He sighed with emotion. It seemed that before planning his life, he would need a long time to adapt to this world.

　　Just like that, Jack Linton ended up living in David Carter's house for a whole month, never stepping outside, spending his days either reading newspapers or watching TV news, and listening to a radio broadcast before bed.

Chapter Two: Do not fail to do good even if it is small, do not do evil even if it is minor

　　“Jack Brooks, reading the newspaper again?”

　　“Yeah.”

　　“Gossip or current affairs?”

　　“Both.”

　　“Any interesting news today?”

　　“Black Rose from forty years ago has resurfaced, a sixty-year-old lady still agile as ever... ‘God of Cookery’ Stephen Chow opens another branch, Tang Dynasty restaurant chain spreads across Hong Kong... Suspected haunting in a building, tenants scrambling to move out...”

　　“Just more boring news, all sensational gimmicks to grab attention. Not interesting, not interesting at all.”

　　David Carter shook his head and sighed, then suddenly changed the subject: “Jack Brooks, what about the job listings? Any positions suitable for you?”

　　His nephew had been cooped up at home for a whole month, never stepping outside. This made David Carter a bit anxious. Such a fine young man couldn’t just waste away like this.

　　“I already have an idea about work. I’ll go for an interview tomorrow, work for a while to earn some living expenses.”

　　“Good to keep your feet on the ground!”

　　“By the way, Uncle David, do you think I’m handsome enough?”

　　“Of course, definitely.”

　　David Carter nodded seriously. “Honestly, I was just as handsome when I was young. Not anymore, though—getting a bit rough around the edges.”

　　“……”

　　“What, you don’t believe me?”

　　“I do. Why wouldn’t I believe it if it’s free?”

　　Jack Linton couldn’t be bothered to retort, rubbing his handsome face. “Uncle David, do you think if I went into movies, I could become a star?”

　　“What?”

　　“Movies!”

　　Jack Linton said honestly, “I’m so good-looking, it’d be a shame not to be in movies.”

　　Even though his worldview was different, being handsome was an advantage anywhere. He decided to enter the film industry and make the most of his talent.

　　If heaven gives you a gift, you’d be a fool not to use it!

　　“Jack Brooks, you’re thinking too simply. This industry is deep water. It looks glamorous on the surface, but it’s full of filth underneath. If you dive in headfirst, you’ll suffer.”

　　David Carter advised, “You have no connections, no money, and being handsome can even be a curse. You could get trapped by a contract!”

　　“I get it. Let’s put it on hold for now. I’ll only consider it if nothing else works out.”

　　Jack Linton sighed. Even though he came from the information explosion era, his head was stuffed with things like scripts and song lyrics.

　　But who knew if those scripts and lyrics had already been written here? Especially the scripts—what if what he wrote already existed in reality?

　　If it was just a minor overlap, that was fine. But if it involved the underworld or the authorities and caught the attention of the wrong people, it would only bring trouble and do him no good—a recipe for disaster.

　　Thinking of this, he glanced at the system interface that only he could see.

　　[Host: Jack Linton]

　　[Merit: Good]

　　[Item:]

　　[Purifying Heaven and Earth Divine Incantation (Slays demons and binds evil, delivers countless ghosts, subdues demon kings, guards my domain)]

　　[Technique:]

　　[Nine-Character Mantra (Of nine words, always to be chanted in secret, nothing it cannot ward off)]

　　[Wealth: 100]

　　[Evaluation: Mortal flesh and blood]

　　The system came with Jack Linton, and it was also the reason he had transmigrated. Also, it was probably to blame for the fever he had when he first arrived.

　　He vaguely remembered that it was one afternoon just before closing time, when someone came to the shop with an ancient jade covered in dirt, trying to sell it. He didn’t usually deal in such things and hadn’t planned to buy it, but the seller was a burly, rough-looking man with a full beard—he only lacked two axes to look just like Black Whirlwind Li Kui.

　　With no other choice, he spent five hundred yuan to ward off disaster.

　　Not long after he got it, while Jack Linton was cleaning off the dirt, the jade suddenly shone brightly, enveloping his whole body. When he woke up, he found he had transmigrated.

　　The system was very rigid, with no instructions or introduction—nowhere near foolproof. He had to figure everything out on his own.

　　For example, the background looked like a landscape painting, with majestic mountains and rivers. From far to near, the river split in two, outlining the character for ‘person’.

　　Amidst the misty clouds, there were two lines of calligraphy:

　　Do not fail to do good even if it is small,

　　Do not do evil even if it is minor.

　　After that came the detailed categories, each mountain and river representing something: merit, evaluation, items, techniques, wealth, and, in Jack Linton’s view, the most important—the system shop.

　　Upon first entering the system, three things came standard: ‘Purifying Heaven and Earth Divine Incantation’, ‘Nine-Character Mantra’, and ‘100 points of wealth’. It didn’t feel like a starter gift pack, but more like items bound to a newbie account.

　　A good thing, but unfortunately there were no instructions, and Jack Linton couldn’t make sense of it.

　　He knew about the ‘Purifying Heaven and Earth Divine Incantation’ and the ‘Nine-Character Mantra’. After years in business, he’d come across some Daoist things, and was now at the stage where he thought he knew a lot and wouldn’t accept any argument. So...

　　Jack Linton figured it was the system’s fault. If this thing had to compete for its job, his utterly inhuman system would have been eliminated long ago by fierce competition.

　　He made up his mind: if he got the chance, he’d ask a real Daoist about it. With Stephen Chow around, the ceiling of this world couldn’t be low—at the very least, there was no shortage of immortals and monsters.