Chapter 138
“I don’t mean anything else,” the old man waved his hand and said, “What I mean is, it’s perfectly normal for human effort to sometimes fall short. Don’t think that everyone’s fate depends on you; don’t try to shoulder everything—that’s arrogance.”
Zheng Fa was taken aback.
“Especially in research, arrogance and forcing things are the worst mistakes you can make.”
“Overexerting yourself in practice can lead to obsession. Forcing research can lead you astray… Sometimes, whether it’s academia or cultivating immortality, it’s not as important as you think.” After finishing, the old man rubbed his head and said to Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu, “What I’m saying is all over the place… Honestly, I’m not even sure what I want to convey.”
Zheng Fa blinked and turned to Tang Lingwu, asking, “Did you understand what Teacher Bai was saying?”
Tang Lingwu shook her head.
Zheng Fa chuckled, “I didn’t get it either, but Teacher Bai…”
“…”
“I’m not in a hurry anymore.”
In truth, Zheng Fa did understand.
If the old man’s previous teachings were those of a teacher, then today’s words felt more like those of an elder.
A teacher hopes for their students to succeed, while an elder sometimes reminds you that happiness is more important than success.
…
At the dining table in Zheng Fa’s home.
He was wearing gloves for practicing the “Five Thunder Body Technique,” which were connected to a transformer plugged into a power source. His expression was much calmer than before.
Though the old man’s comfort was somewhat vague, it strangely eased his anxiety.
The old man was right; don’t try to carry everything on your shoulders—whether it’s the Jiu Shan Sect or Senior Sister Zhang, would they really be wiped out without him?
The Jiu Shan Sect had three Yuanying (Nascent Soul) masters.
Senior Sister Zhang was exceptionally talented.
As a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator, it was a bit foolish to worry so much.
He closed his eyes, feeling the current slowly flowing into his palms, stimulating the muscles within him.
At this moment, Zheng Fa was shirtless, and if anyone were present, they would clearly see that his muscles had grown significantly compared to before.
He was eating much better now than when he was at the Zhao residence.
In modern times, he was a loyal fan of the cafeteria lady.
Now at the Jiu Shan Sect, he was not short on money.
Having spiritual grains for every meal was the least he could do.
Under the influence of the “Five Thunder Body Technique,” this food gradually transformed into streamlined muscle on his body.
However, he no longer had those small, mouse-like bulges.
In Zheng Fa’s view, this indicated that his cultivation of the “Five Thunder Body Technique” was nearing its peak.
As time passed, his muscles began to tremble and swell, beads of sweat forming all over him.
Under the light, he looked as if he were wearing an extravagant armor made of muscles.
But after a while, his muscles began to contract again, leaving only clear lines beneath his skin.
Yet, if he put on a shirt, he would appear somewhat slimmer.
Zheng Fa opened his eyes, gently stood up from his chair, feeling as if he were floating—after reaching the realm of refining his flesh, he sensed a harmony within himself.
According to the martial arts texts he had seen at the Zhao residence, it was probably akin to the unity of body and mind, or rather, a higher level of that unity.
Zheng Fa set his phone on the dining table, opened the camera, and stood in front of the lens, performing a set of “Spirit Crane Passing Through Clouds” movements.
When he watched the video later, he noticed the difference from before his advancement—the phone camera couldn’t capture his movements at all. Even at the highest frame rate, his hands appeared as a blur in the video.
He was faster!
Zheng Fa grinned, sat back down, put the gloves on, and wanted to continue cultivating the next stage of the “Five Thunder Body Technique”—Bone Tempering.
But moments later, he opened his eyes in disappointment.
Each stage of the “Five Thunder Body Technique” required a significant increase in voltage.
The transformer’s maximum voltage was only 300 volts, which was insufficient for Bone Tempering cultivation.
Feeling a bit disheartened, Zheng Fa put away the transformer.
This treasure of the immortal path seemed unable to keep up with his cultivation pace—though perhaps he could use it to give the old man a jolt later; he had always been interested in the “Five Thunder Body Technique.”
…
Zheng Fa was sitting at his desk in class, pondering what he should rely on to continue his cultivation of the “Five Thunder Body Technique.” Others were focused on their final push before the college entrance examination.
Tang Lingwu walked over to his desk again.
Now, not only Wang Chen and the others, but even a large group of classmates around Zheng Fa seemed to have turned a blind eye to Tang Lingwu approaching him.
It was a common sight, as casual as a breeze.
As if Tang Lingwu had always belonged there.
Or perhaps the pressure of the upcoming exam had made Wang Chen and the others too preoccupied to care about Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu.
Tang Lingwu was holding quite a few things.
There was a bulging folder with a notebook on top.
Zheng Fa was taken aback, looking at Tang Lingwu’s face—had she stayed up late again?
But judging by her appearance, she didn’t seem to have; her fair face was full of energy, showing no signs of fatigue. Instead, after cultivating the “Spirit Crane Body,” her beauty had reached new heights.
“What are you looking at?”
Tang Lingwu stopped in her tracks, curiously touching her face.
“Just think you look a bit better.”
Zheng Fa honestly expressed his thoughts.
Tang Lingwu blushed slightly.
From behind, Wang Chen’s ominous voice came, “Enough already! If you’re going to flirt, take it outside!”
“…”
Aren’t you supposed to be studying?
“...Ahem.” Tang Lingwu placed the folder in front of Zheng Fa, opened it, and pointed at the drawings inside, saying, “This is designed by my mom at the architecture school. Take a look and see if there’s anything that needs changing.”
Zheng Fa glanced at it; it was a layout for a small estate.
Since it was on the mountainside, there wasn’t much flat land, so the area wasn’t large, and there weren’t many buildings.
The drawings only featured two main structures—
Upon entering the courtyard, the first was a three-story traditional Chinese building. Tang Lingwu pointed to it and said, “This is for visiting guests or patients, equivalent to guest rooms or hospital rooms.”
Behind the small building, there was a designated open space.
This was reserved for Zheng Fa’s future farming plans.
At the end of the open space, against the mountainside, was an area marked with a question mark.
“My mom said this is for us to live in, for better privacy. She wanted to ask for your opinion on what kind of house you’d like to live in.”
Zheng Fa shook his head; he didn’t have high demands in this regard. He simply said to Tang Lingwu, “It’s up to you. Oh, by the way, ask Teacher Bai; you all will be living there too.”
“Wait…” Wang Chen’s voice came again, clearly not giving up on eavesdropping on their conversation.
“Hmm?”
“Your mom is building a house for him?” Wang Chen pointed at Zheng Fa, then at Tang Lingwu, “Are you two going to live together in the future?”
“...Aren’t you supposed to be focused on studying?”
Zheng Fa asked in confusion, wondering how this guy was always listening in on his conversation with Tang Lingwu.
“I want to focus on studying too…” Wang Chen pointed at the “Essential Guide for the College Entrance Examination” in front of him, gritting his teeth, “I’m trying to read here, but you two are talking, and I can’t concentrate no matter how I look at it. In the end, I can only read the words between the lines. Guess what I saw?”
“What did you see?”
“Two words—jealousy!” Wang Chen turned to Tang Lingwu and asked, “Tang Lingwu, do you have a younger sister?”
“?”
Tang Lingwu looked a bit puzzled.
“I’m not after the house; I just can’t bear to part with my good buddy Zheng Fa…” Wang Chen said solemnly, “I want to be his brother-in-law.”
…
With Wang Chen’s antics making it difficult for Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu to talk in the classroom, they stepped out into the hallway, where Tang Lingwu finally handed the notebook to Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa took the notebook and was surprised to find it was written in the old man’s handwriting.
Flipping through it, Zheng Fa’s expression turned astonished—
This notebook was based on the talismans drawn by Uncle Pang.
First, it simplified Uncle Pang’s overly complex talismans.
Then, probably with Tang Lingwu’s help, it identified some similar sub-talismans using previous methods.
On the first page of the notebook, Zheng Fa was startled to see the old man had written:
“Algorithm proof: the Five Elements sub-talismans are not an exception; every talisman contains three different sub-talismans, and the Five Elements sub-talismans are just one type.”
“The Five Elements sub-talismans are probably the easiest to observe, while the other sub-talismans seem to not be fully expressed in daily use.”
“I hypothesize that every talisman should consist of three different sub-talismans, and aside from the Five Elements sub-talismans, the functions of the other sub-talismans are currently unclear.”
Zheng Fa flipped through the pages.
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