Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Autumn deepened, and the old elm in the courtyard of the Wen'an Inn had already turned mostly golden.

Nearly two months had quietly passed since Su Ming and Xu Qing arrived at Yunshuo Prefectural City.

Xu Qing had returned.

He carried with him a smell mixed of old book pages and fresh ink.

"Brother Su, I'm back." His voice was a little hoarse, but his face could not hide his excitement.

He placed a scroll filled with dense writing on the table, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and drank it down in one gulp.

"Whew... this prefectural city really is a place where tigers hide among dragons."

Su Ming put down the book in his hand and looked up at him.

"Tell me about it."

"The 'Hanmo Study' in the east of the city, its owner is a retired official, the most well informed," Xu Qing's eyes sparkled in the lamplight, "he said the chief examiner for this provincial exam is Minister Wang, who retired and returned to his hometown. This man favors the Slender Gold calligraphy style, and in essays he prefers works with stern vigor."

"'Juwen Pavilion' in the south gathers scholars from various places. I heard the son of the Li family from Jinzhou Prefecture calls himself a 'little poetry sage', and words flow from his mouth like verse. There's also Zhang Sanlang from Heyang Prefecture, who writes in the official academy prose style with uncanny skill, and it's said he has already gained Minister Wang's favor."

"Then there's the west side of the city..." Xu Qing poured out, categorizing the intelligence he had gathered during this time, recounting it smoothly. From the examiner's tastes, to the backgrounds of popular candidates, to which stationery shop had the best wolf-hair brushes, to which inn had the most examinees — nothing was left unmentioned.

Within Yunshuo's complex web of information, he had stirred up ripples of his own.

Su Ming listened quietly; his strong mental power let him easily remember every detail and rapidly construct a relationship map in his mind.

"Master, Xu brother is a genius," Su Ming thought inwardly.

"Not a genius, a talent," Lin Yu lazily corrected, "a genius breaks rules, a talent uses rules to their advantage."

"By the way," Xu Qing seemed to remember something and took out a small slip of paper from his chest, "there's an interesting tidbit."

"That Minister Wang has an uncle, another retired high official. He dislikes calligraphy and painting, and is not fond of song or dance. His only hobby is collecting strange, oddly shaped stones. I heard his estate's back garden is full of 'curious stones' gathered from everywhere, and he's even given it a name — the Hundred Stones Garden."

Su Ming's fingers tightened slightly around his teacup.

Curious stones.

"For ordinary people that’s an amusement. For us, it's a clue," Lin Yu's voice carried a trace of amusement, "a family with great power who can gather things from everywhere — the odds they slipped one or two spirit stones among those curios are far higher than you finding one on a riverbank."

"However," Lin Yu shifted tone, "don't get ideas. That place, even if there are no cultivators there, is not somewhere you can snoop into right now. Just make a note of it."

"Disciple understands." Su Ming suppressed the ripples in his heart and kept his face calm as still water.

"Brother Su, the literary gathering at Tingyu Pavilion will be held in three days. It's not small this time; supposedly most of the respected young talents in the prefectural city will attend," Xu Qing handed Su Ming an invitation, "Liu, the owner of Hanmo Study, highly recommends it and says it's a rare opportunity."

Su Ming took the invitation, his fingertips brushing the smooth paper. The accumulation of two months' information might find some verification at this gathering.

"Let's go together," Su Ming smiled, "just to see the world."

Three days later, Tingyu Pavilion.

This was not an ordinary tavern but a small building built on the heart of a lake, with upturned eaves and ornate beams, quite elegant.

One had to take a little boat to reach it.

When Su Ming and Xu Qing arrived, many people had already gathered inside.

Most were young scholars around twenty years old, each wearing well-tailored silk shirts, scholar's square headbands, jade pendants and scent pouches at their waists, grouped in threes and fives, chatting and laughing.

The air carried faint incense and the smell of ink.

Xu Qing wore a blue homespun long shirt washed nearly white; Su Ming was dressed in ordinary cotton robes. As soon as the two stepped into the pavilion, they were like two drops of clear water falling into boiling oil, instantly drawing many gazes.

Su Ming and Xu Qing paid those looks no mind; their attention was wholly taken by the pavilion's layout and surrounding environment.

The Aura Concealment Art reduced Su Ming's presence to a minimum; he was like an unnoticed apprentice bookboy beside Xu Qing.

"Tsk tsk, the feng shui here is quite good," Lin Yu's voice sounded in Su Ming's head, "built by the water, plenty of moisture. Though there isn't much spiritual energy, living here long can nourish the mortal body and mind. These scions of established families really know how to enjoy themselves."

A young noble in a deep-blue brocade robe was being surrounded by a circle of people.

He held a Xiangfei bamboo fan, his complexion fair, but his eyes carried a touch of arrogance.

"That's Wei Zi'ang, his father is the prefectural court's deputy magistrate," Xu Qing quietly introduced into Su Ming's ear.

At that moment, Wei Zi'ang was speaking grandly.

"...When it comes to places that hide vast collections, none compare to the Lantai Secret Garden in the capital. My cousin entered the Hanlin Academy last year and had the honor of seeing their catalog — it was vast as the sea!"

"I heard it doesn't just contain court records from prior dynasties, but countless rare volumes and unique editions. There are even..." Wei Zi'ang paused for effect, savoring the expectant looks of those around him.

He lowered his voice and spoke with a boastful air of mystery.

"Even the Forbidden Astronomical Institute's 'Investigations of Supernatural Things' is stored there! It records mountain spirits, ghosts, strange gods and other oddities. Of course, such banned books are only allowed to be viewed by Hanlin scholars. Ordinary people aren't even qualified to hear of them."

Su Ming's heart suddenly constricted.

Lantai Secret Garden! Investigations of Supernatural Things!

Those words detonated in his mind like thunder.

A powerful yearning almost burst from the depths of his chest.

He wanted to seize Wei Zi'ang at once and interrogate him.

"Calm down!" Lin Yu's voice was like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head, instantly dousing the flames in his heart, "Disciple, restrain your spirit! Look at you, your heartbeat's all over the place! Your spiritual energy almost leaked out!"

Su Ming snapped to attention and immediately tightened his mind, forcing himself to look away from Wei Zi'ang.

He turned his head and whispered to Xu Qing, "The tea and snacks in this pavilion smell pretty good."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for a few nearby people to hear, his tone matter-of-fact, as if he were merely joining the merriment and showing no interest in the earlier earth-shattering secret.

Xu Qing paused, then understood Su Ming's intention and nodded in agreement, "Mm, that's the scent of osmanthus cake."

Wei Zi'ang had originally wanted to enjoy watching the shocked or envious expressions of these two humble scholars, but saw them discussing food instead. He felt as if his punch had landed on cotton; bored, he snorted and turned away.

Su Ming raised a cup of tea and took a gentle sip; the warm liquid slid down his throat and smoothed his turbulent emotions.

Lantai Secret Garden.

He committed the name to memory.

It became a more concrete and firmer target on his path through the imperial examinations.

The proceedings at the literary gathering continued with the usual poetry and couplet composing.

Xu Qing did not hide his skill but did not show off either. He composed a seven-character regulated verse on autumn with proper tonal balance and distant imagery, drawing a few measured praises and managing to integrate himself into that circle.

Su Ming remained silent the whole time, merely grinding ink for Xu Qing as he composed, acting as the most dutiful bookboy.

No one paid him any further attention.

...

After returning from Tingyu Pavilion, Su Ming did not go elsewhere; he spent most of his time around the Prefectural School.

He avoided the bustling bookshops and instead chose the secluded alleys, observing the people and affairs around the school.

That afternoon he strolled slowly along the high wall of the prefectural school.

Autumn sunlight filtered through the old locust trees by the wall, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

Suddenly his steps stalled.

His spirit sense detected an unusual fluctuation.

The pulse was faint, cold, and entirely different from the chaotic atmosphere around it. It was neither the burning vigor of a martial cultivator nor the muddled presence of an ordinary person. Instead it resembled a tamed, exceedingly small stream, carrying a unique sense of order.

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat.

He traced that perception with his awareness.

Not far away, a young scholar in a faded blue long shirt was hugging several rolled books and walking out of the Prefectural School's side gate.

He looked two or three years older than Su Ming, thin in frame, his complexion a little pale, with a lingering melancholy written between his brows, giving him a reclusive air.

He walked slowly, as if absorbed in his own world, indifferent to everything around him.

The faint cold pulse had come from an inconspicuous black jade pendant hanging at his waist.

The material was ordinary, even somewhat rough, but on it were carved runes Su Ming could not read, runes whose energy flow he could nonetheless sense.

It was a magic implement!

Though of low grade, perhaps only an auxiliary tool for calming and focusing the mind, it was undeniably something from another realm.

Su Ming's breathing abruptly grew hurried.

This was the first time he had ever seen in reality someone who might be connected to the "immortal" world.

He instinctively wanted to step forward and ask.

"Stop!"

Lin Yu's scolding exploded in Su Ming's mind like thunder.

"What do you think you're doing? Charging up to ask, 'Fellow Daoist, where did you buy that magic implement'? Do you think this is the vegetable market?"

Lin Yu's voice seethed with exasperation.

"Have you stuffed the true meaning of my Way of Survival into your head until it's rotten? Unknown situation, do not act rashly! You don't even know who he is, his background, or his temperament, yet you dare approach him? What if he has a Golden Core ancestor behind him? What if he's a demon cultivator who slaughters without blinking? What if he mistakes you for a thief trying to rob his treasure and strikes first?"

That string of "what ifs" snapped Su Ming fully back to reason. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

A fine cold sweat formed on his brow.

He had indeed been impulsive.

The excitement of finding a "kindred" had nearly made him forget that his greatest reliance was never bravery but caution.

"Master, I..."

"You what! Stand where you are, eyes on your nose, nose on your heart, pretend you saw nothing!" Lin Yu ordered, "Wait until he walks away!"

Su Ming drew a deep breath, forced himself to turn and pretend to study an ant nest at the base of the wall.

His heart was still pounding.

Only when that cold fleeting presence had disappeared around the corner did he slowly straighten.

"Master, disciple knows his mistake."

"Good that you know." Lin Yu's tone softened a little, carrying the tiredness that follows a lesson, "Disciple, remember this: in the world of cultivation, curiosity will kill cats, and will kill you too. Any long-lived cultivator is a top-level master of disguise and reconnaissance. Without absolute certainty, the best response is to ignore."

That night, Su Ming described the young scholar's appearance in detail to Xu Qing.

"Someone carrying a few rolls of old books coming out of the side gate of the prefectural school, pale-faced, lone and reclusive?"

Xu Qing thought briefly, "I think I know who you're talking about."

"Oh?"

"His name is Yan Zisu. He's from the Yan family of Yunshuo Prefecture," Xu Qing explained, "the Yan clan used to be a prominent, old gentry family. But that was a hundred years ago; they're fallen now. I heard their ancestors produced several 'fangshi' adept at painting, talismans, and divination, even once painting protective talismans for a prince in the previous dynasty, enjoying a brief period of prominence."

Fangshi!

Su Ming's heart rose again.

"Unfortunately, somehow the Yan family declined generation by generation. By Yan Zisu's time, relatives scattered and family wealth was exhausted. He's the only one left guarding the ancestral residence, maintaining a nominal status at the prefectural school and surviving on some ancestral property."

Xu Qing sighed, sympathy showing in his words.

"This person is reclusive and keeps to himself, always poring over some old books of uncertain origin. He shows no outstanding scholarship. His classmates at the prefectural school regard him as a weirdo."

Su Ming listened quietly.

Yan Zisu. A fallen fangshi family.

These fragments of information assembled a vague outline in his mind.

A lonely seeker guarding ancestral remnants but unable to inherit their glory.

Isn't this just another version of himself?

"Brother Su, why are you interested in this person?" Xu Qing asked curiously.

"Nothing special, I just happened to see him today and thought his temperament was a bit unusual," Su Ming replied casually.

He did not ask more.

The information was enough.

He knew Yan Zisu would be a long-term, quietly observed target in this prefectural city.

That night Su Ming sat cross-legged in bed, his mind unable to fully settle.

Lantai Secret Garden, Yan Zisu.

Two clues: one distant in the capital, hung above the court; the other close at hand, concealed among the common streets.

They both pointed to that mysterious world of cultivation.

"Master, I feel... the path is getting a bit clearer."

Lin Yu's voice was calm, "You may observe Yan Zisu, but you must never make contact."

Lin Yu shifted tone and grew lighter.

"Disciple, the most important thing right now is still the provincial examination in a month's time."