Chapter 117

Bai Lao's house.

The light was faintly white; Zheng Fa and the other two sat in the living room.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

"Your mother doesn't let you come here anymore?" Bai Lao asked softly.

Tang Lingwu nodded slightly, then shook her head.

She sniffled, as if trying not to worry the two, and forced a stiff smile: "My mom's condition has been worse lately; I want to spend more time with her."

Zheng Fa stared intently at Tang Lingwu's eyes.

Tang Lingwu seemed unwilling to meet Zheng Fa's gaze; she lowered her head, strands of hair falling across her cheek, casting a shadow that hid her exhaustion and helplessness.

"What exactly is going on?" Zheng Fa asked.

"Because of me," Tang Lingwu replied softly after a long silence. "I stayed out too late before, and my mom got upset…"

Zheng Fa remembered—those days, all of them had been excited searching for the Five Elements Sub-charms, and they'd returned home later than usual.

Tang Lingwu's phone had rung several times back then.

"Later, my mom found out I was staying up all night. She suffers from insomnia—she can't sleep night after night."

Zheng Fa's mind flashed to that notebook covered in charm diagrams—the Metal Sub-charm had been discovered by Tang Lingwu during those late nights.

It all seemed tied to him.

"That still doesn't justify forbidding you to come here," Bai Lao frowned slightly. "Has your mother's condition worsened?"

"No… I argued with her these past two days. That's why she won't let me come over." Tang Lingwu's tone carried regret.

"Why did you argue?"

"I told her… I'm not going to minor in management anymore. I'm switching to computer science. She thought I was defying her and banned me from leaving the house."

Bai Lao glanced at Zheng Fa, then asked Tang Lingwu in confusion: "Wait, why did you want to minor in management in the first place?"

Tang Lingwu explained to the two: "My mom said that after my undergraduate degree, I could go abroad for a business degree… then come back to take over my dad's company."

"And computer science…"

Zheng Fa noticed Tang Lingwu's head tilt slightly toward him—as if she wanted to look at him, but immediately stopped herself.

"I've recently realized I really love computer science!"

Zheng Fa heard Tang Lingwu say it a bit loudly, as if volume alone could convince them.

His emotions were complicated.

This girl probably realized computer science was crucial for studying charm diagrams, and knew Zheng Fa didn't trust outsiders with cultivation secrets—so she chose computer science.

Tang Lingwu lifted her head, sensing their skepticism, and added: "Honestly, even if I didn't study computer science, I still wouldn't want to study business. I just never told my mom!"

"Why not?"

"My mom never let boys get close to me—that's fine. But she's been shadowing me constantly since I was a child. I never had a single female friend. I have zero interpersonal skills."

"With just two or three people I know well, I'm perfectly comfortable."

"The moment there are too many people, I feel overwhelmed and can't stand talking. I'm not suited for business, let alone managing a company."

Tang Lingwu's expression was equally helpless as she explained to them: "I originally planned to study mathematics and do research. If I lacked talent, I could still get by in academia by learning Luo Bida."

Bai Lao froze, his earlier expression of pity vanishing instantly.

Zheng Fa understood him—this girl had just namedropped Luo Bida, the guy who bought a paper to secure immortality in academia. What's there to pity?

Seeing their stunned silence, Tang Lingwu flashed a mischievous smile, stood up, and said: "Now that my mom won't agree, I'll just have to go back and inherit my dad's fortune! Don't worry—I still have to go home, she's waiting. I'm leaving now."

"I've learned a spell."

Zheng Fa suddenly spoke from behind her.

"Hm?"

Tang Lingwu stopped walking, then slowly turned around.

"It's called the Nourishing Soul Charm."

"Nourishing… Soul… Charm?"

Tang Lingwu murmured the three words, her voice trembling as she asked:

"You mean—?"

"I can't be sure if it'll work," Zheng Fa said cautiously. "All I can say is, it strengthens the spirit and nourishes the soul—gently. It's harmless, but also… not very effective."

This was one reason he chose the Nourishing Soul Charm—though not the most potent for healing the soul, it was the safest.

Although the Xuanwei Realm's understanding of the soul far surpassed the modern world, the two realms were still fundamentally different; Zheng Fa made the conservative choice.

Tang Lingwu slowly nodded. The unnatural smile vanished from her face, but her eyes brightened considerably.

"If you're unsure, we could test it first," Zheng Fa said.

"Test?" Bai Lao blinked. "On whom?"

Zheng Fa looked at him.

"No way!" Bai Lao waved his hands urgently. "My mind's perfectly fine! I've got no problems!"

"I'll do it," Tang Lingwu said firmly.

Zheng Fa's fingertip tapped lightly; the Nourishing Soul Charm in his dantian trembled.

A surge of Qi burst from his fingertip, forming a golden charm in midair that flew toward Tang Lingwu's forehead.

Tang Lingwu, visibly tense, instinctively closed her eyes; her lashes trembled as the charm sank into her forehead. Her body went limp, collapsing toward the floor—Zheng Fa rushed to catch her and laid her gently on the sofa.

"What happened?!"

Bai Lao was startled, thinking Tang Lingwu had truly been harmed.

But upon closer look, both relaxed.

The girl was sound asleep—even snoring slightly, her nose slightly congested.

Tang Lingwu slept for only a short while, waking up after fifteen minutes.

Her transformation was striking.

When she came to Bai Lao's house, Tang Lingwu had been pale with exhaustion, spiritless, dark circles under her eyes—clearly in poor condition.

Now she seemed like a different person—her complexion flushed, her gaze clear, her spirit vibrant.

Bai Lao leaned in, peering curiously at her, asking: "So much change? How does it feel?"

"Feel?" Tang Lingwu grinned.

Zheng Fa felt bubbles of happiness and foolishness rising from her.

He heard Tang Lingwu speak in a dreamy voice: "It feels like my mind is soaking in a hot spring, my soul basking in sunlight…"

"I want to try! I want to try!"

Listening, Bai Lao seemed genuinely tempted, shouting at Zheng Fa:

"Aren't you supposed to be sane?"

"... How many math majors aren't crazy?" Bai Lao replied firmly: "Let me try!"

"My mom doesn't believe it."

Putting down her phone, Tang Lingwu said to the two of them with a helpless shrug.

Zheng Fa wasn't surprised.

He was merely Tang Lingwu's classmate; it was normal for her mother not to believe him.

"I'll do it!"

Bai Lao reached out; Tang Lingwu, skeptical, placed the phone in his hand.

"Hello? Oh yeah, it's me."

Bai Lao greeted the other person with ease.

"Yes yes, I'm calling just to tell you about this kid."

"He really has this ability—he's amazing!"

"Don't you dare doubt it! I've tried it myself!" Bai Lao swore: "Oh right! I'm sick too! I've been taking medicine all along!"

The other side seemed to believe him, listening to Bai Lao's nonsense.

"Think about it—I took your money to tutor Xiao Tang, yet I didn't charge the kid a cent!"

"Exactly! That's why!"

"Can we do it today?"

Bai Lao looked at Zheng Fa; Zheng Fa shook his head slightly.

He had already tested on Tang Lingwu and Bai Lao twice today.

One more time, and the Spirit-Nourishing Rune in his dantian would vanish.

"Tomorrow! After school tomorrow, come to your place? Sure, sure!"

Putting down the phone, Bai Lao gave the two of them a triumphant look.

"... Teacher, how did you..."

Tang Lingwu looked at him with a hint of admiration.

"People with madness see madness in everyone," Bai Lao shook his head: "You really think I was joking about math majors going crazy?"

"I've seen too much—I have experience!"

Bai Lao's tone carried a heartbreaking depth of hardship.

The moment the dismissal bell rang the next day, Tang Lingwu sprinted to Zheng Fa's desk, staring at him intently, as if afraid he'd back out.

Zheng Fa sighed, unable to gather his papers and pen, and stood up to follow her.

"My mom sent a driver to pick us up—it's only twenty minutes from school to my house," Tang Lingwu said cheerfully: "I'll have my mom drop you back off."

The two walked out of the classroom side by side.

Wang Chen, sitting behind Zheng Fa, watched their retreating backs, turned slowly to his desk mate, and asked in a tone of uncertain disbelief, as if doubting his own ears: "Did you hear that?"

"I heard it."

His desk mate's expression also looked like he was questioning whether he was dreaming.

"Did Zheng Fa just go to Tang Lingwu's house?"

"Mm..."

"And Tang Lingwu's mom sent a car?"

"Mm..."

"Is this meeting the parents?"

"... I think so."

"I can't understand!" Wang Chen's voice turned bitter: "Why him?!"

His desk mate slowly nodded, pointing toward the door: "Look at Old Chen—he looks even more confused than you."

Wang Chen turned and saw Old Chen standing in the hallway, staring down below, smoking while frantically scratching his bald scalp.

His face wore the bewildered look of someone who'd seen an alien.

Zheng Fa did not go to Tang Lingwu's house alone.

As his recommender and guarantor, Bai Lao had already been waiting in the back seat of the car for them.

The driver of Tang Lingwu's family was dressed quite plainly—baggy shorts and a T-shirt, lacking the suit and polished shoes of the wealthy-family drivers seen in television dramas.

The driver did not speak throughout the journey, but Zheng Fa keenly sensed that while driving, the man kept glancing at him through the rearview mirror from time to time, obviously filled with curiosity about him.

A twenty-minute drive was not short in this prefecture-level city; Zheng Fa saw the sedan slowly enter a villa district.

This place was not extravagantly exaggerated like in TV programs, with no manors or large iron gates.

There were only three-story small villas spaced very far apart, and the buildings here did not look very new, having been around for about ten years.

Probably because it was built relatively early, this area was actually in the city center, occupying a prime location, with a not-too-high small hill behind it.