Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 447: Parting

The night had grown deep.

Autumn insects chirped weakly from within the bamboo grove, and a waning crescent moon hung high in the sky, casting its cold silver radiance upon the blue bricks and gray roof tiles.

The lamps in the old residence had long been extinguished, and the family had all fallen into deep slumber. Only the occasional heavy breaths and mumbled sleep-talk sounded especially clear in the tranquil night.

Su Ming was not asleep.

He pushed open his door silently, stepping out to the center of the courtyard onto the bluestone slab.

Under the moonlight, his expression was stern and focused, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, while within him, spiritual energy raced swiftly through his meridians.

With a flick of his wrist, three palm-sized, dark-gray blank formation plates appeared in his palm. These were made from scrap material he had refined from discarded Sinking Star Iron ore slag while at the Cloud Hidden Sect's Repair Hall. The material was tough and resilient, and naturally carried a faint property that could block divine sense probing.

Su Ming took a deep breath, a faint blue light flickering in his eyes.

He did not use any engraving knife. Instead, he pressed his index and middle fingers together. A single drop of dense, almost solid, blue water-attribute spiritual energy gathered at his fingertips, forming a brush tip.

Shua!Su Ming's figure moved like a phantom, appearing at the northeast corner of the courtyard.

His fingertip touched the first formation plate. The liquid spiritual energy, guided by his finger, quickly traced across the surface of the hard Sinking Star Iron, carving an extremely complex pattern of lines.

It was a variant of the "Solidify" rune, combined with the principles of earth vein channeling he had comprehended from *The True Meaning of Basic Rune Deconstruction*. Instead of forcefully embedding the plate into the ground, he activated the *Like Water Art*, letting the spiritual energy seep into the soil like liquid mercury, seeking out the most subtle veins of earth energy beneath the surface.

Then, acting according to the momentum, he perfectly embedded the formation plate into the node of the earth veins, like planting a seed.

"Chi—"

An extremely faint sound, and the first plate vanished entirely beneath the soil without a single ripple of spiritual energy leaking out.

Next came the southwest corner of the courtyard, and then the spirit screen directly facing the main gate.

Three plates, arranged in a Three Talents formation, perfectly enveloped the entire Su family's old residence.

After finishing all this, a fine layer of sweat had broken out on his forehead. Even for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, controlling earth veins and composite formation patterns with such precision was an immense drain.

But he did not stop.

Su Ming walked to the stone steps before the main room's entrance, tilted his head back, and looked up at the thick load-bearing beam above the doorway.

He took out another piece of wood from his chest—the remaining core of Soul Nourishing Wood left over from Lin Yu.

Su Ming held the piece in his palm and closed his eyes.

The spiritual energy of the *Like Water Art* transformed into the gentlest threads of water, wrapping the wood layer by layer in a final process of warming and consecration. Inside the wood, he carved a miniature "Lead" talisman. Then, he drew a drop of essence blood and let the wood absorb it. This was a secret technique used by the sect when assigning cave dwellings—if the formation was ever breached, he would definitely sense it at the Cloud Hidden Sect.

A full incense stick's time passed before Su Ming opened his eyes.

He flicked his finger.

Swoosh!

shot out like a streak of light, embedding itself precisely

this, Su Ming stood silently in the center of the

flowed like water, gently spilling over the gray tiles, onto the bare branches of the old locust tree, and onto

the familiar scent of earth

so quiet, so

slowly closed

using a voice only he could hear, he spoke

Second

for you. This is the last

very existence is a danger. But at least, with this formation in place, and with Second Brother's skill, you can live peacefully, in wealth

you have turned to dust, perhaps I will still

have been your son,

Ming has no

...

was just

white was just turning on the eastern horizon. The deep autumn morning dew was heavy, wetting the bluestone slabs in the

Ming did not

did not pack any luggage, for he had come with nothing in the first

without a sound. His footsteps were as light as weightless, just like when he had set up the

pressed his hands

the bolt, Su Ming

casting one last gaze upon this courtyard that had held all the

hall, the stove, the old

images deep into his mind, into

Just then.

"Creak—"

hall let out an extremely faint sound, yet in the silence of this early morning,

was slowly

Ming's body stiffened

the

It was his father.

coarse cloth cotton jacket, and in his hand, he still tightly clutched the old tobacco

walk toward Su Ming. He did not utter a single word

the entrance to the main hall, at the boundary between the cold

at Su Ming, who stood at

dozen paces, silently gazed

no tears, no words of advice,

a deep, bone-deep understanding—the kind that belongs between

old man whose spine had been bent by

took a step

flipped the hem of his washed-out,

dew-covered bluestone slab,

respectful curve. Toward the

bluestone slab was