Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life-Chapter 152: Taking a Part-Time Job at Zhenfeng

The next day, Qingfeng and Mingyue came again.

They pulled Su Ming into the room, saying, "Quick, continue the story of 'The Kitten Swapped for the Crown Prince'!"

Once inside, Mingyue secretly tugged on the corner of Su Ming's sleeve.

She pulled a small paper packet from her sleeve and swiftly stuffed it into Su Ming's hand.

"For you," she whispered, leaning in with a hint of mystery on her little face.

Su Ming opened it to find several curled-up tea leaves emitting a delicate, elegant fragrance.

"What is this?"

"Clarity Heart Tea leaves!" Mingyue whispered. "I got them from a senior brother at Pill Cauldron Peak! It helps calm the mind. When you're tired from studying formations at night, you can brew a cup."

She blinked, a touch of pride in her eyes.

"Senior Brother and I are quite familiar with the senior brothers and sisters at Pill Cauldron Peak!"

Su Ming held the packet of still-warm tea leaves, feeling a wave of warmth in his heart.

As they were leaving, Qingfeng's little face wore a rare seriousness.

"Hey, Su Ming, I heard Formation Peak is seriously short-handed lately."

"Several menial post disciples responsible for repairing basic formation lines have been doing a terrible job. It really pissed off the patrolling Senior Brother Chen, who went to complain to the External Affairs Hall again."

Qingfeng tilted his head, looking at Su Ming with a probing gaze.

"How's your practice with that dust-repelling formation going?"

"If Elder Ma sends you there, would you go?"

These words struck Su Ming's mind like a thunderclap!

He instantly understood that Elder Ma's arrangement was likely imminent!

His heartbeat skipped a beat.

On the surface, however, he managed to display just the right amount of apprehension and yearning.

"This disciple's skills are insignificant, how could I dare to hope for such a thing?"

He bowed deeply, his posture humble to the extreme.

"But... but if the sect commands it, this disciple will naturally do his utmost!"

This answer both expressed his lack of presumption and hinted at his willingness to follow orders.

Qingfeng curled his lip, seemingly finding this flawless response a bit boring.

"Alright, I was just asking casually."

He said no more, got up, and pulled Mingyue along to say their goodbyes.

Su Ming saw them off at the courtyard gate. The humble smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a grave expression.

He immediately returned to his room and closed the door.

"Master!"

"I heard," Lin Yu's voice was equally serious.

"It seems the piece you represent is about to move on Elder Ma's chessboard," Lin Yu's soul sense rapidly calculated within Su Ming's mind.

"This is both good and bad."

"The good part is, we finally have a chance to legitimately come into contact with one of the sect's core arts. Even if it's just the periphery of Formation Peak, its resources and knowledge are far beyond what the Accounting Office can offer."

Su Ming nodded, understanding.

"And the bad part?"

"The bad part is, your identity changes," Lin Yu's voice grew heavier.

"In the Accounting Office, you're just someone who does accounts. No one cares about the cultivation level of a bookkeeper. Your 'severed path to immortality' is the best camouflage."

"But once you go to Formation Peak, you'll be seen as a 'formation cultivator.' Even if you're just a menial post disciple, you'll be scrutinized by the standards of a formation cultivator."

"Every bit of progress you make, every mistake, will be watched by countless eyes."

Su Ming fell silent.

He could imagine such a scene.

He would be like a sheep that had wandered into a pack of wolves, needing to tread carefully with every step.

"Then... how should this disciple respond?"

"You need to show a certain level of talent, but absolutely not genius-level. You need to be able to complete tasks, but you must stumble through them. You need to make everyone think you're just an ordinary person with a bit of cleverness, but limited by your bone structure, your ceiling is just about that high."

"You need to become, in their eyes, that person who is 'not worth keeping, but not worth discarding either.'"

"This disciple understands."

...

The wait did not last long.

Three days later, early in the morning before dawn.

Su Ming was sitting cross-legged on his bed, practicing his control over the "Concealment" rune.

Suddenly.

A tiny, early-warning node he had placed at the courtyard gate transmitted a faint, unfamiliar ripple of spiritual energy.

The ripple was steady, carrying a hint of the unique cultivation method aura of the External Affairs Hall.

They're here!

Su Ming's eyes snapped open, and he immediately withdrew all his spiritual energy.

He rolled off the bed, quickly mussed up the bedding, and deliberately left an account book open on the table, creating the appearance of someone who had been up late doing accounts and had just gone to sleep.

He had just finished this.

*Thump, thump, thump.*

The courtyard gate was knocked on with moderate force.

Immediately after, a voice sounded.

"Su Ming of Courtyard Ding-Qi, are you there?"

Su Ming did not respond immediately.

He waited about ten breaths, then pretended to be bleary-eyed, rubbing his eyes as he opened the door.

"Who is it... so early in the morning..."

Outside stood a young man wearing the steward uniform of the External Affairs Hall.

The youth appeared to be in his early twenties, at the early Foundation Establishment stage. His chin was slightly raised, and his eyes held a trace of condescending scrutiny.

Seeing Su Ming's lazy appearance, his brow furrowed.

"You are Su Ming?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"This disciple is he," Su Ming hurriedly bowed in greeting, his face showing the perfect amount of apprehension. "I did not know Senior Brother Steward was coming, I failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive this offense."

Seeing his respectful attitude, the steward's expression softened slightly.

He cleared his throat and spoke in an official, business-like tone. "I am Liu Feng, steward of the External Affairs Hall. I am here on the verbal order of Elder Ma to deliver a message."

Su Ming immediately lowered his head further.

"This disciple respectfully awaits the elder's instruction."

Liu Feng was quite satisfied with Su Ming's posture, and his voice softened a bit more.

"Elder Ma's verbal order: Due to a shortage of personnel for basic formation maintenance at Formation Peak, and the uneven quality of the menial post disciples, the 'menial post disciple Su Ming, who has a foundation in calculation and a meticulous mind,' is hereby temporarily transferred from our External Affairs Hall."

"Effective immediately, you will spend half your day at the Accounting Office and half your day at Formation Peak, assisting with the verification and repair of basic formation lines."

"Do not fail in this."

The verbal order delivered.

Liu Feng looked at the bowed Su Ming before him, waiting for his reaction.

Su Ming's body first gave a slight tremble, as if shocked by the sudden news.

He slowly raised his head, his face first showing confusion, then transforming into a trace of incredulous apprehension.

"For... Formation Peak?"

His voice carried a hint of a stammer.

"But... but this disciple is dull-witted, I... I only know one dust-repelling formation! How... how can I shoulder such a responsibility?"

Su Ming's reaction fell completely within the normal range for an ordinary menial post disciple.

A flicker of disdain passed through Liu Feng's eyes.

"This is Elder Ma's decision. You need only obey," his tone carried an unquestionable authority.

"As for whether you are competent, the senior brothers at Formation Peak will judge. If you prove useless, naturally you will be sent back."

After saying this, he added another sentence.

"However, since you are a member of our External Affairs Hall, if you embarrass yourself at Formation Peak, it will be Elder Ma's face and the face of our External Affairs Hall that you disgrace. But if you can manage to stay at Formation Peak, starting this month, your monthly allowance will be doubled. There's also a chance to formally join Formation Peak in the future. Take care."

These words carried both a warning and a veiled reminder.