Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

The black-robed cultivator snorted coldly, taking a step forward to press the attack.

”Normal transaction?” His voice suddenly rose, deliberately loud enough for passing cultivators to hear clearly. ”That formation plate the Green Nether Sword Sect disciple just bought—it’s our Myriad Treasures Pavilion consignment that was placed at the wandering cultivator stall!”

He thrust out a finger and jabbed it hard at Su Ming’s nose.

”You brat stood staring at our formation plate under the pretense of inspecting goods for an entire incense stick’s time. Dare you say you weren’t using your divine sense to secretly copy the formation lines? Want to steal our Myriad Treasures Pavilion’s core techniques? You’ve got some nerve!”

At those words, a ring of onlookers immediately gathered.

The Central Continent has strict rules. Stealing the core formations or alchemy formulas of major merchant houses is a grave crime that can get your cultivation abolished and your name extinguished.

”Nonsense!” Qingfeng’s face flushed crimson with anger. ”Su Ming was only using his eyes to look. He didn’t use any imprinting jade slips at all! So many people were here and saw it!”

”Using only his eyes?” The black-robed cultivator seemed to hear the biggest joke in the world, mocking loudly, ”A Foundation Establishment early stage, and you think he can understand high-level formations with his eyes? Do you take me for a three-year-old?”

He suddenly waved his hand, and the four thugs behind him immediately advanced to press Su Ming.

”Cut the crap! Whether you stole anything or not, come with us to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion hall. We’ll use the soul-searching secret technique to inspect your Consciousness Sea, and the truth will come out!”Soul-search the Consciousness Sea!

This is an extremely vicious method against cultivators; one slip and it could turn a person into a fool.

Moreover, once subjected to a soul search, Lin Yu’s existence would be completely exposed. Then the trouble wouldn’t stop at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion—enemies of the Shen family might come hunting.

Su Ming’s gaze darkened completely in that instant.

A deadly, bone-chilling killing intent quietly spread in the depths of his heart.

”Disciple, steady yourself.”

Lin Yu’s voice rang in Su Ming’s Consciousness Sea, stripped of his usual laziness, speaking very fast.

”This is a common bully trick of the Central Continent merchant houses. They don’t know whether you’ve memorized anything. They see your unfamiliar face and ordinary clothes, and want to pin this big accusation on you to scare you. Then they’ll force you to hand over all the spirit stones on you as hush money.”

Lin Yu’s soul body moved quickly through the void.

”Don’t make a move. If you initiate violence first, you’ll violate the Myriad Treasures Pavilion’s rules, and they’ll have a legitimate reason to execute you on the spot.”

Su Ming took a deep breath.

He lifted his head.

He stared at the smug black-robed cultivator, and the corner of his mouth curled into a faint, scornful smile.

”You keep insisting that formation plate is Myriad Treasures Pavilion’s property. You accuse me of stealing your core technique.”

Su Ming’s voice was soft, but it carried a trace of refined spiritual energy. That voice pierced the noisy crowd and clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

”Then I would like to ask this fellow a question.”

Su Ming stepped forward half a pace, eyes blazing, locking onto the black-robed cultivator’s gaze.

”The set of lead runes used at the core of that formation plate to organize and trace spiritual energy—what variant number is it?”

The smirk on the black-robed cultivator’s face froze instantly.

He stared dumbfounded at the gray-clothed youth whose aura had suddenly changed, his mind blank for a moment.

What variant number?

He was merely a thug in charge of watching the stall and extorting, normally only knowing how to cut people and collect spirit stones—what did he know about damned formation variants! He hadn’t even inspected the formation plate closely!

”You... stop dodging and changing the subject!” The black-robed cultivator barked, blustering to cover his fear. ”I’m asking whether you stole anything!”

Su Ming didn’t wait for him to finish, cutting him off sharply.

”That’s the seventh variant of the lead runes!”

Su Ming’s voice fell like a heavy hammer, striking the stunned crowd.

”That variant’s core is reversing the flow of spiritual energy to form three nested loops. It’s a non-transmitted secret of the Northern Frontier Cloud Hidden Sect’s Formation Peak lineage under Master Xuanheng!”

Su Ming suddenly pointed at the black-robed cultivator.

”I’d like to ask you Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Where did you steal this so-called core merchandise—whose formation did you copy?”

The whole place erupted.

The onlookers burst into chaotic chatter. Fingers pointed and discussions surged like a tide toward the black-robed cultivator.

”You’re spitting lies! Nonsense!” Beads of cold sweat popped on the black-robed cultivator’s forehead as he shouted in a panic, ”What evidence do you have to prove that’s your sect’s formation?”

”Evidence?”

Su Ming sneered.

Without a hint of hesitation, he flipped his left hand and withdrew an uncarved blank jade formation plate from his storage pouch.

He held the plate in one hand, his right index finger slightly bent.

Under the watchful eyes of hundreds, Su Ming’s fingertip moved across the blank formation plate with fluid grace.

Without using any engraving knife, pure, brilliant azure water-attribute spiritual energy flowed from his fingertip like living ink, deeply imprinting upon the plate’s surface.

In less than three breaths’ time,

a highly intricate, exquisite set of runes with three water-wave loops unmistakably appeared for all to see.

This was precisely the lead-rune variant found at the core of that ancient-wood formation plate!

”This... this void-formed engraving technique is indeed the Formation Peak art of Cloud Hidden Sect!” An experienced elderly wandering cultivator in the crowd cried out, ”I once went to the Northern Frontier years ago, I would never mistake this!”

”Could the Myriad Treasures Pavilion really be selling stolen formation techniques?”

”That black-robed guy couldn’t even answer what variant it was—he’s obviously trying to scam and extort!”

The murmurs swelled. The onlookers’ gazes at the black-robed thugs turned from amusement to contempt.

The black-robed cultivator felt coldness in his limbs.

He never expected the supposedly weak ”fat sheep” he’d chosen to bully would turn out to be a tiger in sheep’s clothing. Not only could he reproduce a high-level formation on the spot, but he had also pinned the ”stolen grand inheritance” accusation squarely on the Myriad Treasures Pavilion!

If this blew up, his head might not be enough to save him from the pavilion master.

Su Ming held the faintly glowing formation plate and pressed forward, ”So, who exactly stole from whom?”

”Stop.”

Just as the black-robed cultivator sank into despair and prepared to grab the formation plate at any cost,

a low, authoritative voice sounded from inside the Myriad Treasures Pavilion’s main hall.

With that voice came a massive pressure of a Golden Core early stage, sweeping out like a tsunami. The noisy crowd fell silent, heads bowed in reverence.

A middle-aged cultivator in embroidered robes, a prosperous face, hands clasped behind his back, strode out through the hall gate with steady, weighty steps.

”Manager!”

The black-robed cultivator, as if seeing a savior, immediately dropped to one knee.

But the fat manager didn’t even glance at him, delivering a kick straight to his chest.

Bang!

The Foundation Establishment peak black-robed cultivator was knocked flying three zhang, crashing heavily down the steps and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

”Blinded by your dog eyes, stopping anyone you please!”