Chapter 58
“Why should I be afraid?” He opened his phone, glanced at the screen, and suddenly frowned, tapping away at the device.
“What’s wrong? Is there a big problem?” Seeing his expression, his daughter stopped arguing and asked anxiously, “Should we go to the capital for another check-up?”
“It seems they mixed up someone else’s report with mine.” The old man looked up, a hint of pride in his voice as he declared, “This person is perfectly healthy; it’s obvious it’s not me.”
“So you’re proud of being sick?” His daughter couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.
**Chapter 65: Lies**
“Is that a sickness? It’s a badge of honor for my hard work!” the old man retorted stubbornly.
Ignoring him, his daughter snatched his phone and examined it closely. “Is the Second Hospital really that unreliable? How could they make such a mistake?”
After a moment, she looked up and asked, “This person has the same name as you and is the same age? What are the odds?”
“Maybe they mixed up the reports…”
“Can they mix up everything?” His daughter frowned. “Blood tests, urine tests, and CT scans—how could they all be wrong?”
The old man paused, considering. “From a probability standpoint, it’s not impossible…”
“...You’re healthier than I am!” His daughter rolled her eyes, focusing intently on the report, her expression one of surprise.
The old man immediately perked up, raising his voice toward his daughter, “What did I tell you? I’m in great shape!”
“Sure, sure, I’m just thrilled you’re healthy,” she replied, her tone softening, though curiosity crept in. “Have you been taking some magic elixir? Are you turning back the clock?”
At this, both the old man and Tang Lingwu exchanged a glance at Zheng Fa.
The old man scratched his curly hair, thinking for a moment before saying, “I recently went to watch some square dancing and met a lovely old lady.”
His daughter shot up her head, looking at him incredulously. “At my age, I can’t have a stepmother!”
“No, what I mean is, my health is probably rejuvenated just like my love life—when you’re happy, your body feels good.”
“…” His daughter stared at him, speechless at his nonsense.
“It’s all the power of love, you know?”
“I’m in my forties; I can’t understand the romantic escapades of old folks like you.” She maintained a deadpan expression.
“Come on, I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?” The old man couldn’t explain himself clearly and pushed his daughter toward the door. “You go do your thing; I still have to tutor those two.”
“Dad!”
“With my health, what’s there to worry about?”
He waved his hand dismissively.
Seeing his demeanor and recalling the report, his daughter could only leave in resignation.
As soon as the door closed, the old man turned sharply, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Zheng Fa.
“Is our martial arts lineage really this extraordinary?”
Tang Lingwu, standing nearby, also curiously examined the old man’s report.
The health check report wasn’t entirely without issues; some indicators had little arrows next to them, indicating they were outside the normal range.
But for a man in his sixties or seventies, he was indeed quite healthy.
“This is better than the results I had when I was forty,” the old man exclaimed, clicking his tongue in amazement, then turned to Zheng Fa. “You don’t blame me for hiding this from you, do you?”
“You’re just looking out for me,” Zheng Fa shook his head.
“I can’t be sure what might happen if this gets out. Maybe someone will take an interest in you, or it could bring you great fame and fortune.” The old man’s expression turned serious as he looked at Zheng Fa. “But whether it’s good or bad, you’re not ready to handle it yet. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
Who was he? An orphan, a high school student just a few months shy of adulthood.
Aside from a body trained in martial arts, he had almost nothing.
The benefits of the Songhe Zhuang (Pine Crane Stance) shouldn’t be that significant.
But the Linghe Shen (Spirit Crane Body) was different.
Though the old man was slow to progress and still had months to go before mastering the Linghe Shen, it didn’t mean his body wasn’t benefiting from it.
On the contrary, practicing the Linghe Shen seemed to be rejuvenating his aging body, preparing it for a complete transformation.
“I just need you to tell a little white lie, sacrificing your reputation,” Zheng Fa felt a bit embarrassed.
The old man had even concocted a story about a late-life romance to cover for him.
“What lie?”
“About the second spring,” Zheng Fa recalled the old man’s earlier fib to his daughter.
“Who says I lied to her?” The old man widened his eyes, looking puzzled at Zheng Fa.
“?”
“Why is it okay for you young folks to be all lovey-dovey in front of me, but I can’t have a bit of romance in my old age?”
“…”
After discussing all the questions he had accumulated over the past few days, Zheng Fa remembered his senior sister Zhang’s request.
“I have a friend…”
“Oh, a friend…” The old man nodded knowingly.
“She really enjoys those complex calculation problems, the kind that seem designed to annoy people,” Zheng Fa described Zhang’s interests objectively. “Do you know where I can find a lot of those?”
“You like those too?” The old man looked pleasantly surprised.
“Not me,” Zheng Fa paused, confused. “Wait, what do you mean by that…”
“Just wait!”
The old man dashed to the bookshelf behind him and pulled out several thick binders. “I love collecting those tricky problems.”
Zheng Fa could see that the tall cabinet behind him was stuffed with similar binders.
Is this… the senior sister’s happiness cabinet?
“You… also enjoy these problems?”
Zheng Fa was taken aback, wondering how he had encountered two such oddballs!
“Oh, I don’t like solving them; it’s too torturous,” the old man waved his hand dismissively.
Thank goodness, this old man wasn’t that terrifying.
“I’m the kind of person who enjoys creating those annoying problems.”
“?”
“I used to write Olympiad problems for a while; these are all the ones I’ve collected or come up with myself.”
“Are they all in the cabinet?”
“Not all of them; we have different types. We problem setters need to accumulate these. Every time we have a problem-setting group, they have to stop me,” the old man said regretfully. “They say people will complain if I write those kinds of problems.”
……
In the Xuanwei Realm.
Zheng Fa walked toward the small courtyard where Senior Sister Zhang was staying at the Zhao residence, just a few steps away from the young lady’s courtyard.
As he entered Zhang’s courtyard, the young lady happened to step out of her own small courtyard.
She frowned as she watched Zheng Fa’s back, a flicker of contemplation crossing her face as she headed toward her mother’s small building.
“Mother, I saw Zheng Fa going to find Senior Sister Zhang,” she said to her mother.
Her mother nodded, saying nothing.
“Mother, Senior Sister Zhang is a person who values her peace and quiet. Isn’t it a bit inappropriate for Zheng Fa to disturb her? What if he angers her?”
Her mother shook her head. “Zheng Fa is not the type to act recklessly; if he’s going to see Zhang Zhenren, it’s surely with her consent.”
The young lady frowned, seemingly unconvinced by her mother’s judgment. “How is that possible? So many people in the Hundred Immortals Alliance want to befriend Senior Sister Zhang, yet she’s always aloof. I could only invite her because of the connection between our ancestors and her master.”
“Didn’t you say that Zhang Zhenren mentioned Zheng Fa’s talisman-making talent is on par with hers?”
Her mother suddenly asked.
“Yes, Senior Sister Zhang said that herself.”
Her mother fell into a long silence. After a while, she suddenly looked at her daughter, her expression serious. “Lan’er, I need to discuss something with you.”
“Mother?”
“I’m considering having Zheng Fa marry into our Zhao family. What do you think?”
“Marry into our family? Mother, you value him that much? Well, given his talent, it’s a way for our Zhao family to win his heart.” The young lady pondered, “Mother, which sister are you planning to have him marry? Is Father on board with this?”
She furrowed her brow, seemingly calculating which of her many half-sisters would be suitable.
“You.”
The young lady froze, pointing at herself in disbelief. “Me?”
**Chapter 66: Learning a Lesson**
The young lady stared blankly at her mother, as if questioning whether her mother had misspoken.
“You heard me right. I want him to marry you,” her mother affirmed.
“Mother, what exceptional quality does Zheng Fa possess? Just because Senior Sister Zhang praised his talent in talisman-making?” The young lady’s tone was filled with confusion.
She found it harder to understand why her mother placed such importance on Zheng Fa than the idea of her marrying him.
Her husband would be vastly different from the Zhao family’s other sons-in-law.
Not only was she the legitimate daughter of the Zhao family, but she was also an inner disciple of the Qingmu Sect, a foundation-level cultivator.
Her mother sighed. “It’s too soon.”
“Too soon?”
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