Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

Lin Tian sat by the window on the second floor of "Yuelaiju," the only small restaurant in town, and ordered a few side dishes and a pot of locally brewed rice wine.

Xiao Linfeng sat on the high chair he had specially asked the waiter to find for him, with a bowl of smooth steamed egg custard in front of him. He was eating with a small spoon, his face covered in custard, making little noises as if he were very satisfied.

Yuan Tiangang stood behind Lin Tian, ​​like the most loyal guard, motionless.

His attire and unapproachable aura made even the waiter who wanted to strike up a conversation avoid him.

"General, would you like to sit down and have something to eat?" Lin Tian invited.

"Young Master, you may have your meal; I need not eat," Yuan Tiangang said calmly.

At his level, he had long since abstained from grains, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was his sustenance.

Lin Tian didn't insist. He poured himself a glass of wine, took a small sip, and found it to be light and slightly sweet, not bad.

His gaze, seemingly casually, swept through the window, surveying the street below and the shops across the street.

They have just found the old house from the original owner's memories at the east end of the town.

A tiled house with a small courtyard, though uninhabited for a long time and covered in dust, is secluded and well-preserved.

The old man in town was examining the house deed for a long time, then scrutinized Lin Tian from head to toe for quite some time before muttering something under his breath.

"Yes, he looks just like your father when he was young..."

He then readily handed over the keys without asking any further questions. Clearly, the townspeople only knew that "the Lin family boy" had returned to the house, and didn't have much of an impression of him personally.

"System, open my properties panel," Lin Tian silently commanded in his mind.

The light blue interface reappeared:

[Host: Lin Tian]

[Cultivation Level: Eighth Level of Celestial Being (System has automatically hidden)]

[Technique: None]

[Skills: None]

[Lying Down Spot: 10/100 (A relatively safe and comfortable environment with a slight increase in acquisition efficiency)]

[Current number of summons available: 0]

[System Shop: Not Open]

"It'll be soon. I'll need to rest for another three days or so, and then the online store will be open." Lin Tian was very satisfied with this.

Earning money by lying down is easier than slacking off at work.

"General, what do you think of this town?" Lin Tian asked casually as he wiped Lin Feng's mouth.

Yuan Tiangang's gaze remained fixed on the view outside the window, his voice low and deep: "Hidden dragons and crouching tigers, undercurrents surging. That soldier at the town entrance, his killing intent restrained, is a seasoned veteran. The old man at the pharmacy across the street, his aura faintly resonates with the underground dragon energy, he must be one of the guardians of this place. The fat monk at the general store, his Buddha-like aura flickering, cultivates a worldly Zen. And that blacksmith, his blood energy like a furnace, his military skills have reached a state of perfection."

He paused, then added, "More importantly, that ancient tree and that well form the core of an extremely ancient and powerful sealing formation, sealing off the massive dragon energy underground. This formation... is incredibly profound; the cultivator who set it up is likely far more powerful than I am now."

Lin Tian clicked his tongue in amazement.

The Bad Leader is indeed the Bad Leader; his insight is beyond question.

They figured out most of the details as soon as they arrived.

"So, we've stumbled into a game played by some big shots?" Lin Tian rubbed his wine glass, his eyes gleaming.

"To them, the young master might be a 'variable' outside the game," Yuan Tiangang said.

"A variable?" Lin Tian smiled and fed Lin Feng a sip of water.

"What I hate most is being used as a pawn. Back in my day job, my boss used me like a pawn, constantly making empty promises and manipulating me. Now that I've transmigrated, do they still want me to be a pawn?"

He put down his wine glass, his eyes becoming clear and resolute: "Now that I'm here, I should take this position as the chess player myself."

How can he sit? With his cultivation level of the eighth level of the Celestial Realm and his status as the Bad Commander, he might be able to protect himself, but that's far from enough to take control of the game.

He needs eyes, he needs ears, he needs a network that spans this town and even the whole world.

And the system is his greatest asset in weaving this network.

"Lying down is still too slow," Lin Tian thought to himself.

"We need to find a way to speed things up. Opening the shop and summoning is currently the fastest way."

He looked out the window at the shops of those "experts" and had an idea.

"General, later you go to the general store and buy some daily necessities, and while you're at it, keep an eye on that fat monk. Then go to the pharmacy and say I'm new here and my child is having some trouble adjusting to the new environment, so buy some calming herbs and find out what's going on with the old man." Lin Tian began giving instructions.

"Note that this is just observation; there is no need for contact, and certainly no need for conflict."

"Yes, sir." Yuan Tiangang accepted the order, and his figure disappeared from the spot like a ghost, without even attracting the attention of anyone downstairs.

Lin Tian continued to sit by the window, teasing Lin Feng, seemingly enjoying this rare moment of leisure, but in reality, his brain was working at a rapid pace.

"The characters summoned by the system are absolutely loyal, which is its biggest advantage. However, there is currently only one free summoning opportunity per month, which is too uncertain. We must open the shop as soon as possible to see if there are any ways to directly increase the number of summons or quickly obtain 'lying points'."

"This town may seem peaceful, but it's sealed with a true dragon, attracting so many powerful figures to guard it. It's definitely not a place of lasting peace. The storm will come sooner or later, and I must have the power to protect myself and even control the situation before then."

"Establishing a gang of scoundrels... needs to be put on the agenda. Let's start from this little courtyard."

Before long, Yuan Tiangang returned, carrying some rice, flour, cooking oil, and a small medicine packet.

"Young master, the monk at the general store has a refined and approachable demeanor, but his mind is clear and his Buddhist cultivation is considerable. He should belong to the Western Regions Buddhist lineage, but his approach is slightly different, closer to the secular world," Yuan Tiangang reported.

"When I approached the old man at the pharmacy, I could sense that his aura was faintly connected to the earth's veins. The medicinal herbs he gave me were all top-grade, and he didn't test me much."

Lin Tian nodded; it was pretty much what he had expected.

These old monsters are all very shrewd; they won't make a move easily before they've figured out their true strength.

Over the next few days, Lin Tian finally got to live the "lying down" life he had always dreamed of.

During the day, he would carry Lin Feng around the town, let them bask in the sun, chat with the neighbors, listen to the old people talking under the old tree in the center of town, and watch the women washing clothes by the well.

He perfectly portrayed the image of a down-on-his-luck young father returning to his hometown with his young son, gentle, polite, and even a bit lazy that young people shouldn't have.

He never used his cultivation again, nor did he ask Yuan Tiangang to do anything that would attract attention.

It was as if Wang Tiebi's vigilance at the town entrance and Yuan Tiangang's investigation that day had never happened.

Secretly, the number of times he wanted to lie down in his mind was steadily increasing.

[Lie flat +1...]

[Lie flat +1...]

[Host detected to be in a "peaceful" environment, with a "relaxed" state of mind; lying down increases acquisition efficiency by 10%...]

As instructed by Lin Tian, ​​Yuan Tiangang, posing as a "guard sent by Lin Tian's family," quietly left the town in the dead of night.

His task was to find homeless orphans with potential in the surrounding towns, or down-on-their-luck but still decent martial artists, to conduct preliminary investigations and contacts, laying the first foundation for the future formation of the "Bad People".

Lin Tian knew very well that true power could not rely solely on the system's summoning.

Cultivating a local, absolutely loyal force is equally important.

A few days later, one afternoon, Lin Tian was holding Lin Feng, who had become familiar with him and was no longer shy, in his own courtyard, basking in the sun, watching the little guy wobbling and chasing a butterfly.

Finally, a pleasant notification sound rang in my mind:

[Your "Lying Down" points have reached 100. Do you wish to open the system shop immediately?]

"Activate!" Lin Tian's spirits lifted.

The system interface in front of me flashed, and the [Shop] icon lit up, instantly unfolding into a richer and more dazzling light screen.

The goods are categorized into various types, including martial arts techniques, props, weapons, rare items, skill books... everything is available.

Although most high-level items are still grayed out and priced at astronomical sums, the lowest-level category is now open to him.

His gaze swept quickly across the list, finally settling on a few items that he needed most at the moment:

[Basic Summoning Ticket (Random): Consumes 100 Lying Points to perform one random summon from Silver to Black Gold rarity.]

[Lying Down Point Acceleration Card (24 hours): Consumes 10 Lying Down Points, doubling the rate at which Lying Down Points are acquired for the next 24 hours.]

Basic Breathing Techniques (Yellow Grade): The most basic method of inducing Qi, worth 10 Lie Ping Points.

Shadow Stealth (Fragment) (Low-grade Yellow): A footwork technique suitable for stealth and reconnaissance, worth 80 lying points.

"Good" token (standard): Can be mass-produced by consuming 1 Ping Point/token. It is a symbol of the identity of a bad person and comes with weak communication and location functions.

Lin Tian looked at the [Beginner Summoning Ticket] and the [Lying Down Speed-Up Card] and smiled with satisfaction.

"Let's start with a summoning."

Without hesitation, he spent 100 points to exchange for a [Beginner Summoning Ticket].

"System, use a summoning ticket!"

The scroll in my hand turned into starlight and disappeared.

[Summoning begins... Summoning level is randomizing... Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained a Gold-tier summoning item—a Poké Ball (containing: Zubat)!]

Lin Tian: "???"

He stared at the familiar red and white sphere that had suddenly appeared in his hand, along with the words in the system description: "Can be used to subdue non-humanoid intelligent beings (success rate depends on the difference in strength and condition between the two parties)." He was speechless for a moment.

"Okay, although it's not a big deal, it's still a start."

Lin Tian weighed the Poké Ball in his hand, feeling both amused and exasperated.

He had originally hoped for a silver-level assassin or a gold-level strategist.

However, something is better than nothing.

He casually put the Poké Ball away and turned his gaze back to the shop.

With a few dozen "lying down" points remaining, he thought for a moment and exchanged them for a few "Good" tokens and the [Lying Down Point Acceleration Card].

After using the acceleration card, he felt that the atmosphere around him had become more "comfortable", and the accumulation speed of lying flat points was significantly faster.

"Next, we just need to wait patiently, continue to 'lie flat' and accumulate strength, while..."

Lin Tian looked at Lin Feng, who was carefree chasing butterflies in the yard, and his eyes softened and deepened. "Take a good look at this different kind of 'hometown' life."

He had a premonition that the peace in Hexi Town wouldn't last long.

And this net he has just begun to weave will come in very handy sooner or later.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the courtyard, casting long shadows of the father and son.

In the distance, the faint clanging of the blacksmith's shop closing time and the aroma of food wafting from the restaurant could be heard.

Everything seems to be just beginning.