Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

When the rooster crowed three times, the sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

Hexi Town was still shrouded in the last vestiges of night, with a thin layer of frost covering the bluestone pavement, which crunched softly underfoot.

The white breath exhaled by the early-rising water-carrying man condensed into a small cloud of mist in the chilly air, only to dissipate in the blink of an eye.

Lin Tian got up earlier than usual.

He put on an overcoat, pushed open the door, and stretched on the porch.

The autumn morning air felt cool and refreshing when I breathed it in, carrying the unique sweetness of well water.

The vegetables in the yard, over-nourished by the spiritual plant nutrient solution, had dewdrops clinging to their leaves, glistening in the dim morning light, their greenness almost dazzling.

The kitchen lights were already on, and Shi Yao was cooking over a fire. Smoke rose from the chimney, mingling with the morning mist and becoming indistinguishable from each other.

Lin Feng's room was still quiet; the kid wouldn't wake up until the sun was high in the sky.

Lin Tian walked to the well, drew a bucket of water, and washed up quickly.

The cool water splashed on my face, and the last bit of sleepiness disappeared.

He raised his head and looked eastward.

The sky was gradually fading from deep blue to pale cyan, and the edges of the clouds were tinged with a very faint golden-red.

Today should be a nice day.

Just then, the courtyard gate was gently pushed open.

Yuan Tiangang walked in.

He was still dressed in that black outfit, wearing an iron mask, and exuding the chill of an autumn night's journey.

The footsteps were very light, almost silent, like a shadow drifting into the courtyard.

Lin Tian didn't turn around, still looking at the horizon, and casually said, "You're back? Want some water? The well water's just been drawn up, it's refreshing."

Yuan Tiangang walked to his side, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Young Master."

"Hmm," Lin Tian responded, finally turning his head to look him up and down. "You didn't get the short end of the stick, did you?"

"no."

"That's good."

Lin Tian picked up the wooden bucket he had used to draw water from the well, took a gourd ladle, scooped out half a ladle of water, and handed it to Yuan Tiangang.

"Give yourself a good drink. You must be tired after traveling all this way."

Yuan Tiangang took the ladle, but didn't drink from it; he just held it in his hand.

The gaze behind the mask fell on Lin Tian's face, as if trying to discern something from his calm expression.

But Lin Tian just looked at him with a smile, as if he were looking at a guy who had just returned from a business trip.

"Did you see the person?" Lin Tian asked.

"I saw him."

"How did the chat go?"

"...It's acceptable."

"It's acceptable."

Lin Tian nodded, then turned to look at the horizon.

That golden-red hue had spread, dyeing half the sky red; the sun was about to rise.

"Is that the bald... uh, the Patriarch Bodhidharma?"

Yuan Tiangang's grip on the gourd tightened almost imperceptibly: "How did you know, young master?"

"Just a guess."

Lin Tian smiled.

"There aren't many in this world who would let you run so far in the middle of the night, bring you back safely, and still be willing to chat with you. Of the three Buddhist monks, the Taoist patriarch doesn't manage affairs, the Confucian sage only teaches, and what's left? Isn't that the monk who's always chanting about celestial balance?"

He spoke casually, as if he were talking about what he was having for breakfast.

Yuan Tiangang remained silent for a while before slowly saying, "He gave me something."

He took out the pure white "Bodhi Heart Seal" from his pocket and handed it to Lin Tian.

Lin Tian took it, weighed it in his hand, and held it up to the morning light. He clicked his tongue and said, "Tsk, what a treasure. It's made from the condensed power of a Buddhist monk, capable of shielding one's heavenly secrets and concealing one's aura. That old monk was quite generous."

He looked at Yuan Tiangang: "What did he say to you?"

Yuan Tiangang briefly recounted the conversation that took place in the Gobi courtyard the previous night.

There was no embellishment or omission of key points; it was simply a straightforward account, like a work report.

Lin Tian listened quietly, his face remaining expressionless. However, when he heard the words that the Sky Patrol Division had already noticed the Bad People and the Soul Palace, that the secret of Hexi Town could not be kept secret for long, and that someone was more radical than this old monk, his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

After Yuan Tiangang finished speaking, Lin Tian played with the "Bodhi Heart Seal" for a long time without saying a word.

As the morning light grew brighter, the sun finally peeked out from behind the mountains, its golden rays bathing the courtyard and dispelling the last traces of night.

The bubbling sound of rice porridge boiling came from the kitchen. Shi Yao started stir-frying the vegetables, the oil sizzling and the aroma wafting out.

"The porridge is almost ready, would you like to stay and have some?" Lin Tian suddenly asked.

Yuan Tiangang paused for a moment, then shook his head: "Your subordinate..."

"Forget about subordinates, it's just breakfast."

Lin Tian waved his hand and walked towards the kitchen.

"Shi Yao, bring another pair of chopsticks, the commander is back."

"Okay, sure." Shi Yao's gentle voice came from the kitchen.

Yuan Tiangang stood there, watching Lin Tian's back as he walked into the kitchen. He clenched his fist, but ultimately followed him.

Breakfast was simple.

White rice porridge, homemade pickled vegetables, scallion pancakes made by Shi Yao, and a plate of leftover fried shrimp cakes from last night.

Lin Feng was dragged out of bed by Lin Tian. Still half asleep, he sat at the table. When he saw Yuan Tiangang, he rubbed his eyes and mumbled, "Good morning, handsome uncle."

Lin Feng had met him when he was a child, and he came back several times in between, but all he knew was that the general wore a mask.

"Good morning," Yuan Tiangang replied, his voice unusually gentle.

The four of them sat around a small square table and began to eat breakfast. Lin Feng was starving and buried his head in his food, eating voraciously.

Shi Yao sipped her porridge and occasionally served Lin Feng some food.

Lin Tian slowly ate his scallion pancake, occasionally exchanging a few words with Yuan Tiangang.

They were just talking about everyday things.

"How's the weather over in the courtyard? Is it cooler than here?"

"Um."

"What's Wen Tao been up to lately? Still fiddling with his compass?"

"We are investigating an ancient site."

"Where's Mirror Demon? Did he go off to do a cameo role in an opera troupe again?"

"……No."

Breakfast was finished amidst such ordinary conversation.

After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Feng felt refreshed. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and prepared to go to school. Before leaving, he even took the last half of a scallion pancake from the plate, saying he would eat it during the break.

Shi Yao cleared away the dishes and went to the kitchen.

Only Lin Tian and Yuan Tiangang remained in the courtyard.

Lin Tian brewed a pot of coarse tea and poured a cup for Yuan Tiangang as well. The two sat under the grape trellis, watching the morning light filter through the vines and leaves, casting dappled shadows.

"I understand what the old monk meant."

Lin Tian took a sip of tea and said slowly,

"The Celestial Patrol Bureau was founded by three founders, but he is the only one in charge. After a thousand years, he himself is tired, confused, and wants to find a new path. Therefore, his attitude towards us, these variables, is ambiguous—he wants to see how far we can go, but he doesn't dare to openly help us, for fear of breaking the rules."

He paused, then smiled. "This Bodhi Heart Seal, though called a life-saving talisman, is actually a test. He wants to see how we'll use it—to protect ourselves or to cause trouble."

Yuan Tiangang nodded: "That's what I think too."

"As for the radical faction within the Sky Patrol Bureau..."

Lin Tian stroked his chin.

"This is a bit troublesome. Bodhidharma can still reason with people, but those who think eliminating variables is a matter of course are a different story."

He looked at Yuan Tiangang: "How much time do you think we have left?"

Yuan Tiangang pondered for a moment: "At most three years, at least..."

Lin Tian squinted at the last bunch of green grapes on the vine. "They're quite firm."

But there was no nervousness on his face; instead, there was a sense of... eagerness to try.

"General," Lin Tian suddenly said.

Do you think we're a variable?

Yuan Tiangang was taken aback, not understanding what he meant.

"Dharma said we are variables, unstable factors that could disrupt the balance," Lin Tian smiled.

"But I don't think so."

He picked up his teacup and gently blew away the floating leaves: "We just want to live our lives peacefully. You brought the Bad Guys to serve my lord. Lord Yunzhong built the Soul Palace to gain a foothold in Beixuan. I stayed in Hexi Town to raise Lin Feng safely. None of us wanted to disrupt the balance, and none of us wanted to cause trouble for anyone."

"But our very existence has already disrupted the balance," Yuan Tiangang said in a deep voice.

"So what?"

Lin Tian put down his teacup, his gaze calm.

"Who sets the balance? Is it the three patriarchs? Or the Heavenly Dao? If it's the Heavenly Dao, then why does it allow us to exist? If it's the three patriarchs... what right do they have to decide the fate of billions of beings?"

He stood up, walked to the edge of the grape trellis, and looked at the rows of lush green vegetables in the yard: "In this world, things aren't always so black and white. Damo thinks it's right for the Celestial Patrol to maintain balance, but among the variables they eliminate, how many are innocent? How many are geniuses who could have changed the world? Are they eliminated truly for the good of heaven and earth, or for... the peace of mind of certain people?"

He turned to Yuan Tiangang: "We don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either. If Bodhidharma is willing to give us a chance, we'll take it. If the Sky Patrol Division is coming, we'll be prepared. But there's one thing—"

For the first time, his eyes sharpened, like a drawn sword, gleaming coldly.

"No one can touch Hexi Town..."

The voice was not loud, but it was resolute and carried an unquestionable determination.

Yuan Tiangang stood up and knelt on one knee: "Your subordinate swears to protect you, young master, with his life!"

"Get up, get up! How many times have I told you? Don't kneel down so easily."

Lin Tian waved his hand, his lazy smile returning to his face.

"We should eat and drink as we please..."

He sat down again, poured himself another cup of tea, and said leisurely, "Didn't Bodhidharma want to see how far we could go? Then let's go and show him. But..."

He paused, a sly glint in his eyes: "Walking is fine, but the steps shouldn't be too big, the movements too obvious. It should be subtle and gentle, like a gentle rain nourishing the earth, it should... go with the flow."

Yuan Tiangang looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"From today onwards, the Bad Guys and the Soul Hall will shrink their influence and go underground."

Lin Tian said slowly,

"No expansion, no conflict, no attention-grabbing. Everything should be about hiding and lying low. We need time, we need... to let Lin Feng grow up."

"Yes."

"in addition,"

Lin Tian thought for a moment,

"Hexi Town can't stay this quiet forever. Too much quietness will only arouse suspicion. There needs to be some movement, but it has to be reasonable, ordinary, and... won't lead people to think of any unforeseen events."

He looked at Yuan Tiangang: "What do you think about sending a few children on a study tour?"

Yuan Tiangang was taken aback: "Study abroad?"

"That's right." Lin Tian smiled.

"Lin Feng, Zhang Kai, Liu Xiaohu, Li Qianqian, and that boy from the Zhao family... The oldest is already thirteen or fourteen years old, which is the age when he should go out and see the world and study. Hexi Town is good, but it's too small. Boys should always go out and explore, read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles."

He spoke reasonably, as if he were simply a father making a normal plan for his son's future.

But Yuan Tiangang understood the deeper meaning behind the words.

The reasons are sufficient, reasonable, and no one can find fault with them.

"My lord is wise."

Yuan Tiangang said sincerely.

"What's so brilliant about it? It's just wild speculation."

Lin Tian waved his hand, a mischievous glint in his smile.

"However, we can't bring this up ourselves. We need to find the right person, the right reason, and the right time to bring it up."

He glanced towards the school, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "So, what do you think of Teacher Lin?"

Yuan Tiangang understood instantly.

Master Lin, the only teacher in Hexi Town, was highly respected and erudite.

It was only natural for him to suggest sending the children to better colleges.

Moreover, given Master Lin's status, no one in the town would doubt his suggestion; they would only think that the teacher was doing it for the good of his students.

Even the Zhao family would be happy to see this happen.

After all, if Zhao Mingxuan could really study at a famous academy in the central courtyard, it would be beneficial for him to inherit the family business in the future, or even embark on the path of cultivation.

"Understood, sir." Yuan Tiangang nodded.

"I will make the arrangements for this matter."

"You don't need to make the arrangements."

Lin Tian smiled.

"I'll talk to Master Lin. You go back and rest well, and sort out the matters concerning the Bad People and the Soul Hall. Remember, keep a low profile, lie low, and wait for the right opportunity."

"Yes."

Yuan Tiangang said no more, bowed deeply, and his figure, like ink merging into the water, slowly disappeared into the morning light.

Lin Tian was left alone in the courtyard again.

He sat under the grape trellis, slowly sipping his tea, watching the sunlight gradually spread across the courtyard, and listening to the faint sounds of reading coming from the distant school.

Confucius said: "To learn something and then practice it regularly, is that not a pleasure?"

The voices were young, yet clear and powerful.

Lin Tian smiled, put down his teacup, stood up, and stretched.

"Time to go visit someone."

He muttered to himself as he walked out of the courtyard and headed towards the school at a leisurely pace.

His silhouette stretched long in the autumn morning light.

So leisurely, it's like just going next door to have a cup of tea with an old friend.