Mid-Autumn Festival Recording

After Chen Shu modified the spell, using it no longer felt as though its spiritual power was failing to take full effect. Tests and calculations showed that its actual effect was almost identical to its theoretical effect.

He now had two spells he could show off.

But Impact Art's destructive power still fell far short of Tracer Technique's.

Tracer Technique was a proper spell meant purely to kill. In fights between cultivators of the same tier, Impact Art was usually used more defensively—

To knock an opponent away, push them back, or actively defend against their attacks.

With a Spirit Sea whose overall capacity approached the Third Tier, Chen Shu could use Tracer Technique to blow up a car outright. But when he went out to the suburbs and gave Impact Art a rough test, it produced, at most, the force of a sedan crashing into something at around ninety kilometers an hour. That force weakened with distance.

Still, Impact Art was more versatile.

He could adjust its force at will, turning an instantaneous burst into a sustained, gentle push. With enough spiritual power, he could even use it as an umbrella against the rain. Unlike Tracer Technique, using it wasn't automatically a crime.

Around the same time, Chen Shu received a message from Ning Qing.

Qingqing: Building 12, Angelica Orchid Garden

Chen Shu: You're starting your cultivation already?

One minute passed.

Five minutes passed.

Half an hour passed.

No reply came.

She had probably already begun.

Chen Shu shook his head. This girl was still a little lacking in manners. She needed further training.

There was one good thing, though—

She was afraid Chen Shu wouldn't be able to find her, so she'd rented a place before beginning her cultivation and sent him the address in advance. It was practically her way of saying: If you want to find me, come here on the weekend.

The eighth day of the eighth month happened to be a Saturday.

Chen Shu left before dawn. He rode a shared bicycle through streets veiled in autumn mist, thoroughly at ease.

"Temporary bodyguard..."

There were quite a few temporary bodyguard jobs these days. Usually, minor performers hired one while working away from home. Most went through dedicated security companies, which cost a little more than commission companies.

The celebrity business was fiercely competitive too.

Especially in this country. Performers earned less than they had in his previous life. Big stars weren't as glamorous, and minor performers had it even worse.

They couldn't afford a permanent cultivator bodyguard, or they had so little work most of the time that they didn't need one. But when they traveled for an appearance, the organizers sometimes didn't provide a personal bodyguard either. They still had an image to maintain and couldn't look too down-and-out on camera, so they had no choice but to hire one temporarily.

Commission companies were great. They were cheaper than security firms, and when necessary, the client could drag someone in to take the blame.

The corner of Chen Shu's mouth twitched.

At five fifty, he arrived at Munan Building.

Chen Shu called his contact, Sister Huang. Someone soon came down to meet him and took him up to a hotel room, where Sister Huang looked him over.

"You're a bit young."

"I look young."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-five."

"Your surname's Chen, right?"

"Yes."

"Let me explain things to you two. Listen carefully..."

"Of course, boss."

Chen Shu listened obediently, glancing at the other temporary bodyguard. He was also from the May Commission Company and looked about thirty. He, too, wore black formal attire. Formal attire in this world wasn't a suit, but it wasn't anything Chen Shu recognized from his previous life either. It was hard to describe, though it did make a person look sharp.

"Of course, boss."

"Understood."

Chen Shu and Lu Xing nodded together.

The job really was fairly easy. They just had to hold back young, fanatical fans using a repulsion spell so they looked more professional.

It was mainly for show.

If someone charged in without caring what happened, they might not be able to stop them anyway. Younger fans weren't so bad, but an older one might well be above the Second Tier.

Who wasn't a cultivator these days?

At six thirty, they set out with the team for Imperial Capital International Airport to meet the flight.

The plane arrived at seven thirty.

Their employer was a sweet-looking young woman. She arrived with her team, which included another bodyguard.

Perhaps he was the proper bodyguard.

For a minor performer who wasn't particularly famous, she had quite a few fans waiting at the airport with name signs and illuminated placards. There were even reporters taking pictures. Chen Shu didn't know whether someone had paid to arrange it. The moment these people saw her, they started shouting, shrieking, and trying to rush over.

"Cao Shengying! Cao Shengying!"

"Cao Shengying, look over here!"

"Cao Shengying, Mommy loves you!"

Chen Shu and Lu Xing stepped forward, using a gentle force to keep the young people from getting close to their employer. Whenever she moved forward to shake hands with her fans, they had to control the repulsion spell precisely enough to let the fans touch their idol's hand.

Camera flashes went off without pause.

After leaving the airport and before getting into the van, the young performer named Cao Shengying politely bowed to Chen Shu and Lu Xing.

"Thank you, you two."

Chen Shu kept his face expressionless.

But her voice was so sweet that he was already starting to like her. He planned to look up her work when he got back.

He'd heard she was a singer. Did she dance too?

They returned to the hotel in Munan Building.

The young performer was exhausted. Apparently, she'd gotten up at three that morning, and as soon as they reached the hotel, she hurried to bed for a nap. Chen Shu and Lu Xing waited on the sofa in the suite's living room. At first, Chen Shu felt a burden he called professional standards. But when he saw his senior already scrolling expertly through his phone, Chen Shu took out his own and started playing with it.

Chen Shu: Hahaha, you'll never guess what kind of job I got

Chen Shu: I'm working as a bodyguard for a celebrity

Chen Shu: Doesn't it sound like something out of a novel?

Qingqing was cultivating the Stillheart Way, so naturally she wouldn't reply. That didn't dampen his urge to share.

As long as she saw it, that was enough.

After sending the messages, Chen Shu closed Feixin and started playing a game.

At noon, he scored a boxed lunch.

Cao Shengying didn't wake until the afternoon.

Her tiny team immediately sprang into action, fetching her water, ordering food, and explaining that evening's schedule.

Cao Shengying was busy too. She had to drink water and eat, listen to her manager and nod, and warm up her voice. In between, she called friends in the industry to catch up, confide in them, and complain that she couldn't find talented songwriters. She'd been at this for ages and still couldn't break through.

Chen Shu listened from outside, thoroughly entertained and intrigued.

The more he heard, the harder he thought minor performers had it in this world.

The entertainment industry already paid less than it had in his previous life. And when people in Yi Nation listened to a song, they tended to value its creator more than its singer.

In their eyes, if a singer only performed a song without taking part in its creation, they had merely opened their mouth. They had no talent or depth.

Unless their performance was truly flawless.

That made things very favorable for creators.

When Chen Shu had been at his most desperate for money, he'd nearly gone down the road of copying songs for cash. Even if he didn't sing them himself, he could make money just by selling them.

He had even sold a few online.

If he wanted to, he could absolutely become a decent "songwriter." Yet here he was, working as a temporary bodyguard...

All because he couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride!

They set off a little after four.

They arrived at the National Stadium before five.

A crowd had gathered outside the stadium. Chen Shu couldn't tell whether they were audience members, fans, fans of other stars, or simply people there for the excitement. In any case, whenever a celebrity arrived, they all crowded over for a look. If they recognized the person, they held out their hands for an autograph. It cost nothing to ask.

Chen Shu continued carrying out his duties.

Once they entered the stadium, the young performer used a shared dressing room. Unnecessary personnel like Chen Shu couldn't go in, or the place would be packed.

He was happy to have the break.

Time to slack off some more.

The sun gradually sank westward.

Audience members began to enter.

At eight, darkness had fallen.

The show began.

The event was intended for an online audience. It featured plenty of celebrities big and small whom young people currently liked, but none of the veteran kings or queens of music with truly massive star power. The performances were mainly songs, with a little dancing mixed in.

"Ahh..."

Chen Shu was getting sleepy. There was too little to do.

Their remaining work was to follow their employer when she went onstage and came off, pretending to help maintain order. Then, when she left, they would hold back any overly fanatical fans. The organizers' security personnel would usually accompany them at that point. Finally, they would see her into the vehicle bound for the airport, and the job would be done.

These two thousand yuan were easy money.

And he got to watch the show.

Tickets for this couldn't be cheap, could they?

Chen Shu settled down and listened to the music.

Li Mo went onstage first.

He was a refined, scholarly-looking male singer. His singing had the feel of poetry, as though he were reciting verse, and conjured vivid images.

Yi Du's style was closer to rock. His performance was electrifying.

Qin Sheng was a young woman who excelled at the pipa. She didn't sing; her playing alone could captivate an audience.

Chen Shu had to admit it: Yi Nation's music scene was excellent. A hundred flowers bloomed, and it embraced every style imaginable. Its overall standard was far higher than in his previous life. Today was a real treat for the ears.

It was Cao Shengying's turn to go onstage.

Sister Huang came to fetch Chen Shu and Lu Xing. They followed her over, waited beside the stage for their employer to finish singing, then followed her back down.

Hey, their employer could really sing!

Chen Shu nodded repeatedly as he listened.

The host took the stage. "Can you guess who's singing next? Please welcome Wen Han!"

A familiar melody began to play.

Chen Shu rubbed at his ear, his face scrunching up.

The big screen read:

Song: Across the Ocean to See You

Performed by: Wen Han

Lyrics: Li Zongsheng

Music: Li Zongsheng

The male singer onstage opened his mouth. His voice was superb—gentle yet rich, with a sense of lived experience. It caught the audience's ears at once:

"For you, I spent half a year's savings

"To cross the ocean and come see you..."

He finally made it through the song, only for the next one to be Highness Cinnabar singing Rice Field.

Lyrics: Jay Chou

Music: Jay Chou

My friends back home, I'm sorry...

I'm so sorry!

Especially to you, Brother Jay! When I sold the song to the company, they never told me they'd give it to a young woman to sing. She did a pretty good job in the end, though. Her voice gave the song a flavor all its own, so please forgive me!

If you really can't forgive me, you can come beat me up.

Then again, hearing familiar songs echo through this strange world was a real comfort to Chen Shu.

It felt as though he had traveled through time.

A quiet feeling of being moved washed over him.

Both singers had also shown great respect for the creator. While recording the songs, they had spoken with Chen Shu over video a few times and sought quite a lot of his input. As a result, the songs' overall styles weren't far from the originals. The biggest difference lay in the arrangements, which had to be changed.

When they finished, Chen Shu glanced at the audience below. The response was quite good.

The show came to a successful close.

The host gave a long speech, followed by an awards ceremony. Everyone received an award, and the award names were anything but serious. The whole affair was humorous, just the way young people liked it.

"Chen Shu, Lu Xing."

"What is it, boss?"

"Yingying needs to go onstage again in a moment. You two go with her."

"Of course."

Chen Shu and Lu Xing went to the passage connecting the front and back of the stage and waited for their employer. Quite a few performers stood there too, chatting and laughing as they made the most of the chance to build connections.

A man of average build kept glancing at Chen Shu.

So did a bright, youthful girl.

Chen Shu wasn't worried in the slightest. It had been ages since their video calls, and people were hard to recognize on video anyway. He was wearing formal attire today, too. How could they possibly recognize him?

"Next up are the awards for oldest performer here and youngest performer here.

"Please give a round of applause for... Wen Han!

"And... our beloved Highness Cinnabar!"

The two went onstage together.

After delivering acceptance speeches written by stand-up comedians, they carried their trophies offstage together.

As they descended the steps, Wen Han gallantly offered Highness Cinnabar a hand. She smiled and thanked him.

The two of them stole another glance at a certain bodyguard.

The bodyguard stared straight ahead.

He looked so much like him...

How interesting.

Neither of them had thought much of it at first, and their memories really were a little hazy. But even if they remembered clearly, what was so strange about running into someone who resembled another person?

The trouble was, there were two of them—

Each noticed that the other was acting strangely.

"Teacher Wen Han, what are you looking at?"

"That man looks a little familiar."

"Who?"

"The bodyguard."

"Really? I thought so too."

"He looks a bit like a songwriter I've worked with, though his manner is quite different." Wen Han smiled gently. "Besides, I doubt that teacher would be here."

"Well..."

"Don't tell me you also..."

"Um... he wouldn't be working as a bodyguard here, would he?"

"You never know. People like them are capable of anything."

They exchanged a look and fell silent for a moment. Then, as they passed Chen Shu, they stopped in unison:

"Teacher Li Zongsheng?"

"Teacher Jay Chou?"

The two voices rang out almost at the same time.

After speaking, they both froze and shot each other startled looks—

I thought we were talking about the same person!