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Chapter 22
🕑 Added 2023-11-05 04:24:43 +0000 UTCA system prompt echoed in Lynne's mind. He instantly composed himself. He observed the Blood-clad Evil Spirit in front of him who seemed disoriented. It was evident that his words had penetrated her defenses. As long as he pinpointed the weak spot, he could completely dissolve her hostility towards him.
Lynne's mind raced. Finally, his gaze settled on her cracked face, which continuously emitted tentacles and barbs. An idea sparked within Lynne.
Indeed! This was certainly a breakthrough! To a spirit that always yearned for beautiful things, the best method to break through her defenses was to liberate her from her current grotesque appearance! Regardless! Such an excellent opportunity! He had to seize the moment and give it his best shot!
Lynne snapped back to reality, adjusting his monocle, and gently proposed: "Madam, I believe you must also detest your current appearance. If you're willing, I might be able to help you truly resemble a human."
The room buzzed. The moment these words left his lips, it was as if they exploded like thunder in the Blood-clad Evil Spirit's mind. Almost reflexively, she lifted her head, looking at Lynne with astonishment.
For a moment, her gaze seemed frozen. However, she quickly reverted to her cold, mocking demeanor, scoffing: "You think you can? Don't jest. Just because you solidified my daughter's form doesn't mean you know your stuff. It's simply because my daughter is still in her juvenile stage, and the curse within her hasn't fully manifested. I bet you've never even encountered a truly evil spirit in its purest form."
Suddenly,
Crack, crack, crack—
Accompanied by the continuous contortion of bones and flesh, her body began to crack and expand. That graceful form started sprouting numerous decaying hands, squeezing out thick, foul-smelling rotting flesh.
Right in front of Lynne, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit swelled and twisted into an indescribable monster. Numerous faces emerged on her body. Each one brimming with malevolence. It looked like countless human bodies had been thrown into a meat grinder and forcibly stitched together into a horrifying amalgamation.
Simultaneously, countless raspy, malicious whispers reached Lynne's ears.
"This! This is my true form! Now! Do you still feel so confident?!"
Drip...drip...
Stinky viscous liquid dropped onto the floor. The elongated neck, twisting like a serpent, held up the woman's head, malevolently and mockingly circling in front of Lynne.
"Waaah—Waaah—" The little creature in Lynne's arms started crying out of fear.
[Sanity -10]
[Sanity -10]
Lynne, staring blankly at the monstrous apparition before him, was momentarily speechless.
The Blood-clad Evil Spirit sneered menacingly: "Curses, agony, resentment. These turned me into what I am now! Do you truly believe your little scalpel can undo it?!"
Her mocking and cold voice echoed ominously in Lynne's ears.
[Crisis Level 80%]
[Crisis Level 99%]
[Warning! Warning! Crisis Level towards you is nearing 100%]
Yet at that moment, Lynne rapidly regained his composure, showing no signs of panic. And he quickly seized on the crucial word from her recent rant.
[Curse]!
If this was indeed the cause of her current state...
"I have a way."
Lynne declared calmly.
The Blood-clad Evil Spirit's expression momentarily faltered.
Lynne, locking eyes with her, reached out, touching her serpentine, writhing neck. Almost instantaneously, he activated his curse diagnosis ability.
[Ding! Initiating curse diagnosis…]
[Ding! Curse diagnosis complete!]
[Evil Spirit Curse: Formed from the myriad resentments of beings after death. The more resentment and souls the target consumes, the more intense the curse, and the more distorted the target's form becomes. It's an extremely advanced curse.]
Almost simultaneously hearing the diagnosis, Lynne suddenly raised his head, declaring, "Activate temporary curse removal ability!"
[Ding! Temporary curse removal ability applied to [Demon-hunting Revolvers]. Would you like to switch targets?]
"Yes!"
Buzz—
Almost in that split second, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit's eyes widened in sheer astonishment. For she saw Lynne's hand, which was in contact with her neck, emitting a boundless light. That light, gentle as threads, swiftly permeated her body. She immediately felt the curse inside her slowly peeling away under the influence of this radiance.
"This… What…"
She looked horrified, her face a mask of shock. Under her gaze, countless distorted black threads screamed, slowly being extracted from her body by the luminescence. Her pupils dilated dramatically. It felt as if she was being drained. She sensed the detachment of the curse, felt the anguish and distortion departing bit by bit.
"Ah—"
With a pain-filled howl, she arched her neck towards the sky. In the next moment, her shattered and distorted form slowly dissolved in the light, revealing a fair and slender body amid the blood and flesh strewn around.
[Ding! Curse extraction successful. Temporary curse removal ability is cooling down. Current cooldown time: 12 hours.]
[Ding! Curse removal experience +1]
[Ding! Curse removal experience +1]
Splash—
The luminescence gradually faded, and a dark, grotesque rune emerged on the palm of Lynne's hand. It was the Evil Spirit Curse he had just purged and collected.
As the glow dissipated, and his vision cleared, Lynne's gaze immediately rested upon the pristine figure lying amidst the putrid blood stains on the floor. Her long curly hair cascaded like a waterfall over her body, a breathtaking sight.
"The curse has temporarily been removed," Lynne stated with a steady, gentle smile.
On the floor, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit lay there, dazed. Slowly, painstakingly, she sat up, her eyes reflecting her slender hands. She turned her gaze to her reflection in the mirror. For a moment, her mind went blank.
"This... it can't be..."
She murmured, reaching up with trembling hands to touch her face. Because she could feel it. This was her body, not the fleshy façade she had conjured before. This was her true self. Inside, she felt an emptiness, as if the curse that had tormented her for centuries had never existed.
Gone...
"What did you... what did you do to me?" she whispered as if she were living in a dream.
Lynne, smiling and holding the child, responded, "As I told you, I've purged the Evil Spirit Curse from within you. Do you still believe I'm deceiving you, ma'am?"
Lynne looked quite smug. The Blood-clad Evil Spirit stared at her reflection. The flawless body in front of her made her feel as if she had just awoken from a terrible nightmare.
"You... you really..."
She finally rose, disbelief evident in her hollow gaze. The curse of the evil spirit that had bound her for centuries... had so effortlessly been eradicated... in the hands of this young human.
"Ah—Ah—"
She grasped her hair tightly, her eyes squeezed shut, letting out a series of almost uncontrollable, excited screams. She began to speak incoherently! She couldn't even begin to articulate the mix of complex and heightened emotions she felt at that moment.
Lynne blinked, standing still, staring at the woman who suddenly seemed as though she'd lost her mind.
"System, is the curse really gone?"
"It's gone."
"Then why does she seem crazier than before?"
"..."
After shouting incoherently for what felt like an eternity, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit, as if in a daze, slumped onto the floor, covering her face, murmuring, "I'm sorry, can you please leave for a bit? I need some time to calm down. My emotions are all over the place right now..."
Lynne blinked, nodding in understanding. He swiftly picked up the child and hurriedly pushed the door open, leaving the room.
After Lynne's departure, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit sat listlessly on the floor, continuously staring at her beautiful reflection in the mirror.
...
[Ding! You've completed the first stage task: Resolve the Blood-clad Evil Spirit's resentment. You've received 500 Skull Coins, 500 Experiences, and a special reward: Spirit Lamp x1]
[Ding! Blood-clad Evil Spirit's Favorability toward you +10]
[Ding! Blood-clad Evil Spirit's Favorability toward you +10]
Downstairs at the table, Lynne sat anxiously, holding the child in his arms, his scalp tingling periodically. He had been waiting there for nearly half an hour. And ever since the completion of the task,, he would hear a [Favorability +10] Ding every minute. Just a few minutes ago, the favorability score had already surpassed the 300 mark!
He wasn't sure about the psychological changes the Blood-clad Evil Spirit had undergone upstairs. However, with such an accumulation of favorability points, he was confident he would safely get through the night.
"Surely she won't try to kill me anymore." Lynne pondered. The journey had been fraught with twists and turns. But the end result seemed to be evolving in a favorable direction. And once he got through tonight, once his teacher returned tomorrow, he wouldn't need to be on tenterhooks anymore. After all, the strength of his teacher was unparalleled!
At that very moment, a pale hand gently pushed the door open. Soon after, a sweet and seductive voice echoed from within.
"I've kept you waiting."
Lynne immediately lifted his gaze towards the entrance. Under the dim candlelight, a woman in a red dress emerged, her wavy hair flowing down her back. A mature blush graced her features as she stepped forward.
Upon seeing her, Lynne couldn't help but internally commend her appearance. Because, compared to her previous facade, after the curse was lifted, she had become even more strikingly beautiful and real.
Under Lynne's watchful eye, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit, with a hint of blush on her face, took a seat across from him. In stark contrast to her previous cold and sarcastic demeanor, she now appeared like a gentle and charming woman from next door.
"I'm sorry." She lowered her head towards Lynne, her hand covering her flushed cheeks, her voice tinged with embarrassment: "I apologize for my previous rude behavior towards you. And for a while, I harbored great malice towards you... I feel utterly ashamed!"
She's like a completely different person!
Lynne exclaimed in his mind.
"It's alright, it's alright," Lynne cleared his throat, stating, "We're neighbors. Shouldn't we be harmonious and understanding towards one another?"
[Ding! Blood-clad Evil Spirit's Favorability toward you +20]
[Ding! Blood-clad Evil Spirit's Favorability toward you +20]
This is not looking good…
The Blood-clad Evil Spirit's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red as she confessed, "Even though you say that, I still feel incredibly guilty. And... and I never imagined that you could actually remove the evil spirit curse from within me..."
Upon raising a finger, Lynne intoned with earnest solemnity, "I must clarify, what I've done is only a temporary removal of the curse. It isn't permanent. The removal lasts roughly 24 hours. If it isn't renewed within that time frame, you will revert to your prior state."
As a physician, integrity was paramount. Naturally, the most pressing concern was to avoid future misunderstandings. Without preemptive clarity, she might wrongly feel deceived and retaliate if she reverted after a day.
The Blood-clad Evil Spirit blinked, asking, "Only twenty-four hours?"
Truth be told, after being relieved of the tormenting curse, she felt an unprecedented relaxation in those brief thirty minutes. Thinking back on the torment of over a hundred years made her shudder uncontrollably. The last thing she wished for was to return to her previous grotesque form.
Lynne nodded gravely. Yet, catching a glimpse of impending despair on the Blood-clad Evil Spirit's face, he swiftly pivoted, "However, while this is the case, every 12 hours, I can reapply the treatment. In other words, there's a possibility of permanence."
"Is that true?" The Blood-clad Evil Spirit's eyes sparkled with hope.
[Ding! Blood-clad Evil Spirit's Favorability toward you +20]
[Ding! Blood-clad Evil Spirit's Favorability toward you +20]
"Indeed," Lynne replied with a faint grin, giving her a thumbs up, "And since we're neighbors, living so close by, if you wish to maintain this appearance indefinitely, all you need to do is visit me daily for treatment. As neighbors, I'll even offer you a twenty percent discount!"
Such a proposition was undeniably foolproof. By merely expanding his curse-removal ability daily, he could ensure his safety and secure a consistent clientele and revenue stream. No matter how he saw it, this was a surefire win-win situation. He truly was devilishly clever!
"Twenty percent discount?" The Blood-clad Evil Spirit propped her chin with a hand, gazing at Lynne with a playful glint in her eyes, "Is there a fee involved?"
Suddenly, Lynne began massaging his shoulders, a hint of weariness evident on his face. He replied with a wry smile, "To be honest, while the process of removing the curse seemed simple to you, it's quite taxing on me. Given our neighborly relationship, I might waive the fee a few times, but there will be a charge eventually. After all, I'm operating on a tight budget."
Expecting a freebie? Not on my watch!
The Blood-clad Evil Spirit's eyes danced with mischief, "How much? Or rather, what kind of compensation are you expecting?"
Lynne paused briefly, then lifted a finger with a smile, "One treatment costs 1000 skull coins. With your discount, it's 800 skull coins. That's quite a reasonable price, don't you think?"
Regarding such an advanced spirit as hers, Lynne couldn't believe she was broke. After all, entities like the black knight and demon hunter used black skull coins, clearly indicating they hailed from affluent backgrounds.
However, Lynne hadn't set the price too steep. He was looking for a sustainable, long-term business and couldn't afford to be too ambitious.
To his surprise, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit playfully twirled a strand of her hair, "I don't have any money."
Lynne blinked, "You're jesting, right?" He laughed, slightly nervous, "Such a formidable entity as yourself can't possibly be penniless. You're pulling my leg."
Propping her chin, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit chuckled, "I truly don't. Whenever I desired something in the past, I would simply consume the other party, saving me the trouble of trade. So, I never needed money."
A shiver ran down Lynne's spine.
No way! Her favorability level was already so high. She wouldn't consider harming him, would she?
Sweating bullets, Lynne replied, "No money... well, there are other forms of payment. As long as the price is right, anything can be negotiated..."
"Really?" The Blood-clad Evil Spirit arched her eyebrow enticingly.
Crossing his arms, Lynne affirmed with eyes shut, "Indeed. Whether it's body parts, herbs, cursed items, or corpses, I'm open to negotiation. As long as the price is..."
However, before he could finish, he was overwhelmed by a tantalizing aroma. His eyes snapped open, and a string of "!!!" appeared above his head. To his shock, the Blood-clad Evil Spirit had leaned across the table, her nose mere inches from his. Her lips parted, releasing a seductive scent. Her sultry eyes locked onto his, her fragrant breath wafting over him as she whispered, "How much do you think I'm worth?"
