Chapter 414
But he didn’t like to place his hopes in others. Researching the roots of heaven and earth, to see if he could cultivate a Fusang tree, was the only method he could think of that might enhance the defensive capabilities of the Jiushan Realm.
Thus, his regard for the Qingjing Bamboo far surpassed any other gains.
Others didn’t understand Zheng Fa’s yearning for the Qingjing Bamboo, but Senior Sister Zhang did...
In fact, she understood it all too well.
“...What if the Chengkong Master comes looking for us?”
Uncle Pang hesitated a bit.
To study the Qingjing Bamboo, they naturally needed to slice it.
But judging by the expression on Chengkong Master’s face, if anything went wrong with the Qingjing Bamboo, it would probably blow up.
“As long as it doesn’t kill us, it should be fine.” Zheng Fa thought for a moment; he had mentioned slicing this thing before: “Slice it!”
A few incense sticks later, Zheng Fa looked at the Qingjing Bamboo slices in the microscopic array, his expression dazed, a hint of regret washing over him, as if he had stumbled upon a very simple truth that he had never considered before. He murmured to himself:
“So that’s how it is, so that’s how it is…”
Beside him, Senior Sister Zhang and the others stared at the images of the spiritual root cells in the microscopic array, their faces blank, clearly unable to grasp what he meant by “so that’s how it is.”
Yet Zheng Fa’s face was filled with joy.
He had given up resources from two states just to take a look at the Qingjing Bamboo, and he had seen the confusion in others’ eyes.
But now, with just a glance, he knew—worth it!
...
“You mean, the roots of heaven and earth... are living beings with that spiritual cell structure as their nucleus?”
In the modern nursing home, Teacher Tian also wore an expression of realization.
“Yes... Since wood-based spells can be equated to a DNA double helix structure, if that spiritual structure contains corresponding spiritual symbols, it can naturally replace the role of the cell nucleus.”
“This must be the so-called truth about the roots of heaven and earth…”
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 346: Uninvited, In the Name of Teacher
In the nursing home, everyone walked and discussed the essence of the roots of heaven and earth.
“Replacing the cell nucleus with that kind of spiritual structure?” Zheng Fa’s words suddenly made Teacher Tian laugh. She turned to him and said, “This technology is actually simpler than I thought.”
“You should have learned about it in high school.”
Before Zheng Fa could speak, Tang Lingwu suddenly realized, “Cloning sheep!”
“Exactly, the research on replacing cell nuclei is already quite advanced,” Teacher Tian said. “Especially with plant cells, which are simpler; plant somatic cells have potential totipotency. With the help of cytokinins or auxins, they can develop into complete plants.”
“If this idea is truly feasible, then we can find some root cells and shoot tip cells, cultivate them a bit, and we can start experimenting.”
Earlier, when Zheng Fa mentioned studying the roots of heaven and earth, Teacher Tian had been somewhat daunted.
But now, looking at her expression, it was clear she was thinking—Is that all?
Teacher Tian sighed, “Today I finally understand what it means to have a true transmission in just one sentence... The only difficulty with this thing is realizing that those spiritual structures are equivalent to the cell nuclei of the roots of heaven and earth.”
Beside her, Tang Lingwu shook her head, counting on her fingers, slowly saying:
“But it’s not just one sentence.”
“First, we need to clarify the Five Elements Sub-symbols.”
“Using the Five Elements Sub-symbols, we need to understand the relationship between the Five Elements spells and the Five Elements spiritual materials.”
“Only then can we grasp the possible functions of this spiritual structure.”
Zheng Fa nodded along; this understanding seemed simple, but it was entirely based on their research from the past few days. Some things are easy for those who know, but difficult for those who don’t.
Otherwise, even if they saw the cell images of the roots of heaven and earth, they would still be at a loss—this was evident from Chengkong Master’s reluctant attitude and his inability to revive the Qingjing Bamboo.
Clearly, within the Xuanwei Five Sects, they hadn’t figured out this principle either.
In Zheng Fa’s view, they might not be unable to see the cell structure of the spiritual roots—though they lacked a microscopic array, various spiritual eyes and visions should be available in the Taishang Dao, and they might have ways to glimpse certain aspects of the microscopic world.
The problem was... their foundational knowledge was lacking.
For instance, even if they saw the spiritual cell nucleus, if they couldn’t recognize the significance of the nucleus to cell growth, they might miss the key points.
Even if they understood it, without comprehension of DNA replication and genetic information, they might not grasp the underlying principles.
The idea that the spiritual structure equals the cell nucleus is a simple statement, but behind it lies a vast and solid knowledge system—especially now, as the connections between the modern world and the Xuanwei realm grow ever closer, this knowledge system has been the greatest help to Zheng Fa.
Suddenly, Tang Lingwu’s expression turned a bit strange, as if she had thought of something, and she spoke up:
“So the next experiment is to fuse that kind of spiritual structure from Zheng Fa’s cells with various mulberry tree cells? To see if we can cultivate a Fusang tree? According to cloning theory, if we really manage to cultivate a Fusang tree, it should call Zheng Fa...”
“Mom!”
Upon hearing this, Teacher Tian’s expression was even more absurd than Tang Lingwu’s. She held back for a moment, but finally couldn’t help but exclaim:
“I don’t even have kids yet... I didn’t expect that in the matter of having children, Zheng Fa would actually outdo me…”
“...”
Wait, shouldn’t you be blaming that old man Bai?
Zheng Fa didn’t want to delve further into this topic. Thinking of Old Man Bai, he turned to scan the surroundings and finally noticed something was off. He asked the two, “Where’s Professor Bai?”
“He? He went down the mountain!”
Zheng Fa slapped his forehead, feeling a bit guilty. These days, he had been so focused on the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor that he had overlooked one thing—today was Old Man Bai’s birthday.
He must have gone down the mountain to celebrate with his daughter’s family.
“Why didn’t they come up the mountain?”
Zheng Fa asked.
Teacher Tian avoided his gaze, looking at the nearby Ling Tian, “They were afraid it would be awkward for me, since I’m not familiar with his daughter and son-in-law.”
Zheng Fa frowned.
Teacher Tian was a very generous person.
How could she be so easily embarrassed?
Seeing that he didn’t quite believe her, Teacher Tian smiled and said, “He wants to come back and celebrate again; this man is greedy!”
She wore an expression that couldn’t hide her thoughts.
But this time, Zheng Fa wasn’t fooled: he didn’t believe that reason.
...
At Old Man Bai’s daughter’s home, the atmosphere was quite strange.
“Grandpa! Grandpa! Look how well I’m practicing!”
Old Man Bai’s grandson, like a little calf, stood in front of him, demonstrating a series of moves, shouting and kicking, energetically performing the new generation of radio calisthenics—developed by the Jiushan Martial Arts School.
“Good! Good!”
Old Man Bai squinted his eyes and nodded, his curly hair bobbing, looking extremely happy.
“Dad said this was created by you, Grandpa! I have to learn it well!”
Old Man Bai looked up at his son-in-law, who had a somewhat ingratiating expression, pursed his lips, and smiled slightly, just giving a gentle nod.
“Dad! Dinner’s ready!”
His daughter looked even more elegant than before, wearing a trench coat over her apron. The brand logo on it made Old Man Bai squint his eyes; he glanced at his grandson but didn’t say anything.
Not wanting to celebrate his birthday outside, Old Man Bai planned to have a simple meal at his daughter’s house.
At the dining table, Old Man Bai and his grandson laughed and played.
Meanwhile, his daughter and son-in-law exchanged glances, seemingly wanting to say something.
“Dad…”
In the end, it was his daughter, who was closer to him, who spoke up.
“Let’s eat first, we’ll talk after dinner.”
Unexpectedly, Old Man Bai directly interrupted her.
His daughter’s expression showed some dissatisfaction, but she didn’t dare to speak, and the meal went by without anyone focusing on the food.
After finishing the meal, Old Man Bai sent his grandson downstairs to play before finally addressing his daughter and son-in-law, who had been holding back: “Go ahead.”
“Dad, you’re being a bit biased…”
His daughter started with a complaint.
“Biased?”
“You favor your own daughter and grandson, but they can’t stay on the mountain, while my stepmother can stay on the mountain... That’s one thing.”
“Today we wanted to come up the mountain to celebrate your birthday, why is that not allowed?”
Listening to his daughter’s complaints, Old Man Bai remained silent, just nodding slightly.
“And what else?”
“And also... the job they assigned to your son-in-law is just a menial one…”
Seemingly having built up a lot of grievances, Old Man Bai’s daughter kept talking.
Until she paused, Old Man Bai asked again:
“Anything else?”
“No…”
After she finished, her expression turned a bit anxious.
Old Man Bai turned his gaze to his son-in-law and asked, “Did you complain to her about this?”
“Dad, I didn’t…”
“Your job is something I arranged for them to place you at the grassroots level.”
“Dad?”
His daughter and son-in-law looked even more confused.
“Teacher Tian actually mentioned letting you come up the mountain; I didn’t agree.”
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