Chapter 197
Seventeen or eighteen times is probably a relatively safe number.
“Hmm?” The old man Bai blinked: “What changed?”
“I’ve built my foundation,” Zheng Fa explained.
“Built your foundation!” Old man Bai exclaimed. “Didn’t they say cultivation gets harder as you go? How come you’re getting faster? I’m still stuck at the second level of Qi Refinement, and you’ve already built your foundation?”
Zheng Fa found it hard to explain this situation. Their progress wasn’t particularly fast; compared to the disciples of Jiushan Sect with similar qualifications, they were quite slow.
On one hand, old man Bai’s aptitude wasn’t great; he was just at his initial level. On the other hand, the spiritual energy in this nursing home was rather thin, relying on Zheng Fa’s supply.
Moreover, the Xuanwei Realm had spiritual valleys to draw from. For instance, Tang Lingwu, who should have a single spiritual root, had been cultivating for over two months and still hadn’t broken through to the second level of Qi Refinement.
“Fortunately, I have Lingwu to keep me company…” Old man Bai seemed to think of Tang Lingwu and comforted himself.
Zheng Fa’s expression suddenly turned strange as he glanced at the house leaning against the mountain wall.
Tang Lingwu hadn’t come out today, which puzzled him. Now, it seemed…
A small vortex of spiritual energy appeared in the sky.
“What’s this…”
“Hmm, it seems Tang Lingwu might not be able to accompany you anymore,” old man Bai said, his face gradually darkening as he looked at the vortex.
…
“Zheng Fa! I’ve reached the second level of Qi Refinement!”
Tang Lingwu burst out of her room, rushing to Zheng Fa to share her good news.
“I saw,” Zheng Fa smiled.
“Then… can I try the Wind Control Technique now?” Tang Lingwu asked suddenly, her voice tinged with anxiety.
Zheng Fa was taken aback; he hadn’t expected that her first thought after breaking through to the second level would be this.
Looking at the anxious Tang Lingwu, he sighed softly—this girl seemed particularly curious about flying spells due to her previous experiences.
Perhaps, in her mind, these spells represented a sense of freedom.
She had previously begged Zheng Fa to teach her the Wind Control Technique.
But Zheng Fa had always refused to let her attempt this spell—mainly because the Spiritual Eye Technique consumed little energy, while the Wind Control Technique required a lot, and Tang Lingwu had only been at the first level of Qi Refinement.
Unexpectedly, it seemed she had been thinking about this all along, even striving to break through just for this spell.
“You can give it a try…”
“Wait! A living person flying up into the sky,” old man Bai interrupted. “The villagers down the mountain might see.”
Tang Lingwu nodded obediently at his words: “I’ll wait a couple of days and then go deeper into the forest.”
Yet, the smile on her face dimmed a bit.
“No need,” Zheng Fa said with a smile. “You can’t just hide from people. I have a way.”
Tang Lingwu’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Zheng Fa.
The method Zheng Fa mentioned was, of course, the Mirage Talisman—this talisman was originally condensed to facilitate their actions.
Now, it was also a kind of experiment.
Zheng Fa had old man Bai and Tang Lingwu stand outside the nursing home.
He released the Mirage Talisman into the air, and the sunlight in front of the nursing home shimmered slightly, as if nothing had changed.
Once the talisman took effect, he nodded at Tang Lingwu.
Tang Lingwu closed her eyes, as if she were operating the Wind Control Technique.
Gradually, her body lifted like willow catkins in the breeze. Zheng Fa stood on the ground, watching her closely to prevent any accidents.
At first, Tang Lingwu seemed a bit flustered, occasionally letting out surprised gasps.
But soon, those gasps turned into joyful sighs and light laughter.
When she landed, her cheeks were flushed, and she looked incredibly happy.
“I’m out of spiritual energy…”
Tang Lingwu’s tone still held a hint of longing.
After a while, old man Bai returned from outside.
“Finished flying?”
“Hmm?”
“Tsk tsk…” Old man Bai said with a hint of admiration in his voice. “I didn’t see a thing. We were right at the gate and didn’t even notice anyone was inside.”
Tang Lingwu beamed even more at his words.
“Then I want to try again tomorrow!”
“Trying is fine,” old man Bai said with a strange tone, “but next time, don’t wear a skirt.”
“…”
“You two are doing quite well. Some people see nothing, while others see everything.” Old man Bai looked at Tang Lingwu, who was covering her skirt and blushing, then glanced at Zheng Fa with a hint of disdain. “No wonder you wanted us to go out!”
“…”
The old man’s teasing left Zheng Fa at a loss for words.
“Are you saying you don’t want to go out?” Teacher Tian’s voice carried a chilling undertone. “Then what do you want to do here?”
“…”
…
Tang Lingwu had truly become enamored with flying.
She wanted to fly every day, and yes, wear pants.
Two days later, Zheng Fa suddenly saw several large trucks driving into the nursing home.
“What’s this?”
“Equipment for the agricultural lab that Tang Lingwu bought, oh, and seeds, brought in from all over the country,” old man Bai said, his tone also a bit strange. “She had someone go buy everything.”
“Why the sudden purchase?”
“You’ve been taking good care of her. The little rich girl has been having fun these past few days and got a bit carried away,” old man Bai shrugged. “You can think of it as a… reward.”
“…”
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 192: Lively
“In the past, this girl looked at you like a poor little stray dog.” “…”
“When she looked at you, her eyes seemed to say… don’t abandon me.”
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel that the old man’s description was somewhat accurate.
“And now?”
“Now she’s still a little dog, but when she sees you, it’s like she has a tail wagging behind her.”
“Ah?”
“Her eyes don’t show fear anymore.” Old man Bai shrugged. “Just pure joy.”
“…”
“Not quite right.” Over there, Teacher Tian and another person walked toward Zheng Fa and old man Bai. “From a cellular structure perspective, these plants haven’t changed much.”
Zheng Fa didn’t feel disappointed upon hearing this.
In the past few days, they had conducted numerous experiments using these seeds.
One by one, the Evergreen Talismans had turned into batches of vegetables and grains.
They had tested hundreds, if not thousands, of varieties.
Most crops grew sturdier than those in a non-spiritual environment and looked more vibrant.
However, when observed with the洞虚灵眼 (Dongxu Spiritual Eye), they didn’t contain any spiritual energy.
As expected, Teacher Tian took some samples for a closer look and reached the conclusion—these were just ordinary vegetables and fruits, without any special structures.
“So, either modern crops lack the innate talent to become spiritual plants,” old man Bai analyzed with a frown, “or, as Xiao Tian said, there are some special conditions.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
These experimental results were certainly not good.
“Alright! Research takes time; we’ll have plenty of time to cultivate, so there’s no need to rush!” Teacher Tian clapped her hands. “Perfect timing, with so many vegetables in winter, I’ll make a meal, and we can enjoy it together.”
Hearing her say this, smiles inevitably appeared on the faces of the other three.
Zheng Fa looked at Tang Lingwu, seeing her smile especially bright and carefree, which warmed his heart.
Tang Lingwu seemed to notice his gaze, turned around, and looked at him, suddenly puffing out her little belly and gently patting it, as if to say she was hungry.
Her expression was lively and radiant.
…
“Xiao Tian, have your cooking skills improved again?”
Old man Bai popped a slice of cucumber into his mouth and suddenly widened his eyes, asking.
“Only you would flatter people!” Teacher Tian smacked him with her chopsticks, scolding, “The kids are here!”
“Not…”
“Teacher Tian, it’s true!” Tang Lingwu exclaimed, her tone filled with wonder, matching old man Bai’s enthusiasm. “It’s delicious! Better than any dish I’ve had before!”
Seeing her expression didn’t seem fake, Teacher Tian picked up her chopsticks and tried a dish.
She chewed lightly a couple of times, her eyelids twitching.
Without saying a word, she sampled the other dishes, and after a long while, she set down her chopsticks, her expression serious. “It’s not my skill.”
“… Is it the spiritual energy?”
Old man Bai immediately understood.
“Right, the kitchen in the nursing home doesn’t have all the seasonings,” Teacher Tian explained. “There’s no way my skills could improve this quickly.”
Zheng Fa picked up a piece of tomato and nodded lightly.
He hadn’t realized before that the dishes in the Xuanwei Realm might taste better.
Mainly, the crops from both sides seemed to have subtle differences.
Now, with the comparison, he discovered—spiritual energy truly enhanced the flavor and taste of these vegetables and fruits.
So, the pigweed leaves he had eaten before were actually an improved version?
If that stuff had no spiritual energy, it must have been terrible…
They hadn’t cultivated spiritual plants, but they had stumbled upon some unexpected delights.
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