Chapter 147
“There's something on my liver. I had it cut once, but it grew back,” Teacher Tian explained with a shrug. “The doctor doesn’t dare to treat it, saying at my age, it’s risky... I can’t really put him in a tough spot, can I?”
The old man Bai glanced at Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa nodded slightly.
He had already thought of several talismans to dispel illness, but whether they would work would require further investigation in the Xuanwei realm.
Teacher Tian looked at Old Bai and suddenly said, “Whether I live or die, I can’t decide. But there’s one thing I’d like to ask of you.”
“Hmm?”
“My mother…”
Old Bai was taken aback.
“After I got this illness, the one who suffers the most isn’t me, it’s my mother… When I see you, I’ll have to go back and spend her last days with her,” Teacher Tian said slowly. “I’m not worried about her retirement funds; I’ve saved up a bit for her, and with her pension, it should be enough. But there’s one thing—if you have the time, please visit her more often.”
“...Alright.”
Teacher Tian smiled and said, “I always thought I’d be the one to send my mother off, but it turns out she’ll be the one sending me off. I don’t really mind death, but my mother has lost her husband and daughter; she’ll be all alone… I have no relatives, so I can only rely on a few friends.”
Old Bai nodded gently.
“Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. It’s not good for the kids to hear about life and death,” Teacher Tian said with a smile, lifting his drink towards Zheng Fa. “I heard you’re taking the college entrance exam soon?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I wish you success!”
Looking into Teacher Tian’s eyes, filled with warmth, Zheng Fa paused for a moment before finishing his drink.
…
Sitting in the car, watching Teacher Tian wave goodbye at the hotel entrance, Old Bai turned to Zheng Fa and asked, “Do you have a plan?”
“I can give it a try,” Zheng Fa replied after some thought.
They hadn’t mentioned treating Teacher Tian today. First, it was their first meeting, and he hadn’t considered it.
The second reason was even more significant—
Accepting Teacher Tian into the nursing home was actually stricter than with Aunt Ye.
The secret of cultivating immortality could not be hidden from Teacher Tian; otherwise, it would be hard to utilize her talents.
“I brought you here today because I wanted you to talk to her,” Old Bai said, sharing his thoughts. “You mentioned some conditions for hiring at the nursing home, and I thought of one more.”
Zheng Fa looked at Old Bai.
“Compatibility in temperament.”
“…” Zheng Fa nodded.
This was indeed something he hadn’t considered.
“A team, even if everyone is good-hearted, can run into problems if their personalities clash. We’re doing well now,” Old Bai shook his head. “If someone else comes in and doesn’t fit in, that would be bad. That’s why I wanted you to meet her. What do you think?”
Zheng Fa thought about the details of dining with Teacher Tian and smiled, “So far, it’s been good.”
He finally understood why Old Bai wanted him and Tang Lingwu to meet Teacher Tian first.
It was mainly to let them see what kind of person Teacher Tian was and whether she was easy to get along with.
“Right, she’s indeed a good person; otherwise, I wouldn’t have this idea,” Old Bai nodded. “As for her professional abilities, she may not be the very best, but she has led national-level projects. I don’t know much about her field, but it should be solid.”
“Hmm.”
“And lastly, character…” Old Bai paused for a moment before speaking slowly, “Character is the hardest thing to judge… In my years, if I had to say whose character I truly trust…”
“Only one or two people.”
“…” Zheng Fa’s expression grew serious at this point.
“They say math is hard, but in my view, understanding the human heart is even harder.”
…
Zheng Fa returned home still pondering Old Bai’s earlier words.
Among the four talismans he needed to condense, one would definitely be a medical talisman—he needed to create this type of talisman even if he didn’t encounter Teacher Tian.
This was the foundation for maintaining the nursing home.
On the way back, Old Bai seemed to want to spare Zheng Fa from pressure and didn’t push him further.
But his words were subtly advocating for Teacher Tian.
Not to mention Teacher Tian’s value as a person, just considering her relationship with Old Bai and the help he had given her—like the three-character talisman law he had painstakingly developed after staying up several nights last month to prepare a gift for Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa was willing to lend a hand.
What occupied Zheng Fa’s thoughts was Old Bai’s discussion about character.
Old Bai had met many people in his life, including numerous academic luminaries, but character was indeed hard to define.
His recommendation of Teacher Tian was partly to give her a chance for treatment.
But on the other hand, it was also because there was no one else to recommend.
Zheng Fa understood Old Bai’s caution—this was a responsibility towards their small group.
But on the other hand, he also realized that they couldn’t rely solely on Old Bai.
Zheng Fa needed some means to test character or guard against leaks.
“Phantom talismans.”
This was the first choice that sprang to mind—after all, as the sole disciple of the sect leader, he was quite familiar with phantom talismans.
With that thought, among the remaining four talismans in the talisman foundation method, two were already confirmed—healing talisman and phantom talisman.
…
Three days after returning from the provincial city, the college entrance exam began.
Zheng Fa’s exam venue was not at Qingshui High School but at Shiyan Middle School.
This was a junior high school, not far from Qingshui High School; it took about twenty minutes by bus from his home.
On the morning of the first day of the exam, Zheng Fa held a transparent file bag, checked the admission ticket and stationery inside, and boarded the bus to Shiyan Middle School.
That day, the entire city seemed to be making way for the college entrance exam.
The road in front of Qingshui High School was closed.
Passing vehicles hardly honked.
On the bus Zheng was on, there were mostly parents sending their children to the exam and students preparing for the test.
The bus driver was quite thoughtful—he played an inspirational song throughout the journey.
However, Zheng Fa could clearly see that the expressions on the students’ faces were even more tense.
Upon arriving at Shiyan Middle School, it wasn’t yet time to enter the exam room.
Zheng Fa stood at the school gate, waiting with other candidates.
Soon, he realized he seemed to be quite noticeable—while other candidates were accompanied by parents, he stood alone with just a file bag, looking a bit lonely.
Zheng Fa didn’t mind; beside him stood a somewhat thin boy who seemed friendly. After glancing at him a couple of times, he suddenly asked, “Hey, are you here alone?”
“Yeah.”
“Where are your parents?”
“They couldn’t make it,” Zheng Fa replied casually.
“Your parents must be really nice…” The boy seemed to envy Zheng Fa’s freedom, with a hint of pride in being doted on, and said, “Unlike my parents, who got up at five or six in the morning, more nervous than I am… Look, even my grandparents are here.”
Zheng Fa looked in the direction he was pointing, and indeed, there were four adults watching them, smiling and nodding kindly when they caught his gaze.
“Zheng Fa, why haven’t you replied to Tang Lingwu in the group chat?”
As they were chatting, a girl from Zheng Fa’s class passed by, as if she was also taking the exam at this school.
Upon seeing Zheng Fa, she immediately called out to him.
“Message?” Zheng Fa was taken aback. “I didn’t bring my phone.”
He found it inconvenient to hand over his belongings when entering the exam room, so he only brought the essentials for the test, not needing to contact anyone; he could just head home after the exam.
“You didn’t bring your phone?” The girl from his class said, “Then I’ll let her know you’re here.”
After a moment, Zheng Fa saw Tang Lingwu running towards him.
He had never seen this side of Tang Lingwu before. At school, she usually dressed quite ordinarily.
Most of the time, she wore simple t-shirts or shirts, and sometimes the least favored school uniforms among teenagers.
Her lower half was mostly in jeans, and she rarely wore skirts.
But today, Tang Lingwu was dressed in a small qipao. Whether it was due to her natural grace or the exquisite tailoring of the dress, her figure was stunning.
As she ran over, she attracted quite a few gazes.
The boy beside Zheng Fa couldn’t help but stare at her until Tang Lingwu got closer, at which point he awkwardly looked away.
“I’m here to wish you luck!” Tang Lingwu smiled up at Zheng Fa, twirling around to show off her outfit. “See? It’s a good omen!”
Zheng Fa noticed the boy beside him glance at his rather large entourage and then at Tang Lingwu—seemingly contemplating a change of company.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 150: Master and Servant
In the exam room.
The classmates sitting around Zheng Fa, upon hearing him gently set down his pen, couldn’t help but steal glances at him.
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