Show menu Read Novel Online Full Novel Bin Novel SLICE OF LIFE Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life Novel info Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life Rating: 8.8 / 10 from 332 ratings Author: 降落伞爱摸鱼AFK Parachute Genre: Slice of life, Drama, Adventure, Xianxia, Martial arts, Fantasy, Psychological, Shounen, Comedy, Action Status: Ongoing Tag: Unique cultivation technique, Hard-working protagonist, Monsters, Weak to strong, Calm protagonist, Magic formations, Clever protagonist, Artifacts, Schemes and conspiracies, Male protagonist, Non-humanoid protagonist, Wars, Politics, Ancient china, Character growth, Pragmatic protagonist, Cultivation, Ghosts, Misunderstandings, Cheats, Transmigration, Master-disciple relationship, Teachers, Management, Magic, Modern knowledge, Poor to rich, Hiding true identity, Magical space, Lucky protagonist, Aristocracy, Carefree protagonist, Underestimated protagonist, Hiding true abilities, Hidden abilities, Cautious protagonist, Comedic undertone, Secrets, Secretive protagonist, Soul power, Proactive protagonist, Loner protagonist, Easy going life, Lazy protagonist, Low-key protagonist, Spirit advisor, Parallel worlds, Survival, Ancient times, Past plays a big role, Slow growth at start, Family, Family business, Heartwarming, Multiple protagonists Latest chapter Chapter 263: That's what you call professional. 3 hours ago Description Chapter List More from author Comments [Slice of Life + Light-Hearted + No Female Lead + No Angst + Survivalist Master + No System + Farming Life] My name is Lin Yu, and I transmigrated into a remnant soul trapped in a ring. System? Missions? Cultivation grind? Never heard of them. I live by one rule: lay low and nap. Then, the ring bound itself to a clueless young boy. When he tried to explore a secret realm, I said, “Disciple, that place is deadly. Go home and take a nap.” When he went after a magical treasure, I warned, “Hot stuff burns your hands. Your life matters more.” When someone challenged him to a duel, I advised, “Admitting defeat isn’t shameful.” Under my “careful” guidance, he dodged every opportunity—and every danger. While other geniuses danced on the knife’s edge between life and death, my disciple was steadily… mining spirit stones. Years later, when gods and demons descended upon the realm, that same disciple—mockingly nicknamed the “King of Cowards”—quietly activated 9,900 layers of defensive formations. I yawned and said, “Told you—only the living get to deal damage.” Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life C1: Reincarnated as a Ghost? In this boundless, lightless stillness, Lin Yu’s consciousness had drifted for nearly five hundred years. Should he make that choice? The thought, like a cluster of faint flame, flickered in the endless darkness. Memories surged and dragged him back to the moment he first arrived in this realm. Back then, he was nothing but a lone wisp of a soul, exposed naked under a hostile sun. Sunshine was no longer warmth but a scorching poison that burned spirit, every ray bringing tearing agony, his soul-body on the verge of dissipating. In the brink-of-collapse despair, he fled frantically on instinct, and smashed into a place that felt safe. His consciousness sank into it: a tiny storage world, scattered with jars and objects. His taut nerves suddenly relaxed, and the endless black swallowed him, plunging his awareness into total interruption. He woke slowly after an unknown span of time. Still groggy, a fragment of nightmare clung to him—the tattered battle banner whipping in a fierce wind, the battlefield strewn with corpses like spilled ink. A blood-soaked Taoist in cyan robes, face contorted, eyes burning with resolve and madness. He clutched an archaic ring tight, then shoved it violently into his cracked chest, his scream seeming to pierce time: “Seal this demonic artifact with my soul! Let it sink for ten thousand generations!” A hangover-like headache made Lin Yu reach out habitually for the phone on his bedside to check the time. His fingertips touched nothing but void and cold. He shot his eyes open. There was no familiar ceiling, only unchanging gloom. He finally took in his surroundings: dozens of sealed pill bottles, a pile of strange ores, and several stacks of yellowed talismans scattered nearby. His brain crashed instantly. A second ago he had been in a brightly lit office, hunched over a computer screen, tearing his hair out over a client’s blueprints. How did he end up here? An absurd yet singular thought detonated in his mind: I... transmigrated? The dead silence stretched on, until Lin Yu numbly accepted reality. He had transmigrated. Strangely, in this pitch-black void, he could see everything with uncanny clarity. There was no system, no golden finger, not even a living body granted to him—fate had treated him brutally. He roared in silence, questioning the absurdity: why did he have to transmigrate into such a... thing? Even stranger, he faintly felt an invisible restraint wrapped around his soul, like cold thorns that brought stinging pain. The source seemed to be this very ring. The cyan-robed Taoist’s dying scream lay branded deep in his consciousness. At first, he drifted like a ghost, helplessly observing. This space spat out and swallowed items at random—sometimes a razor-sharp sword, sometimes a pile of spirit-rich pills. They appeared and vanished in an instant. After long observation he finally deduced his situation: he was trapped inside a storage magical treasure. Time lost all meaning there. After an unknowable interval, he found, to his astonishment, that his insubstantial “body” gradually solidified and he could move freely within that tiny world. An unprecedented sense of power grew and surged through his illusionary limbs and bones. He tried several times to leave. A few attempts to “go out” came with agonizing burns from the outside sun, pain as if his soul would be reduced to ash, forcing him to retreat in humiliation. Those agonizing costs revealed the full picture of his prison—a plain, archaic storage ring. Through repeated burns and despair, an idea flashed through Lin Yu’s mind: perhaps he could cling to the ring itself—neither leaving nor fully sealed off—so he could interact with the outside world. He carefully attached his consciousness to the ring’s cold band. That risky move finally let him glimpse the outside world and hear external sounds, while sparing him the sun’s searing pain. With a subtle shift of thought, he froze. A novel sense of control rose up, as if invisible limbs had extended, and the storage space bowed to him. He was like a Trojan horse virus: parasitic in the ring, yet possessing independent will, completely free from its owner’s control. “Have I become an artifact spirit?” Lin Yu muttered quietly. At the same time he clearly “saw” deep within the ring’s inner wall the invisible shackles of thorn-like restraints entwining the soul, seeming to coexist oddly with his newfound control. The cyan-robed Taoist’s face flickered in the ghostlight of the shackles. Centuries drifted by like a flick of a finger. When Lin Yu finally recovered some clarity from his muddled “ring life,” he realized with a start: damn, this remnant soul of his had drifted here for almost sixty years plus half a cycle! What nearly scattered his barely solid soul again were the following four hundred years. During those long four centuries, the ring had changed hands no less than six times! Each change of owner made his soul-flame tremble. Why? Because he knew all too well the nature of cultivators who held precious treasures. Possessiveness? It was embedded in their bones. A ring with an unknown, inhabiting ghost? To them, it was like finding an unexploded bomb in their backyard. Lin Yu could bet that if he dared appear before any “owner,” or made a sound, whether the person was a righteous-looking gentleman or a malevolent power, their first reaction would be ninety-nine to one—silence him! Or worse, drag him out to be used as a component for alchemy or forging. That would be a soul-shattering end, not even a sound left. So Lin Yu shrank to the deepest part of the ring, making himself thinner than air, quieter than stone. He watched coldly as six “fortunate” owners passed like a revolving lantern. The first was an exuberant young man who found the ring and grinned ear to ear, thinking he had discovered an ancient treasure. The next day, while showing off at the market, a jealous wandering cultivator smacked him in the back of the head with a club. Before the treasure had even warmed, it was gone. Lin Yu clicked his tongue inside the ring: “Don’t flaunt wealth, the ancients weren’t lying.” Just as the youth died and the ring changed hands, the thorny restraint around Lin Yu’s soul trembled, and a cold breath was sucked away. He stared at the inner wall and saw a very subtle, dark-red streak appear, like dried blood. The second owner was a scruffy, down-and-out wandering cultivator who treated the ring like a lifeline, muttering to it daily, praying for an old master to teach him divine arts. One stormy night after a training mishap, he fell into a demonic deviation, blood poured from his orifices, and he died miserably. Lin Yu shrank his soul: “This host’s mental fortitude is no good, too dependent on objects, dies too easily.” As the wandering cultivator’s soul vanished, another blood streak quietly formed beside the first, the chill stronger. The third was a ruthless female demonic cultivator. After getting the ring she grew paranoid, feeling something watching her, and tossed it into a smelting furnace to try to melt it. The furnace went out of control, exploding so that both person and furnace were left only half a wall. Watching that towering inferno, Lin Yu’s heart still skipped: “That chick’s dangerous!” At the moment the flames consumed her, the third blood streak surfaced. The thorny seal seemed to draw sustenance, tightening its bind. The fourth was a self-styled righteous old scholar who tried every purification charm to cleanse the “evil spirit” in the ring, driving Lin Yu to distraction. While studying an ancient evil formation, he inadvertently triggered counterblow and was “purified” into a wisp of blue smoke. Lin Yu sighed: “Curiosity killed the cat, and the old scholar too…” As the scholar became blue smoke, the fourth blood streak was etched, and the inner wall’s red glow became faintly visible. The fifth was a treasure-hunting opportunist riding a streak of luck; after getting the ring he was on cloud nine. But during an exploration of an ancient powerhouse’s tomb, he triggered a chain of traps and was pierced by ten thousand arrows. Lin Yu lamented: “Where people walk by the river, who doesn’t get wet? Even the king of finds can’t survive courting death.” Blood sprayed the tomb, and the fifth streak extended like a living thing, weaving with the other four, the stabbing pain in Lin Yu’s soul growing ever clearer. The sixth was a pill-refining fanatic who stuffed the ring with poisons and half-baked pills as high-level storage. During a new formula test the pill furnace exploded, releasing toxic gas that corroded him until he died in unspeakable agony. Lin Yu rolled his eyes in the thick poison fog: “Be professional, will you? Refining pills is risky; join at your own caution!” When the poison finally ate away the fanatic’s last life, the sixth blood streak formed violently. The six streaks together created a strange, incomplete pattern inside the ring that exuded an ominous murderous aura. The thorny seal that wrapped his soul burned hot, as if ready to grind into the origin of his soul at any moment. Lin Yu fixed his “sight” on the newly formed blood pattern. A chill rose from the depths of his soul and made his soul-flame flicker: “Six already... this ghostly seal has absorbed so much death energy... if more people die... this thing might really blow!” This was far more than a mere master-killing mechanism. The ring itself was a terrifying malevolent object! The cyan-robed Taoist’s dying sealing had been continuously weakened and activated by the deaths of successive owners! However, in those anxious, drawn-out years, Lin Yu wasn’t left empty-handed. In a deeply hidden corner of the ring, he accidentally “touched” a brilliantly crafted spirit-concentrating array! That formation was running silently, tirelessly siphoning faint spirit energy from the outside and nurturing his remnant soul. But the array’s flow was already dim, like a candle in the wind, on the verge of extinction. Worse, the spirit array seemed to be in a subtle antagonism with the six blood-streak seals; each cycle of the formation looked particularly difficult. Thanks to that “spirit buffet,” his nearly dissipated soul fragments were barely able to cohere. Though far from vigorous, he was no longer a wisp of smoke—at least he had formed a translucent body with hands and feet. Lin Yu touched the array with his thought, feeling the faint pulse, and cracked a grin: “Hey, the heavens don’t absolutely extinguish a soul? The ancients weren’t wrong... Uh, this time I actually managed to touch it before it went out? But how long can this spirit-gathering array hold? And will that lethal seal finally erupt when the next owner arrives?” Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life C2: Lucky Kid The previous "landlord," that unlucky pill-refining fanatic, had exploded himself into a sky of bloody mist. In the chaos, a faintly glowing ring was mistaken for some shiny bauble by a passing spirit-feather bird with poor eyesight. It snatched the ring in one bite and carried it back to its nest. Lin Yu lay in the bird's nest for several days, listening to the mother bird and the chicks go about their daily business, and felt as if he was about to comprehend "bird-speech." That was far more pleasant than listening to those short-lived landlords' dying wails. He had temporarily escaped the sight of human cultivators. The seal pattern formed by the six blood streaks seemed to quiet down for lack of a "target," no longer emitting such a violent murderous aura. The stinging pain from the thorny seal wrapped around his soul body had also eased a little, letting him, for once, take a breath. He even began to enjoy the peace. For now, he didn't have to worry about when the next host would die, nor fret about when that damned seal might explode. Until today, when a pair of grimy little hands pushed aside the weeds at the edge of the nest. A pair of striking black-and-white, curious eyes, like two black grapes, stared fixedly at the ring. Lin Yu's soul flame leapt. It was a child. A boy of about ten, wearing a patched coarse cloth short jacket, with mud smudges still on his face. "Wow!" The boy stifled an exclamation and carefully reached out a finger to poke the cold band of the ring. Lin Yu's soul-body trembled. This is bad! A thousand images of reckless kids courting death flashed through his mind. Would the boy flick it like a marble? Trade it with the village idiot for a skewer of candied hawthorns? Or proudly bring it home to his parents like a treasure? At the thought of the ring possibly falling into the hands of some narrow-minded, greedy villager, Lin Yu felt his spirit weaken. Compared to the previous six landlords who had at least been cultivators, mortals were even more uncontrollable. Their ignorance and greed could be deadlier than a cultivator's killing intent. Worse, if this child were to die accidentally in his ignorance—even by falling or drowning—the seventh blood streak on the ring might form in an instant! The "murderous vessel" seal the cyan-robed Taoist had mentioned would very likely collapse the moment the seventh blood streak completed, releasing unimaginable horror. Lin Yu's remnant soul would be the first to be obliterated without a trace! The boy grinned, showing two rows of teeth, and chuckled. He snatched up the ring, shoved it into his shirt, and nimbly slid down the tree trunk. Lin Yu felt the boy begin to run with short energetic legs through the forest. "Second brother! Second brother! Look what I found!" The boy's clear shout pierced the ring's barrier, making Lin Yu's soul go numb. This is terrifying! Lin Yu panicked completely. The sense of crisis rose like never before. This was no longer just exposure—this was a countdown of life and death! Kids this age can't keep secrets! If he shouted about it and the whole village found out, bringing unwanted attention or accidents, the next victim of this "murderous-star ring" could very well be this naive boy! And once the seventh blood streak appeared, there would be no turning back for Lin Yu! No. Absolutely not! Five hundred years of survival-based cultivation suddenly unleashed an unprecedented will to live. He had to stop this child from revealing the secret, and he had to prevent anything that might lead to the child's accidental death! Passive waiting to die? No—this time he had to act! There was no other choice! Just as the boy was about to burst out of the woods toward the village where smoke rose from the kitchens, Lin Yu made up his mind. The thorny seal wrapped around his soul seemed to sense his resolve and trembled slightly. He gathered the pitiful scrap of soul power he had and warped the ring's inner space. Novel scenes from his past life flashed through his mind—an air of mastery, yes, a demeanor suited to a high master! Immortal bearing, the white-bearded grandpa type! He forced his faint soul-image into a seated, cross-legged phantom of an old man with flowing white whiskers. Though the details were vague and retained a somewhat translucent, gelatinous texture, the aura had to be convincing. "Ahem." An elderly, weak cough sounded directly inside the boy's mind. Su Ming, who had been running full tilt, stumbled and almost face-planted. "Who? Who is speaking?" He stopped dead, eyes wide with fear as he looked around. Only the rustle of leaves in the wind answered him. "Li—ttle child..." Lin Yu's voice sounded again. He deliberately mimicked the tone of the old immortal in dramas he remembered, stretching the syllables to sound distant and mysterious. Su Ming shuddered, his face paling as he clutched his chest. The voice seemed to come from his own bosom! His trembling hand took the plain, rustic ring out. "Is... is it you talking?" "Indeed." Lin Yu kept up the aloof master persona, his heart thumping. "Good heavens, this act is embarrassing. I hope he doesn't think I'm a demon. Worse, I hope his hand doesn't slip and he throws the ring, breaking it and triggering some damn mechanism!" Su Ming stared at the unremarkable ring in his palm, his mouth forming an "O." Though a mountain village kid, he'd heard elders tell tales about spirits. He did not throw the ring away. Instead, curiosity overcame his fear and he whispered, "Who... who are you? Are you an immortal grandpa from the mountain?" This was promising! Lin Yu brightened inside and continued to hold his pose. "Old man here... is but a remnant soul, sleeping in this ring for a thousand years. Today, I was awakened by you, little child." (Inner thought: Sleeping? More like bound by that damned seal for five hundred years!) He spoke ambiguously on purpose, neither fully admitting to being an immortal nor denying an extraordinary origin. Su Ming blinked, his young mind racing. "A thousand years? Then... then you must have lived for a very, very long time?" "Long enough... to have forgotten the passing of the ages." Lin Yu sighed deeply, letting his tone carry a world-weary sense of a master lonely at the top. In truth he was thinking: does five hundred years count as long? Compared to a thousand, is it lacking? The key wasn't how long he'd lived, but how to survive until the next blood streak didn't fall! Su Ming cradled the ring like a priceless treasure, his eyes full of reverence and wonder. He lowered his voice like a conspirator and asked, "Grandpa! Are you very powerful?" "Powerful?" The phantom hesitated—hard to answer. If he said he was powerful, he would be lying; he was a shabby soul tied up by a seal. If he said he wasn't, how could he manipulate the boy? How would he keep this child obedient and alive? He chose to shift meanings. "Old man... no longer concerns himself with worldly affairs. Fighting and killing are acts of the reckless. True doctrine lies in longevity and in... living sufficiently long." Inner thought: Survive! You must survive! If you live longer, I live longer! This line summed up his five centuries of survivalist strategy. Su Ming half understood but seized on a key phrase. "Live long? Like the old locust tree at the village entrance?" "...You could put it that way." Lin Yu's notional mouth twitched and he forced an explanation. "All things under heaven have lifespans. Cultivators who defy fate fight for that sliver of life. But all that striving often ends as dust. Only those who know how to avoid danger and cling to life can see the final vistas." Inner thought: For example, I watched over six unlucky fools' graves. He was already brainwashing his future "new landlord," instilling the core principle—survival above all! Su Ming nodded as if understanding, then brightened with excitement and said, "Grandpa! You're so powerful! I'll take you home to show my parents and brothers! They'll be so happy!" With that he bounded off again. "Stop!" Lin Yu snapped, panic raising his voice eight tones higher, nearly breaking character. The thorny seal tightened sharply with his emotional fluctuation. Su Ming froze, jolted by the stern command. Lin Yu immediately realized he'd slipped, and hurried to soften his tone. He adopted a solemn, almost pleading cadence with a barely perceptible urgency and said, "Little child, do you know the meaning of 'an innocent man is punished because he bears treasure'?" Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life C3: Becoming an Apprentice "Ah?" Su Ming looked completely bewildered. Lin Yu sighed inwardly and began his "First Lesson in Survival," the life-or-death lesson on how to stay alive. "This ring is a wonder of heaven and earth. My existence is an enormous secret! If it’s exposed, divine punishment will surely fall!" He intensified his tone, "If you tell anyone about this, whether it's your parents or your elder brothers, you will bring death upon them, and upon yourself!" Inner thought: Divine punishment my foot, I’m just worried about the seventh blood streak appearing and everyone being finished! He deliberately spoke with extreme gravity, even invoking divine punishment. Su Ming's face drained white. "Death… death? Why? My parents are good people." "Precisely because they are good people, they cannot guard such a treasure, nor can they bear the cost of knowing this secret!" Lin Yu coaxed in a leading tone, his voice laden with unquestionable weight, "Think about it, if the village finds out your family has a talking treasure ring, what would happen? If outsiders hear about it, what then? What about those immortal masters who can fly and hide across the lands, what would happen then?" "They… they would come and steal it?" Su Ming was not stupid; he immediately grasped the crux and turned even paler. "Not steal." Lin Yu's phantom shook its head, the tone grim, "It would be a catastrophe! They would kill to take the treasure, turn your whole family into mute corpses, and then take the ring." Inner thought: Okay, that’s a bit exaggerated, but the consequences of the seal collapsing are pretty much catastrophic too! Those words poured like ice water over Su Ming's excitement. He remembered how the village butcher, Old Wang, had his hand chopped off by passing bandits for hoarding an extra few pounds of meat. A talking ring was far more valuable than meat… He shivered in terror and gripped the ring even tighter as if clutching his own little life. "Th-then… what should I do?" Su Ming's voice quivered with tears. "Very simple." Lin Yu judged the moment right and threw out his core objective, "From today on, everything about me and this ring, you must not tell a single soul. Not one word! It is your greatest secret and your greatest responsibility! Can you do that?" Inner thought: Right, responsibility! Keeping your own life safe is keeping both our lives safe! Su Ming nodded vigorously, his face taut, his eyes filled with a solemnity he'd never shown before. "I can! I swear! I won't tell anyone! Not even my second brother! I won't tell even if I die!" "Good." Lin Yu exhaled in relief, feeling the thorny seal that strangled his soul ease by a hair. Convincing a child was still well within reach. Temporarily safe… for the time being. He looked at the nervous yet resolute boy before him, and that thought rose again, strong and insistent. Six previous landlords, all mature cultivators, had died so quickly they became nourishment for the seal’s blood streaks. Perhaps… a youth whose nature was not yet fixed, a blank slate who would obey him completely, was the ideal "host"? Maybe that was the key to preventing the seventh blood streak from forming? He could start over and train him into a perfect heir of survival. If the boy grew strong, Lin Yu would be safe. If the boy lived long and steadily, that damned seal couldn't find new nourishment in death! His pension plan… no, survival plan could last a long, long time. "Little one, what's your name?" Lin Yu's tone softened considerably, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible hope. "My name is Su Ming." "Su Ming…" Lin Yu murmured the name as if reciting a wish, "Would you be willing to accept me as your master?" Su Ming froze. Become an apprentice? To an old man who lived in a ring and seemed powerful? It sounded stranger than the tales told by the village storyteller, but it also… carried an indescribable pull. "Accept you as my master… what would I learn? How to live longer?" Su Ming asked, curious but anxious. "Indeed." Lin Yu's phantom nodded slightly, looking inscrutably profound, "I can teach you how to identify danger, how to avoid calamity, how to live steadily in this treacherous world. Perhaps… to live like an immortal in the eyes of others." Inner thought: The point is to avoid anything that could make you croak! He paused, then offered the final bait, the wish he felt most truly at this moment. "Do you want to change your fate? Do you want to grasp… the power to survive?" Those words struck Su Ming's heart like a heavy blow. He thought of his mediocre talent, his parents' backs bent from endless work, his elder brothers’ expectations and worries over his future. The power to survive… to change fate! Those four words planted like a seed, landing deep within him and quickly taking root. He looked at the ring in his hand and no longer saw cold metal, but a bright, unknown road—a path that could lead his family away from disaster and toward a steady life. He inhaled deeply, knelt solemnly before the ring, and struck a solid, resounding kowtow against the leaf-strewn forest floor. "Master!" Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life C4: Learn to Take a Hit First A crisp, clear "Master!" rang out, falling on the fallen leaves and resonating within Lin Yu's soul. Lin Yu's ethereal form almost couldn't hold itself together, shuddering and nearly dissolving into a blur. Inner thoughts: Wow, this kid gets into character fast! Is the newbie village tutorial starting already? He forcibly steadied his "Mysterious Dust Master" persona, maintaining a voice as calm as an ancient well: "Rise. Under my tutelage, tedious formalities are unnecessary. However, there are three ironclad rules you must never forget, my disciple." Su Ming lifted his dirt-stained forehead, his eyes sparkling brightly: "Please speak, Master!" "First, the existence of myself and this ring is the greatest secret of your life. Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, I know. If one more person learns of it, it will mean death for both master and disciple." Lin Yu's tone carried unquestionable authority. Su Ming's young face turned serious, and he nodded emphatically. "Second, think thrice before you act, plan before you move. Do not fight for momentary pride, but seek lifelong peace. Remember, the one who lives the longest is the true winner." This was essentially Lin Yu's blood-and-tears summary of five hundred years of survival tactics. "Your disciple remembers, Master," Su Ming replied solemnly. "Third..." Lin Yu paused; he hadn't actually thought of a third rule yet. His eyes (if a soul form had them) shifted, taking in Su Ming's patched coarse cloth shirt and his bare, scarred little feet. Inner thoughts: This "vessel for navigating the world" is way too shabby! Needs some patching up first! "Third, eat well and grow strong. The physical body is the vessel for navigating the world. If the vessel isn't sturdy, how can one cross the sea of suffering?" Su Ming was stunned. He had expected some earth-shattering sect rule, not this. His nose tingled, his eyes reddened again, and he let out a forceful "Mmm!" Lin Yu mentally gave himself a thumbs up. Perfect! It both demonstrated the master's caring concern and resolved the awkwardness of not having a third rule ready. Just as he was basking in his own cleverness, Su Ming suddenly exclaimed "Ah!", his little face instantly falling. "Disciple, what is it?" Lin Yu asked, trying to keep his tone steady. "Master... I... I need to hurry back home!" Su Ming hopped anxiously from foot to foot. "I snuck out of the village school today! Teacher Zhou must have already told my father!" Lin Yu: Village school? Alarm bells rang in his mind. What? There's schooling in the script? My future prodigy disciple is an academic underachiever? The keel of this "vessel" isn't even laid yet, and the captain's about to become illiterate? "Young child, why would you abandon proper studies to run off into the mountains?" Lin Yu's voice took on a stern edge. "The characters Teacher Zhou taught today were too difficult... I... I couldn't memorize them, and I was afraid he'd hit my palms," Su Ming's voice grew quieter as he spoke, his head drooping. Lin Yu almost choked on his soul energy. Well then, after all my careful selection, I ended up with an illiterate host? No, an academic underachiever! How are we supposed to achieve the ultimate retirement plan of "you become the big shot while I lounge around"? Can't read secret manuals, can't recognize pill recipes, how are we supposed to reap benefits later? "Nonsense!" Lin Yu's voice suddenly rose sharply. "The path of cultivation begins with the first step. Reading and writing are the keys that unlock the door to wisdom! If you can't even open the door, how can you talk about cultivation?" If you're illiterate, how am I supposed to read any secret manuals we might get later? My five-hundred-year-old soul doesn't recognize your local tadpole script! "Hurry! Return at once!" Lin Yu urged. "But... I'll definitely get beaten if I go back," Su Ming said with a terrified expression. "Beaten?" Lin Yu's ethereal form seemed to let out a cold laugh. "How can a disciple of mine fear a mere beating?" He shifted his tone, his voice becoming profound and mysterious once more. "This is your first lesson upon entering my school, called 'Concealing One's Edge'. A blade that shows its edge too readily is easily broken. Temporary forbearance is for the sake of longer-lasting peace. One beating can appease your father's anger, calm your teacher's wrath, and allow you to continue your studies. This is a worthwhile trade!" Su Ming was confused by the explanation, but he understood the words "worthwhile trade". He gritted his teeth: "Alright! Master, I'll go back and take the beating right now!" Saying this, he carefully tucked the ring into his chest, covering it with his ragged clothes, and sprinted down the mountain on his short legs. The evening glow dyed the village's dirt road a golden hue. Su Ming walked home with his head lowered, shuffling along like a little quail that had done something wrong. When he was still several dozen feet from his doorstep, he saw his second brother, Su Yang, leaning against the crooked tree by the courtyard gate, looking in his direction. "Where have you been running off to? Father's face is practically black as a pot bottom," Su Yang came forward and flicked Su Ming's forehead. He was a head taller than Su Ming and much more robustly built. "Second Brother..." Su Ming called out timidly. Su Yang looked him over, his brow slightly furrowed: "Something's off. You're not just scared of getting beaten today." He leaned in closer, lowering his voice: "Your eyes are shining like you found gold ingots. Spill it, what good stuff did you dig up in the mountains? A phoenix egg?" Su Ming's heart skipped a beat, his master's words immediately ringing in his ears. He quickly shook his head, making it swing like a rattle drum: "No! Nothing at all! I just... just got fascinated watching ants move house!" Su Yang studied him suspiciously for a long moment but ultimately didn't press further, just patted his shoulder: "Alright, be smart later, don't talk back." The moment they stepped into the courtyard, a sharp woman's voice rang out. "Well, look who's finally back, our little scholar of the Su family! So, how was the learning in the mountains compared to Teacher Zhou's? Did some monkey give you private lessons?" The speaker was his eldest brother Su Feng's wife, Wang Chuntao. She stood under the eaves with her hands on her hips, her lips curled in a mocking sneer. Su Ming's face instantly flushed bright red. In the center of the courtyard, his father Su Shan was squatting on the ground, silently sharpening a firewood knife. The grinding stone scraped against the blade with a harsh "scrape... scrape..." sound, each stroke feeling like it was scraping against Su Ming's heart. His mother, Mrs. Chen, peeked out from the kitchen. When she saw Su Ming, her face was full of worry. She seemed about to say something but was glared back into silence by Su Shan. Su Shan stood up, slipped the firewood knife back into his waistband, and casually picked up a bamboo strip as thick as a thumb that was leaning against the wall. He didn't say a word, just crooked his finger at Su Ming. Su Ming trembled all over and closed his eyes in despair. "Father..." Su Yang stepped forward, blocking Su Ming. "It was me! I told Xiao Ming to go find some medicinal herbs for me! It's not his fault!" "You?" The previously silent eldest brother Su Feng suddenly spoke up. He walked out of the house, his gaze falling on Su Yang like a sharp blade. "He plays truant, and you help him lie? The family tightens its belt to pay for his education alone, and this is how he wastes it?" Su Feng pushed Su Yang aside and snatched the bamboo strip from his father's hand. "Father, I'll do it! Today I'm going to straighten out both their temperaments for sure!" Su Shan glanced at his eldest son and silently stepped aside, giving his tacit approval. The bamboo strip whistled through the air and landed hard on Su Ming's back. "Smack!" A burning, sharp pain instantly spread. Su Ming flinched from the pain, clenched his teeth, and didn't make a sound. He remembered his master's words. "Concealing one's edge... Endurance... This is a worthwhile trade!" "Still dare to play truant?" Su Feng roared. Su Ming remained silent. "Smack!" Another strike landed on his leg. Su Ming staggered, almost falling to his knees, but he stubbornly held his ground. Lin Yu "watched" this scene from within the ring, mixed feelings swirling in his heart. Tsk tsk, a domestic violence scene. This kid's got tough bones. Good, good, damage resistance is an essential quality for a survival-focused cultivator. Well, consider it body tempering. "Eldest Brother! Stop hitting him!" Su Yang grew anxious and rushed forward to grab the bamboo strip. Su Feng swung his arm back, and the strip landed solidly on Su Yang's arm. "And you have the nerve to speak!" Su Feng's anger intensified. "It's because you spoil him all the time that he dares to cause such trouble! Today I'll teach you both a lesson!" In the courtyard, the sounds of the bamboo strip striking, angry shouts, the mother's tearful pleas, and Wang Chuntao's fake attempts at intervention—"Oh my, stop it!"—all mingled together. Seeing his second brother getting beaten while protecting him, Su Ming could no longer hold back his tears, which streamed down mixed with snot. It wasn't the pain; it was hatred for his own uselessness. Late at night. Su Ming lay face down on the bed, his back burning with pain. Second brother Su Yang came in quietly holding a small bowl of medicinal ointment and began gently applying it to his back. "Brother, I'm sorry," Su Ming's voice was muffled by the pillow. "Silly boy, why say that," Su Yang's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Just don't be so foolish anymore. Father and Eldest Brother only want what's best for you." After Su Yang left, Su Ming opened his eyes in the darkness. "Master," he called out in his mind. "Hmm," Lin Yu's voice responded, carrying a hint of... satisfaction? "How do you feel?" Inner thoughts: The pain of flesh is minor; what matters is that he internalized the lesson. "It hurts," Su Ming answered honestly. "Good that it hurts," Lin Yu said leisurely, his tone carrying the steadiness of an elder. "What has today's pain taught you?" Su Ming thought for a moment and said: "It made me understand that I'm too weak. I can't even protect myself, and I ended up dragging Second Brother down with me." "The youth is teachable," Lin Yu was very pleased. "Then, starting tomorrow, what should you do?" "I will study hard!" Su Ming's tone was incredibly firm. "I will carve every character Teacher Zhou teaches into my mind!" "Good," Lin Yu's voice held a faint, fox-like smile. Finally managed to steer this kid onto the right path... ahem, guide him properly. "Master," Su Ming asked again, "Is your knowledge hidden within very profound texts? Once I learn all the characters from the village school, will I be able to understand your teachings?" Lin Yu's soul form froze. Ouch... that's a tricky question! Can't very well say the master doesn't recognize them either, can I? He cleared his throat (metaphorically) and began his long-contemplated "art of persuasion," his tone sounding profoundly mysterious: "Not so. This old master's Dao has long transcended the constraints of written words, transforming into the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. However..." He shifted his tone. "...words are the vessels that carry 'principle'. If you don't even have a vessel, how can you cross the sea of wisdom? Every character you learn now is like laying down a keel, hammering in a plank, for the great ship that will one day carry the 'Supreme Dao'." "Therefore, your first task is to drain every last drop of ink from that old scholar Zhou Wen Yuan's belly! Can you do that?" Lying face down on the bed, even though the pain in his back was still piercing, Su Ming's eyes shone with an intimidating brightness in the darkness. He seemed to see a brand new path to power unfolding from the pages of yellowed books. "I can!" Su Ming declared solemnly. Seeing that Su Ming had been successfully persuaded, Lin Yu also smiled with satisfaction. Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life C5: Master Zhou The night was as thick as ink that couldn't be diluted. Su Ming lay prone on the hard earthen bed, the wounds on his back stinging with a piercing pain as the ointment took effect. He gritted his teeth, burying his face in the musty-smelling pillow without making a sound. "Does it hurt?" Lin Yu's voice sounded lazily in his mind. "Mhm." Su Ming responded gloomily. "Hurting means it's working." Lin Yu's tone gave no indication of emotion. "Remember this feeling. Your body is like a broken boat trying to cross a sea of suffering. Today's beating was just waves slapping against the deck. If the boat isn't sturdy, when storms come, it will be destroyed instantly with everyone aboard." What he actually thought was: "I need to improve this kid's physical condition. My retirement plan can't collapse right after I started paying into it." Listening to his master's words, the pain in Su Ming's back seemed to take on special meaning. "Master, I understand." "Understanding alone isn't enough." Lin Yu shifted topics. "Starting tomorrow, you must memorize every single character Teacher Zhou teaches, without missing a single one. For a boat to be sturdy, it needs blueprints first. These characters are your blueprints." Su Ming hesitated slightly. "But... my memory isn't good." "The slow bird must start flying early, and diligence can compensate for clumsiness." Lin Yu's voice carried undeniable authority. "This old master has ways to help you. Now, do something else." "What is it?" "Take off the ring." Su Ming was startled but complied, pulling the cold ring from his chest. "Your household has many eyes, and your second brother is particularly observant. If you keep wearing it while sleeping, you'll eventually be discovered." Lin Yu instructed. "See that crack in the roof beam? Hang it on that protruding wooden splinter inside the crack." Su Ming looked up and, by the faint moonlight streaming through the window, indeed spotted an inconspicuous crack in the overhead beam. Stepping on the bed frame and standing on tiptoe, he carefully hung the ring there. The ring disappeared into the darkness as if it had never existed. "Alright, go to sleep." Lin Yu's voice carried a hint of satisfaction. "Rest well. Tomorrow is your second lesson after joining." The next day, as dawn was just breaking. Su Ming climbed out of bed. The wounds on his back still hurt, but when he thought of his master's words, he felt filled with motivation. At the breakfast table, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy. Eldest brother Su Feng buried his head in his porridge, while Wang Chuntao glanced sideways at Su Ming. Father Su Shan remained silent as usual, but placed an extra serving of pickled vegetables in Su Ming's bowl. Mother Mrs. Chen looked at him with concern. "Little Ming, does your back still hurt? Maybe don't go to school today, ask the teacher for leave." "Mother, I'm fine." Su Ming shook his head and quickly finished the porridge in his bowl. "I'm full, going to school now." He grabbed the cloth bag hanging on the wall and rushed out of the house as if escaping. Su Yang watched his retreating back, his brow furrowed tightly. "Hey, Su Ming!" Just as he stepped out of the courtyard gate, he bumped into neighbor Widow Li carrying a basin of water. Her voice was loud and clear. "Why are you running so fast? Don't you dare skip Teacher Zhou's class again! The teacher was mentioning you just yesterday!" "Kid, who is this auntie with the built-in amplification array?" Lin Yu's voice sounded in Su Ming's mind, carrying a hint of teasing. Su Ming quickly replied in his mind: "That's Auntie Li, the neighborhood gossip. But her heart isn't bad." "Understood, village-level intelligence distribution center, high-risk interpersonal unit. Recommend maintaining safe distance." Lin Yu responded. Su Ming vaguely grunted "mhm" and kept walking, almost jogging as he disappeared around the corner of the alley. In the courtyard, Su Yang straightened up after finishing chopping a load of firewood, sweat droplets sliding down his sturdy arms. Watching Su Ming's hurried retreating figure with his tightly furrowed brow, he turned and exchanged a look with Mrs. Chen. In the schoolhouse, the air was filled with the smell of old books. "People at birth are naturally good..." Teacher Zhou was stroking his goatee, swaying his head as he led seven or eight children in reading. Lifting his eyelids, he spotted Su Ming sneaking in through the back door, crouching low. The reading voices abruptly stopped. "Su Ming." Teacher Zhou's voice wasn't loud, but it made the entire schoolhouse so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Su Ming walked to the front of the hall with his head lowered, proactively extending his left hand. The sound of the ruler cutting through the air was short and sharp. "Smack!" Three red marks quickly swelled on his palm, burning with pain. Su Ming clenched his teeth, not making a sound. Tsk, corporal punishment, such backward educational methods. Lin Yu shifted to a more comfortable "position" inside the ring. But "this is also a lesson, kid. First rule of survival: never get caught." Teacher Zhou withdrew the ruler, his gaze showing some regret at Su Ming's failure to meet expectations, then resumed stroking his beard. "Their natures are similar, but their habits make them different... continue reading!" Su Ming moved back to his seat, his left palm feeling like it was holding a ball of fire. He used his right hand to open the book, its edges curled and yellowed. "Kid, how does it feel?" Lin Yu's lazy voice emerged. "This is called tactile memory method. Simple and brutal, but highly effective for a blockhead like you." Su Ming ignored the teasing in his mind. He stared at the unfamiliar character "beginning" in the book as if trying to carve it into his eyes. "Their natures are similar, but their habits make them different..." The buzzing reading voices filled his ears again. He took a deep breath, suppressing the burning sensation, and opened his mouth to join in. The sound echoed through the small schoolhouse, making the window paper vibrate. Su Ming's throat grew dry from reading, and the stinging in his palm gradually turned into a numb, swelling heat. He focused with unprecedented intensity, every character rolling out of his throat feeling like he was hammering stubborn iron. After who knows how long, Teacher Zhou's ruler lightly tapped on the lectern. "Tap." The buzzing in the room instantly vanished. Teacher Zhou cleared his throat, his slightly clouded eyes sweeping over each young face. "Put away your books. Grind ink, prepare to learn today's new characters." Night fell once again. "People at birth are naturally good..." He wasn't sleeping, but was instead hunched over the table, using a charcoal stick to repeatedly practice the day's new characters on a worn wooden board. The door was pushed open silently, creating a crack. Su Yang stood outside the door, quietly watching the thin figure under the lamplight, his expression complex. His younger brother had returned today without saying much, just going straight to his room after eating. He had thought he was tired, but never expected... he was studying hard? This was too unusual. He pushed the door open and walked in. "Little Ming." Su Ming jumped in fright, hurriedly trying to hide the wooden board. "Second brother?" Su Yang walked to the table, picked up the board covered with characters, then looked at Su Ming's bloodshot eyes. "You..." Su Yang's voice was somewhat hoarse. "At school today, did the teacher punish you?" "No." Su Ming lowered his head. Su Ming's heart was pounding wildly, his master's warning echoing in his ears. He couldn't say anything, not a single word. He raised his head, his eyes suddenly reddening. "Brother," his voice carried a tremor and lingering fear. "I'm scared." Su Yang was taken aback. "I'm scared of being beaten again." Tears fell from Su Ming's eyes, his voice filled with grievance. "Even more scared... scared of seeing father and eldest brother hit you again. If I study hard, they won't get angry anymore, they won't beat us anymore." "Their natures are similar, but their habits make them different... continue reading!" The fear of being beaten was real. Not wanting to implicate his second brother was also real. Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life C6: Pretend to be a bad student Su Yang looked at the tear stains on his younger brother's face, and the slight suspicion in his heart was instantly replaced by heartache. He reached out, somewhat clumsily wiping the tears from Su Ming's face, his throat feeling tight. "Silly boy." Su Yang's voice was a bit hoarse as he awkwardly ruffled Su Ming's hair, "Wanting to study is a good thing, your brother supports you. As for father... don't take it to heart, that's just his temper." He sighed, "Don't study this late in the future, it wastes oil." Su Yang's voice softened, "Go to sleep early, you need to wake up early tomorrow." "Mm." Su Yang turned and left, gently closing the door behind him. Outside, he leaned against the wall, the heartache on his face gradually fading, replaced once again by a lingering trace of doubt. Xiao Ming's explanation was perfectly reasonable, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't that simple. The look in that child's eyes while reading today didn't seem like fear, but more like... he had found some kind of treasure, a kind of genuine focus and desire from the heart. Inside the room, Su Ming let out a long sigh and slumped into the chair. Su Ming lifted his head, roughly wiping his face with his sleeve, his eyes still red. "Master, I..." "You did very well." Lin Yu's tone carried a rare hint of praise, "Crisis management handled quite effectively. Successfully transformed an internal family conflict into the core driving force for your personal striving, while also consolidating the loyalty of the 'second brother' this important support unit. Not bad, reminiscent of my days as a project manager." Su Ming only half-understood. "Remember, survival rule number two: tears are the final weapon of the weak, but also the most effective disguise of the strong. Used properly, they're worth more than a thousand words." Lin Yu continued his teaching, "Your second brother is a quality unit, belonging to high-quality assets, needs to be maintained well." Su Ming responded with a muffled "Mm." He picked up the charcoal stick again, his gaze falling on the wooden board. The flickering lamplight illuminated his face, which showed unprecedented determination. The next day. In the schoolhouse, Teacher Zhou was stroking his goatee, swaying his head as he led seven or eight children in reading. Su Ming sat in the corner, remarkably not zoning out for once. He sat up straight, his eyes fixed intently on the scroll in Teacher Zhou's hands, his ears perked up like a rabbit's, not missing a single syllable. Teacher Zhou quickly noticed the unusual behavior from that corner. He stopped leading the reading and paced over to Su Ming's side, his cloudy eyes revealing a scrutinizing gaze. This kid played truant and got beaten yesterday, and today he's like a completely different person? "Su Ming." Teacher Zhou tapped the desk. "Here!" Su Ming jolted and stood up. "The ten new characters taught yesterday, do you still remember them? Come up front and write them from memory." Su Ming's heart immediately leaped into his throat. "Don't panic." Lin Yu's voice sounded just in time, "This old master has imprinted the stroke structures of those ten characters into your mind. You just need to copy them." Su Ming took a deep breath, walked to the front, and picked up a half-bald writing brush. He closed his eyes, and sure enough, ten incredibly clear large characters appeared in his mind, every stroke and line as if carved with a knife. He opened his eyes, lifted the brush, and dipped it in ink. "Wait!" Lin Yu urgently stopped him, "What do you think you're doing? Aiming for a perfect score?" Su Ming froze, asking in his mind, "Isn't that right?" "Fool!" Lin Yu sounded exasperated, "The outstanding tree attracts the wind! You, who just yesterday played truant because you couldn't read, today suddenly have perfect memory and masterful brushwork? Do you want to tell Teacher Zhou that you've been possessed by a monster, or enlightened by a deity?" Cold sweat instantly broke out on Su Ming's back. "Then... then what should I do?" "Concealing One's Edge! Don't you understand what Concealing One's Edge means?" Lin Yu patiently instructed, "Remember, from today onward, your goal isn't to be the best, but to be the student who 'is always working hard, but has average talent and shows slight improvement.' This way you won't arouse suspicion, while still satisfying your parents and teacher. Safe, low-key—that's the way!" "Deliberately write three characters wrong." Lin Yu gave precise instructions, "Two with wrong strokes, one simply write as a homophone. Make the mistakes reasonable, make them look like the kind of mistakes a slacker like you would make!" Su Ming steadied himself, the brush tip moving across the paper. He wrote seven characters correctly, with neat strokes, far better than before. Then, he deliberately wrote the two "kou" in the character "shan" as one "kou", and omitted one horizontal stroke below the "bai" in the character "xi". Finally, he wrote the character "yuan" as "yuan". Teacher Zhou came over to look, his eyebrows first furrowing tightly, then gradually relaxing. He stroked his beard and nodded. "Hmm... three wrong. But remembering seven counts as improvement." He pointed at the mistaken characters, "The strokes here are incorrect, one stroke is missing here, and this character is a homophone but different character. It shows you've been putting in some effort, but your foundation is weak and your mind isn't particularly sharp." He sighed and waved his hand, "Go back and sit down. Diligence can compensate for clumsiness, just work harder in the future." "Yes, Teacher." Su Ming felt as if pardoned from execution, lowering his head as he returned to his seat. Lin Yu breathed a long sigh of relief inside the ring, "That was close, that was close. This kid does have some acting talent. The boy is teachable, the boy is teachable indeed." During the following recitation session, Lin Yu began remote guidance again. "When reciting the 'Three Character Classic' later, deliberately stammer twice, slow down by half a beat. Show that kind of 'I'm desperately trying to remember, but just can't recall' embarrassed feeling, understand?" So when Teacher Zhou called on Su Ming, he stood up, stammering, his face flushed red, taking half the time an incense stick takes to burn to finish reciting one section, with two mistakes in the middle. Far from getting angry, Teacher Zhou instead showed a hint of pleased expression. This was more like Su Ming's proper level! Although still clumsy, at least his attitude was correct. Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life C7: Cultivation? "Alright, enough idle chatter, let's get to tonight's main topic." Lin Yu's voice turned serious. "Yesterday I said that for a ship to be sturdy, you need blueprints first. Today, let's talk about the timber for shipbuilding." "Timber?" "It's your body." Lin Yu evaluated bluntly. "Your physique isn't even comparable to rotten wood—at best, it's like a waterlogged, decaying stick. A single gust of wind could snap you in half, and you still dream of crossing the sea of suffering? Keep dreaming." Su Ming's cheeks flushed with warmth. "So, starting tonight, our cultivation will proceed on two fronts. Studying characters during the day is 'drawing the blueprints,' while at night we must 'select the timber'—no, 'forge the timber.'" "Master, what should I do?" Su Ming immediately perked up. "Simple, begin with a basic stance." Lin Yu directed. "Stand up, feet apart, shoulder-width. Yes, just like that. Then, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, and extend your arms straight in front of your chest." Su Ming followed the instructions, assuming a somewhat crooked posture. "Master, what is this called?" "This posture, in ancient traditions, has a resounding name." Lin Yu's voice became profound and mysterious. Su Ming held his breath. "It's called the 'horse stance.'" Su Ming: "..." "Don't underestimate this stance." Lin Yu sensed his disbelief. "This is the ultimate method to train your lower body strength and core stability. If you ever get into a fight later, standing more firmly than others means you're less likely to fall. If you need to run for your life, having strong legs means you can outrun others by several streets. One extra street could mean one extra life." Su Ming took a deep breath and sank his center of gravity lower. It was fine at first, but in less time than it takes for one incense stick to burn, his thighs began trembling uncontrollably. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the ground. "Back... straighten your back! Are you a boiled shrimp?" Lin Yu's voice roared in his mind. "Tuck in your stomach! Lift your hips! Imagine there's a red-hot iron nail beneath your butt—dare you sit down?" Su Ming jolted, sharply lifting his hips upward, instantly making his posture much more proper. But what followed was a needle-like soreness in his thigh muscles. "What's all that shaking? Did you install sewing machines in your legs?" "Hold on! Think of Teacher Zhou's ruler! Think of the way your eldest brother looks at you!" "Every drop of sweat you shed now is capital for survival in the future! Whether I can collect my pension until retirement depends entirely on these legs of yours!" Gritting his teeth, Su Ming's vision blurred with sweat, his entire body feeling as if it no longer belonged to him. He felt like he wasn't performing a horse stance, but rather carrying a mountain on his shoulders. After what felt like an eternity, just as he felt he was about to fall apart, Lin Yu's voice finally sounded again. "Alright, time's up. Get up." Su Ming felt as if granted amnesty, his legs going weak as he collapsed sitting on the ground, gasping for breath heavily. His two legs felt filled with scalding lead, sore, numb, and swollen. "How does it feel?" "My legs... aren't mine anymore." Su Ming panted. "Good, that means the training was effective." Lin Yu said with satisfaction. "This is the first introductory lesson, called 'body forging.' You'll practice this every night from now on. Now, rest a bit, we're moving to the second lesson." "There's... more?" Su Ming groaned. "Of course." Lin Yu said matter-of-factly. "The body is the ship, the mind is the captain. Even if the ship is built sturdily, if the captain is blind, it will still hit reefs and sink. Now, we begin training the captain." "Training the captain?" "Sit cross-legged." Struggling to get up, enduring the soreness in his legs, Su Ming sat cross-legged on the earthen bed. "Close your eyes, don't think about anything." Su Ming closed his eyes, but his mind became even more chaotic. The new characters learned during the day, Teacher Zhou's face, Second Brother's gaze, the soreness in his legs... all churned in his mind like a pot of boiling porridge. "Master, I... I can't do it." "I didn't ask you to achieve that." Lin Yu's voice was calm. "What you need to do now isn't to chase these thoughts away. The more you chase them, the more persistent they become. Like the stray dogs at the village entrance—if you glare at them, they think you want to play and will keep pestering you." "Then what should I do?" "Ignore them." Lin Yu said. "Just sit quietly and observe these thoughts. Watch them come, watch them go. Whether they want to do somersaults in your mind or sing songs, let them be. You are merely a spectator, someone sitting by a river, watching the water flow by. The fish, shrimp, water plants, and rotten leaves in the river have nothing to do with you." "This method, I call it 'meditation.'" Lin Yu's voice carried a distant tone. "It's a supreme wonderful technique to temper your soul. When your soul grows stronger, your memory and comprehension will naturally improve accordingly." What he actually thought was: "This is the meditation course I paid big money for in my previous life to cope with the 996 work schedule, mainly for stress relief and improving sleep quality. Never thought I could repurpose it here, packaging it as a cultivation technique—I'm truly a genius." Following Lin Yu's guidance, Su Ming tried to "watch" the thoughts in his mind instead of driving them away. He struggled to regulate his breathing—inhale, exhale. The soreness in his legs remained evident, and a faint stinging pain came from the wounds on his back. A thought emerged: "My legs are so numb." Just as Su Ming was about to focus on this numbness, Lin Yu's voice sounded: "Watch it, don't engage with it." So he tried hard to pull his attention back, continuing to focus on his breathing. Another thought popped up: "What new characters will Teacher Zhou teach tomorrow?" "Watch it, don't engage with it." "Eldest Brother seemed unhappy today..." "Watch it, don't engage with it." ... It was like playing a game of whack-a-mole—thoughts kept popping up one after another, and Su Ming repeatedly pulled his attention back to his breathing. The process was tedious and difficult. But he didn't give up. His master said this was a wonderful technique to temper the soul. He remembered his terrible memory, remembered Teacher Zhou's frustrated expression. He had to persevere. Time passed slowly in the silence, the oil lamp's flame flickering gently, casting his elongated shadow. Gradually, the soreness and numbness in his legs seemed to fade. The chaotic thoughts in his mind, like children who had tired themselves out from playing, appeared less frequently. His breathing became long and steady. At one moment, he truly felt like a spectator by the river, and the world quieted down. Although it lasted only a brief instant, that unprecedented tranquility and focus shook him deeply. "Alright, that's enough for today." Lin Yu's voice sounded timely, breaking the stillness. Su Ming slowly opened his eyes, feeling refreshed and clear-minded, with even his physical fatigue significantly reduced. "Master, just now I..." "You've begun." Lin Yu said lightly. "Feels good, doesn't it? Keep at it, the benefits are greater than you imagine. Now, hide the ring properly and go to sleep." Obediently, Su Ming hung the ring back in the crack of the roof beam. Lying on the earthen bed, he fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow. This sleep was unprecedentedly deep and sweet, completely dreamless. Inside the ring, Lin Yu's ethereal figure shifted into a more comfortable lying position, as if having completed today's work quota. Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life C8: Crouching Dragon The morning cooking smoke and the silence at the dining table were the unchanging melody of the Su household. Su Ming buried his head in his bowl, quickly drinking the rice porridge so thin you could see your reflection, his movements swift like a fledgling bird afraid of having its food snatched away. "Oh, look at our little scholar, trying to chew through the bottom of the bowl and eat the characters right into his stomach?" Wang Chuntao's voice carried its usual sharpness as she tapped her chopsticks against the rim of her bowl. "What's the use of just eating? The knowledge needs to go into your brain." "Say less!" Mrs. Chen came out carrying a plate of pickled vegetables, glaring at her eldest daughter-in-law. She walked to Su Ming's side and transferred the boiled egg from her own bowl into his. "Xiao Ming, eat more. Studying taxes the mind." Su Ming's movements paused briefly, but before he could speak, his father Su Shan put down his own bowl and grunted a muffled "Hmm" from the side. Su Ming split the egg into two halves, returning one half to his mother's bowl and burying the other in his porridge. Then he lifted the bowl and drank it all in one go. "I'm going to school." He put down the bowl, grabbed his cloth bag, and slipped out of the courtyard like a gust of wind. In the courtyard, Su Yang watched his younger brother's retreating back, then glanced at their father's gleamingly sharpened firewood chopper, lost in thought. At the schoolhouse, Teacher Zhou was explaining a new short essay. "...Therefore, the superior man is cautious when alone." He stroked his beard, his gaze sweeping over the students below. "Who can explain the meaning of these two characters, 'cautious when alone'?" The children looked at each other, the children from wealthier families avoiding eye contact, afraid of being called upon. A thin, weak hand hesitantly rose in the corner. Teacher Zhou looked somewhat surprised as he turned to Su Ming. "Su Ming, you may speak." Su Ming stood up, his cheeks slightly flushed as all eyes in the schoolhouse focused on him. "Replying to Teacher, I... I think 'cautious' means to be careful, and 'alone' means by oneself. So it means even when you're by yourself, you should still be careful." His simple answer was almost laughable, drawing soft snickers from the class. "What should one be careful about?" Teacher Zhou didn't laugh, instead pressing further. "Careful... careful not to do bad things." Su Ming's voice grew even softer. "Because even if no one sees, you yourself know in your heart." The surprise in Teacher Zhou's eyes deepened as he looked at this youth who had been beaten for skipping school just days before. Though still somewhat awkward, there was now a hint of contemplation in his eyes. "Hmm, not bad." Teacher Zhou nodded, signaling for him to sit down. "Though not entirely accurate, you're not far off. 'Cautious when alone' speaks of how a superior man's conduct and integrity should still conform to righteousness even when unsupervised. That you could grasp the concept of 'knowing in your own heart' is already commendable." He cleared his throat and looked at the others. "Did you all hear that? Studying isn't just about recognizing characters, it's about understanding principles! Though Su Ming may be slow, he applies his mind. What about you?" The children who had been snickering immediately lowered their heads. Su Ming sat down, quietly letting out a sigh of relief. "Beautiful." Lin Yu's voice sounded in his mind, carrying a hint of lazy approval. "Textbook-level Concealing One's Edge. You demonstrated your 'diligent thinking' while exposing your 'superficial understanding' as a poor student. Teacher Zhou probably sees you through a 'promising block of wood' filter now." Su Ming responded mentally, "Master, I was really nervous just now." "Being nervous is good," Lin Yu said. "Survival Rule Three: Never be the most conspicuous one, whether the best or the worst. The middle ground has the least wind, the safest place." Night. Su Ming's room had become his secret cultivation ground. "Squat lower! Get your butt down! Who are you showing off that high posture to?" Lin Yu's voice relentlessly drove him on in his mind. Su Ming's legs trembled like leaves in an autumn wind, sweat soaking through his back, flowing down his spine groove with an unbearably itchy sensation. "Master... I... I can't take much more." "Can't take it? You still have to!" Lin Yu snorted. "Did you think cultivation was like hosting a dinner party? This is replacing the keel of your broken-down ship! Every extra drop of sweat now means one more breath you can take when running for your life later!" What he actually thought was: "Hang in there, my retirement insurance! This is all future premium payments, can't miss a single drop!" Finally, the horse stance time ended. Su Ming plopped down on the ground, feeling like his legs no longer belonged to him. Before he could even catch his breath, Lin Yu's new command arrived. "Get up, lie face down." "Huh?" "On the ground, do fifty 'Prostrate Dragon Crawls'." Lin Yu thought to himself, "I'm truly a naming genius." "What's a Prostrate Dragon Crawl?" "It's using your hands to support yourself on the ground, moving your body up and down like a stick." Lin Yu concisely explained the new cultivation exercise he had invented. "This is a peerless technique for training your upper body and core strength! When you get knocked down in the future, you'll be able to get up faster than others - might just save your life!" Gritting his teeth, Su Ming pushed up his exhausted body. One, two... "Master, I think I understood something at school today." He spoke while panting, trying to distract himself. "Oh? Tell me about it." "The Concealing One's Edge you taught me isn't just about not drawing attention." Su Ming's movements slowed, but his voice grew clearer. "It's more about making others... feel at ease about me." Lin Yu's soul form paused for a moment. "The student is teachable." For the first time, genuine satisfaction colored Lin Yu's voice. "You're finally not a complete block of wood. Remember, the human heart is the world's most unpredictable formation, yet also the strongest shield. Make everyone underestimate you, and you'll possess the sturdiest armor." After physical training ended, it was time for soul tempering. Su Ming sat cross-legged on the kang bed, eyes closed in meditation. Now, he could quickly enter that "observer" state. Thoughts still flowed like a river in his mind, but he was no longer swept away by them. "Tonight, we'll increase the difficulty." Lin Yu's voice sounded. "Split off a thread of your attention to 'listen' to the sounds in your room." Su Ming complied. He heard the crickets chirping outside the window, the soft snoring from his parents' room next door, the moan of wind passing under the eaves, and even... the "thump-thump" beating of his own heart. "Split off another thread of attention to 'feel' the sensations on your skin." He felt the slight coolness of the air, the friction of his coarse cloth clothing, the thin calluses left on his palms from practicing writing. "Good." Lin Yu's voice carried guidance. "Spread your soul out like a net to perceive everything around you, but don't get drawn to any single point. This is the embryonic form of 'multitasking,' and the foundation for future environmental detection and danger avoidance." He mentally added: "This is also the 'multithreading work capability' that future elites must possess. Master this well, and even if you can't cultivate immortality later, you can still outcompete your peers as an accountant." Su Ming immersed himself in this marvelous perception, completely unaware of the passage of time. Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life C9: I Can't Survive Anymore The days passed by in a cycle of concealing one's abilities during the day and cultivating diligently at night, and before they knew it, a month had gone by. Su Ming's eyes were much brighter than before, and the entire person resembled a small blade of grass stubbornly growing through cracks in stone, exuding a silent tenacity. His changes were noticed by everyone in the household. At the dinner table, Wang Chuntao's sarcastic remarks had decreased significantly, because she discovered that this younger brother-in-law was much more efficient at chores than before, whether chopping firewood or carrying water, never complaining of exhaustion. Mrs. Chen, on the other hand, felt increasingly heartache for him, always trying to find ways to prepare some tasty treats for him. The one who had changed the most was Su Shan. One evening, Su Shan returned from town carrying a small package. During dinner, in front of the whole family, he opened that oil-paper wrapped package. Inside weren't food items, but rather a stack of hemp paper, a small ink stick, and a brand new writing brush. "For... for me?" Su Ming was stunned. These items would cost the family several days' worth of expenses. "Mm." Su Shan squeezed out a single word through clenched teeth, pushing the items toward Su Ming. "Teacher Zhou said you... are diligent. Stop using charcoal sticks." Su Feng and Wang Chuntao both stared in astonishment. Su Yang, however, smiled. He patted Su Ming's shoulder, his eyes filled with heartfelt relief. Su Ming's eyes instantly reddened. He grasped that writing brush that still carried the scent of ink, holding it as if it were the most precious treasure in the entire world. "Father..." "Eat!" Su Shan roughly cut him off, burying his head in his bowl to shovel rice. At night. Su Ming used his new writing brush to carefully copy the "Hundred Family Surnames" character by character onto the new paper. The newly purchased brush had a flexible tip, and the hemp paper carried a faint fragrance of grass and wood, infinitely better than the rough wooden boards. He wrote slowly and steadily. For each character, he first mentally reviewed the stroke structure that Lin Yu had deconstructed before putting brush to paper. "Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li..." "Hmm, not bad." Lin Yu's lazy voice sounded in Su Ming's mind, like a foreman inspecting his own enterprise. "After more than a month of intensive training, your common character library has expanded to six hundred and three characters. Barely meets our company's 'intern' hiring standards." The little abacus in his mind clicked loudly: "Physical fitness KPIs are steadily improving, cultural KPIs exceeded expectations. It's just this 'spiritual energy node exploration' project—not a shred of progress after a whole month. This backwater place really is a strategically abandoned region." He changed his tone: "The ring that houses my soul is called the 'Profound Heaven Ring.' It contains its own internal space, storing some of this old man's collections from back in the day. But to open it requires something called 'spiritual energy.'" "Spiritual energy?" This was the first time Su Ming had heard this term. "Yes, a type of energy that drifts freely between heaven and earth. You ordinary mortals cannot perceive it, much less utilize it." Lin Yu dangled the bait. "Only by absorbing spiritual energy into your body and embarking on the path of cultivation can you truly push open the door to a new world. Only then will you have even the slightest bit of self-preservation ability." "Then how... how can I obtain spiritual energy?" Su Ming's heart pounded wildly. "Difficult, more difficult than ascending to the blue heavens." Lin Yu's tone was filled with worldly wisdom. "Places rich in spiritual energy are all occupied by major sects and powerful factions. As a mountain village boy, how can you compete? Unless... you have the assistance of heavenly treasures and earthly wonders." He deliberately paused, fully arousing Su Ming's anticipation. "Or, with the most basic energy guidance method, forcibly draw a wisp into your body at a relatively abundant spiritual energy node, igniting the spark of cultivation." "Master, do you have such a method?" "Yes, naturally I do." Lin Yu's voice carried a trace of pride. "But we have the method—where is the spiritual energy node? This impoverished backwater has spiritual energy as thin as the rice soup in a widow's household—where could we possibly find one?" Su Ming's heart, which had just been ignited, was doused with a bucket of cold water. "However..." Lin Yu spoke again, "Nothing is absolutely certain. Perhaps nearby, there hides some weak node that we don't know about. Starting tomorrow, besides your cultivation, you need to do one more thing." "What thing?" "Observe." Lin Yu said solemnly. "Use the meditation method you've learned to perceive your surroundings. Where do you feel most comfortable, where do the flowers and grass grow most luxuriantly, where are the insects most active... Spiritual energy is the source of all living things' vitality. Where it exists, all things will be different." "Find it. This is your first real test to enter the path." Ten days later. "Master, I still can't sense the 'spiritual energy' you mentioned." He felt somewhat discouraged. "I've checked all around the village—the place where flowers and grass grow most luxuriantly is behind Aunt Li's outhouse, and where the most insects gather is under Butcher Wang's meat table." Lin Yu's soul twitched. "Ahem, process of elimination—this also demonstrates a scientific spirit of exploration." He forcefully saved face. "This shows that the true opportunity isn't in this tiny place. We need to set our sights further." Just then, Second Brother Su Yang's voice came from outside the courtyard gate. "Little Ming, are you asleep? Wake up early tomorrow, don't be late again." "Got it, Brother!" Su Ming quickly responded, blowing out the oil lamp. In the darkness, he carefully placed the written papers under his pillow, as if they weren't just paper, but stepping stones leading to the future. The next day, at the schoolhouse. After finishing the day's lessons, Teacher Zhou didn't dismiss class as usual. He cleared his throat, his slightly cloudy eyes sweeping over each young face, and the schoolhouse instantly fell silent. "There's one matter I need to discuss with you all." Teacher Zhou's voice carried a note of gravity. "At the beginning of next month, the county academy in Qingshi Town will open registration for the 'Tongsheng' examination records. Anyone ten years or older, with a guarantor's recommendation, can register to obtain eligibility to take the Xiucai examination next spring." The room erupted in barely suppressed commotion. Take the Xiucai examination! For these mountain village children, these three words seemed as distant as the moon in the sky. "This old teacher, entrusted by my mentor from the county academy, can recommend two people." Teacher Zhou's statement was like a massive rock thrown into a pond, stirring up waves. Two spots! Everyone's breathing grew heavy, their eyes burning with intense light. Su Ming's heart thumped violently. Go to town? Take the Xiucai examination? He instinctively looked toward Teacher Zhou, his eyes unable to conceal his longing. "Quiet!" Teacher Zhou rapped the table with his ruler. "This matter is no trivial affair. The journey is long, and travel expenses must be provided by yourselves. More importantly, those I recommend must have upright character and solid scholarship. Over the next half month, I will select two of you based on merit." With a loud clang, the dismissal bell rang. The children burst out of the schoolhouse like a flock of startled sparrows, carrying this astonishing news to every corner of the village. Su Ming remained frozen in place, his mind in complete turmoil. Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life C10: Venture Capital Lin Yu's voice echoed in Su Ming's mind, "No! Absolutely not! We need to lay low! We must lay low! The nail that sticks out gets hammered down! The bird that takes the lead gets shot first! Have you forgotten the survival principles I taught you?" "But, Master..." Su Ming silently retorted in his heart, "This is an opportunity." "An opportunity? This is a fishhook! Dangling delicious bait while hiding a deadly net underwater!" Lin Yu spoke with heartfelt distress, "What kind of place is Qingshi Town? Crowded with people and prying eyes, filled with all sorts of characters! Going there would be like delivering ourselves to the enemy! What if we encounter a sharp-eyed cultivator who sees through my existence? We'd both be instantly refined into a pair of tragic lovebirds with our souls scattered to the winds!" Su Ming was momentarily stunned by his outburst. "Then... should we forget about it?" "Forget about it?" Lin Yu's tone suddenly shifted, becoming conflicted, "Just giving up like that seems... not quite right either." He fell into an internal struggle. "Maintaining the status quo keeps risks controllable. Disadvantages: trapped in this dead-end situation, resources drying up, slowly dying. This is called the 'conservative waiting-for-death strategy.'" "Breaking the stalemate might bring contact with new resources, new information, and obtaining the 'Child Scholar' title as a low-level social identity for camouflage. This is 'risky strategic investment.' Disadvantages: unknown risks multiply dramatically, could lead to instant death." Lin Yu's soul drifted restlessly within the ring. "Damn it, my choice paralysis is acting up." He suddenly stopped: "I've got it! Our goal isn't to become the most dazzling genius, but to become the 'most reliable, most obedient, most trustworthy' one in Teacher Zhou's eyes! We need to make him feel that choosing you won't bring brilliance, but will absolutely never bring mistakes!" "Master, what should I do?" "From now on, you need to show 'eagerness' for this opportunity, but also display 'lack of confidence' in your own abilities." Lin Yu began his directorial career, "You need to work harder than before, but when asking Teacher Zhou questions, focus on the more basic ones. You need to make everyone, including Teacher Zhou, see you as a 'clumsy uncut jade' that needs a master's guidance to shine!" "Understand? What we want isn't stunning talent, but the highest evaluation of 'proper attitude'!" That evening, the atmosphere at the Su family dinner table was unprecedentedly tense. The news that Teacher Zhou was selecting people to go to town had already spread throughout the entire village. "Little Ming, do you want to go?" The first to speak was Second Brother Su Yang. Su Ming nodded, then shook his head, keeping his head down while eating. "If you want to go, then fight for it!" Eldest Brother Su Feng, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke with a steady, powerful voice, "Our Su family has never produced a scholar!" Wang Chuntao didn't speak, but placed a large portion of vegetables into Su Ming's bowl. Su Shan put down his wine cup, his cloudy eyes looking at his youngest son: "Don't worry about the money." After dinner, Su Feng pulled Su Yang to a corner of the yard. "Second brother, empty words are useless. A round trip to town, plus necessary expenses, will cost at least one tael of silver. Father's savings can't cover that." Su Feng looked toward the dark mountains in the distance, lowering his voice. Su Yang nodded: "I know. I've saved three hundred copper coins over the years, but that's far from enough." "Tomorrow, come into the mountains with me." Su Feng's eyes turned sharp, "We'll go deeper. With good luck, if we hunt a musk deer or dig up some valuable medicinal herbs, that should be enough." "Eldest brother, the deep mountains are dangerous." "Dangerous or not, we have to go!" Su Feng patted his younger brother's shoulder, his tone leaving no room for argument, "For Little Ming, it's worth it!" Their conversation was very quiet, but every word clearly reached Su Ming's ears as he stepped out of the house. He leaned against the doorframe, his body feeling somewhat cold. So those two spots weren't just about academic competition—they carried the weight of one tael of silver behind them. That was something his two brothers were going to risk their lives to obtain from the mountains. He returned to his room, closed the door, and stood in the darkness for a long time. "Master." Lin Yu's voice lacked its usual laziness, carrying a rare seriousness, "Foolish, so foolish! This is typical high-risk, low-return primitive capital accumulation! Gambling with their lives—if they fail inside those mountains, any future prospects become worthless!" He drifted restlessly within the ring space, his soul form becoming somewhat unstable. "I want to get that spot." Su Ming's voice was soft, but each word felt carved in stone. Lin Yu fell silent. He could feel that something within this kid had been ignited. "Ah, damn family warmth, it always interferes with my 'Heartless Great Dao' teaching." He sighed inwardly, "Forget it, forget it, consider this an additional emotional investment in my retirement insurance project." Su Ming lay on the cold earthen bed, eyes wide open, completely sleepless. "Right now, there's nothing you can do." Lin Yu's voice grew heavy, "The only thing you can do is turn their 'investment' into tenfold, hundredfold returns. Sleep now, conserve your energy for tomorrow, and play your part well." Su Ming closed his eyes, but the words "For Little Ming, it's worth it" echoed repeatedly in his mind like a brand. As dawn barely broke, movement could be heard in the yard. Su Ming dressed and went out to see Eldest Brother Su Feng already carrying his bow and arrows, with a firewood knife at his waist. Second Brother Su Yang was checking a cloth bag containing dry rations and a water pouch. Mrs. Chen, her eyes red-rimmed, stuffed two boiled eggs into Su Feng and Su Yang's bags: "Be careful on the road, don't go too deep, come back early if you can't find anything." Wang Chuntao stood by the door, her lips moving slightly, finally only saying: "Husband, come back soon." Su Shan squatted on the doorstep, smoking his pipe one puff at a time, his face obscured by swirling smoke. Su Feng said to his parents in a deep voice: "Father, Mother, don't worry." The brothers' figures soon disappeared into the morning mist. Su Ming stood in the yard, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. Contact - ToS