Chapter 5: Retreat to Advance

Chu Yin returned to his room to rest, but he didn’t actually fall asleep.

Instead, he began practicing the 【Cloudwater·Flying Sword Technique】.

Even the slightest improvement counted as progress for Chu Yin.

This was tangible power he could bring back to the real world, and the only chance he had to overcome the disadvantage of having no supernatural ability.

Now was the time to fully leverage the advantages of youth—stay up late!

Suddenly, a wave of overwhelming drowsiness hit him.

Just moments ago, Chu Yin had been full of energy; now, his eyelids were barely staying open.

“Could it be that it’s dawn in the real world and I’m about to wake up?”

He struggled to keep his consciousness alert.

Suddenly, he remembered something he needed to test.

Gritting his teeth, he aimed his toe at the wall and kicked hard.

“Ah! I forgot to trim my nails…”

A sharp, stinging pain shot straight to his brain, yet the sleepiness didn’t dissipate at all.

Soon, Chu Yin’s neck slumped as if he had died suddenly, plunging into a deep sleep.

Young people are good at staying up late—and at falling asleep instantly.

Chu Yin opened his eyes again.

In front of him was a white plaster ceiling, surrounded by the living room of his rented apartment.

It was now six in the morning.

Golden sunlight slanted in from the window, and the sky was clear.

He propped his forehead and sat up, surprised to find that this time he actually remembered the details of his dream.

That was a bit incredible.

Previously, he could only recall one or two images at most, but this time he remembered the entire interaction with Lady Chunhan vividly.

“Could it be because I’ve cultivated 【Great Six Harmony】, and my mental faculties have been strengthened?”

Chu Yin pulled back the blanket to check his toes.

Before falling asleep in the dream, he had kicked the wall forcefully, blackening the toenail on the spot.

But now that he was awake, his toes were perfectly fine.

That meant something important—injuries suffered in the dream didn’t necessarily carry over to reality.

It depended on how severe the injury was.

“The power I bring out from dreams is diminished.

The wounds I suffer in the dream are also weakened when I wake.”

A stubbed toe was too minor an injury, so it was simply ignored as if nothing happened.

With this thought, Chu Yin touched his lips.

There were a few scratches there, left from his dreams, and he had even bled upon waking.

Was it possible he had suffered fatal wounds in the dream…?

Although frightening, this realization eased his worries.

He had always feared these dreams might cause his death for no reason.

If he died in the dream, it wouldn’t seriously affect his real self, which was acceptable.

“I wonder if I can continue where I left off the next time I sleep. I wish there was a save function.”

Chu Yin’s gaze fell on the doorway as he recalled Secretary-General Pei from the supernatural abilities guild, who had come to negotiate yesterday.

He immediately used 【Great Six Harmony】 to cast a divination on the acquisition.

【Taiyin positioned at the generating line, indicating inheritance. Six Harmony positioned at the flourishing energy, signifying joyful financial gains.】

【Advance Through Retreat.】

Chu Yin raised an eyebrow and murmured, “Does this mean it’s suitable to sell the inheritance?”

“Advance Through Retreat—it’s telling me that selling the shares of T Company isn’t pure surrender, but actually a means of ‘advancing’?”

He felt a little confused, then changed his perspective and cast another divination:

“How is Secretary-General Pei as a person? Is it suitable for me to interact with her in the near future?”

The result was the same again—auspicious signs, pointing directly to joyous matters involving wealth.

After two consecutive divinations, Chu Yin’s mind began to feel fuzzy, as if he hadn’t slept well, even though he had just woken up feeling refreshed.

“Just two divinations and I’m already mentally exhausted…”

Feeling the shift within himself, Chu Yin guessed this was the ‘mana cost’ of divination.

He got up to wash his face, splashing cold water to refresh himself.

In the bedroom, Yan Lingqi was still sound asleep, her two fair feet poking out from under the blanket. The soles were rosy and pink.

“I’ll go buy you breakfast. Don’t go out after you wake up, just stay in and play on your phone.” He pinched his sister’s soft cheek.

“Mm, hot soy milk…” The girl mumbled sleepily, as if finding his hand comforting, pressing her face against his palm like a cat.

A sleepy sister was much cuter than usual.

Chu Yin then went out, quickly noticing some encouraging changes.

Those elderly men who had been forcibly sent to nursing homes had reappeared.

Several old comrades were gathered around a chessboard, cursing and chatting about their recent experiences.

Overall, they looked happy—a group of old friends reunited, sharing stories about the nursing home and which elderly lady danced the best yangge.

As for the breakfast shop that had previously closed its doors, it had not yet reopened, but the owner was back, watching cautiously, unsure if trouble would arise again.

Chu Yin asked a few questions.

The owner scratched his head, bewildered:

“Last night, the landlord mysteriously refunded some money to me, saying someone passed a message that I could reopen and operate normally, no more troublemakers, or else they’d come after me… What’s going on here?”

“Could one of my customers be some hidden big shot?”

It seemed this was the result of Secretary-General Pei’s coordination.

After Chu Yin had driven her off yesterday, she must have done a lot of work back at the guild.

Chu Yin wandered around the nearby district, bought breakfast, and soon ran into the group of secretaries.

They had come early to perform their “daily tasks,” punctual as always, waiting nearby to bother Chu Yin.

“Good morning, Chu! Sorry to bother you again~!”

The secretaries smiled professionally, charming and pleasant.

Even their bow of apology was meticulous—consistent for the entire summer break without a hint of slack.

Apologies aside, the bother continued.

Chu Yin held out his hand, signaling “Give me the contract.”

But the secretaries assumed he was rejecting them, thinking he just wanted to wipe his hands.

One of them took out a wet wipe and gently cleaned his palm.

“I mean, bring the contract over. I’ll sign it now, and you can get off work early today.”

“Eh?”

The secretaries were stunned, momentarily unable to respond.

“Are you planning to sign it and then tear it up and throw it in the trash to vent?”

“Looks like you secretaries have dealt with some pretty nasty clients before… I mean, I agree to the acquisition. I’m in a good mood today.”

Chu Yin didn’t elaborate further.

The secretaries snapped back to reality, didn’t press further, and hurriedly produced the contract.

Soon, the signatures were complete, and the original shares of T Company were fully transferred.

Chu Yin waved goodbye and left.

The secretaries lingered behind, staring at the signed contract in disbelief, doubting they were fully awake.

On the way back to the guild’s building, they called their superior:

“Secretary-General Pei, the acquisition is complete. Chu has signed; we’re on our way back.”

After a long pause on the other end, Secretary-General Pei asked suspiciously:

“You’re telling me… that stubborn kid actually signed?!”

Chu Yin returned to his rented apartment.

Yan Lingqi was sitting dazed on the bed, eyes half-closed, hair slightly tousled, trying to “boot up.”

She was the type who went to bed early and woke late, with excellent sleep quality.

Chu Yin placed the breakfast beside her, letting her wake at her own pace without disturbance.

For some reason, after selling those shares, Chu Yin didn’t feel as bad as he imagined—he actually felt a bit excited.

He no longer had to worry about dragging his family into trouble, and by handing T Company over to the guild, he could observe their moves.

After years of neglect, the guild was once again paying attention to T Company—they must have some scheme.

More actions were surely coming!

Though he couldn’t find any clues in those shares, watching the guild’s next moves might yield unexpected leads!

That way, maybe he could discover who had plotted the attack on his parents back then.

Clearing his thoughts, Chu Yin decided this was exactly what the divination meant by “Advance Through Retreat.”

“I’ll work hard to see if I can bring out the full power of 【Cloudwater·Flying Sword Technique】. Otherwise, even if I find the real culprit, I’ll just be helpless.”

“But for now, being able to protect my family is the most important.”

The guild’s current status was like the financial tycoons of the Peninsula—rich, powerful, and factionalized.

Secretary-General Pei had hinted at this situation before.

Under such a culture, many supernatural ability users naturally viewed themselves as Heavenly Dragons, carrying a sense of entitlement to power.

It wouldn’t be impossible for them to turn against Chu Yin once their usefulness was over.

He had to stay vigilant!

During the day, Chu Yin took his sister to the nearby shopping plaza.

After dining out for dinner, they returned to their apartment at dusk.

“Lingqi, I’m adjusting my schedule. I’ll sleep once it gets dark. Don’t wake me unless it’s important.”

He was determined.

If he could continue his dream progress, the next step would be an important training phase with his master’s wife.

“Sleep at 7 p.m.? That’s crazier than a grade schooler… Um, big brother, come to my room and sleep with me.”

Yan Lingqi complained, then immediately made a request Chu Yin didn’t understand.

“Why do you want me to sleep with you?”

“I’m used to hugging something when I sleep. You only have one blanket here—nothing else to hold. If I hug the blanket, I get cold and wake up.” The girl’s voice was soft; she had been woken by cold several times last night.

So she was treating him like a body pillow…

Chu Yin was busy training and didn’t want to fuss.

He agreed simply:

“Fine, just don’t wake me. I sleep early, and if I get woken up, I probably won’t fall asleep the rest of the night. Then I’ll have to reset my schedule.”

“I won’t wake you.”

Chu Yin slipped into dreams.

As soon as he closed his eyes, his consciousness flickered.

When he opened them again, he was back in his room in Luoshui City.

The sharp pain in his toe returned.

He gasped, gritting his teeth to endure it.

Luckily, because of his cultivation, his body recovered quickly.

The bruising on his toenail faded rapidly.

“The toe still hurts—looks like the dream has continued.”