Immortal Dao Fruits, Cards to Help Me

Chapter 8 The Artistic Ghost Liu Pan'er
The sun set, and darkness fell quickly in the mountains and forests.

Chen Xiuxian had already taken out a tinderbox and lit a bonfire.

The moonlight is hazy, and the shadows of the trees sway gently.

The shadows loomed in the woods by the mountainside, and the occasional howls of wolves and hoots of owls were particularly eerie.

It felt as if many eyes, large and small, were peering at you from the shadows beyond the firelight.

This might not be Chen Xiuxian's imagination, because the wilderness is indeed very dangerous.

Even within the territory of Da Shun, there was a hinterland that the human race had developed for three thousand years.

In the darkness of the wilderness, you never know what might be out there. Not to mention this uninhabited mountain forest that even the boar-men haven't conquered.

There are no mountain gods or local deities, but there will probably be plenty of demons and monsters.

Chen Xiuxian appeared to be leisurely roasting wolf leg meat, but in reality, his heart was in his throat, and the [Evil-Repelling Talisman (Green)] in his inventory was ready to save his life at any time.

If I were to die now, reducing my lifespan in the game wouldn't be enough to solve the problem.

Just as the moon was high in the sky and a dark cloud obscured it, a ball of fire suddenly lit up not far from the barren hill.

A lantern was held in a fair, jade-like hand, swaying gently in the evening breeze.

The woman holding the lantern was dressed in white, her figure swaying gracefully, truly as light as a swallow, like willow catkins in the wind. In just a few breaths, she was already not far from Chen Xiuxian.

Chen Xiuxian seemed to only just notice the light, and with a hint of wariness, he called out softly, "Who's there?"

He looked up and saw a beautiful woman with an oval face, wearing a white dress, her hair in a bun, her skin as white as snow, and her eyebrows like distant mountains.

The woman looked Chen Xiuxian up and down, a smile playing on her lips and a blush creeping onto her face. She spoke softly, “I am Liu Pan’er. I was on my way home when I saw a fire in the distance, so I came to check. Why is young master spending the night in the wilderness? It’s really not safe to be out here so late.”

Chen Xiuxian's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down—it had finally arrived.

Of course, he didn't reveal a single flaw on his face.

"I am Chen Xiuxian. I was out on business and got lost because I was unfamiliar with the area. I know that it is dangerous to be in the wilderness, so I had no choice but to light a fire here."

Liu Pan'er seemed to have heard a funny joke and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle: "Young master, you are really brave. You run around here all the time. If you stay under this big tree for one night, you're afraid you'll be carried off by wild wolves."

Sure enough, as if to confirm her words, faint wolf howls came from afar, one after another, which was quite frightening.

Chen Xiuxian seemed to be frightened as well, and couldn't help but shrink his neck.

Liu Pan'er seemed very friendly to Chen Xiuxian, and took the initiative to say, "My home is nearby. If you don't mind, young master, please come with me for the night!"

"Thank you very much!" Chen Xiuxian quickly bowed and thanked him, packed his bundle, extinguished the fire, and followed Liu Pan'er, who was carrying a lantern, forward.

This means you've passed the first hurdle!

The first hurdle is to pass the Charm and Fortune attributes test.

If one lacks sufficient good fortune, the female ghost may not appear.

If you lack charm, the female ghosts that appear might not even bother with you, and might even try to take your life!

As for who the female ghost will be, that's something the system will randomly refresh.

With the computing power of intelligent supercomputers, some players have started a thread to count more than 200 players who claimed to have experienced the Sword Hill adventure, and there were no duplicates!

Furthermore, there's a hidden condition in this level, summarized by players. It's not entirely certain, but everyone says there's definitely a tendency towards it.

That is—you can't lie!
Among the female ghosts that appeared, some seemed to be able to discern human lies.

If you lie, she will most likely tease you, and there's a small chance she'll take you "home," but she'll still continue to tease you.

However, even if you lie, it doesn't necessarily mean you won't get the adventure reward.

It mainly depends on the personality traits of the newly spawned female ghost and how the player responds. Maybe she even likes your smooth-talking nature!
Indeed, there wasn't a single lie in Chen Xiuxian's words!
Well, who says you can't lie if you tell the truth?
After walking for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a large courtyard appeared on a flat area in front of the hill, with a rather magnificent vermilion gate that was more than two meters high.

"Please come in, young master." Liu Pan'er gestured and pushed open the door to enter.

……

"Please don't find this humble abode unpleasant, young master." Liu Pan'er led Chen Xiuxian to a guest room.

"Not at all, if it weren't for the young lady taking me in, I'm afraid I would have been eaten by wolves!" Chen Xiuxian bowed again in thanks.

Liu Pan'er covered her mouth and chuckled: "You little sir, you're too polite."

After seeing Liu Pan'er off, Chen Xiuxian lay down fully clothed, intending to go to sleep.

However, not long after, the sound of a piano suddenly came from outside the window.

Chen Xiuxian opened his eyes—was it a cultured female ghost?
According to the guide, the female ghosts that spawn have different personalities; some are so lustful and impatient that they can't wait to get married on the spot.

There were also those who were reserved, those who were clueless, and those who played hard to get...

I encountered someone artistic!
Chen Xiuxian straightened his clothes, put on his shoes, and went out.

After leaving the courtyard, following the sound of singing, and passing through a moon gate, I saw Liu Pan'er playing the zither in the garden pavilion.

To be honest, even Chen Xiuxian was momentarily amazed at that moment!
Under the moonlight, Liu Pan'er, dressed in a white dress, looked serene and focused as she played the piano, truly captivating.

However, Chen Xiuxian regained his composure in the blink of an eye.

He had already decided before coming that he wouldn't follow the path of the ghosts, so he wouldn't get involved with Liu Pan'er.

If you choose to walk the ghost path, you will have physical contact with the female ghost in this strange encounter, and then you will be able to walk the ghost path naturally.

Having a female ghost by your side gives you a significant advantage when traversing the ghost path!
However, Chen Xiuxian always felt that the potential of the Ghost Path was limited. Who wouldn't want to travel three thousand miles on a sword, amidst raging winds and thunder?

Dealing with ghosts and corpses every day is getting a bit unpleasant.

If it were a game, I wouldn't mind trying other lineages, but now that I've transmigrated, there's no going back.

The path of humanity is fraught with hardship!

Of course, even if you choose the righteous path, it's not impossible to have some kind of story with a female ghost.

But Chen Xiuxian was truly determined to walk the path of immortality!

Without power, what right do you have to be affectionate and indulge in romantic love?!

Taking advantage of the pause in the music, Chen Xiuxian said softly, "Playing the zither under the moon, Miss Liu has quite the refined taste. However, the music is a bit cold and melancholic."

"I am unable to sleep on this moonlit night, and I have disturbed your rest, young master."

"Not at all, young lady, your music is so melodious. It was I who was being presumptuous."

The two chatted for a while in the moonlit garden, and then Chen Xiuxian clasped his hands in farewell and went to sleep, never approaching within three steps of the pavilion.

After Chen Xiuxian left, Liu Pan'er gently stroked the strings of her zither and chuckled softly, "He's quite the gentleman... and very handsome too~"

Looking at her fair face, as radiant as a peach blossom, and the slight upturn of her lips, one could tell that she had a great deal of affection for Chen Xiuxian.

Chen Xiuxian didn't dare browse the forum in his dream; he was even on guard and felt very light.

So he woke up when the sun rose the next day.

When he sat up, he found himself lying on a grassy field! He had a letter in his hand, and not far away was a tomb with a blue stone dome!

Oh? You passed the test just like that?!
Upon pulling out the letter, one could see that the delicate handwriting was indeed that of Liu Pan'er.

The words are melancholic and cold, telling the story of a person from a hundred years ago who died of illness and was buried on this desolate hill to guard something.

She even praised Chen Xiuxian for his extraordinary appearance and his understanding and reasonable nature, asking him to help her take away the thing that was guarding it, so that she would be free and could be reincarnated.

The letter also vaguely mentioned at the end that if the young master felt it was a matter of fate, he would be willing to serve him.

Become!

Chen Xiuxian thought it would take him two or three days to reach this level!

It seems that his high charm and "gentlemanly demeanor" perfectly match Miss Liu Pan'er's criteria for choosing a partner.

"Ding~ You have gained the favor of the female ghost Liu Pan'er and obtained her letter of distress. You have obtained the quest card [Take Away the Town-Suppressing Item (Green)]."

【Take away the talisman (green)】

Task Card

Liu Pan'er begs you to enter the cave behind the mountain, take away the treasure she is guarding, and set her free.

Reward: 100 experience points, a sword box left behind by predecessors (random).

Comment: A beautiful woman is seeking his help; if he resolves the situation, he can win her heart.

However, Chen Xiuxian knelt before the grave, lit the letter, and softly read: "I am grateful that Miss Meng has taken me in for one night. I am willing to take away the guardian item for you, but the paths of humans and ghosts are ultimately not the right ones. I hope that you can be reincarnated soon and be born into a wealthy family so that you can enjoy a life of riches."

After that, Chen Xiuxian got up and walked towards the hidden cave on the hillside behind the grave, as mentioned in the letter.

This cave couldn't be found without Liu Pan'er's approval.

Once inside the cave, a battle ensued.

Chen Xiuxian walked into the cave, took only a few dozen steps, turned a corner, and the cave expanded into a stone chamber the size of a basketball court.

At the far end of the stone chamber, there was a stone table with a long, narrow, blue stone box on it. The box was covered by a faded talisman.

However, Chen Xiuxian knew that this would require another battle.

Liu Pan'er's letter also mentioned that there were still dangers in the cave, and she hoped that the young master would act according to his ability and not risk his life.

If he were truly just an ordinary, handsome young man with no strength to even kill a chicken, he really wouldn't have been able to get through without the help of the female ghost.

Chen Xiuxian took out two talismans, slapped them on his body, and then took out an axe and a one-handed round shield.

After taking two steps forward, a simple magic circle suddenly lit up on the ground, and then a tree spirit about 1.5 meters tall appeared.

The tree spirit seemed confused as well, standing there dumbfounded.

Chen Xiuxian wasn't going to tolerate its dazed state; he rushed forward and struck it down in a flash!
He swung his shield to block the tree spirit's withered branch claws, then chopped off its other withered branch arm with an axe!
After all, they were just low-level monsters, no match for Chen Xiuxian who had used a talisman!

In just twenty or thirty seconds, Chen Xiuxian killed the tree spirit.

"Ding~ You have killed a level 3 Treant and gained 65 experience points."

But before he could catch his breath, the magic circle on the ground lit up again. This time, two figures appeared, each about 1.3 meters tall, with earthy brown bodies, long noses, large ears like triangular shovels, and a pair of red eyes...

It's not that Chen Xiuxian is judging by appearances, but this thing really does look like a very evil little monster!

That's right, it's roughly the image of a Western goblin or gnome.

However, the game's official description states that this is an earth-attribute spirit born from the earth's ley lines' malevolent energy.
Just kill him! Who cares about him!

Seeing the two goblins already flanking him from both sides with their wooden clubs in hand, Chen Xiuxian laughed and said, "Goblins! Two of them! Looks like I'll have to use my secret weapon!"

(End of this chapter)