Xia Mengmeng's auntie-smile vanished. She frowned. "Master, I sent those three portraits you gave me to a police friend I trust, but he said there are no records for any of them. He even asked me whether the three are Azure Star citizens."
Yunxi frowned, rubbed Li Li's head, and felt it was tricky. Strictly speaking, the four of them were not from Azure Star, so of course there would be no record.
From what she had gathered recently, she had already confirmed that Azure Star's technology was much more advanced than the Blue Star she had crossed from, yet still a step behind the interstellar era in Star Trek. Azure Star sat neatly between the two.
That meant many smart devices here were familiar to her, while others required time to learn. She had spent these days doing just that. She had already crossed paths with the special division, and since they had not come to make trouble, she wanted to find Han Lian and the others before the authorities took further action, hence entrusting the search to Xia Mengmeng. Judging by the results, it was not ideal.
Seeing Yunxi's frown, Xia Mengmeng hesitated, then offered, "Master Ran Xi, with your abilities it should not be hard to find them, so why…"
"When we were forced apart, they were likely injured to varying degrees. I am not sure whether they were rescued. If they were, they would contact me at once.
If there has been no contact, either it is inconvenient to reach out or something has gone wrong. That is why I asked you to help search."
Xia Mengmeng nodded. If even Master Ran Xi could not find them, they must be in trouble. She thought, then said, "Master Ran Xi, would you be interested in a cameo in the series 'July 7th'? The ratings are good. If you appear in public media, as long as they are still on Azure Star, they will probably come to you."
Yunxi glanced at her and curled her lips. "What is this, Director Lian could not sway me, so he came to you?"
"Hehe, worthy of a master. Nothing escapes you. Director Lian knows I am close to you and that you helped me. Now that you are staying at the Film City for a while, he feels there is a role made for you. Since he could not reach you, he asked me to be the go-between."
Xia Mengmeng smiled brightly, answering the tease head on.
"So you think I should show this face?"
"It is a last resort, but worth a try. Better than you searching without direction. If the episode airs and they see you, who knows?
Even if they do not watch horror shows, your face alone will make you famous on Azure Star very quickly. That will raise the odds they can find you." She had thought it through before suggesting it.
Yunxi considered, then nodded. "Alright. For your sake, I will do a cameo. Keep the screen time short. Best if it can be finished in a day."
"Got it. I will tell Director Lian the good news."
Smiling, Xia Mengmeng hopped off the RV to find the director. Making this happen helped her, the director, and Master Ran Xi, so she was eager.
The next day, Yunxi received a one-page script from Xia Mengmeng. It was a very simple scene. She would play the heroine's most formidable rival, the sole heir of another soul-hunting family. She arrives just before the heroine destroys the second female lead, the Red-Clad Female Ghost, and captures the ghost herself, leaving the heroine swinging at nothing.
This was the last scene before Xia Mengmeng's official exit, a final spotlight for the second female lead.
Yunxi finished reading and found it decent. It mirrored what had happened when she descended onto the set that day. Director Lian had clearly used that as reference.
On the shooting day, the wardrobe department prepared a red gown for Yunxi, with a black umbrella as a prop. Yunxi told Director Lian she would wear her own clothing and bring her own prop. At first he hesitated, but Xia Mengmeng smoothed it over at once. "Director Lian, let Master Ran Xi change first and see how it looks. If it does not work, we will use ours. What if her own outfit looks even better on camera?"
Director Lian was reasonable. He knew her cameo was a favor to Xia Mengmeng. As long as the final cut was not affected, these were small matters. He agreed immediately.
In Xia Mengmeng's RV, Yunxi changed into her red robe traced with dark-gold patterns and summoned the Nine Nether Dragon Umbrella. The other three had seen this natal mystic treasure before. If it appeared on camera with her, they would absolutely recognize it.
Li Li dove straight into the spirit-beast pouch. He did not want to stay and endure more drooling looks. With no spiritual qi here, there was no way to cultivate. Better to sleep and reduce consumption.
When Yunxi stepped out holding the umbrella, the set erupted. The red robe was both retro and elegant, and the umbrella outclassed the prop department's several tiers. It looked unmistakably superior. Coupled with Yunxi's naturally unfathomable aura, Director Lian decided on the look on the spot.
They ran the scene. Only Yunxi and Xia Mengmeng appeared, and the content was simple. When the red-clad ghost, badly injured by the heroine, was about to drain someone's essence to recover, the master played by Yunxi arrived nearby. She stopped the ghost from hurting innocents. She had intended to scatter the fierce spirit, but the ghost wept and claimed she had been murdered, refusing reincarnation to seek her killer. In the end, the master collected her.
Throughout, the camera showed only Yunxi's red robe and the black umbrella hiding most of her face. After collecting the ghost, she crossed paths with the pursuing heroine. Only then did she lift the umbrella just a little, revealing her full face and leaving a provocative smile, then turned and vanished into the alley.
With her robe, her natal treasure, and her face on screen, Yunxi believed that as long as the three were not blind, they would recognize her and come.
Director Lian was thrilled. A horror show thrives on mystery, and Master Ran Xi had nailed the expert's bearing. Her presence absolutely crushed the heroine's. If the heroine had not been filming another scene, there might have been a fuss.
Yunxi cooperated fully and wrapped in half a day. Then she returned to her routine of strolling the Film City with the twin shadows in tow.
The pair were obviously assigned by the special division to monitor her. She pretended not to know, watching them think they were well hidden as they dutifully tailed her and recorded everyone she met. She did not expose them.
In recent days, she noticed her divine sense had recovered to the Nascent Soul level. She took out the communication jade slip again. Still no replies from her companions. All she could do was wait.
The very next evening, the episode containing Yunxi's scene aired simultaneously across the star. With that final shot, she became a legend.