Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

When they returned to the Lin family courtyard, it was already completely dark.

Shi Yao had already lit the oil lamp, and the warm light shone through the window, bringing a sense of home.

Lin Feng was probably tired from playing and had already been coaxed to sleep by Shi Yao.

Seeing Lin Tian and Yuan Tiangang return safely, Shi Yao visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

When she noticed that there was a blurry, strangely aurad figure following behind Lin Tian, ​​a hint of surprise appeared on her charming face, but she did not ask any further questions.

"Young master, general, the food is keeping warm in the pot."

Shi Yao said softly.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Lin Tian nodded and beckoned Yuan Tiangang and... that dark figure into the house.

The courtyard gate was closed, cutting off the view from the outside world.

Lin Tian then said to the dark figure that was trying to hide in the corner and curiously looking at the furnishings in the room, "Alright, stop pretending to be a shadow and show yourself. There are no outsiders here."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hei felt as if he had been granted a pardon. His illusory figure rippled and quickly solidified, transforming into the image of a handsome young man with a tattered black robe and a slightly roguish air.

He sniffed greedily, still not needing anything, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the simple meal on the table: "Thousands of years... thousands of years since I've smelled the aroma of human cooking!"

Lin Tian looked at his pathetic state and couldn't help but laugh and cry: "Don't worry about food yet. Since we've decided to let you show yourself, you need a plausible identity. You can't exactly tell people you're a thousand-year-old ghost I picked up from a cave in the back mountain, can you?"

Xiao Hei scratched his head, the illusory figure asking, "Then, young master, what should my identity be?"

Lin Tian stroked his chin, sizing him up.

This guy actually looks pretty good, but that tattered black robe is too cheap, and the husky-like excitement in his eyes doesn't match his status as a terrestrial immortal.

"How about this?"

Lin Tian clapped his hands,

"Just say he's my distant cousin, his family suffered a disaster, and he came to seek refuge with me. His name... still Long Aotian? No, that's too flashy. How about... Ao Xiaohei! Yes, Ao Xiaohei!"

Long Ao's face fell: "Young Master... this name... can we discuss it again? Ao Xiaotian? Ao Xiaoyun? Even Ao Dazhuang would be fine!"

"No, let's name him Ao Xiaohei. It's down-to-earth and easy to raise."

Lin Tian made the final decision.

"Remember this, you're my cousin. As for your cultivation level... let's say the Innate Realm, that's barely acceptable. Personality... well, just be yourself, be lively, be very curious, but don't cause trouble! If your true identity and strength are revealed, I'll have the Commander-in-Chief stuff you back into the cave!"

Upon hearing the word "back to the cave," Long Ao jumped to his senses and quickly replied, "Understood! Cousin! Lively, curious, and won't cause trouble! Absolutely playing yourself!"

And so, at the eastern end of Hexi Town, the Lin family of Lin Tian gained a new member—Ao Xiaohei, a distant cousin who came from afar to seek refuge with his cousin.

The next day, Lin Tian took his new "cousin" out for a stroll, marking his official debut.

Ao Xiaohei was full of curiosity about everything.

Upon seeing the ancient tree, he wanted to climb up and circle it twice, but Lin Tian stopped him with a look; upon seeing the well, he wanted to peek out to see if there were any treasures, but Lin Tian pulled him back.

Seeing the bald head of the monk Ku Hui, he wanted to touch it to see if it was smooth, but Lin Tian stepped on his shadow.

Watching Wang Tiebi forge iron, he squatted down and observed for a long time, commenting, "This is a bit lacking. Back in the day... I've seen people forge iron with dragon flames, that was something else..."

"Shut up!"

Lin Tian quickly covered his mouth, but missed. He gave Wang Tiebi, who looked over after hearing the noise, an awkward smile and said, "Uncle Wang, don't mind him. He's my cousin, a country boy who's never seen the world and just loves to brag."

Wang Tiebi glanced at Ao Xiaohei, then at Lin Tian who looked helpless, and gave a muffled "hmm" before continuing to forge iron, though a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

The townspeople weren't too surprised that Lin Tian's family suddenly had an extra relative. In those chaotic times, many people sought refuge with relatives and friends.

This young man is indeed handsome, but his eyes are too lively, making him seem a bit unsteady.

When Master Lin saw Ao Xiaohei from afar, his brows furrowed slightly, but he ultimately said nothing.

The old doctor was still drunk, but as he brushed past Ao Xiaohei, his cloudy eyes seemed to open slightly, glancing at him before returning to normal.

The monk Ku Hui smiled at Ao Xiao Hei, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and his eyes were clear, as if he saw through something, but he said nothing.

Ao Xiaohei quickly adapted to the life of an "ordinary person".

He followed Lin Tian to Brother Chen's house to see Xiao Jing'an, making the little one giggle. The dragon's aura, even if it was just a remnant soul, had a natural affinity for the pure infant.

Although he often made things worse by helping Shi Yao tidy up the yard, for example, when he tried to use a small amount of dragon energy to accelerate the growth of wild vegetables, he almost burned the seedlings.

He also tried to communicate with the little boy, but was rendered speechless by the three-year-old's imaginative questions.

"Uncle, why is the sun round?"

"Uncle, why do ants move house?"

"Uncle, can you fly?"

Ao Xiaohei: "..."

He suddenly felt that being locked in the cave wasn't so bad after all.

Lin Tian watched as Ao Xiaohei gradually integrated into the town's life. Although he would occasionally cause some funny or absurd situations, he was generally well-behaved, so Lin Tian felt relieved.

With this new "cousin," the house has become much livelier.

This guy has a huge appetite. Although the remnant soul doesn't need to eat, he insists on experiencing life and has a particular fondness for Shi Yao's braised pork. Every time, he can eat three large bowls of spirit rice with the broth. The system's creation makes Lin Tian deeply suspicious that all the dragons are reincarnated starving ghosts.

Life continues to flow on in these seemingly ordinary daily routines.

The people in the town had a vague feeling that ever since the Lin family gained a distant cousin named Ao Xiaohei, Hexi Town seemed to have become more... vibrant.

With Ao Xiaohei, a local expert, even though it was a forced connection, Lin Tian's understanding of Hexi Town deepened considerably.

At night, while Shi Yao and Lin Feng were asleep, Lin Tian and Yuan Tiangang would occasionally be there, along with Ao Xiaohei, who was in his soul form. They would drink tea in the courtyard, with Lin Tian and Yuan Tiangang drinking while Ao Xiaohei would chat idly while smelling the aroma.

"Young master, don't be fooled by the fact that this town looks peaceful now."

Ao Xiaohei held an empty teacup, pretending to smell the non-existent aroma of tea, but his tone was somewhat serious.

"The one lying underground refers to the dragon's true form. Although it is dead, its lingering spirit remains. I can sense that it has been... somewhat restless lately."

Lin Tian raised an eyebrow: "Restless? What do you mean?"

"It's a kind of... restlessness."

Ao Xiaohei tried hard to organize his thoughts.

"It's like a sleeping person having a nightmare, occasionally turning over and muttering in their sleep. Although it's tightly suppressed by the great formation and can't cause any major disturbances, these subtle fluctuations can't escape the notice of us beings of the same origin. I suspect it's related to the increasing chaos outside, and it might also be... related to the actions of certain people in this town."

His gaze swept meaningfully towards the direction of the ancient tree in the center of the town, and then towards the direction of Master Lin's house and the pharmacy.

Lin Tian seemed to be deep in thought.

The scoundrels are stirring up trouble outside, expanding their power, and have certainly disrupted the original balance.

As the core of the seal, Hexi Town is subtly connected to the outside world's fortune, so it's not surprising that it's affected.

Add to that his own variable status, and the individual thoughts of the four seal keepers...

"And that cave,"

Ao Xiaohei continued,

"Although that barrier was a scrap of material used to seal me, it was still connected to the main formation. The big boss and I forcibly broke through it and went in. Although it was quickly sealed again, it inevitably caused some chain reactions, like throwing a pebble into a calm lake."

Lin Tian rubbed his temples: "So, this place is a powder keg that could explode at any moment?"

"More or less."

Ao Xiaohei shrugged.

"But don't worry, young master. With me and the boss here, even if it explodes, we can protect you and the young master. Besides, those four old guys aren't pushovers either. They've been guarding this place for so many years; they must have some tricks up their sleeves."

Yuan Tiangang, who had been silent all along, spoke at this moment, his voice low and deep: "The dragon soul is stirring, and the outside world is in turmoil, all because the balance is about to be broken. Our lord is now at the center of the vortex. Only by seizing the initiative can we break this deadlock."

Lin Tian understood what the commander meant.

Simply hiding and passively responding is not a solution.

To truly lie down peacefully, one must have the ability to control the situation.

He looked at the slowly increasing number of lying-down points on the system panel, then glanced at the comical version of the Bad Commander and the True Dragon Remnant Soul beside him, and a vague plan gradually formed in his mind.

Perhaps it's time to take a more proactive approach to understanding the truth of this world and to reach out to the forces hidden behind the scenes.

It's not about vying for supremacy, it's just about... being able to lie low more easily.

"Little Black,"

Lin Tian suddenly asked,

"How much do you know about those 'protectors of the world' who surrounded and killed you back then? Who were they? Are they still around?"

Upon hearing this, Ao Xiaohei's face flashed with a complex expression, a mixture of resentment and apprehension.

"Those old guys... their origins are very mysterious."

He recalled,

"They claim to protect the balance of this world and eliminate unstable factors. Those who surrounded and killed me back then were only a part of them. I think their organization was called something like... the Celestial Patrol Bureau? Or the Celestial Surveillance Pavilion? I can't quite remember, but it sounded pretty intimidating. As for whether they're still around now... these old monsters, as long as they're not killed, can live for tens of thousands of years like it's nothing. However, with the changes in the rules of heaven and earth, they may also be restricted and unable to show themselves easily."

The Celestial Patrol Bureau? The Celestial Observatory?

Lin Tian memorized the name.

This sounds like the kind of mysterious organization that maintains the operation of "Heaven's Way," usually the big boss that the protagonist needs to overthrow or cooperate with on his way to level up.

"Okay, I understand."

Lin Tian nodded.

"Pay more attention to this kind of information in the future."

He then looked at Yuan Tiangang: "General, please take good care of things outside. The intelligence network needs to be further strengthened, especially regarding the movements of these ancient organizations and the top forces from all sides."

"Yes, ma'am."

Yuan Tiangang nodded.

Just then, a fluctuation came from the mental connection between Little Black Finger and Shadow Raven in Lin Tian's mind.

It has been monitoring the cave and its surroundings.

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

He yawned and stood up: "Alright, let's deal with whatever happens tomorrow. Time to sleep, get some rest so I can better handle any trouble."

Ao Xiaohei quickly chimed in, "Young Master is right! Sleep is the most important thing! I haven't had a proper night's sleep in thousands of years!"

Does a remnant soul need to sleep?

Yuan Tiangang silently rose, his figure disappearing into the shadows as if he had never been there.

Lin Tian returned to the room, looked at his son sleeping soundly on the bed, and gently tucked the blanket around him.

No matter how turbulent the outside world may be, protecting this little family and ensuring his safe and happy growth is Lin Tian's most important "mission".

As for the rest...

there is always a solution to a problem.

There's a system, a great general, and now there's also a somewhat unreliable remnant dragon soul as a subordinate.

Let's see how big this storm can get for this salted fish!