Chapter 601
"One night... giving a lecture? Oh~"
Zheng Fa glanced at the old man Bai, pondering that whether it was one sheep or two, it was still the same to herd them. Not wanting to show favoritism, he asked, "How about I give you a lecture tonight, Old Bai?"
Old Bai scratched his head, his finger stiffening as a surge of energy coursed through him, making his curly hair stand on end.
"Me? No need!" He quickly grabbed a piece of clothing from the table beside him, covering his proud muscles, and hurriedly said, "Xiao Tian! I'm heading down the mountain to see my grandson!"
...
Old Bai rushed down the mountain, and Zheng Fa returned to the Jiu Shan Realm.
He took out two jade tubes and inscribed the two sets of formations he had researched in modern times into them before stepping out of his room.
The courtyard was empty, but there were sounds of laughter and joy coming from Sister Zhang's small courtyard next door.
Curiosity piqued, Zheng Fa walked over.
Sister Zhang's courtyard was lively today:
By the lake, a daybed had been set up, and Sister Zhang leaned against one side while sitting opposite her was Uncle Huang.
Sister Yuan circled the daybed, chattering away as if she had thorns in her backside, unable to sit still.
What surprised Zheng Fa was that Uncle Huang, usually so stern, was smiling today, his features almost picturesque.
Looking at Sister Zhang, he noticed a glimmer of joy in her eyes as well.
"Junior Brother!" As soon as Zheng Fa entered, Sister Yuan called out, "Are you here to celebrate Sister Zhang's birthday too?"
Birthday?
Zheng Fa halted, a look of confusion on his face.
He genuinely had no idea today was Sister Zhang's birthday.
Having been at Jiu Shan Sect for nearly ten years, Sister Zhang had never celebrated her birthday!
He didn't even know when her birthday was—after all, as a young sprout, it would be rather impolite to inquire about the birthday of an old cow.
Sister Zhang looked at him, shaking her head slightly, as if she could see his bewilderment. "I wasn't planning on celebrating; it was Master and Junior Sister who insisted."
"Of course we have to celebrate!" Sister Yuan exclaimed loudly. "If it were any other day, it wouldn't matter, but a full cycle of sixty years? We can't let that slip by!"
Uncle Huang nodded in agreement, though his tone was somewhat dissatisfied. "If it were up to me, we should invite more people."
Sister Zhang shook her head slightly. "The Jiu Shan Realm isn't exactly affluent these days, and everyone is busy."
At this point, her eyes softened as she looked at Zheng Fa and said gently, "You... just being here is enough."
Uncle Huang caught the awkward tone in her voice, his expression souring. He shot a glance at Zheng Fa, as if he wanted to say something, but then looked back at his disciple and sighed, "When I first took you as my disciple, you were still a little naked baby... Who would have thought you'd grow up to be a Yuan Ying now, and your personality has changed so much I hardly recognize you..."
"Master!"
Sister Zhang's smile faded, a mix of embarrassment and annoyance washing over her.
Zheng Fa thought to himself, "Naked baby? Now that's a familiar term!"
He finally understood.
His youthful and vibrant Sister Zhang was now already one hundred and twenty years old!
Xuan Wei placed great importance on the cycles of sixty years, and since this was a full cycle, Uncle Huang and Sister Yuan were particularly keen on celebrating, which is why Sister Zhang was hosting a small gathering.
Sister Zhang probably noticed he was unaware, hence her comment that it was fine for him to come.
Zheng Fa indeed hadn't prepared a birthday gift; Sister Zhang was well aware of the spiritual materials he had.
...
"Sister! Look!"
Sister Yuan couldn't wait to pull out her storage bag, opening it to reveal small boxes of food.
"Here!" Sister Yuan licked her lips, "I saved these up with my good deeds over the past few months!"
"This one is a spirit fruit Zheng Fa tricked from Hao Ri Mountain! It's delicious!"
"This is a spirit pill from Qing Mu Sect, sweet! I had to work hard to trade for it!"
"This is spirit wine; I spent a lot of good deeds on it..."
Sister Yuan beamed with pride as she enthusiastically introduced each item, her eyes glued to the little boxes, clearly delighted.
Zheng Fa knew that Sister Zhang wasn't particularly fond of indulgent food, but at that moment, she was smiling sweetly, nodding at the boxes.
After all, these treats were indeed collected bit by bit by Sister Yuan, who was quite the foodie. For her, the joy of gathering so many delicious items to gift to Sister Zhang was a hundred percent sincere.
Sister Zhang understood the sentiment behind it, not only accepting the gifts but also opening each box to savor the contents, praising their deliciousness one by one.
Sister Yuan was so pleased she could almost wag her tail.
Once Sister Yuan finished her show-and-tell, Uncle Huang produced a small jade box, about two fingers long, with a flash of rainbow light.
"Take a look, do you like it?"
Sister Zhang took the jade box, opened the lid, and inside lay a necklace.
She pulled it out and unfolded it in front of her chest, revealing a golden phoenix with its wings spread wide. Strangely, the phoenix's eyes were two distinctly colored gemstones, making it look almost alive.
"Master?"
"I'll put it on for you." Uncle Huang reached over, took the necklace from Sister Zhang, and personally placed it around her neck. After a moment of inspection, he nodded in satisfaction, "Looks good!"
"This... is it a magical treasure?"
Sister Zhang looked down at her necklace, suddenly asking.
"Thanks to Madam Xuanhua, it could be transformed from spiritual materials; otherwise, this necklace wouldn't have been possible..."
It seemed this necklace was crafted by Madam Xuanhua at Uncle Huang's request.
"Master, this is too precious."
Zheng Fa understood Sister Zhang's concern—Uncle Huang had been disheartened in the past and had little desire for wealth. Among the three elders of Jiu Shan Sect, he was considered the poorest.
Creating a magical treasure, even if Madam Xuanhua only charged the cost, would still be a significant burden for her.
"Is my disciple's life not worth it?" Uncle Huang snorted, "What kind of enemies did you face before, and what will you face in the future? How many times can you use the Qingjing Bamboo?"
"…"
The usually taciturn Uncle Huang was now quite chatty. "Every time I see you charging forward with the Qingjing Bamboo, I get anxious!"
"This necklace can speed up your spiritual power and soul recovery, and it has a certain level of protection. Madam Xuanhua said this is her best work to date! She even believes it can withstand a blow from a transformation stage cultivator!"
It sounded like Uncle Huang had indeed put a lot of thought into it.
Sister Zhang wielded the Qingjing Bamboo, her combat power nearing that of a Dao fruit, but the issue was that the Qingjing Bamboo was an external force.
Compared to the Fusang Wood, which was inherently linked to Zheng Fa, Sister Zhang's relationship with the Qingjing Bamboo wasn't as intimate. When she used the Qingjing Bamboo, she faced two major problems:
First, it would break after just a few uses, and overuse could lead to serious injury.
Second, and more critically:
Her cultivation level was too low. If someone seized the opportunity to take her life, the consequences would be dire.
Though this necklace was merely a magical treasure, it was indeed very suitable for Sister Zhang.
It was clear that Uncle Huang's concerns and thoughts had been brewing for quite some time.
Sister Zhang held the golden phoenix in her hand, wanting to say something, but Uncle Huang's expression turned stern as he said, "Put it on!"
"…"
Seeing she no longer wished to refuse, Uncle Huang's face softened, and he said gently, "With this, I can rest easier when you go out. Don't end up like your master..."
At this point, he stopped, chuckling, "Why am I saying such inauspicious things... Speaking of which, when I celebrated my birthday, your master would always prepare birthday gifts..."
"Back then, Jiu Shan Sect was even poorer than it is now, and both of us had low cultivation levels, so the gifts weren't worth much."
"But I remember everything..."
Sister Yuan blinked at this, looking at Zheng Fa.
Uncle Huang also turned to Zheng Fa, his gaze carrying a hint of a mother-in-law's scrutiny towards her son-in-law.
Uh-oh, here it comes!
Sister Zhang shot a glance at her master, helplessly saying, "Junior Brother actually... a few days ago..."
Uncle Huang's expression shifted slightly, but after glancing at his eager disciple, who was ready to spin a tale, a cold snort turned into a light sigh.
"Sister!" Zheng Fa thought quickly and pulled out the jade tube inscribed with the Jiu Zhang Formation, saying loudly, "This is my birthday gift..."
To be honest, the main credit for this jade tube belonged to Zheng Fa's ideas... but he especially had to thank the foreman Tang Lingwu, who had helped him out of a tough spot at Hong Shan!
Sister Zhang was taken aback. She took the jade tube, her expression brightening with surprise as she asked, "What's inside?"
"Sister, do you remember the formation you wanted to create before?"
"Yes."
"Inside is the improved formation."
Sister Zhang's eyes suddenly lit up, her consciousness diving into the jade tube. Upon seeing the title inside, she murmured in confusion, "Jiu Zhang Formation Technical Manual?"
Without waiting for anyone else, she immersed herself in the jade tube.
Uncle Huang watched her, then turned to Zheng Fa, shaking his head slightly, seemingly not entirely satisfied with this gift...
Zheng Fa understood Uncle Huang's thoughts; after all, this was just a formation at first glance.
While formations were indeed powerful, they typically enhanced the strength of a sect.
But how much personal benefit it would bring to Sister Zhang was hard to say.
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