"Did you kill this Blue-Faced Ghost?" Tie Lan looked at the scene in front of him, surprised, as he asked the young man sitting on the ground.
"I… uh, who exactly killed it?" Ye Yun was about to respond but suddenly changed his mind.
He suddenly remembered something—tomorrow was the middle school entrance exam. Most students his age still had no idea whether they had the potential to learn magic. If anyone found out that he could cast spells now, how the hell was he going to explain that?
What if they took him to the Research Department and treated him like a lab rat? Ye Yun was deeply suspicious of the moral character of the mad scientists there.
So, he had to cover his tracks and make sure people didn't think he was the one who killed this Blue-Faced Ghost. Fortunately, he had read The Art of Acting before, and Ye Yun felt confident in his ability to pull off a convincing performance.
But damn, it was so frustrating. In today's world, doing good deeds was tough. Sometimes, even when you did something good, you couldn't let anyone know. But… but does Ye Yun care? Never! I, Ye Yun, do good deeds anonymously. Call me the new Lei Feng!
"Did you not see it?" Tie Lan asked, eyeing the boy in front of him with a puzzled look. Wasn't the mage who killed the Blue-Faced Ghost this kid?
"I'm just an innocent passerby. I was walking home when the Blue-Faced Ghost suddenly appeared. It scared me out of my wits, but luckily, a fireball suddenly flew over and knocked the Blue-Faced Ghost away. If it weren't for that, I would've been dead," Ye Yun began weaving his story, playing the part of a victim. He looked utterly terrified, almost like a helpless woman about to be harassed by a thug.
Damn, his acting was so good! If this were a few hundred years ago, he'd be taking home the Oscar for Best Actor. Ye Yun couldn't help but feel a little narcissistic.
Tie Lan didn't pay much attention to Ye Yun's over-the-top performance and instead quickly asked for the details, "What happened next?"
"What happened next…" Ye Yun paused, thinking. "Of course, the Blue-Faced Ghost was killed. Otherwise, how could I still be alive?"
"You didn't see the mage who saved your life?"
"It was so dark, I was so scared. I was just barely hanging on, and I didn't even pass out, so how could I notice who that person was?" Ye Yun spoke confidently, his tone firm.
Being a good actor meant you could talk with conviction, and Ye Yun did it effortlessly.
"Is what you're saying true?" Tie Lan's skepticism was evident.
"I'm so pure, how could I lie to you?" Ye Yun said, completely shameless and dead serious.
"I can't see much else, but your shamelessness has already reached the level of a master," Tie Lan sighed, rubbing his forehead. How did he end up meeting this kind of person?
"You're too kind! I'll work hard to continue improving and strive to reach even higher levels!" Ye Yun replied with fake humility. It seemed like he had completely given up on saving face.
Tie Lan gave him a sharp glance, his eyes filled with a dangerous glint.
Ye Yun, pretending to be innocent and undeterred, stared back with a look of clear conviction, just like an underground party member in a secret struggle, still loyal to their cause despite being tortured by dark forces.
Although Ye Yun looked calm on the surface, inside, he was totally freaking out, sweat streaming down his back. This guy might actually kill me!
"Put your hand out, let me see," Tie Lan stretched out his hand, no longer interested in playing games with the boy. He was ready to get serious.
"What do you want? I'm just a weak child!" Ye Yun exaggerated his fear, pretending to be terrified. Is this guy planning something?
"I just want to check if you can use magic. What were you thinking?" Tie Lan raised an eyebrow, suddenly looking like he wanted to knock the boy into next week.
"Oh, you should've said that earlier, you scared me!" Ye Yun laughed in relief, wiping an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead.
"System, I won't be exposed, right?" Ye Yun asked nervously in his mind.
"Host, don't worry. Even an S-rank Awakened can't detect my presence. Also, I've hidden your spiritual sea, so no one will notice anything amiss."
"That's good." Ye Yun breathed a sigh of relief and then extended his right hand to Tie Lan.