[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world":3,"chapter-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-22":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Cultivation: I Studied Abroad in the Modern World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2263748,4418,"Chapter 22","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-22",22,"\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin savored the last sip of her milk tea, stared at the empty cup, stuffed it into her backpack, then led Zheng Fa upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I drank your milk tea—this matter’s on me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nearly patted her own bulging chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fourth floor, she stopped and pointed to a security door: “My teacher lives here. Wait outside while I go in and tell him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knocked. The door opened. Tang Lingwumin gave Zheng Fa a “wait here” look, slipped through the gap, and left the door half-closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa waited behind the door; muffled voices drifted from inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“White Teacher, can I ask you a favor?” Tang Lingwumin’s voice was crystal clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa smirked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That voice was way too sweet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ahead and say it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An old man’s voice replied, wary and sharp—Zheng Fa felt an odd sense of familiarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve brought you another student!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you dating someone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man’s voice shot up instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dating? I mean, one of my classmates has a question for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A studious student? Male or female?” The old man clearly didn’t believe her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Male… but we’re definitely not dating!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear Tang Lingwumin was going all out for a milk tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft. I know exactly what these young kids are thinking. Most young men aren’t studious—they’re lecherous! I won’t agree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man clearly saw Tang Lingwumin as a junior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He harbored suspicion toward every male near her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“White Teacher, aren’t you a university professor? You’re supposed to answer questions and teach without discrimination!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man snapped: “I’m retired! Do you understand retired? I taught students before retirement—do you think I’ll keep teaching after? Am I just wasting my retirement?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This old man clearly resented his job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short—he was lazy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But teaching one student is teaching, and teaching another won’t hurt!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin was truly pushing hard. Even from outside, Zheng Fa felt his skin crawl from her voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hard to imagine such a tone coming from her slightly cold-faced expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re different—you’ve got too much from your mom… no, I mean you have real talent in math! You’re smart!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then if you never even meet him, how do you know he doesn’t have talent too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Math talent? You just look at someone and you know right away if they don’t have it. It’s usually accurate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...So this really can’t be done?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Absolutely not!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin trudged out of the room, her face tinged with apology.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry—he doesn’t want to meet you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine. You’ve tried your best.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From outside, Zheng Fa could picture how Tang Lingwumin had pleaded and flattered the old man—her voice alone betrayed her effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, that milk tea was meant as thanks for her bringing him here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d also realized now: her family had spent a fortune to get her this teacher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty-eight yuan times a hundred still wouldn’t cover it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t think he could demand a teacher just for a milk tea—he wasn’t that greedy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if…” Tang Lingwumin glanced at her backpack, where the empty cup still sat, hesitating: “I buy you another milk tea?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need. If you really feel bad, just ask me questions later. Can’t ask the teacher? Asking a student’s close enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—I will. I’ll definitely teach you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Teach you? A milk tea bought you? He just wants an excuse to talk to you more!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An old man’s voice came from behind her, exasperated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa watched as a white curly head poked out from the door crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recognized the familiar old face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa suddenly understood—no wonder it sounded familiar!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the room, the three sat on the living room sofa; the atmosphere grew awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa and the white-haired old man—the same one from the park—both struggled to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin looked confused, glancing between them, as if unsure how they’d all ended up inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um… Young Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just call me Xiao Zheng or Student Zheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing “Young Master,” especially in front of Tang Lingwumin, made Zheng Fa feel intensely embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright then, Student Zheng. Don’t call me ‘you’ with all those honorifics. Call me Old Bai or White Teacher.” The old man pressed: “The person she mentioned—was it you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I came across a few diagrams and wanted to show them to you, White Teacher.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No rush, no rush. You want to take remedial lessons with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t dare hope to be your student—even just asking two questions would be enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa said this apologetically, recalling the old man’s firm refusal earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No! I just thought about it—I’ve been a teacher my whole life. Now I’m retired, but my urge to teach won’t stop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin’s face was full of question marks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t you just say the opposite?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa was stunned, staring at the old man’s earnest face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… what do you mean, White Teacher?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean—I’m a math guy. I only want to teach students with real talent. Young Master—no, Student Zheng—don’t your sects also seek out the most gifted to pass on secret techniques?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at me…” White Teacher gestured to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can tell at a glance—White Teacher, your bone structure is extraordinary!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa suddenly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And I can see—you’re quite sharp in math too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin watched, utterly baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two men seemed to have just completed a shady deal right in front of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As White Teacher studied the diagrams Zheng Fa handed him, his brow furrowed, his expression turning serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, he looked like a real university professor—no longer the joker from before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He traced his finger across the diagrams, then looked up at Zheng Fa:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can't make sense of anything.\" White Teacher set the papers down. \"Why don't you ask a fortune-teller? Let them figure out what these are by calculating with their fingers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if you’re asking whether these patterns have any mathematical regularity—there is something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please explain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This one, this one, and this one.” White Teacher pointed to three diagrams, uncertainly: “From the perspective of mathematical topology, they’re actually the same pattern.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa stared at the three diagrams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Left, right—he couldn’t see any similarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Topo… what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a basic, simple topology concept called homeomorphism…” White Teacher launched into his specialty, animated and eloquent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long explanation, he paused and asked Zheng Fa: “Understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa felt a tiny knowledge gnome had just tried to chisel open his skull—but somehow, his head had inexplicably developed iron skull skill.\u003C\u002Fp>",1088,"2026-06-19T19:16:02.864Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","89154ddf0c732a5c55bd5c4e00f7182d7a3d47ff65700fcfd2fcb0584b5a6e16","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-23","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-21",487,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cover.jpg"]