The door clicked softly as Lu Xuan closed it behind him, stepping out of his apartment and into the quiet rhythm of the morning. The air was fresh, crisp with the early dew of dawn, and the street before him was just beginning to come alive. A few pedestrians walked by, heads down, lost in their own thoughts, while the distant hum of cars and the low chatter of street vendors started to rise. The city, despite its endless activity, felt like a distant memory to him—a background to a life he no longer needed to lead.
He adjusted the strap of his messenger bag, the mundane weight of it almost comical compared to the immense burdens he had carried in his past lives. The bag contained nothing more than a few books, some paper, and a pen—tools for a life of simplicity. There were no weapons, no scrolls containing secret knowledge, no magical relics. For the first time in many lifetimes, he was just a man, walking through an ordinary world.
His eyes, however, were sharp. They always had been. Lu Xuan had long since mastered the art of observation, his mind instantly cataloging every detail—the way the light reflected off the wet pavement, the particular shade of green in the trees, the way the wind tugged at the edges of a paper advertisement flapping on a lamppost. Everything had its place in the grand design of things. But none of that mattered now. He wasn't looking for patterns, he wasn't searching for hidden truths, and he certainly wasn't waiting for fate to tap him on the shoulder.
No, today was the first day of his retirement.
As he walked through the streets, he considered the rules he had set for himself the night before. Rules that would guide him through this new chapter, this final phase of his existence.
**Rule One: No Standing Out.**
This was non-negotiable. He had learned, through countless lifetimes, that attention was a double-edged sword. Fame, recognition—these were chains disguised as honors. They were the traps that pulled him into the storms of destiny, into the wars of power and influence. The moment someone noticed him, the moment he caught the eye of the world, he would be swept into the currents of events far beyond his control.
His plan was simple: remain invisible. A shadow. An ordinary person, drifting through the world unnoticed. The last thing he wanted was to be celebrated as some kind of hero or genius. The weight of expectation, the pressure of others' desires, it was suffocating. No more. He would be just another face in the crowd, no different from anyone else.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he passed a group of young men debating over the latest sports match. They didn't know him. They would never know him. That was exactly how he liked it. He would blend in, slip by unnoticed, and live the life he had always wanted.
**Rule Two: No Business Ventures.**
Lu Xuan had built empires and lost them. He had created technologies that reshaped worlds, only to see them crumble in the wake of greed and politics. Business had once been a game—a game he had mastered, but a game that had drained him of every ounce of enjoyment. The high stakes, the endless negotiations, the backstabbing—it was exhausting. And now, it was unnecessary.
He had the skills to turn any company into a global titan. With a mere word, he could revive struggling industries, solve problems that others couldn't even begin to fathom, and build wealth beyond imagination. But none of that appealed to him anymore. His fingers itched for a calculator, for a ledger, but he clenched them into fists, reminding himself of the rules. No more. He was not here to control the fate of businesses or to juggle assets for the amusement of others. His involvement would only spark chaos—he had seen that too many times before.
Business was a distraction, an endless cycle of profits and losses, of corporate warfare and public spectacles. He had no desire to be part of it. And so, he would avoid it. Even if someone were to approach him, offering a deal that promised unimaginable wealth or influence, he would refuse. His peace depended on it.
**Rule Three: No Unnecessary Trouble.**
This was the hardest rule to follow, but it was the most important. Trouble had always found him. It didn't matter how far he tried to retreat from it—whether he was living as an emperor or a hermit, destiny had a way of pulling him back into the fray. The world always needed saving, and he had always been there to answer the call. But that was no longer his responsibility.
He had made a pact with himself: he would no longer be the hero, the savior, or the man who fixed everyone's problems. People would have to find their own way. He could already feel the familiar tug—the voices of those who would come to him with their woes, their problems, their desperate pleas for help. They would seek him out, of course. He could solve anything with a single glance, a few words, or a wave of his hand. But that was not the life he wanted anymore.
He thought of the many lives he had lived. As a warrior, he had fought for kingdoms. As a merchant, he had built fortunes. As a healer, he had saved countless lives. But now? Now he wanted to sit back and watch the world sort itself out. No more meddling in fate. No more being the hand that guided others. He would let them stumble and learn, as he once had.
Yet, even as the thought settled in his mind, Lu Xuan knew that avoiding trouble was not so simple. Trouble was like a shadow that followed him wherever he went. People would still seek him out—perhaps someone would recognize his face, or his name would circulate in whispers. He had been too many things in too many lives to be entirely forgotten. But he would resist. He would remain steadfast in his resolve to avoid the chaos that had always consumed him.
He paused at a street corner, waiting for the light to change. His eyes caught a glimpse of a young woman on the opposite side of the street, struggling to juggle a tray of coffee cups, her face flushed with stress. He instinctively took a step forward, ready to help—only to stop himself. *No,* he reminded himself. *This is not your problem.*
The light turned green, and he stepped forward, crossing the street. The woman remained on the other side, oblivious to the brief moment of hesitation.
It wasn't that he didn't care. Lu Xuan had always cared deeply. It was that, for once, he had to let the world work through its own problems. He couldn't solve everything. He couldn't fix everything. Not anymore.
---
As the day stretched on, Lu Xuan kept to his path, walking through the city with a quiet sense of purpose. He didn't know what the future held, nor did he care. What mattered was that he had made the decision to step away from the life he had once known. He was no longer the player in the game of destiny. He was simply an observer, a witness to the unfolding world around him.
No more standing out. No more business ventures. No more unnecessary trouble.
It was time to live the life he had always dreamed of—a life of quiet, unremarkable peace.