Chapter 134: The Pursed Lips

Because Ye Auntie was present, the old white man didn't elaborate on the person who was dying soon.

Although Ye Auntie and Zheng Fa were already in a cooperative relationship.

But all three still consciously held back from her—any matters related to cultivation, they avoided mentioning when Ye Auntie was around.

Even Tang Lingwumin did the same.

As the car drove through the night, Ye Auntie's expression gradually grew weary, her facial muscles stiffening slightly.

Zheng Fa knew this was because exhaustion had caused her condition to relapse slightly.

Tang Lingwumin's expression was also tense.

"Shall I give you a massage?"

Zheng Fa asked softly.

Ye Auntie's eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly.

Tang Lingwumin glanced at the driver ahead, stood up, and leaned over to observe her mother.

To outsiders, she seemed to be checking Ye Auntie's condition, but in truth, she was blocking the driver's view from the front.

Zheng Fa extended his hand and gently rubbed Ye Auntie's neck and shoulders twice; the Yangshen Talisman shot from his fingertips into the back of her skull.

By the time Tang Lingwumin sat back down, the driver in the rearview mirror could only see Ye Auntie fast asleep.

And beside her, the old white man stared hopefully at Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa ignored the old man's longing gaze.

It wasn't that Zheng Fa was stingy—each Yuan Talisman in the modern world could only be used three times; overuse would cause the Yuan Talisman Foundation within his body to collapse.

By the time they reached the first suitable mountain range, it was already one in the morning.

Climbing in the dark was not advisable.

The four of them simply found a hotel at the foot of the mountain to stay the night.

At dawn the next day, the four rose and set off up the mountain under the driver's guidance.

Only then did Zheng Fa learn that the driver from last night was part of the survey team, specially hired by Ye Auntie.

It was late spring, and the mountain scenery was perfect.

As they walked the mountain path, the breeze brushing their faces dispelled much of the fatigue from the overnight journey.

Along the path, they occasionally encountered hikers dressed in outdoor sportswear.

The driver, leading the way, explained: "This mountain has some reputation in Jingcheng; it's easy to drive here, and many outdoor enthusiasts like to come—perfect for building a nursing home."

It was clear he preferred building the nursing home on this mountain.

When they reached the high point of the summit, Zheng Fa's eyes shimmered with faint silver light as he gazed down at the valley below.

After a moment, Zheng Fa nodded, but only said: "Let's go see another mountain."

The other mountain had far less developed transportation; they drove from the expressway onto provincial roads, then through a stretch of rural roads before arriving.

"This place isn't worth much…" the driver's tone was dismissive: "This mountain belongs to the village collective—it's remote… probably few people would want to come here for nursing."

Zheng Fa's expression grew thoughtful.

When they returned to the hotel.

Old Chen and the others were probably still touring Beijing University with their classmates.

No one was in Zheng Fa's room.

The four sat inside.

Tang Lingwumin and the other two fixed their gazes on Zheng Fa, waiting to hear his thoughts.

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

The Spirit Vein Treatise lists about ten types of spirit veins; these two mountain ranges each match two of them perfectly. From the perspective of cultivating the Spirit Mountain Method, the difference between them is negligible.

He turned to Ye Auntie: "Auntie, what's your opinion?"

Ye Auntie thought for a moment before speaking: "The cost difference isn't significant—the first location's approval process will be more troublesome, but the second location's transportation costs will be higher."

"Which one to choose depends on how you plan your future."

Zheng Fa nodded slightly, watching Ye Auntie, urging her to continue.

"The first location is near a scenic area, with some villa districts nearby," Ye Auntie paused, then said: "If you want to befriend powerful figures or become someone's honored guest, the first is better."

"The second is quieter."

"Choose whichever aligns with what you want to do."

Zheng Fa fell silent. He knew this was Ye Auntie testing him.

Seeing Zheng Fa's silence, Ye Auntie seemed to understand he needed time to decide.

She walked toward the door, turned back, and nodded to Tang Lingwumin, signaling her daughter to follow.

But Tang Lingwumin's gaze remained fixed on Zheng Fa's face, completely unaware of her mother's gesture.

Watching her daughter's unwavering stare, Ye Auntie sighed helplessly and quietly closed the door behind them.

"What do you two think?"

Zheng Fa asked Tang Lingwumin and the other two.

The old white man clicked his tongue and spoke: "Choose the first! The Divine Doctor descends the mountain, his medical skills shock every major family in Jingcheng! He turns the world upside down!"

"… "

How had this old man's reading taste gotten so low?

Tang Lingwumin beside him rolled her eyes, seemingly disapproving, but meeting Zheng Fa's gaze, she shook her head: "I'll follow your lead."

Zheng Fa shook his head.

He looked out the window and suddenly said:

"Ye Auntie's words gave me some insight. Since we're building a nursing home, I think we need to state some principles—what do you think?"

The old white man and Tang Lingwumin exchanged glances and listened quietly.

"First, no trickery or mysticism. Although cultivation is hard to explain, if someone comes asking for treatment, we treat them—just maintain a facade. Otherwise, we act like an ordinary convalescent home."

Hearing this, the old white man and Tang Lingwumin realized Zheng Fa had already made his choice.

"Second, no pursuit of secular power. We don't fear it, but we don't flatter it either."

"Third, I want the nursing home to be a relatively pure research institution—treating people, developing agriculture—all for the sake of sustaining operations and research."

Zheng Fa's voice was soft, but grew firmer with each word.

To him, modern fame and fortune were nearly useless—he could not bring modern material goods to the Xuanwei Realm.

At least, they were useless for cultivation.

What was useful were the talents and knowledge modern science could provide.

He had already, through cultivation, accessed wealth far beyond what he once imagined, and more might come.

But he had always known exactly what he wanted.

After speaking, he looked at the old white man and Tang Lingwumin.

These three points were, on one hand, Zheng Fa's own beliefs.

On the other, they were demands upon the two—especially the ever-imaginative old white man.

The old white man's face showed no disappointment; instead, he looked relieved, muttering: "I was wondering—those sidekicks and lickspittles in those books, their brains must be full of holes… I could never play that role!"

"… "

You've already picked your role?

Tang Lingwumin beside him…

Hmm, this girl now seems to agree with whatever Zheng Fa says.

…

Xuanwei Realm.

It was another day of "Saving Xiao Xiu Pang Qian" being screened.

Zheng Fa, Zhang Shijie, and Yuan Shijie stood in the market manager's building, watching the reception ship slowly descend onto the dock.

Before the ship had even stabilized, a crowd surged out and rushed toward the theater.

Zheng Fa saw Han Qi and the other two disembark; they seemed to have something urgent and headed straight for the building.

"Brother Zheng…" Han Qi's first words upon seeing Zheng Fa left him stunned.

"Not enough?"

"Yes," Han Qi's eyes sparkled with excitement: "After the last screening of 'Saving Xiao Xiu Pang Qian,' some outside cultivators watched it… when they returned to their sects, this time, far too many came to our Jiushan Sect!"

Zheng Fa looked toward the throng rushing toward the theater.

The word-of-mouth for "Saving Xiao Xiu Pang Qian" was finally spreading.

The Xuanwei Realm had no advertising channels, but the outside cultivators who had watched the play became its organic promoters.

Although the number of outside cultivators who watched last time was small, they came from diverse sects and markets; now, their whispers had spread—ten became a hundred, a hundred became a thousand.

"We originally planned to visit three sects and two markets, but after visiting just one sect, this ship is nearly full…" Han Qi said helplessly: "Even on the way to other places, people are willing to pay to board."

"… "

The Jiushan Sect's reception ships had limited capacity—barely enough for three hundred cultivators.

Before "Saving Xiao Xiu Pang Qian," each ship usually brought only about a hundred cultivators.

Sometimes they didn't even fill half.

This time, it was wildly popular.

"Brother Zheng, look… should we send more reception ships?" Han Qi suggested.

Zheng Fa glanced at Zhang Shijie beside him, then said to Han Qi: "We'll discuss this. You've traveled far—rest first."

Hearing him say this, Han Qi bowed to the three of them and stepped out of the small building.

Zhang Shijie said nothing, only leaning against the window.

The cultivators who had disembarked from the ferry, after buying tickets at the theater, were likely idle and wandered the marketplace to pass the time.

It was still the same saying—once you've come, you might as well stay.

Moreover, the cultivators willing to spend money to watch "Saving Xiao Xiu Pang Qian" were more willing to spend than the previous outsiders—

After all, those earlier cultivators had come only for the cheap spirit talismans of Jiushan Sect and the free ferry.

But this group were cultivators who willingly paid relatively high prices to watch a play.

Though they arrived on the same boat, their differing spending habits brought vastly different revenues to Jiushan Sect's marketplace.

Watching the bustling marketplace below, Zhang Shijie gave Zheng Fa a slight nod: "Zheng Shidi, you've done well with the play…"

"Sister, our Jiushan Sect will become much richer from now on."

Zheng Fa suddenly said.

"Hmm?"

"In the future, when you want to research anything, you won't need to use the sect's resources."

These words left Zhang Shijie silent for a long while.

Zheng Fa continued: "Jiushan Sect lacks resources—we can just earn resources from outside. That way, Pang Shushu won't mind."

"... heng Shidi, I suddenly remember I have some matters to attend to."

After another long silence, Zhang Shijie spoke to Zheng Fa, her expression seemingly unchanged.

"I bid you farewell, Sister."

Zhang Shijie and Yuan Shijie landed in their backyard, where Zhang Shijie seemed to fall into a daze, staring silently at the waterfall cascading down the mountain.

"Sister, if you want to laugh, just laugh," Yuan Shijie sighed, looking at Zhang Shijie. "Your lips are already curled up like that."