Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life-Chapter 8: Crouching Dragon

The morning cooking smoke and the silence at the dining table were the unchanging melody of the Su household.

Su Ming buried his head in his bowl, quickly drinking the rice porridge so thin you could see your reflection, his movements swift like a fledgling bird afraid of having its food snatched away.

"Oh, look at our little scholar, trying to chew through the bottom of the bowl and eat the characters right into his stomach?" Wang Chuntao's voice carried its usual sharpness as she tapped her chopsticks against the rim of her bowl. "What's the use of just eating? The knowledge needs to go into your brain."

"Say less!" Mrs. Chen came out carrying a plate of pickled vegetables, glaring at her eldest daughter-in-law. She walked to Su Ming's side and transferred the boiled egg from her own bowl into his.

"Xiao Ming, eat more. Studying taxes the mind."

Su Ming's movements paused briefly, but before he could speak, his father Su Shan put down his own bowl and grunted a muffled "Hmm" from the side.

Su Ming split the egg into two halves, returning one half to his mother's bowl and burying the other in his porridge. Then he lifted the bowl and drank it all in one go.

"I'm going to school." He put down the bowl, grabbed his cloth bag, and slipped out of the courtyard like a gust of wind.

In the courtyard, Su Yang watched his younger brother's retreating back, then glanced at their father's gleamingly sharpened firewood chopper, lost in thought.

At the schoolhouse, Teacher Zhou was explaining a new short essay.

"...Therefore, the superior man is cautious when alone." He stroked his beard, his gaze sweeping over the students below.

"Who can explain the meaning of these two characters, 'cautious when alone'?"

The children looked at each other, the children from wealthier families avoiding eye contact, afraid of being called upon.

A thin, weak hand hesitantly rose in the corner.

Teacher Zhou looked somewhat surprised as he turned to Su Ming. "Su Ming, you may speak."

Su Ming stood up, his cheeks slightly flushed as all eyes in the schoolhouse focused on him.

"Replying to Teacher, I... I think 'cautious' means to be careful, and 'alone' means by oneself. So it means even when you're by yourself, you should still be careful."

His simple answer was almost laughable, drawing soft snickers from the class.

"What should one be careful about?" Teacher Zhou didn't laugh, instead pressing further.

"Careful... careful not to do bad things." Su Ming's voice grew even softer. "Because even if no one sees, you yourself know in your heart."

The surprise in Teacher Zhou's eyes deepened as he looked at this youth who had been beaten for skipping school just days before. Though still somewhat awkward, there was now a hint of contemplation in his eyes.

"Hmm, not bad." Teacher Zhou nodded, signaling for him to sit down. "Though not entirely accurate, you're not far off. 'Cautious when alone' speaks of how a superior man's conduct and integrity should still conform to righteousness even when unsupervised. That you could grasp the concept of 'knowing in your own heart' is already commendable."

He cleared his throat and looked at the others. "Did you all hear that? Studying isn't just about recognizing characters, it's about understanding principles! Though Su Ming may be slow, he applies his mind. What about you?"

The children who had been snickering immediately lowered their heads.

Su Ming sat down, quietly letting out a sigh of relief.

"Beautiful." Lin Yu's voice sounded in his mind, carrying a hint of lazy approval. "Textbook-level Concealing One's Edge. You demonstrated your 'diligent thinking' while exposing your 'superficial understanding' as a poor student. Teacher Zhou probably sees you through a 'promising block of wood' filter now."

Su Ming responded mentally, "Master, I was really nervous just now."

"Being nervous is good," Lin Yu said. "Survival Rule Three: Never be the most conspicuous one, whether the best or the worst. The middle ground has the least wind, the safest place."

Night.

Su Ming's room had become his secret cultivation ground.

"Squat lower! Get your butt down! Who are you showing off that high posture to?"

Lin Yu's voice relentlessly drove him on in his mind. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Su Ming's legs trembled like leaves in an autumn wind, sweat soaking through his back, flowing down his spine groove with an unbearably itchy sensation.

"Master... I... I can't take much more."

"Can't take it? You still have to!" Lin Yu snorted. "Did you think cultivation was like hosting a dinner party? This is replacing the keel of your broken-down ship! Every extra drop of sweat now means one more breath you can take when running for your life later!"

What he actually thought was: "Hang in there, my retirement insurance! This is all future premium payments, can't miss a single drop!"

Finally, the horse stance time ended. Su Ming plopped down on the ground, feeling like his legs no longer belonged to him.

Before he could even catch his breath, Lin Yu's new command arrived.

"Get up, lie face down."

"Huh?"

"On the ground, do fifty 'Prostrate Dragon Crawls'." Lin Yu thought to himself, "I'm truly a naming genius."

"What's a Prostrate Dragon Crawl?"

"It's using your hands to support yourself on the ground, moving your body up and down like a stick." Lin Yu concisely explained the new cultivation exercise he had invented.

"This is a peerless technique for training your upper body and core strength! When you get knocked down in the future, you'll be able to get up faster than others - might just save your life!"

Gritting his teeth, Su Ming pushed up his exhausted body.

One, two...

"Master, I think I understood something at school today." He spoke while panting, trying to distract himself.

"Oh? Tell me about it."

"The Concealing One's Edge you taught me isn't just about not drawing attention." Su Ming's movements slowed, but his voice grew clearer. "It's more about making others... feel at ease about me."

Lin Yu's soul form paused for a moment.

"The student is teachable." For the first time, genuine satisfaction colored Lin Yu's voice. "You're finally not a complete block of wood. Remember, the human heart is the world's most unpredictable formation, yet also the strongest shield. Make everyone underestimate you, and you'll possess the sturdiest armor."

After physical training ended, it was time for soul tempering.

Su Ming sat cross-legged on the kang bed, eyes closed in meditation.

Now, he could quickly enter that "observer" state.

Thoughts still flowed like a river in his mind, but he was no longer swept away by them.

"Tonight, we'll increase the difficulty." Lin Yu's voice sounded. "Split off a thread of your attention to 'listen' to the sounds in your room."

Su Ming complied.

He heard the crickets chirping outside the window, the soft snoring from his parents' room next door, the moan of wind passing under the eaves, and even... the "thump-thump" beating of his own heart.

"Split off another thread of attention to 'feel' the sensations on your skin."

He felt the slight coolness of the air, the friction of his coarse cloth clothing, the thin calluses left on his palms from practicing writing.

"Good." Lin Yu's voice carried guidance. "Spread your soul out like a net to perceive everything around you, but don't get drawn to any single point. This is the embryonic form of 'multitasking,' and the foundation for future environmental detection and danger avoidance."

He mentally added: "This is also the 'multithreading work capability' that future elites must possess. Master this well, and even if you can't cultivate immortality later, you can still outcompete your peers as an accountant."

Su Ming immersed himself in this marvelous perception, completely unaware of the passage of time.