68 - Dungeon Growth Log

The auction, she simply had to check it out. However, after taking just a few steps towards the Black Stone Cave, she came to a halt. “What’s wrong?” It asked, puzzled. Xia Ge hesitated: “...Could be my imagination.” Ever since she started selling things, she had this vague feeling... It was as if someone had been watching her all along. “What imagination?” The system was still confused. Xia Ge shook her head, “Nothing, let’s go.” With that, she stepped into the Black Stone Cave where she paid her rent. Inside, it was pitch-black. After a few steps, she saw the same guard puppet wearing a toad mask, its eyes wide, yet it still quietly retreated a bit upon seeing her. …The Ghost Dragon Jade was really impressive. Seeing its cowering behavior lifted Xia Ge’s mood. The Black Stone Cave was very dark with broad descending stone steps covered in an unknown beast's dark red fur. Complex formations, carved with secret silver, adorned the walls, gleaming faintly and illuminating the descent. Xia Ge recalled one of the rules the curse-inclined puppet had mentioned: “Don’t step on formations”. Could it be these formations on the walls? But if they’re on the walls, how could one step on them? Without delving deeper into that thought, Xia Ge continued descending, brushing past numerous cloaked figures, whether human or ghost, she couldn’t tell. The twisting, eerie path made her tread carefully. Soon she encountered several forked paths. The main path continued downward, while two or three other routes branched off uncertainly. The mysterious silver glow of the formations on the damp stone walls made Xia Ge pause. Which way? People bustled along all routes, their masks grotesque and bizarre—from pure black with two holes, to elegant butterflies, to foxes. The deeper she ventured, the more peculiar the masks, and the better their wearers hid their auras. In this shady underworld, one couldn’t just shout, “Hey, can you give me directions?” and expect a safe answer. You might end up dead the next day just for touching someone by accident. Though not a master of puppetry, Xia Ge knew there were people you shouldn’t call out to impulsively. Some puppeteers bore passive curses that would be activated if they responded to being addressed. For instance, call out “beauty” on the street, and if a cursed puppeteer replied, their puppet could end up spying on you in the shower the next day. And who knew if someone’s cloak was smeared with poison or if they carried fearsome cursing powers? Not daring to ask for directions but unable to linger, she examined the pamphlet she got from the dwarf in the paper mask. Thinking it might have the black market’s address since it was a promotional flyer, she pulled it out. But as she mentally sought the address, the text on the flyer began to fade, forming an arrow pointing forward. Xia Ge: “...Seriously?” Following the arrow, she continued. The labyrinthine paths twisted and turned endlessly. Miraculously, the arrow kept adjusting like a compass, always guiding her the right way. Passing many halls, some with fancy formations carved into hollowed-out walls, Xia Ge couldn’t resist stopping to examine them. Suddenly, that feeling of being watched returned. Someone was following her. Who? Feigning nonchalance, she glanced around while pretending to study the formations, then quickly surveyed the people near her. Figures draped in black cloaks or odd, voluminous garments surrounded her, faces hidden behind a medley of bizarre masks. It was impossible to identify the culprit. Was someone really following her, or was it just her nerves in this underground market? Glancing at the pamphlet, then ahead at the two paths before her, Xia Ge made up her mind. Intentionally ignoring the arrow, she chose a wrong path and ventured forward. As expected, fewer people appeared the further she went. She walked until she reached a dead end, blocked by a copper door. Looking back, no one was there, and the feeling of being watched had disappeared. Was it really just her imagination? Confused, Xia Ge pondered. She had only sold a pair of fasting pills—how could that warrant such attention? Besides, a hundred medium-grade spiritual stones weren’t particularly valuable in this vast black market. Observing her surroundings, she saw the wide path and copper door ahead, flanked by two massive, colorful stone statues about three or four meters tall. One held a long sword in one hand and a brush in the other, draped in scholar’s robes with fierce eyes. The other clutched a crimson war spear, donned battle armor, with a furious expression—reminiscent of guardian deities from modern exorcism tales. In this eerie black market, the sight of these ‘guardian gods’ was... odd. Lost in thought, Xia Ge suddenly heard voices from behind the copper door! Amidst the silent stone passage, the clear sound of footsteps and hushed conversation startled her. She quickly removed her platform shoes, storing them in her quicksilver ring, and stealthily clung to the neck of the war-spear statue, hiding behind it. The copper door creaked open. “I’ll find a way, it’s annoying.” The voices grew clearer as two figures stopped at the door, seemingly wrapping up their conversation. Xia Ge, gripping the statue’s neck, froze in place. That voice...? “Hurry up,” a cold voice urged, “The leader is losing patience.” “I know, I’m losing patience too.” Leader? Wait, there’s only one person in the Feng Yue continent who could be called that... A chill ran through Xia Ge. “Even if you’re annoyed, bear with it. Finish quickly, and it’ll be over.” “That High Priest is an idiot. Their intelligence, tsk tsk, serves them right.” “After being imprisoned for so long, they should’ve learned something,” the cold voice paused, then said, “Let’s hope they understand not to do anything foolish again.” “...” High Priest? Imprisoned? Xia Ge’s mind raced, trying to recall the plot. This part? “Either way, get the key, bring them out—the leader needs them. The ‘Soul Suppressor’ auction should distract those idiots. Keep an eye on who buys it, eliminate them to avoid further trouble.” Distracted idiot Xia Ge: “...” A sneer, “We just need to release news of the ‘Soul Suppressor’ and stir the waters.” “Mm, got it,” a lazy voice replied. That voice... was increasingly familiar. A bad premonition formed in Xia Ge’s mind. She thought of the person she had seen outside the Black Stone Cave, with the torn cloak and the snowy white jade pendant. Had she stumbled upon...? So the ‘Soul Suppressor’ in the auction was fake? “There are two keys to the Sword Peak prison. One with Chang Lan, hard to obtain, but your brother recently reported the other is with the Sword Peak’s candidate disciple.” Candidate disciple... Chu Yao?! Of course, there was a mole! Carefully peeking from behind the statue, Xia Ge saw the outlines of two cloaked figures. One, back facing her, spoke with a cold voice, “White Blade, get the key, rescue the person, and your task is completed.” ...White Blade? Task? Then the brother... brother is Bai Luo?! And he’s a mole in Sword Peak too? There were more than one of them! The masked figure facing the statue, wearing a pure black smiling mask with white, ghastly eye holes, glanced casually at the statue, voice indifferent, “I know, I know.” He looked up?! Xia Ge, barefoot, stepped on a slight protrusion on the statue's back, but as the figure below looked up, her heart skipped a beat, and her foot slipped. Clinging to the statue's neck, she dangled precariously. Both men exclaimed at once, “Who’s there?!” Oops! In the next instant, countless paper blades flew like birds towards the statue. Xia Ge quickly retracted her grip, curling herself tightly behind the statue. The fierce, qi-charged blades pierced the red-spear-holding guardian, shredding the once fierce and mighty statue into a sieve. Many blades skimmed past Xia Ge’s hair, embedding three inches deep into the stone wall behind her. Xia Ge internally praised the statue: “You’re a lifesaver! I’ll definitely burn incense for you when I get back!” Praying silently, she acted decisively, deploying Ghostly Phantom Steps and dashing through the opened copper door. The two men weren’t fools; countless sharp paper blades flew with precision towards Xia Ge, some narrowly slicing her cloak. Yet Xia Ge moved swiftly, and in the split second she darted through the door, she kicked it shut. The onslaught of blades hit the door, barring them outside. A few still managed to slip through, but Xia Ge dodged them, unharmed. “How naïve!” Both men kicked open the door, but saw nothing. The hall was spotless save for scattered paper fragments, and their quarry had vanished. White Blade sneered, “They can’t have gone far.” The other man scowled, “Did you see clearly?” “Crystal clear. They wore a bronze mask with one corner missing, and stood about five to six feet tall,” White Blade replied. “Have the black market search for them!” “We don’t know how much they overheard. Be extra cautious.” “Tsk.” Annoyed, the pair scanned the area but found nothing. The other man muttered darkly, “Too bad, no personal belongings left behind. Otherwise, we could’ve cursed them.” White Blade scoffed, “Do whatever you want, just don’t flaunt your disgusting curses around me. I despise them.” “Hmph, as if I want to show off to you. The auction’s about to start; you head over. I’ll stay and continue searching.” After reaching an agreement, White Blade turned to leave. Neither noticed a tiny scrap of paper amongst the litter, quietly sticking to White Blade's foot. The other man remained oblivious, muttering contemptuously, “All you can do is fling paper. Can’t even patch a torn cloak, head held too high.” --- Author’s Note: Relieved Leisure tossed a landmine at 2018-07-01 23:47:44 burt? tossed a landmine at 2018-07-02 00:22:52 Joyful tossed a landmine at 2018-07-02 13:03:45 Joyful tossed a landmine at 2018-07-02 13:03:53 Joyful tossed a landmine at 2018-07-02 13:03:59 Joyful tossed a grenade at 2018-07-02 21:38:41 Thank you, lovely angels, for the grenades and landmines!! =.= Reader “”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions at 2018-07-02 18:54:30 Reader “Dustfall Frost”, irrigated with 3 nutrient solutions at 2018-07-02 15:22:47 Reader “No Love, No Hate”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions at 2018-07-02 10:00:26 Reader “No Love, No Hate”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions at 2018-07-02 10:00:23 Reader “No Love, No Hate”, irrigated with 18 nutrient solutions at 2018-07-02 10:00:20 Reader “No Love, No Hate”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions at 2018-07-02 10:00:17 Reader “Chi Mackerel”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions at 2018-07-02 02:18:32 Reader “Black Sky”, irrigated with 1 nutrient solution at 2018-07-02 00:29:04 Reader “burt?”, irrigated with 10 nutrient solutions at 2018-07-02 00:22:52 Reader “Yang Xi”, irrigated with 50 nutrient solutions at 2018-07-01 17:13:04 Thank you, everyone, for the nutrient solutions! Love you all! This chapter is a transition!