Chapter 16: Collaboration

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The water ghost looked Xia Wulei up and down, malicious intent recklessly growing in her heart.

Several strands of water grass crept quietly toward Xia Wulei from behind. They were just about to touch her ankles.

Almost there. As soon as she caught her…

“You must be awfully bored staying in this lake all day. Why don’t you come with me?”

A smile appeared on the water ghost’s deathly pale face. “You know I’m a water ghost. Water ghosts can’t leave this territory of death at will.”

“Unless… they find a substitute to die in their place!”

The water grass shot upward and wrapped tightly around Xia Wulei’s ankles!

The water ghost was so excited she nearly leaped into the air. She was just about to tighten the strands when she heard a metallic clang.

Bang!

A hoe appeared out of nowhere and smashed the thin strands of water grass to pieces.

Xia Wulei smiled. “Tell me, just because people don’t lose their temper with you, do you take them for fools?”

The water ghost fell silent. She could feel an oppressive force radiating from that hoe.

Seeing the water ghost staring at her hoe, Xia Wulei raised an eyebrow.

“Can we have a proper talk now?”

“…Yes.”

“Do you remember how you came to this village?”

Xia Wulei stared fixedly at the water ghost. Sure enough, confusion appeared on the ghost’s face.

“I… don’t really remember. As far back as I can recall, I was already here. There was only one thought in my mind: drag people into the water and find someone to take my place.”

“And after you found someone to take your place? Where would you go?”

“…I don’t know.”

The water ghost brushed the hair from her face, revealing her features.

Xia Wulei examined her carefully. She had to admit that, judging by her features alone, the water ghost was rather pretty.

More importantly, her eyebrows had been tattooed.

Xia Wulei couldn’t imagine any non-player character from Yun Village having the awareness to get their eyebrows tattooed. With that thought, her suspicions essentially solidified.

“You aren’t from Yun Village, are you? If I’m not mistaken, you’re a player. You entered this dungeon, died here, and became a water ghost.”

Xia Wulei’s words were like a gentle breeze, blowing away the fog in the water ghost’s mind.

“You’re right… I—I remember everything!” The water ghost began trembling uncontrollably.

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Memories could be altered, but the instincts and subconscious of the human body could not.

“I died, then came to this world and began participating in the game. After clearing several dungeons, I entered this one. I originally thought I could survive as long as I held out until sunrise, but while fleeing here, I jumped into the water to escape the pursuing ghosts and monsters. In the end, the water ghost dragged me under and used me as her substitute…”

The water ghost’s restored memories were still incomplete, but with Xia Wulei’s guidance, she was able to piece together the general truth of what had happened.

Who would have thought that a player who died would become one of the monsters in a dungeon, obstructing those who came after from completing it?

The thought filled the water ghost with sorrow.

“You should go. Now that I remember everything, I won’t attack you players. At least that way, I won’t have disgraced the fact that I was once human.”

With a long sigh, the water ghost began sinking back into the water.

“Hey! Wait! Didn’t I say we could work together? I have a way to take you with me.”

Hope rose in the water ghost’s heart. “Really? Is that possible? But I have to drag someone down as a substitute before I can leave. I’m already dead—I don’t want to kill any of you…”

The water ghost didn’t know whether the person who had dragged her into the lake before had been a player. But when she became a water ghost, she had been suffering from amnesia and had wanted only to harm others, so she couldn’t blame that person.

But now that her memories had returned, she couldn’t bring herself to attack players who had once been human like her.

The water ghost took it rather calmly. “I’m dead anyway. I might as well stay here and come out to scare people from time to time.”

She had no idea what would happen after she found a substitute. The water ghost made up her mind that as long as she remained a water ghost, she would give the players who entered this dungeon an extra measure of protection.

Xia Wulei: I’m actually going to cry.

“Why waste your youth in this little pond? Who says you can only use players as substitutes? There are plenty of non-player characters in this dungeon with wicked hearts. When the time comes, I’ll deliver them right to your door. You just take them.”

The water ghost stared at her, utterly stunned.

That was allowed?!

Xia Wulei’s plans were already clicking into place. “Once you’re free, come find me. I’ll take you out of the dungeon.”

Xia Wulei’s plan was simple. The moment she saw the water ghost, she had already begun plotting.

Xia Wulei: “System, can our fish-pond manager catch fish for itself?”

[…Please wait while I check.]

There was no denying that this host was exceptionally talented at finding trouble for herself.

It also had to be said that the Farming System spent quite some time consulting every regulation before giving an accurate reply.

[The rules do not restrict the host to purchasing aquatic life from the Exchange Shop. In other words, the host may obtain aquatic life independently, provided that three requirements are met: it must be a non-virtual energy entity, possess cleaning abilities, and have a consciousness willing to follow the host.]

Perfect!

A non-virtual energy entity meant a non-player character, and Xia Wulei had long since guessed the water ghost’s identity.

So, as soon as dawn broke, Xia Wulei hurried over to find the water ghost.

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Daylight would weaken the monsters’ abilities. It also provided enough light to see whether the lake was actually clean.

Xia Wulei was very satisfied with the water ghost’s cleaning abilities. She had dumped more than ten pounds of flour into the lake in the middle of the night, yet after only a few hours, the surface of the water had become clear again.

“I’ll take you out of the dungeon, but afterward you’ll have to enter a new space and follow me wherever I go. What do you think?”

The bait Xia Wulei had offered was undeniably tempting. Who would want to be trapped in a tiny lake like this for the rest of their life?

Besides, she was already dead. What difference would participating in dungeons make?

The water ghost gritted her teeth. “If that’s possible, then I’ll go with you!”

“Deal!”

Xia Wulei nodded in satisfaction and hoisted her hoe onto her shoulder. She was about to head back when she suddenly remembered something and turned around to call out to the water ghost, who had yet to return to the bottom of the lake.

“By the way, is there anything to eat in the lake? I haven’t had fish in ages.”

The water ghost said, “…There is.”

Two plump grass carp were tossed onto the shore, flopping and thrashing on the ground.

The water ghost thoughtfully sent up two strands of water grass as well, tying up the fish so Xia Wulei could carry them back easily.

“Thanks.”

Delighted, Xia Wulei picked up the fish and headed toward the village.

When she returned to her lodgings, everyone was awake. Zhu Chen was enthusiastically practicing with his treasured sword in the small courtyard. The moment he saw her, he exclaimed excitedly,

“Sister Xia, look at my swordsmanship!”

Zhu Chen focused his mind, raised his sword, and brought it down in a slash. An invisible blade aura broke free from the edge and left a mark across the muddy ground.

Xia Wulei was astonished. “You just started practicing, and you can already do that? That’s impressive.”

Zhu Chen proudly puffed out his chest. See? When it came to killing ghosts in the future, they would still have to rely on him. Without him, this household would fall apart!

When he saw the two fish in Xia Wulei’s hand, Zhu Chen immediately began craving them.

“Are we having fish for lunch? Wait, why does this water grass look so familiar…”

Xia Wulei lifted the fish and smiled. “Oh, I got them from the lake where you fetch water.”

Zhu Chen: …What?!?!

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