From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Chapter 95: Go to work the day shift, leave when there's nothing to do.

Lin Yan slept soundly that night.

He was woken up early the next morning by Lin Xiu's shouts.

"Bro! Bro! Wake up! The sun's already high in the sky!"

Lin Yan opened his eyes. It was already bright outside. He sensed his body and saw that the crystal in his dantian was slowly rotating. Strands of spiritual energy flowed out from it, circulated through his body along the meridians, and finally returned to the crystal.

It seems the training is working well.

He got dressed and went out of the room. The maid had already prepared breakfast: a bowl of rice porridge and two dishes of pickled vegetables.

Lin Xiu was squatting in the yard, watching ants move house with great interest, when she saw Lin Yan come out after finishing his meal and asked, "Brother, are you going out again today?"

"Go out and report to the Defense Department."

"What's 'timing up'?"

"It's just to check in and say I've arrived."

Lin Xiu said "Oh" and didn't say anything more, then lowered her head to look at the ants again.

Lin Yan didn't notice his sister's emotional change. He greeted Chen Shi and left the house. The four soldiers at the gate were still there. The young man had already taken a seat in the teahouse across the street, but he had changed his seat. Lin Yan pretended not to see him and headed straight for the Capital Defense Department.

The Capital Defense Command was located at the junction of the eastern and central parts of the city, its gray walls and black tiles standing out prominently on the street.

Lin Yan went inside, found the defense duty room, and pushed open the door.

Inside sat a civil official, around forty years old, with a few strands of long beard, reviewing official documents. When Lin Yan entered, he looked up from the mountain of files and sized him up.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Lin Yan, and I have been appointed as a defense advisor in the capital. I am here today to report for duty."

The civil official quickly stood up and bowed to Lin Yan, saying, "Oh, oh, so it's General Lin! My apologies for not recognizing you. I am He Jin, the Chief of the Capital Defense Department."

Lin Yan returned the gift.

He Jin invited him to sit down to the side and personally poured him a cup of tea. "I have long heard of General Lin's great name. The Battle of Zhenbei Pass, where you defeated a larger force with a smaller one, was truly an extraordinary achievement. I was also watching the final of this martial arts competition from the stands. That match was truly beautiful. Ah, you don't know, but I've disliked that Murong Chong for a long time. Fortunately..."

……

Listening to He Jin's incessant flattery, Lin Yan couldn't take it anymore and cut straight to the point, "Director He, you flatter me. What exactly are my duties as the Capital Defense Advisor?"

He Jin's smile froze. He picked up his tea and took a sip, trying to hide his embarrassment. He sighed slowly, "Well... to be honest, General Lin, your appointment as a counselor was directly granted by the Crown Prince. Our Defense Department doesn't have any specific duties for you yet."

Lin Yan frowned, glancing at the mountain of files piled on the table. "No assignments?"

"Um... um, well, it's not that we don't have any, it's just that we don't have any for the time being," He Jin carefully chose his words. "As you know, in terms of the defense of the capital, each of our battalions and divisions has its own responsibilities, with a clear division of labor. The title of 'Advisor' is, to put it bluntly, just..."

He Jin leaned close to Lin Yan's ear and lowered his voice, "It's just to make it easier for you to move around in the capital. If there are any specific assignments, the Ministry of War will notify you separately. As for the Defense Department, you don't need to come to report for duty. I will send someone to invite you when there is something to do."

Lin Yan understood. This was just a sinecure; the Crown Prince gave him this title so that he could stay in the capital.

"Alright, thank you, Manager He." Lin Yan stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to leave the Defense Department.

I never imagined I'd be living the life of clocking out and leaving work—no, I don't even need to clock out; I've become a freeloader drawing a salary.

The Crown Prince did this to keep him out of the loop, preventing him from having much contact with officials and affairs in the capital. He would only bring him out when needed, and then leave him aside afterward.

When the knife is not in use, it is put back into its sheath.

Lin Yan shook his head, turned and walked towards the east of the city. Since he had no errands to run, he would go back to cultivate.

Back at the mansion, before even entering, I heard Lin Xiu's clear laughter. Pushing open the door, I saw Lin Xiu chasing a small blue butterfly in the garden with a twig. Madam Chen sat on the veranda, doing needlework, looking at her daughter with a faint smile on her face.

"Brother! You're back!" Lin Xiu saw Lin Yan, threw down the tree branch, and ran over. "Did you finish your roll call, brother?"

"Okay, I've ordered."

"So, do you have anything else planned for today?"

"Yes, there's no work today."

Lin Xiu's eyes lit up immediately, and she tugged at Lin Yan's sleeve: "Then brother, can you take me out to play? We've been in the capital for so many days, and I haven't seen anything fun in the capital yet."

Lin Yan was stunned. Thinking about it, it was true. From Black Wind Ridge to the capital, he had traveled a long way. After arriving in the capital, he was coerced by the Crown Prince to participate in the martial arts competition. He had been recuperating from his injuries and moving house. He hadn't taken his younger sister out to play yet. Xiu'er was only ten years old this year, which was the age when she was most playful. Although this mansion was exquisite, it was still not as good as the outside world.

"Okay." Lin Yan squatted down, looking into his sister's excited eyes, "I'll take you to the market right now."

Lin Xiu jumped up happily, grabbed Lin Yan's hand, and ran towards the door, "Let's go, let's go!"

Chen called from behind, "Yan'er, come back early! Don't buy her too much candy! Too much candy will ruin a child's teeth!"

"Yes, Mother!"

Lin Yan took Lin Xiu's hand and walked out of the house. The soldiers at the gate exchanged glances when they saw him come out again. Two of them remained still and continued to guard the mansion, while the other two followed at a distance.

Lin Yan ignored them. He knew these soldiers wouldn't follow too closely, and as long as he didn't run away, they wouldn't bother him.

The market in the capital city is located on Gulou Street in the center of the city. Today is market day, and the street is crowded with people. Stalls selling cloth, sundries, sugar figurines, and grains are everywhere, and shouts of vendors rise and fall.

Lin Xiu had never seen such a big market before. She felt that she couldn't take it all in with just one pair of eyes. One moment she was pointing at the candied hawthorn and saying, "Brother, I want that one." The next she was pointing at the clay figurine and saying, "Brother, look how cute that little person is."

Lin Yan bought her one thing after another: candied hawthorns, little tigers, clay figurines, paper windmills... Lin Xiu held a whole bunch in her arms, grinning foolishly.

As Lin Yan walked to the middle of the market, he suddenly noticed a shop with a signboard above the door that read "Bai Gu Xuan".

This is a shop that sells bone ornaments.

Lin Yan slowed down.

Bone ornaments.

He recalled his days in Black Wind Ridge, when he was dirt poor. His family lived in a dilapidated cave dwelling, and they worried about where their next meal would come from. He would go into the mountains to collect bones and make bone skewers to sell for money. At that time, his skill in identifying bones had just awakened, allowing him to pick out the best quality bones from a pile and sell them for a good price.

Although those days were tough, looking back now, they were actually the simplest. We only had to worry about taxes and food, without having to live in fear or worry about the future.

"Come on," Lin Yan said, leading Lin Xiu into Bai Gu Xuan. "Let's go inside and take a look."