"We have been waiting for you."

Damn! That was an opener if Ning had ever heard one. So much so that he couldn't help but reply in an instant, "Then you must be mistaken. I am not the one you are waiting for."

"Eh? Are you not a disciple of the Pure Qi sect?" The old man seemed confused by the reply and turned directly to the guard who had called him over in question.

"L-Lord, the token this sir handed is of the Pure Qi sect. You ordered us to call you if anyone arrived with that token." The guard was flustered, wondering if he made a mistake.

Ning, who watched this scene, also breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, this doesn't seem to be a "you are the chosen one so marry my daughter" situation or something similar because the opener really gave him that vibe. But that just opened more questions.

So, to find the answers, Ning naturally turned to ask some questions.

"Are you Patriarch Luo?"

"Are you the inner sect disciple sent from the Pure Qi sect?"

It seems that the old man also had the same idea, as they spoke at the same time, their voices overlapping with each other.

"Oh! Jinx," Ning mumbled, ignoring the pointed look that the old man was sending him.

"I want to ask, are you Patriarch Luo?" In fact, he had already deduced that the old man was the patriarch of this family. He emitted the spiritual fluctuation of someone belonging to the peak third stage, but it also had a decaying aura. And as far as Ning had gathered, only the Luo Family had cultivators in the town. Still, it didn't hurt to be sure.

The old man also recovered after hearing the question and answered, "I am indeed the Patriarch of the Luo Family. You are here for the mission, aren't you?"

"Mission? Patriarch Luo, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I didn't come here for a mission," Ning clarified at once.

"Eh?"

Seeing the confusion in Patriarch Luo's eyes, Ning also understood that this was a classic situation of miscommunication.

"It appears there is a misunderstanding. Patriarch, can you please enlighten me?"

"S-sure." The old man-Patriarch Luo also sensed there was something wrong going on. So, he started to explain everything from the beginning.

Ning also finally understood the cause and effect of the situation.

It seems there was recently an appearance of spirit-devouring rats in the farms of the Luo Family. It caused a lot of losses for the local family, so they requested a mission from the Pure Qi sect.

Being a family under the jurisdiction of the Pure Qi sect, the Luo family had the qualification to issue a mission. Every year, the Luo family would hand in 50% of the harvest from the spiritual farm. Additionally, the Pure Qi sect recognized the Luo Family's status in Red Horn Town and protected the spiritual farm from being robbed by other families.

Of course, that was the extent of it.

For issues specifically related to the spiritual farm itself, they were given permission to post missions within the sect. And that's what they did.

"So, let me get this straight, due to the rampage of the demonic rats, you requested an extermination mission in the Pure Qi sect, and you thought I was the one who accepted the mission?"

"Yes," Patriarch Luo nodded. That was indeed what he thought.

"Patriarch Luo, how many days has it been since you sent someone to post the mission?" Ning asked as something didn't add up.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"I sent a junior just a day ago - I see." Patriarch Luo also realized the problem in his words now, so he hurriedly added, "This is indeed a misunderstanding. It seems I was too excited to finally get rid of those damned rats that I missed this flaw."

It took Ning, someone who had mastered the shadow steps, two entire days to reach the Red Horn Town. So, a junior wouldn't have been able to reach the mission center in just a single day.

But hearing the answer from Patriarch Luo, Ning's lips twitched.

Did I really just miss the perfect mission by a hair's breadth? That sucks.

Clearly, he had tried to find a suitable mission for this journey, but in the end, he was forced to take a random mission to collect some herbs. Now, it seemed he had just barely missed the perfect mission.

While Ning was lost in thought, Patriarch Luo also regained his senses and asked, "If that's the case, then I wonder why you have come to see this old man."

Ning took out his master's token and showed it to the Patriarch, "I had a favor to ask of the Patriarch. I wanted to see the scroll about the Pure Qi Sutra."

Patriarch Luo already had a hunch regarding this, so he focused on the token more.

The token was made with emerald jade, and a single character was embedded in it, "Ling."

In the entire Pure Qi sect, only one person had such a token.

The Alchemist "Ling Huang," the pure cauldron of the Pure Qi Sect.

Trembling, he asked, "May I ask how you are related to Lord Ling?"

"I am his fourth disciple, Ji Ning," Ning introduced himself.

"I see." Patriarch Luo nodded with a hint of clarity as he looked at the token before him.

The meaning of the token was evident. In the future, if the Luo family faced any small trouble, then this token could be used to seek protection for a while. This favor was not insignificant.

If he accepted this token, then in return for showing their scroll containing the meaning, they could gain some protection. Although the level of protection also depended on the scale of the problem, this was undoubtedly quite good.

But...

"Please keep this token, Daoist Ning," Patriarch Luo handed the token back to Ning. "This token carries too much weight."

Ning frowned, "You mean..."

"No, Daoist Ning, you've misunderstood," Patriarch Luo hurriedly clarified, "Displaying the scroll is obviously not a problem, even without the token. I just have a small request for Daoist Ning."

Ning's eyes narrowed at that.

"I just hope that Daoist Ning can help us solve the problem with the spirit-devouring rat. For the past month, many farmers have lost their lives, so I beseech the young fairy to assist us in this matter." Even though he was the patriarch, there was no semblance of arrogance within him.

Having lived in this world for several decades, he naturally realized that arrogance was something only the strong should have. Even then, unbridled arrogance would only lead to death, just like the once brilliant Luo Fang...

Ning stopped himself from cringing from being called a fairy. Fairy was just another name for immortals and had nothing to its Western counterpart. At least, he hoped so, and the patriarch was not insinuating something from his looks.

Still, Ning did not rush to accept this mission.

"Spirit Devouring Rat..." Ning quickly recalled the relevant information.

Spirit Devouring Rat, a monster that mostly appears in spiritual fields. They steal the spiritual plants, devouring the spiritual energy within, and are particularly harmful to the longevity of the farm.

Moreover, despite the name, this creature was not small at all. In its mature form, this beast was equivalent to a fourth-stage Qi condensation monster. In fact, it could become as large as a teenage male.

It not only possessed strong attacking power but its hiding ability and agility were the most troublesome aspects of this monster. It mostly came out at night and vanished during the day.

Ning considered for a bit and ultimately nodded.

"Patriarch Luo, I will take on this task."

Since Patriarch Luo had rejected the token itself, Ning didn't mind accepting this request. Viewing the scroll was a matter of the highest importance for him, so this opportunity could not be missed.

Especially since this could be seen as repaying the favor. This world was a cultivation world, after all, and leaving loose ends might have unforeseen consequences in terms of karma, even though he was far from reaching that realm.

Upon hearing Ning's words, Patriarch Luo beamed, and then quickly spoke, "As expected of the young talent of an immortal sect. I deeply admire your sense of righteousness."

"I have only recently become an inner disciple. I don't deserve the title of young talent at all," Ning replied casually.

"How could that be? Achieving inner sect status at such a young age definitely qualifies you as a talent. Moreover, compared to you, how old am I? How about I call you Brother Ning?" Patriarch Luo spoke smoothly, quickly building a connection.

"If Patriarch is okay with it, then I don't mind," Ning nodded and didn't mind this behavior of currying favor; after all, this world was indeed harsh for those who were weak and powerless. Everyone just wants to survive by any means possible.

After a while, the relationship between the two grew closer, with Ning also cooperating willingly. Patriarch Luo didn't hesitate to call Ning brother even at his age. Truly, to thrive, one could not do without the thick-skinned technique.

"Brother Ning must have had a long journey. How about resting for a while? I will bring the scroll over in the meantime," Patriarch Luo suggested as he led Ning to a guest room.

Ning nodded, "I would trouble the patriarch."

As Patriarch Luo left, Ning settled onto the bed, his thoughts turning quickly.

It seems that the plans need to be changed. I truly didn't expect a side quest to pop up without any warning. Truly feeling the RPG energy right now.

Ning sighed.