Yae Miko:I have some exorcism techniques as well. How about I complete this one?
Keqing:This is clearly my mission! My sword art is Electro, and I can create clones. In a short while, I'll turn that tree demon into charcoal.
Xiangling:If only I could bring Guoba with me, then I could complete it, too.
Hu Tao:!!!
Hu Tao:You're all deliberately trying to annoy me, aren't you? Isn't this mission tailor-made for me?! Exorcising ghosts, catching demons, and the enemy is a tree demon! Hmph, you all must be craving some Stir-fried Slime with Qingxin, right?!
The moment she saw the mission, Hu Tao knew it was meant for her. A thousand-year-old locust tree demon that controlled countless female ghosts—could there be a more perfect mission in the world?
Beidou:Hahaha! Alright, alright, we were just kidding. Hurry up and get ready for the mission.
Yae Miko:Stir-fried Slime with Qingxin? What kind of bizarre thing is that? Is it really edible?
Xiangling:Ahem, well, I made it for Tao-tao once. As a result, she threw up all afternoon.
Yae Miko:…
Kamisato Ayaka:…
They had been thinking of visiting Liyue, but with such a demon chef there, who would dare to go? One wrong meal and you might be carried out.
Ningguang:A joke is a joke. While there's still time, Su Han, you should give her a briefing. Are there any precautions, or any points that need special attention?
One must not underestimate any mission. This was something every group member had to abide by! Even for the lowest-level mission, they had to ask clearly before executing it.
Hu Tao:Right, right! Su Han, quick, explain! What do I need to watch out for in this Lanruo Temple mission?
Su Han:Actually, this mission will be a bit of a challenge for you. The enemy is a thousand-year-old tree demon whose roots spread throughout the entire temple. A sneak attack is impossible. Be prepared for a hard fight. Secondly, this Tree Grandmother has a paramour, the Black Mountain Demon. Although the mission doesn't mention him, if the battle drags on for too long, he might join in.
He wasn't sure which version of A Chinese Ghost Story this was, so he still had to warn Hu Tao to be careful of the Black Mountain Demon's existence. After all, she didn't have Observation Haki, and she didn't live in the grotto-heaven. Su Han hadn't even had a chance to guide her, so he was a little worried.
Ganyu:If its weakness is fire, then Hu Tao will still have an advantage, which can make up for her own lack of strength! And I've heard Su Han say that for spirits like tree demons, their main body cannot move. If she can quickly find its main body, she should be able to defeat it easily.
Hu Tao:I see! I was just worrying about that. Without Observation Haki, dealing with enemies is really too difficult.
Everyone else had more or less comprehended Observation Haki. Only she, who truly couldn't sit still, had not. But Observation Haki was just too useful, whether for combat or for finding targets. However, things had already come to this. Hu Tao had no other choice and could only hope that her own strength would be enough to defeat the thousand-year-old tree demon.
Inside the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Zhongli watched the departing Hu Tao and reminded her, "Director Hu, if you cannot calm your mind, perhaps you could try another method."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Observation Haki is, in essence, a form of concentration. You must shield your other senses to enhance your perception. For example, when you close your eyes, your hearing becomes more sensitive. If you block your ears and close your eyes, then your skin will become more sensitive. Think back: when are you completely focused on something? If you can maintain that state, activating Observation Haki should be very simple."
Faced with Zhongli's guidance, Hu Tao was lost in thought. But time was tight, and she didn't have much time to think. She picked up her weapon and vanished from the room.
Zhongli picked up his teacup and smiled. "Perhaps this will be an opportunity for her." Although he found Hu Tao to be a headache, he, the Lord Emperor, was quite fond of her personality. It was like having a daughter. Although he didn't know how strong the thousand-year-old tree demon was, it surely wouldn't be simple. He just hoped this child could become stronger.
The chat window in front of him had already switched to the live stream view. Hu Tao had arrived in the world of A Chinese Ghost Story.
At this moment, inside Lanruo Temple, a torrential rain was pouring down, and lightning flashed across the sky. When Hu Tao appeared in the abandoned temple, she was dumbfounded. Was this not a little too targeted at her? Why was it raining?
In the Multiverse Mission Group chat, everyone looked at the dark sky and the pouring rain, their faces full of worry. A Pyro user's greatest fear was rain, especially when fighting a thousand-year-old tree spirit.
Ganyu:This is bad. The worst has happened. It's raining continuously. This is disadvantageous for Hu Tao.
Keqing:Right. The enemy's main body is definitely outside. In such a heavy rain, her flames will be easily extinguished.
A simple battle was already difficult, let alone in such a downpour with no light to be seen.
Beidou:How about this, Su Han, you should contact Hu Tao. If the mission is too difficult, tell her to retreat in time.
The combat conditions were unfavorable, and the enemy's situation was unknown. And in this dark and rainy night, it would be even harder for Hu Tao. If she tried and found she was no match, retreating was also a good option. It was just a mission, after all.
Ningguang:That's the only way. Although I don't know Hu Tao's current strength, it seems the difficulty is a bit too high.
From the last fight with the Golden-Faced Fire God, she had already realized that the difficulty of a four-star mission was not as simple as defeating that dog demon, Sesshomaru. A mission worth one hundred thousand points was not so easy to obtain.
Su Han:I've already private-messaged her, but Hu Tao has muted me.
Don't be fooled by her usually carefree personality. The more she was like this, the more stubborn she would be.
Shenhe:Then what should we do?
Su Han:I don't know either. Hu Tao has eaten a lot of Qilin meat and dragon meat during this time. She should be fine. Let's wait and see. Don't be so pessimistic. You know, she is the successor of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
The people of the Hu family were born with secret arts and special powers. Perhaps this time, Hu Tao could bring everyone a surprise.
As they were talking, some female ghosts appeared in front of Hu Tao.
"Hey, this one's a woman. The Tree Grandmother doesn't need women."
"Heh, that's right. Since the Grandmother doesn't need her, then she's our food!" a female ghost with a green face and fangs said, her eyes full of greed.
Just then, another female ghost looked at the young woman's eyes and said in surprise, "Hey, look at her! She actually has plum blossom pupils! It's so rare to see someone like that."
"Who cares what kind of pupils she has? Let's tear her soul apart and increase our own strength!"
"Good idea."
"Sigh, why do I get the feeling she can see us?" a blue-clothed female ghost said, looking at Hu Tao's contemptuous expression with great confusion. Normally, only those who could see them would react.
The green-faced ghost snorted. "See us, my ass! If a normal person saw us, they'd be scared to death! Xiao Mei, don't pat my shoulder, I'm about to make a move."
The female ghost named Xiao Mei said, confused, "I didn't! Sister Qing."
"If it wasn't you, then who patted my shoulder?" The female ghost turned her head and saw that a strange, white creature was making a ghostly face at her. "A GHOST!!!"
Seeing the female ghost scared by her own spirit companion, Hu Tao couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"And you call yourselves ghosts trying to scare people? Hmph, you're still a long way off! Secret Art: Paramita Papilio!"
BOOM!
The spirit companion erupted with a terrifying wave of flame, directly annihilating the six female ghosts. She would not show any mercy to these evil spirits, whose bodies were filled with resentment.
At this time, in a temple far away, a scholar who was flirting with a female ghost was startled by the scream.
"Xiaoqian, did you hear that? A female ghost… there was a female ghost!"
"Ning Lang, there are no female ghosts here. The rain is so loud; you must have misheard."
"But that big-bearded man in the daytime said there were ghosts here," the scholar said, shirtless, still looking outside with fear. Besides that scream just now, there seemed to have been the sound of burning. But in such a heavy rain, how could there be a fire?
Under his own self-comfort, Ning Caichen slowly forgot about the sound from before and returned to the arms of the beauty before him.
But just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside.
After a moment, a young woman in black robes, with a spirit companion perched on her shoulder, appeared in the ruined temple.
"A ghost! There's a ghost!" Seeing the strange white spirit, Ning Caichen was so scared he went limp and even wet his pants.
"A ghost? Heh. You idiot, isn't the one next to you a female ghost? Or are you, a scholar, daydreaming in broad daylight, thinking some beauty would throw herself into your arms in this ruined temple? Please, take a look in the mirror. You're ugly as sin and dressed in such rags. What good person would follow you? If I'm not mistaken, she must have said something about her family having fallen on hard times and having nowhere to go, right? Sigh, this story is too old-fashioned."
Hearing this, Ning Caichen looked at the Xiaoqian beside him, then at the black-clothed young woman at the door, and for a moment, he didn't know who to believe.
Hu Tao naturally didn't want to waste time and directly entered her Paramita Papilio state. A scorching flame ignited in her hand.
She looked at Nie Xiaoqian and said coldly, "I can see that there is no resentment on your body. Stay away from that man, and I can spare your life."
"Who… who are you?" Nie Xiaoqian was frightened by the power erupting from Hu Tao. As a ghost, she was particularly sensitive to this kind of scorching yang energy. And the woman's body was exuding a terrifying power, like that of a ghost emissary.