Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 135 - 40 Turned-up Mouth

Chapter 135: Chapter 40 Turned-up Mouth

Because Mrs. Ye was present, Old Man Bai did not go into detail about the person whose life was nearing its end.

Although Mrs. Ye and Zheng Fa had already established a cooperative relationship,

the three of them still consciously held back in front of her—they tried not to mention anything related to cultivation when she was around.

Even Tang Lingwu did the same.

The car journey stretched into the night, and Mrs. Ye’s expression gradually took on an air of weariness, her facial muscles slightly stiff.

Zheng Fa knew this was because the fatigue had caused a recurrence of her illness.

Tang Lingwu looked somewhat anxious by her side.

"Shall I give you a massage?"

Zheng Fa asked softly.

Mrs. Ye’s eyes lit up, and she eagerly nodded her head.

Tang Lingwu glanced at the driver in front, stood up, and bent over her mother.

To outsiders, she seemed to be observing Mrs. Ye’s condition, but in reality, she was blocking the driver’s view for Zheng Fa.

With a gentle knead on Mrs. Ye’s shoulders and neck, a Nourishing Spirit Talisman shot from Zheng Fa’s fingertips into the back of Mrs. Ye’s head.

By the time Tang Lingwu sat down again, the driver in the rearview mirror could only see Mrs. Ye sound asleep.

And beside her was Old Man Bai, gazing longingly at Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa ignored Old Man Bai’s yearning gaze.

It wasn’t that Zheng Fa was stingy, but in modern times, each Primordial Talisman could only be used three times before it disintegrated the condensed foundation of the talismanic Dao within his body.

It was one o’clock in the morning by the time they reached the first suitable mountain range.

It was too dark to go up the mountain.

The group simply found a hotel at the foot of the mountain to stay.

At the break of dawn the next day, the four of them got up and, led by the driver, headed up the mountain.

It was only then that Zheng Fa found out that the driver was part of the survey team, specially hired by Mrs. Ye.

It was late spring, and the mountain scenery was at its finest.

Walking on the mountain path, the breeze on their faces dispelled much of the fatigue accumulated from traveling overnight.

Occasionally, they would encounter hikers dressed in outdoor sports gear on the mountain trail.

The guiding driver explained while walking, "This mountain is somewhat famous even in Beijing, and it’s convenient to drive here. Many outdoor enthusiasts like to come and play—a nursing home would be perfect here."

It was evident he was more in favor of building a nursing home on this mountain.

Reaching the top of the mountain, Zheng Fa’s eyes sparkled with a silvery light as he gazed down below.

After a moment, he nodded but only said, "Let’s go see the other mountain."

The other mountain was much less accessible. They drove from the highway to a provincial road and then through a stretch of rural road to get there.

"There’s not much to say about this place..." The driver’s tone was a bit disdainful: "This mountain belongs to a village collective; it’s a bit remote... probably not many would want to come here for retirement."

Zheng Fa looked contemplative as he digested this information.

Upon returning to the hotel,

Mr. Chen and the others were probably still with other classmates visiting Beijing University.

Zheng Fa’s room was empty.

The four of them sat in the room.

Tang Lingwu and the others all fixed their eyes on Zheng Fa’s head, waiting to hear his thoughts.

"Both places are suitable," Zheng Fa began, "We need to consider other aspects."

"Spirit Vein Theory" lists about a dozen types of spirit veins, and these two mountain ranges happen to correspond to two types respectively. From the perspective of practicing the "Spirit Mountain Technique," there’s not much difference between the two locations.

He turned his head towards Mrs. Ye, "Auntie, what’s your opinion?"

Mrs. Ye thought for a moment before speaking, "In terms of cost, there’s not much difference—the first location will have a bit more trouble with leasing and approvals, but the second location will have higher transportation costs."

"Which of these two options to select depends on how you plan for the future."

Zheng Fa nodded lightly, looking at Mrs. Ye, encouraging her to continue.

"The first location is close to a scenic spot, and there are also some villa zones nearby." Mrs. Ye paused then said, "If you, Zheng Fa, want to make connections with some important people, or become a guest of honor for someone, the first one is better."

"The second is quieter."

"Choosing which one only depends on what you want to do."

Zheng Fa fell silent, knowing this was a test from Mrs. Ye.

Seeing Zheng Fa lost in thought, Mrs. Ye seemed to understand that she should give him some time to decide.

She walked toward the door, turning her head to nod at Tang Lingwu, signaling her daughter to follow along.

But Tang Lingwu’s gaze lingered on Zheng Fa’s face, missing her mother’s gesture.

Mrs. Ye, seeing her daughter’s unwavering eyes, shook her head helplessly, and quietly closed the door for the three of them.

"What do you two think?"

Zheng Fa asked Tang Lingwu.

Old Man Bai smacked his lips before speaking up, "Choose the first one! The divine doctor descends the mountain, with a touch that astonishes the great clans of Beijing! With a turn of the hand, one commands the clouds and the rain!"

"..."

Why did it feel like this old man’s taste in books was getting worse and worse?

Tang Lingwu, on the other hand, pursed her lips, seemingly disagreeing, but under Zheng Fa’s gaze, she simply shook her head and said, "I’ll listen to you."

Zheng Fa shook his head.

He looked out the window and suddenly said,

"Mrs. Ye’s words have reminded me of something. Since the nursing home is going to be established, I think there are some principles I need to make clear, see what you think."

Old Man Bai and Tang Lingwu exchanged glances, quietly listening to Zheng Fa’s words.

"First, no playing god or engaging in mystification. While the matter of cultivation is hard to explain, if people come seeking treatment, we’ll just treat them. Just keep up good disguises and go about our days as if we’re a normal sanatorium."

Old Man Bai and company listened, and it was clear that Zheng Fa had already made a choice.

"Second, we don’t seek mundane power. We’re neither fearful nor appeasing towards power."

"Third, I hope the nursing home will be a relatively pure research institution, whether it’s treating people or developing agriculture, it’s only for the sake of maintaining the operations and research of the nursing home."

Zheng Fa’s voice was soft, but it grew more determined as he spoke.

For him, the fame and fortune of the modern world was almost useless — he couldn’t take any modern materials back to the Xuanwei Realm anyway.

At least not for the purposes of cultivation.

What was useful was the variety of talents and knowledge that modern science could provide.

Through cultivation, he had now accessed wealth that had previously been out of reach, and there might be more in the future.

But he had always been clear about what he really wanted.

After saying all this, he looked at Old Man Bai and the others.

These three sentences were both Zheng Fa’s own thoughts.

And on the other hand, they were requirements for the two of them—especially for Old Man Bai, who was prone to wild flights of fancy.

Not only did Old Man Bai’s face show no disappointment, but he seemed relieved instead, muttering, "I was just thinking, those henchmen and lackeys in the books, their brains seem to have holes in them... I can’t play that!"

"..."

You’ve already chosen your own role?

Tang Lingwu on the side...

Well, it seems like she thinks everything Zheng Fa says is good now.

...

Xuanwei Realm.

It was the day of the screening of "Rescue Little Cultivator Pang Qian."

Zheng Fa, along with Sister Zhang and Sister Yuan, stood in the management building of the workshop, watching the Guiding Ship slowly descend to the dock in the sky.

As soon as the Guiding Ship had barely steadied, a multitude of people burst forth, rushing towards the theater.

When Zheng Fa saw Han Qi and his group disembark, they seemed to be on some urgent business, heading straight for the small building.

"Junior Brother Zheng... our Guiding Ships aren’t enough," said Han Qi upon seeing Zheng, his first words making Zheng somewhat startled.

"Not enough?"

"Yes," Han Qi’s eyes shimmered with excitement: "After the last screening of ’Rescue Little Cultivator Pang Qian,’ some outsider cultivators saw it... and when they went back to their sects, too many people from our Jiushan Sect wanted to come this time!"

Zheng Fa’s gaze shifted to the crowd rushing towards the theater.

This was the reputation of "Rescue Little Cultivator Pang Qian" starting to ferment.

In the Xuanwei Realm, there were no channels for promotion, but the outsider cultivators who had seen "Rescue Little Cultivator Pang Qian" became the word-of-mouth publicity for the play.

Although not many outsider cultivators had seen "Rescue Little Cultivator Pang Qian" last time, they came from a diverse range of places. When they returned to the various workshops and sects, the word spread from one to ten and ten to a hundred, and now it was effective.

"We were originally planning to visit three sects and two workshops this time, but after one sect, the ship was almost full..." Han Qi said helplessly: "There were even people willing to pay to board the ship when we went to other places."

"..."

The capacity of the Guiding Ships dispatched by Jiushan Sect was not large, being able to accommodate at most about three hundred cultivators.

Before the screening of "Rescue Little Cultivator Pang Qian," each Guiding Ship could only bring over about a hundred cultivators each time.

Sometimes they couldn’t even fill half.

But this time it was so popular.

"Junior Brother Zheng, take a look... should we dispatch a few more Guiding Ships?" Han Qi suggested.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa glanced at Sister Zhang beside him and then said to Han Qi, "We’ll discuss this issue. You’ve had a hard journey; go back and rest first."

Hearing his words, Han Qi bowed to the three of them and exited the building.

Sister Zhang didn’t say anything, just leaning against the window.

Those cultivators who came down from the Guiding Ship, after purchasing their tickets at the theater, seemed to have nothing else to do. To pass the time, they could only wander around the workshop.

The saying goes—since they’re here.

And cultivators who were willing to spend money to see "Rescue Little Cultivator Pang Qian" were more willing to splurge a bit—

After all, the previous group of outsider cultivators came because they were lured by the cheap Spirit Talismans of Jiushan Sect and because the Guiding Ship was free.

This group of cultivators, on the other hand, were willing to pay a relatively high price to watch a play.

The same shipload of people, but with different spending concepts, brought vastly different benefits to the Jiushan Sect’s workshop.

Watching the bustling workshop below, Sister Zhang nodded slightly to Zheng Fa: "Junior Brother Zheng, you’ve done very well with the play..."

"Sister, in the future, our Jiushan Sect will have even more money."

Zheng Fa suddenly said.

"Hm?"

"In the future, if you want to research something, you won’t need to use the resources of the sect."

This sentence left Sister Zhang silent for a long time.

Zheng Fa continued: "Jiushan Sect’s resources are insufficient, so we’ll just earn from outside. This way, Master Pang won’t mind either."

"...Junior Brother Zheng, I just realized that I have something to deal with."

After another long silence, Sister Zhang finally spoke to Zheng Fa, her face seemingly unaffected.

"Safe travels, Sister."

Sister Zhang landed with Sister Yuan in their own backyard, seemingly lost in thought, staring silently at the waterfall falling from the mountain.

"Sister, if you want to laugh, just laugh," Sister Yuan sighed, looking at Sister Zhang: "Your mouth is all twisted into what shape."