125 - Dungeon Growth Log

Chapter 125 The bamboo leaves swayed gently, casting shadows under the sky. Gu Peijiu followed the person ahead. She wore Xia Wuyin's face, dressed in a white gauzy dress and cloth boots, with a basket on her back and a sleek, segmented bone flute tucked at her waist. "The princess hasn't been around for days." The person ahead mused aloud, almost to herself, "Her mushroom soup was the best... Ah, but it's okay." Turning back, she beamed at Gu Peijiu, "My cooking isn't bad either!" Gu Peijiu halted momentarily, her heart skipping a beat. She continued forward light-heartedly, "But come to think of it, you can't eat... You don't talk, and even the little girl from Cloud City can't converse with me after being rescued. Ah, the princess's absence makes life as lonely as snow." Gu Peijiu remained silent. Used to her silence, the person didn't mind. She finished her complaints before casually resuming her leisurely pace, picking up a random bamboo stick to poke around, occasionally crouching to collect young bamboo shoots to toss into her basket. "...That's enough. Let's head back." Who are you? Gu Peijiu silently followed the person to a small bamboo house. A wooden fence circled it, entwined with purple morning glories under sunlit skies. Outside the bamboo house stood tall trellises with grapevines and other thriving crops, painting a poetic, verdant picture. Within the fence, a girl in red, her black hair flowing softly over her shoulders, stood barefoot on the stone slabs. She gazed steadily at the basket-carrying girl, her hands clasped together beneath wide red sleeves. "Yo? Why not go inside?" As the girl opened the gate, the girl in red, like a red butterfly, jumped off the stone and ran to embrace the girl's waist, resting her head against her and not wanting to let go. "…" Gu Peijiu watched from behind, tilting her head slightly. Her black eyes were calm. This scene... It was familiar, yet she couldn't recall where she'd seen it. It had been like this for some time. She never dreamed before, nor felt any excess emotion. But since meeting Xia Wuyin. It seemed something was slowly awakening inside her. She seemed to have very distant memories, blurred and unclear, but one person was always vividly clear. That child named Xia Wuyin. In all her dreams, in all those familiar-yet-distant recollections, that very important person always had Xia Wuyin's face. As if someone was trying to remind her of something, deliberately so. At first, she thought Xia Wuyin had cast some kind of spell on her, inspiring concern, confusion, and bewilderment. But when that child was close. Gu Peijiu closed her eyes, then opened them again, her gaze deepening as she stared at the girl's back. No medicine. It was her own, uncontrollable desire. She didn't want Xia Wuyin to hide anything from her, she wanted her complete trust, she wanted to see her, to be gentle with her, to love her. Even deeper, inappropriate desires coursed through her heart. ...She wanted that child. "Weren't you supposed to wait inside?" The girl chuckled softly, the sunlight among the grapes like purple jade around her. She bent down to pat the girl's head, "Should I take you in?" The girl in red looked up but didn't speak, only glanced at Gu Peijiu, a strong hostility in her dark eyes. ——She's mine. Those bright, light-reflected eyes clearly expressed possessiveness. Gu Peijiu’s gaze deepened, a slight chill flashing in her eyes as she stared at the girl's. Just then, as the girl was about to enter with the child in tow, the bamboo door opened itself. Chu Shi, her hair tied high, with bright light brown eyes, wore fine silver armor that contoured her waist and chest. She leaned against the doorframe with a nonchalant smile. The girl paused briefly, "Chu Shi? When did you return?" Chu Shi's voice was calm, "I heard you came back." ...Chu Shi? Was it the Chu Shi she thought? And this person... was named Wushuang? Gu Peijiu paused, glancing over. The girl in red clutched the girl’s sleeve tightly, the red sleeves contrasting with her pale wrists and tightly clenched fingers. Her knuckles pale from exertion. The girl seemed unaware of any wrongness, cheerfully introducing, "Let me introduce you to a young girl. This is the child I brought back from Cloud City, she's nameless yet..." "Why did you go?" Chu Shi suddenly interrupted. The girl named Wushuang hesitated, then smiled, "I just went because I felt like it, didn’t overthink it." "Oh right, I forgot to tell you, and behind me..." "I didn’t ask you to change my fate." Chu Shi's voice was cold and clear, "Even without you, I would still become a king." "...You might perish." The girl said softly. Chu Shi responded, "It doesn't matter." The girl named Wushuang smiled, cat-like eyes holding a hint of mockery, "I can't bear it." The girl in red looked at Chu Shi, her gaze icy. "Don't spew nonsense. Have you thought about what defying fate means?" Chu Shi took a deep breath, "Why is Cloud City so high above, its mandate so formidable, yet no one dares touch that book of fate? Xia Wushuang, have you ever considered—" "I have." "You have, and yet you did it anyway?! What did my uncle offer you? Land, or a title?! Tell me, I could offer you anything—" "Princess!" "...Anything." "..." Chu Shi and Wushuang gazed at each other for a long time. Gu Peijiu watched silently from behind, feeling like a witness from an erstwhile time. Although clearly out of place in attire, the people treated her as if she was this familiar to them, enacting an already played story. "Princess, the Regent made no such promises to me." "It’s merely that I once had a wish." The girl’s black eyes glimmered faintly. She stared at Chu Shi, her voice slow, "In the years I did not know who I was..." Chu Shi clenched her fist slightly, her light brown eyes reflecting light. After a moment, she closed her eyes. The girl’s soft voice reached her ears. "Live simply, wish simply." Chu Shi kept her eyes closed, clenched fists tight, "…Don't say it." Yet Xia Wushuang’s voice was gentle, "Just wish in my lifetime." "To see the princess reigning supreme." = = The scene suddenly warped. The bamboo house, the basket-carrying girl, the armored princess, the girl in red, the wooden fences, and grape trellises all disappeared. It was as if an outsider had been driven from this world. Gu Peijiu stood amidst an expanse of white, until a faint light appeared, revealing fragments of a bloodied garment. "...You can never have your wish fulfilled." The fragment's voice was twisted and grotesque, "In her heart, there will always be someone else." Gu Peijiu said nothing, a yellow talisman appearing in her hand before shooting out, turning the fragment to smoke. Then, the world brightened. —I do not care. "White Dream Cave." Gu Peijiu murmured, "Difficult dreams to awaken from." The Heaven Destorying Threads in her hand began trembling slightly, then more rapidly, as red threads separated and golden light flickered. The blank space started distorting, the white illusionary realm collapsing like kicked snow, falling piece by piece. Countless red threads scattered in all directions, searching. Ye Ze, holding the Sentiment Sword with confusion. Chu Yi, standing silently before the Gate of Reminiscence. Chang Nian lost in illusions, and the unconscious Li Liu in a corner. Unraveling threads, the fine red lines wrapped around everyone one by one. The vermillion-clad girl raised her head gently. Her skin was as white as the first snow of winter, her lips barely tinged red. She spoke softly. “But it’s time to wake up.” Brilliant gold lightning suddenly burst from the Heaven Destroying Threads! "Boom—" A wave exploded outward, shattering the illusion under the lightning, as the fine red threads turned into red silk wrapping around people, breaking through before the spatial collapse! Before the last illusion shattered, Gu Peijiu lifted her head, then narrowed her eyes! Amidst the shattering illusion, in blurry images, the girl named Wushuang sat on the stone slab, holding the bone flute, her brows and eyes smiling, calling out, "Hey, A-Jiu..." The girl’s figure shattered completely. And disappeared. Then, fleetingly, a woman in a black cloak pulled back her dark veil in Gu Peijiu's constricted pupils. A face identical to hers. Before White Dream Cave shattered. The woman spoke. Silent. But the mouth’s shape was likely— The stones shattered alongside the illusion, accompanied by the anguished roar of a dragon within the thunderous sounds of White Dream Cave's collapse. Gu Peijiu murmured, repeating the words of the woman: "Flowers bloom... two faces?" ——Between the divine and the demonic within life.