After returning to reality, Wu Wang offered to help Wu Xiaoyou relax with some acupuncture.

She immediately sat obediently in the living room, dangling her feet in anticipation.

Even though the kid had absolutely no systematic, professional medical knowledge, Wu Xiaoyou didn’t question it in the slightest when he proposed the idea.

It was all about trust.

She only had one concern.

“Little Brother, let’s not even talk about when our family bought a whole set of acupuncture tools.”

“This kind of thing definitely requires practice, right?”

She asked nervously, “You don’t usually practice on yourself at home, do you?”

Hearing this, Wu Wang quickly shook his head.

“I’m a natural genius. I understood it all at a glance.”

With that, he steadied Wu Xiaoyou’s head. Aiming for a specific point on the crown, he inserted the fine needle.

And so, an unofficial yet professional acupuncture therapy session began.

The process was very smooth. Wu Xiaoyou even felt that his technique was much more exquisite than a professional doctor’s.

She couldn’t help but marvel that her little brother was truly a medical genius. If he had chosen clinical medicine as his major, he might already have a permanent position at a hospital by now.

All she got in return was Wu Wang’s deadpan retort.

“Advise someone to study medicine, and you’ll be struck by lightning.”

How could his technique not be exquisite?

Before this, he had jabbed himself into facial paralysis forty-six times and into hemiplegia twenty-eight times. The number of times he had died on the spot from probing certain vital points wasn’t small either.

What doctor could possibly have such rich, firsthand experience?

Even now, thinking back on it, he could still feel a slight numbness in his hands and feet.

As the acupuncture session neared its end, Wu Wang finally took out the 【Selfless One’s Silver Needle】.

He gently aimed for a spot that wouldn’t cause much pain and pricked her.

The force was very light; it didn’t even draw blood.

The next second, a remnant soul, filled with resentment and letting out a silent roar, coiled up his wrist along the silver needle.

In an instant, behind Wu Xiaoyou’s back where she couldn’t see, Wu Wang’s arm turned a bruised, inky black. It looked as if it had been savagely wrung and crushed.

But his expression didn’t change at all.

He steadily finished the concluding steps without a tremor in his hand. Then, he smoothly hid his hands behind his back.

“Alright, I’m going to go clean these fine needles. You go lie down and get some good rest.”

Hearing this, Wu Xiaoyou obediently ran back to her room to sleep. She kept murmuring like a doting mother, remarking how her little brother was finally able to repay her, much like the gratification a parent feels seeing their child grow up.

Once back in his room, Wu Wang locked the door from the inside.

He knocked on the underside of his bed.

“You didn’t get caught, did you?”

The Pen Immortal rolled out with a clatter. It scribbled on a piece of white paper.

【A mere mortal ghost, how could it possibly catch me?】

【Does this count as a meritorious deed?】

Aside from the remnant soul, Wu Xiaoyou also had a little ghost she was raising herself. Wu Wang had been worried the silver needle would identify the wrong target.

To prevent this, he had the Pen Immortal go for a stroll near the front door to expose its aura. Knowing his Second Sister’s temperament, she would definitely send her little ghost to drive the Pen Immortal away upon sensing it.

Sure enough, just as Wu Wang was finishing up, he noticed a cold, sinister aura leave from his Second Sister’s sleeve and disappear outside the door.

Only then did he use the item to begin transferring the remnant soul.

“Of course, it counts. You only need three more meritorious deeds to be freed,” Wu Wang replied casually.

When he looked at his wrist again, the severe, bruised blackness that had almost crippled his arm was gone. All that remained was a strange, small opera mask symbol etched onto his left wrist. It looked as aggrieved as a young maiden forced into a corner.

The Red Vertical Pupil on his right hand regarded it with great interest.

Wu Wang said sarcastically, “Such bad taste. You could have just eaten it directly, couldn’t you?”

The Abyss God’s level was far above that of a Divine Envoy or a Venerable. If it wanted to, it could have devoured the Black-hearted Penguin’s label back then, or even the current mark of the 【Saint Son of Desire】.

But the Red Vertical Pupil just wouldn’t eat them. It merely drove the other marks to his other wrist.

Heh, just for fun.

It enjoyed the feeling of other powers trembling under its tyrannical might. Or perhaps, it didn’t want to directly help Wu Wang solve these difficulties.

After all, without these things, where would it find its entertainment?

Faced with Wu Wang’s mockery, the Red Vertical Pupil rolled its eye. It stared into his eyes with its pupil, which was already so exquisite it looked like it was from a 2D animation.

Endless ravings began to echo in Wu Wang’s mind.

The familiar Mental Contamination was here again. Whenever it was bored, it liked to torture Wu Wang like this.

Happy times always fly by. The three-day rest passed quickly.

He had been away from home for about ten days because of Zhuge Yue. The three days he spent back home enjoying a warm, harmonious, and ordinary life allowed Wu Wang’s tense nerves to relax considerably.

Every day, he just needed to casually kill himself once or twice to maintain his learning and physical training.

Of course, the main reason for his pleasant mood was that the ten million from Xiezhi had arrived. He had used every method he could think of through black market channels to make the money completely untraceable.

“Your bro can finally reach the average income level of netizens now!”

He closed the comments on his phone where a bunch of users were bragging about their income and glanced at the clock on the wall.

From his desk drawer, he took out a mask.

It was in the style of a Beijing opera mask, symbolizing the Chou, or the Clown Role. In the center of the mask’s face, a white, tofu-block-shaped patch was outlined with powder. This was a typical Wen Chou, the Civilian Clown, named so because it portrayed scholars who wore square turbans.

Normally, the face paint should be applied directly to the face, not replaced by a mask. Many other aspects also had to reflect the character, such as wearing a square turban, a pleated robe, and carrying a fan. The movements had to be measured and refined.

He had all these things prepared, just in case. But the Spirit Calamity Game required a mask, after all. Otherwise, Wu Wang would have painted it on himself long ago. As someone who could perform surgery with a scalpel, his hand was as steady as a rebar frozen in place. Painting an opera mask would be a piece of cake.

“Let’s go! Abyss God! Activate!”

The moment the mask covered his face, Wu Wang felt his surroundings begin to warp as the Instance’s introductory text appeared before his eyes.

The system’s hoarse voice, like that of a thousand-year-old ghost with phlegm stuck in her throat, echoed in his ears.

【Nightmare-level Team-Cooperation Instance Matched】

【Welcome to the Actor’s Grave】

【Instance Name – Anecdotes of the Pear Garden】

【Number of Players – 7】

【Instance Introduction – This is the most famous pear garden in the capital, called the “Opera God’s Righteous Garden.” In the industry, it is considered the “Highest Sanctum of Opera,” and its performance standards are the highest in the business. Actors from all over consider it an honor to receive guidance here.】

【Today, a heavyweight audience has arrived. A Prince of prominent status has personally come, booking out the entire venue for five days for his exclusive enjoyment.】

【At the Prince’s request, the Opera Troupe Leader, who has been retired for many years, has decided to personally perform to showcase the elegance of the Opera God’s Righteous Garden.】

【But you, the Chou of this pear garden, know that a devastating catastrophe has already befallen this place.】

【Because late last night, you personally killed the Opera Troupe Leader, dismembered his body, and hid the parts.】

【However, when the Prince arrived, you saw the very same Opera Troupe Leader, who should have been dismembered, appear at the main gate to welcome him!】

【Is he human or ghost? Is this real or fake? Is it an opera or reality?】

【You can no longer tell the difference…】

【Main Quest – #%&%#】

【Side Quest 1 – Investigate the secrets of the Opera Troupe Leader and survive him for five days.】

【Side Quest 2 – Complete a performance from beginning to end.】

【Side Quest 3 – Eliminate the anomalies within the pear garden.】

【Basic Clearance Reward – 10,000 Calamity Coins, one Epic equipment, a clue to obtain one Legendary item, one Audience opportunity.】

【Additional Clearance Reward – To be determined based on the completeness of the performance.】

【Hidden Reward – Conditions unknown】

【May you find the death that belongs to you】

Wu Wang was speechless.

Not even trying to hide it anymore, are you? Just coming right out and saying the Opera Troupe Leader is a ghost who’s coming to chop me and only me down?

And you, you damn Abyss God! he cursed internally. Why did you ride off with my Main Quest again?

While he was still complaining, he slowly opened his eyes.

What met his gaze was a large, red cloth, so vivid it looked like it was about to drip blood onto the floor.

Painted on it was a familiar Vertical Pupil.

“Crap! This time I’m really screwed!”

The Abyss God’s contamination! It had appeared right at the start