Chapter 64
**High Emotional Intelligence: A Heart Set on the Path.**
**Low Emotional Intelligence: No Friends.**
Seeing that Senior Sister Zhang still remained silent, Sun Daoyu gritted his teeth and said, “If Zhang Zhenren has any requests, please feel free to voice them. I will certainly report to my master, and I will make sure Senior Sister Zhang is satisfied.”
“I’m not refusing…” Senior Sister Zhang shook her head and explained, “It’s just that my Xianpin Ling has already been given to someone else.”
“Given to someone else?” Sun Daoyu’s face showed shock; clearly, he hadn’t anticipated this situation and seemed somewhat incredulous. “May I ask, Senior Sister Zhang, to whom did you give it?”
Senior Sister Zhang paused for a moment, her eternally cold tone surprisingly tinged with a hint of stammering:
“To someone… with exceptional talent in talismanic arts, valued by a Yuanying Zhenren, but due to regulations, that Yuanying Zhenren cannot directly take him as a disciple…”
“…” Sun Daoyu’s expression gradually froze, his face slowly turning red, seemingly filled with anger.
Zheng Fa understood his anger well: if you’re going to refuse, just refuse. What’s the point of stealing my words to refuse?
“I’m not lying to you.” Senior Sister Zhang pointed at Zheng Fa and said, “I gave it to him.”
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**Chapter 72: I’ll Protect You**
Sun Daoyu stared at Zheng Fa for a long time, then slightly cupped his hands in greeting:
“May I ask, how should I address you?”
“Zheng Fa,” Zheng Fa returned the gesture.
“Zheng Xiong, are you and Senior Sister Zhang old acquaintances?” Sun Daoyu asked, a hint of respect on his face.
“Not an old friend of Zhang Zhenren; I’ve only known her for a few days.”
In front of Senior Sister Zhang, Zheng Fa could only answer honestly.
“Then, Zheng Fa, what is your talent like?”
“Fire and wood dual spiritual roots.”
“Are you from a prominent sect?”
“I come from humble beginnings; just a few days ago, I was a servant in this manor.”
Upon hearing this, Sun Daoyu no longer looked at Zheng Fa, but turned to Senior Sister Zhang and bowed, saying, “Senior Sister Zhang, it’s not that I’m bullying you with my status, but my uninitiated junior brother has extraordinary talent. I truly don’t want our sect to miss out on such a gem.”
Senior Sister Zhang looked at him, her gaze showing no sign of being moved.
“Our Jiushan Sect has always excelled in talismanic arts within the Hundred Immortals Alliance. Since such a talent has come across my master, we cannot let it slip away!”
Sun Daoyu spoke earnestly, as if considering Senior Sister Zhang’s perspective:
“Letting this Xianpin Ling go to my junior brother is not only a way for our Jiushan Sect to gain a talented individual, but it also earns you a favor from my master. Once my junior brother joins the sect, he will be immensely grateful to you, always looking up to you.”
“Both publicly and privately, it’s a win-win situation. Please think it over, Senior Sister!”
Upon hearing this, Senior Sister Zhang still seemed unconvinced and countered:
“Though the Xianpin Ling is rare, does Uncle Pang, being a Yuanying, really have to seek it from me?”
“Uh… haven’t other Yuanying Zhenren and Jindan Zhenren already given out their Xianpin Lings?”
“I’ve given it to someone.”
“…Those Zhenren gave it to their own juniors or disciples.”
Zheng Fa understood the situation from the side.
This person had asked him three questions, figured out that he had no background, and thought that taking the Xianpin Ling from him would come at the lowest cost. He didn’t even bother to persuade him but instead tried to convince Senior Sister Zhang.
After listening, Senior Sister Zhang simply nodded and said, “You have a point.”
Sun Daoyu’s expression brightened, only to hear Senior Sister Zhang continue:
“Our Jiushan Sect excels in talismanic arts, and we truly cannot miss out on a genius in this field.”
“Senior Sister is right!” Sun Daoyu agreed.
“Is your junior brother’s talent in talismanic arts very strong?”
“My master says he is exceptionally gifted!”
“How does he compare to me?”
“…Senior Sister, you really know how to joke. Who doesn’t know that you are hailed as a once-in-a-thousand-years genius in talismanic arts within the Hundred Immortals Alliance? How could my junior brother possibly compare to you?”
“He is stronger than I am.”
Suddenly, Senior Sister Zhang pointed at Zheng Fa.
“Ah?”
“Publicly, I’ve found a disciple for Jiushan Sect whose talent in talismanic arts surpasses mine. Privately, I believe his gratitude is worth more. Any questions?”
Sun Daoyu let out a bitter laugh and cupped his hands to Senior Sister Zhang, saying, “Since you’ve said so, I have nothing more to say.”
His tone suggested he didn’t believe Senior Sister Zhang’s assessment of Zheng Fa, but her words sounded as if she would rather give the Xianpin Ling to Zheng Fa than maintain her own reputation in talismanic arts, leaving him with no room to persuade further.
After finishing, Sun Daoyu ignored the others present, turned, and left, doing so with a sense of decisiveness.
Watching Sun Daoyu swiftly exit, the others exchanged glances, only to hear Senior Sister Zhang ask:
“Is there anything else?”
Everyone else took their leave.
“Zheng Fa, stay.”
Zheng Fa watched the Seventh Young Master and the others walk out, then turned to Senior Sister Zhang and deeply bowed, saying, “Thank you, Zhang Zhenren, for your support.”
He understood clearly that Sun Daoyu, upon learning of his background, didn’t care about his opinion at all.
If it weren’t for Senior Sister Zhang’s insistence, this Xianpin Ling would likely no longer belong to him.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have given it to him.”
Zheng Fa was taken aback.
“Uncle Pang and my master have differing views on talismanic arts, and there are occasional frictions,” Senior Sister Zhang explained briefly. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have waited until I left Jiushan Sect to seek me out.”
So that’s how it is; it seems there are conflicts between the two Yuanying Zhenren of Jiushan Sect, which doesn’t sound like good news.
“It’s just a dispute over the path; it’s nothing serious. Even if my master and Uncle Pang had no conflicts, I still wouldn’t give it to him.”
“Ah?”
This contradictory statement left Zheng Fa utterly confused.
Senior Sister Zhang suddenly changed the subject: “Since you will be joining Jiushan Sect in the future, such matters won’t be rare.”
“…”
“Competing for Xianpin Lings, competing for spirit stones, any resources—there will always be someone trying to take them from you.”
“Right…”
Zheng Fa listened but still didn’t understand what Zhang Zhenren was trying to convey.
“I grew up this way too.” Senior Sister Zhang suddenly locked eyes with Zheng Fa and said, “With your and my talents, there’s no need to fear these things. Just walk the righteous path without fear. You have me behind you, and I have my master behind me.”
“?” Zheng Fa was a bit dazed, but he vaguely understood Senior Sister Zhang’s meaning: “Are you saying… our talents?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought… Zhang Zhenren, you were trying to deceive that Sun Zhenren.”
“I never lie.”
Zhang Zhenren stared at Zheng Fa’s face as she spoke.
Zheng Fa finally understood what Zhang Zhenren was trying to say and realized where the misunderstanding lay.
This Zhang Zhenren genuinely believed that his talent in talismanic arts surpassed hers…
But why?
It seemed she noticed Zheng Fa’s confusion and frowned slightly, saying, “Do you really think I would give you the Xianpin Ling just for those mathematical problems?”
“…”
“Do you think I can’t see the intricacies hidden within that naval strategy, those talismanic diagrams, and the profound insights into the Yuanfu that I’ve never even heard of?”
“…”
“I know you come from humble beginnings, which makes you cautious. Now that you’ve left the Zhao family, there are some things you need not fear anymore. Today, with Sun Daoyu’s visit, I wanted to use this opportunity to tell you—based solely on your talent, even within Jiushan Sect, I will protect you.”
“…”
Zheng Fa opened his mouth, utterly speechless.
He remembered that it was after Zhang Zhenren saw the talismanic diagrams he drew for the Seventh Young Master that she suddenly presented the Xianpin Ling.
Yes, those diagrams indeed had patterns, but those patterns were not his own insights.
Zhang Zhenren probably thought that he had to hide his brilliance due to his lowly status in the Zhao family…
Zhang Zhenren looked at Zheng Fa and said, “I never speak empty words, and I can tell you plainly that I value your future. Do you understand?”
---
**Modern Day, at Old Man Bai’s Home.**
“Professor Bai.”
“What is it?” Old Man Bai frowned, staring at Zheng Fa with suspicion. “Whenever you call me professor, it’s never for anything good.”
“I just wanted to ask if you know how to program, maybe write a game or something?”
“…Why don’t you ask me if I know how to have kids?” Old Man Bai snorted and asked, “Why do you want to know this?”
Zheng Fa shared his thoughts:
He wanted to create a mini-game similar to the one on Senior Sister Zhang’s scroll, where one selects runes—essentially a supercharged mock exam for himself based on naval strategy.
The misunderstanding that Zhang Zhenren had about him being a genius had its pros and cons.
The good part was that he leveraged this attention to break free from the Zhao family and gained the opportunity to participate in the Xianpin Conference, even directly latching onto Senior Sister Zhang’s coattails.
The downside was that unless he truly was a genius, getting exposed would be disastrous.
He would even have to demonstrate talent that matched Zhang Zhenren’s expectations at this Xianpin Conference.
If he couldn’t become a genius in talismanic arts, he could at least be a hardworking genius at problem-solving!
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**Chapter 73: Who’s Worse Off?**
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