Chapter 175: Volcano

When it came time for 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, and in his peripheral vision, the old white-haired man tightly clenched his fists.

"Tian Laoshi, don't be nervous," Zheng Fa reassured 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'm sorry to be such a spectacle."

Zheng Fa shook his head.

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

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

Zheng Fa extended his hand; within his Primordial Talisman Foundation, the Taiyi Talisman trembled slightly. Golden spiritual runes flowed from his fingertips, carrying the old man's hope and Tian Laoshi's anxiety, transforming into a golden rain of spiritual energy that fell upon Tian Laoshi's body.

The Taiyi Talisman's spiritual rain had a calming effect; Tian Laoshi sank into deep sleep.

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

After she slept, 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.

Along 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 daughter… Tian Laoshi doing?"

Tian Laoshi's illness wasn't a secret among neighbors; many had seen her return home in a wheelchair a few days ago.

Rumors had spread that her time was up.

"Same as always," Wu Laolao said calmly, as if discussing daily chores. "Can't be cured, and she doesn't want treatment anymore."

The auntie's face inevitably showed sympathy.

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

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

"I mean… after you're alone…" the auntie stammered, unsure how to phrase it.

"Oh, don't worry about me," Wu Laolao beamed. "My daughter's 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—it's even more comfortable than now."

"Nursing homes are good, but… I've heard elderly people without children get bullied there," the auntie remained uneasy. "Some folks there play favorites."

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

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

"Isn't it just luck? She got lucky—met someone kind who doesn't mind," Wu Laolao said. "My new son-in-law said he'll live in Beijing and will definitely visit me at the nursing home."

"What luck!" 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. "I'm fine!"

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

Wu Laolao waved her hand.

She said nothing, only smiled.

They parted at the street corner.

The closer she got to her own gate, the more hesitant her steps became—yet her smile grew even brighter.

As if forced.

She pushed open the slightly ajar gate and called out loudly with a smile: "I finally made it! The string beans at the market today were cheap and fresh!"

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 big stone table in the courtyard was gone.

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

She ignored the table's disappearance, 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 well," Tian Laoshi explained softly.

Wu Laolao looked at her daughter, healthy and standing before her, truly recovered.

The upward curve of her lips slowly flattened; her smile faded, and a soft sob rose from her throat.

That soft sob swelled into a full-blown wail.

This cry seemed to have been piled inside her for years, layer upon layer, forming a volcano that appeared calm but surged violently.

…

Wu Laolao, being elderly, was utterly exhausted after her nearly cathartic weeping.

Others helped her into the room to rest.

Except for Tian Laoshi, everyone quietly left the room.

A few stood outside in the courtyard, talking for a long while, until they finally saw Tian Laoshi emerge, eyes red.

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

"Hey!" Zheng Fa hurried to support her. "Tian Laoshi?"

"What's going on?"

"My mom… secretly stockpiled sleeping pills."

"Stockpiled?" The old white-haired man was startled. "Where from?"

"Mine—I took them when I couldn't sleep from the pain during treatment… the doctor prescribed them, but I didn't finish them."

"…."

Everyone fell silent.

For an almost-ninety-year-old woman, such an act at least implied some long-held thoughts.

"Never would've guessed," the old white-haired man sighed.

Zheng Fa thought back—he had never noticed anything unusual when visiting Tian Laoshi's home before.

She even learned 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, the old white-haired man steadied her and said: "How to thank him? You'll have to work for him from now on!"

"Right…" Tian Laoshi calmed herself, frowning. "Old Bai didn't explain clearly—you need me because you want to cultivate special plants using the spiritual energy environment?"

At this point, she grew much calmer.

"Yes," Zheng Fa said plainly. "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 the nursing home's atmosphere was still good.

Recruiting required careful consideration.

"I don't need manpower—I mean money!" Tian Laoshi read his expression. "Do you think agricultural research is just farming? Open two plots, build a few greenhouses?"

Zheng Fa and the others froze.

Subconsciously, they had thought exactly that.

"Wait—I'll give you a simple list."

Tian Laoshi turned and entered the room, returning a while later with a sheet of paper.

"Take a look."

Zheng Fa saw it covered in dense equipment names.

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

Some he could roughly understand: DNA extraction devices and PCR machines.

Others—chromatographs, mass spectrometers—he didn't recognize at all.

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

"I didn't pay much attention to lab procurement prices before—I just wrote 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 become essential."

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

The old white-haired man muttered: "…Still, our math department saves money—ten thousand yuan worth of scratch paper lasts a whole college twenty years."

Zheng Fa understood Tian Laoshi's point—the times have changed!

Scientific research requires spending money.

This is still just the initial investment.

"Little Zheng, now you understand, don't you…" Old Bai sighed beside him. "No matter what woman she is—if she's a woman—her talent is just money spent."

"Ah, wait—that's not right?" Old Bai suddenly realized, turning to Tang Lingwumin beside him. "There's someone here whose talent is giving money away!"

Tang Lingwumin's eyes gleamed as she looked at the list, radiating condescending disdain; her expression said only two words: Is that all?

…

Xuanwei Realm.

Master Pang suddenly summoned Zheng Fa and said, "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 in surprise. Though the Lei Chi marketplace was a den of all kinds, it was still dangerous for demonic sect disciples.

"They came to sell blood…" Master Pang's expression was equally complicated, tinged with disbelief. "They've done it several times already—other cultivators have been watching them, trying to figure out where they get their blood from."

"... nd then they got caught?"

"Yes. These guys drained too much blood—they were weak as hell, and got snatched up right away."

Zheng Fa pressed his lips together, unsure what to say—

This must be what they call cutting out the middleman…

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

?

Zheng Fa even felt sorry for the demonic sect.