Ye Luo

Xiao Jie immediately grew interested in the Black Whirlwind before him; if he could take this thing out to grind levels, that would be absolutely fantastic.

"That's right, I can understand your canine language. How about it? Pretty impressive, right? Why not join me? As long as you're with me, there'll be plenty of roast chicken and smoked meat to go around."

Black Whirlwind let out a low growl. "Woof, a good dog does not serve two masters, so you can give up on that idea—Meatball, get back to the pack and stop crowding around the moment you hear 'roast chicken'."

The fat dog called Meatball cast a lingering, reluctant glance at Xiao Jie before crawling back into its kennel.

Xiao Jie was speechless. Are you really going to be that principled, for a dog?

Black Whirlwind continued, "If you wish to gain the loyalty of a hunting dog, you must first become the master's apprentice; only then are you qualified to earn their allegiance."

Meatball perked up immediately upon hearing this. "That's right, that's right! Go find the master and apprentice yourself. Remember, you have to pick me!"

Xiao Jie said helplessly, "I can't help it, your master isn't taking any apprentices."

"Who says? Our master has an apprentice, why wouldn't he take more?"

Hmm... the hunter actually has an apprentice? Right, it must be a player who got here earlier.

"How long ago did your master take that apprentice?"

"Not long, not long at all. She just returned a moment ago."

Xiao Jie was surprised. He hadn't expected there to be other players in the village, though he wondered why he hadn't seen them before.

Black Claw (Hunting Dog): "Shut up, Meatball. Don't you go blabbing about the master's business."

Meatball (Hunting Dog): "I'm just saying, the reason the master isn't taking apprentices now is because of the Hunter's Wife's illness. Hey, good man, if you hurry up and gather a Century-Old Mountain Ginseng, the master will take you as an apprentice. If you can cure the Hunter's Wife, the master will be so happy he'll even give you treasures. Do you know how to treat illnesses?"

Black Whirlwind suddenly snorted coldly. "Hmph, the Hunter's Wife isn't sick at all. It wouldn't matter if he knew how to treat illnesses."

"Not sick? If she's not sick, why is she bedridden?"

Black Whirlwind fell silent and said no more.

Xiao Jie felt he had grasped the key point; there had to be hidden information here.

"I may not know medicine, but I have my own ways. If you tell me what really happened to the Hunter's Wife, perhaps I can help. Otherwise, since your master is treating it as a standard illness, wouldn't it be impossible to cure forever?"

Black Whirlwind tilted its head and sized Xiao Jie up. "Very well, strange human. Perhaps you are right. The Hunter's Wife is not sick; something crawled into her body."

"What kind of thing?"

"A black shadow. For several nights, that shadow was always flying outside. One night, the Hunter's Wife went out in the middle of the night and was pounced on by the shadow, then she fainted. The shadow crawled into her body, making her afraid to see the light."

Xiao Jie realized in his heart—this must be a haunting. Was she possessed by a Night Ghoul?

But wouldn't someone possessed by a Night Ghoul be killed by the ghost? Why was the Hunter's Wife still alive?

"Well, strange human, can you save our Hunter's Wife?"

"I'll give it a try."

Xiao Jie said, walking straight toward the front yard of the hunter's house. When he reached the door of the wooden cabin, he saw a player talking to the hunter—a woman.

She was wearing a set of exquisite dark green leather armor, a green cloak, and carried a bow and a quiver of arrows on her back, with a long sword hanging at her waist.

She had the look of an elven ranger.

He checked the name above her head.

Ye Luo (Hunter Apprentice), Level: 8. HP: 150.

"Master, this is the Century-Old Mountain Ginseng I dug up from North Mountain. Please accept it."

Yang Baichuan (Hunter): "You have done well, Ye Luo. I fear your mistress's illness will not improve for some time. Sigh, it is a pity I have no time to guide you personally and must leave you to explore on your own. I shall accept your kind gesture. By the way, I have a unique skill here; consider it your reward."

A white light flashed over the female player—she had clearly learned a new skill. Her face remained indifferent, neither sad nor happy. She bowed in thanks and was about to turn away when she suddenly whipped her head around.

"Who's there?"

Xiao Jie hurriedly stepped out from his hiding spot. "Good afternoon, you two."

When Yang Baichuan saw it was Xiao Jie, he immediately looked impatient. "I have already said, I have no interest in taking apprentices lately. Little brother, you had best go ask elsewhere."

"Master Yang, don't be so quick to say that. What if I told you I could cure your wife's illness?"

Yang Baichuan didn't believe him. "You are not a doctor. How could you cure her?"

"Heh, some illnesses don't require medicine to treat. You've fed your wife so much ginseng and it hasn't helped, has it? Whether I can cure her or not, you'll know if you let me try. It's better than the current situation, isn't it?"

Yang Baichuan pondered for a moment. "Come in. If you can restore my wife, what does it matter if I teach you my secret technique?"

That's the line I was waiting for, Xiao Jie thought. He followed the hunter into the room, only to find it pitch black, with even the windows nailed shut.

In the innermost room stood a wooden bed covered in animal skins. The Hunter's Wife lay beneath them, her face deathly pale. Even in broad daylight, she was shivering violently, her eyes closed and her lips tinged with blue.

Looking at this state, she is definitely possessed, Xiao Jie thought.

"I don't know what's wrong with my wife. The doctor has seen her but couldn't find a way to treat her, only saying her vitality is depleted and she needs ginseng to replenish it. Since she fell ill, she has been afraid of sunlight. Even during the day, we have to keep the windows closed. She can't eat anything, only drink ginseng soup to keep her life."

"No matter. Watch how I handle this." As he spoke, Xiao Jie dragged the Divine Wood Talisman's equipment skill to his hotbar.

He clicked to cast it on the Hunter's Wife.

Evil Purging Art!

A flash of white light erupted from the Hunter's Wife, followed immediately by a shrill scream. Her limbs convulsed, and a chilling gust of wind whipped through the room out of nowhere. By the time the wind dissipated, the Hunter's Wife had already opened her eyes.

A hint of color returned to her pale face.

"Dear, what happened to me? I feel so weak all over, like I've been asleep for years. Oh my, I'm starving. Could you get me something to eat?"

"Yes, yes, of course! Whatever you want, I'll make it for you right now."

"I just want some of your stewed meat soup."

Yang Baichuan hurried off in high spirits to stew some meat for his wife.

Xiao Jie was equally excited; not only could he become a hunter now, but there might even be some hidden rewards.

I have to say, having a magic tool is just awesome.

Hahaha, so easy!

"It's useless. That thing isn't dead; it will return sooner or later." A cold, detached voice came from behind him.

Hm? Xiao Jie looked at Ye Luo in surprise.

This girl had been watching from the sidelines the entire time, yet she didn't seem the least bit surprised by what had just unfolded.

"How do you know?"

"I can see it." Her gaze shifted toward a corner of the room, deep within the shadows.

Xiao Jie followed her gaze, but he saw nothing but darkness. He felt a flicker of doubt—was she for real?

"Why can't I see it?"

"Your Perception is too low. Ghosts are invisible to the naked eye. I invested a full 20 points into Perception for herb gathering, which is why I can see things ordinary people cannot. It was right there—well, it's gone now. It probably went into hiding."

"Exorcism-type spells have intensity levels, too. I suspect your magic tool is only of low grade. It was weaker during the day, which is why you succeeded, but I'm afraid it will be useless once night falls."