Chapter 54: Transmission

“Aren’t you taking a nap today?”

After lunch, Zheng Fa asked Wang Chen in surprise as he watched him diligently studying a book.

Wang Chen had a habit of napping at noon; according to him, if he didn’t sleep at midday, his whole day would collapse.

“Didn’t you see Old Chen’s face? If I do badly on this exam, he’ll eat me alive!”

It’s no wonder Wang Chen was so nervous—this monthly exam wasn’t ordinary; it was a joint exam between Qingshui Middle School and several nearby city and county schools.

For Qingshui Middle School teachers, acing the Gaokao might bring a month of bonus pay, but the joy of mocking rival schools after a strong joint exam performance could last at least half a year.

Conversely, failing and being mocked would be equally miserable for half a year.

Their intense focus on this joint exam reached Wang Chen and the others in one phrase: Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Old Chen had even kindly reminded them that after this exam, Qingshui Middle School would hold a parent-teacher meeting…

Zheng Fa scanned the classroom.

On ordinary afternoons, at most half the desks in this room were occupied, most of them by students napping face-down.

Today, at least eighty percent of the seats were filled, and almost no one was sleeping—everyone was buried in their books.

Zheng Fa stood up, grabbed a few books, and prepared to head downstairs.

“Where are you going?”

“To ask Tang Lingwumin some questions.”

Since making plans with Tang Lingwumin for her to tutor him in math, they’d meet after lunch whenever they could.

“It’s almost the monthly exam—aren’t you supposed to be studying?”

Wang Chen widened his eyes, staring at Zheng Fa.

“Isn’t this exactly what I’m doing—studying?”

“...I believe you, you liar!”

Watching Zheng Fa leave, Wang Chen turned to his desk mate and said:

“I admire his courage to throw himself headfirst into love, but his face when Old Chen beats him after he bombs the exam is going to be hilarious.”

His desk mate looked at him, expressionless: “Wouldn’t you go if it were you?”

“I wouldn’t go? I love studying—I want to read! Books hold beauty beyond compare!”

“I don’t know who this ‘Beauty’ is, but that’s Tang Lingwumin.”

“Tang Lingwumin… can Tang Lingwumin help me pass the monthly exam?”

“That’s Tang Lingwumin.”

“Fine, maybe the exam doesn’t matter—what if my mom shows up for the parent meeting after I fail?”

“Tang Lingwumin.”

“True—if Mom sees Tang Lingwumin, she might even come home and brag that I’ve got something going for me.”

…

Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwumin met in a small pavilion beneath the teaching building, where a stone table and four stone benches stood. Zheng Fa placed his books on the table and slowly asked Tang Lingwumin about his doubts.

Tang Lingwumin wore a white short-sleeved shirt, idly spinning a fountain pen in her right hand, her left propping up her cheek. She occasionally frowned in thought at Zheng Fa’s questions, then offered her insights.

To be honest, Tang Lingwumin’s level didn’t match Old Bai’s—many questions still needed to be resolved when visiting Old Bai’s home.

But for Zheng Fa, her help was still quite effective—Old Bai was used to teaching geniuses, so he often couldn’t grasp where Zheng Fa struggled, and this misunderstanding usually came with devastating questions: “Do you really need to be taught this?”

Tang Lingwumin was better—she was still learning herself, so she could sometimes empathize with Zheng Fa’s difficulties.

Add to that her patience, unlike Old Bai’s impatience, and consider the difference in their appearances.

The learning experience improved significantly.

Especially in areas like Gaokao math, where the gap between Old Bai and Tang Lingwumin wasn’t so wide, Tang Lingwumin’s help to Zheng Fa was even greater.

Zheng Fa flipped through his list of questions and realized he’d asked nearly everything; he hesitated, then looked at Tang Lingwumin:

“I have something I’d like you to help me with.”

Tang Lingwumin looked up, puzzled.

“I want to understand the physical differences between us.”

“...” Tang Lingwumin narrowed her eyes, staring at Zheng Fa for a full half-minute, then said: “It’s in the biology textbook.”

“Uh, you misunderstood—I want to know if I’m the only one in this world who can master the Spirit Crane Body.”

Since arriving in this modern world, Zheng Fa had become more certain of one thing—his body still held the qi energy cultivated from the Spirit Crane Body, but the spiritual resonance with that strange force in the void was gone.

According to Zheng Fa’s earlier assumption, the Spirit Crane Body should have been easy for modern people to master, given the documentaries and videos available.

Yet no matter how hard Tang Lingwumin and Old Bai tried to visualize it, their bodies showed no reaction whatsoever.

Coupled with the fact that the Xuanwei Realm had immortal arts while this world did not,

the most natural conclusion was—this world had no spiritual energy.

But another possibility remained: Zheng Fa’s body was different from everyone else’s in this world, so only he could master it.

Tang Lingwumin looked at Zheng Fa with skeptical eyes; Zheng Fa forced a sincere expression.

“How do we test it?”

“Assume the Pine-Crane Stance and visualize.”

Tang Lingwumin stood up, assuming the Pine-Crane Stance. Zheng Fa stepped behind her: “Forgive the intrusion.”

He gently placed his fingers on the upper half of her spine.

Tang Lingwumin’s body trembled.

“What’s wrong?”

“It tickles.”

“If anything else feels odd, tell me.”

Zheng Fa spoke, then closed his eyes and carefully sent a thread of his qi into Tang Lingwumin’s body.

His qi was never abundant, and he dared not send much—only a slender strand, afraid of accidentally harming her.

In his mind, if any spiritual energy existed in this world, it must reside in his own body and qi.

He couldn’t dissect Tang Lingwumin to compare their physiologies.

He couldn’t cut off a piece of flesh and feed it to her.

He could only try using his qi.

Zheng Fa held his qi steady on her spine, waiting for her reaction.

Slowly, Tang Lingwumin’s body began to tremble slightly.

Zheng Fa felt the qi he’d sent into her body begin to pulse.

The rhythm matched exactly the one he used while cultivating the Spirit Crane Heart Method!

…

Upstairs in the classroom, Wang Chen and his desk mate pressed together against the window, watching Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwumin.

Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwumin hadn’t thought to avoid attention—they went downstairs only to keep their discussion from disturbing others’ studying or napping.

“What are they doing?”

“Move over a bit—I want to see!”

“Aren’t you supposed to be studying?” his desk mate glared at Wang Chen.

“What’s more beautiful than sweet romance?”

“What’s so beautiful?”

A dazzling reflection appeared on the window—a bald head appeared behind them.

“T-Teacher!”

Wang Chen and his desk mate jumped, spinning around.

“I heard you two talking all the way down the hallway! You’re the loudest in the whole class!” Old Chen scolded, face grim: “The exam’s coming—do you even know that? Are you studying well? How many points do you think you’ll get?”

Seeing they didn’t answer, he pressed: “What were you two just looking at?”

Wang Chen sidestepped two steps, trying to block the view.

Old Chen gave him a long, piercing look, shoved him aside, and saw Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwumin’s strange posture.

“What are they doing?”

Old Chen said slowly.

“Uh, Zheng Fa says he’s asking Tang Lingwumin for help with his studies.”

“Asking for help with studies?” Old Chen’s face turned icy, his voice thick with fury: “I’d like to know what kind of knowledge is so obscure it requires physical contact to transmit?”