Chapter 35 - 35 33 Expelling the Evil Spirit

35: Chapter 33: Expelling the Evil Spirit 35: Chapter 33: Expelling the Evil Spirit Indeed, it was a ghost, and Xiao Jie felt a chill running down his spine. These invisible enemies were the most unsettling, but this Ye Luo seemed quite knowledgeable. Since she had said it was safe during the day, Xiao Jie was inclined to believe her. “If you can see it, then why don’t you just kill the ghost—” Before he could finish, Xiao Jie realized he was talking nonsense. Physical attacks were ineffective against ghosts; being able to see them was useless. “What level is this ghost? How much health does it have?” “You want to kill it? Physical attacks are useless against ghosts, unless you can find a skilled Mage or a Magic Artifact that can restrain them.” “Heh, that’s none of your concern. Can you tell me?” “Level 7, 135 health, its name is Ghost Servant.” Only level 7, 135 health, it didn’t seem very strong. The main problem was that it was invisible, immune to physical attacks, and could possess people. Ghost Servant? So there was someone behind this ghost. “It’s hiding now; you must have scared it. But it’ll probably show up again at night.” Xiao Jie thought it didn’t matter, the daytime was enough for now; he’d focus on mastering the Bow Skill and the Dog Training Skill first. At this moment, Yang Baichuan came in with a bowl of meat soup. He looked content as his wife quickly devoured it like a starving ghost reincarnated. “Good brother, I owe you a lot this time. I really don’t know how to thank you.” “It’s all good, just teach me how to become a Hunter,” Xiao Jie replied. “Haha, no problem. I’ll settle my wife down today, and you can come to learn tomorrow.” “Ah, wait until tomorrow? Can’t it be today?” “Young brother, let’s not force things. My wife’s just getting better; how can I leave her? You can come tomorrow. It’s not like one day will make a difference, right?” Xiao Jie thought to himself that this one day did make a difference. Glancing over, he caught Yang Baichuan eyeing him with a sharp look, and a sudden dread filled his heart. Damn, the old fool is playing dumb. He clearly doesn’t trust me and wants to wait a day to see the treatment’s effect. I hadn’t expected this NPC to be so calculating. “Alright then, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.” Xiao Jie left the cabin, and Ye Luo followed him out. “It’s no use unless you can get rid of that ghost. Otherwise, his wife will still be afflicted tonight, and if you want to become his apprentice tomorrow, he still won’t accept you. But there’s another way. If you’re willing to spend the money, I can help you gather a hundred-year-old ginseng. This herb gathering task is probably a threshold the designers set for players; after all, they can’t let players easily obtain a powerful profession like Hunter.” Xiao Jie thought to himself he wouldn’t bother if he had the money. He glanced at Ye Luo, already formulating a plan in his mind. To exterminate the Evil Spirit, he’d probably have to rely on this girl. Still, he harbored a bit of hope; what if nothing happened tonight and he could smoothly become an apprentice tomorrow? “By the way, how come I’ve never seen you in the village before?” “I’ve been collecting herbs outside the village these past few days, so naturally, you couldn’t see me. This hundred-year-old ginseng is hard to find.” Xiao Jie was surprised. Was it that difficult? Logging out in the wilderness in this game was very dangerous since the spawning and roaming of monsters were dynamic. If you were unlucky when logging back in, you might find yourself in the midst of a monster spawn; you wouldn’t even know how you died. “You’ve been sleeping in the wilderness alone? Aren’t you afraid of being blocked by monsters?” “Heh, no need to be alarmed. The wilderness in this game is dangerous, but there are some safe spots. As long as you figure out the monsters’ spawn areas and movement patterns, you can find relatively safe places. Of course, there are still risks, but I didn’t have much choice. I had to take a gamble for the sake of gathering herbs, and fortunately, it seems my luck isn’t too bad.” Xiao Jie thought it looked like she was a skilled player as well. “Are you playing alone?” “I am now.” The woman’s tone was a bit somber, but Xiao Jie immediately understood; her former teammates had probably died. “Is being a Hunter fun?” “Of course. You get to fight with pets and deal long-range damage; it’s probably the best profession for solo players.” “Will there be a chance to team up in the future?” “We’ll see,” Ye Luo didn’t readily agree. “Then, how about adding each other as friends? We’re just a few players in this village, we should look out for each other, right?” This time Ye Luo did not refuse, and they added each other as friends. “See you around then.” As Ye Luo spoke, he whistled, “Let’s go, Black Claw.” The dog named Black Claw happily followed him. The next day, when Xiao Jie arrived at the hunter’s home, the Hunter indeed had a worried look on his face. “It’s over, young man, in the middle of last night my wife suddenly started going crazy again. I’ve tied her to the bed, but that’s all I can do; how exactly did you cure her?” Xiao Jie sighed inwardly. It seemed his fears had materialized, but luckily, he was prepared. “Master Yang, you can’t blame me for this. Your wife isn’t sick, she’s been possessed by a ghost. Unless that ghost is dealt with, your wife’s condition won’t improve. Yesterday, I used a Magic Artifact to drive away the Evil Spirit, but who knew it’d be so persistent in haunting your wife. There must be some kind of grudge here. Think about it, have you offended anyone?” Yang Baichuan shook his head vehemently, “Impossible. I barely interact with people in the village, how could I have offended anyone? But since it’s a ghostly encounter, it seems that I can only ask for a Mage now. I must look after my wife, and I was wondering if you could do me a favor by going to the State Mansion to invite a Mage over? I’ve also heard that there’s a White Cloud Temple on Bixia Mountain to the north of the valley, where the Taoists are quite powerful. It would be great if you could invite one over as well. If you can bring either a Mage or Taoist here, I will surely teach you all I know once the task is complete.” [System Prompt: You have triggered the task [Evil Exorcism]. Hunter Yang Baichuan asks for your help to find a master to perform an exorcism. In return, he is willing to take you as his apprentice.] A dialogue box popped up in front of him. Option 1: Rest assured, Master Yang, I will definitely find a master for you. (Accept task). Option 2: Why go through all that trouble? Leave it to me; watch me eradicate this petty Evil Spirit (Task promotion). Option 3: This has nothing to do with me; I have already cured her condition yesterday, and Master Yang has agreed to teach me how to be a Hunter. We should fulfill that first before discussing other matters. (Attempt persuasion).] Could he really persuade him directly? Xiao Jie hesitated for a moment, but he didn’t choose 3. For one thing, it would be too unprincipled. Besides, what the Hunter Apprentice learned seemed to be just entry-level, and there were more advanced techniques to follow. If he chose 3, he would probably not be able to learn the later skills. Even if he could, he couldn’t keep harvesting ginseng every day to learn skills. Herbal gathering requires adding Perception, and attribute points shouldn’t be distributed carelessly. But to invite a Mage or Taoist wouldn’t be easy either. In the game, monsters roamed everywhere, and for a Level 2 like himself, getting to the desired place alive wouldn’t be easy. It might be better to try it himself. Xiao Jie decisively chose 2. “Why go through all that trouble? Leave this to me; watch me eradicate this petty Evil Spirit.” “Really? That would be fantastic; I’m completely relying on you, young man,” Yang Baichuan was overjoyed. He naturally wouldn’t have believed Xiao Jie before, but after witnessing the exorcism yesterday, he had to believe. “Kid, if you can cure my wife’s condition, not only will I teach you how to be a Hunter, I will also give you a treasure I have cherished.” System Prompt: You have accepted the task [Evil Exorcism], to eliminate the Ghost Servant possessing Yang Baichuan’s wife. Task Reward: Hunter Apprentice Task, Hunter’s Treasure ×1. Not bad, there is a job change and a hidden reward to boot; this deal is worth it. “Rest assured, Master Yang, I have about a sixty-seventy percent confidence in this, but I need to make some preparations for the exorcism. I’ll take my leave for now.” Xiao Jie left the wood cabin and immediately sent a private message to both Ye Luo and I Want to Be Immortal. “Come to the Hunter’s wood cabin; there’s a good opportunity.” If he was going to expel a ghost, relying solely on himself definitely wouldn’t work. He could drive the ghost out of the Hunter’s wife, but to kill it, he would need help. I Want to Be Immortal had the Black Wood Sword, Ye Luo could see the ghost’s location, and together with his own Evil Exorcism Skill to force the ghost out of the body, the three of them combined should be able to handle it.