Chapter 49: Interpretation

Zheng family.

Since there was no study room, Zheng Fa simply set up a small dining table and wrote outdoors.

His younger sister, Zheng Shan, ran around the courtyard wearing clothes newly made by their mother.

She dared not disturb her brother, so she merely ran circles around the yard, tugged at the green grass in the corner, or picked up a stone and scratched patterns on the ground, her small head occasionally glancing toward Zheng Fa.

Until Zheng Fa looked up.

“Brother! You’re done?” Zheng Shan dashed over, tugging at Zheng Fa’s sleeve and tiptoeing to peek at the table.

Inside the house, Zheng Mu, still busy at the loom, spoke: “Shan’er, don’t interrupt your brother’s reading.”

Zheng Shan pouted but obediently released Zheng Fa’s sleeve.

“Mother, it’s fine—I wrote this for my little sister.” Zheng Fa pinched her cheek and smiled.

“For me? Can I read now?”

Zheng Shan’s eyes lit up; she climbed onto Zheng Fa’s knees and peered at the table, where two books still damp with ink lay side by side.

The top book bore a few characters on its cover.

“Xiao…”

“Elementary Mathematics, Volume One,” Zheng Fa taught her to read.

Since moving into the Zhao household, he had wanted to teach his sister to read, but it was not easy.

Their household now relied entirely on Zheng Fa’s monthly stipend; though food and clothing were sufficient, they had no savings after arriving so recently.

Zheng Mu had hoped to find work at a tailor’s shop, but when several shops inquired about her background and learned she came from a farming family, they dismissed her as lacking skill.

Thus, they could not yet afford Zheng Shan’s tuition.

Money was manageable; the real concern was safety: Zheng Shan would have to travel outside the compound to attend school, and only Zheng Mu could escort her—a prospect that made Zheng Fa uneasy.

These past days, with no books to read and Zheng Mu forbidding her from wandering around the Zhao compound for fear of offending nobles, she had been confined to playing alone in the small courtyard.

“So, you’ve been bored lately?” Zheng Fa saw her excitement and knew how stifling it must be for such an energetic girl to be trapped in a tiny courtyard.

“I’ve got things to do!” Zheng Shan shook her head. “In the morning I help Mother cook, then wait for Brother to eat lunch. Then I help Mother cook again, then wait for Brother to eat dinner.”

Zheng Fa patted her head. “So you want to study?”

“Study!” She nodded vigorously. “Mother says you studied, became a book attendant, and bought me tasty treats and new clothes. I want to study too!”

“What’s the point of studying?” Zheng Fa asked.

“Mother still doesn’t have new clothes!”

Zheng Fa smiled, pulled her into his arms, and pointed to the book titled *Elementary Mathematics, Volume One*: “From now on, I’ll teach you this every evening. Study hard.”

“Yes! I’ll study hard!”

The innocent, ignorant girl made what might have been the heaviest vow of her brief life.

Watching Zheng Shan joyfully flip through the unreadable new book, Zheng Fa picked up the other book and walked toward the study.

He had long considered teaching his sister mathematics—even without involving immortal sect knowledge, math was useful in daily life in the Xuanwei realm—but his cautious nature made him hesitate, fearing it unsafe in the village.

Only today, after mastering the *Spirit Crane Body*, and feeling he had gained sufficient self-defense, did he dare introduce it to her.

The other book was prepared for the Seventh Young Master—*Junior Mathematics, Volume One*.

It came to him from the “borrowed brain” plan and the old man’s words.

The old man was only one person, with limited time; faced with endless talisman diagrams, he was inevitably overwhelmed, and he was indeed busy, often taking breaks or quitting outright—truthfully, Zheng Fa did not fully trust him.

He needed to stockpile new brains; Tang Lingwumin had great potential.

He was not yet ready to spread knowledge like *Topology*, which might involve immortal sect secrets.

But *Junior Mathematics* was safe; for him, this book’s greatest use was to screen for promising minds.

The first candidate: the Seventh Young Master.

…

In the study, the Seventh Young Master stood before Zheng Fa’s desk, gently flipping through a stack of papers covered in talisman diagrams, his lips tightly pressed.

“Young Master?” Gao Yuan, who felt their bond had grown closer, noticed his gloomy expression and asked in surprise: “What’s wrong?”

“How long has Zheng Fa been here?”

The Seventh Young Master silently set down the diagram and suddenly asked.

“Less than two months?”

“He began studying *Complete Talisman Compendium*—less than half a month ago…”

As he spoke, the bitterness on his face deepened.

“Young Master?”

“In just half a month, he’s deciphered more primordial talismans than I have in three years…” He turned, pulled a volume titled *Supplement to the Complete Talisman Compendium: Basic Primordial Talismans* from the shelf, opened it, and compared each diagram with Zheng Fa’s notes, then slumped in defeat: “All correct.”

He turned to Gao Yuan, eyes hollow: “How can the gap between people be so vast?”

Gao Yuan felt like crying: “Young Master, I’ve lived this already… I’ve asked myself this question a hundred times.”

“I feel now we’re kindred spirits!” The Seventh Young Master slung an arm around Gao Yuan’s shoulders. “Of all the book attendants, you’re the only one who truly understands me!”

Zheng Fa stepped in and immediately sensed the atmosphere between the Seventh Young Master and Gao Yuan had grown unusually harmonious—he felt like an outsider.

“Zheng Fa, what’s that you’re holding?”

“Oh, I have a book I thought might help with talisman arts—the Elder Miss is returning soon, right?” Zheng Fa handed over *Junior Mathematics, Volume One*. “Though its effects aren’t obvious yet, better to learn early.”

The Seventh Young Master froze, as if remembering something: “Is this… from the person behind you?”

“Behind?” Zheng Fa blinked, guessing what the Seventh Young Master implied, and replied vaguely: “You could say that.”

Behind me is a whole world—I wonder which one you mean.

“You gained your current talisman talent after studying this book?” The Seventh Young Master glanced at Zheng Fa’s primordial talisman diagrams, excited.

“You could say that—it’s just the basics,” Zheng Fa considered, and decided the answer was acceptable.

“Among all my book attendants, Zheng Fa, you’re the best!”

Behind him, Gao Yuan stared at his newly acquired kindred spirit, mouth opening as if to curse—but found nothing to say.

The Seventh Young Master took the book, his hands trembling slightly; he softly read the title on the cover: “*Junior Mathematics, Volume One*—this name alone screams divine immortal art!”

“…Can you interpret it?”

Zheng Fa was curious—how had he deduced that?

“‘Junior’ likely refers to the primordial moment, before heaven and earth were born—this method points directly to antiquity! ‘Mathematics’ implies the Middle Way—this is orthodox immortal doctrine, perhaps embodying the principle of balance.” He frowned. “But what does ‘mathematics’ mean? Could it relate to the Book of Changes? Was the author perhaps a Confucian sage?”

He added apologetically: “My knowledge is shallow—I cannot fully comprehend it. I must meditate further.”

“You understand it well—deeply,” Zheng Fa praised. “I think you grasp it better than the author did.”

Holding the book, the Seventh Young Master fell silent: “Actually, my sister’s return is to prepare me for the Immortal Talent Assembly.”

“Immortal Talent Assembly?” Zheng Fa looked at him in confusion—why hadn’t he mentioned this earlier?

“… ” The Seventh Young Master avoided Zheng Fa’s gaze, his face flushed with shame.

…Got it. Another sneaky bastard trying to work in secret.