96 - Dungeon Growth Log

Huo Bai indeed seemed a bit off. Whether it was because he'd bumped his head in a brothel and got brain-damaged enough to hand Xia Wuyin a love letter… No, the causal relationship here didn't matter. Mao Qing put away the book. She had just seen Xia Ge leave, seemingly heading back. Huo Bai was leaving; shouldn't he bid farewell? Out of courtesy and propriety... it seemed like he should. Mao Qing pondered for a moment, closed the book. Even if Huo Bai might not like peppermint candy anymore? Even if he didn't, he should. After all, the only thing she knew he liked was that. = = Her entire body was cold, a chill even the sunlight couldn't thaw. Xia Ge's pupils dilated, her gaze somewhat unfocused. Gu Peijiu immediately noticed something was wrong with Xia Ge. "What’s the matter?" Scattered flower petals lay at the young girl's feet. Her face was pale as if she'd heard something terrifying, and her eyes held a blank, uninformed bewilderment. She seemed extremely frightened of something, trembling instinctively, not even knowing what she was afraid of. Xia Ge: "I... don’t know..." Gu Peijiu couldn't help but reach out and touch her head. Soft, black hair scented with sunlight. The girl still looked very distressed. She looked up at her, deep pupils without a trace of light. Gu Peijiu felt a faint tremor in her heart. Her hand, resting on Xia Ge's head, moved downwards slightly and she gently pulled the girl into an embrace. "Then you don't need to know," Gu Peijiu whispered softly in her ear. "Why did you come looking for me?" This embrace was very warm. As if it could absorb all unease and fear, cleanse all the cold and harshness. An instant of sudden springtime warmth and blossoming flowers. Xia Ge slowly tightened her grip on Gu Peijiu's clothes, buried her head in her chest, and mumbled, "Wuyi Mountain." Her voice was too low and muffled, so Gu Peijiu didn't catch it clearly and asked, "What?" Xia Ge relaxed her grip slowly. After a long while, she raised her head and gazed at Gu Peijiu, "Wuyi Mountain, where is it?" Almost as soon as the words were spoken, Gu Peijiu's body trembled, her pupils dilating rapidly, but she soon composed herself. In a low voice, she said, "...did you say Wuyi Mountain?" Xia Ge looked at her confusedly, "Senior Sister, what's wrong?" Gu Peijiu replied, "Hmm?" Xia Ge: "You look unwell... Did I say something wrong?" Gu Peijiu: "No." Xia Ge: "Is Wuyi Mountain a bad place?" Gu Peijiu quickly said, "No." The 'no' came swiftly and urgently, filled with hesitation. For the first time, Xia Ge saw a hint of pain in her eyes. Her vision darkened as Gu Peijiu pressed her head back to her chest. "It's not a bad place." "So why does it make you look so sad?" Xia Ge asked, "Is there something special about it?" Gu Peijiu was silent for a moment, not answering but asking instead, "Where did you hear about this mountain?" The system suddenly interjected: {Don't say it was from the note.} Xia Ge: {Hmm? Why not?} System: {The fewer who know about that note, the better.} Xia Ge: {But...} System: {There's a reward of points involved.} Xia Ge: {Deal.} Xia Ge said, "I saw it in a book in the library..." wedged between the cover and the pages. "Found it inside." Yes, selective omission is fine. Yes, that's right, selective omission is not lying. “It must be an old book then,” Gu Peijiu covered up the flicker of surprise in her eyes and softly said, “You came just to ask me about Wuyi Mountain?” Xia Ge murmured an "Mm," "I was a bit curious but didn't know who else to ask." "Wuyi Mountain no longer exists," said Gu Peijiu. Xia Ge was stunned, raising her head, "What?" "A long, long time ago, there was indeed such a mountain called Wuyi, located by the East Sea." Gu Peijiu lowered her eyes, speaking softly, "But later, due to frequent wars and some... unforeseen events, countless evil spirits invaded the human world, causing misery." Xia Ge, intrigued, asked, "Unforeseen events?" Gu Peijiu nodded lightly, "The specifics are lost to history." "What about Wuyi Mountain?" “It is said an immortal sealed the Wuyi Mountain, suppressing thousands of evil spirits beneath it. It came to be known as the Mountain of Evil Spirits and became hidden within the sea of clouds, thus the world no longer had Wuyi Mountain, only the legend of the Mountain of Evil Spirits." Xia Ge was dumbfounded, "Sea of clouds? Mountain of Evil Spirits?" So, the Wuyi Mountain of those times, now the Mountain of Evil Spirits... hidden within the sea of clouds? Sea of clouds? Where is that? "Do you know where the Mountain of Evil Spirits is now?" Xia Ge asked, tugging on Gu Peijiu’s sleeve. Gu Peijiu lowered her eyelids, her voice soft, "No one knows nowadays." "Why?" Xia Ge looked disappointed. "Because the Mountain of Evil Spirits is more than just a mountain now," Gu Peijiu's voice turned faint. "It can move." Xia Ge: "Move?" Gu Peijiu: "Yes, no one knows when or where it will appear." Why did that sound so much like Bai Meng Xue's work? Do holes and mountains these days all like to visit each other? It was suffocating. Xia Ge: "How can one find it then..." Gu Peijiu released her and patted her head, but said no more. So, the hard-earned clue would end here as well? So difficult to locate, might as well focus on collecting more materials for crafting advanced puppets and leveling up directly. Trying to take shortcuts always backfires. The system said, “I may not have made it clear before... cough, if you find the soul-repressing relic, you can jump a whole tier, no matter your current level.” “A tier, not a level!” Xia Ge: "..." Xia Ge: {That’s not what you said before.} System’s voice sounded light and unconcerned: “You couldn’t find it immediately anyway, so what difference does it make if I tell you now or later.” Moreover, the lower Xia Ge's level, the easier it would be for the system to upgrade her, conversely, the higher her level, the more likely the system would face severe consequences. This was why it had purposefully withheld the information earlier. But now the host was on the verge of giving up... well, to keep a donkey working, you need to dangle some carrots. No other way. Puppet masters had different tiers, and each tier had three levels: apprentice, puppet master, grand puppet master, puppet grandmaster, and puppet god. Each tier had three sub-levels: lower, middle, and upper. Xia Ge was previously a puppet apprentice; now she was a middle-level puppet master. If she obtained the soul-repressing relic, she could leap directly to middle-level grand puppet master, almost like cheating. But Xia Ge felt that considering the system’s deceitful nature, it wouldn’t be that simple. "Thank you, Senior Sister." Xia Ge bent down to pick up the fallen flowers, then said softly, "Senior Sister, did you just mention… the evil ghost tide?" The words 'evil ghost tide' felt strange on her tongue, even saying them simply seemed hard. Gu Peijiu paused, “Yesterday, the Sword Peak reported that Bamboo’s Sorrow Village encountered an evil ghost tide. Sword Peak and Beast Peak have already sent disciples for a trial mission.” Xia Ge was slightly startled, "What about Pill Peak..." “Don’t worry about that,” Gu Peijiu said, “Focus on your midterm tests.” Xia Ge clung to her sleeve, “...Are you going alone?” Gu Peijiu gave a small nod, “Yes, and while I am away from Pill Peak, do not cause trouble.” Xia Ge said, "Actually, I can also..." go with you. Gu Peijiu’s dark eyes met hers, cutting her off abruptly, "You cannot." Xia Ge froze, all her bravado crumbling in those black eyes, as fragile as rusted iron, falling apart at the slightest touch. ...Right, she couldn’t. She was scared. But... Xia Ge said, "I can't stay afraid of these things forever, I..." She forced herself to smile, "Someday, I’ll have to face them." Gu Peijiu watched her for a moment. Just as Xia Ge’s smile began to falter and she thought to look away, the girl in the red and white maple dress sighed softly and gently cupped her face, guiding her gaze back to hers. "You said, 'someday.'" "That day won't be today or tomorrow." Xia Ge's mind went blank, her heart pounding furiously. After a while, she murmured, "Senior Sister...?" Gu Peijiu’s voice lowered, “What I mean is...” "As long as I'm here, that day will never come." == Xia Ge left. Bixi came in, a bit worried. "Miss, are you sure you want to go alone?" Gu Peijiu nodded. Bixi said, "You initially planned to take Xia Wuyin with you, didn’t you?" Gu Peijiu calmly stacked the finished documents. Suddenly, a soft petal, caught between the pages, drifted down quietly onto the dark wooden table. Gu Peijiu stared at the petal for a long time before speaking slowly, "Her spiritual senses are just beginning to open, she knows nothing." "Taking her is of no use." Though her words were dismissive, her eyes remained on the tiny, pink petal. After a pause, she gently picked it up, cradling it in her hand. ...So small. Too small. So, all she wanted to do was hold it in her palm. Protect in her embrace. Thorns won't meet her, wind and rain won't harm her. Bixi sighed, "Ah... There is no one at Pill Peak. Miss, the evil ghost tide is treacherous. Please be extra careful." The softness of the petal in Gu Peijiu's hand echoed with the delicate oleanders blooming outside the window. "Mm, I understand." Outside, the oleanders were in full bloom. Oleander is a beautiful plant, but the more beautiful it is, the more poisonous it becomes. Retracting her gaze, Gu Peijiu thought of the doll at the girl's waist. After a long pause, she said slowly, "Bixi." Bixi: "Yes, Miss?" Gu Peijiu took out a vermilion token from a black velvet box on the bookshelf. "This, please pass it on for me." Bixi’s eyes widened, "Miss, this is—" "..." "Remember to give it to her." Author's Note: Oh dear... this really pushes me to add more updates = =