Chapter 32: Nightfall

Xiao Jie suddenly became interested in the "Black Whirlwind" before him. If he could take this thing out to grind for levels, that would be fantastic.

"That's right, I can understand your canine language. How about that? Pretty impressive, right? Why don't you join me? As long as you follow me, there will be plenty of roasted chicken and smoked meat for you to eat."

Black Whirlwind let out a low growl. "Woof! A good dog doesn't serve two masters; you can give up on that idea. Meatball, get back into the pack! Don't go rushing forward just because you heard the word 'roasted chicken'."

The fat dog named Meatball looked at Xiao Jie with lingering attachment before crawling back into its kennel.

Xiao Jie was speechless. *Are you dogs really that principled?*

Black Whirlwind continued, "If you want to gain the loyalty of a hunting dog, you must become the master’s apprentice. Only then are you qualified to earn their allegiance."

Upon hearing this, Meatball perked up immediately. "Yes, yes! Go find the master and apprentice yourself! Remember, you have to choose me!"

Xiao Jie said helplessly, "I can't help it; your master doesn't take apprentices."

"Who said that? Our master has an apprentice; how could he not take any?"

*Hmm... The hunter actually has an apprentice? Right, it must be a player from before.*

"How long ago was it that your master took that apprentice?"

"Not long, not long! She just came back a moment ago."

Xiao Jie was surprised. He hadn't realized there were other players in the village, though he wondered why he hadn't seen them earlier.

Black Claw (the hound) growled, "Shut up, Meatball. Keep your mouth shut about the master's business."

Meatball (the hound) ignored him. "I'll say it anyway! The master isn't taking apprentices now because of the mistress's illness. Hey, good man, if you go and harvest a hundred-year-old wild ginseng, the master will take you as an apprentice. And if you can cure the mistress's illness, the master will be so happy he'll give you treasures! Do you know how to heal people?"

Black Whirlwind suddenly let out a cold snort. "Hmph, the mistress isn't sick at all. Even if he knows how to heal, it's useless."

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

Black Whirlwind stopped speaking.

Xiao Jie felt he had grasped the key point. There must be hidden information here.

"I may not know medicine, but I have my own ways. If you tell me what really happened to the mistress, I might just be able to help. Otherwise, your master will continue treating it as an illness, and won't he fail to cure her for the rest of his life?"

Black Whirlwind tilted its head and studied Xiao Jie for a moment. "Fine, strange human. Perhaps you are right. The mistress is not sick; something crawled into her body."

"What kind of thing?"

"A black shadow. That shadow was always flying outside during those nights. One night, the mistress went out, and the shadow pounced on her. She fainted, and the shadow crawled into her body, making her afraid of the light."

Xiao Jie realized with a start—this was a haunting. Had she been possessed by a night phantom? But shouldn't someone possessed by a night phantom be killed by the spirit? Why was the hunter's wife still alive?

"Well, strange human? Can you save our mistress?"

"I'll give it a try," Xiao Jie said. He walked straight toward the hunter's front yard. When he reached the door of the wooden cabin, he indeed saw a player talking to the hunter—a woman.

She was wearing 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 looked like an elven ranger.

He checked the name above her head:
Nightfall (Hunter Apprentice), Level: 8. HP: 150.

"Master, this is the hundred-year-old ginseng I dug up from the North Mountain. Please accept it."

Yang Baichuan (Hunter): "You've done well, Nightfall. I'm afraid your mistress's illness won't get better anytime soon. Sigh, it's a pity I don't have the time to guide you personally; you'll have to figure things out on your own. I will accept your gesture. By the way, I have a secret technique here; consider it your reward."

A white light flashed over the female player—she had clearly learned a new skill. She showed no particular joy or sorrow, simply bowed in thanks and was about to turn away when she suddenly jerked her head around.

"Who's there?"

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

When Yang Baichuan saw it was Xiao Jie, he looked impatient. "I've already said, I have no interest in taking apprentices lately. You'd better go ask elsewhere, little brother."

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

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

"Heh, some illnesses don't require medicine to be cured. You've fed her so much ginseng and she hasn't improved, has she? Whether I can cure her or not, you'll know if you let me try. It's better than staying like this, isn't it?"

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

Xiao Jie thought, *That's exactly what I was waiting for.* He followed the hunter into the room, only to find it pitch-black; even the windows had been nailed shut.

In the innermost part of the room was a wooden bed covered with animal pelts. The hunter's wife lay beneath them, her complexion deathly pale. Even in the middle of the day, she was shivering violently, her eyes closed and her lips blue.

Xiao Jie thought, *Seeing this condition, she's definitely possessed.*

"I don't know what's wrong with my wife. The doctors have seen her but couldn't find a way to treat her. They only said her vitality was depleted and she needed ginseng to replenish it. Since she fell ill, she has been afraid of the sunlight. During the day, we have to keep the windows closed, and she can't eat anything—only drink ginseng soup to keep her alive."

"No matter. Just watch how I do this." Xiao Jie dragged the equipment skill of his Divine Wood Talisman into his shortcut bar.

He targeted the hunter's wife and triggered it.

"Exorcism!"

A white light flashed over the hunter's wife. Immediately, she let out a piercing scream, her limbs convulsed, and a cold, eerie wind swept through the room out of nowhere. When the wind dispersed, the hunter's wife had already opened her eyes.

A hint of color returned to her pale face.

"Husband? What happened to me? I feel like I have no strength at all, as if I've been asleep for years. Oh my, I'm so hungry. Could you get me something to eat?"

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

"I just want to eat the meat broth you stew."

Yang Baichuan excitedly went off to stew meat for his wife.

Xiao Jie was equally excited. Not only could he become a hunter now, but there might even be hidden rewards. He had to admit, having a magical artifact was great. *Hahaha, so easy!*

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

Hmm? Xiao Jie looked at Nightfall in surprise.

The girl had been watching the whole time, yet she didn't seem surprised by what she had just seen.

"How do you know?"

"I can see it." She looked toward a corner of the room, into the darkness.

Xiao Jie followed her gaze but saw only darkness. He felt skeptical. *Is that for real?*

"Why can't I see it?"

"Your perception is too low. Ghosts are invisible to the naked eye. I added 20 points of perception just for gathering herbs, so I can see things ordinary people can't. It was right there—well, it's gone now; it probably hid itself. Exorcism spells also have different strength levels; your artifact is probably only a low-grade one. It's weak during the day, so you succeeded, but I'm afraid it will be useless at night."