77 - Dungeon Growth Log

### Chapter 77 What the heck, was that really Senior Sister at the restaurant today?!! Xia Ge almost couldn't keep her expression in check. She had held it in for so long, and finally managed to calm down, nonchalantly muttering an "Oh." The two of them continued walking forward. While walking, Xia Ge felt uneasy. Strange... according to the usual scenario, shouldn’t Senior Sister be punishing her to copy scriptures for skipping class and drinking? Moreover… she even followed her to the restaurant, but didn’t catch her on the spot? No commotion at all? She didn’t say anything but still had the mood to play the leaf flute for her? What’s going on, it's so strange, something is not right. And how did Senior Sister... follow her? When did she start following her? “That… it was Chu Yao who called me over there...” Xia Ge walked along, feeling the need to explain, brazenly trying to shift the blame, “I... I couldn’t refuse. So…” “... so it happened.” Gu Peijiu just responded with a “Hmm,” “Got it.” Xia Ge: “...” Wait a minute, what do you mean ‘got it’? You don’t know anything, Senior Sister! Feeling guilty, Xia Ge dared not speak more, fearing that talking too much might prompt the person opposite her to tell her how many times to copy the scripture. She tried to remain silent along the way, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Whether Senior Sister knew or was just pretending not to know her discomfort, she remained silent the whole way. Before long, Xia Ge found herself walking ahead, with Gu Peijiu following behind her. Walking longer, that strange feeling came again. She stopped and looked back. In the midst of the blooming white flowers, the girl in red and white maple attire followed quietly behind her, her wide sleeves fluttering. Under the clear mountain moon, the white flowers falling in the breeze complemented the picturesque face of the girl, looking like an ethereal being from the heavens. “Why did you stop again?” Gu Peijiu’s voice was as clear and cool as a spring. Xia Ge rubbed her temples, “No... it's nothing.” Why are you standing behind me... “Hmm?” Gu Peijiu walked up to her side and looked at her. Xia Ge looked up, then quietly lowered her head again. Okay, now she’s not behind anymore. Gu Peijiu: “What’s wrong?” Xia Ge, struggling for conversation, “... You’re really tall.” Gu Peiju: “…” She inexplicably thought of the scenes in the black market, a faint smile appearing in her eyes. “Let’s go.” She took Xia Ge’s hand. After a pause, she said, “You’re still young.” You’ll grow taller. The hand holding her own was different from the cold night wind—it was light and warm. For some reason, Xia Ge blushed slightly, responding with an “Oh.” “Senior Sister, when can we learn Danmai? I still don’t have spiritual power.” Gu Peijiu: “Soon.” Xia Ge: “The tutor is too slow. He only talks nonsense and dislikes it when I don’t attend his classes.” Gu Peijiu: “Everyone is the same.” Xia Ge: “I want spiritual power soon.” Gu Peijiu looked at her. Xia Ge stared back eagerly. Gu Peijiu asked, “Do you want it?” Xia Ge nodded enthusiastically, “I want it.” Gu Peijiu, holding her hand, raised the other slightly. Crimson spiritual energy began to gather at her fingertips, resembling tiny fireflies. Under the blooming flowers and the bright moon, she combined her two fingers, guiding a series of beautiful red spiritual particles, and aimed them at Xia Ge’s forehead. Countless beautiful crimson fireflies flew towards Xia Ge. The warm spiritual energy entered from her forehead and spread throughout her body. Wide-eyed, with her black pupils reflecting the warm crimson fireflies and Gu Peijiu’s fair and beautiful face, Xia Ge was momentarily spellbound, almost forgetting to breathe. However, the moment didn't last long. Xia Ge suddenly heard a series of "cracking" noises from her system, akin to the static of an old malfunctioning radio, followed by a sharp "Ah!" A white light flashed before her eyes, and the incoming spiritual energy seemed to be resisted by something, flowing back abruptly. Gu Peijiu’s pupils constricted slightly as she withdrew her hand sharply, seeing Xia Ge’s wide black eyes going hollow and unfocused, as if possessed. A firm voice echoed in her ears. Like a dream. —The place where your sword points is the land where I shall die in battle. Who? Who is speaking? “Xia Wuyin?” Gu Peijiu quickly performed a spiritual technique, pressing Xia Ge’s forehead. Pure spiritual energy flowed in, and Xia Ge staggered for a moment before coming back to her senses, “Ah…” “Ah, I’m fine.” Xia Ge shook her head, pressing her temples, “I’m fine, I’m fine.” The voice receded instantly, as if it never existed. Gu Peijiu frowned, “I just opened your spiritual aperture.” Opened her spiritual aperture? Xia Ge quickly understood. Opening the spiritual aperture meant that only those with an opened aperture could draw in spiritual energy and convert it to everyday spiritual power. In simple terms, opening the spiritual aperture was like drawing a spirit-gathering array inside the body, allowing the gathering and storing of spiritual energy for use. Her ancient spirit-gathering array could also be drawn directly, gathering spiritual energy and converting it into spiritual power, but it depended on the environment. Places rich in spiritual energy would produce more usable spiritual power, whereas barren places like the White Bone Wasteland would provide far less. Thus, during the training at the Lingshi Peak Dan Studio, using the Dan-Qi Formula could create significant phenomena, whereas in the White Bone Wasteland black market, it could only drive a moderate spirit-transmitting array. The same array and formula, differing locations, that was the distinction. Typically, one would open the spiritual aperture to practice spiritual power, converting spiritual energy to spiritual power stored within, instead of using the cumbersome spirit-gathering array. Furthermore, ordinary spirit-gathering arrays slowly gather and convert spiritual energy for practice, not effective instantaneously. Only the ancient spirit-gathering array researched by the Lingshi Ancestor had such a miraculous effect of instant spiritual energy conversion, which just happened to benefit Xia Ge. “Did it work?” “Yeah, it worked! It’s opened now.” Xia Ge closed her eyes, already sensing the fluctuation of spiritual energy outside her body. She waved her hand, and fine crimson lights gently followed her, accompanying her fluttering red maple robe, like a spirit in the mountains. Gu Peijiu looked at her hand, then at Xia Ge, her brows still furrowed. The feeling just now... instead of an opening, it felt more like an externally forced opening of a sealed spiritual aperture. Which caused a force within to resist her spiritual energy, breaking open Xia Ge’s spiritual aperture from inside. "Wow… it really opened!" Xia Ge opened her eyes, staring at the surrounding spirit lights in excitement, "It's so pretty, Senior Sister!" "Now that it's opened, go back and rest." Seeing Xia Ge so happy, Gu Peijiu paused, keeping her unease to herself. "Don’t run around anymore." Xia Ge beamed, "Thank you, Senior Sister!" With the mountain moon above, the girl disguised as a boy, increasingly resembling her true self, smiled like a blooming flower, her eyes shining with the moonlight, easily dazzling one’s vision. Gu Peijiu averted her gaze slightly. Meanwhile, at Sword Peak Prison. A piercing silver bell rang out relentlessly, like a demonic sound. A woman, bound in heavy chains, with disheveled hair, knelt on the ground. Her eyes wide open, her dirty face painted with madness. She cradled a string of stained bells, their color indiscernible, and screamed hoarsely, "It rang—it rang—" "Shut up! Crazy woman." The guard, annoyed, retorted, "What's the big deal? Just because it rang, you think anyone cares?" "Yeah, it’s just those silly bells of hers." “Haha, she probably still thinks she's the all-powerful leader of the Demonic Sect. Ha ha ha… No one cares if those bells ring!” "Alright, alright, enough chatter. Let’s go get some food after the shift change, I'm starving after guarding all night." “……” "It… it rang..." The woman ignored the mocking jeers, tremblingly protecting the bells in her arms, as tears slowly trickled from her moist eyes. = = Unexpectedly opening her spiritual aperture, Xia Ge was overjoyed. Returning to her luxurious single room, she began calling the system. "Hey, little puppet, little puppet? Stop playing dead, come back." The system still remained silent. Xia Ge frowned. Why did the system stop responding after she opened her spiritual aperture? And that weird phrase she heard after Senior Sister opened her aperture... "Auditory hallucination, probably." Xia Ge scratched her head. She had things to do and didn’t dwell on it. Seeing that the system remained inactive, she sighed, "… never relying on you anyway." The system had a few instances of shutdown before, and usually recovered shortly after. Xia Ge took out the draft paper she had kept safe and made a final inspection. Confirming everything was in order, she untied the hair ribbon on her head. The red ribbon clung to her hand as if reluctant to part. Xia Ge callously tied the red ribbon to a pillar with a dead knot, smirking, "Don't think I don’t know it’s you." The red ribbon trembled, its ends curling up. The cloaked person was Senior Sister, meaning this red ribbon must be a part of Tianzhu Ling. If she had it tied in her hair while going out to play, Senior Sister could figure out her location easily with Tianzhu Ling's main body. No wonder going out drinking or sneaking into the boys’ dormitory resulted in being caught red-handed. It must have been Tianzhu Ling sensing the red ribbon’s position and leading Senior Sister to her. "You little traitor, I'll deal with you when I get back." Xia Ge gave a slight snort, changing into her night attire, casually tying her hair with a piece of rope. Armed with the formation diagram, she activated her Phantom Mirage technique and swiftly made her way back to the room Huo Bai had shown her earlier. Hiding behind a flowering tree, the thick white blossoms and leaves obscured her form. After surveying the surroundings, she landed lightly at the back of the house. The lights inside were off; it was late at night, so unless something unexpected was happening, they should have been resting. Xia Ge pulled out a charcoal pencil and began drawing the reverse white talisman symbols on the walls. She covered the walls, the roof, the trees, and the tiles, drawing each symbol meticulously. With each reverse white talisman she drew, she could faintly feel the presence of the puppet doll inside. Once the task was completed, the tree, the back of the house, and the tiles were all covered in dense reverse white talismans. To avoid detection, Xia Ge carefully swapped the tiles with symbols for ones without. The symbols on the walls were drawn at the back of the house, avoiding easy detection, and the ones on the tree were inconspicuous unless someone climbed it. Satisfied with her work, Xia Ge silently retreated, returning to her room. The red ribbon was pathetically tied to the pillar, struggling to undo the knot but only creating more knots in the wrong direction. “Look at you, such a fool.” Xia Ge mocked, “You’re quick to snitch though.” The ends of the red ribbon drooped, looking pitiful, as if pleading innocence. Xia Ge ignored it, instead pulling out a leaf, closing her eyes, and placing it on her lips. She played a cheerful tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." She silently chanted. 【Soul Control】 In an instant, an enigmatic feeling emerged. She had poured part of her emotions into the puppet, and emotions, when triggered by sound, would create empathy. Through empathy, everything the puppet knew and felt would be known and controlled by her. At this moment, Xia Ge could sense everything through the puppet in Huo Bai's room, while also feeling everything within her own body—like having an extra pair of eyes and ears; her soul hovering between two bodies, capable of moving to either one. Xia Ge attempted to project herself into the puppet’s body. 【Puppetry: Body Borrowing】 The next moment, when Xia Ge opened her eyes, she found herself inside a room, entirely pitch-black. She sat quietly on a small table, eyes staring straight ahead. Her plan was simple: first, using the reverse white talisman to nullify Huo Bai's control over the puppet and its corresponding white talisman; then, she would seize the opportunity to gain control over the puppet, allowing her to monitor Huo Bai's actions. First-time operating from this novel perspective, Xia Ge felt a bit clumsy. The puppet, made from simple materials, had a stiff body. She attempted to stand but lost balance, with the puppet slipping off the table and face-planting on the ground! Damn! As Xia Ge saw the ground rushing up, she hurriedly withdrew her soul, only to find herself caught in a cold palm before fully exiting. The coldness lingered briefly. After returning to her own body, the connection didn’t break. That freezing sensation was still palpable, and what the puppet saw was reflected in her eyes. The puppet was picked up, and using its eyes, Xia Ge saw a ghastly pale face come into view. Was he not asleep?! In the dimly lit room, seeing such a face suddenly shocked Xia Ge to the core, but she instinctively closed her mouth and held her breath. After this reflex, she realized she had returned to her body and no longer controlled the puppet; she could make all the noise she wanted. Composing herself, Xia Ge looked through the puppet's eyes more cautiously. The puppet was lifted, and staring at it was Bai Jian’s ghastly pale face. Realizing she wasn’t actually present calmed Xia Ge somewhat, and she got a better look. Unlike Huo Bai’s daytime look, warm and radiant, Bai Jian’s face was deathly pale, his eyes large and dark with circles beneath them, looking drained of vitality, akin to someone who hadn’t slept for hundreds of years. Comparing this to Huo Bai’s energetic appearance earlier, Xia Ge admired his amazing face-changing skills. …So, why is he staring at the puppet for so long? Bai Jian, pale-faced, gazed at the puppet for a long while, so long Xia Ge almost thought she’d been discovered, before he slowly put the puppet down and closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. He stayed motionless for a long time. Xia Ge: “…” It’s so late, why aren’t you resting? Tired of just watching, Xia Ge, now connected to the puppet, started experimenting. This connection could be maintained indefinitely, allowing her to switch to the puppet’s body to spy whenever needed, effectively giving her an extra set of eyes. However, multitasking, controlling both herself and the puppet, proved complicated. Like how it’s nearly impossible to draw a square and a circle simultaneously with each hand, controlling the puppet to go east while she moved west was just as challenging. Xia Ge understood why puppet masters needed a primary leader puppet. Controlling one small puppet and experiencing split awareness was tough enough. Manipulating countless puppets was unimaginable. Xia Ge left the puppet in place, maintaining just its visual and auditory connection. Her goal with this puppet was to determine when Huo Bai planned to steal the key. Using the puppet's eyes, Xia Ge saw Bai Jian silently for a while before he got up, disappearing into the darkness. It seemed he had gone to bed, or maybe not. …Did he go to sleep or not? It was too dark to tell… Xia Ge: “…” Ugh, if only I had a super smart, super clever, super obedient, surveillance-helping puppet leader. I really want to sleep, darn it. Author's note: Ah… I can’t move anymore… = = faith threw 1 landmine on 2018-07-11 at 00:23:33 faith threw 1 landmine on 2018-07-11 at 00:23:46 29479864 threw 1 landmine on 2018-07-11 at 00:37:38 洛阳城下 threw 1 landmine on 2018-07-11 at 00:39:29 帅 threw 1 hand grenade on 2018-07-11 at 07:29:40 游离悠闲 threw 1 landmine on 2018-07-11 at 07:43:55 同学请睡觉了 threw 1 landmine on 2018-07-11 at 09:09:30 洛水之神起清漪 threw 1 landmine on 2018-07-11 at 13:49:21 鬼诺 threw 1 landmine on 2018-07-11 at 15:32:28 黎音 threw 1 landmine on 2018-07-11 at 17:10:04 顾归 threw 1 landmine on 2018-07-11 at 23:03:07 Thank you all for the landmines and hand grenades! 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Love you all!!