Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

That night, the moon looked like a cold pancake that had been bitten into, hanging alone in the sky, its light carrying a chilly taste.

Lin Tian had just put the little one to sleep when he slumped onto the broken rocking chair in the yard, swaying back and forth, pondering whether tomorrow he would eat the food sent by Hunter Zhang.

I dried the rabbit meat and stir-fried the greens that Aunt Chen had given me.

Life went on like the old waterwheel at the town entrance, creaking and turning, nothing new.

Just as I was feeling drowsy, the subtle connection between me and Xiao Hei suddenly tightened in my mind.

It's not that I saw anything, it's that I felt something.

Little Black was currently curled up in the shadow of the highest branch of the old tree in the center of town, like a real shadow.

It sent a very vague sensation through it—it seemed as if something had just breathed out at the wellhead, not the wind, but something heavier and more deathly still, which made the omnipresent "heaviness" around it tremble.

It was like... someone who had been sleeping for far too long, and in their dream, they turned over very slightly, causing the bed to groan.

Almost simultaneously, the ancient leaf Lin Tian was carrying in his arms suddenly felt a burning sensation where it touched his skin. Although it cooled down in an instant, the feeling was unmistakable.

Lin Tian jolted awake; the rocking chair stopped rocking, and he sat up straight, all sleepiness gone.

A well? An old tree? Leaves?

And then there's the sheer weight that makes the whole town feel like it can't breathe...

He narrowed his eyes and gave Xiao Hei a firm order: "Hold it there like a nail! If anything goes wrong with the well or the tree, make a sound immediately!"

He didn't sleep well that night.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Tian carried the still drowsy Lin Feng out the door.

The town looked no different from usual, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys and the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking.

But his eyes, which had been enhanced by the system and severely suppressed, still noticed something different.

The old doctor lay sprawled on the recliner behind the counter. The smell of wine in his gourd seemed to have faded slightly. Under his always half-closed eyelids, a sliver of light occasionally peeked out, as cold as water at the bottom of a well.

The monk Ku Hui sat at the entrance of the general store, his rosary beads, which were shiny and smooth, were being turned faster than usual, and he was muttering something unintelligible.

The clanging sounds at Wang Tiebi's blacksmith shop have become much muffled; each strike of the hammer seems to be a struggle against something.

Even Zhao Mang, lying at the entrance of the town, had a sharper, almost imperceptible glint in his eyes as he swept over passersby from under his straw hat.

The most obvious example is Master Lin.

In the afternoon, Lin Tian led Lin Feng, who was covered in mud from playing by the river, back home. They saw Lin Fuzi standing alone on the riverbank, gazing at the flowing water in a daze.

The scholarly air about him, usually contained like an ancient well, was now subtly stirring, like an undercurrent beneath the surface.

Lin Tian had an idea and moved closer, holding the baby.

"Mr. Lin, looking at the scenery?" He grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, trying his best to play the role of a carefree dad.

Master Lin snapped out of his reverie, saw it was him, nodded slightly, but his gaze lingered on his face for a moment, as if he were trying to figure something out.

"Young friend Lin."

His voice remained gentle, yet carried a lingering sense of gravity.

The two fell silent for a moment, with only the rushing river and Lin Feng's babbling as he played in the mud.

"Mr. Lin," Lin Tian decided to take the initiative and play dumb.

"I feel like this town... sometimes feels strangely heavy, like I'm suffocating. Is it a feng shui issue?"

Master Lin turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Lin Tian before landing on the enormous ancient tree, his expression complex and unreadable.

"Feng shui?"

He shook his head slightly, his voice lowering, as if talking to himself, or perhaps speaking to Lin Tian.

"It's not about feng shui, it's... a shackle, but also a blessing."

He paused, then finally looked at Lin Tian, ​​his eyes filled with a weariness and perseverance that Lin Tian couldn't understand: "Young friend Lin, do you know that some people, some places, seem to be alive, but in reality, they have already died, clinging on only for a thought, a responsibility, to avoid dissipation and reincarnation?"

Lin Tian's heart skipped a beat, but he feigned perfect bewilderment: "Huh? Dead... but not gone? Is this a ghost story, Mr. Lin? I'm easily frightened, don't scare me."

Seeing his unyielding attitude, Master Lin remained silent for a moment, then suddenly pointed to the ancient tree and the old well below: "Look at that tree, that well, do you see any difference?"

Lin Tian followed the gaze and honestly replied, "The tree is quite big, and the well is quite old."

"Yes, the tree is big, and the well is old," Master Lin said ethereally.

"Where they took root, lay a massive, long-decayed dragon skeleton. The dragon's body was dead, its glory gone, its flesh and blood returned to dust."

Lin Tian's pupils contracted slightly.

Dragon bones? Dead?

"But its true spirit has not been extinguished."

Master Lin's voice carried a strange rhythm, as if he were reciting an ancient sacrificial text.

"Imprisoned here by supreme power, with this remaining undying will as its core, mixed with the abundant spiritual energy naturally nurtured by this place, it has formed the unique blessed land of Hexi Town. It nourishes the people in the town, benefits the plants and trees, and ensures the health and longevity of people and animals."

Lin Tian was deeply shaken upon hearing this.

A blessed land?

So that's why this suffocating pressure was caused by this?

"Good fortune may be a harbinger of misfortune." Master Lin's tone shifted, becoming serious.

"This blessing comes at the cost of the eternal suppression of the dragon soul. This dense spiritual energy has also become the most solid cage. Here, all power that transcends the mortal realm is suppressed by the lingering remnants of the dragon soul and the sealing array. The higher one's cultivation level, the stronger the restraint, as if carrying a mountain on one's back. Using even slightly excessive power will trigger the dragon soul's instinctive backlash and the array's suppression, harming oneself before harming the enemy, and even... bringing unpredictable disasters."

Lin Tian finally understood.

No wonder!

No wonder these big shots are all acting like cowards; it's not that they don't want to make a move, it's that they're too afraid to!

This Hexi Town is a super luxurious prison and retirement home built with dragon corpses and dragon souls!

The people outside want to get in?

You can get in, but you can't get out; you have to obediently follow the rules.

The people inside want to cause trouble? They'd better think twice about whether they can withstand the Dragon Soul's morning grumpiness!

"So..." Lin Tian licked his slightly dry lips.

"Are we living... on a grave? Or a dragon's grave?"

Master Lin was taken aback by his crude yet precise analogy, then revealed a bitter smile: "You could say that. We are here, supposedly to guard, but in reality... we are also being buried alive. Guarding this dragon corpse, this blessed land, this secret, until... the next reincarnation, or the day of utter annihilation."

His gaze fell on Lin Tian again, carrying an indescribable meaning: "Young friend Lin, you are an anomaly. I cannot see through you, but you can live here peacefully and carefree, perhaps... this is your destiny. However, this balance is fragile, and there were slight ripples last night. I hope you will take care of yourself and not... break this stagnant tranquility."

Having said that, he said no more, turned around, and his long silhouette in his blue robe stretched out in the setting sun as he walked step by step toward the huge ancient tree that seemed to cast a shadow over the entire town, as if he were going to light a solitary lamp that could not illuminate many places.

Lin Tian stood there, watching Lin Fuzi's figure disappear, then looked down at his son in his arms, who had quietly fallen silent and was now staring at him with his big, dark eyes.

"Dead...not completely dead..." Lin Tian muttered to himself, feeling a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

This Hexi Town is no newbie village at all, it's a fucking rip-off!

A super-sealed land that uses mythical creatures as its core energy source and jailers!

He had been thinking about how to lie down comfortably, but now he realized that he had been dozing off on the crater. Although the volcano was dead, who knew if it would explode and release some corpse gas one day?

He picked up his son and felt the little guy's heavy weight.

"Who cares!" Lin Tian suddenly grinned again, revealing that carefree smile.

"So be it, a dragon tomb is fine. As long as the spiritual energy is plentiful! Anyway, if the sky falls, these big shots who can't even die properly will hold it up."

He bent down and poked his son's soft little face with his beard, making the little guy giggle.

"Come on, Wuyou, let's go home! Dad will steam some egg custard for you, with extra minced meat!"

As for the strange movements at the bottom of the well, the dragon soul's resurrection, and the fragile balance...

What's it to him!

Lin Tian only wanted to live a fulfilling life on this dragon's tomb.

As for the rest, whatever!

The point in his mind where he lay flat seemed to jump slightly, almost imperceptibly, under his "sudden enlightenment" state of mind.