121 - Dungeon Growth Log

Xia Ge ran onto the street in search of Ye Ze. After searching for a long time at his usual begging spot without any luck, she asked a few familiar little beggars and finally traced him to a nearby clothing store. "Over there." "I saw him go in earlier as if he was going to buy something. He seemed quite happy," said a slightly older little beggar, pointing to the clothing store not far away. He hesitated, "But I don't think I've seen him come out." Xia Ge asked, "When did he go in?" Little Beggar: "Around mao shi." Mao shi? 9 AM? It's already past three or four in the afternoon now, why hasn't he come out yet? Furrowing her brow, Xia Ge asked, "You didn't see him come out?" The little beggar thought for a moment, "I did leave for a while around noon, maybe that's when he left. But come to think of it, there's something odd about that clothing store." "…Odd?" The little beggar said, "I don't want to speak ill of others' businesses, haha." With that, he left. Xia Ge pondered for a while and then glanced at the store. However, she didn't see a signboard. The first thing that caught her eye was a black emblem with ghastly white fangs wrapped around one of the store's crimson pillars, exuding an eerie aura that made her quite uncomfortable. Suppressing the foreboding feeling in her heart, Xia Ge walked into the store and looked around. Although sparsely populated, there were a few people inside. The shopkeeper at the counter was lazily clicking an abacus. A mere little beggar entering didn't provoke him to drive her out. He merely glanced at her with slanting triangular eyes, making her feel uneasy. Xia Ge observed the shopkeeper—gaunt, with protruding cheekbones and a rather sallow complexion—a look of someone likely abusing narcotics. Xia Ge thought for a moment and decided to put on an innocent smile as she approached. "Are you the shopkeeper here?" The emaciated shopkeeper raised an eyelid slightly. "Hmm." "Have you seen a boy about…" Xia Ge described Ye Ze's height and appearance, then smiled. "My friends said he bought some clothes here from you…" The shopkeeper's voice was husky and lethargic. "Yes." Xia Ge's eyes brightened. "Where is he?" The shopkeeper glanced at her, drawing out a black money pouch and a new garment. "He bought clothes but didn’t take them with him. Said someone called him, so he left." Xia Ge recognized the money pouch. It was indeed Ye Ze's. …Buying clothes but not taking them? That was uncharacteristically extravagant for Ye Ze. "If you know him, take it back to him," the shopkeeper said, tossing the items to her before wrinkling his brow and waving her away impatiently. "Leave if there's nothing else. I have business to attend to." Seeing the shopkeeper trying to usher her out, Xia Ge quickly said, "I'm here to buy clothes!" Clutching Ye Ze's money pouch and clothes, she randomly grabbed another item from the store and dashed into the fitting room. "This one's nice, I'll try it on." The skeletal shopkeeper watched Xia Ge run into the fitting room, and as the door shut with a "click," his eyes narrowed, and his lips curled into a sinister grin. You choose not to walk the road to heaven, yet you barge into hell's gates uninvited. In an instant, the wide-open store doors slammed shut, and the few shoppers she’d seen evaporated like smoke into thin air. Inside the fitting room, Xia Ge remained entirely oblivious. …This store feels a little odd. Standing in the fitting room with the clothes and money pouch in hand, Xia Ge frowned. The money pouch was indeed Ye Ze's. She recognized it. He'd been carrying it for days… Saving up so diligently for clothes only to leave them behind? It defies logic! Xia Ge stuffed the money pouch into her pocket before inspecting the clothes Ye Ze bought. The small garment was made from relatively comfortable fabric. Upon examination, there were no clues. It fit her size perfectly, albeit annoyingly so. Holding the clothes, Xia Ge thought of Ye Ze's radiant smile those days, evoking a complex feeling in her heart. Meanwhile, outside, the shopkeeper's sinister smile returned as he quietly pressed a button. With a faint "click," the ground beneath Xia Ge suddenly gave way, revealing a square meter pit, nearly causing her to plummet unguarded. Fortunately, Xia Ge’s quick reflexes allowed her left hand to cling to the garment while her right hand grabbed onto the edge of the hole, leaving her hanging precariously. Only then did Xia Ge see what lay below: a small dungeon. Inside were several expressionless individuals, some dressed richly, others in coarse linen, clutching their new clothes. Watching someone else fall in, their vacant stares suggested they were accustomed to it... It seemed like people who came to shop here and ended up captured. Her mind flashed back briefly to the ominous white fangs emblem on the pillar outside. …This place is truly strange! Simultaneously, the old beggar's warning from ten days ago subtly echoed back in her mind— "Be wary of anything marked with fangs lately." "If you see such a thing, run quickly." Fanged items… Clutching both the edge above and Ye Ze's purchased clothing, Xia Ge felt a chilling sensation sweep through her. The fitting room door silently opened without letting in any additional light; the main door was already shut. In Xia Ge's sight was only the gaunt and fearsome face of the shopkeeper. He looked at her hand gripping the edge with mock sympathy, sighing, "Weren't you here searching for your companion?" Raising her head to meet his gaze, Xia Ge's pupils constricted slightly. Behind him, countless ferocious ghost heads began to slowly emerge. Thick black smoke surrounded them, some heads partially cleaved, exposing brains, others sporting sharp horns, or adorned with eyes all over their cheeks... But all shared one trait: a pair of ghastly white teeth. …Ghosts!! He lifted a foot, stomping hard on Xia Ge's hand, his smile turning even more grotesque, "Soon… you can be reunited—" Braving the pain and instinctual shudder, Xia Ge looked up with an innocent smile, "What if we can't be reunited, can you compensate me?" "Compensate you?" The shopkeeper chuckled more menacingly, releasing his foot just enough and crouching to begin prying off Xia Ge's fingers, slowly, "Little trash, how about I send you to death instead?" As his words fell, from the dungeon floor crawled dark insects, and those trapped below immediately screamed with hopeless terror. Clawing at the bars desperately, some fell before getting high enough, or didn't climb at all. The tiny creatures bore sharp teeth, consuming flesh to mere bones like a locust swarm through a wheat field. Their horrific cries sent shivers down one's spine. With only two fingers clinging to the edge precariously, Xia Ge's radiant smile suddenly emerged, "Is it the Evil Ghost Camp, correct?" The shopkeeper froze for a moment at her words. Xia Ge's gaze sharpened as, with an apologetic murmur, she tossed Ye Ze's newly bought clothes into the shopkeeper's gaunt face, then used her free left hand to grip the shopkeeper's leg, pulling sharply to topple him into the hole. Using this momentum, Xia Ge's right hand pressed against the edge, vaulting herself up and slapping the off-guard shopkeeper's head to free her garment, flipping back onto solid ground! Those ghost heads followed him downwards too. "Ah—" An agonizing wail! Glancing down, Xia Ge saw the numerous fanged black insects swarming over the shopkeeper's skeletal face, gnawing away flesh in an instant, exposing a mechanical construct beneath. Silvery white metal formed his skeleton, no brain inside but a sinister stone with ghostly aura. His original eyes eaten away, one glass eye rolled to look up at her, eerily declaring, "You… just wait…" His voice cut short as the bugs devoured his vocal cords, leaving him mute, though the cold glass orb reflected a wild, cold light. Like a demon dragging someone to hell, never to reincarnate. Xia Ge gasped in shock! A puppet!!! No, not entirely... Partly human, partly puppet!!? Those ghost heads, were they caused by the ghost stone in the skull? ——Ghosts, they really are ghosts. In an instant, Xia Ge's mind filled with nightmarish visions of Dou Dou being torn apart by malicious spirits. And those invisible eyes. The screams from the dungeon and cries of the semi-puppet shopkeeper created a terrifying nightmare, prompting Xia Ge to scramble, clinging to Ye Ze's purchased clothes, and dash out hurriedly. The system's voice sharply reminded her, "You must save Ye Ze!" "You can't just stand by—" Xia Ge's steps abruptly halted, her entire body trembling, mind blanking out momentarily, clutching the clothes Ye Ze bought, icy cold in her grasp. —Could you... call me brother? —You must understand what he did for you. After what seemed like a long time, or perhaps not, Xia Ge slowly turned back. "Where is he?" The raspy voice sounded like a rusty recording, grinding ever so slowly. "Tell me… how to save him?" = = In a daze. Under the cold moonlight. A youth quietly sat atop a building, deep purple eyes reflecting the pale moonlight. A gentle breeze stirred his soft hair. Voices rose from the ruined temple below, "Are you alright?" "Where... am I...?" The voice was muddled and hoarse. Ye Ze had woken up. That's good, Xia Ge thought. System: "You did it." Indeed, she had. She became an official puppet apprentice, quickly learning the basic puppet manipulation skill [Soul-stealing Enchantment], and used it to capture the spirit of that semi-puppetry shopkeeper to find Ye Ze. She encountered many ferocious ghost followers along the way, exceptionally eerie and dreadful. The system informed her that without the shopkeeper being a semi-puppet susceptible to the [Soul-stealing Enchantment], it wouldn’t have been that easy. Fully irrational pure ghosts would not be entranced by her skill level. With the shopkeeper's guidance, she found Ye Ze in another small dungeon. He was her first manipulated puppet. She saved Ye Ze. Just as the system had previously said. And she became a puppeteer. "My eyes..." Xia Ge's voice was casual, "When will they return to normal?" "Maybe three days?" The system hesitated, "Three days should do it." Three days felt long. Gazing up at the interminable night, Xia Ge thought about how not eating for three days might just starve her. The following day. The now-awakened Ye Ze spoke less. People around said it was Xia Wu Yin who dragged him back, her small body dragging his larger one, eyes covered, pulling him all the way to the temple. All attention was on the comatose Ye Ze, so no one noticed the peculiar appearance of Xia Wu Yin's eyes until later when they realized that the quiet child had vanished. Ye Ze thought of the child named Xia Wu Yin. He knew he had been saved by him once more. Gazing intensely at the clothes placed nearby, he remained silent for a long time. Besides these, perhaps he should also thank him. If not for these clothes, he might never have found a clue in this lifetime... The words overheard in the fitting room grew rampant in his mind. Brooding. "Evil Ghost Camp..." They were involved in that merciless massacre. They are accomplices in the destruction of everything he cherished! They… deserve death. Ye Ze buried his head in his knees, wrapping his eyes in layers of unchecked hatred and murderous intent. = = Xia Ge bought herself a veil to wear. Wearing a veil while begging seemed odd, and now that she was a promising puppeteer, having such conspicuous purple eyes made her radiant little beggar aspirations harder to realize. Wary of familiar faces at the ruined temple spotting her, Xia Ge carefully concealed her eyes with the veil. Her previous foresight had left her with some spare coins, enough to prevent starvation. She bought a bun and devoured it by the roadside. [Ding... Encountered an important character!] The system’s announcement came abruptly, catching Xia Ge off guard, causing her to bite her tongue. "Ouch... hsss..." Spitting out the bun, Xia Ge clutched her mouth. She’d bitten it hard out of frustration, and the pain nearly brought her to tears. Once she recovered, Xia Ge was about to ask about the important character, but her voice caught when she looked up. She remained silent. She saw a child. The child’s eyes were covered with a strip of white cloth, stained with blood. Dressed in pink, though somewhat dirtied silk, she was no more than a little girl of five or six. Her hands were behind her back, her head held high, the white neck tender and delicate, as if it might snap easily. Fragile like a butterfly. Blindness didn't hinder her aura of innate nobility. At only five years old, she exuded an arresting presence. Xia Ge thought in a way she couldn't quite define. Blind... Dou Dou. The pain in her mouth lessened, but a slight sting nagged at her heart. She slowly tore the bun into pieces, swallowing every bit. The butterfly-like girl stood quietly at the alley's mouth, like a serene and sweet painting. Xia Ge finished the last of her bun, patted her trousers, and turned to leave. System: "I told you, you encountered an important character." Xia Ge: "Oh, that little girl, huh." System: "Correct..." No wonder she was so striking. Xia Ge thought absently, "Then I can rest easy. Important characters aren’t likely to meet their end easily." System: "..." System: "Shouldn't you extend a gentle helping hand?" Xia Ge's lips twitched slightly, "Do I look crazy?" She could barely find enough to eat for herself—extend a gentle hand? Who helped her when she needed it? Besides... "That outfit screams she's a noble's daughter," Xia Ge said, "Soon enough, her family will be here to whisk her away to comfort and care. I'm not meddling when I can't even feed myself." System: "..." The next day. Xia Ge encountered the little noble girl again. This time she was crouching in a corner, her slender fingers drawing something on the ground. Hmm, still not taken back by family? So... has she gone a whole day without eating? Xia Ge watched from a distance for a while, hesitated, and bought two buns. As she prepared to approach, someone else had already left some food in front of the pretty little girl. Xia Ge stopped in her tracks. Yet, the little girl seemed indifferent. Beneath her blindfold, her skin was fair and her lips cherry red. Her slender fingers continued sketching on the ground. Feigning disinterest, Xia Ge wandered closer and glanced at what the little girl was drawing. It was a beautifully rendered pair of almond-shaped eyes. Though apparently blind, the girl drew eyes with delicate detail, the lashes fine, the pupils expressive, a pair of bright eyes. Her pale fingertips were smudged with dust, and she seemed completely unperturbed. She finished it quickly. A work of art. "…You draw beautifully." Xia Ge realized she had squatted beside the girl to watch the entire process, feeling a bit embarrassed as she spoke, "I got completely absorbed." The girl smiled, her blindfolded eyes conveying shyness and warmth despite being covered. "Thank you," she replied softly. Xia Ge leaped back like she'd seen a ghost, as if she'd touched a live wire. Blind. Shy, gentle, soft-spoken. … Dou Dou. Very similar. But not the same. Taking a deep breath, Xia Ge slowly squatted down again and spoke softly, "…Why draw eyes?" The girl paused, "Because I like them." Because they hold grudges. The girl’s smile was sugary sweet, "I want to remember these eyes." To remember all that they owe her. "Because I want them too." To possess everything that those eyes could bring. Xia Ge remained silent for a long while before quietly placing a bun next to the girl, just like countless other passersby. —Because I want them too. Dou Dou. She wanted to pat the girl's head, but the child, though smiling, took a step back, avoiding Xia Ge's touch. Her smile remained pure. Xia Ge’s hand hovered awkwardly, a bit stunned. Finally, she lowered her hand, said nothing, and returned home. After Xia Ge left. The girl’s lips curled in an innocent smile, yet her pale fingertips became sharp as blades, ruthlessly slicing the illustrated eyes into shreds. As if those eyes belonged to an irreconcilable enemy. On the third day. Xia Ge passed by the little girl once more. This time, she appeared somewhat disheveled, her hair mussed, her pale cheeks smudged with dirt, the pink silk she wore stained even more. Leaning against the wall, she wasn't drawing anymore, just standing there quietly, heartbreakingly serene. What happened to her? Xia Ge tried to distance herself emotionally, considering from an observer's perspective. A noble girl, blind and lost outside. What might she encounter? …Suddenly, Xia Ge didn't want to ponder further. "Does this concern me?" Xia Ge asked herself. "Not really." She repeated. There are so many unfortunate people in the world; she wasn't a saint. The system cautiously added, "…That's actually one of Ye Ze's future loves." Xia Ge: "..." So that’s the kind of "important character" it was. Now the system's clarification banished any lingering internal conflict. She grinned, "Then it's even less my concern." Casting one last look at the little girl, Xia Ge turned to leave. However, as she did, she noticed the tall, young boy not far away. He wasn't looking pleased as he watched her. Xia Ge: "..." Pulling her veil down, Xia Ge slowly pivoted on her heel and broke into a run! Ye Ze fumed, "Xia Wu Yin, stop right there!" Who is this Xia Wu Yin she's supposed to be?! Dodging left and right through the narrow alleyways, bustling taverns, and street vendors, they dashed like a cat-and-mouse chase. Behind them, clouds drifted across the sky, while everything ahead passed in a blur of light and motion. Eventually, Xia Ge activated her spectral shadow technique, fleeing to a small grove outside the town, leaving Ye Ze trailing in her wake. She found a secluded creek, shimmering with flowing water, and looked into it. The purple hue in her eyes had begun to fade. "What a hassle," Xia Ge thought. Not far away, Ye Ze, having lost Xia Ge, stood still, the sun shining brightly around, yet he felt a chill in his soul. For a long time. He returned to the old temple and handed the clothes to the Old Beggar. His voice was soft. "…Please, pass this on for me, to someone." = = That night, Xia Ge looked at her reflection in the stream. Only when the purple in her eyes faded completely did she return to the temple. However, while many beggars were there, Ye Ze was nowhere to be found. The Old Beggar passed on to her the very clothes she'd carried out when she saved Ye Ze. The moonlight at midnight was like flowing silver. The midnight of May first came to a close, as did the midnight of May second. And Ye Ze had disappeared. It was as if he vanished from the town without a trace. One day passed, then two, then three. Until the Old Beggar informed her that Ye Ze had been taken by people from the Evil Ghost Camp. "Why?" Xia Ge asked. The old man was silent for a while before saying, "The Evil Ghost Camp collaborated with the demonic cult that year in the massacre of Ye's family..." He didn't continue, but the implication was clear. Ye Ze obviously knew about this. Having nothing left, he was bound to seek revenge. "…" Xia Ge stood alone at the temple entrance, as the dawn neither warm nor cold bathed her, yet the lingering morning mist was chilling. "What are you thinking about?" Perhaps due to his wistfulness, the Old Beggar, seldom interested in conversation, joined her to gaze at the blood-red dawn. "I should save him." Xia Ge was clad in new clothes. They felt warm. She muttered, "I want to save him." The old man asked, "But you're hesitating." Straight to the heart of the matter. "What are you hesitating about?" Unlike others, the Old Beggar didn't doubt Xia Ge's abilities or question her youthful age. Instead, like a friend, he asked gently, "What's on your mind?" "I think," Xia Ge said, "I can save him once, twice, countless times." The dawn colors gradually dispersed. "But I can only save him physically." "I can't save his heart." A heart pounding with hatred, buried deep inside, like a dormant bomb ready to explode without warning. The Old Beggar sighed, saying softly, "Xia Ge, right?" Xia Ge paused, "Yes." "Then go save him." He said. Xia Ge was taken aback. "…Consider it my request." "You know, I used to be a steward for the Chang family." The old man gazed at the dispersing clouds, "In the past… the head of the Ye family once did me a great kindness." Xia Ge's heart gave a little jump. "After the Ye family's massacre… I've protected this child," the old man's voice was slow, "So he could grow up until now." Xia Ge was stunned for a moment, then it dawned on her. Ye Ze's somewhat naive nature suddenly made sense. Because he had someone protecting him, even as a beggar, he could live with the innocence of a young master. "I can tell you some things." The old man continued, unraveling secrets cloaked in dust, "The Ye family massacre was orchestrated by the head of the Chang family." Xia Ge was abruptly shocked, "What?" Then quickly: "Why?" The narrative she knew portrayed Ye, Chang, and Chu families as friendly allies. The demonic cult destroyed Ye's family, and Chang and Chu were always looking out for Ye Ze… later, Ye Ze would rise to the pinnacle, easily obliterating the demon cult, triumph in hand. Had she read a fake book?! "For the legendary ancient Garment Spirits, the Radiance of the Firmament." The old man's voice was calm, "As of now, the only known ancient Garment Spirit is the Chu family's ancestral Chu Knife Sacrifice Spirit." There may be others unknown. But the fame of the Chu Knife Sacrifice Spirit had ensured the Chu family's prominence for five hundred years, longstanding and singularly dominant. If it were revealed that the Ye family possessed an ancient Garment Spirit… The Radiance of the Firmament. No wonder they suffered such calamity. "Where is the Radiance of the Firmament now?" Xia Ge asked. "Unknown." "But I suspect... the Chang family has it. The Evil Ghost Camp was merely hired by them and would thus assume it was on Ye Ze." The old man noted, "For that reason, they likely won’t take his life." "Besides what I’ve shared, I have another request," said the old man. "Should you save him, if he still lives, don't tell him what I’ve told you." Xia Ge paused, "But…" "He's too young," the Old Beggar replied. "His wings are not yet strong; telling him now would only burden him." "And… his parents were people of great responsibility." "I don't think they would want their son to live every day consumed by revenge." Xia Ge replied, "I won't say anything." She paused, "I promise." The old man sighed, "If he were as insightful as you at his age, he might have had a slightly easier time." Xia Ge said nothing, remaining silent for a bit before turning to leave. She needed to find Ye Ze quickly. The old man called her one last time. Xia Ge turned back. The morning sun shone brilliantly. The old man said. "If you ever feel like you can't save others." "Save yourself instead." The old man's voice carried the weariness of someone who had seen it all, his clouded eyes showing no light. "Remember this." "You are merely unable, no one will blame you." It was as though he anticipated her failure. Xia Ge thought to herself. "I don’t give up halfway," she declared, youthful defiance in her words, "If I start something, I see it through." "I will save him." "I won't let myself regret it." With that, Xia Ge departed. The old man watched her receding back and murmured softly, "Keep moving forward, whatever you do… don't look back." Unaware, as Xia Ge left, the black base with grotesque white fangs reappeared on the old temple’s pillar. So when she finally understood the significance of the old man's words, it was too late, and yet it no longer mattered. When her great dream was shattered, it felt like a rude awakening. Author's Note: Aah, the next chapter will dive into the Chu family's storyline =3= = = Pluto and Little Heart threw 1 landmine at 2018-08-19 00:00:55 Chinoiro tossed 1 landmine at 2018-08-19 03:57:34 Hopelessly enamored with lilies threw 1 landmine at 2018-08-19 08:04:49 Exhausted as I am tossed 1 landmine at 2018-08-19 09:55:49 Little White Meow Meow threw 1 landmine at 2018-08-19 18:18:40 Thank you, little angels, for the landmines!! Love you all!!