Chapter 142: Gone

Zheng Fa had never imagined that Zhao Jinglan would come to find him in the dead of night.

He was cultivating in his meditation chamber.

Suddenly, he heard a light knock on the door.

He originally thought it was the Seventh Young Master, but upon opening the door, he found Zhao Jinglan standing there; seeing that he seemed about to speak, she raised her index finger to her lips and made a hushing gesture.

Zheng Fa glanced at the guest room and realized she likely had matters she did not wish the Seventh Young Master to hear.

He gently opened the door, invited Zhao Jinglan inside, and only after tossing a Silence Talisman toward the entrance did he speak: "Senior Sister Zhao, do you need something from me?"

Zhao Jinglan also turned to look at the guest room where the Seventh Young Master resided; seeing no movement from that direction, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Yesterday, when Taiyang Commandery was mentioned, I saw the expression on your face; you probably know what happened in Taiyang Commandery?"

"I know; a Spirit Cave has emerged," Zheng Fa nodded.

Zhao Jinglan nodded lightly and said, "Then you also know what I went there to do?"

"... Snatch a spirit stone mine?"

There was hesitation in Zheng Fa's tone, as if he lacked confidence in his own answer.

Zhao Jinglan curled her lips: "Do I not care about my life?"

Zheng Fa nodded; even Zhang Shijie, a Jin Dan cultivator comparable to a Nascent Soul, was so cautious regarding spirit stone mines.

Zhao Jinglan was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Only a madman would harbor such fantasies.

"When a Spirit Cave emerges, it is not just spirit stone mines; there are also other spiritual materials." Seeing that he truly seemed unaware, she continued: "Those precious ones are naturally none of my concern, but for those of lesser value, I still have a slight chance."

"... You haven't told the Seventh Young Master this, have you, Senior Sister?"

With a single sentence, Zheng Fa rendered Zhao Jinglan silent.

Both of them knew the flaw in Zhao Jinglan's words—

Yes, those great figures were aiming for the high-value spiritual materials.

But as the saying goes, since they were already there.

Their storage bags were not so full that they could not hold more; why would they not take the low-value spiritual materials?

In his modern life, Zheng Fa had once read a short article about a billionaire who specifically bent down to pick up a dropped coin; regardless of whether it was true, did it not stand to reason that those great figures might also be frugal?

Moreover, spiritual plants were becoming increasingly scarce and held great potential for appreciation in value.

Who would ever complain about having too much of such things?

"Junior Brother, I am not as fortunate as you," Zhao Jinglan said after lowering her head for a long time: "Upon entering the sect, you immediately gained Zhang Shijie's favor and were accepted as a disciple by the Sect Master."

"It took me ten years after entering the sect to barely reach Foundation Establishment; I do not possess your talent for the Dao of Talismans, and my talent for alchemy, which the Qingmu Sect values most, is merely average."

"If I do not take risks, I may never advance beyond this point in my entire life."

Zheng Fa understood.

Compared to Han Qi, Zhao Jinglan was far more fortunate—although her Foundation Establishment was difficult, she had ultimately achieved it.

But her misfortune lay in the fact that, compared to Han Qi, she could see hope, yet this hope was so slim that sometimes it was better not to see it at all.

"If Jingfan were not promising, I would not take such risks..." Zhao Jinglan suddenly brought up the Seventh Young Master again: "But now that Jingfan has a Jin Dan master protecting him, it makes little difference whether his Foundation Establishment sister is there or not."

"If the Spirit Cave had not emerged, I would have left the sect to seek my own opportunities after Jingfan reached Foundation Establishment." Zhao Jinglan raised her eyes to look at Zheng Fa: "Zheng Shidi, for someone like me in this Xuanwei Realm, the only thing I have to gamble with is this life of mine."

Zheng Fa looked at Zhao Jinglan and found himself unable to speak for a moment.

"Then what brings you here, Senior Sister Zhao?"

"Jingfan and you share a profound friendship; I ask only one thing of you..."

"I will take care of..."

"If I truly die in Taiyang Commandery, restrain Jingfan; do not let him act impulsively... I fear there are few people in this world capable of stopping him." Zhao Jinglan made a request that Zheng Fa had not anticipated.

"..." Zheng Fa pressed his lips together and asked: "Is Taiyang Commandery that dangerous?"

"I do not know either; there are merely rumors that members of the Great Zizaimo Sect have appeared."

The Great Zizaimo Sect?

Zheng Fa slowly furrowed his brows.

Zhang Shijie had never mentioned this to him.

He now understood why even someone of Zhang Shijie's cultivation seemed to find it somewhat difficult—the Great Zizaimo Sect was the most ancient branch among the demonic sects.

Just how ancient were they?

According to legend, the group of ancient cultivators who once slaughtered all living beings under heaven were their predecessors.

In a certain sense, the people of the current Xuanwei Realm were likely all their descendants.

Of course, nowadays everyone looks down on each other.

The cultivators of the Xuanwei Realm felt that having such ancestors did not sound good.

The Great Zizaimo Sect felt that this group of weaklings was unworthy of being associated with them.

No wonder Zhang Shijie had appeared somewhat troubled.

"Then Senior Sister Zhao, you..." Zheng Fa still wished to persuade her further.

"Zheng Shidi, the opportunities presented by the emergence of a Spirit Cave are too great..."

Zhao Jinglan's eyes lit up, flames seemingly burning within her pupils.

Zheng Fa fell silent; only after leaving the Zhao residence did he truly understand this young lady of the Zhao family—after ten years of bitter endurance, she had become a typical cultivator of the Xuanwei Realm:

Pursuing opportunities regardless of personal safety.

Risking life and death to elevate their realm.

Every time they acquired resources, they were willing to expend even sweat and blood.

Seeing that Zheng Fa seemed to have understood.

Zhao Jinglan chuckled softly and repeated, "Zheng Shidi, not everyone is as fortunate as you."

For a moment, silence fell upon the room.

The door was knocked on softly again.

The Seventh Young Master pushed the door open furtively, calling out softly, "Zheng Fa? Zheng Fa?"

"I don't know what's wrong with my sister today; she keeps telling me to rest early."

"I still have so many things to tell you; it wasn't convenient before because my sister was here!"

He stuck his head into the quiet chamber and saw Zheng Fa and his own sister looking at him.

"... Sister?" The Seventh Young Master's gaze instantly grew complex: "Do you also have secrets to whisper to Zheng Fa behind my back?"

After seeing off the Seventh Young Master and his sister.

Zheng Fa sat back down in the quiet chamber.

The flame on the candlestick flickered, casting shifting light and shadow on his face, making his furrowed brows appear even deeper.

He actually wasn't that worried about Zhao Jinglan seeking him out.

Although he disliked taking risks, everyone has their own aspirations; this was Zhao Jinglan's own choice—the most he could do was, if something truly went wrong, soothe him or even use his influence to protect the Seventh Young Master.

What troubled him was Zhang Shijie.

The name of the Great Zizaimo Demon Sect was not among the Five Great Sects of the Xuanwei Realm.

Or rather, the Demon Gates had been stripped of their rankings—after the Xuanwei Realm had enjoyed peace for so many years, the living environment for the Demon Gates had become somewhat harsh.

But this did not mean the Great Zizaimo Demon Sect was not strong.

On the contrary, having endured in silence for so many years, their emergence this time signified that the tranquility of the Xuanwei Realm would be disrupted.

Previously, Senior Sister Yuan had told him that if Zhang Shijie encountered a Nascent Soul while traveling, she had means to preserve her life.

Senior Sister Yuan had appeared very reassured at the time.

Because now, there was an unspoken understanding among the various Immortal Sects; Nascent Souls basically did not participate in conflicts.

But this understanding had always been unwritten.

And besides—what understanding do the Demon Gates have with you?

The situation Zhang Shijie would face upon going to Taiyang Commandery might be far more dangerous than Zheng Fa had previously imagined.

Even without mentioning Zhang Shijie's care for him.

Just speaking of Zhang Shijie herself, her significance to the Jiushan Sect was extraordinary.

Zheng Fa saw it very clearly: setting aside Zhang Shijie, setting aside the Jiushan Sect.

He was currently only at the Qi Condensation stage.

He was probably not even as good as Zhao Jinglan.

Moreover, if he wanted to leverage his modern advantages, he must have his own power base.

The transformation from research results to practical application could not be separated from the Jiushan Sect.

His fate was bound together with the Jiushan Sect and Zhang Shijie.

Yet Zhang Shijie told him nothing—she probably looked at him just as Zhao Jinglan looked at the Seventh Young Master.

The only thing he could truly do to help Zhang Shijie now was perfect the "Foundation Establishment Method of the Talisman Dao."

He took out a Yang Yuan Dan and swallowed it.

This was the sixth Yang Yuanfu he had condensed; there was actually nothing much to choose from—

What he needed to condense now was his first Yang-type Spirit Talisman; in terms of the Five Elements, it was the Earth Element.

In the "Lingshan Art" modified by the Sect Master, he had combined his own Talisman Array methods with the "Lingshan Art" created by the Jiushan Ancestor.

That is to say, to cast the "Lingshan Art," one needed a type of Spirit Talisman—the Spirit-Initiating Talisman.

The effect of this Spirit Talisman was not great—it could apply a bit of spiritual power to plants, trees, mountains, and stones that had no spiritual energy.

Generally, cultivators in the Xuanwei Realm used this thing as a marker, such as leaving a secret signal or directions for fellow travelers.

The Sect Master, however, used this thing to form arrays, perfecting the "Lingshan Art."

The Spirit-Initiating Talisman quickly fell into his dantian; in Zheng Fa's divine sense, on the lotus flower that had previously been merely a shadow, the Yang Yuanfu of the Spirit-Initiating Talisman gradually appeared.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, took out the jade slip given by Senior Uncle Pang, and began to record carefully.

In the modern era, at Bai Lao Tou's house.

Tang Lingwu held the posture of the Pine and Crane Stance; Zheng Fa placed his hand on her spine and slowly input spiritual energy into Tang Lingwu's body.

These past days, Zheng Fa had been helping Tang Lingwu and Bai Lao Tou practice the Spirit Crane Body.

Probably because she was young, Tang Lingwu's speed was much faster than Bai Lao Tou's.

With one hand resting on Tang Lingwu's back, Zheng Fa was still thinking about Zhang Shijie.

Of course, he expected to further analyze the Talisman Diagrams to give Zhang Shijie the greatest help.

But he had little confidence in this matter—thinking this way, worry appeared on his face.

Bai Lao Tou, standing nearby, watched the two of them.

Tang Lingwu was immersed in visualization.

It was Zheng Fa, however, whose mind was elsewhere, his brows furrowed in worry.

"Zheng Fa? What are you thinking about?"

"I am thinking that our research progress on the Talisman Diagrams is still too slow."

Zheng Fa sighed and said.

"Slow?" Bai Lao Tou was stunned and spoke: "I haven't seen you rush before?"

Zheng Fa shook his head; of course he knew this matter could not be rushed, but in the current situation, he found it difficult to adjust his mindset.

Seeing Bai Lao look at him in confusion.

Zheng Fa sighed and said, "I want to help someone."

"Help someone?" Bai Lao pressed, "Someone very important?"

"Very important to me."

"... Male or female?" Bai Lao stroked his chin and suddenly asked again.

"... Female."

Zheng Fa looked at the old man in confusion; what did that have to do with male or female?

Bai Lao pouted, looking at Tang Lingwu, who was still pretending to cultivate diligently; could her ears be any more perked up?

Suddenly, Tang Lingwu's two shoulder blades surged; beneath her jeans, her plump legs kicked off the ground, and she leaped straight up toward the ceiling of Bai Lao's building.

Zheng Fa was quick-eyed and fast-handed, catching Tang Lingwu's ankle—otherwise, this girl would have had to test the quality of this old residential building with her head.

"Is this... jealousy taking flight?"

Bai Lao stared blankly at Tang Lingwu, who had opened her eyes in bewilderment, and murmured.