Chapter 74
"He's got a bit of cleverness, but he's too foolish in dealing with people..." As she complained about her son, the lady spoke with genuine emotion: "If he were a schemer, I might feel more at ease. But he's soft-hearted and has a sharp tongue. He lacks the guts to be a villain and the brains to be a good person. How is he going to survive in the Hundred Immortals Alliance in the future?"
"…"
Zheng Fa found it hard to argue against that.
"There are some things... just consider me, as your mother, shameless. I don't ask for much, just that when he offends someone or faces life-and-death challenges in the future, you remember this little favor from today. I would gladly die a thousand deaths in return."
Zheng Fa could sense that, with the end of the Immortal Talent Conference, the lady had lowered her stance significantly in front of him. The look in her eyes as she spoke was filled with anxiety.
After a moment of thought, he replied, "I have one request."
"I know. As long as my Zhao family exists, as long as I am alive, your mother and sister will not lose a single hair."
The lady promised.
"Oh, then that’s two requests."
"Ah?"
"You need to turn around and praise Young Master Qi a bit," Zheng Fa said.
"…"
……
As Sun Daoyu left the Zhao residence, he frowned, feeling a bit troubled.
Whether they won or lost the bet didn’t really matter—they had lost to Sister Zhang before, after all.
But Zheng Fa's appearance truly worried him.
One Sister Zhang was already hard enough to deal with.
Now there was another Zheng Fa, the number one talent in talisman arts?
It was hard for Sun Daoyu not to worry about their faction's future.
It wasn't until he returned to the Chen family and saw Zhou Qianyuan waiting for him that he felt a bit more at ease—Zheng Fa might be talented in talisman arts, but Zhou Qianyuan was no slouch either!
Not to mention, with a single spiritual root and a Geng Metal body, that was considered top-tier talent in the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
With a little training in the Jiushan Sect, he could support their master and hold up the big picture for his senior brothers!
"Junior Brother, don’t be disheartened. Today you just lost to Zheng Fa in the talisman assessment. Once you enter the Jiushan Sect, your spiritual root and body will prove to be more substantial than his talisman talent."
He looked at Zhou Qianyuan, who was frowning, thinking he was still upset about losing to Zheng Fa, and hurried to comfort him.
"I'm not disheartened," Zhou Qianyuan glanced at him and said, "A loss is a loss. I, Zhou Qianyuan, am not someone who can't take a loss."
"Good!" Hearing him say that, Sun Daoyu immediately brightened up, "I was worried that you might be too smooth-sailing and become arrogant, not understanding that there are always greater talents out there. I didn’t expect Junior Brother to be so able to take things in stride, it’s impressive!"
He was genuinely happy, just as their master had said, Zhou Qianyuan's temperament was far more important than any foundational cultivation method.
With Zhou Qianyuan's temperament and talent, Sun Daoyu's expectations for him grew even stronger.
"Don’t worry, once you enter the Jiushan Sect, our master will definitely teach you everything he knows, and we senior brothers will do our utmost to help you! In the future, not just Zheng Fa, even Sister Zhang, you’ll be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with them!"
"Help me to the best of your ability?" Zhou Qianyuan's eyes lit up, "I actually have a difficult task!"
"What is it?" Sun Daoyu patted his chest, "Whatever I can help with, I will!"
"When I first met Brother Zheng, my attitude was a bit rude..." Zhou Qianyuan smiled, "Do you know what Brother Zheng likes? I want to make amends."
"…Who is Brother Zheng?"
"Brother Zheng Fa! I heard people say he not only has amazing talent in talisman arts but is also good at teaching—Brother, you know I’ve always liked talisman arts, and I admire Brother Zheng."
Sun Daoyu's face turned pale. He knew this junior brother was a bit obsessed with talisman arts, valuing it even more than cultivation itself; otherwise, he wouldn’t have insisted on participating in the talisman assessment despite being a beginner.
"…You don’t know that Zheng Fa is Sister Zhang’s person?"
"I know."
"You don’t know that Sister Zhang’s master is at odds with our own master?"
"I know."
"Then why do you want to…"
Sun Daoyu felt a bit overwhelmed. He and their master had hoped for Zhou Qianyuan to become an extraordinary talent, bringing glory to their faction, and now he wanted to apologize to their rival?
Zhou Qianyuan frowned, "Didn’t you say I should be able to take things in stride? Shouldn’t we let go of these factional grudges?"
"…Junior Brother, you don’t have to take all of my advice to heart."
……
Zheng Fa was unaware that Sun Daoyu was struggling to correct his slightly wayward junior brother. He was currently receiving guidance from Sister Zhang.
Sister Zhang said to him, "Take out the token."
Zheng Fa pulled out the black token and handed it to Sister Zhang. She nodded as she held it, "Do you know how to use this?"
Zheng Fa shook his head in confusion.
"It’s a marker. Three days from now is your entry day. A boat will come to pick you up—but you need to activate this first for the boat to find you."
"How do I activate it?"
"It costs money."
"…" This simple and unexpected answer left Zheng Fa speechless.
"One hundred taels of silver, or ten taels of gold... it will light up automatically." Sister Zhang glanced at him, her eyes even holding a hint of amusement.
That was quite a sum.
"Is Jiushan Sect really that short on money?" Zheng Fa couldn’t help but ask.
He found it hard to understand why an immortal sect would need gold and silver.
"This money isn’t for Jiushan Sect; it’s for the disciples who come to pick you up. It’s essentially a runner’s fee—well, even the lower-tier disciples use gold and silver, since most cultivators have family ties and may need to return to the mundane world someday."
…A bit disillusioned.
Sister Zhang continued, "Let me remind you again, if you can bring more money, do so…"
---
**Chapter 84: Hosting a Feast**
"To Zheng Fa, personally."
Zheng Fa sat in his study, looking at the envelope in his hand. After hesitating for a moment, he finally opened it.
Since returning from the Immortal Talent Conference, he hadn’t seen Gao Yuan again.
Last night, Young Master Qi had suddenly handed him a letter, saying it was left for him by Gao Yuan.
"When you read this letter, I will probably have already set off for Jingyang Academy to pursue my studies. A clever person like you wouldn’t have expected that among the three of us, I would be the first to leave."
Zheng Fa was taken aback; he hadn’t expected Gao Yuan to have already left the Zhao family. He had heard of Jingyang Academy—it was quite famous but also very far away.
"You once said that Young Master is a good person. I didn’t believe it before, but now I do. I asked Young Master for a favor, and he not only got my contract from Madam but also asked Mr. Shen to write a recommendation letter to the academy’s dean for me."
Zheng Fa smiled and continued reading.
"It was I who asked Young Master to keep this from you."
"I don’t want you and Young Master to return in the future while I grow old and you remain young. I also don’t want to bow and scrape to someone I now consider a close friend, calling them ‘Immortal Lord’ with a bent back. I would have been willing to do so, but I don’t know why, after meeting you, I no longer want to."
"I once thought that among the three of us, I was probably the most unworthy. Young Master is pure-hearted, and you have a clear mind, while I have always been obsessed with comparison. Now that you both have gone to the immortal gate, I can only remain in the mundane world."
Zheng Fa tightened his grip on the letter, taking a moment before continuing.
"Zheng Fa, if I were you, I would be very proud and happy. But you’re not; you seem to always feel that the world shouldn’t be this way."
"So I want to go to the academy, to continue my studies, to become a minor official, and see what I can do for this world."
"If you really become a big shot in the immortal gate and still can’t change anything in this world, then when we meet again, I’ll have to laugh at you."
Gently setting down the letter, Zheng Fa walked to the window, gazing into the distance, unsure of what he felt inside.
Suddenly, a commotion outside interrupted his thoughts.
Huang Yu, from the outer courtyard, also heard the noise. He first glanced at Zheng Fa, and seeing him nod, he curiously stepped outside.
It was chaotic outside; the entire street was covered with red cloth canopies, dozens of wooden tables crowded the street, and a few burly chefs were vigorously wielding their spatulas over large pots.
Huang Yu quickly understood that someone next door was hosting a feast, and it was quite a grand affair, blocking the entire street.
A few young men who looked like waiters were weaving between the tables, seemingly doing the final preparations.
Huang Yu grabbed one of the men and asked, "Is someone hosting a feast here?"
"Yeah, a flowing feast! It’ll go on for three days, come eat whenever you want!"
The man was quite enthusiastic.
Huang Yu scratched his head, "Whose feast is it? So generous?"
"The Zheng family!"
"…Which Zheng family?" Huang Yu was taken aback.
"You haven’t seen? Besides Zheng Fa, the real person from the Zheng family, which Zheng family could be this extravagant on this street?"
Huang Yu, hearing this, looked back at the small courtyard of the Zheng family behind him, then pointed at himself, "But I… am from the Zheng family!"
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