Expel Evil Spirits

It really was a ghost. Xiao Jie felt a little creeped out.

Invisible enemies were the most unsettling, but Ye Luo seemed to know what she was doing. Since she said things would be fine during the day, Xiao Jie believed her.

"You can see it? Then why don't you kill the gh—"

Before Xiao Jie could finish, he realized he was asking something stupid. Physical attacks were ineffective against ghosts; seeing it was useless.

"What level is this ghost? How much health does it have?"

"You want to kill it? Physical attacks are ineffective against ghosts unless you can find an expert who knows magic, or have a magical artifact that counters ghosts."

"Hehe, you don't need to worry about that. Can you tell me?"

"Level 7, 135 health. Its name is Ghost Servant."

Only level 7, with 135 health. It did not seem that strong. The main trouble was that it could turn invisible, was immune to physical attacks, and could possess people.

Ghost Servant? That meant there was someone behind this ghost.

"It hid. You probably scared it off, but it'll likely show up again tonight."

Xiao Jie did not care. The daytime was enough. He would learn Archery and Dog Training first.

Just then, Yang Baichuan entered carrying a bowl of meat soup. Yang Baichuan's wife immediately began wolfing it down, looking like a starving ghost reborn.

Yang Baichuan was delighted to see his wife eating with such gusto.

"Good brother, I really have you to thank this time. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"No need for that. I only ask that Master teach me how to become a Hunter."

"Haha, no problem. I'll get my wife settled today, and you can come learn tomorrow."

"Huh, wait until tomorrow? Can't we do it today?"

"Young brother, don't make things difficult for me. My wife has just recovered; how can I leave her behind? Come back tomorrow. One more day won't hurt, right?"

One day is exactly what I don't have.

But when he looked over, he found Yang Baichuan staring sharply at him, and his heart skipped a beat.

Damn it, this old man was only pretending to be simple. He clearly did not trust me. He wants to wait a day and see whether the treatment works.

Who would have thought NPCs could be so calculating too?

"Fine. We'll talk again tomorrow."

Xiao Jie left the wooden hut, and Ye Luo followed him out.

"It's useless. Unless you can kill that ghost, his wife will be possessed again tonight, and he still won't take you as his apprentice tomorrow.

"But there is another way. If you're willing to pay, I can help you gather some hundred-year ginseng. This herb-gathering quest is probably a threshold the designers set for players. After all, they can't let players easily obtain such a powerful class as Hunter."

If I had money, why would I be going through all this trouble?

He looked at Ye Luo, but an idea formed in his mind. If he wanted to slay the evil spirit, he would probably have to rely on this girl.

Still, he held on to a bit of hope. Maybe nothing would happen overnight, and he could successfully become an apprentice tomorrow.

"By the way, why haven't I seen you in the village before?"

"I've been gathering herbs outside the village these past two days, so of course you wouldn't have seen me. Hundred-year ginseng isn't easy to find."

Xiao Jie was startled. Was she really that capable? Logging out in the wilderness was extremely dangerous in this game, because monsters' spawn locations and patrol zones were dynamic. If monsters happened to spawn where you logged back in, it was basically like appearing in the middle of a mob pack. You could die without even knowing how.

"You spend the night alone in the wilderness? Aren't you afraid of getting surrounded by monsters?"

"Hehe, don't be so surprised. The wilderness in this game is dangerous, but there are safe spots. As long as you figure out the monsters' spawn zones and movement patterns, you can find relatively safe places like that. Of course, there's still risk. I had no choice but to gamble for the herbs. Fortunately, it looks like I got lucky."

Looks like she's an expert too. "Are you playing alone?"

"For now."

There was a trace of sadness in the woman's voice, and Xiao Jie understood instantly. Her former teammates had probably died.

"Is Hunter fun?"

"Of course. You can fight alongside pets and deal damage from range. It should be the best class for solo players."

"Want to party up sometime?"

"We'll see." Ye Luo did not agree so readily.

"Then let's add each other as friends? There are only a few players in this village, so we should look out for one another."

This time, Ye Luo did not refuse. The two added each other as friends.

"See you later, then."

Ye Luo whistled. "Let's go, Black Claw."

The dog called Black Claw trotted after her eagerly.

The next day, when Xiao Jie arrived at the Hunter's home, the Hunter was indeed wearing a troubled expression again.

"It's over, young brother. My wife suddenly went mad again in the middle of the night. I tied her to the bed, but I had no other options. How exactly did you treat her?"

Xiao Jie sighed inwardly. Just as he had feared. Fortunately, he had come prepared.

"Master Yang, you can't blame me for this. Your wife isn't sick. She's been cursed and possessed by a ghost. Unless the ghost possessing her is destroyed, her illness won't get better. Yesterday, I used a magical artifact to drive away that evil spirit, but who knew it would refuse to leave her alone and insist on haunting your wife? There must be some grudge involved. Think carefully. Have you offended anyone?"

Yang Baichuan shook his head fiercely. "Impossible. I hardly interact with anyone in the village. How could I have offended anybody? But if it's a haunting, then it seems I can only hire a mage.

"I still need to watch over my wife. Could I trouble you, young brother, to do me a favor and invite a mage from the prefectural city?

"I've also heard that White Cloud Temple stands on Azure Cloud Mountain north of the valley. The Taoists there possess considerable magical power. It would be excellent if you could invite one of them here.

"As long as you bring either a mage or a Taoist priest, I will teach you everything I know afterward."

[System Notification: Quest triggered: [Expel Evil Spirits]. Hunter Yang Baichuan asks you to find an expert to perform rites and drive out the ghost. In return, he is willing to take you as his apprentice.

A dialog box appeared before him.

Option 1: Don't worry, Master Yang. I'll definitely bring you an expert. (Accept quest).

Option 2: Why go through so much trouble? Leave this to me. It's only a petty evil spirit—watch me destroy it. (Quest advancement).

Option 3: This has nothing to do with me. I already cured the illness yesterday, and Master Yang promised to teach me how to become a Hunter. Why not fulfill that promise before discussing anything else? (Attempt persuasion).]

He could actually persuade him directly?

Xiao Jie hesitated, but he did not choose Option 3. For one thing, doing that would be far too shameless.

And the Hunter Apprentice training seemed to cover only basic skills. There were more advanced techniques later on. If he chose Option 3, he might not be able to learn those later skills.

Even if he could learn them, he could not exactly gather ginseng every day just to learn skills.

Herb gathering required investing in Perception. Attribute points were not something he could assign carelessly.

But inviting a mage or Taoist priest would not be easy either. The wilderness in this game was full of monsters, and as a level 2 newbie, simply reaching those places alive would be difficult.

He might as well try it himself.

Xiao Jie decisively chose Option 2.

"Why go through so much trouble? Leave this to me. It's only a petty evil spirit—watch me destroy it."

"Really? That would be wonderful. I'll be relying entirely on you, young brother." Yang Baichuan was overjoyed. Previously, he naturally would not have believed Xiao Jie's words, but after witnessing yesterday's exorcism, he had no choice but to believe.

"Kid, if you can cure my wife, I'll not only teach you how to become a Hunter, but also give you one of my treasured possessions."

System Notification: You accepted the quest [Expel Evil Spirits]. Destroy the Ghost Servant possessing Yang Baichuan's wife.

Quest Reward: Hunter Apprentice job, Hunter's Treasure ×1.

Not bad. He could change classes and receive a hidden reward. This deal was worth it.

"Don't worry, Master Yang. I'm sixty to seventy percent confident about this, but I need to make some preparations before driving out the ghost. I'll take my leave for now."

After leaving the wooden hut, Xiao Jie immediately sent private messages to Ye Luo and I Want to Become Immortal.

"Come to the Hunter's hut. There's something good."

He definitely could not drive out the ghost on his own. He could force the ghost out of the Hunter's Wife, but to kill it, he would need help.

I Want to Become Immortal had the Ebony Sword, Ye Luo could see the ghost's location, and he himself had the Evil Purging Art to force the ghost out of its host. With the three of them working together, they could deal with it perfectly.