Chapter 351: Chapter 351: Yue Ming 1
The puppy-shaped Beauty System was in a total panic. "You’re only supposed to draw one task at a time! I’ve run diagnostics—there are no bugs. Host, once a task is drawn, it *has* to be completed..."
It finished the sentence with extreme caution, terrified Tan You would just drop everything and quit. Tan You paused, giving the Beauty System a suspicious look. ’Isn’t this little system pulling some strings behind the scenes?’
The Beauty System looked as if it had been gravely accused. It raised its little paw and swore solemnly, "I have no authority to interfere with task selection! But I have heard that the power of a lingering will can sometimes be infinite, and at other times, infinitesimal..."
Tan You paused. "So this is the power of a soul?"
She smiled as she spoke. Her hand, which had been reaching for the first sphere of light, changed course and picked up the one that had appeared second.
The Beauty System timidly reminded her, "Host, since you drew two tasks at once, you have to do them back-to-back."
Tan You understood. This meant she only had one chance to prepare, though she could, of course, look at both tasks simultaneously. All things considered, it wasn’t a huge problem. "Fine. This is the first time I’ve ever drawn two tasks."
The Beauty System replied, "It’s the first time I’ve seen it, too. I always thought it was just a legend."
Tan You grew curious. "I’d really love to get a look at the internal messages on your system forums."
The Beauty System said, "That’s for internal system communication. Hosts can’t see it."
Tan You brushed her curiosity aside. "Fine, then. Why don’t you go dig around for more information? I can’t be drawing two tasks every time from now on, can I?"
The Beauty System shifted a little. "Actually, there are rumors... I’ve heard that this only happens to hosts who complete their tasks exceptionally well, but even then, it’s very rare."
"I just never thought I’d actually encounter it. I heard the last time this happened, it was with an unlimited flow host. They were amazing! You’re amazing too, Host! You get an S-rank evaluation every single time."
"That’s incredibly rare."
Tan You toyed with the dim, lusterless soul sphere. "Are these mission worlds supposed to be difficult? I feel like my tasks always go smoothly."
The Beauty System countered, "That’s because you’ve already succeeded, Host, so you can afford to gloss over the past difficulties. You’re not the type to complain about hardship or exhaustion, and you don’t dwell on your suffering."
"Host, are you planning to do this task first?"
Tan You was indeed curious about the second task. "I’d like to see this ’power of a soul’ for myself."
Even though she had drawn the task, Tan You didn’t depart immediately. She had a habit of making thorough preparations. First, she would fully absorb the original body’s memories, and only after she was mentally prepared for what to expect would she set off.
Besides, she’d drawn two tasks at once. She had to look them both over, didn’t she?
’The power of a soul, huh...’ Lying in the shade of a tree, Tan You narrowed her eyes. ’I used to hear that a mother’s or father’s love could create miracles. Now, I think I’m starting to get a faint idea of what that means.’
’Why do you think she sought me out? I’m very sparing with my emotions, but trying to change someone who’s already so set in their ways... that sounds pretty challenging.’
After uttering those words, Tan You crushed the soul sphere and quickly arrived in the mission world.
Light. So incredibly light. It felt just like being in her soul form. Tan You’s first sensation upon arriving was one of weightlessness. She tentatively moved her arms. The familiar heavy feeling was gone. Her entire being felt light enough to fly.
Tan You narrowed her eyes. ’So... I don’t even have a body? How am I supposed to complete the mission like this?’
The Beauty System remained silent. The key thing was, it was a complete newbie and had no idea what was going on either. Not that Tan You was counting on it; the little system was good for a chat to relieve boredom, but when it came to important matters, Tan You handled things herself.
Tan You wasn’t anxious. She took a quick tour of the old-fashioned house. Upon seeing seven or eight ancestral tablets enshrined in the main hall, even she couldn’t help but feel a ghostly chill in the air.
’I’m a ghost myself now, yet I can still feel this.’ Tan You shook her head with a laugh. Back when she used to follow Tan Deming to his jobs, she had seen more ancestral tablets than she could count. After all, Tan Deming performed funeral services for a living, so Tan You wasn’t afraid of such things.
It was just that she had never seen a situation like the one at the Liuu Yuming family’s home before. The sheer quantity was a bit much, and the visual impact was quite powerful. Tan You had once heard her grandpa mention that his family home also had many tablets when he was a child, but they were all destroyed in a house fire later on.
After the Tan family moved, the only one left in their home was her great-grandfather’s memorial tablet.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Tan You carefully examined the tablets. Sure enough, at the very end, she saw the name of her client, Zhang Wangying, and her memorial portrait.
’What a peculiar feeling.’ After staring at Zhang Wangying’s memorial portrait for a long time, Tan You finally raised an eyebrow. ’It’s truly peculiar. Standing here, I suddenly understand what is meant by the boundary between life and death.’
’A seemingly frail soul appears incapable of doing anything, yet it possesses such power. While it can’t reverse destiny, it was still able to bring about a slim chance for change.’
"I used to think folk ghost stories were just legends. So what’s the deal with Zhang Wangying? She’s been dead for decades, yet she’s been lingering in this house the whole time, watching her daughter and granddaughter?"
The Beauty System sputtered, "I-I don’t know."
"I wasn’t counting on you to know," Tan You said, stroking her chin. "This timing is inconvenient. Since Zhang Wangying has already passed away, I’ll have to consider Plan B."
The Beauty System was struck dumb. It had no idea what Tan You’s Plan B was.
"System, give me a mirror."
The Beauty System obediently produced a mirror. The young woman in the reflection was a bit chubby but tall, with very delicate features. Her long hair was tied back in a simple, low ponytail. As she watched, her own facial features in the mirror gradually blurred, turning into a shapeless human silhouette whose original appearance was impossible to make out.
The Beauty System’s electronic voice almost cracked. "Host!"
"I’m here. Keep it down," the silhouette said. Both its hands went to work, and soon, the face of a woman around forty years old appeared in the mirror. Her features were nearly identical to those of the deceased Zhang Wangying.
’See? It’s always useful to learn new skills. I never thought the bit of dough sculpting I once learned could be used to literally sculpt a face.’ After checking her reflection from every angle to confirm the face was an exact match for Zhang Wangying’s, Tan You finally nodded in satisfaction.
The Beauty System asked very cautiously, "Host?"
"Yep, it’s me." Tan You was completely at ease, despite now wearing the face of a forty-year-old woman. Hearing her familiar tone, the Beauty System finally relaxed. It had actually thought its host had been replaced by a different person.
"Host, when did you learn how to do that? I had no idea!" Now that it had calmed down, the Beauty System started prying.
