C22 The Best Part of Life Is Acting

"What should I do about the ghost handprint on my leg?"

Lin Chuxia's voice trembled as she spoke.

Her fear was understandable. Anyone who nearly perished at the hands of the Water Ghost would be far from calm.

And to make matters worse, the Water Ghost had left its ghost handprint on her!

Yun Chen glanced at the dark handprint on Lin Chuxia's smooth calf and felt a mischievous urge to tease her. He said nonchalantly, "The ghostly energy has entered her body. It's beyond saving."

"Ah?" Shen Siyu exclaimed in alarm.

Lin Chuxia turned deathly pale!

Siyu quickly clung to Yun Chen's arm, shaking it as she pleaded urgently, "Mr. Yun, please, you must think of something to save Chuxia!"

Lin Chuxia bit her lip, her gaze fixed intently on Yun Chen.

Internally, Yun Chen was smug. That's for glaring at me when I rescued you! For crying without reason! For acting so superior!

Now who's terrified and speechless? Hahahaha...

Yun Chen could be quite spiteful and vindictive at times.

After basking in his triumph for a while, he cleared his throat and said deliberately, "Ahem, actually, there might be a way."

Upon hearing there was a solution for the ghost handprint, Lin Chuxia and Shen Siyu's eyes were locked on Yun Chen, eagerly awaiting his next words.

Realizing he shouldn't overdo the teasing, Yun Chen carefully chose his next words and continued, "The ghost handprint is a sign that vengeful spirits are looking for a living substitute."

"Typically, the person marked by the ghost handprint is doomed to die by the spirits' hands that very day! But today, you were lucky enough to be saved by me."

"However, being saved doesn't mean you're out of danger."

Yun Chen paused briefly before going on.

"The ghost handprint is teeming with ghostly energy that can slowly corrode your body and even take over your soul!"

"And once the ghostly energy seizes your soul, you'll be in real danger."

Yun Chen laid out the details clearly. Lin Chuxia and Shen Siyu listened intently, their eyes filled with hope as they looked to Yun Chen for guidance.

Yun Chen awkwardly lowered his head, his voice taking on a grave tone, "But if I expend three years of my cultivation, I can completely eradicate the ghost handprint."

Without giving them a moment to respond, Yun Chen pressed on, "Though sacrificing three years of cultivation will do me great harm, today's incident, with you falling into the water, was indirectly caused by Siyu's idea."

"So, I simply cannot stand by and do nothing!"

Yun Chen's sincerity was palpable, enough to leave Shen Siyu utterly moved.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Shen Siyu said, "Mr. Yun, you're truly kind!"

But before Yun Chen could swell with pride, Shen Siyu burst into tears, inexplicably overcome with emotion.

Yun Chen was completely baffled. What was happening? Why the sudden tears?

Then it clicked for Yun Chen as Shen Siyu, through her sobs, managed to say, "Mr. Yun, you really became a Taoist priest! Does that mean you're destined to be a bachelor forever? That's so sad! Waaah..."

Yun Chen was at a loss for words.

Lin Chuxia watched Yun Chen with a mix of emotions. She hadn't expected that the boy she once saw as utterly ordinary not only saved her life today but also seemed to possess a mastery of the Tao Arts, which she had always dismissed as mere superstition!

What surprised her even more was Yun Chen's deep sense of loyalty. Merely because her encounter with the Water Ghost was related to Shen Siyu, he was willing to deplete three years of his cultivation to rescue her, despite the significant harm to himself.

"Maybe he's not so worthless after all..." Lin Chuxia mused.

She found herself developing a hint of fondness for Yun Chen.

Meanwhile, the prompt from the system echoed in Yun Chen's mind once again:

"Ding..."

Yun Chen perked up, awaiting the system's message.

But after a long minute of silence, his patience was wearing thin. Finally, the system spoke:

"Congratulations, host. You have completed the mission: You've earned 50% of Lin Chuxia's favor and received a crafting type red packet."

"Ding! Would you like to open the red packet now?"

"Finally done!" Yun Chen let out a sigh of relief upon hearing the system's prompt.

It had been quite the challenge! After spinning a web of tales for Lin Chuxia, he had at last completed the mandatory task!

Yes, while Yun Chen's explanation about the dangers of the ghost handprint was true, claiming he needed three years of cultivation to remove it was pure fabrication!

A simple Exorcism Talisman was all it took to resolve the issue with the minor ghost handprint.

Yun Chen's elaborate story was all to fulfill the system's compulsory mission: to gain 50% of Lin Chuxia's favorability!

And indeed, moved by his "sincere and hardworking" facade, Lin Chuxia's fondness for him surged!

"It's clear that success in life often hinges on one's acting prowess!"

In that moment, Yun Chen felt incredibly clever! He even thought he could easily make a living as a street diviner!

But just then, the system's notification chimed in again:

"Ding! A hidden mission has been triggered. Releasing mission details..."

"Hidden mission: Become a Fortune Teller! Mission description: Calculate the fortunes of people and spirits, divine the will of heaven, discern auspicious and ominous omens, and resolve supernatural affairs of the world. Host, please become a fortune teller!"

"Mission Requirement: The host must set up a street stall and act as a fortune teller for at least three days within a month."

"Mission Success: Reward with one skill type and one cultivation method type packet. Mission Failure: Host termination!"

Yun Chen was stunned.

"Is this for real? I was only musing about it, and now I'm actually expected to become a diviner?"

"Heavens above, earth below! Where's the justice in this?!"

Yun Chen felt an overwhelming urge to weep without tears, realizing that his knack for deception had inadvertently led him to this bizarre task.

Little did he expect that the system would immediately issue such a covert mission!

And this hidden mission was to have him set up shop as a street fortune teller!

Sure, it sounded more dignified to call it fortune-telling, but wasn't it essentially the same as being a diviner?

Yun Chen was well aware that until the system was upgraded, missions were irrevocable, so once again, he found himself yielding to the system's relentless demands.

"Ugh, it feels like these missions will never end. As soon as I complete one, another pops up..." Yun Chen let his head hang in defeat, the weariness creeping in.

Shaking off the feeling, Yun Chen remembered the crafting type red packet he'd just received and eagerly commanded, "Open the red packet!"

[Ding! The crafting type red packet has been successfully opened. Congratulations, you've received 100,000 Huaxia Currency! The amount has been deposited into your bank card.]

"Really, just 100,000? How underwhelming!" Yun Chen couldn't help but scoff. Despite feeling shortchanged by the system, he had to admit that having some funds was better than none at all. After all, 100,000 yuan would last him quite a while.

First things first, he resolved to address the ghost handprint on Lin Chuxia's leg.

But as he looked up, he caught Shen Siyu and Lin Chuxia eyeing him with curiosity. Raising an eyebrow, Yun Chen inquired, "What's with the stares?"

Shen Siyu blurted out, "Mr. Yun, you seemed lost in thought just now, and your expression was so odd. Is it because the ghost handprint on Chuxia's leg is proving to be a tough challenge?"

Yun Chen broke into a sweat! He realized he'd have to keep his composure during system missions from now on to avoid being seen as a fool by those around him.

With a determined nod and a solemn look, Yun Chen assured them, "Exactly. I've been contemplating the right approach to handle it!"

"Luckily, I've figured out a solution!"

"Really? That's wonderful!" Siyu exclaimed, her voice filled with relief.

Lin Chuxia's eyes sparkled with hope.

"I'm going to start now! Whatever happens next, stay calm," Yun Chen instructed, his voice steady and reassuring.

"Understood!" Both Shen Siyu and Lin Chuxia nodded in agreement.

Without further hesitation, Yun Chen took a deep breath, his demeanor shifting to one of intense focus, and then he boldly proclaimed:

"Drawing Talisman in the Void!"

As his voice trailed off, Yun Chen's right index and ring fingers plunged into the air before he pointed decisively into the void, his fingers beginning to move in a dance.

What happened next was nothing short of miraculous!

A faint golden light emanated from Yun Chen's fingertips, tracing a path in the air as his fingers twirled.

Suddenly, Yun Chen's right hand came to a halt, and he rapidly recited an incantation: "Heaven and Earth Are Boundless, borrow the power of the cosmos! Exorcism Talisman, dispel the evil qi, let no ghosts or demons come near, Exorcism Talisman, swiftly!"

"Buzz~"

As Yun Chen's words ended, a buzzing sound resonated through the air!

Shen Siyu and Lin Chuxia then witnessed a sight they would never forget.

Before their eyes, the air shimmered with a burst of golden light, and a profound rune appeared out of nowhere.

Yun Chen let out a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing the rune. It was his first attempt at Drawing Talisman in the Void, and the outcome was better than he had anticipated.

He then extended his finger towards Lin Chuxia's calf, and the profound rune floating in the air transformed into a beam of golden light, shooting towards her.

"Puff~"

The moment the golden rune made contact with Lin Chuxia's calf, it merged into her body.

The dark ghost handprint vanished as quickly as melting snow.

"Ah! It's really gone! Mr. Yun, you're amazing!" Siyu exclaimed with joy upon seeing the ghost handprint disappear, her gaze turning to Yun Chen.

But as she did, she noticed Yun Chen's body begin to wobble, as if he were on the verge of fainting.

Eventually, Yun Chen could no longer stand and collapsed.

Only then did Lin Chuxia and Shen Siyu rush to his side, catching him in their arms.

In his mind, Yun Chen thought, "If I'm going to bluff, I have to go all the way. Fainting is the only way to show my 'weakness,' isn't it?"

With that thought, the mana from Yun Chen's dantian surged into his brain, instantly clouding his consciousness.

It wasn't until many years later that Lin Chuxia and Shen Siyu discovered Yun Chen had completely bamboozled them. In a fit of anger, they gave him the cold shoulder for an entire month.

In hindsight, they had been so attentive in caring for what they thought was an unconscious Yun Chen.