9. How come I received the task without confirming it?

"Where did you get that conclusion from? Just from that CG movie?"

"No, if I'm not mistaken, that was the Shaoyang Palace that fell three thousand years ago, and the fact that you could see it and see the way the Taoist ancestors practiced means that you are destined to be the flame of revival for our sect."

Wait a minute! Why does this plot sound so familiar? Isn't there a similar scene in those Western RPGs? A character enters the game, hasn't even left Novice Village, has just picked up a couple of quests to kill chickens and find dogs, and then suddenly, upon meeting someone who pats the protagonist's head and says he is the chosen one with the duty to save the world, the protagonist becomes the legend. In the subsequent plot, the protagonist kills gods when encountering gods, kills Buddhas when encountering Buddhas, has killed elemental lords threatening the world, has killed Demon Kings leading demons to invade, has killed dragons that shook the very foundations of the world, but after the update, he gets chased around the map by a few wild dogs in the new area.

This is just a trope! A trope!

"Why am I the fire of revival, and not you?"

"The old man said that what you see upon entering is the path of your life. He saw himself with a sword facing a horde of demons, I saw a sword dance amid green mountains and waters. All Taoist schools originally come from one family, and all the ancestors came from one sect, and what you saw just now were all the ancestors of the Taoist schools. How great an opportunity is that? That is the expectation the ancestors have for you, it is your fate, your luck, and also a turning point for the Taoist Sect!"

"But what if I'm an alien? Does that matter?"

"Since ancient times, our Taoist sect has always gone with the flow. It doesn't matter whether you're human or not, even if you were a pig, a dog, or a long worm, what's in your destiny is your opportunity."

"A long worm is a snake, right?"

"Yes, a snake."

"How did Xu Xian and the snake have children? There's reproductive isolation; it's impossible for them to have offspring. I am skeptical about this folk tale. It's unscientific."

"Don't change the subject. Now that you've joined us, you'll have to call me senior brother from now on."

"If it's about forcibly combining the DNA of a human and a snake, it's not impossible, but it can lead to a terrifying situation. This is against social ethics and the definition of science. Science is not meant to create monsters; its purpose is to better understand the world."

"If you truly don't want to, I can only tell our ancestors, then kick you out of the sect, and for the rest of your life, you will have nothing to do with our Taoist Sect."

"Mom's spaghetti... you're actually threatening me?"

Gu Tao was startled: "Is this still the Xin Chen I know?"

"If you're interested, go and explore it yourself."

That was a bit too much. Although Gu Tao was very confident, he really had no idea how long it would take to do his own investigation; it might not be impossible, but Gu Tao was actually in a hurry, really in a hurry. It had been an easy task to investigate in less advanced times, but suddenly, something that hadn't appeared in advanced worlds showed up. This intolerable feeling of anxiety and curiosity didn't allow him to pass up such a good opportunity.

"So what do I need to do?" Gu Tao clenched his teeth: "I haven't even confirmed anything, and you're already giving me tasks. Isn't that a bit too much?"

"From now on, you should call me senior brother." Xin Chen ruffled his hair: "Senior brother will first go and cut the beef for you. Do you want it fried with chili?"

Looking at the smile at the corners of Xin Chen's eyes and mouth, Gu Tao suddenly realized something…

"Damn it... did you decide to abduct me the moment I set foot here?" Gu Tao gnashed his teeth: "Senior brother!"

"Hehe."

Xin Chen seemed to be a different person; the trace of chaos that had been in his eyes vanished in an instant, leaving only a cold arrogance and a joy that came from his heart.

Gu Tao felt really naive. Although he had read many books and learned a lot, his experience was still too limited. Xin Chen probably had decided to throw him into the pit the moment he saw him, stealthily showing him Mengxiong, showing him all of the master's notes, pretending to be a harmless, homebody with a pathetic story.

Oh Momma... are all good-looking boys liars? Well, men.

Once he figured it out, Gu Tao actually understood. How innocent could a guy raised by an old swindler be? Maybe the previous guys were all silenced by him... no, they must have been silenced by him.

"Junior brother, come eat." Xin Chen brought the reprocessed offering to the table: "Are you still upset with your senior brother?"

"You're making it hard for me to accept this. Did you silence the people before me?"

Xin Chen frowned: "Do I look like the kind of person that would do such a thing, given this honest face of mine?"

"Hehe…" Gu Tao clenched his fists: "You looked pure when I first saw you."

"I haven't told a single lie." Xin Chen pushed all the beef to Gu Tao's side: "Those people really met their fated end. Senior brother tried to defy fate and change their destiny, but all attempts failed. As the saying goes, they just weren't cut out for it."

"Did you know I would come?"

"When the purple aura travels thirty thousand miles, the pass is crossed for the first time in five thousand years. Some things are predestined."

"So you're eating dog food and tricked me into eating it too?"

Xin Chen's face changed a bit, "Actually about that... I really did spend a lot of money."

"I'll give you that, just tell me what mission you've assigned me."

"I don't know." Xin Chen shook his head, "I really don't know, stop asking. When the opportunity arises, it will reveal itself. Also, I truly didn't know you were an alien; I only foresaw that you would come."

"What if I don't do it?"

"Don't be like that, you're the one destined for this, and the Taoist Sect won't mistreat you. In the future, once things are on tract, I can arrange a cute little junior sister for you." Xin Chen adjusted his glasses, "The junior sister is great."

"Since when do you wear glasses!"

"I've always worn glasses, but I stopped wearing them when you arrived because short-sighted people look more foolish and you're more likely to believe me"

"Well played, very nice," Gu Tao couldn't help but cry and laugh, "What if I quit halfway though? Will you kill me?"

"Of course not."

"Well then, I quit."

"When you added me to your whitelist, I had already cast a talisman on you. It activates once every three months, and when it does, you won't feel pain or itch, but you will fall into a deep sleep. Without the antidote, you'll sleep until you die."

Gu Tao's gaze suddenly sharpened, and with a cold chuckle, he turned his head and spoke to his wristwatch, "Classify Earth as an aggressive civilization; initiate the purge program in three months."

"Stop, stop, stop... just kidding, there's no such malicious thing, I got it from reading novels." Xin Chen waved his hands frantically, looking panicked, "Little brother, you're too impulsive, you need to change that! Oh right, didn't you say you were going to take me for some kind of test? Big brother agrees, I'll go with you."

Gu Tao softly said to his wristwatch, "Cancel purge plan, aggressive status pending."

"Actually, big brother knows you're upset, but there's nothing I can do. The prognosis from five hundred years ago already confirmed your arrival, and the Taoist Sect has been waiting for you for five hundred years. Besides, it's not a bad thing. Do you know how much power you have? You are the one appointed by the ancestors of the Tao, you control all the Taoist Sects, little brother!"

"What power do I have?"

"You get to command all the orthodox sects! You single-handedly decide on life and death within the proper Taoist Sect."

Hearing this, Gu Tao's eyes sparkled, "Really?"

"Really!"

"So how many people are in the Taoist Sect now?"

Xin Chen raised two fingers.

"Two hundred thousand?"

"Twenty thousand?"

"There has to be at least two thousand, right?"

Xin Chen shook his head, "In the orthodox Shaoyang Palace, there are just two. You and me."

"I really quit, can you just let me go?"

"You've already accepted the legacy, it's out of your hands now, little brother." Xin Chen sighed, "Destiny, destiny, you might as well try. If you leave now and don't come back within three days, I'll leave you be."

"Even if I starve, die outside, or jump off a building, I won't come back here!" Gu Tao stood up, unable to stand being provoked, and strode away with his sleeves flicked.

However, after only a couple of steps, he directly took the dish from the table, then went upstairs to pack everything, slung his bag over his shoulder, and strode out.

"Little brother, no need to take the guitar, it's heavy"

"Screw off! Just screw off!"

---------------

Talk about not updating much, bros, take a look at the contract status ah... Although I've had the contract for a while now, there's been a small issue, that is, my ID card has expired... Well, within this week I guess, I should be able to sign the contract, and then I'll provide extra updates.