Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life-Chapter 164: Changes

It was still that secluded side hall.

The stone door closed, cutting off everything from the outside world.

"Sit."

Chen Ping's voice carried a trace of weariness.

Su Ming sat down as instructed, his posture still respectful.

Inside the Xuantian ring, Lin Yu let out a long, deep sigh.

"My god! You scared your master half to death!"

"Disciple, with your acting skills, not winning an Oscar in your previous life would have been a waste of talent!"

"But... this time, we've really gone too far. The Enforcement Hall is involved. People fear fame just as pigs fear getting fat. It'll be hard for us to keep a low profile and grow quietly on Formation Peak now!"

Su Ming felt a bitter laugh in his heart, but dared not show the slightest hint of it on his face.

Chen Ping remained silent for a long time, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

Finally, he retrieved a palm-sized, pitch-black token from his storage pouch and slid it across the table towards Su Ming.

On the token, only one flamboyantly written character "Chen" was engraved.

"This is my personal disciple token."

"With this token, on Formation Peak, seeing it is like seeing me in person."

"From now on, if you have any matters, come directly to the main peak to find me. No need to go through anyone else."

These words were no longer a promise, but protection.

The most direct protection from a Golden Core True Disciple.

Su Ming hurriedly stood up and bowed deeply.

"Many thanks for Senior Brother's great favor! This disciple..."

"No need to thank me." Chen Ping cut him off, smiling a self-deprecating smile.

"Regarding today's matter, if not for your meticulous mind and discovering the clues in advance, I'm afraid... my Maintenance Department would have become a huge laughingstock."

He looked at Su Ming, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

"I'm just curious, did you really... just happen to come across that miscellany by luck?"

Su Ming's heart tightened, knowing the real test had arrived.

He raised his head, revealing a bitter smile uglier than crying, tinged with a hint of bookishness.

"Reporting to Senior Brother, this disciple... it truly was luck."

"This disciple is dull-witted and cannot comprehend profound formations, so I could only use the most foolish method to check all related materials."

"That miscellany was something I accidentally discovered while searching for materials related to the character 'wind'... I just felt the records in it were somewhat... illogical, so I took a few extra glances."

"This disciple never imagined, I would actually... actually encounter such a thing."

This explanation remained flawless.

Attributing everything to his "mathematical talent" and the diligence of a "slow bird flying early."

Chen Ping stared at him for a long time, ultimately choosing to believe him.

Or rather, he couldn't find any reason not to believe.

He waved his hand, signaling Su Ming to take the token.

"Dismissed."

...

The attempted murder plot in the Maintenance Department was like a massive rock thrown into a lake.

The ripples spread, lingering for a long time.

Courtyard Ding-Qi seemed to become the calm eye of the storm.

Moonlight like water spilled onto the tranquil small courtyard, the flagstones glowing with a cold light.

Su Ming returned to Courtyard Ding-Qi, pushed open the door, activated the formation.

He threw himself heavily onto the bed, letting out a long, deep sigh of turbid air.

This day was more exhausting than his life-and-death struggle with Zhao Qianshan.

"Master."

"Don't speak, let your master recover a bit."

Lin Yu's soul sense also sounded somewhat drained.

"Disciple, this 'prodigy' reputation of yours is more effective than a death warrant! We need to find a way to lower this fame!"

Lin Yu was still shaken.

"Starting tomorrow, you make more mistakes for me! Lower your success rate in repairing formation plates to ninety percent! No! Eighty percent!"

Su-the-accountant-Ming, looked at the moonlight outside the window, feeling the cold, hard token in his embrace.

Su Ming knew, from today onwards, his days in the Cloud Hidden Sect could never return to how they were before.

Su Ming spoke softly, a trace of helplessness in his voice.

"Master, I'm afraid... it's already too late."

Su Ming's fingertips rubbed the pitch-black "Chen" token. It felt cold to the touch, but its weight was incredibly heavy.

This was protection, but also a shackle.

Even more, it was proof that had completely dragged him from the shadows into the spotlight.

"Disciple, stop overthinking it."

Lin Yu's soul sense sounded somewhat lazy.

"When soldiers come, we use generals to block them;when water comes, we use earth to dam it. If the sky falls, your master... will help you plan an escape route."

Su Ming felt a bitter laugh in his heart.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, stored the token in his embrace, and closed his eyes.

...

The next day, mao hour.

Su Ming arrived at the Accounting Office of the External Affairs Hall as usual.

The moment he stepped through the main gate, that originally bustling, lively sound of abacuses belonging to the early morning abruptly halted.

Dozens of pairs of eyes swiveled to look at him in unison.

The gazes were extremely complex.

There was fear, curiosity, aloofness, and even a hint of... ingratiation.

Immediately after, everyone, like startled rabbits, quickly lowered their heads again, their hands moving the abacus beads faster and louder, as if trying to use the clattering sounds to cover up their previous lapse.

The entire accounting office fell into an eerie, conspicuous silence.

Su Ming's expression remained normal as he walked to his usual corner seat, picked up the ledger, and began the day's work.

The seat beside him was now empty.

The disciple who originally sat there had found an excuse and moved to the corner farthest from him.

"Junior Brother Su!"

A greasy voice rang out.

Steward Wang Defa rubbed his plump hands together, his face blooming with a chrysanthemum-like smile. He personally brought over a pot of freshly brewed spirit tea and placed it on Su Ming's desk.

The tea aroma wafted everywhere;it was top-grade "Cloud Mist Tip."

"Ah, yesterday really scared me! I heard something big happened over at Formation Peak?"

Wang Defa lowered his voice, leaning forward, his face full of concern.

"Everything's alright now, right? Such an unjust calamity, Junior Brother, you've suffered wrongfully."

However, his eyes, like two mung beans, were fixed intently on Su Ming's face, not missing any change in expression.

Su Ming put down the writing brush in his hand and looked up.

Su Ming did not touch that cup of tea, merely looked calmly at Wang Defa.

"Thank you for your concern, Steward Wang."

His voice was neither loud nor soft, just enough for the colleagues nearby who were all ears to hear clearly.

"It was merely handling matters according to the rules, fortunately not leading to a major mistake. As for Steward Sun... the sect has its own laws and regulations. We subordinates dare not make presumptuous comments."

A speech, watertight.

Attributing the credit to "rules," completely extricating himself from the affair.

The smile on Wang Defa's face stiffened, but the shrewd glint in his eyes grew even brighter.

Good kid, slipperier than a loach!

His eyes rolled, and he changed the topic again: "I heard... the Enforcement Hall was alerted? Ah, that's..."

"Steward Wang."

Su Ming directly interrupted him, pointing at the mountain-like pile of ledgers on the desk.

"The material accounts for the Vessel Hall this quarter need to be summarized and reported before noon today. If there are any omissions, neither you nor I... can bear the responsibility."

The fat on Wang Defa's face twitched.

Looking into Su Ming's eyes, as still as an ancient well, he suddenly felt a chill run down his back.

"Ahem, right, right, right! Official business is important, official business is important!"

Wang Defa gave a dry laugh twice and retreated resentfully.

Inside the accounting office, the clattering of abacus beads resumed once more.

Only this time, no one dared to use the corner of their eye to peek at that silent figure in the corner.