78 - Dungeon Growth Log

Jianfeng, Training Field. The young man dressed in black combat attire held a wooden sword in one hand, his features cold and stern as he practiced downward strikes, one after another. The action was simple, yet each strike carried an icy ferocity, sending chills through the sweltering sunlight, creating an aura of lethal coldness. “Hey…” Out of nowhere, a hand patted his shoulder. The young man’s eyes instantly hardened, and in the next moment, the wooden sword in his hand flipped as he viciously thrust it backward! “Bang!” The other person had clearly anticipated this, casually blocking the attack with a wooden sword, though the impact still left his hand numb. Li Liu, who had intercepted the blow, wore an expression of resignation and pointed to a lazy-looking girl in blue nearby. “Hey, it’s me, Ye Ze. Master Chu has some business with you.” Recognizing the speaker, Ye Ze slightly relaxed his grip and sheathed his sword. He responded with a nod, “Thank you.” “No problem, quickly go now.” Li Liu smiled. Ye Ze glanced at him and then turned towards the girl in blue. Upon reaching her, he bowed his head respectfully, “Master Chu.” Chu Yao let out a light hum, squinting as she sized him up from head to toe. Ye Ze stood quietly, allowing her scrutiny. ...This kid. He seemed to have grown a bit. Chu Yao recalled her conversation with Xia Wuyin at the restaurant. --- “Actually, it's a small matter. About Ye Ze, he's my sworn brother. I heard...did Elder Chang assign you a temporary guard team?” --- “If it’s not too much trouble... heh heh.” --- “Reason?” --- “Well, it’s mostly so...the guard squad can become a bit more formidable...” In truth, the guard squad was unnecessary. In Chu Yao's eyes, Elder Chang’s arrangement was superfluous. Petty thieves seeking to steal a key: for Chu Yao, each encounter would end with her beating them senseless. The guard squad seemed utterly pointless. However, as merely an elective chief disciple, she didn't have the authority to contest the decisions of the legitimate head of Jianfeng, so despite considering the squad unnecessary, she had to comply. Most of Jianfeng’s disciples hailed from affluent or noble backgrounds. The daily training was already grueling, let alone volunteering for the overnight guard squad duties. As a result, the squad was indeed short of members. Frankly, the training didn't help much anyway. Chu Yao had shared this with Xia Wuyin. However, Xia Wuyin’s reaction was— “Ah, is that so? Haha, then it’s perfect for building their endurance! Haha... Anyway, just let him join.” Chu Yao: “…” Believing that charming devil was truly a mistake. Whoever swore brotherhood with him must have awful luck. “Do you think he would agree to do this?” Chu Yao had asked then. “To serve Master Chu, he would be willing to die a thousand times!” Xia Wuyin paused, “But to be sure, you should directly name him.” Chu Yao: “…” So you do understand that no normal person would want to do this. Ending her reverie, Chu Yao examined the sturdy youth before her. Clad in tight black clothing, he wore the wooden sword on his back, with faint bruises visible on his neck. Chu Yao slightly narrowed her eyes. This kid... got beaten up again. --- “Anyway, Master Chu, please take care of him.” --- “I believe... if you bring it up, he won’t refuse.” Chu Yao gazed at Ye Ze, idly fiddling with a stalk of foxtail grass, and got straight to the point. "Want to join my guard squad?” Ye Ze hesitated slightly, recalling earlier announcements. While others showed little interest in the Jianfeng guard squad, he had some intention but chose not to apply due to his poor relationship with the registrar. Seeing his silence, Chu Yao assumed he was about to refuse. She was just about to offer some incentives when he softly replied, “Alright.” Chu Yao was surprised. “Oh? It’s quite exhausting; are you sure?” Ye Ze nodded, “I’m sure.” Chu Yao discarded the foxtail grass. “Good. I like straightforward people. Start tonight. You may return to training.” “Thank you, Master Chu.” Watching Ye Ze’s departing figure, Chu Yao was about to leave when she sensed another watchful gaze. She turned slightly to see a boy carrying a heavy sword, also dressed in form-fitting clothes, staring at her. Anyone familiar with the black market would recognize him as the one who foolishly spent a million high-grade spirit stones on a fake artifact. Though unaware of the folly, Chu Yao remembered who he was upon sight. The genius boy coddled by the Chang family—Chang Nian. As she noticed his gaze, he clenched his fist and eventually approached, taking a deep breath with determined eyes, “I’ve also joined your guard squad!” Chu Yao just glanced at him lazily with light brown eyes, “That’s nice.” Realizing she might sound dismissive, Chu Yao corrected her expression, “Hmm, good job. Keep it up. I’m leaving.” Chang Nian: “…” Watching the departing girl, Chang Nian side-eyed the seriously training Ye Ze, snorted lightly, and turned away. No one dared to stop him. As he headed towards Jianfeng's peak to find his brother, he passed a woodland area and caught a faint laugh. “She’s quite proud, isn’t she?” Chang Nian’s broad sword immediately unsheathed, gleaming darkly, “Who?!” “Clang!” Blocking his broad blade was a dagger, equally dark, held by a dainty hand. Chang Nian’s pupils slightly contracted—he recognized that dagger! A calamity descending from the heavens, capable of slicing through gold and jade, the Meteor Blade! The owner of this dagger... Chang Nian sheathed his heavy sword, furrowing his brows, “Are you from the Chu family... Chu Yi?” Chu Yi lightly retrieved the dagger, silver butterflies dancing on her sleeves. She smiled softly, “Yes, that’s me.” She squinted her eyes slightly, “Nice to meet you, Chang Nian.” The girl in the blue and white butterfly dress smiled beautifully, standing gracefully, with bright almond eyes and light bangs. She looked like a fairy or a woodland sprite amidst the lush forest. Chang Nian was momentarily entranced, pressing his lips together, “Ni... nice to meet you.” == The Next Day. “Xia Wuyin... Why do you look so pale?” Mao Qing glanced at the languid boy at the desk next to hers, “Did you not sleep well last night?” Xia Ge, sporting dark circles akin to a panda, stared at Huo Bai, who appeared energetic and upright in the distance, with a weary tone, “No, I’m fine.” …So this guy really slept yesterday, didn’t he?! Stifling frustration, Xia Ge reluctantly retracted her gaze. Due to an earlier command to always keep a puppet doll near, Bai Ren would instinctively carry it. Now, the puppet doll was always with him. But outside the range of the inverse white talisman she’d drawn the previous day, Bai Ren’s white talisman activated, severing her connection with the puppet doll. Only in that small room with the inverse talisman did the link work. But it was enough. During the day, Bai Ren had to maintain his “Huo Bai” identity and attend classes. If he planned to steal keys, he wouldn’t do so during the day. As long as she monitored him through the puppet doll at night, she could track his movements. Although her attachment to Lingxi Peak wasn’t particularly strong, she still had some responsibilities as a disciple. Besides... Xia Ge took out the Ghost Dragon Jade, looking at its chipped edge and thinking of Ye Ze, feeling a headache coming on. She had looked for him over the past half month but hadn’t shown herself because she didn’t know how to. Whenever she went, he was either being beaten or fighting back. It was a tenacious and wordless life at Jianfeng. Remembering their previous agreement, Xia Ge decided not to meet him. However... with him in Chu Yao’s guard squad now, he should be safe for the time being. With that thought, Xia Ge put away the Ghost Dragon Jade and glanced once more at the upright Huo Bai from afar. Everything was set, just awaiting the right moment. To her surprise, this moment took its sweet time. Half a month passed with Xia Ge vigilantly using the puppet doll to monitor Huo Bai every night. Even the system woke up, yet Huo Bai made no move. Each night, Huo Bai’s routine involved washing up, removing his disguise, staring blankly at the puppet for a while, then disappearing into the darkness, doing who knows what. Xia Ge endured this for half a month, even through her second period, with the system waking up and still no action from him. Each day passed without a hitch. Xia Ge: “…” The recently awakened system: “…” Slowly becoming aware, the system asked, “…Did your chest get bigger?” Frustrated and tired Xia Ge: “…Get lost.” Whether her chest had grown was uncertain, but she had definitely gotten a bit taller. With dark circles under her eyes, Xia Ge stood against the door, taking a small carving knife and marking her height on the door frame. Without a ruler, Xia Ge couldn’t be certain if she had grown taller, so she just made a mark to measure next time. “Why did you sleep for so long?” Xia Ge asked. System: “I’m not sure…” Xia Ge: “I seemed to hear someone whispering in my ear while you were asleep. Was that just my imagination or did you accidentally trigger some recording?” System: “...I never malfunction!” Xia Ge responded coldly, “Oh.” Seeing Xia Ge’s dark circles, the system seemed to understand what she had been up to. “Your method of surveillance is pretty clumsy.” Xia Ge: “What else can I do? This is my only option.” “But this can’t go on,” Xia Ge admitted, holding her forehead. “I’ve been sleeping through Master Fuzi's classes for half a month… I need to find out what he’s up to.” Is he sleeping or not?! That night. With all the doors and windows tightly shut, Huo Bai removed his disguise as usual, silently placing the little puppet on the table. He lit a faint candle, staring at the doll for a while. He didn’t understand why he always carried this little puppet. Ever since the attempt to ambush Gu Pei Jiu had failed, he had found this puppet among many demonized puppet corpses, and he had kept it close ever since. Keeping it gave him a strange sense of comfort. Moreover, looking at the puppet somehow reminded him of a pair of deep purple eyes. …Those eyes. After a while, Huo Bai averted his gaze, extinguished the candle, and the room plunged into darkness again, disappearing into the shadows as always. Shortly after he left, the puppet's eyes shifted slightly. Xia Ge, possessing the puppet’s form, peered into the darkness. She waited a long time, ensuring no noise before she cautiously made the puppet stand. The system kept her company, whispering, “Hey, how will you get down from this high table?” “Getting down is easy,” Xia Ge sneered. “Let me show you some advanced puppet manipulation!” As soon as she spoke, the puppet leaped off the table, performing a mid-air 360-degree spin, and then a faint “thud” as she landed face-first, dazed. System: “...Impressive.” Xia Ge: “...Thanks.” Despite the painful landing, the Ghost Shadow Technique cushioned Xia Ge’s fall, minimizing the sound. She pretended to be dead, trying to observe the room from a new angle. However, with the windows tightly shut and thick curtains drawn, visibility was poor. Xia Ge asked the system for help: “Is there any way I can see clearer?” System: “...Try opening your spiritual sight and gathering spirit energy into your eyes.” Xia Ge: “Can a puppet do that?” System: “It should…” Xia Ge tried it. The puppet wasn’t great at gathering spirit energy, but concentrating it in her eyes, she could manage to see a bit more. With the spiritual boost, Xia Ge made out a black screen between the table and the bed. The faint candlelight before, blocked by Huo Bai, made the entire interior look smaller, when it actually had more space. Feeling slightly irritated, Xia Ge pretended to be dead a bit longer. Seeing no movement, she carefully maneuvered around the screen to peek inside. There lay a pale-faced boy sleeping soundly, beside him a white talisman and a peppermint candy wrapper from Jinjiang Candy Shop. Xia Ge: “…” System: “…” Are you a fake spy for the demon sect... and really, how much do you love peppermint candy? As they grumbled, the white talisman suddenly lit up, and almost instantly, Bai Ren opened his eyes! Xia Ge was taken aback, instinctively pulling herself back and hiding behind the screen, body tense and motionless. From behind the screen, Xia Ge could hear the boy rising. She glanced around, scuttled to the table leg, and pretended to have accidentally fallen, playing dead once more. She summoned spirit energy to her ears, listening intently. A low and indifferent voice came from the boy. “...Three days?” “Tsk, understood.” The puppet’s eyes dimmed. Back in the room. Waking from possession, Xia Ge opened her eyes. She gently touched the red ribbon on her wrist, tying it towards the scythe’s hilt before securing it tightly. The red ribbon struggled briefly before tying more knots around itself, soon losing its fight and wilting pitifully. System: “Three days, huh?” Xia Ge, expressionless, went to bed and pulled the covers over her head. “Shut up. Time to sleep.” *** Author’s Note: Transitional chapter — = = User ‘宛若智障的鈤冊’ threw 1 grenade: 2018-07-11 23:44:48 User ‘宛若智障的鈤冊’ threw 1 grenade: 2018-07-11 23:44:52 User ‘宛若智障的鈤冊’ threw 1 grenade: 2018-07-11 23:44:55 User ‘宛若智障的鈤冊’ threw 1 grenade: 2018-07-11 23:45:00 User ‘宛若智障的鈤冊’ threw 1 grenade: 2018-07-11 23:45:05 User ‘愉悦’ threw 1 grenade: 2018-07-11 23:50:28 User ‘游离悠闲’ threw 1 grenade: 2018-07-11 23:51:13 User ‘未写完的 谱’ threw 1 grenade: 2018-07-12 08:41:21 User ‘輕飄隨雨’ threw 1 grenade: 2018-07-12 08:46:16 Thank you for the grenades, little angels!! Love you all! = = Reader “z”, nourished the story with 20 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 22:15:50 Reader “玖曦”, nourished the story with 5 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 21:08:34 Reader “”, nourished the story with 20 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 20:22:47 Reader “childrenthe mirror”, nourished the story with 10 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 18:19:02 Reader “sabduia”, nourished the story with 1 nutrient solution: 2018-07-12 18:13:46 Reader “阿云”, nourished the story with 10 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 15:48:46 Reader “←ran”, nourished the story with 30 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 14:17:58 Reader “不然”, nourished the story with 1 nutrient solution: 2018-07-12 13:51:15 Reader “时光笔墨空人心”, nourished the story with 10 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 13:29:08 Reader “噜啦啦噜啦噜啦嘞”, nourished the story with 2 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 13:05:25 Reader “落”, nourished the story with 15 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 12:55:58 Reader “嘚嘚”, nourished the story with 1 nutrient solution: 2018-07-12 12:49:05 Reader “”, nourished the story with 1 nutrient solution: 2018-07-12 12:38:46 Reader “”, nourished the story with 9 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 12:38:43 Reader “楠楠楠”, nourished the story with 20 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 12:38:10 Reader “少年薄春衫”, nourished the story with 10 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 11:58:07 Reader “冬临夏木”, nourished the story with 10 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 11:39:45 Reader “虞曦”, nourished the story with 10 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 09:08:25 Reader “未写完的 谱”, nourished the story with 2 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 08:41:22 Reader “解语花”, nourished the story with 1 nutrient solution: 2018-07-12 08:22:27 Reader “小白菜”, nourished the story with 20 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 08:22:07 Reader “莫圆圆”, nourished the story with 40 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 06:55:35 Reader “岿”, nourished the story with 19 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 06:38:32 Reader “岿”, nourished the story with 1 nutrient solution: 2018-07-12 06:38:23 Reader “周呦”, nourished the story with 1 nutrient solution: 2018-07-12 05:42:50 Reader “还记得”, nourished the story with 10 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 02:50:58 Reader “迟暮”, nourished the story with 10 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 01:45:33 Reader “迟暮”, nourished the story with 10 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 01:44:48 Reader “迟暮”, nourished the story with 10 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 01:43:50 Reader “龙”, nourished the story with 20 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 01:05:15 Reader “”, nourished the story with 15 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-12 00:31:01 Reader “焱海”, nourished the story with 1 nutrient solution: 2018-07-12 00:26:13 Reader “sakiru丶”, nourished the story with 10 nutrient solutions: 2018-07-11 23:44:15 Thank you all for the nutrient solutions! Love you! Goodnight and rest well, tat… so sleepy…