Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 249 - 142 Mu Dao

Chapter 249: Chapter 142 Mu Dao

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but admit that he was somewhat judgmental based on appearances.

From the moment he first saw Tang Mudao, he actually didn’t feel much—one way or the other. It had nothing to do with beauty or ugliness, just like Old Man Bai’s appearance, which was far from handsome.

It’s just that Zheng Fa preferred to be close to simpler folks.

And Tang Mudao...

The man always wore a smile on his face, and when he looked eye to eye with Zheng Fa, the measure was just right—showing neither disregard for Zheng Fa’s youth nor the curiosity of someone peering around.

This, of course, wasn’t a bad thing, it just wasn’t what Zheng Fa imagined a scholar would be like.

"Mu Dao, what’s the deal with these truckloads of equipment?"

"Well, you know, Old Bai, that I’m the chairman of some Daoist association abroad," Tang Mudao explained, "We have some collaborations with the companies that make these devices..."

He gestured towards the exterior of the nursing home.

"They indeed didn’t cost any money."

"Why’s that?"

Tang Mudao shrugged: "Our association has some influence abroad too, especially with things like traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and the sort. Essentially, they want to do some advertising, some promotion... Plainly speaking, giving them away for free is also a way to make more money."

"But why bring them to our nursing home?"

"Well, I...," Tang Mudao said with an embarrassed smile, "have a favor to ask."

Old Man Bai and Zheng Fa exchanged glances.

Then Tang Mudao, looking at them, also seemed to be in deep thought.

"What is it?" Old Man Bai asked.

"Big brother..." Although the words from Tang Mudao seemed to be directed at Old Man Bai, his eyes were on Zheng Fa, "As you know, I’ve been mingling in the barbaric lands abroad for a long time, and I may have been presumptuous."

"..."

"You... have received some True Inheritance, haven’t you?"

"..."

Old Man Bai was silent.

Then, they heard Tang Mudao continue: "I won’t hide it from you, big brother. After we parted last time, I made a trip to Beijing University."

"Beijing University?"

"I went to visit one of your former colleagues... and I also saw some photos from your past."

"You..."

Old Man Bai pointed at Tang Mudao.

"Big brother, I know, that was wrong of me, really wrong!" Tang Mudao hastily apologized, "But you also know, I have this one aspiration..."

Old Man Bai hmphed, shook his head, but found it hard to say more.

This matter did seem like Tang Mudao was prying into privacy.

But Old Man Bai certainly had some status in the circle, and there were many photos from the past, some even posted online—after all, it was hard to define as invading privacy.

"Big brother, that physique of yours can still be chalked up to training," Tang Mudao pointed at Old Man Bai’s face, "But this face that looks twenty years younger..."

"..."

This kind of thing was indeed hard to hide from someone determined.

Clearly, Tang Mudao here was one of those people.

"So you’re thinking..."

Thud!

Zheng Fa hadn’t expected Tang Mudao to suddenly kneel.

The man prostrated before him and said, "I have been committed to seeking the Daoist Skill since my youth, hoping that the Immortal Master will show compassion!"

Zheng Fa quickly helped him up.

"This... Professor Tang, how can you be so sure that we have something like an Immortal Master here..."

"I... have made some inquiries."

Tang Mudao said somewhat sheepishly.

"What did you inquire about?"

"In the past six months, the Rainbow Mountain Lady has shown her spirit twice..."

"..."

"But these two times she’s shown herself, it actually started when you came to Rainbow Mountain."

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but shake his head.

Here it is again—that despite the movements of the nursing home not being publicized, they weren’t exactly hidden either.

If it were anyone else, merely based on these two pieces of evidence, they probably couldn’t have come to a definite conclusion, and might have even speculated otherwise.

But Tang Mudao, this kind of fanatic seeking gods and blessings everywhere...

Did indeed guess precisely right.

Seeing him and Old Man Bai remain silent, Tang Mudao said: "Immortal Master! I seek the Daoist Skill with a sincere heart!"

"Those pieces of equipment are my gifts for our first meeting!"

He pointed toward the entrance of the nursing home.

"I can also bring some partnerships to the nursing home!"

"Partnerships?" Old Man Bai was intrigued, "What kind of partnerships?"

"I also have some connections with hospitals abroad... Getting a few endorsements for the nursing home won’t be an issue!"

Zheng Fa started to understand.

Basically, it was like giving the nursing home a few famous international hospital endorsements to attract some customers.

"I can also introduce some clients to the nursing home!" Seeing no change in Zheng Fa’s expression, Tang Mudao added, "Not dumb ones, but the kind with lots of money."

"..."

Honestly, Zheng Fa could see Tang Mudao’s effort and sincerity.

But he grew more and more puzzled.

"Professor Tang... you do experimental physics abroad, right?"

"Uh, to be precise, I’m into astronomy."

"Then you..."

Zheng Fa didn’t even know how to describe the man’s actions and words.

Tang Mudao blinked, not seeming to understand what Zheng Fa wanted to say.

It was Old Bai on the side who seemed to understand what Zheng Fa meant.

"This lad, he’s saying you don’t have much of a scholar’s air about you."

Tang Mudao looked at his beer belly, saying cluelessly: "I don’t consider myself a scholar though..."

"..."

"I go into research only because I’m good at it, it’s my way of making a living, not because I like it..."

Zheng Fa smirked and said, "But we... run a research-type nursing home."

"Nursing home..." Tang Mudao was stunned. "And it’s research-type?"

He seemed to have difficulty understanding how these two terms could go together.

Zheng Fa nodded at him.

He then looked at Old Man Bai; Old Man Bai also nodded towards him.

Tang Mudao opened his mouth: "I thought... you were running a nursing home to make money..."

That thought is quite normal—

Thinking of starting a nursing home for the study of Immortal Law, now that’s not very normal.

If Zheng Fa was set on making money, these instruments he was given, and the connections too, would actually be somewhat useful.

You can’t say he wasn’t diligent.

But the only thing...

"Instead of sending these things, bringing a couple of your own research papers would be better."

Old Man Bai sighed from the side.

Tang Mudao felt a bit frustrated: "How could I have known that recruiting for the Immortal Master would be the same as recruiting a PhD!"

"..."

Papers would be easy to talk about.

Not to say that Tang Mudao’s works are numerous, but in the academic circle, he is definitely not unknown.

Zheng Fa may not be familiar with his research topics, but based on the journal tiers, impact factors, citations, this man’s lifetime professorship probably wasn’t earned through some mysterious Eastern power.

Zheng Fa and Old Man Bai discussed with two others in the back yard.

Tang Mudao was waiting inside the main building of the nursing home.

"What do you think?"

"In terms of academic ability, there should be no problem," Old Man Bai spoke first.

"I always feel that this man..." Tang Lingwu shook her head, "doesn’t quite fit our personality; he is a bit..."

"A bit too worldly-wise," Mrs. Tian added.

Tang Lingwu nodded in agreement.

That was also how Zheng Fa felt.

This person was sharp and meticulous, with a strong will.

Old Man Bai only appeared once in the live broadcast of that B&B owner.

Yet this man had dug up so much information.

Zheng Fa had no doubts about his intelligence and will.

"I was also thinking about this..." Zheng Fa spoke his mind, "First, do we really need an astronomer, and second... if this person joins us, what impact would it have on the nursing home."

"I’m actually more worried about him using the Immortal Law he learns for personal gain in the mundane world."

"His Taoist association..." Zheng Fa thought for a moment, "seems to hint at that."

With that said, Tang Lingwu and the others nodded.

But it was Old Man Bai who stroked his chin and said, "Actually, I feel that, setting aside academic cultivation, we do need such a person."

"Hmm?"

Zheng Fa looked at Old Man Bai, waiting for his opinion.

"We’re going to be opening the nursing home, right?"

"Right."

"We might attract some attention from certain people."

Zheng Fa began to grasp Old Man Bai’s meaning: "Are you suggesting that he handles the meet and greets?"

"Yes, I think among the four of us, none are as suitable for this as he is," Old Man Bai continued. "Just like in those novels, the inner and outer sects, we do research, but these worldly matters always need to be dealt with."

Zheng Fa also thought that Old Man Bai’s perspective was interesting.

He initially considered Tang Mudao’s slickness to be a flaw.

But after what Old Man Bai said, Zheng Fa also felt that perhaps it was actually a strength.

"The most important thing is whether we can control him."

Zheng Fa slowly nodded, with some ideas already forming in his mind.

...

"A test?" Tang Mudao blinked, "What kind of test?"

"You know about ’Nankexi Meng,’ right?"

Tang Mudao seemed to understand: "Testing the Ask Dao Heart?"

Zheng Fa nodded. His habit was never to sugarcoat his words; he was just as straightforward when facing Tang Mudao.

To use the Dream Charm on him, Zheng Fa explained it clearly and directly.

"I accept!"

Tang Mudao likely understood that Zheng Fa was giving him a chance and quickly nodded in agreement.

Zheng Fa pointed at the back of his head, and the Dream Charm shot into his brain.

Zhing Fa and the others saw a cloud of black mist slowly rise above his head, within which Tang Mudao’s figure appeared.

He was dressed in a Daoist robe, walking through a small town—this town looked incredibly underdeveloped.

The townspeople all bowed to him, calling him Immortal Master.

He nodded at them, approaching the front of a bungalow.

The wall of this bungalow was made of red bricks, now a rare sight in this era.

He pushed the door open and entered the main hall.

Inside the hall, an altar was set up with three sticks of incense burning, the smoke entwining a black-and-white photograph on the wall—the person in the photo looked younger than him, dressed in the same Daoist robe.

Tang Mudao looked at the black-and-white photo and suddenly spoke:

"Dad."

"When I was twenty and learned Qigong from my master, I knew he was deceiving people."

"At forty, when I visited those Taoist temples and shrines, I also knew they were cheating people."

"At fifty, when I became the president of the association, I knew I was deceiving people. Others probably knew too... It was just a play we all took part in."

"But just like you said, Daoist Skill isn’t about deceiving people..." said Tang Mudao, "I’ve sought after it."

...

Old Man Bai was stunned, then turned to look at the others:

"This superstitious legacy, and a family tradition?"

It was Mrs. Tian who shook her head: "It’s not a family tradition... given his age, if his father fancied this, he probably would’ve been in a tough spot."

Old Man Bai was taken aback and nodded silently.

"As for his so-called pursuit of the Way..." Mrs. Tian continued, "Perhaps it was just his inability to let go. Two generations of fools, nothing more..."