Huayu Shen Gongbao

Chapter 1 I walked through the snow to the mountain peak

May 1, 2007, was the last May Day Golden Week in China.

Hengdian World Studios was packed with people. The 38-degree Celsius heat did not dampen the enthusiasm of the tourists. Many girls were still taking various commemorative photos in ancient costumes under the shade of trees.

Merchants are savvy businessmen too; the rented period costumes are all thin and light, which clung to the women's bodies after being soaked with sweat.

Some even had see-through underwear, adding to their allure and attracting everyone's attention.

Shen Gongbao secured the best spot under the shade of the trees by the river, enjoying a close-up view of the beautiful women.

Especially a beautiful woman two meters away, with long limbs and a slender figure, shrouded in a light gauze dress, her graceful figure appearing and disappearing, every frown and smile a beautiful sight.

Her chubby little face, paired with her smiling eyes, makes her smile so sweet it can melt your heart.

Her looks, figure, and temperament are more outstanding than many female celebrities in Hengdian.

Most of the onlookers were watching her.

However, Shen Gongbao's boldness in walking up close and admiring the scenery is truly unique.

Xiao Bin, a classmate standing next to him, was shy and a little embarrassed.

While stealing glances at the beautiful woman, he whispered, "Taoist Master, isn't this a bit inappropriate? It's a little lewd."

Shen Gongbao took a sip of water and said with righteous indignation, "What is despicable? Isn't it a waste if no one appreciates the flowers when they are in full bloom?"

The beautiful women, dressed in ancient costumes, are standing here in the sweltering heat, their figures fluttering in the wind. If we don't forcefully join in and watch, wouldn't we be letting down their hard work?

All the men present wanted to see, but they did so furtively, like you, who had just peeked at least a dozen times.

Only I am open and honest.

Truly, a virtuous person is always at ease, while a petty person is always anxious and worried!

Xiao Bin: "???"

Upon being exposed for peeking, Shen Gongbao quickly coughed twice, trying to interrupt his speech.

But then a beautiful woman with a round face and smiling eyes walked over.

"So beautiful! So sweet!"

Xiao Bin thought to himself, but his body instinctively lowered its head, not daring to look any further.

This top student was focused on his studies and didn't date during his four years of university. It's normal for him to lose his composure a bit when he encounters a stunningly beautiful woman.

"Excuse me, could you move aside? I need to take a picture here."

Upon hearing the beautiful woman's request, Xiao Bin immediately stepped aside, while Shen Gongbao remained motionless.

"Hi handsome, I'd like to take a picture here, could you move aside?"

Looking at the beautiful woman in front of him, Shen Gongbao felt that she looked somewhat familiar.

He refused very decisively.

"No."

Upon hearing this, everyone around was surprised, thinking that this person was extremely rude.

The beautiful woman's smile vanished, and she demanded, "Why?"

Shen Gongbao said unhurriedly, "I reserved this spot in advance; it has the best view and scenery."

From this vantage point, I saw more than thirty beautiful women and felt the beauty of life.

If you ask me to give up my spot, I won't be able to see the beautiful women, which is a huge loss for me; but you can take great photos here, so you benefit.

"I'm losing something that you're gaining, and you expect me to give up something just because you made a verbal request? Why should I?"

Beauty:"???"

Upon hearing Shen Gongbao's words, everyone around was stunned. How could there be any loss or gain involved in simply giving up a spot for a beautiful woman to take a picture?

Why does it sound like a beautiful woman is shamelessly taking advantage of you?

The beautiful woman was speechless. She asked impatiently, "So what do you want?"

Shen Gongbao smirked, took out his Jinpeng phone, and said, "I can give you the location, but you have to compensate me."

I've seen so many beautiful women today, but none of them are as pretty as you.

If you can give me your phone number, I don't need this location.

After all, all the beautiful scenery in Hengdian is not as valuable as a single drop of sweat on your face.

These words caused an uproar, and the onlookers whispered among themselves.

Xiao Bin also looked incredulous. Could it really work to approach a beautiful woman and ask for her phone number like this?

Everyone thought the beautiful woman would definitely reject Shen Gongbao, but to their surprise, she chuckled and said sweetly, "I'll only say it once, so listen carefully."

Shen Gongbao nodded and naturally walked up to the beautiful woman, making sure that no other lecherous men could overhear her phone call.

The beautiful woman blushed slightly and softly gave him her phone number.

She not only spoke very slowly, but also repeated herself twice, afraid that Shen Gongbao might forget.

Seeing this, Xiao Bin felt it was incomprehensible. Why would someone ask for a beautiful woman's phone number so simply?

It can only be said that Xiao Bin is too inexperienced and couldn't see through Shen Gongbao's shrewd tactics.

Beautiful women never dislike being approached.

Shen Gongbao's behavior just now, which seemed impolite, was actually a strategy of first making the beautiful woman angry and then praising her as the most beautiful.

The key is that Shen Gongbao had previously cultivated a straightforward persona for himself, so his praise sounded very genuine.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the beautiful woman's emotions fluctuated wildly, and her vanity was greatly satisfied, so of course she was willing to give out her phone number.

Moreover, Shen Gongbao's model is quite good, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a tall figure; he just rarely takes care of his appearance.

Seeing Xiao Bin's bewildered expression, Shen Gongbao patted him on the shoulder and said smugly, "We're different."

Xiao Bin protested, "How is it different?"

"You are like a tree with no one to support your lofty ambitions, destined only to waste your energy in the gutter."

"And what about you?"

"I am the pillar that no one can support me; I will tread the snow to the mountain peak myself!"

Xiao Bin was dumbfounded. He couldn't understand what "bang" and "zhu" meant, and the "xue" in "taxue" also seemed to have a deeper meaning.

Just then, the beautiful woman approached and said, "You took my phone number but didn't even ask for my name!"

"It was my fault, beautiful lady, what's your name?"

"My name is Li Xue! What's yours?"

Upon hearing Li Xue's name, Xiao Bin realized, "So that's what 'treading on snow' means."

Isn't that a coincidence?

Shen Gongbao ignored Xiao Bin's misunderstanding. When he heard Li Xue's name and looked at her appearance carefully, he immediately understood.

The beautiful woman in front of you is Li Yitong, a future female star in the entertainment industry. Li Xue is her real name.

At this time, she should still be studying at a dance vocational school in Shenzhen. She came here for tourism during the May Day holiday. She still has traces of professional dance training on her body. She has a sweet appearance and a clean temperament. She is truly a top-notch confidante.

……

In a few years, after she graduates from the Taipei Dance Academy, she will gain some weight due to a lack of dance training, leaving an embarrassing mark on the dating show "Aegean Comes to Knock on the Door".

This is only natural; many athletes gain weight rapidly after retirement due to reduced physical activity, and many beautiful dancers are no exception.

While Shen Gongbao was thinking, he spoke without hesitation: "Li Xue? This name suits you very well."

My name is Shen Gongbao, which sounds like Shen Gongbao in Chinese. My friends call me Daozhang (Taoist Master).

Li Xue shook her head. "No, my name is too ordinary."

Shen Gongbao explained, "As the saying goes, one should not enjoy all the blessings. You are so beautiful, you are truly blessed by heaven. Your name should be more ordinary, otherwise you may be punished by heaven."

That's why I said your name suits you very well.

Upon hearing this, Li Xue was stunned.

She genuinely felt her name was very ordinary and had always wanted to change it. This was the first time she had heard Shen Gongbao say something like that.

Thinking about it carefully, it actually makes a lot of sense.

Li Xue was about to speak when Shen Gongbao unexpectedly said, "I have something to do, let's talk another day."

Watching Shen Gongbao's departing figure, Li Xue felt a sense of lingering unease; this man was truly fascinating.

Xiao Bin, however, didn't understand: "This beautiful woman clearly likes you, why don't you take the opportunity to chat a little longer? If it were me, I would definitely invite her to dinner!"

Shen Gongbao shook his head without offering an explanation.

As a reborn individual, he has his own methodology.

In his past life, he was a test-taker from a small town who did his best to get into Zhejiang University. After graduation, he worked for ten years and started his own business for nine. He died suddenly in his company in Suzhou at the age of forty.

Now that he's living his life again, Shen Gongbao just wants to be happy and relaxed.

So unlike in his previous life, he didn't go to a company for an internship before graduation—he didn't plan to go for that job. Instead, he came to Hengdian for a graduation trip with his roommate Xiao Bin.

Today marks one week since Shen Gongbao's rebirth, and everything is going well, except that blurry, indistinct phantoms occasionally appear before his eyes.

Just now, when he was trying to fool Li Yitong, the phantom image flashed again.

Shen Gongbao was worried about his health and was a little irritable. In addition, he wanted to maintain an air of mystery, so he chose to leave on his own initiative.

He had only taken a few steps when the illusory image before him gradually solidified, transforming into an ancient and mysterious book. On the cover of the book stood a Taoist priest suspended in mid-air, with the four large characters "Shenzi Daoshu" (申子道书) above it.

Suddenly, a stream of information entered Shen Gongbao's consciousness.

[The inheritor actively befriends a beautiful woman and successfully engages in a sophistry debate, fulfilling the requirements of the Taoist text, thus activating the Taoist text...]

[Detecting information about the era... The End of Dharma Era... Early Stages of Technological Civilization... The spirit is actively adjusting... To facilitate understanding by the inheritors, it has been adjusted to a game system mode based on technological civilization.]

[The Taoist scripture has been bound to a master; players can regard it as a treasured legacy within the game. By performing actions that align with the scripture's requirements, players can acquire the skills, talents, and treasures contained within it.]

[The player successfully used sophistry to seduce a beautiful woman, and was rewarded with the basic talent: Social Butterfly.]

[Social Butterfly Pro (Beginner): Your first impression score in social situations such as visits, meals, and parties increases by 10%.]

……

After digesting this information, Shen Gongbao was overjoyed.

The so-called Shenzi is Shen Gongbao, which is a homophone of the Taoist priest Shen Gongbao.

When Shen Gongbao was reborn, he received the Taoist scriptures from Shen Gongbao. As long as he did things that matched Shen Gongbao's personality and characteristics, he would receive rewards from the scriptures.

To facilitate Shen Gongbao's understanding and learning of Shen Gongbao's lineage, the Taoist texts also automatically adapted to the times, simulating a game system mode, and presenting the lineage in the form of skills and talents.

Shen Gongbao had just struck up a conversation with Li Yitong and offered some sophistry, which fits Shen Gongbao's characteristic of being good at deceiving people. As a result, the Taoist book was activated, rewarding him with the talent of a social expert.

After his initial excitement subsided, Shen Gongbao calmed down and began to analyze Shen Gongbao's character traits.

This Taoist priest is first and foremost a "tragic figure." He has cultivated diligently for thousands of years, but because of his poor background, he has been marginalized by the Chan Sect and has never received a fair evaluation. He is very similar to many ordinary people who strive hard in modern society.

After the release of the Nezha movie featuring future dumplings, Shen Gongbao's plight resonated with countless working people.

Shen Gongbao felt that he was able to receive the Daoist scripture inheritance because he was also a tragic figure, having spent half his life writing and still being questioned, and finally died suddenly in the company.

In addition, Shen Gongbao is a "social thug" with a wide circle of friends and extensive connections; he is also a "master of deception" who is good at bewitching people.

Shen Gongbao is most famous for "betraying his teammates." His phrase "Fellow Daoist, please wait" is the most terrifying causal curse in the world of Investiture of the Gods.

He was also an "ambitious man" who wanted to achieve success and fame, and he was particularly "showy". He even went so far as to perform a head-flying act, and his head was almost snatched away by a crane.

Of course, Shen Gongbao is also a "guardian of the bottom line." He is very protective of his true relatives and friends and has a bottom line in his conduct.

"The Tragic King," "Social Butterfly," "Master of Deception," "Team-Broken," "Ambitious Schemer," "Show-Off," and "Guardian of the Bottom Line"—these are the characteristics of Shen Gongbao as analyzed by Shen Gongbao.

The Taoist texts did not explicitly state what the "requirements" were, so Shen Gongbao could only speculate on them himself.

He plans to work on these aspects and is sure he will achieve something.

However, forget about the "tragic drama king"; Shen Gongbao doesn't want to be involved in dramas again if he has to live his life once more.

He wanted rewards, but he wouldn't become a slave to the Taoist scriptures; he made his own choices.

As Shen Gongbao was pondering, Xiao Bin said from the side, "Li Xue is really beautiful, especially her eyes. Her smile is so sweet. If she could enter the entertainment industry and act in movies and TV series, I would definitely go and watch."

"Are you really not planning to invite Li Xue to dinner? What if she leaves Hengdian? Your chances of getting back together will be over."

As a straight male section chief, Xiao Bin's aesthetic sense hasn't evolved yet; he particularly likes pure and sweet girls.

He was genuinely worried for Shen Gongbao, hoping to help his brother win over the beautiful woman.

Xiao Bin's words, however, gave Shen Gongbao a completely new perspective.

He could also enter the entertainment industry!

Shen Gongbao loves to show off and is good at socializing and deceiving, which fits the entertainment industry perfectly—to be a star, you need to be good at socializing and, even more importantly, you need to be good at lying and deceiving people.

As for sabotaging teammates, that's even more fun. Shen Gongbao could join certain entertainment companies and ruin the careers of those crooked, worthless people in the entertainment industry.

Having been given a second chance at life, Shen Gongbao just wanted to find some fun!

The entertainment industry is teeming with material for Shen Gongbao's missions; we really can't let it slip by.

Moreover, there are many beautiful female celebrities in the industry. It would be a real shame not to experience them after being reborn.

"I've made up my mind, I'm going to bring my talent to the entertainment industry!"