Chapter 49
“However, pursuing academics this way is not feasible; I told you last time that being too hasty is a problem,” the old man Bai continued to speak to the silent Zheng Fa. “And speaking of cherishing our own broom, I genuinely hope you’re here to ask me for a friend.”
“You practice martial arts, and in the jianghu (martial arts world), the belief is that the one with the strongest fist is the leader. Everyone hides their secret techniques, wishing only they can master them.”
Zheng Fa nodded, reflecting on the atmosphere in the Xuanwei realm.
“But academia is different, Zheng Fa, remember this,” Bai Laotou said, fixing his gaze on Zheng Fa. “In academia, our enemies are never other people; they are the mysteries of this world, the unresolved questions that still linger.”
Zheng Fa began to grasp his meaning.
“Why do I want to write a book?” Bai Laotou continued. “Because when I was studying mathematics, I read many books by others. I know that without those books, I wouldn’t have my current achievements. I climbed this mountain on the shoulders of my predecessors. Now that I’m old, I want to be a shoulder for future generations to stand on.”
“I understand,” Zheng Fa replied earnestly.
He knew Bai Laotou meant well, but to be honest, at least in the Xuanwei realm, he couldn’t meet Bai Laotou’s expectations—not at this moment.
“No, you don’t understand. Do you know? In my eyes, we academics are merely a league of failures—this world is vast, science is endless, and perhaps tomorrow the truths we hold dear will turn into fallacies. Perhaps humanity will never see the truth of the world. Our failures are inevitable,” Bai Laotou shook his head. “So we must accept failure and huddle together for warmth. There’s a saying that might not apply elsewhere, but fits us perfectly—if you want to go far, you must go together.”
“I will remember your words,” Zheng Fa said solemnly.
He believed he couldn’t do it, but that didn’t stop him from agreeing with Bai Laotou’s sentiments.
“No, you don’t understand,” Bai Laotou suddenly broke into a mischievous smile. “What I just said was all nonsense. The most important thing is—since we will all fail, don’t let temporary successes or failures trouble you.”
Zheng Fa looked up sharply at Bai Laotou. “How did you see through that?”
He finally understood why Bai Laotou had suddenly said these things—after meeting with his wife, he felt a bit blocked up inside, but Zheng Fa thought he was good at hiding his emotions, that no one could see through him.
Now he realized that whether it was giving him that notebook or talking about failures, Bai Laotou was likely trying to find ways to comfort himself indirectly.
Bai Laotou shrugged, pointing behind Zheng Fa. “That little girl told me in secret.”
Zheng Fa turned around to see Tang Lingwu standing behind him, holding out a cup of milk tea with a blank expression. “Here, drink this.”
He fell silent for a moment, took the milk tea, sipped it, and then looked into Tang Lingwu’s eyes. “It’s very sweet.”
Bai Laotou muttered from behind, “I told you taking on students is troublesome; you have to do all this mental work… and he hasn’t even mastered martial arts yet. What a loss!”
“Grandpa Bai… your previous words seemed a bit one-sided, didn’t they?” Tang Lingwu asked, looking puzzled by Bai Laotou’s earlier comments. “Isn’t the academic world supposed to be beautiful? I see a lot of news about plagiarism and copying.”
Both she and Zheng Fa understood that those earlier words were not entirely nonsense.
Despite Bai Laotou’s reluctance to take them on as students, from his sporadic teachings, they could sense his expectations for both of them.
Hearing Tang Lingwu’s question, Bai Laotou pointed at Zheng Fa, looking perplexed. “Is this kid’s martial arts just for show?”
Zheng Fa translated Bai Laotou’s words in his mind:
The scientific community is full of respectable people.
But if someone doesn’t want to be respectable, Zheng Fa can help them maintain their dignity.
……
When he woke up, he was back in the Xuanwei realm. Gao Yuan suddenly fixed his gaze on Zheng Fa and said, “Zheng Fa, why do I feel like you’ve been smiling a lot more this morning than the past few days?”
“I was a bit unhappy the last couple of days, but today I decided to do something that makes me happy,” Zheng Fa nodded.
“What’s that?” Gao Yuan asked curiously.
“You’ve all been studying math for a while now, so I thought we’d have a surprise test today to celebrate!”
Gao Yuan turned to Zheng Fa in shock.
Seeing Zheng Fa’s genuine smile, a question mark slowly appeared on his face. “You’re happy about a test?”
“No, I’m happy about you guys,” Zheng Fa replied sincerely, without a hint of modesty.
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**Chapter 56: Cleverness**
In the study of the Seventh Young Master.
It turns out that participating in an exam can be light-hearted and enjoyable, completely stress-free, even if you’re just there to supervise.
If you happen to have just taken a monthly exam, you might feel, like Zheng Fa, a strange thrill of fortune turning, where the dragon-slaying youth becomes the dragon himself.
He stood in front of the hall, with three low tables set before him, behind which sat Gao Yuan, the Seventh Young Master, and his younger sister Zheng Shan.
Each of their expressions was different.
Gao Yuan was tense yet determined, looking ready to give it his all.
The Seventh Young Master was restless, glancing around as if he had never been in such a situation before.
Zheng Shan, on the other hand, was not nervous at all; she twisted her body and her eyes darted around, curiously examining the unfamiliar study.
The surprise test for the three of them wasn’t just for fun—well, at least not entirely.
The lady had linked the success or failure of entering the Immortal Gate to the position of the eldest young lady’s attendant, so the only thing Zheng Fa could do now was to improve the Seventh Young Master’s skills in talismanic arts.
With only two months to go, he could only use a crash course to train the Seventh Young Master.
But this required the Seventh Young Master’s cooperation; he needed to study harder.
How to describe the Seventh Young Master’s current state of learning?
…He had excellent sleep quality while reading.
In Zheng Fa’s view, the Seventh Young Master wasn’t stupid, but years of lazy and indulgent living had made it difficult for him to focus and study diligently.
Expecting him to study hard like Gao Yuan was indeed a tall order for this pampered young master.
The main purpose of this exam was to help the Seventh Young Master recognize his current level, to instill a sense of shame and motivate him to strive for improvement, at least in the short term.
This method was akin to some teachers giving students a sudden, extremely difficult exam right after they return from vacation—forcing them to abandon their nostalgia for the break and realize they’re not as great as they thought, prompting them to buckle down and study.
Zheng Fa quietly observed the Seventh Young Master.
From early morning, the sun had been blazing, and the maids had retreated indoors, leaving the courtyard in silence.
The Seventh Young Master’s expression was more anxious than the temperature outside, constantly glancing around.
Zheng Fa was familiar with this look—it resembled that of a student entering an exam room, akin to a pig entering a slaughterhouse, filled with a sense of impending doom.
The Seventh Young Master first looked at Gao Yuan, furrowing his brow as he calculated, seemingly thinking that Gao Yuan was doing better than him, which made him even more anxious.
He then turned to glance at his younger sister Zheng Shan, and his expression brightened considerably.
Zheng Fa could tell from the changing expressions on his face what he was thinking—the Seventh Young Master seemed to believe that no matter how poorly he performed, he couldn’t possibly do worse than a six-year-old child, so he would at least rank second among the three.
To this, Zheng Fa thought, how naive.
He had brought Zheng Shan in precisely to deliver the final blow to the Seventh Young Master.
He knew very well Zheng Shan’s level; in his eyes, the Seventh Young Master was the weakest among the three.
Gao Yuan was undoubtedly the best of the three; he had some foundation, and while he struggled with “Middle School Mathematics,” starting from “Elementary Mathematics” posed no difficulty, and he was quickly advancing into higher-grade knowledge.
Zheng Shan, though lacking a foundation, was still full of interest in studying, her mind simple, and she wasn’t slow to learn.
As for the Seventh Young Master—he was older, his thoughts were complicated, and without good study habits, he was lazy and easily drowsy when reading, making him truly not as good as his younger sister.
Zheng Fa took out the test papers he had prepared and distributed them to the three of them, saying, “One hour, let’s begin.”
Upon hearing this, all three buried their heads in the test papers.
Gao Yuan and the Seventh Young Master used brushes, while Zheng Shan, who hadn’t practiced calligraphy yet, used the charcoal pencil Zheng Fa had specially made for her.
For a moment, the study was silent except for the sound of Zheng Fa’s soft footsteps.
However, the Seventh Young Master didn’t focus on the exam for long; after a short while, Zheng Fa saw him sneakily lift his head, glancing left and right.
When he looked at his paper again, Zheng Fa understood:
Good news: He finished what he could do.
Bad news: There wasn’t much he could do.
In summary, he had run out of tricks.
The Seventh Young Master seemed anxious as well; he quietly raised his head and began observing his competitors on either side.
If Gao Yuan’s intense focus made him uneasy, then Zheng Shan’s rapid writing likely shattered what little confidence he had left.
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