Xiahou Aotian feigned realization and said, "Girl, no need to be surprised, this humble one was just joking. In this desolate wilderness, it's rare to have company, so my words were a bit frivolous. I hope you won't take offense."
He used a wet, withered branch to stir the charcoal fire, making sparks fly. "Come over and warm yourself by the fire, lest you catch a cold."
The beautiful woman softened a bit, politely thanked him, and sat down by the charcoal fire!
The heavy rain continued to fall, the dark clouds layered upon each other, the sky was dim, like night. The woman shivered as she warmed herself, her face gradually turning red.
Xiahou Aotian glanced at the basket. Inside were common herbs, some for treating bruises and injuries, some for colds, some for dissolving phlegm and moistening the lungs.
In an S-grade dungeon, there are only common herbs, no heavenly treasures! Xiahou Aotian grumbled disappointedly in his heart.
"Is the girl a herbalist from a nearby village?" Xiahou Aotian proactively initiated the conversation. "In this desolate wilderness, there are bandits and wild beasts. How could you, a woman, venture into the mountains to gather herbs?"
The woman sighed, "My father fell and broke his leg while gathering herbs in the mountains a few days ago. There are still two younger siblings at home to feed, so I had no choice but to go into the mountains to gather herbs and exchange them for some money."
Xiahou Aotian asked again, "Do you have any wealthy relatives?"
The woman shook her head.
Xiahou Aotian said "Oh" and pondered for a few seconds before suddenly pointing behind her. "Look there!"
The woman subconsciously turned her head to look. Xiahou Aotian seized the opportunity to raise his crossbow, aim at the woman's chest, and pull the trigger.
The bowstring twanged, and the crossbow bolt plunged deeply into the woman's chest, the blood quickly spreading and staining her clothes red.
The young woman turned her head in disbelief to look at Xiahou Aotian, then slumped over and died with wide, staring eyes.
Xiahou Aotian took the herbs from the woman's basket and put them in his own. When he entered Chang'an, he could exchange them for some money.
His logic for killing the woman was simple. It wasn't far from Chang'an, only a day's journey. Since entering Chang'an was a side quest, there must be dangers along the way.
All the NPCs encountered within a day's journey could be insidious enemies.
Killing the woman was equivalent to nipping the danger in the bud. If he killed the wrong person, it was just a dungeon NPC, and she would respawn next time.
The only thing he needed to confirm was that killing the girl wouldn't actively trigger a crisis, so he had just asked the girl if she had any wealthy relatives and received a negative answer.
Steady as an old dog↓
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. The "dong dong" sound was abrupt and eerie in the silent rain.
Immediately, a soft, murmuring voice of a woman came from outside the door: "Young master, this humble one is a herbalist from nearby. I came into the mountains to gather herbs and was suddenly caught in a heavy rain. I would like to enter the temple to take shelter from the rain."
The woman's soft, murmuring voice came from outside the door.
The voice outside the door was exactly the same as the girl he had just killed, even the lines were the same.
Xiahou Aotian's face slowly froze. He suddenly looked at the girl he had shot and killed, and his pupils contracted. The girl's body was gone.
At this moment, the woman inside and outside the door said, "Is anyone there? This humble one is coming in."
A chill rose in Xiahou Aotian's heart. He stared fixedly at the temple door, gripping the crossbow in his hand.
He had predicted correctly that the woman was the danger on his way to Chang'an, but what he hadn't expected was that the girl who had clearly been shot and killed had actually returned.
"Dong dong, dong dong," the knocking on the door continued. The woman outside the door asked again, "Young master, is the young master inside? This humble one is coming in."
Seeing that Xiahou Aotian inside the hall remained silent, the woman outside seemed to be getting impatient. Her tone became hurried, with a hint of sorrow. "Open the door! Why don't you open the door? I know you're inside. You haven't left yet. If you don't open the door, I'm really coming in!"
Didn't you just open the door and come in yourself? Xiahou Aotian cursed inwardly, the hairs on his back quietly standing on end.
"Why don't you open the door? Why do you treat me like this? Why do you treat me like this..." The woman's cry outside the hall became more and more shrill, losing the soft, murmuring charm of before.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The doors and windows shook violently, constantly making "bang bang" sounds.
It seemed like people were standing outside.
"You killed me!" the voice of the girl outside the door said venomously.
Xiahou Aotian tensed his body and aimed the crossbow directly at the temple door. As long as the woman outside dared to come in, he would give her an armor-piercing arrow.
At this time, the shaking of the doors and windows stopped, and there was silence outside the hall. Except for the pattering of rain, the girl outside seemed to have left.
Left? Afraid of being shot and killed by me again? Hmm, I have to leave quickly too. I can't stay here any longer! Xiahou Aotian immediately ran towards the skinny horse, intending to leave this strange, dilapidated temple immediately.
Just as he approached the skinny horse, he suddenly felt something moving in the basket. There was a faint light in the dimness. Xiahou Aotian leaned over and took a closer look. He saw a woman's head in the basket, the back of her head facing him, wriggling slightly.
Seeming to sense that someone was watching, the head suddenly turned around, revealing a pale black face, blood flowing from its seven orifices, dark black lips, and the chilling white pupils staring straight at Xiahou Aotian.
"You, kill......" a venomous, shrill voice came.
Xiahou Aotian's heart tightened, and he retreated repeatedly, feeling the hairs on his body stand on end, fear filling his heart.
But he didn't retreat a few steps before he bumped into something behind him. He turned his head back in panic, and his pupils contracted in terror.
Behind him was a headless corpse, wearing the same clothes as the girl just now.
Xiahou Aotian's adrenaline soared, his scalp tingling. He instinctively raised the crossbow and shot at the headless corpse.
The armor-piercing arrow pierced into the chest of the corpse. However, this corpse, which was already dead, was not affected in any way. It raised its right hand with dark fingernails and grabbed Xiahou Aotian's neck, lifting him up.
Xiahou Aotian kicked his legs wildly in the air, his face turning red from lack of oxygen, his eyeballs filled with bloodshot lines, and his tongue slowly protruding.
The headless female corpse was incredibly strong. With his current physique, he couldn't resist it at all.
From the basket on the horse's back behind him, came a shrill, venomous voice, "You killed me, you killed me..."
Xiahou Aotian's consciousness gradually blurred, and his kicking legs became weaker and weaker.
Just then, a cool power came from his thumb, like a bucket of cold water, a piece of solid ice, bringing a stimulating sensation that made his soul shiver.
Xiahou Aotian suddenly "woke up." Why don't I resist? Why am I so afraid of a corpse? Why don't I use the items in my inventory?
He then realized that he was caught in an illusion. Only an illusion could turn a The Way of the Extraordinary into an uneasy ordinary person, becoming dominated by emotions, losing calm judgment and reason. The power coming from the ring helped him break the illusion.
This was precisely the weakness of illusions. As long as there was a third-party force involved, the illusion would collapse on its own.
Xiahou Aotian suddenly opened his eyes and found himself lying asleep by the charcoal fire at some point. Outside, the wind and rain were miserable, and the skinny horse stood obediently by the bonfire, drooping its head, occasionally snorting a few times.
There was no knocking on the door outside the hall, and there was no woman inside the hall.
Everything just now seemed like a dream, but the pain in his neck told him that it wasn't a dream. He had just fallen into an illusion and almost strangled himself to death in the dream.
"Old thing, old thing." He lowered his head and stared at the thumb ring, calling out repeatedly.
The old grandfather didn't respond at all. From the moment he entered the dungeon, he had lost contact with Qin Daifangtu.
Although he was sealed by the dungeon, he could sense the movements outside, so at the critical moment, he transmitted the power of the transcendent realm to awaken me. Xiahou Aotian understood in his heart.
He no longer spoke to the old grandfather and began to think about what he had encountered.
In the illusion field of profession, there are only Night Wanderer and Illusionist.
And what he had just seen and heard, the crisis he had encountered, were all in a dream.
From the professional characteristics, it should be Dream Weaver.
But to be honest, if it was a Dream Weaver, even with the help of the old grandfather, he wouldn't have been able to break free from the dream.
Xiahou Aotian's gaze swept across the hall, his mind racing. Possessing the power of dreams, but not reaching the Saint Stage, using supernatural elements to scare people, but what I'm most afraid of isn't... The other party's ability to create illusions is limited... He is obviously not strong, but he can enter my dreams?
The strength and characteristics displayed by the enemy were contradictory.
"If he is not strong, it is impossible to influence me who is inside the temple from too far away. He must be nearby..." Xiahou Aotian opened his inventory and took out a black ghost face mask and put it on his face.
This is the item of the Illusionist job. The main function is "Emotion Manipulation," "Mental Strike". He did not hesitate to turn on the "Emotion Manipulation" ability. The other party may have special methods to hide, but emotions cannot be hidden.
Xiahou Aotian looked around, not finding anything unusual in the hall, then pushed open the hall door, stood under the eaves, and carefully scanned the front yard.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.
In the corner of the front yard, in a place overgrown with weeds, he saw clusters of black "smoke" rising from the soil.
It's resentment!
In this moment, Xiahou Aotian understood. A woman who died unjustly was buried in the temple. The resentment did not dissipate, and it turned into a vengeful ghost, instinctively devouring the travelers who entered the temple.
Xiahou Aotian opened his inventory, took out a long knife, strode into the rain, and came to the corner where the resentment was rising. He used the knife as a shovel to turn over the mud.
Layer after layer of soil was turned over, ten centimeters, half a meter... A "crack" came from the tip of the knife. A skeleton was exposed in the mud.