Chapter 107
Zheng Fa could tell that from her neck to her back, her muscles were tense, as if she were nervous.
Especially when his hand pressed against her head, she flinched noticeably.
It was clear she was uncomfortable.
Zheng Fa pretended to massage her a couple of times, and the calming talisman in his dantian trembled. The runes of the nourishing talisman shot from his fingertips into Aunt Ye's occiput.
Her head felt heavy in his hands, and when he looked again, Aunt Ye had already fallen asleep.
The others placed her on the sofa and waited nearby.
About ten minutes later, Aunt Ye finally woke up.
She looked dazed, seemingly unable to tell day from night, yet a faint smile lingered at the corners of her mouth.
“Mom? How are you feeling?”
Aunt Ye glanced at the ceiling and then at her daughter.
Tang Lingwu was smiling at her.
Aunt Ye suddenly turned her head sharply, looking at Zheng Fa's hands as if they were treasures.
“Zheng, could you give me another massage?”
She spoke to him with the desperation of an addict craving their fix.
“Mom… you’re changing too fast!” Tang Lingwu said, her face a mix of disbelief and embarrassment.
When her mother had refused Zheng Fa's treatment earlier, she had felt helpless.
Now, it seemed like her mother trusted Zheng Fa too much…
She felt a bit ashamed.
“Aunt Ye, you don’t need too much of this treatment,” Zheng Fa shook his head.
The nourishing talisman was something that should be used once a week for gradual benefits; more than that wouldn’t yield any better results.
Aunt Ye blinked, suddenly stood up, and walked into the room.
When she returned, she was holding a bank card, which she slapped down on the coffee table.
Zheng Fa glanced at the card on the table.
Then he looked at Tang Lingwu and Aunt Ye.
He could only say that they truly were mother and daughter; such extravagant gestures ran in the family!
“How much does Xiao Wu have?” Aunt Ye seemed to understand what Zheng Fa was thinking and said, “It’s just some pocket change.”
Zheng Fa: …It seems our definitions of pocket change are quite different.
“It’s not about the money; it’s just that once a week is really enough. There’s no need for more,” he thought for a moment and still shook his head in refusal.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Ye looked deeply at Zheng Fa and suddenly said, “Then can I hire you to come every week in the future?”
“Mom? You’re not going abroad anymore?” Tang Lingwu exclaimed in surprise.
“Not anymore!” Aunt Ye replied with a smile. “That nap was the best sleep I’ve had in ten years—I feel like my brain just had a spa! I’ve never felt this good after treatment in any hospital!”
Zheng Fa remained silent, as if deep in thought.
“Zheng, if you feel the money isn’t enough, we can discuss it!” Aunt Ye urged.
Seeing Tang Lingwu’s anxious expression, Zheng Fa gently nodded, “I’ll come again next week, but Auntie, you need to get checked to see if it’s really effective.”
In a way, Aunt Ye was also a test subject for him—he wanted to see if the nourishing talisman was truly effective in modern times.
“Okay! I’ll go to the hospital for a check-up.”
Aunt Ye nodded obediently.
She didn’t seem at all like the person Tang Lingwu described who was reluctant to go to the hospital.
Zheng Fa thought for a moment and said, “Let’s wait until your check-up results come out before discussing payment?”
…
Aunt Ye, along with Tang Lingwu, saw Zheng Fa and the old man Bai off to the car.
As she watched the taillights fade into the distance, Aunt Ye suddenly sighed softly.
Tang Lingwu looked at her mother, puzzled.
“From now on, remember to get along well with Zheng Fa. He’s also tutoring under Teacher Bai, so you should visit him more often—classes can be skipped, but people shouldn’t be neglected,” Aunt Ye suddenly said.
“Mom?” Tang Lingwu was taken aback.
“Do you know why I’m not going abroad?”
“Because Zheng Fa gives great massages.”
“Massages…” Aunt Ye glanced at her daughter, pursing her lips. “Just call it a massage. Remember, doing business and dealing with people are the same—what matters most is finding the right person. When you meet the right person, you have to spare no expense.”
“…”
“Meeting someone like him is a stroke of luck. If I went abroad, you’d have to go to the provincial capital… wouldn’t that be a waste?”
Tang Lingwu’s eyes widened.
“I wonder what Zheng Fa likes—money? A house?” Aunt Ye muttered, then glanced at her daughter with a hint of disappointment, as if she held a bias against women: “What a pity, he doesn’t seem to like women.”
Tang Lingwu: …Mom, are you being a bit extreme? Just a moment ago, you didn’t believe anything, and now you believe everything?
…
In the Xuanwei Realm, at Sister Zhang’s home.
Zheng Fa had been summoned by Sister Zhang, who said, “Uncle Pang said he doesn’t plan to use the ‘Talisman Foundation Method’ anymore.”
“Ah?”
“He wants you,” Sister Zhang said, her brow furrowed.
Zheng Fa’s expression changed slowly: “Does Uncle Pang have some special hobby?”
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 119: Bird Veins
“... What special hobby? Uncle Pang intends to take you as his disciple.”
Sister Zhang seemed not to understand his words and explained instead.
“Take me as a disciple? Didn’t I refuse before?”
Zheng Fa frowned. This wasn’t the first time Uncle Pang’s lineage had brought this up.
Sun Daoyu had mentioned it to him before.
He had already turned it down.
The reason was simple—since they belonged to two different lineages, becoming a disciple of Master Pang would put him in a difficult position.
“This time, when he wanted to exchange the ‘Talisman Foundation Method’ for a thousand-year-old purple bamboo tear, Uncle Pang brought it up again.”
Zheng Fa replied decisively, “Sister Zhang, I have no intention of becoming Master Pang’s disciple… I was brought into the fold by you.”
He was doing better and better under Sister Zhang’s guidance.
Not to mention, he had a good relationship with Sister Yuan.
Now he was thriving in the market.
With a strong backing and popular support, why would he want to switch to another lineage?
But to his surprise, Sister Zhang shook her head and actually spoke up for Master Pang: “This time, Uncle Pang is very sincere.”
“Sincere?”
“Why didn’t you want to become Uncle Pang’s disciple before?”
“Since I entered the fold, I’ve received great kindness from you, Sister.”
“The Five Elements Talisman is already a repayment,” Sister Zhang’s tone softened slightly as she spoke. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“Sister, who in the sect doesn’t know that Master Pang favors Brother Zhou the most?” Zheng Fa thought for a moment and spoke the truth: “If I go to his lineage, I’ll just be behind Brother Zhou.”
“Uncle Pang said that if you become his disciple, he will treat you as his only direct disciple in the future.” Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa earnestly and said, “That means the resources in his hands will be directed toward you, including some materials that could help you condense your Yuan Ying.”
Zheng Fa was taken aback.
He finally understood why Sister Zhang said Master Pang was very sincere this time.
When a Yuan Ying master says something like that, it must be genuine.
He didn’t remember, but Sister Zhang would.
“Think it over carefully…”
“Sister Zhang, are you saying…” Zheng Fa looked up, meeting Sister Zhang’s gaze.
“I won’t stop you.” Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa, her expression meaningful. “This is the sincerity of a Yuan Ying master.”
Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned.
His expression shifted as if he had come to a realization.
As he watched Zheng Fa gradually walk away, Sister Yuan emerged from behind the house.
“Sister, you really… are willing to let Zheng be part of that lineage?”
“I have to let him go, even if I don’t want to. Uncle Pang… is using an open strategy.” Sister Zhang rubbed her temples, looking quite troubled.
“Ah?”
“Uncle Pang can provide Zheng with resources directly leading to Yuan Ying. Can I offer him that?” Sister Zhang said with a bitter smile. “I’ve already asked Master, but he’s unwilling to agree.”
Sister Yuan fell silent.
“If I force him to stay with kindness now, what about in the future?” Sister Zhang sighed lightly. “Even if he stays, there might be some resentment between us. When Zheng reaches the stage of condensing Yuan Ying, if he lacks materials, he might even blame me.”
“Maybe Zheng would be willing?” Sister Yuan said optimistically.
“This is the sincerity of a Yuan Ying master,” Sister Zhang repeated.
“Sister Zhang?”
“Sister Yuan, if Uncle Pang is this sincere and still can’t achieve his wish, do you think he might consider Zheng ungrateful?”
“Uncle Pang would suppress Zheng Fa?” Sister Yuan suddenly understood.
“A Yuan Ying master’s displeasure, even if not intentionally suppressing, would be too much for Zheng, who is just in the Qi Refining stage, to bear.” Sister Zhang turned to look at the Seventh Peak of the Nine Mountains, her face showing a rare expression of frustration.
What she didn’t see was that Sister Yuan was also gazing at the Nine Mountains, her expression thoughtful.
…
A few days later, Zheng Fa sat in his study, still pondering this matter.
Table of Contents
