Chapter 88
Zheng Fa understood; these two probably thought he knew too much.
“What I mean is, you can join us too.”
The old man’s eyes widened as he looked at Zheng Fa.
“Us?”
Zheng Fa nodded.
“Aren’t you afraid...”
“Jiu Shan Sect isn’t without people,” Zheng Fa replied confidently.
Well, just not in this world.
The old man shrank back a bit.
“True, we’ve been hiding for so long without being discovered. I guess we really don’t have much to fear…” The old man muttered, “But I’m even more scared now.”
Don’t be afraid; you’re a Yuan Ying (Nascent Soul) too.
The old man and Tang Lingwu exchanged a glance, their hesitation outweighing their joy.
“And only by following me can you cultivate.”
This was the assurance that made Zheng Fa feel most at ease—Ling Shan Fa (Spirit Mountain Method) meant that whoever he wanted to cultivate could do so.
As long as he could ensure his own basic safety, naturally, those who yearned for cultivation would join his ranks.
“Master!” Upon hearing Zheng Fa’s words, the old man’s disappointment vanished, replaced by joy, as if a heavy stone had dropped from his heart. “I could tell right away that you have the aura of an immortal!”
“Wait!” Zheng Fa raised his hand. “Our Jiu Shan Sect has requirements for accepting disciples.”
“Requirements?”
“Those talismans…”
The old man was taken aback, suddenly realizing, “So that’s why you care so much about them.”
Zheng Fa nodded.
“Our sect is quite scholarly…”
“…” After thinking about the disciples of Jiu Shan Sect who wielded talismans, Zheng Fa chose not to respond.
“Then… how did you get into the sect?”
Though the old man didn’t curse, Zheng Fa felt deeply insulted.
“…I have exceptional talent!”
After exchanging a few more words, they turned to Tang Lingwu—the young girl had been silent all this time.
“I… don’t want to cultivate.”
She bit her lip and suddenly spoke up.
“Hmm?”
“Does Jiu Shan Sect have any spells that can treat… hysteria?” Tang Lingwu looked up at Zheng Fa, her eyes filled with a longing he had never seen on her face before.
“Hmm?”
“My mom has some issues in that regard.”
Zheng Fa suddenly understood.
He recalled many things. Every time he walked alongside Tang Lingwu, there was always a car following them.
Tang Lingwu had mentioned that she knew a bit about hospitals for mental illnesses.
And that soft whisper: “I don’t want to go home.”
The old man beside them suddenly sighed and glanced at Tang Lingwu.
“Why don’t I talk?” He looked a bit pained.
“I’ll say it myself.” Tang Lingwu shook her head, looking out the window as if she could see the black car that had been parked around the corner.
“My mom, well, she has some issues… not serious, but she cares a lot about me.” She paused. “She cares too much; she doesn’t let me talk to boys, doesn’t let me do anything besides studying, and likes to follow me everywhere…”
Zheng Fa remembered that Wang Chen had mentioned a boy who tried to add Tang Lingwu on social media, only to end up contacting her mom.
He had thought Tang Lingwu was just too aloof, but he had also suspected that she wasn’t really that cold when she was with him—he wasn’t narcissistic enough to think she looked at him differently.
Now, he understood a bit of the reason.
“I even had to register my social media account in secret.” Tang Lingwu pressed her lips together.
Indeed.
“So… why am I not in trouble?”
Zheng Fa thought for a moment; it seemed he had already caught her mom’s attention.
“Ahem.”
The old man beside them cleared his throat, a smile of hidden talent and fame appearing on his face.
Even Tang Lingwu looked a bit surprised at this old man.
“Your mom called me once; I advised her.”
“How did you manage that, Grandpa Bai, with her personality?”
Tang Lingwu’s eyes lit up as she asked.
“Oh, it wasn’t hard to persuade her—she just needed to be a bit more open-minded.” He pointed at Zheng Fa. “I told her he doesn’t like girls, and you two are best friends. This kid wouldn’t even like you if he liked girls.”
There was a smugness in his demeanor that disregarded Zheng Fa’s feelings.
“…”
Zheng Fa remained silent, not responding.
He was contemplating whether he had the ability to help Tang Lingwu.
Tang Lingwu’s expression grew increasingly anxious.
“I can do topology too…” She glanced at the old man, seemingly feeling her skills were insufficient, and suddenly added, “I have money!”
“Money?”
“Her father, Tang Zhiqiang, you should have heard of him.”
Zheng Fa was taken aback; he had indeed heard of him, someone who often appeared in the news.
Well… mostly in the entertainment news, with a sprinkle of financial news.
Now, Zheng Fa understood why Tang Lingwu’s mom had some psychological issues.
He thought of Senior Sister Zhang and then looked at Tang Lingwu.
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but doubt his own talent—was he some kind of magnet for wealthy women?
“I don’t want to say no, but I’m not sure I can help your mom.”
Tang Lingwu nodded. “I know, but having hope is better than having none.”
With that, she pulled out a bank card and slapped it on the table—regardless of how much money was on it, her confident gesture shocked Zheng Fa.
“…” Zheng Fa thought for a moment and said, “How about I try first?”
“Sure!” Tang Lingwu tucked the card into her pocket.
“How much is on that card?” the old man asked curiously.
“I don’t know. Tang Zhiqiang… my dad gave me the card, saying he’d keep adding pocket money to it.” Tang Lingwu said nonchalantly, “Maybe a few hundred thousand?”
…A bit of regret set in.
……
In the Xuan Wei Realm, Zheng Fa woke up ready to practice the “Fu Dao Zhu Ji Fa” (Talisman Foundation Method).
He had originally planned to study this technique a bit more.
After all, Senior Sister Zhang had fallen into a pit.
But now that his secret of cultivating was slightly exposed, he had to practice.
Revealing it in front of the old man and Tang Lingwu wasn’t too bad—he still trusted their character.
However, he was unwilling to put his safety in the hands of anyone’s character, no matter who it was.
But in the modern world, there were no spiritual materials, and Zheng Fa’s expertise in talismans was essentially useless.
Yet the “Fu Dao Zhu Ji Fa” could solve this problem:
As long as he used the talisman patterns condensed in his dantian, he could release them without needing spiritual materials.
For example, Senior Sister Zhang; Zheng Fa had never seen her draw talismans on paper.
Zheng Fa thought for a moment and drew a basic Yuan Talisman—a “Zheng Li Wu Ying Fu” (Shadowless Talisman).
The Zheng Li Wu Ying Fu could hide his form, sound, and even scent for a short time.
Its effect wasn’t that significant in the Xuan Wei Realm; a single Xuan-grade Zheng Li Wu Ying Fu could probably be seen through by someone in the late Foundation Establishment stage.
But in the modern world, this thing was quite powerful…
Compared to talismans that leaned towards attack or defense, Zheng Fa was more concerned about the strict surveillance in the modern world—hiding one’s abilities was even more terrifying for individuals in that context.
Having decided on the talisman pattern to condense, Zheng Fa stepped out of the room.
To condense a talisman pattern in his dantian, he needed a special elixir—a “Ning Yuan Dan” (Consolidation Elixir).
Zheng Fa went to the Jiu Zhuan Ge (Nine Turns Pavilion), which specialized in selling elixirs.
There weren’t many people in the Jiu Zhuan Ge, and even the staff were scarce. Zheng Fa stood at the entrance for a while before a lazy attendant finally walked over. He first glanced at Zheng Fa’s attire, then seemed to realize Zheng Fa’s low cultivation level, his face showing a hint of disappointment and fatigue.
“What do you want?”
“Do you have Ning Yuan Dan?”
“Yeah…” The attendant didn’t move, just standing there. “Twenty spirit stones each.”
“…I’ll take my leave!”
No wonder he could be a staff member; his insight was quite sharp.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 100: My Surname is Yuan
“Zheng Shidi (Junior Brother Zheng), what are you doing…” Han Qi looked at the talisman stall in front of Zheng Fa, a bit puzzled. “Do you still need to buy these things?”
The senior brother running the stall looked a bit annoyed upon hearing this. “What do you mean? I’ve been in this market for ten years, and I’m well-known… Who doesn’t say my talismans are good!”
“…” Han Qi glanced at him, his expression a bit strange. “Why would Zheng Shidi, a perfectly good Xuan-grade talisman master, want to buy your Huang-grade talismans?”
“?”
……
“What’s Zheng Shidi up to today?”
“Trying to earn some spirit stones.” Zheng Fa added, “Do you know how much Xuan-grade talismans are going for in the market?”
“Xuan-grade talismans?” Han Qi thought for a moment. “It’s hard to say, but they’re basically ten times the price of Huang-grade talismans.”
Zheng Fa felt a bit relieved.
From what he had seen in the market earlier, he had been quite worried.
After all, the talisman masters of Jiu Shan Sect seemed to be really competitive.
At this price for Xuan-grade talismans, if he drew a hundred talismans in a month, he should still be able to earn a dozen or twenty spirit stones.
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