117 - Dungeon Growth Log

The two of them quickly got into a scuffle. Xia Ge, considering herself a high-minded and mature person, couldn’t bring herself to use underhanded tactics on a child. Meanwhile, Young Master Ye Ze, despite having experienced a long period of wandering, still believed he was a righteous young master and refrained from using devious tricks. A real man should go at it directly! In the end, they ended up punching and kicking each other. Lacking much strength, the most damage they could do was pulling hair, tearing clothes, or giving a few slaps to the face. It didn’t take long for both of them to end up with bruised faces. The initial culprit, the steamed bun, was tossed aside by Xia Ge, who was seeing red. Neither of them had eaten much, so they soon ran out of energy and ended up lying on the ground, panting for breath. Xia Ge thought to herself that perhaps she had overreacted. The dignified thing would have been to take back her bun and just walk away. What was the point of tussling with an ignorant brat? But now, she was exhausted and sore all over, unwilling to move. “You... why did you steal my bun…” The young boy’s voice was a bit hoarse. “Bastard.” Xia Ge, upon hearing this, was incensed. Clearly, this brat stole from her first, yet now he was acting as if she was the bully. Could there be any justice left? “You stole mine first!!” Having been wrongly accused, Xia Ge just couldn't swallow it and, despite her fatigue, retorted through gritted teeth, “You’re the thief accusing me! Why shouldn’t I take back what’s mine?!” Ye Ze bristled, panting, “You're slandering me!! I... I was just standing here, didn’t move…” Xia Ge snapped back, “Who’d believe you without proof? You say you didn't move—why should we trust that?! I might as well say I’m a Super Saiyan!!” Super Saiyan? What on earth was that? Regardless, this kid was just asking for a beating!! Ye Ze clambered to his feet, ready to fight, only to be knocked back down by Xia Ge’s sweeping kick, facedown, nearly losing a tooth. As he struggled back up, Xia Ge sensed something was off. Did she hit the wrong person in her impulsive anger? Looking closely... The boy seemed a tad taller than the dark-clad individual from before. A foreboding feeling rose within Xia Ge. Ye Ze winced from the painful fall, unable to get up immediately. Xia Ge glanced at the tossed bun. It was clearly from the same bun shop, even the pleats were identical—there wouldn’t be any confusion otherwise. …Was it really right? Eight pleats, just like hers. Hesitantly, she asked, “…Your bun?” Still in pain, unable to rise, Ye Ze responded through gritted teeth, “Mine!” Xia Ge: “…You didn’t steal it?” Ye Ze paused for a moment before saying, “A gentleman loves money, in a proper way…” Still feeling it lacked impact, he burst out, “You’re the thief, your whole family are thieves!! I asked for this from someone! You’re the thief, your whole family’s thieves!” Xia Ge: “…My whole family doesn’t steal. I don’t even have a family. And I don’t steal.” Ye Ze was stumped. “But my bun was stolen.” Xia Ge awkwardly admitted, “The person looked a lot like you and just walked past here.” Ye Ze, still recovering from Xia Ge's sweeping kick, retorted irritably, “How is that my problem.” Bending over, Xia Ge picked up the bun, dusted it off, and offered it to Ye Ze, “I’m sorry.” Ye Ze stayed down, refusing to look at her out of humiliation. Xia Ge noticed the bite mark on the bun. After a moment, she awkwardly said, “I’ll compensate you for it.” Ye Ze had yet to stand, remaining silent. Xia Ge: “…Why are you still lying there?” Where did the instigator get off speaking? Ye Ze hissed, “Leave!” “I haven’t given your bun back yet.” Ye Ze: “Go away, I don’t need you to!” Xia Ge didn’t leave, persisting for an answer as if she wouldn’t leave without one, “Then why aren’t you getting up?” Ye Ze: “…” A long silence followed. The alley was quiet, with few passing by, and finding help wasn’t easy. Even if someone was found, they wouldn’t necessarily help a fallen beggar. No, no one would help a fallen beggar. Father always said...adapting to circumstances makes a wise man. Ye Ze heard the humiliation in his own voice. “…I’m out of strength.” Xia Ge scratched her head, helped Ye Ze up, and then split the bun, giving the half she had bitten to Ye Ze; sincerely, she said, “I’m sorry, I was wrong.” “I’ll give you a whole bun next time.” Who would want a whole bun from you anyway. Looking at the bun reminded Ye Ze of the undeserved punch he had received earlier, feeling aggrieved, he said, “You can eat it yourself.” Xia Ge, serious-faced, replied, “I don’t want to eat alone, Mom said that’s bad.” Ye Ze was choked up, feeling his young heart deceived, “Isn’t it just you in your family?!” Xia Ge: “But I didn’t just pop out of a rock, did I?” Ye Ze: “…” Alright then. In the end, Ye Ze was indeed too hungry to bother bickering any further, so the two of them split the bun. Regaining a bit of strength, Xia Ge asked, “Since it wasn’t you, did you see someone who looks similar pass by here?” She had seen the bun thief pass by earlier. Ye Ze was silent for a moment before admitting, “I know who you’re talking about.” Xia Ge was surprised, “Did he steal your bun?” Ye Ze nodded. Ye Ze replied, “I’ll take you to find him.” Xia Ge: “Huh? You’re being nice?” Ye Ze sneered, “The bun needs to be returned, and you have to give it back to me.” Xia Ge: “…” Ye Ze and Xia Ge found the bun thief. Ahead of a group of stray cats. The cats were dirty, and the little thief was giving them half of the bun, slowly gnawing at the rest himself. A few green-eyed, gentle black cats nuzzled his ankles, creating a harmonious scene. Xia Ge watched from afar for a while. Ye Ze said, “He’s A Long, also a beggar here. That black cat was left to him by his sister. He’s the leader of the stray cats in this area.” Xia Ge: “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” Ye Ze sneered, “You asked me to bring you here, and here we are. Why don’t you go ask him for it?” After a pause, Xia Ge genuinely approached A Long, much to Ye Ze’s disbelief. She gave A Long a swift beating and retrieved the half-bun, her face now bruised too. Xia Ge handed the bitten half back to Ye Ze, “Here’s half back for now.” Ye Ze: “I don’t want it!” His face clearly said, “He’s so pitiful,” “Do you have no conscience,” “How could you act so heartlessly?” Xia Ge didn’t care, carefully stowing the bun away, “If you don’t want it, fine.” She turned to leave. “…Stop there!” Ye Ze called out indignantly, “Don’t you have any compassion?!” …Compassion? Xia Ge nearly laughed at the idea, thinking the little beggar was joking. “He stole from me.” Xia Ge stopped, looking back at Ye Ze, “Regardless of why, he’s still a thief.” Ye Ze was taken aback. Seeing him confused, Xia Ge raised an eyebrow, “You don’t understand… Let me make it simple.” “What if someone killed your parents because they killed his family.” Why did he seem like an oblivious young master? Ye Ze seemed to have been struck at a sore point, stiffening as his face grew pale. Xia Ge’s voice softened, “Would you care about the reason he killed your parents?” Ye Ze: “…” “You wouldn’t.” Xia Ge affirmed, “You’d only think about avenging them.” —Yes, he did want revenge. —Dreamed of it. Ye Ze’s fists clenched, his eyes reddening. “If you do wrong, you must face the consequences. When he stole the bun for the stray cats, he didn’t remember his sister. So why should I hesitate to reclaim my property because of pity for his sister?” Xia Ge snorted, “You only see his plight.” “But you don’t think about whether the person he robbed might starve because of that one bun.” “If you truly pity him, you shouldn’t enable him.” —Sinners. —Should go to hell! —Never be forgiven!! Seeing Ye Ze trembling with emotion, Xia Ge realized she might have gone too far. She hadn’t intended to speak so harshly. She just got irked at being expected to be a saint. When on the brink of starvation, one really can’t afford to care for others. But such a saintly individual was indeed a rare sight. Suddenly, Ye Ze said, “…Give me the bun.” Xia Ge hesitated for a moment, then gave him half of the bun. Ye Ze, tears in his eyes, devoured it ravenously, choking, “I’m not pitying him!! He deserves it! Deserves it!” Xia Ge: “…” Hey, this change is kinda scary… If that's how it is, a guy shouldn’t be crying. Though… Not quite a lost cause after all. Maybe he’ll turn out to be a really good friend. Xia Ge earnestly said, “Since we shared the bun, we’re good buddies now. What’s your name?” "Don't kid yourself, who the hell wants to be your buddy." After finishing the bun, Ye Ze still felt indignant: "What's your name?" Xia Ge: "Ah, Xia... Wu Yin." Ye Ze scrutinized her suspiciously. Xia Ge composed herself. Although her battered face made it hard to discern any expression, she still expressed her sincerity: "My name is Xia Wu Yin." Ye Ze simply replied, "Oh." Ye Ze: "...Is it really just you at home?" Xia Ge: "Why would I lie? Is there money in it?" Xia Ge: "You haven’t told me your name yet." Ye Ze reluctantly said, "...Ye Ze." Ye Ze? That name rang a bell... like she'd heard it somewhere before. Like some cliché protagonist's name...? "Ye Ze... huh?" Xia Ge suddenly froze, and the next moment, a mechanical voice echoed in her ears! [Ding! Puppet System Activating—] [Welcome Host to the book world, Feng Yue Continent! System No. 003, Invincible Puppet, is at your service!] Xia Ge's eyes glazed over. Ye Ze looked at her oddly, "…What’s wrong with you?" Xia Ge: "Ah, nothing..." [Host Level: 0, Title Acquired: Puppet on Strings] "Hello Host, I am System No. 003 Invincible Puppet, your buddy for conquering the world!" "But first, let's start with your initial task~" "Please become a trusted friend of Ye Ze!" "Reward: Phantom Shadows Technique!" Author's Note: This section is part of a flashback arc, mainly aimed at revealing mysteries and filling plot holes. The senior sister might take a while to appear. I've heard people don’t really like flashback arcs, so I'll try to keep it brief if possible (growing bald). This arc primarily follows Ye Ze’s storyline and Chu Yi's storyline. For clarity, there isn't a set romantic pairing in this novel, so I'll write about Xia Ge’s relationships with all the potential partners. They will be revealed and clarified, as that’s laid out in the outline. I want to convey that everyone will encounter many important people in their lifetime. These people help shape who you are. Though they may be transitory, they are part of your life. Maybe they won't be the ones who accompany you to the end, but some will be very important at one point. So important you thought it could last forever as a 1v1, but it didn't. Sorry for being verbose, turning a romance story into something philosophical, but at its core, it's still a romance story (growing bald). = = This story won't be a harem. Because everyone has their own pride and openness. I love them. The senior sister might not have been the most important in Xia Ge’s past, but she will certainly be the one to walk with her to the end.