An Jianyou's eyes widened, a faint blue glow still flickering within them. She stepped forward, a hint of fear in her movements.
It was like catching a large rat in a trap, but one you were afraid to touch with your bare hands. And this 'Gui Xie' was far more terrifying than a rat, both ugly and frightening.
An Jianyou was not a bold girl, nor fierce enough, but she possessed a core of resilience.
She had persevered for so many years, and now she wouldn't falter. With a face that looked as if she were about to cry from fear, she still approached the Gui Xie step by step.
Flower-watering Gui Xie: I should be the one afraid, stay away!
As An Jianyou drew closer, the Buddhist amulets wrapped around her hands glowed faintly. Quality might be lacking, but quantity could compensate. Moreover, the flower-watering Gui Xie was indeed just a small Gui Xie.
A sizzling sound immediately erupted, and a faint smell of burning… a charred stench… could be discerned.
An Jianyou, who was using 'Gui Yu' to suppress this Gui Xie, also felt a distinct sense of ease.
The Gui Xie had weakened.
Therefore, she had grown stronger.
When facing a stronger Gui Xie, the effect of Gui Yu would be weaker, and the consumption greater. She could only be submissive. But when facing a weak Gui Xie, the suppressive power of Gui Yu would manifest, and she could strike with full force.
After a flurry of wild punches, mainly with the Buddhist amulets on her hands, the flower-watering Gui Xie grew weaker and weaker.
An Jianyou no longer needed to suppress it with Gui Yu. This little Gui Xie posed no significant threat. She proceeded to the final steps.
Branding, control.
The faint blue light in her eyes, which had dimmed, reignited, this time brighter, as if outlining a unique inscription within the Gui Xie.
After a while,
The blue light in An Jianyou's eyes faded. The flower-watering Gui Xie stood in place, dazed and foolish.
"Is… is it done?"
"I caught my first Gui Xie, yay!"
She made a "V" sign, and then her entire body felt so light, as if it might be blown away by the wind. She staggered a few steps, her limbs felt weak, and her head throbbed. An Jianyou let out a soft moan and sat down on the ground in a posture of a duck. Her eyes were vacant, and it took a long while for her to gradually regain her senses. Her head still ached.
"Is this due to excessive consumption of physical and mental strength?"
"Dealing with Gui Xie is truly a difficult matter. The skill's duration is too short, I'm too weak."
"Work hard! Train!"
"Hmm… I think I can control another Gui Xie. Once I recover, I'll go catch the second one."
"Although even with two Gui Xie, it would still be too weak for the seniors in the organization."
…
In front of his phone screen, Fang You fell into deep contemplation. The noodles in his hand no longer tasted as good.
He calculated how much time An Jianyou had spent on this battle.
Well, at least fifteen to twenty seconds.
In his estimation, An Jianyou's combat this time had several flaws. She was flustered when dealing with the Gui Xie, and even though she had suppressed it, she didn't quickly use her Buddhist amulets to weaken it, and so on.
She wasted a lot of precious time and energy.
However, An Jianyou could still be described as having won completely in this battle. Even though 'Gui Yu' was inherently a sustained skill, for someone as inexperienced as An Jianyou, maintaining it for fifteen to twenty seconds, its endurance was…
Too strong!
Thinking of his own limited three charges,
Thinking of Black Blade's brother, who could only last a few seconds at full power, Fang You remained silent.
"My apostle, An Jianyou, possesses the aura of a strong practitioner."
Of course, An Jianyou's current strength was still insufficient. In Fang You's eyes, this flower-watering Gui Xie was worth at most 0.3 Fate Points. Forget Black Blade's brother, even he himself could have easily defeated this Gui Xie with a single slap.
But the skill 'Gui Yu' itself was meant for the late game.
"This skill has four abilities: suppression, weakening, control, and replenishment, approximately."
Suppression was what An Jianyou had just demonstrated, which could slow down the Gui Xie's actions, or even immobilize it.
Weakening could lower the Gui Xie's 'energy level' and cause sustained damage. If the user were strong enough, it wouldn't be impossible to kill the Gui Xie with just a glare… but this usage would be a waste.
These two abilities were merely supplementary. The true core method was to control the Gui Xie and manipulate it to deal with enemies.
The introductory level of Gui Yu could typically only control one Gui Xie, as Fang You had seen in the skill description. But since An Jianyou was certain she could control a second one, it was likely an enhancement due to her innate talent.
Fang You couldn't say he wasn't envious; he was extremely envious.
Although such a talented girl was also working for him, so… he was still the awesome one.
…
After Fang You had breakfast and trained for a while, he turned his attention back to An Jianyou. At this moment, after a period of rest, eating, and drinking, the girl had almost recovered.
As soon as she recovered, she used the 'Gui Yu' skill to replenish energy for the flower-watering Gui Xie. This already injured Gui Xie visibly became more active.
But it was still under An Jianyou's control.
She mumbled, "Once I recover a bit more, I can go catch the second Gui Xie. This time, I can aim for something slightly stronger. After catching two, I'll choose the third target."
"Then I can discard a weak one and replace it with a stronger one."
She had no psychological burden about discarding Gui Xie. If it weren't for combat, she truly wouldn't want to keep these Gui Xie.
They were so ugly, so ugly! Seeing them every day could cause nightmares. They were nothing like pets!
And…
An Jianyou furrowed her brow again. She was no longer a complete novice; she had learned some information.
Gui Xie were invisible to ordinary people, but they could subtly influence ordinary people's emotions and rationality, posing a significant threat! She herself was not particularly afraid and wouldn't be affected, but carrying them was equivalent to carrying a mobile pollution source. Going out with them was not an option.
Even locked up at home, she feared she might affect her neighbors.
As she thought this, countless particles of light converged before her eyes, forming an object the size of a palm, with long strips of flags hanging down.
It materialized from nothingness and appeared in her hand.
This method,
This method of transferring items across infinite spatial distances,
An Jianyou was greatly awestruck. Her mentor was truly, truly amazing! She was so weak, could she truly live up to her mentor's expectations?
…
Among the items An Jianyou had drawn at the same time as the 'Gui Yu' skill was a precious Gui item called the 'Gui Hun Fan' (Ghost Soul Banner).
Fang You also heard the term 'Gui item' for the first time. It referred to something uncanny, possessing side effects, but also various miraculous effects.
The effect of the Gui Hun Fan was simple: it could absorb Gui Xie that lacked resistance and could absorb 'filthy wind' to store it for the daily recovery of Gui Xie.
It couldn't be said to be a perfect match with the Gui Yu skill; it was more like a complete set.
It was also tailor-made for this girl because… the side effect of the Gui Hun Fan was that its holder would constantly face Gui Xie, and their sanity would slowly decline.
Only two types of people would dare to hold it continuously: lunatics and An Jianyou.
An Jianyou's sanity was unaffected, at least not by ordinary or slightly advanced Gui Xie. She could be scared, though; she was scared every day.
With one Gui Xie and now the Gui Hun Fan, An Jianyou's system could be considered to have initially taken shape.
Girl, from now on, you are the organization's number two worker.
Strive to surpass Black Blade's brother as soon as possible. I'm counting on you.
Fang You equipped An Jianyou with the 'Gui Hun Fan' under the guise of training a newcomer and urged her to quickly… quickly contribute to the future of humanity.
"Once An Jianyou gets more familiar, I can assign her missions."
"For now, the Gui Yu skill is very good. The next moment, it will be in my skill slot."