Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 359: Origin

One day ago, Punishment Peak.

The sky hung low, lead-gray clouds seemingly within reach, pressing heavily upon the undulating black mountain ridges. Here, there was none of the flowing, colorful light of Formation Peak, nor the sharp, piercing edge of Sword Peak, only a solemnity that felt nearly solidified.

A dim streak of light skimmed the ground from the Outer Sect direction, silently slicing through the thick mist shrouding the mountainside, and landed before the steward's platform halfway up Punishment Peak.

As the light faded, it revealed a middle-aged man in gray robes. His face was gaunt, his eye sockets slightly sunken, and his entire person resembled a lifeless, withered tree. This man was precisely Punishment Peak's Shadow Hall steward, Li Mo. As a cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage, his aura was restrained to the extreme; if not for being seen with the naked eye, a divine sense sweep would only perceive a flowing mass of air there.

Li Mo did not linger. The moment he landed, he strode swiftly toward the peak. Wind stirred beneath his feet, yet not a speck of dust was raised. His figure weaved through the layered curtains of restrictive formations with a practiced ease akin to a fish returning to the sea.

Passing by the corridors of the Discipline Hall on the way, a completely black "Truth-Hearing Spirit Hound," large as a lion, was dozing in the shadows beneath the walkway. This spirit hound, raised from a pup by Punishment Peak, possessed a supernatural sense of smell and was most adept at discerning lies and karmic retribution.

As Li Mo passed the corridor corner, the hound, whose breathing had been long and steady, suddenly trembled its eyelids and abruptly lifted its massive head.

Its pair of dark golden vertical pupils fixed intently on the empty ground where Li Mo had just walked. Its nostrils flared violently, and a low growl full of wariness and suspicion rolled from deep within its throat: "Woo—Woof!"

The sound was abrupt and sharp, shattering the deathly silence of the corridor.

Li Mo's footsteps paused imperceptibly, but he did not look back."Blacktooth, quiet!"

The disciple on guard duty hurried forward, forming a hand seal to pacify the agitated hound, while looking somewhat puzzled at Li Mo's retreating back. "Steward Li, this beast doesn't know what's gotten into it today, disturbing you..."

Li Mo waved a hand, his voice raspy. "It's fine."

was usually highly perceptive

at its end lay

Mo took out his waist token, channeled spiritual energy

Only a few glowstones embedded in the four walls emitted a faint, cold

black robe. The person seemed to merge with the surrounding darkness, only a pair of emotionless gray

was the Punishment Peak Master, the sharpest

the stone desk, and bowed in salute, his movements as

"Peak Master."

Three jade slips of aged hue, a stack of well-preserved shadowstone records, and several yellowed documents stamped with the bright red seals of mortal government offices

promoted True Disciple Su Ming. The investigation lasted seven days, traveling back and

was flat and toneless, as if reciting a dry scripture. "All findings are here. Please review

hand emerged from beneath

mortal seal

Town under the jurisdiction of the Great Xing Kingdom's Ministry of Revenue. The paper was already somewhat brittle, emitting a stale

Peak Master's gaze swept over the

head. "First point of suspicion: Mortal origins and sudden emergence of

Su Family Village, Qingshi Town, Great Xing Kingdom. Father: Su Shan. Mother: née Li. His ancestors for three generations were all mortal farmers, surviving by cultivating two meager acres of land. According to testimonies from local neighbors and the village head, Su Ming displayed average abilities before the age of sixteen, with a dull,

"The key lies in the national conditions of the Great Xing Kingdom. Since the 'Jinghe Reforms' sixty years ago, the Great Xing imperial family has pursued a policy of 'Severing Heaven from Earth,' viewing cultivators as sources of chaos. Throughout the entire country, all texts and artifacts involving breathing exercises and Qi Refining

Village, there have been no records of cultivators passing through in the past fifty years, nor any anomalous phenomena like falling

Punishment Peak Master's fingers lightly tapped the desktop, producing crisp "tap, tap" sounds that echoed in the empty Shadow

"Continue."

sentenced to exile to the northern border due to his father's involvement in a grain tax case. During the journey, they encountered a mudslide. Both parents perished, and he went missing for three months.

Kingdom, a farm boy who had never learned to read or write, relying solely on three months, without a teacher or guide, managed