Chapter 38: Acting

Many people, after listening, flipped the documents to the last page; immediately, the sound of rustling filled the meeting room again.

Many others showed disdain, glaring with displeasure at the white-haired Tao Daochang on the stage.

Tao Daochang seemed to sense something, smiling narrowly as he looked at those who were somewhat restless.

That gaze seemed gentle, yet it made those people's hearts tighten; they all sat up straight, pretending to read.

Seeing this, Mo Lao felt amused inside, but his eyes showed no change; he continued to speak solemnly and seriously:

"Later, as the Cultivation Management Bureau will take over most of the National Security Bureau's work, we think we should rename the National Security Bureau to the Supervisory Bureau, to monitor whether the Cultivation Management Bureau enforces the law fairly……"

After another hour or so, the meeting finally ended, and Su Chen was left alone.

"Do you know why I kept you behind alone?"

Mo Lao seemed to be forcibly suppressing his anger; he took a deep breath and asked.

Su Chen nodded slightly, not minding his attitude, and said: "It's to help me conceal my identity, right?"

Su Chen had previously told Mo Lao that he didn't want to expose his identity; now keeping him alone is naturally for that reason.

Mo Lao looked at Su Chen for no reason, and a vague irritation rose in his heart; he snorted coldly:

"You little brat aren't too stupid; what do you think?"

Although he was asking Su Chen, he glanced at Tao Daochang.

Su Chen thought for a moment, shook his head. He believed such matters were better left to them to worry about.

Tao Daochang smiled gently and said: "I do have a method, though I don't know if you're willing."

……

In Yanjing, near Qingbei Daxue, a red light shot down from the sky, landing at the university gate and transforming into an old man in a red robe.

This old man, with an immortal's aura, stood smiling at the school gate, as if waiting for something.

The commotion here had already attracted the surrounding people; many clever folks had opened their phones and started taking photos.

After a few minutes, a bold person approached the old man and asked: "Old… old immortal, what brings you here?"

Tao Daochang chuckled: "I calculated that I would meet a fated person here today, so I came especially to wait."

As soon as he said that, the surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar, everyone guessing who the fated person might be.

After about ten minutes, Su Chen leisurely walked out of Qingbei Daxue, saw the crowd blocking the gate, and couldn't help but retreat a few steps in fright.

Of course, Su Chen was pretending; to give himself a better excuse to avoid suspicion, they came up with this method.

The method was to have Tao Daochang openly take Su Chen as his disciple, so Su Chen could later use the excuse of following his master's cultivation to carry out official duties.

For Su Chen, this wasn't the only benefit; it also gave him more time to travel between worlds.

When Tao Daochang first proposed this idea, it genuinely startled Su Chen; although the place and method changed, some things remained unchanged.

Naturally, he wouldn't refuse; after all, he had also been trying to become a disciple of this Tao Daochang—his master from his previous life.

As soon as Su Chen stepped out, several people recognized him and began murmuring among themselves.

"Isn't that Su Chen? He came to Qingbei?"

"Looks like he really was early-admitted by Qingbei."

……

Some were astonished, some envious and jealous.

At that moment, Tao Daochang smiled slightly, stroked his long beard, and said:

"Young friend, I see your bone structure is extraordinary and your talent outstanding; would you like to become my disciple?"

Upon Tao Daochang saying this,

It instantly caused the crowd to erupt in an uproar.

"What luck does this Su Chen have? Not only was he directly admitted by Qingbei, but this immortal even waited in person to take him as a disciple."

One person spoke with a hint of resentment.

"Who knows? This must be fate……"

Someone sighed.

"Take a closer look, this Su Chen is pretty handsome!"

In the crowd, a female student whispered.

……

Su Chen naturally heard all this clearly; he pretended not to hear, pointed at himself with a hint of surprise and excitement, and said:

"Me? Can I?"

Tao Daochang nodded slightly, but withdrew the smile from his face and spoke solemnly:

"That's natural, but if you become my disciple, it will be arduous; you'll need to follow me year after year into the deep mountains to cultivate, possibly going a long time without seeing your family."

Upon hearing this, the joy on Su Chen's face was utterly undisguised:

"To have the chance to become a disciple of an immortal, I am naturally a thousand times willing. However……"

Su Chen hesitated at this point, then continued:

"But this matter needs to be discussed with my parents first."

At that moment, Tao Daochang also gently stroked his beard and gave Su Chen a warm smile:

"That's natural. By the way, I don't yet know your honorable name, young friend? My surname is Tao; you may address me as Tao Daochang."

Su Chen hesitated not, and spoke with a hint of joy:

"My name is Su Chen, Tao Daochang."

The two were putting on a vivid performance over there, but the moment Su Chen spoke, the surrounding crowd erupted again.

Although Su Chen had recently been in the spotlight, not everyone knew him.

"Su Chen, are you the one specially recruited by Qingbei Daxue?"

Surely, you didn't see him just walk out of Qingbei Daxue; he must be going to Qingbei Daxue to handle some paperwork, right?

This Su Chen, what kind of person is he? Being admitted to Qingbei nearly a year early is already enough; he also livestreamed Q&A, fiercely slapping the faces of everyone who doubted his abilities; now he's actually been valued by an immortal, and they even want to take him as a disciple...

By the end, the sourness in this person's tone was already openly revealed.

Who says it isn't? Maybe Su Chen has some big background!

Many people echoed in unison.

At this point, the situation of the surrounding crowd could no longer be described as mere boiling; the momentum around them seemed able to rival lava, and it was continually expanding.

More than half of the people around took out their phones and started frantically filming the two.

Priest Tao remained completely calm throughout, as if he were in a place devoid of people.

Although Su Chen had been reborn, he still felt some uncontrollable fear in the face of such momentum.

He had cold sweat secretly dripping from his forehead, and he hurriedly continued speaking:

In that case, I'll first return home to discuss with my parents before making a decision.

Priest Tao nodded slightly, and a golden light shot out from his red Taoist robe, landing before Su Chen and transforming into a golden talisman.

Before Su Chen could even ask, Priest Tao had already spoken first:

If you decide to take me as your master, just ignite this talisman; even if you're far away, I can still reach your side.

Saying this, Priest Tao paused for a moment and lightly cleared his throat:

If you do not activate this talisman within three days, I will consider you to have given up on becoming my disciple; but if you later encounter a situation where you need my help, you may activate it then. Considering our affinity, I will help you once.

Young friend, this old man awaits your good news; goodbye!

By the end, his voice gradually became incredibly ethereal, seeming to come from all directions, and his figure had already vanished from the spot.