. Ye Ze heard his own rusty voice say, “...You’ll have to wait a long time, maybe... that day will never come.” Finally, he spoke. “No way.” Xia Ge sighed in relief, tilting her head, her voice gentle, “You’re trying so hard, Ah Ze.” Ye Ze was silent for a long time before he slowly spoke. “Okay.” Xia Ge smiled, “It’s a promise.” “Mm.” Author's note: Chu 'edgy' Yao (rolling up sleeves): Why speak nicely to him? This kind of person just needs a beating! Xia Ge (pulling her back): Haha, the weather is really nice today… = = I listened to a song and suddenly wanted to write a story about a badass thief falling for a soft, gentle girl. But then I looked at my outline and progress. Emmmm… …Dreams are still worth having. Yep. I’ll definitely squeeze out all the content!! 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