Chapter 46
“I’m really curious to know if that Yuanying Zhenren would go all out against the Qingmu Sect for a mere mortal who hasn’t even reached the Qi Refinement stage.”
Zheng Fa finally understood why the lady could hold the Zhao family in her grip for twenty years without anyone daring to oppose her—she was a cultivator!
The Zhao family claimed to have a lineage of immortal seeds, but Zheng Fa had never seen a true cultivator among them. He never expected the lady to be one.
In the blink of an eye, the scene before him transformed back to its original state.
The warm, dry mat, the steaming tea, and the lady, lazily smiling at him, made it seem as if everything that had just happened was merely a dream.
“Do you know when I stopped wanting to kill you?”
“When?”
“The moment I didn’t believe that one line.”
Zheng Fa immediately understood which line she meant—“I regard the young master as a friend.”
A flicker of disdain crossed the lady’s face, as if it were hard for her to say: “This morning, a fool came running to me, crying and snotting all over, saying the same thing.”
The curtain in the corner stirred slightly.
Both Zheng Fa and the lady pretended not to notice.
“This fool, when he should be clever, isn’t; but when he shouldn’t be, he sees things clearly…”
Zheng Fa silently gazed at the tea before him, the steam rising as if it were trying to seep into his heart through his eyes.
“The last time, I sent his sister away from him, and that stubborn boy hasn’t spoken to me for ten years.” The lady shook her head, looking quite helpless. “As a mother, I don’t want my son to hate and avoid me for his whole life. Do you understand?”
Zheng Fa nodded. “Parents can never win against their children.”
“I, for one, have never trusted anyone’s words in my life; I only look at what they do.” The lady fixed her gaze on Zheng Fa’s face. “Especially not a man’s words.”
“But for this fool, I’m willing to trust you once. Don’t let me down.”
Zheng Fa stood up, bowed deeply, and repeated, “I regard the young master as a friend.”
“May you keep your word. You may go now.”
As Zheng Fa slowly descended the stairs, the seventh young master emerged from the corner, looking puzzled. “Mother, are you really going to use the family heirloom to kill him?”
The lady rolled her eyes. “Just to scare him.”
“Scare?”
“Help me up.”
“Mother?”
“With my level of cultivation, if I even move that treasure a little, I’d lose half my life. Do you think I can really contend with a Yuanying? Do you believe I could die just by standing there without him lifting a finger?”
The lady leaned back against the couch, her face pale, and suddenly spoke, “Fan’er?”
“Hmm?” The seventh young master looked at his mother, slightly confused, and saw her gazing at him earnestly.
“Do you know why I want to see him and give him this attendant position?”
“Those two books?”
“Yes, and no. In two months, you’ll be entering the Immortal Gate.” The lady gently stroked her child’s head, revealing a rare moment of vulnerability and reluctance. She shared a bit of her heart: “The Immortal Gate isn’t a paradise. He’s a talented individual, and I hope you’ll have someone to support you in the future. If he can help you even once, I can accept him.”
“Mother.”
“Given your personality, I never wanted to send you to the Immortal Gate.”
The seventh young master lowered his head, silent.
“Zheng Fa is right; parents can never win against their children.” The lady wasn’t angry; she looked at her son with tenderness and longing. “The Immortal Gate is far away, and I won’t be able to protect you anymore. This is all I can do.”
…
Outside the small building, Steward Wu was still waiting for him, and they walked side by side.
Did the lady want to kill him?
Zheng Fa wasn’t sure.
The lady had indeed brought the seventh young master to the small building, seemingly prepared for the worst.
But…
As the lady said, was a mere book boy, someone who hadn’t even reached the Qi Refinement stage, worth offending a Yuanying?
This threat was probably just meant to remind him of the seventh young master’s feelings for him, a way to show favor to the young master.
Thinking of this, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but smile self-deprecatingly.
Who would have thought that being worthless could be an advantage?
“Zheng Fa, when I first saw you, I never expected you’d end up like this.” Seeing him smile, Steward Wu said enviously, “The young master values you, and the lady treats you differently. In the past twenty years, I’ve never seen a man enter the curtain.”
“The young master treats me very well, and the lady is also kind.” Zheng Fa nodded slowly.
I don’t blame the lady for her lofty demeanor and her suspicions.
I just don’t like living in a world where I have to think so hard just to survive.
He looked at Steward Wu’s face, which bore a hint of familiarity—ever since their first meeting, it was clear he wanted to befriend him, and now there was even more flattery on his face.
He pointed to the distant courtyard wall and asked Steward Wu, “Steward Wu, do you think once I enter the Immortal Gate, I can cross over this wall of the Zhao family?”
“Enter the Immortal Gate? The courtyard wall?” Steward Wu paused, looking at Zheng Fa with a strange expression, as if he thought he was a bit foolish. “Once you enter the Immortal Gate, you’ll be among the immortals. Forget the courtyard wall; even the towering mountains will feel like flat ground. You can go wherever you want, without fear, living in great freedom.”
“Yeah, entering the Immortal Gate, without fear, living in great freedom.”
…
In the modern classroom.
Wang Chen stared at Zheng Fa’s face. “Zheng Fa, didn’t sleep well again? Watching videos again?”
Zheng Fa shook his head with a smile. “No, I had a nightmare.”
“A nightmare? What was it about?”
“I dreamt of a not-so-beautiful world.”
Wang Chen tilted his head, frowning as he thought. “I think there’s no world worse than this one, where we have a monthly exam tomorrow.”
Chapter 53: Spreading
“Are you not taking a nap today?”
After lunch, Zheng Fa looked at Wang Chen, who was buried in his books, and asked in surprise.
Wang Chen had a habit of napping; according to him, if he didn’t nap at noon, he’d collapse by the end of the day.
“Didn’t you see Old Chen’s face? If I don’t do well this time, he’ll eat me alive!”
It was no wonder Wang Chen was so anxious; this month’s exam was unusual, a joint monthly exam between Qingshui High School and several nearby schools.
For the teachers at Qingshui High School, doing well in the college entrance exam might bring them a month of happiness from performance bonuses, but doing well in the joint exam would allow them to mock their brother schools for at least half a year.
Conversely, doing poorly and being laughed at would be enough to ruin their mood for six months.
The importance they placed on this joint exam was conveyed to Wang Chen and the others in one phrase: “Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
Old Chen had even kindly reminded them that after this month’s exam, Qingshui High School would hold a parent-teacher meeting…
Zheng Fa scanned the classroom.
On ordinary afternoons, there would be at most half the students present, most of whom would be napping with their heads down on their desks.
Today, at least eighty percent of the seats were filled, and almost no one was sleeping; everyone was buried in their studies.
Zheng Fa stood up, grabbed a few books, and prepared to head downstairs.
“Where are you going?”
“Going to find Tang Lingwu to ask some questions.”
Ever since he arranged for Tang Lingwu to teach him math, they had been meeting after lunch to study together.
“With the exam coming up, aren’t you going to focus on studying?”
Wang Chen’s eyes widened as he looked at Zheng Fa.
“Aren’t I going to study?”
“...I don’t believe you for a second!”
Watching Zheng Fa’s figure disappear out the door, Wang Chen turned to his desk mate and said:
“While I admire his courage to throw caution to the wind for love, I can only imagine how messy he’ll look after getting hammered by Old Chen for failing the exam.”
His desk mate looked at him, expressionless. “If it were you, would you not go?”
“Me? I love studying! I want to read books; there’s beauty in the pages!”
“I don’t know who this beauty is, but that’s Tang Lingwu.”
“Tang Lingwu… can she help me do well on the exam?”
“That’s Tang Lingwu.”
“Fine, the exam isn’t important. What if I fail and my mom comes to the parent-teacher meeting?”
“Tang Lingwu.”
“True, if my mom sees Tang Lingwu, she might go home and praise me for having some talent.”
…
Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu met at a small pavilion downstairs in the teaching building. The pavilion had a stone table and four stone benches. Zheng Fa placed his books on the table and began to ask Tang Lingwu about his doubts, bit by bit.
Tang Lingwu wore a white short-sleeved shirt, unconsciously twirling a fountain pen in her right hand while resting her head on the other. Occasionally, she would frown in thought at Zheng Fa’s questions before offering her insights.
To be honest, Tang Lingwu’s level wasn’t as high as Old Bai’s, and many questions would still have to wait until he could ask Old Bai at his home.
But for Zheng Fa, the experience was still quite good—Old Bai was used to teaching geniuses, which sometimes made it hard for him to understand where Zheng Fa found difficulties. This lack of understanding often came with painfully blunt questions: “Do we really need to explain this?”
Tang Lingwu was a bit better; after all, she was also talented and could empathize with Zheng Fa’s questions more.
Plus, her temperament wasn’t as impatient as Old Bai’s, and considering the difference in their looks…
The learning experience was much more enjoyable.
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