Chapter 4: Rising to Fame!

Most of these ghosts belonged to the Yu family, and since they had done no harm in life, it would be incredibly unjust if they were punished just for attending a ritual, especially if their spirits were severed and punished by divine retribution. This was precisely why Uncle Kun was so worried.

Now, upon hearing Yang Xuan say that all the ghosts who had come to watch the opera were dispersed by Officer Bao and sent back, Uncle Kun felt much calmer. It was still early before the fourth watch, and the “audience” had all left. The musicians, still shaken, looked at Uncle Kun with anxious eyes.

“Leader, what do you think…” Uncle Kun muttered, hesitating on how to put it.

“Let them rest. Dawn is coming, and we still have to perform the yang opera,” Yang Xuan said, glancing at those kneeling before the altar.

If it weren’t for having just activated the Yin Opera system, which gave him some confidence, Yang Xuan would likely have been praying to Master Huaguang for protection like everyone else, and certainly wouldn’t be standing there judging evil spirits.

Speaking of the system, Yang Xuan handed the remaining matters over to Uncle Kun and immediately returned to his own private resting cubicle.

Calling it a cubicle was a stretch—it was merely a curtained-off section with a reclining chair, a bit more spacious than the others.

Without even removing his makeup, Yang Xuan laid back on the chair. As a time traveler, he was well aware of how powerful these systems could be, so he quietly called out in his mind, “System?”

Five silent seconds passed with no response.

“Yin Opera Master system?”

Still nothing.

“Dear system?”

“Lovely and charming system?”

…

“Open system?”

“Open Yin Opera Master system?”

[ Ding! Opening Yin Opera Master system… ]

After several attempts, the system finally responded. Yang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. Instantly, a game-like interface from his previous life flashed before his mind’s eye: a gloomy background with a few figures in opera costumes, blurred as if stained by drops of blood.

Seeing this scene gave Yang Xuan chills. Couldn’t they have made the background more cheerful?

The next moment, the screen transformed into the bright and colorful backdrop of a children's garden show.

Startled but undeterred by the bizarre change, Yang Xuan immediately summoned the newly acquired abilities to familiarize himself with the system.

[Abilities: 1. 2% Possession of Judge Bao’s Divine Power (includes five Yin soldiers and three soul-cleaving guillotines). Possession duration: 15 minutes. 2. ?% Possession of Guan Yu’s Divine Power (includes Red Hare horse). Possession duration: ? minutes.]

[Merit Points: 1000]

[Spells: 1. Spirit Summoning (Level 0) 2. Words Become Law (Level 1)]

[Tasks: Long-term task: 1. Build your own troupe (Apprentices: 0)]

After reviewing his current assets, Yang Xuan finally turned his gaze to what he most desired—the Merit Point Shop. As usual in these novels, the items in the shop were outrageously expensive, meaning he’d have to save for a long time to afford anything. But that didn’t stop him from browsing.

Excited, he clicked open the Merit Point Shop.

A dazzling array of items appeared: divine artifacts, magical tools, ritual robes, talismans, spell-casting techniques, and even pets!

Gazing upon the mythical beasts, Yang Xuan couldn’t help but salivate. Suddenly, the urge to spend money like a top-tier player overwhelmed him. Who wouldn’t want to ride a flying dragon and roam the mortal world freely?

However, the long string of zeros following the required merit points quickly sobered him up.

The prices were absurd: just one spell to train the voice cost 50,000 merit points. Still, not everything was out of reach.

The lower-tier items were quite affordable, such as the [Purifying Charm (Low Level)] for only 10 merit points, and the [Lightness Technique (Duration: 5 minutes, stackable)] also for 10 merit points. Several other low-level items were similarly cheap.

Suddenly, Yang Xuan’s busy eyes halted on the [Invisibility Charm] priced at 100 merit points. Could this really grant invisibility?

He wondered about its effectiveness. Should he try it?

When he tapped the [Invisibility Charm], a prompt popped up with a cheerful electronic tone: [Ding! Would you like to spend 100 merit points to purchase the Invisibility Charm?]

How could one buy something without knowing the effects? Even buying instant noodles came with knowledge of the ingredients and flavor.

Just as he was about to complain, the system interface flickered, and the prompt changed into an explanation: [Ding! Invisibility Charm: Wearing this charm hides your form. Note: It only renders you invisible to others. Usage is simple—wear it close to the body; if damaged, it becomes ineffective.]

[Ding! Would you like to spend 100 merit points to purchase the Invisibility Charm?]

No way! Such a rip-off! Always trying to get people to spend money.

Moreover, the interface was a chaotic mess with everything jumbled together! Game interfaces usually had clear categories, sorted prices from low to high, and search functions for desired items. This system only pushed sales and had a terrible UI! Worthless system!

Suddenly, the Merit Point Shop interface blinked twice and transformed into the neat, game-like layout Yang Xuan had just described: items categorized and organized neatly within boxes, sorted by merit points from low to high, with a toggle button to switch sorting order. Each item had a description, and a search box appeared in the top corner, labeled: “Simply enter desired features to find corresponding items.”

Seeing this improvement, Yang Xuan raised an eyebrow with a satisfied smirk.

Apparently, the system did have some bugs!

He then exited the Merit Point Shop to explore other sections.

Lying in the resting room with his eyes closed, Yang Xuan leisurely studied the system, unaware that chaos had already erupted outside.

He first checked the live chat from the earlier Yaya live stream. Although Yu Mengjia had fainted, the phone was still streaming. After a period of silence, a cautious message appeared in the chat:

[Timid Cat: Um… is anyone still here?]

[Light Chestnut Hair: Whew, I thought I was the only one left.]

Slowly, a few others chimed in. Originally over 3,000 viewers, only a handful remained, while most had fled in fear.

[Timid Cat: Do you guys know where “Jiajia Loves Singing” is?]

“Jiajia Loves Singing” was Yu Mengjia’s username on Yaya Live.

[Richest Second Generation: Why, are you going to look for her?]

[Light Chestnut Hair: Yeah, she fainted there. Where’s “Qiaoqiao Also Loves Singing”? Why hasn’t she appeared?]

“Qiaoqiao Also Loves Singing” was the username of Qiaoqiao, who had accompanied Yu Mengjia for the live stream.

[Fur Fanatic: She can’t have been taken by those ghosts…]

[Colored Text Only: Should we call the police?]

[Richest Second Generation: Last time I chatted with Jiajia, she said her hometown was Baxian Village, Nanshan Town, Dongyang City.]

[Colored Text Only: You actually know where that is? Hey, should we go check it out?]

[Light Chestnut Hair: Truly the top fan.]

After a round of praise, the chat quieted again, until a large hand appeared on the screen, picking up the phone…