Chapter 175: Volcano

When it came time for the treatment, Tian Laoshi, though naturally cheerful, seemed to possess an innate boldness.

Her face could not help but show some tension.

Zheng Fa stood beside her; in his peripheral vision, the old white-haired man clenched his fists tightly.

"Tian Laoshi, don't be nervous," Zheng Fa comforted her. "I've tried it myself—using the Taiyi Talisman for treatment causes no pain."

Hearing Zheng Fa's words, the old white-haired man seemed to snap out of it; he unclenched his fists and gently held Tian Laoshi's arm, whispering to her.

"Don't be afraid."

Tian Laoshi nodded slightly, her face flushing with embarrassment, and whispered to Zheng Fa and the others: "I've made you both laugh."

Zheng Fa shook his head.

People are always like this: when truly desperate, they find a strange calm.

It is precisely when a glimmer of hope appears that the suffering becomes unbearable.

Zheng Fa extended his hand; within his Taiyi Dao Foundation, the Taiyi Talisman trembled lightly. Golden spiritual runes flowed from his fingertips, carrying the old white-haired man's hope and Teacher Tian's anxiety, transforming into a golden rain of spiritual energy that fell upon Teacher Tian.

The spiritual rain from the Taiyi Talisman had a calming merit; Tian Laoshi sank into deep sleep.

Before falling asleep, a trace of pain still lingered on her face.

After falling asleep, perhaps due to the nourishment of this dew.

A long-absent serenity gradually emerged on her face.

……

While Tian Laoshi received the Taiyi Talisman treatment, her mother, Wu Laolao, carried two plastic bags, walking home from the vegetable market.

Beside her was a neighbor auntie; they had met at the market and decided to walk home together.

On the way, they chatted and laughed, enjoying themselves.

As they talked, the neighbor auntie seemed to remember something, hesitating as if unsure whether to speak.

"What's wrong?" Wu Laolao asked with a smile.

"How's your… Tian Laoshi doing?"

Tian Laoshi's illness was no secret among neighbors; many had seen her return home in a wheelchair a few days ago.

Rumors had spread that her time had come.

"She's the same," Wu Laolao said calmly, as if discussing daily matters. "No cure works, so she refuses treatment."

"What are your plans… after?" The auntie's face inevitably showed sympathy.

Losing a child at this age stirred pity in anyone who saw it.

Yet Wu Laolao's face wore a smile, her tone light: "Plans? What plans?"

"I mean… you'll be alone after…" The auntie stammered, unsure how to phrase it.

"Oh, don't worry about me," Wu Laolao smiled brightly. "My daughter has already arranged everything."

"Two years ago, she got me into a nursing home—paid all the fees already. When I need care, I'll just go there," Wu Laolao said. "The nursing home has everything: young staff to look after me, people to keep me company, no cooking or laundry for me—my life there will be even more comfortable than now."

"The nursing home sounds good, but… I've heard elderly people without children get bullied there," the auntie remained uneasy. "Some people there play favorites."

"I've heard that too, but I'm not without support… You didn't know, did you? A few days ago, my daughter found me a son-in-law."

"What? That's wonderful news!" This was truly unusual: "But your daughter's health…"

"Who says otherwise? She was lucky—she met someone kind… he doesn't mind," Wu Laolao said. "My new son-in-law said he'll live in Jingcheng and will definitely visit me at the nursing home."

"That's real fortune!" The auntie slapped her thigh, her face showing envy. "I was worried about your future."

"Don't worry!" Wu Laolao's voice rang out, her smile bright and open. "I'm fine!"

"That's why I admire you most on this street—if I were you, I couldn't be this calm," the auntie said with respect. "You're truly no ordinary person!"

Wu Laolao waved her hand.

She said nothing, only smiled.

They parted at the street corner.

As she neared her own gate, her steps grew hesitant, yet her smile grew even brighter.

As if forced.

She pushed open the slightly ajar gate and called out loudly with a smile: "I got here just in time—the string beans at the market were cheap and fresh today!"

No one answered from the main house.

She glanced inside, her heart trembled, and dark thoughts arose; her legs felt weak. As she reached out to steady herself, she realized—the large stone table in the courtyard was gone.

Wu Laolao staggered slightly, but this jolt brought her back to herself.

She forgot about the stone table, dropped the plastic bags, and rushed into the house.

"Mom?"

At that moment, Tian Laoshi walked out.

Her face was flushed, her movements agile, her steps swift—as if she had never been ill.

Wu Laolao stared at her daughter, as if not recognizing her, or afraid to recognize her.

"Mom?"

"You…"

"Old Bai's method worked very well," Tian Laoshi whispered.

Wu Laolao looked at her daughter, healthy and whole before her, seemingly fully recovered.

The corners of her mouth, once lifted, slowly settled. The smile on her face faded, and a soft sob rose from her throat.

That soft sob swelled into a wailing cry.

This cry, as if piled in her heart for years, layer upon layer, had formed a volcano—appearing calm on the surface, yet violently surging within.

……

Wu Laolao, being elderly, was left exhausted after a bout of tearful weeping that felt like a release.

Others helped her into the room and let her rest for a while.

Except for Tian Laoshi, everyone quietly walked out of the room.

A few people spoke in the courtyard; after a long time, they saw Tian Laoshi emerge with red eyes.

Upon seeing Zheng Fa, Tian Laoshi's knees buckled, as if she were about to kneel before him.

"Ah!" Zheng Fa hurriedly supported her: "Tian Laoshi?"

"What's going on?"

"My mother… has been secretly hoarding sleeping pills."

"Hoarding?" Bai Lao gasped: "Where from?"

"Mine—I took them during my treatment when the pain kept me awake… the doctor prescribed them, and I didn't finish them."

"… "

Everyone fell silent.

For an elderly woman nearing ninety, such an act at least suggested some prior intention.

"I never would've guessed," Bai Lao sighed.

Zheng Fa thought back—he'd noticed nothing unusual about Wu Laolao during his previous visits to Tian Laoshi's home.

She even learned how to use her phone.

"Zheng Fa…" Tian Laoshi looked at him, again as if about to kneel, her words jumbled: "I don't know how to thank you enough, you just…"

Seeing Zheng Fa's awkward attempt to avoid her, Bai Lao steadied her and said: "How do you thank him? You'll have to serve him for the rest of your life!"

"Yes…" Tian Laoshi finally calmed herself, frowning: "Old Bai never explained clearly to me—you need me because you want to combine the spiritual energy environment to cultivate special plants?"

At this point, she grew much more composed.

"Yes," Zheng Fa said bluntly: "I'm unfamiliar with agriculture—this part, I must rely on you, Tian Laoshi."

"Don't talk about relying!" Tian Laoshi waved her hand: "But this won't work with just me."

"… "

Zheng Fa was cautious by nature, and besides, the atmosphere in the nursing home was still good.

Hiring people required careful consideration.

"I'm not asking for manpower—I'm talking about money!" Tian Laoshi read his expression: "Do you think agricultural research is just farming? Open two plots, set up a few greenhouses, and that's it?"

Zheng Fa and the others froze.

Subconsciously, they had indeed thought so.

"Wait a moment—I'll give you a simple list."

Tian Laoshi turned and walked into the room; after a while, she emerged holding a sheet of paper.

"Take a look."

Zheng Fa saw it covered in dense lists of equipment names.

Some were standard lab equipment: microscopes, centrifuges, balances, incubators, and so on.

Some others he roughly understood: DNA extraction equipment and PCR equipment.

Others—chromatographs, mass spectrometers—he couldn't comprehend at all.

Each device had a price listed, mostly between tens and hundreds of thousands of yuan.

"I never paid much attention to lab procurement prices, so these are just my estimates," Tian Laoshi said. "Modern agricultural research can't do without labs… these past few years, molecular markers, gene sequencing, and intelligent analysis systems have been added."

"So even without land or building renovations, setting up a relatively complete lab will cost several million to tens of millions."

Beside him, Bai Lao muttered: "… At least our math department saves money—ten thousand yuan's worth of scratch paper can last a whole college twenty years."

Zheng Fa understood Tian Laoshi's meaning—the times had changed!

Scientific research required funding.

This was only the initial investment.

"Little Zheng," Bai Lao sighed beside him: "No matter what woman she is—if she's a woman, her talent is money."

"Wait, no?" Bai Lao suddenly realized, glancing at Tang Lingwu: "There's another talent here that gives money away!"

Tang Lingwu's gaze flickered as she looked at the list, radiating condescending disdain; her expression said only one thing: Is this it?

…

Xuanwei Realm.

Master Pang suddenly summoned Zheng Fa and said: "A disciple at the marketplace reported that several demonic sect disciples were caught there—they claim to know where Zhang Shijie is."

"To the marketplace?"

Zheng Fa blinked—the Lei Chi marketplace, though chaotic, was dangerous for demonic sect disciples.

"They came to sell blood…" Master Pang's expression was complicated, tinged with disbelief: "They've done it several times; other cultivators noticed and wanted to see where they got the blood from."

"And then they got caught?"

"Yes—these guys bled themselves too dry, got weak, and were snatched up immediately."

Zheng Fa clenched his lips, unsure what to say—

This was probably what they called cutting out the middleman…

At that moment, Master Pang sighed: "What has this damned demonic sect reduced people to?"

?

Zheng Fa felt sorry for the demonic sect.