102 - Dungeon Growth Log

Xia Ge carried Mao Qing up the mountain using her Ghostly Shadow steps. Mao Qing’s consciousness seemed a bit foggy, and she was muttering while clutching Xia Ge's neck. “I think I see the stars from that night…” Stars? What nonsense? Xia Ge asked, “...Are they bright?” Mao Qing laughed softly, “No, they are very dark.” In reality, there were no stars, nothing at all. On the way, a few Sword Peak disciples saw them, but Xia Ge couldn't be bothered to explain. She simply carried Mao Qing back to the academy, intending to consult their Master about what to do. Upon arrival, she placed Mao Qing on a small window seat in the side hall. Their Master, after seeing Mao Qing's arrow wound, sighed deeply but didn’t ask how she had ended up being mistaken as a spy by the Sword Peak disciples. “It seems this wound isn’t minor.” “Master, can it be healed?” Xia Ge asked with some anxiety. “It’s soul poison.” The Master stroked his goatee and examined Mao Qing. “Considering how resilient her mind is, that’s quite impressive.” Xia Ge was puzzled. The Master elaborated, “Those afflicted by soul poison will have their souls corroded directly. If the soul isn’t strong, it will quickly be eroded, causing madness and incoherent speech, eventually leading to complete insanity or soul dissolution.” “Is it that severe?” “Indeed.” The Master replied, “However, those with exceptionally strong souls can resist the soul poison with their own soul strength. There might be occasional bouts of confusion, but it’s manageable.” Xia Ge urged, “Um, please tend to her wound first…” She didn’t want to hear more about the dangers of the soul poison, fearing Mao Qing might not hold on. “I can handle the arrow wound, but this soul poison is a bit tricky.” “Tricky? Isn’t the Hundred Souls Pill able to cure it?” Xia Ge recalled reading about it today. The Master explained, “The demonic cult’s previous attacks never involved poisoned weapons, so the Elixir Peak wasn’t prepared for this. While we do have an antidote for the soul poison, it’s only a pseudo-mystic grade.” “...Pseudo-mystic grade?” “The current mystic-grade alchemist at the Elixir Peak is that one person, and given their busy schedule, they can’t simply work day and night to prepare hundreds of mystic-grade Hundred Souls Pills.” That one person... Master Sister!! But she had gone to Kuzhu Village to fend off the wave of evil spirits! Xia Ge asked, “Is pseudo-mystic grade okay?” The Master replied, “The pseudo-mystic grade can temporarily alleviate the effects, but it’s not a permanent solution. Soul poison earned its name because it corrodes the soul through the body, making people increasingly deranged. The pseudo-mystic grade Hundred Souls Pill only provides relief for a day or two, beyond that, who knows what might happen.” Making people deranged... Xia Ge looked at Mao Qing, who gazed back with somewhat glazed eyes. The Master soothed his goatee, treated Mao Qing's arrow wound, and then turned to retrieve the pseudo-mystic grade Hundred Souls Pill, “Watch over her; I’ll get the pill...” Suddenly, Xia Ge called out, “Wait!” The Master turned to her, “What now?” Xia Ge's heart raced slightly, “...The materials for the Hundred Souls Pill, do you...” Are they available? Before she could finish, the door to the hall was brutally kicked open with a bang. Several Sword Peak disciples barged in, declaring, “Arrest Xia Wu Yin!” The Master rebuked, “How dare you! While demonic forces cause chaos at the mountain’s base, you waste your time here acting like hooligans!” “If it weren’t for a spy leaking information, we wouldn’t be in such a disarray!” A Sword Peak disciple shouted angrily, “Seize her!” The Master stood protectively in front of Xia Ge, “Who dares to come forward?!” The Sword Peak disciple argued, “Don’t stop us, Master. Over half of the Sword Peak disciples are afflicted with soul poison now. If we don’t catch the culprit, we’ll never be at peace!” “You accuse me of being a spy, where’s your proof?” Xia Ge walked out from behind the Master slowly, her expression cold, “Produce evidence, and I’ll go with you.” The Sword Peak disciple was speechless for a moment before saying, “A burned puppet doll was found with Chu Da Ren. Only you in the Three Peaks have that kind of puppet! If not you, then who?!” “Ridiculous, just because I possess such a doll makes me guilty?” Xia Ge sneered, then continued, “I asked for evidence, not baseless slander.” “Enough talk! Seize him!” The Sword Peak disciples rushed forward, but the young man in Elixir Peak robes smirked coldly. In the next moment, an incredibly dazzling command token appeared in his hand— “Who gave you the right to arrest a peak commander?!” The rushing disciples froze in place, even their Master gasped. The leading disciple stammered, “Impossible!” The Master assessed the token carefully, “This is indeed the command token of our peak! It’s genuine!” A nearby disciple squinted at the token and whispered, “I’ve seen it before, it looks...legit.” The leading disciple, his face flush with anger, shot a glare, then looked again at Xia Ge, “Don’t think you’ll get away easily! When the battle below is over, the eldest disciple will deal with this personally!” With the command token, no one could touch Xia Ge unless Chang Lan came in person. After they stormed out angrily, the Master’s expression grew complex, “This command token…” Xia Ge explained, “Bi Xi gave it to me. I...Master, let’s not discuss this, do we have the materials and the pseudo-mystic Hundred Souls Pill?” The Master stroked his goatee, “We have plenty of materials, but you…” “Bring them here!” Xia Ge insisted. The Master gave her a look but didn’t question further and went to fetch the materials. Mao Qing lay on the bed, her waist wound dressed, eyes closed, forehead sweaty, lips cyanotic. Xia Ge squatted down, wrung a wet cloth dry, and gently wiped off Mao Qing’s sweat, whispering, “…You’ll be alright.” Mao Qing, eyes still closed, didn’t respond. Xia Ge placed the cloth back in the basin, thought for a moment, then took a candy from her pocket, unwrapped it, and placed it in Mao Qing’s mouth. Mao Qing’s eyes opened slightly, looking at Xia Ge, her long lashes shadowing moistened, beautiful eyes. Xia Ge asked, “Is it sweet?” Mao Qing, her voice hoarse, eyes misty, replied, “…Sweet.” “Knowing it’s sweet, stop seeking trouble.” Xia Ge tossed the candy wrapper into a nearby wastebasket, “You could’ve avoided that arrow.” Mao Qing admitted earnestly, “I’m sorry.” Xia Ge sighed, “You’re hurt, why apologize to me? I’m not the one injured.” “No one is immune to injury.” Mao Qing replied innocently, “If it doesn’t hurt, it’s not fierce enough.” Xia Ge rubbed her forehead, “…Must you argue with me? And you’re missing the point.” Soul poison did indeed seem to cause peculiarity; this wasn’t just peculiar, it was entirely erratic. Mao Qing murmured, “Ah, the wound hurts a bit.” Xia Ge changed the topic, “…Your lashes are so long.” “Mhm?” Mao Qing responded. “Does it still hurt?” Xia Ge asked. Mao Qing chuckled, “Yes.” As they chatted, the Master returned with the elixir and materials. Xia Ge poured some water and helped Mao Qing take the pill. After taking the pseudo-mystic Hundred Souls Pill, Mao Qing’s complexion improved slightly but still looked very fatigued, keeping her eyes half-open. The Master pointed to the materials he brought, “These?” Xia Ge gathered the materials, speaking softly, “I recall there’s a furnace here too?” The Master, surprised, “Do you intend to…” Xia Ge nodded, “I wish to try.” Before they could finish the conversation, another Sword Peak disciple barged in. The Master, visibly irritated, “You people just—” before he could finish, the disciple dropped to one knee and begged, “Over half of the Sword Peak disciples are afflicted with soul poison and we’re suffering heavy losses, please grant us elixirs, Master!” The Master hesitated for a moment but relented, “How many do you need? But remember, all we have are pseudo-mystic grade elixirs; the cure will have to wait for someone to return.” Who that someone was, went without saying. The disciple, gritting his teeth, said, “Please grant us elixirs first, Master.” The Master agreed, “Come with me to fetch the elixirs.” Though the three peaks often had internal conflicts, when faced with external enemies, they united their efforts. The Master then pointed Xia Ge to a pill room, “There’s a furnace there. If you wish to try, go ahead. Over the years, our Elixir Peak never lacked materials… Sigh, I’ve heard you crafted a Three-Life Fasting Golden Pill during the alchemy competition; you might have some talent. Try creating a pseudo-mystic grade Hundred Souls Pill.” Implying that he didn’t believe Xia Ge could produce a true mystic-grade elixir. No, perhaps he believed it wasn’t impossible…but ever since that great fire years ago, apart from Gu Peijiu, born with a natural aptitude for alchemy, he hadn’t seen anyone else produce a mystic-grade elixir. Xia Ge bowed respectfully, “Thank you.” The system asked, “Are you determined?” Xia Ge nodded slowly, whispering, “I think I understand what you meant that day.” The system responded, “...What?” --- “You said becoming an alchemist isn’t about seeking others' admiration and courage.” She placed the book down, then picked up some materials. The spiritual energy stored within her elicited an internal flow through her danmai, concentrating on the materials in her hand, causing them to resonate with the ambient spiritual energy. The spiritual herbs and medicines began to emit a beautiful glow, and Xia Ge swiftly tossed the herb infused with spiritual energy into the furnace, the flames erupting in a brilliant display. “I think you were right,” she murmured softly. --- At the Mountain’s Foot. Chang Lan activated the protective mountain formation, temporarily halting the demonic cult’s puppet soldiers’ advance. It took considerable time and effort to activate the mountain protection formation, depleting much of Chang Lan’s spiritual energy. Once done, Chang Lan descended the mountain to join the disciples in resisting the demon’s puppets that had infiltrated the mountain. His addition to the fight increased their efficiency, but by the time everything was dealt with, he was also utterly exhausted. On the other side, the Sword Peak disciples suffered severe injuries. Many, their minds unstable, were driven mad by the soul poison, speaking gibberish and grasping wildly. Their hastily bandaged wounds reopened, causing so much pain that they rolled around, screaming. In the end, they had to be securely bound with cloth strips. Amidst the chaotic cries, Chu Yi was using her spiritual energy to stabilize the protective mountain formation when a pleasant jingling sound suddenly rang out, making her freeze. Nearby, a disciple carrying an injured person glanced at Chu Yi, “Junior Sister, it seems your bell is ringing? Is it some kind of magical artifact?” Chu Yi paused momentarily, then replied nonchalantly, “Just a family’s sound-transmitting bell.” “Oh, okay, I’ll go ahead then.” The disciple, not questioning further, hurried away with the injured person. Chu Yi watched the bell, which trembled twice before returning to silence, recalling what she had heard through the silver butterfly that night, her gaze deepening. When the master’s cultivation level changes, the Demon Calling Bell rings; when the heart undergoes a transformation, the Immortal Inquiry Bell rings. “How are the casualties?” Chang Lan, not noticing Chu Yi’s anomaly, inquired tiredly of a disciple reporting the situation. “...The Sword Peak disciples are severely injured,” the reporting disciple said, “The demonic cult’s treachery lies in their weapon’s soul poison!” Chang Lan’s expression darkened considerably, then he asked in a low voice, “Does the Elixir Peak have any Hundred Souls Pills?” “We’ve already sent someone to inquire.” As they spoke, another disciple approached, the same one who had gone to capture Xia Wu Yin. Seeing him, Chang Lan’s brow twitched slightly, “...Where is the person? Did you catch her?” The disciple looked grim, replying, “No, Senior Brother, we did not.” Chang Lan recalled the conversation he'd had with Chang Nian before he left, rubbing his temples in frustration, “What happened? You caused such a commotion yet failed to capture a mere Elixir Peak disciple?” The disciple explained, “She has the Elixir Peak’s command token.” Before leaving, Chang Nian had told Chang Lan about a puppet doll left behind by a demonic cult spy and how Chu Yao hadn’t reported it. He suggested that Chang Lan investigate, mentioning “incidentally” that Xia Wu Yin of Elixir Peak often carried around a similar-looking puppet doll. Given the lack of clues in the spy investigation and the recent unrest, Chang Lan, adhering to the principle of better to mistakenly kill a thousand than to let one go, decided to first capture Xia Wu Yin and question her to determine her involvement before proceeding further. But... Chang Lan’s hand slipped from his temples, “...What? A command token?” The disciple replied, “Yes, the command token… But it doesn’t matter. Senior Brother, with you personally intervening, she’ll be easily captured!” Chang Lan looked at the disciple being continuously moved around, suffering from soul poison, and every part of him ached, from his scalp to his brain. The disciple urged, “Senior Brother, you mustn’t let the spy go!” “Of course we won’t,” Chang Lan assured him, rubbing his temples again, “Hasn’t the disciple sent to fetch the Hundred Souls Pills returned?” “They have!” The disciple who had gone to the Elixir Peak returned, his face troubled, “Senior Brother… The Elixir Peak’s steward said they currently only have pseudo-mystic grade Hundred Souls Pills, which are only a temporary solution, not a cure.” Chang Lan stated, “If it gives us another day, it’s better than nothing. I’ll send a message to urge Junior Sister Gu to hurry back. You and you, come with me. After I send the message, we’ll go and meet this... Xia Wu Yin.” --- A/N: Gu Gui throws 1 landmine 投掷时间:2018-08-03 01:06:50 my__ throws 1 landmine 投掷时间:2018-08-03 11:07:57 my__ throws 1 landmine 投掷时间:2018-08-03 11:08:04 my__ throws 1 landmine 投掷时间:2018-08-03 11:08:09 my__ throws 1 landmine 投掷时间:2018-08-03 11:08:13 my__ throws 1 landmine 投掷时间:2018-08-03 11:08:17 my__ throws 1 landmine 投掷时间:2018-08-03 11:08:23 my__ throws 1 landmine 投掷时间:2018-08-03 11:08:31 my__ throws 1 landmine 投掷时间:2018-08-03 11:08:36 my__ throws 1 landmine 投掷时间:2018-08-03 11:08:41 Thank you for the landmines!!! (Hugs tightly)