94 - Dungeon Growth Log

Seeing Gu Peijiu take a bite of the apple, Xia Ge felt as if she'd won the lottery. She swiftly descended from the tree and eagerly ran over to her, calling out, "Senior Sister, Senior Sister." Gu Peijiu looked down at her. The young girl’s eyes shone brightly, filled with the soft morning light. Gu Peijiu paused slightly, holding the apple calmly. "What?" Xia Ge asked eagerly, "Senior Sister, does the apple taste good?" Gu Peijiu hesitated for a moment and then made a sound of acknowledgment. Xia Ge rubbed her hands together, "Uh... about that..." Gu Peijiu replied, "About what?" Xia Ge’s gaze wandered, "About, you know, that." Gu Peijiu stared at her. Gathering her courage, Xia Ge threw caution to the wind, "Senior Sister, what's on the midterm exam?" Gu Peijiu inquired, "You want to know?" Xia Ge nodded vigorously, her eyes brimming with hope. She had gone to great lengths to pick apples early in the morning! She even had to avoid a group of Beast Summit disciples and snatch apples from a bunch of wild monkeys. If it weren’t for her mastery of the Ghost Shadow Evasion Technique, she surely would have been pummeled by those wild monkeys. Considering how hard she’d worked to get ahead... Just a little hint couldn't hurt, right? "Midterm exam, huh..." Gu Peijiu drawled. "I suppose I can tell you." Xia Ge looked at her eagerly, "What is it about?” Gu Peijiu said slowly, "Alchemy." Xia Ge immediately followed up, "Um, what kind of alchemy?" Gu Peijiu simply replied, "Just alchemy." Xia Ge was speechless. Of course it’s alchemy! But what kind?! Isn't Danfeng Summit supposed to test for alchemy and not fortune-telling?! I can’t breathe! Ignoring Xia Ge’s forehead-slapping exasperation, Gu Peijiu glanced at the sun and checked the time. "You should be heading to your morning class." Xia Ge whined, "Senior Sister, I don’t want to go to morning class." Gu Peijiu smiled, "Oh? Then what do you want to do?" Xia Ge stammered, "I... kind of want to go for fortune-telling." Morning class. Xia Ge slumped over her book, feeling weighed down by life. Huo Bai had his head wrapped in bandages but was still attending class, looking utterly ridiculous. Mao Qing, oblivious to Xia Ge’s woes, asked, "Why did it take you so long to buy coconut cakes yesterday?" Xia Ge, disheartened, replied, "They were sold out. I felt bad and just went back to sleep." Mao Qing was speechless for a moment before asking, "What happened to Huo Bai's head?" Thinking about the apple she’d snatched from the monkeys, Xia Ge answered absentmindedly, "Maybe he bumped his head while visiting a brothel." Mao Qing’s expression was stunned, "Did you go with him?" Xia Ge retorted, "How could someone as upright as me go to such a place?!" The system chimed in, "Upright people don’t try to cheat, and they don’t fail at it either." Xia Ge snapped, "Shut up." Mao Qing shook her head, "I don’t know if he hit his head, but you definitely look like you did today." Xia Ge was silent. Changing the topic, Mao Qing asked, "Did you hear about the giant bats yesterday?" Xia Ge replied, "I heard." Not only had she heard, but she had also shot the ringleader with a single arrow. As Xia Ge recalled the feeling, her heart raced slightly. She closed her eyes and suppressed the sudden wave of nausea. "I heard that those giant bats might have come from the White Dream Cavern," Mao Qing said mysteriously. "Have you heard of the White Dream Cavern?" Xia Ge asked, "What's that?" Mao Qing elaborated, "The White Dream Cavern." Xia Ge felt like she had read or heard about it somewhere before. Maybe it was mentioned in a book she’d skimmed; over the years, she couldn't remember clearly. Seeing Xia Ge's confusion, Mao Qing continued, "If you don’t know the White Dream Cavern, do you know about the ancient gods?" Xia Ge nodded, "I've heard stories." According to legend, ancient gods governed the world. Even in modern times, there are tales of gods such as Nuwa and Fuxi, but their existence isn’t believed to be literal. To Xia Ge, the ancient gods were merely part of folklore and not something she took seriously. Mao Qing recounted, "It’s said that in ancient times, a Dream God governed dreams and time, and the White Dream Cavern was where she resided." "Later, during the twilight of the gods, when the gods fell, the White Dream Cavern became a desolate, wild cave," Mao Qing explained. "However, since it was once inhabited by a deity, some say that the souls of gods might still reside within, or it may hold powerful artifacts that can alter time. Others claim it's filled with monsters, where anyone who enters meets a terrible fate." Xia Ge found it a bit boring. Basically, if it’s true, it’s a high-level quest designed for the protagonist. "For a while, many were eager to find the White Dream Cavern," Mao Qing added with interest. "Initially, it was just a complex, elusive realm with an unreachable entrance. Many gave up, but then... the realm began to malfunction." "The White Dream Cavern started appearing in various places unpredictably." "This was initially one of its traits, but something changed." Wherever the White Dream Cavern appeared, a vortex would emerge, and mutated monsters, even plagues, would spill out, wreaking havoc on the mortal world. Xia Ge’s curiosity was piqued, "So you think these giant bats came from the White Dream Cavern?" Mao Qing nodded solemnly. Xia Ge remarked, "That's unlikely. Yesterday... I mean, I heard that the Sword Summit seemed to have captured someone controlling the bats." "Isn’t it possible they were being manipulated?" Mao Qing analyzed, "But such a large number of giant bats appearing out of nowhere would require a significant spiritual energy disturbance, which would’ve been noticed well before they appeared." After thinking about it, Xia Ge had to agree. It was indeed strange that such a large-scale event had gone unnoticed until it happened. Xia Ge inquired, "Do you have any evidence that the White Dream Cavern is involved?" Mao Qing shook her head, "No, it's just a guess, but many feel the same way." Xia Ge thought, "So it’s just speculation." Mao Qing’s excitement grew, "If the White Dream Cavern appeared, would you go inside?" Xia Ge responded with a peculiar expression, "Don't I like being alive?" Mao Qing was momentarily speechless, "You lack a sense of adventure." Xia Ge asked, "Would you go?" Considering the plague and disaster associated with the place, it seemed nonsensical to go there. Mao Qing smiled, "If it were me, I’d probably go." Xia Ge wondered, "Do you have waves crashing in your brain? No, right?" Pondering for a moment, Xia Ge diplomatically said, "... You certainly are very adventurous." Mao Qing shook her head, "It’s not about adventure. I have a reason." "The Dream God controls time. If I could go to the White Dream Cavern, maybe... I could reverse time, back to before the Danfeng Library burned down." Xia Ge’s eyes widened, "Is that even possible?" Mao Qing replied, "Just a theory, but it’s uncertain whether the White Dream Cavern can reverse time." Xia Ge found it intriguing, "It's interesting, indeed." Mao Qing looked down at the book she held, "If I could go back and save everything... Danfeng wouldn’t be the way it is now." The once glorious Danfeng Summit, reduced to ashes by a fire. What a tragedy. = = Sword Summit. Chang Lan was reviewing documents. "Senior Brother..." A disciple in blue approached, hesitating. "What's the matter? Speak." Chang Lan glanced at the contents, frowning. The village of Bitter Bamboo in the southeast? Attacked by a horde of evil spirits? "About yesterday..." The disciple stammered. Being met with Chang Lan's gaze, he continued, "The corpse that Lord Chu shot dead with an arrow, it's... missing today." Chang Lan was startled, "What?" The corpse had been placed in a coffin, yet today, when moving the coffin, they noticed its weight was off. Upon opening it, the corpse was missing. Chang Lan arrived at the site, frowning deeply, "Summon Baili Qing." The place was a ventilated mortuary, rarely visited, and under tight security with ground-level warning formations. Unless the corpse thief had extraordinary abilities, the body couldn't have been moved without any disturbance. Once Baili Qing arrived, they both stared at the empty coffin. Chang Lan asked, "What do you think, Brother Bai?" Baili Qing, clad in his usual beast attire, slightly raised his hand. The little Chi Luan on his shoulder chirped twice, fluttering around the mortuary before returning to his shoulder. Baili Qing stated, "Chi Luan says there are no unusual human traces, only those of the disciples, and the spiritual energy fluctuations are normal." "Then investigate the disciples further; perhaps one of them is a thief." Chang Lan shook his head, "I’ve already questioned them; nothing seems amiss." Because the corpse was bizarre and terrifying, the disciples guarding it had been scared, so they stayed together the entire time, even going to relieve themselves in pairs. There was nothing suspicious. Baili Qing furrowed his brows, "If no one’s lying, then how could the corpse vanish into thin air?" Chang Lan remarked, "Hard to say." Baili Qing stared at the empty coffin, deep in thought. From what he observed yesterday, the corpse certainly had the telltale signs of excessive spirit power being drained by the giant bats, its blood and flesh sucked dry. The final arrow, hitting the corpse right between the eyebrows, was lethal with no chance of survival. While Baili Qing pondered, Chi Luan suddenly flew up, chirping twice. It fluttered its wings and flew into the coffin, pecking at the corner and pulling out a scrap of fabric with its crimson beak. Baili Qing extended his hand, allowing Chi Luan to drop the cloth into his palm. It gently placed the small piece in Baili Qing’s hand and then perched back on his shoulder. Chang Lan frowned, "What...is this?" Baili Qing waved his hand slightly, and the scrap of cloth hovered in the air, infused with a touch of spiritual energy. The fabric was no larger than a fingernail, soaked in dried blood so thoroughly that its original color was indistinguishable. Apart from the blood smell, there was no other spiritual fluctuation. Hidden in the shadowy corner of the coffin, it had gone unnoticed. Baili Qing examined the cloth, lost in thought. Chang Lan speculated, "Is this from the corpse's clothing? But..." When he saw the corpse yesterday, apart from the arrow shot through its head, there were no other injuries. So where did this bloodstained fabric come from? "Keep it for now," Baili Qing suggested. "The security formation needs to be reinforced." "Naturally," Chang Lan massaged his temples, "This is indeed peculiar." Baili Qing shook his head, "The Sect Master is still in seclusion, and we must keep a close watch on the one in the mountain prison. I suspect this matter is linked to the demon sect." Chang Lan reassured, "No need to worry about that." He paused for a moment, "But there's another issue that’s been troubling recently..." Baili Qing inquired, "What is it?" Chang Lan lifted his head, articulating each word clearly, "The demon tide." Baili Qing’s pupils contracted slightly, "The demon tide? It started again?" Chang Lan sighed, "Once it starts, it can last quite a while. We just don’t know how long it will be this time." Baili Qing asked, "What's Zhi's position on this?" "Zhi has already sent people to guard the villages. We need to dispatch some disciples as well," Chang Lan said. "If we're careful, it can be a good trial." Baili Qing asked, "What's your plan?" "The Sword Summit is our strongest combat force, so we'll take the lead. For the Beast Summit, will you go personally, or will you send disciples? As for Danfeng Summit..." Chang Lan hesitated, "We'll need to consult with the Junior Sister tonight during the council meeting." Baili Qing asked, "What do you think she will do?" Chang Lan smiled wryly, "How should I know? But considering Danfeng’s current state..." He left his sentence unfinished, yet Baili Qing understood his implication. Even though Danfeng had recruited more disciples this year, the number who had opened their spiritual apertures was almost negligible, and among them, those capable of actual combat were even fewer. Taking a group of disciples who hadn't opened their spiritual apertures and only knew alchemy to a battlefield swarming with rampaging demons would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths, even with Zhi’s people overseeing things. "Not necessarily," Baili Qing replied, "Danfeng isn’t just about alchemy. Their formations can be formidable as well." Chang Lan countered, "To be honest, except for Junior Sister Gu, I haven’t seen anyone else in Danfeng who excels in formations." Baili Qing remained silent. Clearing his throat, Baili Qing said, "Let’s discuss it with Junior Sister tonight. After all, she’s in charge of Danfeng." Author’s Note: Ah, I should really add more chapters today, but I've been too busy otz. Thanks to My for the thunderbolt, I'll add more chapters in a bit (scratches head). = =