85 - Dungeon Growth Log

Let's split this story into two parts. After returning from Dan Peak, Chu Yi didn't go back to her dorm room but headed directly to the ruins of Chu Yao's bamboo house. The area was still littered with the broken remnants of puppets, and a few disciples from Beast Peak were inspecting the site with their spirit beasts. Beast Peak's spirit beasts could discern different auras from different individuals with great agility, making them excellent for tracking. Chu Yi stood under the bamboo grove a short distance away, observing for a moment before turning her attention away. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, casting a dense shadow over her eyelids. Just then, a disciple from the guard squad walked by, and Chu Yi glanced over, "Stop." "Ah..." The disciple, startled, halted and then, recognizing her as the Second Miss Chu, became somewhat flustered, "What can I do for you?" "Ye..." Chu Yi hesitated slightly, "Where are the rest of the guard squad members?" "They're all scattered around for inspections," the disciple explained, "Is there someone specific you're looking for? Master Chu has gone to see Senior Brother, so the guard squad is..." "I see," Chu Yi replied, "Thank you for your trouble." "It's no trouble at all..." The disciple was overwhelmed with gratitude. Suddenly, the disciples from Beast Peak seemed to have noticed something amiss and gathered around the broken door of the ruined bamboo house, their heads huddled together in what looked like a debate. Chu Yi's eyebrows twitched slightly as she walked past the scattered puppet remnants, "What's the matter?" The disciples from Beast Peak, unfamiliar with her, exchanged glances before one of them replied, "Some pieces of puppet fragments here have an unusual aura..." "Oh?" A small goat stubbornly held onto a fragment in its mouth—likely a spirit beast of one of the Beast Peak disciples. The disciple, a round-faced individual, was gently coaxing his spirit beast. The little white goat glanced at him with its moist eyes and haughtily lifted its chin. The round-faced disciple reached out his hand helplessly, "Let go, Xiao Bai. Place it here, and I'll give you meat later." Only then did the goat, reluctantly, drop the fragment into his hand. The other disciples also began to gather the fragments with different auras. The fragments were charred and unrecognizable, though there were only a few, and they couldn't be pieced back together properly. The Beast Peak disciples spent some time attempting to reassemble them... "This is the head!" "No, it's not the head; this piece should go here..." "Isn't this the arm?!" "Stop talking nonsense, it's clearly a leg!" "..." "Baa..." The little goat lazily bleated twice. "Baa what baa! It's all your goat's fault! Look at all this saliva!" "It was your dog that bit it!" "My Xiao Hei's drool doesn't stink like this!" "..." Chu Yi: "..." Chu Yi roughly understood what they had been arguing about. Despite their bickering, they managed—a few arms mistaken for legs and vice versa—to piece together a semblance of a "person." It became apparent that it was a small puppet, blackened and dismembered, but still recognizable as a puppet. "Judging by these blast marks, it looks like it exploded from the inside." One of the Beast Peak disciples commented, "This is a very intricate puppet. The puppeteer who made it must be highly skilled." The round-faced Beast Peak disciple with the goat sarcastically remarked, "Alright, alright, we get it. You know a lot about puppeteers. Why don't you switch careers to be a puppeteer with your black dog?" The disciple with the black dog was about to retort but was interrupted by Chu Yi, "Thank you all for your efforts... But do you know what this puppet is about?" The disciple with the black dog replied, "This puppet is imbued with pure spiritual energy, leaning towards the fire vein, and contains no demonic energy at all. It's quite rare; it doesn't seem to be one of those demonic battle puppets." Chu Yi looked at the charred puppet remains on the stone slab, her eyes narrowing slightly. ...Leaning towards the fire vein? A coincidence? The spiritual energy from Dan Peak was entirely fire-aligned. If that's really the case... then this is getting interesting. "What are you all doing?" Chu Yao's voice rang out, vaguely impatient, "What are you gathered here for? Have you finished the inspection?" The round-faced Beast Peak disciple exclaimed, "Master Chu... We found a puppet with fire spiritual energy." "A puppet with fire spiritual energy? It's not a demonic puppet?" Chu Yao was slightly taken aback, and almost immediately, she thought of the short figure who threw the persimmon during the melee. Although she didn't get a clear look... just before she swung her sword, it seemed like that short person had thrown something toward the person in black. Chu Yi also stood up, a faint smile on her lips, "Ah, sister, you're back from seeing the Senior Brother?" Seeing her, Chu Yao snapped back to reality, her brows furrowing, "What are you doing here?" "I'm here to help you find the traitor," Chu Yi smiled, "Am I not welcome?" Chu Yao bluntly replied, "You're not welcome." Chu Yi: "Well, there's nothing I can do about that. Seeing you unhappy makes me really happy." Chu Yao’s lips curled into a grin, her fists cracking, "Don't think I won't beat you up." Chu Yi's smile persisted, but her eyes grew slightly cold, "Oh?" For a moment, the atmosphere became tense. In the midst of this charged atmosphere, The round-faced Beast Peak disciple's goat bleated. "Ah, Xiao Bai, are you scared? Master Chu, you've frightened my Bai Bai!" the round-faced disciple exclaimed. The Beast Peak disciple obsessed with puppet culture's black dog barked. That disciple also turned pale with shock, "Ah, Hei Tie Dan! Why are you barking?! Are you unwell?! Masters, please show mercy!!" Chu Yao: "..." What is a Bai Bai? Chu Yi: "..." This is why she found the Beast Peak disciples with their animal fussing so irritating. Every tiny issue with their spirit beasts was treated as if the sky were falling, ignoring everything else. Chu Yao's brow twitched as she unclenched her fists, impatiently addressing Chu Yi, "You don't need to meddle here." Chu Yi glanced at the small puppet on the stone slab, her smile unchanging, "But I'm curious about what you plan to do." Chu Yao replied, "It's none of your business." "Should I remind you?" Chu Yi chuckled, "Fire spiritual energy, Dan Peak..." Chu Yao's pupils contracted slightly, "Shut up and scram." "I just mentioned it. Why are you so worked up?" Chu Yi achieved her aim and didn’t care, "Then I won't disturb you. Goodbye." = = The next day. It was a clear, sunny day. The previous night's disturbance was considerable, and Dan Peak had faced numerous challenges. Many disciples were dragged out of bed in the middle of the night for inspections, having to present their jade pendants one by one, causing quite a commotion. But Xia Ge, suspected of being highly suspicious due to her absence and sudden hot spring appearance the previous night, slept soundly in her luxurious single room until dawn. "Ah, such bliss." System: "Get up and go to morning class." Morning classes. The surrounding students looked exhausted, one by one. Only Xia Ge appeared energetic, even attracting a few glances from the supervising teacher. Xia Ge returned their stares with a radiant smile. The teacher, who was the same one whose teapot Chu Yao had smashed, could never muster a kind face towards Xia Ge. He just snorted and went back to scrutinizing the pill recipe. Xia Ge didn't mind. She lowered her head to read, but after a while, she sensed something off. She suddenly looked up— Huo Bai?! Huo Bai was sitting quietly in front of her to the left, dressed impeccably in Dan Peak robes, his posture rigid and proper, showing no sign of anything unusual. Staring intently at his back, Xia Ge felt her mind whirl with confusion. How could this be? How could he be sitting here unharmed? The puppet she blew up yesterday, while not as powerful as a nuclear bomb, had materials she'd acquired at a high price from the black market. It should have had the effect of at least eight ounces of TNT... Sure, even if he was tough, even with spiritual energy protection, there should've been some damage from such a surprise attack! But now, he seemed completely fine? Could it be that the intruder last night wasn’t Huo Bai? Not Bai Ren? Impossible... It had to be him, right? Or could there be another traitor besides Huo Bai? "Morning, Xia Wuyin." As Xia Ge's mind ran chaotically, Mao Qing, with dark circles under her eyes, weakly greeted her, "You seem to be in good spirits..." Xia Ge steadied herself though her thoughts still wandered, "Mhm, pretty good..." She had sacrificed so much yesterday, and yet it was all futile? Mao Qing asked, "Were the seeds yesterday good?" Xia Ge instantly brightened, "Delicious! Cream-flavored! Do you have more?" Mao Qing replied, "I do, but you said you'd bring me persim—." Persimmons? Persimmons! Before Mao Qing could finish, Xia Ge covered her mouth abruptly. Mao Qing's eyes widened, and she mumbled for a while. Xia Ge, only easing after noticing no reaction from Huo Bai in front, whispered reassuringly, "No more persimmons, but I’ll get you persimmon cakes later, okay?" Mao Qing nodded with wide eyes. Xia Ge released her hand, and Mao Qing hid her head behind a book, whispering, "What happened to your persimmons?" Xia Ge, feeling guilty, replied, "… They were ripe yesterday, and I left them for you, but this morning they were spoiled." Huo Bai still hadn't turned around. Xia Ge narrowed her eyes slightly. Yesterday, was it really him? But if it wasn't him… could it be another spy? "Oh, they spoiled?" Mao Qing wrinkled her nose and whispered, "That's a shame." Thinking about how she had sacrificed the persimmons stolen from Sword Peak the previous day to a puppet's head, Xia Ge felt the same regret and heartache, nodding, "Yeah, it's such a shame… Ow!" Out of nowhere, her head was knocked hard, and Mao Qing received a smack as well. "Xia Wuyin! Mao Qing!" The teacher, holding a rolled-up scroll, glared at them, "Getting more and more unruly, aren’t you?! Do you realize you're in morning class?! Get out and recite your texts!" Xia Ge: "..." Mao Qing: "..." The two walked out with their books, followed by the curious gazes of their classmates. The bright morning sun shone over the land, with faint mists lingering on the mountain. Outside the hall, Xia Ge held her alchemy book, trying to read, but soon gave up due to the unfamiliar characters. Beside her, Mao Qing was earnestly reciting. Xia Ge: "..." Xia Ge nudged Mao Qing with her elbow, "Hey, you arrived early today." "Purifying Soul Pill… huh?" Mao Qing snapped back to reality, still mumbling, "This pill requires a raw soul…" System: "Look at her, so dedicated." A little thought-bug burrowed in Xia Ge’s hair surreptitiously extended its tiny tail, and patted her head, mimicking the sentiments of the System. Xia Ge: "..." Mao Qing asked, "Yeah, I did come quite early. Why?" "… You're really diligent." Xia Ge sighed, “I should learn from you." Mao Qing paused and then became a bit embarrassed, "What are you saying? I don't have much talent so I can only work harder…" Xia Ge said, "How can that be? You're very talented." Anyone who can refine a Golden Pill has to have some talent, right? "I'm not as good as you." Mao Qing shook her head, "Everyone says you'll be the first Earth-level alchemist of Dan Peak." Xia Ge let out a dry chuckle, "Do you think that's likely?" "Why not?" Mao Qing wondered, then smiled, "If it's you, everything is possible." Xia Ge: "..." That compliment made me a bit embarrassed. "Dan Peak hasn't had anyone capable of refining a Three-life Golden Pill in the entrance exams for almost a hundred years, but you did it; there haven’t been any special admissions in almost a hundred years, but you became one," Mao Qing reminisced, then laughed thinking about Xia Ge’s unique way of entering the competition, "You always turn the impossible into possible." Xia Ge: "..." You misunderstood. Getting special admission had a lot to do with my senior sister’s lenience. "You’re amazing, Xia Wuyin." Mao Qing earnestly said, "When I first entered the inner sect, I never thought about becoming an Earth-level alchemist. For any alchemist nowadays, that’s an unattainable dream. I just wanted to be stronger, to not be trampled on by the trash from Sword Peak, to hold my head high… But…" She looked at Xia Ge, "But everyone says you can do it." "So I thought, if you can do it… maybe if I try hard, I can too." Xia Ge: "It's all just rumors…" "Whether you can or not doesn't matter. What matters is that because of you, I now feel that being an Earth-level alchemist isn’t so unattainable," Mao Qing softly said, "I have to thank you. Regardless of success or failure, you gave me the courage to chase after it." "Where did you hear those baseless rumors? If I can't do it, it’ll be really embarrassing, and I haven't done anything!" Xia Ge was feeling suffocated. "It’s not about whether you can or can’t, but whether you tried or not," Mao Qing thought for a moment and smiled, "Because you haven't done anything, everything is still possible." Xia Ge: "..." Although what she says seems logical, something still feels off. Xia Ge glanced at the book in Mao Qing's hands and finally sincerely said, "I think you will become an Earth-level alchemist." Mao Qing smiled, "Let's work hard together." Xia Ge snapped back, "Oh right! What was I going to ask you?" Mao Qing looked confused, "Did you ask me something?" Xia Ge: "I remember now… You got here very early today?" Mao Qing said, "Last night there was a sudden search, and after they checked, I couldn't fall back asleep, so I decided to clean up and come early." Xia Ge "oh"-ed and casually asked, "So, how long after you arrived did Huo Bai come?" Hearing Xia Ge bring up Huo Bai, Mao Qing seemed to remember something, "Now that you mention it… I almost forgot. Huo Bai did seem a bit odd today…" Xia Ge's heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a calm facade, "Oh?" "Usually, he hides peppermint candies in his sleeve and sneaks some during morning recitals. But today, he didn’t have any. Strange, right?" Mao Qing said, puzzled. Xia Ge: "..." Suffocating. "… Besides that?" Xia Ge steadied herself, "Did he seem weak? Or... was he limping?" Mao Qing was about to say something when she realized what Xia Ge was asking and her expression turned peculiar. She looked at Xia Ge, "... Why are you asking this?" Xia Ge hesitated, "Uh, well..." After a pause, Mao Qing's eyes widened in disbelief, "Did he go to a brothel with you yesterday?!" Xia Ge choked, "Cough, cough, cough..." Mao Qing grabbed her shoulders and shook her excitedly, "Did he?!" Xia Ge, dizzy from being shaken: "Cough, cough… no, he didn’t…" And what on earth are you imagining? Why is it always a brothel? Do I look like someone who enjoys brothels? Mao Qing: "Then why are you asking?" Xia Ge caught her breath: "..." Good point. Mao Qing: "Hmm?" Xia Ge suddenly got serious, "Although I didn’t go, I suspect he did." System: "..." Is it really okay to throw dirt like this? Mao Qing looked at Xia Ge suspiciously. … Sorry, Brother Huo! Being a spy means embracing the dirt! An eye for an eye with the black market! Xia Ge spoke earnestly, "You see, Huo Bai even knows how to refine Passion Pills. How could he not have frequented brothels?" Mao Qing: "You're lying. There was a search yesterday by the three peaks. If Huo Bai was out all night, he would have been caught. How could he attend morning class today?" The three-peak search happened after the incident. Using a teleport stone, he could easily return before the search. The real question is… Why doesn’t Huo Bai show any signs of injury? Xia Ge remained calm: "I wasn’t saying he went last night. I was saying he's been before. Anyway, no more talk about that. Any other strange behavior?" Mao Qing held reservations about the brothel theory. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Another strange thing… today he was particularly cold towards me." Xia Ge: "..." Though it feels wrong to say, wasn’t he always distant with you? Xia Ge didn't say it out loud, but Mao Qing saw through her thoughts and huffed, "Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. I’m telling you, it’s different." "Although he didn’t interact much with me before..." Mao Qing thought for a moment and frowned, "I can't put my finger on it, but he definitely seemed off today." Xia Ge frivolously said, "Maybe he's thinking about how to ransom some girl from a brothel." Mao Qing pretended to storm off sarcastically, "Say that again and I’ll tell him." Xia Ge grabbed her arm, "I'll buy you persimmon cakes, from Jinjiang Sweet Shop." Mao Qing: "Don’t want them." Xia Ge reluctantly: "A pound of peppermint candies!" Mao Qing: "Who wants peppermint? I want cherry blossom!" Xia Ge: "..." Mao Qing: "I'll go tell him then." Xia Ge: "Cherry blossoms it is!!" Becoming penniless. System: "Serves you right for lying." Xia Ge: "..." They read for a while. Xia Ge cautiously proposed, "… How about we compromise? Half a pound of cherry blossom candy?" Mao Qing continued reading with a concentrated gaze, "Sure, then add half a pound of persimmon cakes." Xia Ge: "..." You can go tell him then. Goodbye. = = "Miss, what are you doing carving this wood?" Bi Xi finished tidying the room and watched as her lady, just returning from a meeting at Lingxi Peak's council hall, sat at the table carving wood with a knife, somewhat puzzled. Gu Pei Jiu paused for a moment, then quietly responded, "Nothing, just carving something. Go fetch the documents I need to process later, and then you're free to go." "Oh..." Bi Xi remained curious, "Are you making a seal, Miss?" "No," Gu Pei Jiu shook her head, then urged, "Just go quickly." Seeing that her lady didn't seem inclined to talk, Bi Xi refrained from asking further and obediently went downhill to retrieve the documents. Gu Pei Jiu took out the piece of wood she was working on, a pure white segment. The warm sunlight outside filtered through the green curtains, casting light on the table. Two florets of red and white reed grass were placed in a small porcelain vase. The girl, dressed in red and white maple-colored robes, lowered her eyelashes, carefully carving the wood with a knife. Tiny wood shavings fell as the white wood gradually took the shape of a person. In the gentle sunlight, the girl's jade-like hands and painted brows were highlighted. After a while, Bi Xi returned with the documents in her arms and, seeing the half-finished product in Gu Pei Jiu's hands, widened her eyes slightly, "Miss… is that…?" Gu Pei Jiu paused briefly, then placed the item aside as if nothing happened, "Nothing, just carving for fun." "Give me the documents," she continued nonchalantly. Bi Xi placed the documents on the table but couldn't help glancing repeatedly at the little wooden puppet. After a while, she said, "Miss, your carving skills are impressive." Gu Pei Jiu responded with a low hum as she flipped through the documents. The first page she saw was about tightening security. Flipping to the next, it detailed the events of the demonic spy's night raid yesterday. Bi Xi withdrew her gaze from the puppet and asked, "Miss, why was Xia Wuyin in your room yesterday?" Gu Pei Jiu, still looking at the documents, responded, "I don't know." Bi Xi: "..." Yesterday, it seemed like Miss knew Xia Wuyin was there... But when did he come? How did he get there? Why did she have no memory of it? Could it be... a teleportation stone? ... Xia Wuyin actually had a teleportation stone that directly transported him to Miss's room?! No way, right?! Bi Xi scrutinized Gu Pei Jiu's expression but found nothing amiss, nor did she indicate any punishment for Xia Wuyin, leaving Bi Xi puzzled. After thinking for a moment, she couldn't help but ask, "Then... aren't you angry?" Gu Pei Jiu: "Why should I be angry?" Bi Xi replied, "That rascal Xia Wuyin appearing in your room in the middle of the night must have had ulterior motives, of course, you should be angry." "Ulterior motives?" Gu Pei Jiu thought about the reality of the situation, considered Xia Wuyin's small frame that she could lift with one hand, and shook her head. "She can't do anything, she's too small." Tian Zhu Ling, lying beside them, seemed to recall something, lifting one red petal slightly. Gu Pei Jiu glanced at it. Noticing its owner's attention, Tian Zhu Ling happily wiggled, slowly lifting itself to about chest height with Gu Pei Jiu, and made a subtle poking gesture before quickly slumping and playing dead. Gu Pei Jiu: "..." Bi Xi didn't notice Tian Zhu Ling's movements, "Not that small! She’s already thirteen!" Gu Pei Jiu refocused on the documents, murmuring to herself more than responding, "... Only thirteen." So small. No wonder she’s that tiny. Bi Xi: "..." Gu Pei Jiu: "Oh, by the way, Tian Zhu Ling seems to be a bit dirty... When you wash it today, scrub it a few extra times." Bi Xi: "Huh? But I just washed it yesterday." Tian Zhu Ling slowly curled into the corner of the room. Gu Pei Jiu turned a page, expressionless, and repeated, "It's dirty. Scrub it a few extra times." Bi Xi: "..." The sunlight was just right, the half-carved white wood doll on the table glowed in the light, with eyes wide open and a bright smile. --- **Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone for the grenades and bombs! Love you all! --- Readers who contributed with virtual gifts, shown with their comments: 漾曦 threw a thunderbolt. 血色chinoiro threw a thunderbolt. 不雪仁 threw a thunderbolt. 24634696 threw a grenade. 宋烯 threw a thunderbolt. 30667235 threw a thunderbolt. 游离悠闲 threw a thunderbolt. Thank you all for the virtual donations! Love you!