Shapeshifting (Arc 2)

When he bought the "Shapeshifting" Skill, a flash of blinding white light appeared in front of Feng Yongrui and entered his head.

When he opened his eyes, Feng Yongrui was already equipped with the knowledge of shapeshifting. First things first, Feng Yongrui, who was still in his ghost form, flew to the Yin family garden.

There were less servants here than inside the house, so Feng Yongrui disabled his Invisibility Skill.

Crouching down on the brown earth, Feng Yongrui noticed a small wildflower. Concentrating with all his might, Feng Yongrui activated the "Shapeshifting" skill.

Feng Yongrui felt his body heat up slightly. He couldn't feel his arms and legs anymore... and he felt like a lump of jelly.

Finally, the heat subsided and Feng Yongrui opened his "eyes". He had turned into a wildflower!

The feeling of being a flower was really strange. Feng Yongrui felt awkward and swiftly changed back into his real form.

Feng Yongrui thought of cats and concentrated again. This time, he turned into a black cat with silky fur.

The feeling of walking on four legs instead of two was really foreign to him, and Feng Yongrui stumbled a few times. Thankfully, he got used to this form very quickly.

Shifting back to his own body, Feng Yongrui decided to turn into an adult male. After closing his eyes and concentrating, Feng Yongrui finally turned into a man.

"It really worked!" Feng Yongrui cried happily.

"Host!" the System yelled suddenly. "There's a gardener walking this way!"

Feng Yongrui was stunned, but he managed to react quickly. He shapeshifted back into a cat and crouched behind some bushes.

Feng Yongrui heaved a sigh of relief and turned back into a ghost. He flew back to his room to plan on his next course of actions.

Feng Yongrui swapped places with the doppelganger again and pondered on what to do. He needed to become famous quickly, even more famous than the other Taoist Monk, so that the Yin family would ask him to come to their house.

Feng Yongrui also needed a new name... and he also needed money. Otherwise, how could he buy clothes and other things?

There were so many things to think about, and soon Feng Yongrui's head became dizzy. How difficult...

The next day, Feng Yongrui had a rough idea on what to do already. He swapped places with the doppelganger and flew out of the Yin Mansion.

The first thing Feng Yongrui wanted to do was check the surrounding cities. The Yin Mansion was located in a strategic location in M City.

M City was one of the most prosperous cities in the country, and so it had a lot of modern infrastructure. The streets were bustling with people and the roads were filled with numerous vehicles.

Although this was a modern world, superstitious beliefs still lingered with the people. People from the older generation tended to believe in superstition more, and younger people sometimes wanted to have their fortunes told, just for fun.

In any case, those people would go to a Fengshui Master or a Taoist Monk when they needed help with the supernatural.

If Feng Yongrui wanted to be famous, he needed to get a lot of clients and help numerous people solve their problems. The more people he helped, the more famous he would be.

It would be even better if he could help someone from an affluent family. This way, he would be more renowned than before.

Feng Yongrui first flew to a dark corner and shapeshifted into a human male. Feng Yongrui adjusted his facial features, turning his face into a wrinkled old man's face.

He had a white long beard and he was dressed in a Taoist robe (daopao). When he was ready, Feng Yongrui emerged from the shadows and walked slowly.

He was in a relatively busy street in M City. There were shops on his left side and a road filled with vehicles on his right.

The smell of exhaust gas mixed with sweat filled the air and Feng Yongrui subconsciously frowned.

As he was walking, Feng Yongrui looked left and right for any potential "customers". Before he could find one, though, someone walked up to him first.

"Hey... Excuse me, sir. Are you a Taoist Monk?" a young woman asked.

Feng Yongrui turned around and looked at the speaker. The lady in front of him was dressed in a white shirt and worn-out jeans. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail and her face was gaunt and pallid.

"Ahem, that's right. I'm a wandering Taoist Monk. Young lady, is there anything I can do to help you?" Feng Yongrui asked.

The lady's face turned bitter and she sighed sadly.

"Sir, you see... my mother is dying... and we would like for a monk to see her... But, my family doesn't have much money. Most of our money has been used to buy her medicine..."

"It's alright," Feng Yongrui said hastily. "As a monk, I have no desire for worldly things. You do not have to pay me. Just lead me to your mother."

The young lady was overjoyed and bowed a few times.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you so much!"

Feng Yongrui was a bit embarrassed and waved his hands.

Anyway, he wasn't a real Taoist Monk. What could he actually do? Wasn't this lady afraid he would scam her...?

When they arrived at the young lady's house, Feng Yongrui looked at her dilapidated house.

There were cracks on the walls and the front gate was overgrown with vines and rust. There were weeds growing through the ground, reminding him of an abandoned house.

When they entered the house, Feng Yongrui noticed that although it was small and old, it was clean and tidy. The young lady, who introduced herself as Wang Xiamei, showed him into a bedroom.

Inside the room, there lay an old woman. The old lady was very thin, like a bag of bones, and her eyes were cloudy and grey.

Her hair had turned white with age, and wrinkles covered her skin.

"Mother," Wang Xiamei called out.

Kneeling beside the bed, Wang Xiamei took her mother's hands into her own and gently kneaded it.

"Mother, I brought a Taoist Monk over..."

The old lady did not reply, but she blinked a few times.

Wang Xiamei stood up and whispered to Feng Yongrui. "Sir, I'm not expecting you to heal my mother... You can just chant a few words or bless her... Or maybe you can give her a talisman... Other than that... I don't really have hope for my mother..."

Feng Yongrui lifted an eyebrow. "Did the doctors say she was incurable?" he asked.

"Yes... They said she has a rare disease, and it would be better to go for surgery abroad... But there's no way I can come up with that much money... I don't have the money to go abroad, much less for a surgery!"

Wang Xiamei sniffled and hurriedly wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry, Sir," she said, still sniffling.

Feng Yongrui waved his hands. "It's okay," he said.

Feng Yongrui turned his attention to the old lady on the bed and pursed his lips.

Uhm. What should he do??

Feng Yongrui was a bit confused and inexperienced, but he did not come here unprepared. After organizing his thoughts, he began reciting a chant while holding a prayer bead.

Inside his head, though, Feng Yongrui was panicking with the System.

"Am I doing this correctly? Is this the correct posture?? I have no idea what to do with my hands --" Feng Yongrui fumbled.

"Host... This System is a System, not a Taoist Monk... How am I supposed to know??" the System grumbled.

"Wait... Host! I think we can heal this person!" the System suddenly cried.

"Eh?" Feng Yongrui was surprised and almost dropped his prayer beads.

"Host, think about it. If you only chant prayers and make talismans, how can you get famous quickly? You can't. But if you heal lots and lots of people... You'll definitely become famous!"

Feng Yongrui knew that the System's words made sense, but he was apprehensive.

"...System, just say it clearly. What's your motive?" he asked.

"W-well... It's not like I'm planning something... It's just that... you might want to use the lucky draw...?" the System said tentatively.

Feng Yongrui was silent, and the System did not dare to disturb him.

"Why do you want me to use the lucky draw?" Feng Yongrui asked after some time.

Previously, when Feng Yongrui was thinking of buying something that could turn him into an adult, the System had also suggested that he use the lucky draw.

At that time, Feng Yongrui refused. After all, the possibility of getting something good from the lucky draw was too small...

Now, the System was once again suggesting he use the lucky draw to get what he needed. Was this a trick from the System, or was there something he was missing?

In truth, there was indeed a reason behind this. The higher-ups were angry when the System accidentally transferred Feng Yongrui into the wrong person.

The System had already made a mistake in the first world, so the higher-ups had agreed to give Feng Yongrui an easier task as compensation.

But the System messed it up!

***

The higher ups: That System is irresponsible.

Feng Yongrui: I agree.

System: Ex - cuse - me?

Feng Yongrui: I was just saying the truth. Don't be offended.

***

If you could shapeshift into anything or anyone, what/who would you choose to be?

Comment below~