If he had been an ordinary, mediocre man, he might have given in.
But what sort of man was Xu Long? He was the kind of man who faced outward when taking a dump in the privy.
It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he didn't dare fool around.
He couldn't forget his biological father and mother, whom he hadn't met yet. They'd probably break his legs.
Fortunately, Xu Jiao didn't stay there more than a few days. She left after completing the handover, and Xu Long breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief.
Life in the fallen zone was monotonous: patrol, kill monsters, then repeat endlessly.
After a month of passing the time like that, the Reincarnation Temple finally opened for the fourth time.
"Awoo! Awoo!"
After a brief spell of dizziness, Rice Bucket saw Xu Long and immediately pounced on him with a wounded whine.
After stepping down from her post, Xu Jiao had indeed returned to her hometown, just as she said she would.
But instead of staying across from Xu Long, she had moved straight into his house.
Though Rice Bucket acted like a fool, he was actually quite clever.
Smelling Xu Long's faint scent on Xu Jiao, the fellow knew she must have a very close relationship with his master, so he began wagging his head and tail and currying favor with her.
The first few days were fine. Xu Jiao watched TV every day and played with Rice Bucket whenever she had nothing else to do.
But half a month later, doomsday finally descended upon Rice Bucket.
Restless from boredom, Xu Jiao started petting him like crazy. She'd pet his front, then his back, then his sides.
Every day, once she'd eaten her fill, she had nothing to do but watch TV, eat snacks, and pet him endlessly.
Rice Bucket wanted to run, but he couldn't escape. All he could do was silently endure her petting him over and over.
Rice Bucket expressed his vehement condemnation and went on a hunger strike.
Xu Jiao then humbly accepted his complaint and stopped petting him all over. Instead, she started taking him for walks.
Each walk lasted the whole day. She took him out at daybreak and didn't return until dark.
That wasn't all. Worst of all, Xu Jiao had actually gained a flame ability and liked to burn his fur whenever she had nothing to do.
After more than half a month of this, Rice Bucket was on the verge of a breakdown.
Now that he saw Xu Long, Rice Bucket howled and cried in grievance.
His fur was patchy, and his head was bald enough to rival a veteran programmer's.
"All right, all right. I'll talk to her when we get back. It won't be like this anymore."
After comforting the poor Rice Bucket, Xu Long silently waited for the fourth mission to begin.
[Make your selection within thirty seconds. Anyone who fails to confirm within the allotted time will be sent to a random world appropriate to their rank!]
Xu Long had reached the D-rank limit, with all five attributes maxed out. This time, he was going to take the assessment.
Thanks to his three S-rank evaluations, the Main God had unlocked four D-rank worlds in succession.
Resident Evil 2, Train to Busan, Wolf Warrior, The Terminator, plus the previously available Avengers, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Van Helsing, Mr. Vampire, and Fate/stay night-there were plenty to choose from.
Wolf Warrior had already ended and couldn't be entered through normal means, so it was ruled out immediately.
Viruses, robots, vampires, zombies, ghosts-what kind of enemy he faced didn't matter. The key was what he could gain.
"I want to undertake the assessment mission. I choose Mr. Vampire!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Long's figure vanished.
[World type: supernatural] [Energy level: D-rank] [Matched plot: Mr. Vampire] [Danger level: high] [Main mission: survive for thirty days! Reward for completion: 3,000 points! Teleportation to the Reincarnation Temple!] [Assessment mission: 1. Kill Master Ren after he becomes a zombie! Reward for completion: 3,000 points and one D-rank authorization card! Failure penalty: 50 points deducted from all attributes!] [Random item selection in progress! Received Comprehensive Guide to Talisman Arts! Placed in storage space!] [Identity replaced with Uncle Nine's disciple, Qiu Sheng!] [Plot begins!]
Creak!
The notification sounded in his head, followed immediately by a strange noise. The tightly shut door was pushed open, and Xu Long shot upright.
"You're finally awake! Go deal with that lousy dog of yours. He's stolen the neighbor's chicken again!"
The man who entered had a pompadour and a face like a bitter melon. He was Uncle Nine's other disciple, Wen Cai.
"Stole a chicken?"
Xu Long was stunned by Wen Cai's words.
Ever since Rice Bucket started following him, he'd developed a picky palate. Every day he ate pork knuckles or roast chicken, and he didn't eat raw meat at all.
Xu Long wasn't the only one stunned. Even Rice Bucket was taken aback.
"Awoo?"
Rice Bucket poked his head out from under the bed and looked at Wen Cai, his eyes full of confusion.
What chicken?
I didn't go anywhere!
"Well, well, you've got some nerve!"
Seeing this, Xu Long immediately understood.
It wasn't Rice Bucket who had stolen the chicken. Wen Cai had done it and then dumped the basin of shit on Rice Bucket's head.
"No, that's not it! You've misunderstood me!"
Seeing that he'd been exposed, Wen Cai turned and ran.
Xu Long couldn't be bothered to chase him and waited for the memory infusion instead.
About half a minute later, Qiu Sheng's memories appeared in his mind out of nowhere.
The arts of making and drawing talismans that he'd studied under Uncle Nine since childhood, his experience dealing with zombies and vengeful ghosts, the making and use of numerous ritual implements, his knowledge of feng shui, geomancy, divination, and fortune-telling...
Though his studies had been varied and he hadn't mastered any of them, they were extremely useful to Xu Long.
He sorted through the memories in his mind, then took the item he'd drawn out of his storage space.
Comprehensive Guide to Talisman Arts: a book documenting talisman arts, including methods for drawing and using some D-rank and E-rank talismans.
"I've hit the jackpot! This book alone is worth everything I gained from an entire previous mission world!"
Excited, Xu Long hugged the Comprehensive Guide to Talisman Arts and gave it a kiss.
Unlike skills exchanged from the Main God, it didn't grant instant mastery, but it was still an extraordinary treasure.
It contained many talisman arts, and learning them required neither points nor an authorization card. All he needed was the patience to study.
With Xu Long's telekinesis skill added to the mix, it was a perfect combination.
He could use telekinesis to stick talismans onto zombies and completely avoid the danger of contracting corpse poison.
Xu Long didn't care about corpse poison at all, but if he could fight from a distance, why get up close?
The mission lasted thirty days, so Xu Long wasn't in a hurry to complete it. Instead, he applied himself diligently to studying.
Seeing how hard Xu Long was working, Uncle Nine was very gratified, and then gave Wen Cai a thorough scolding.
Freed from Xu Jiao's oppression, Rice Bucket ran wild everywhere.
In less than two days, he had become the dog king for dozens of miles around.
Every day, he led a pack of dogs charging up and down, having the time of his life.
"How many yellow talismans are left?"
Xu Long poked his head out of his room and asked Wen Cai, who was practicing.
Learning talisman arts naturally required talisman paper and cinnabar.
In ancient times, industry had been underdeveloped, and people had needed to make everything themselves.
But things were different in modern times. Plenty of merchants specialized in the trade, so one could simply go and buy what was needed.
"There are still a few hundred sheets of talisman paper, but we're running low on cinnabar. You'll have to make a trip yourself."
Wen Cai spoke without looking back, a wooden bucket in each hand.
"All right, I'll go buy some!"
Cinnabar alone wasn't enough to draw talismans. It had to be mixed with a few other things.
For example, the blood of a rooster and a black dog!
As the saying went, a chicken shouldn't live three years, nor a dog six. Chickens and dogs that reached those ages had already gained spiritual awareness, and roosters and black dogs were the best of the lot.
Uncle Nine kept many chickens specifically for drawing talismans!
Xu Long asked Uncle Nine for some money, then got on his bicycle and headed for the market.