Chapter 649 Two Women Meet, Unfit for Humanity
This is Senior Sister Zhang's first time in the modern world. She is also the first Xuanwei cultivator to enter the modern world besides Zheng Fa.
She walked at the foot of Hongshan Mountain. Because of the nursing home, a bustling city had been built here, with neon lights flashing and crowds of people. Senior Sister Zhang looked at the scenery here, which was very different from Xuanwei, with a lot of curiosity in her eyes.
Little did people know that she had now become a beautiful sight in the eyes of others. She was dressed as white as snow, with a delicate face, translucent skin, and an unapproachable temperament. She shone brightly in the sunlight, making people dare not look directly at her.
Cultivation has become very popular in this world, and many ancient clothes have been rediscovered and become fashionable again. Senior Sister Zhang's outfit looks quite normal—but no matter how others look at it, they feel that wearing this outfit on this woman only makes other women look like they are just imitating her.
When the old man Bai saw Senior Sister Zhang's face as he came down the mountain, his heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself that Little Lingwu was in trouble!
Zheng Fa allowed an outsider cultivator to enter the modern world—what immense trust that is!
This cultivator was such a beautiful woman; need I say more about the relationship between Zheng Fa and her?
If the relationship between these two is normal, then Zheng Fa is not!
More importantly, this woman doesn't seem like someone to mess with. How could the delicate and frail Xiao Lingwu possibly handle her?
This is clearly going to be a big problem!
He usually doted on Tang Lingwu the most, but now he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed with Senior Sister Zhang, and he was also a little angry with Zheng Fa for bringing all sorts of wild women into his home!
Senior Sister Zhang was extremely alert. She turned to look at Old Man Bai the moment he glanced at her, cupping her hands in greeting and saying, "And this is…"
Old Man Bai calmed his thoughts and said his name.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Senior Sister Zhang raised an eyebrow and actually bowed to Old Man Bai with the respect due to a disciple, saying, "So it's Master Bai!"
The old man was taken aback: "You know me?"
"In the talisman teaching materials and topology teaching materials of my Nine Mountains Sect, you are listed as the first author," Senior Sister Zhang said without any concealment. "Most of my early progress in talisman teachings was thanks to your theories, Master Bai."
"Not only me, but every disciple of the Nine Mountains Sect who practices the talismanic arts knows your name, Master Bai."
Upon hearing this, Old Man Bai chuckled. Zheng Fa, that kid, does have some sense after all…
He found the woman in front of him much more agreeable and said warmly, "Honored guest, you have come from afar. Please come up the mountain with me for a chat."
Senior Sister Zhang nodded gently, her face still showing some respect, and followed him up Rainbow Mountain.
"Is Master Bai about to undergo corpse dissolution?"
“Yes.” Old Man Bai wasn’t surprised that she could tell; this woman’s cultivation level was obviously high. “I have been at the Nascent Soul stage for many years, and I will soon be going into seclusion to undergo Corpse Dissolution.”
Senior Sister Zhang sensed the flow of time here and thought to herself that cultivating here naturally gives one a head start over others.
"It's been over two hundred years since Zheng Fa left," the old man said worriedly. "Although we have the Jade Tablet of Creation to transmit messages, we don't really know the actual situation..."
The time flow rate between the modern world and the Xuanwei Realm is more than eight points to one. However, since Zheng Fa was in the formation, time was even slower. Less than a month had passed for Zheng Fa, while more than two hundred years had passed in the modern world. No matter how Zheng Fa sent messages to report that he was safe, it would take a long time for Old Man Bai and the others to receive any news, which made it difficult to calm their anxiety.
Seeing the genuine concern on his face, Senior Sister Zhang's eyes flashed, and she asked, "How did Master Bai and Junior Brother... Zheng Fa meet?"
Old Man Bai turned to look at Senior Sister Zhang, somewhat puzzled as to why she would ask this question.
“Junior Brother is very different from me, a Xuanwei cultivator…” Senior Sister Zhang laughed and shook her head, saying, “To be honest, there are many of his ideas that I don’t quite understand.”
Old Man Bai nodded, listening to Senior Sister Zhang say without any pretense, "I also want to know more about him."
"..."
Old Bai sighed softly to himself, squinting his eyes, as if he had returned to the teachers' building with moss-covered walls at Qingshui Middle School.
He began by recounting Zheng Fa's situation back then, and how the two of them met, and the night the three of them spent in the small building.
"At that time, I never imagined that he was from another world."
"So Master Bai started teaching Junior Brother so early..." Senior Sister Zhang listened carefully. "Compared to Junior Brother's early life, he has met quite a few good people here."
“The difference in human nature between our world and Xuanwei isn’t that great,” the old man said, shaking his head. “It’s just that what social rules reward and punish is very important… From this perspective, the probability of encountering good people in the modern world is indeed far greater than in the previous Xuanwei world.”
Senior Sister Zhang listened thoughtfully and agreed, "No wonder I've always felt that Junior Brother has a different kind of Nine Mountains Sect in his heart. Then please allow me to take a good look around here, Master Bai."
"What do you mean by 'allowed' or 'not allowed'?" Old Bai laughed. "Since Zheng Fa allowed you in, he trusts you completely. You are free to come and go as you please."
"Thank you, Master Bai."
"No problem, no problem."
"Master Bai..."
"Um?"
"That person, is it Tang Lingwu, the Tang Zhenren you just mentioned?"
Senior Sister Zhang's tone was quite intriguing. Old Man Bai paused for a moment, then looked up and saw Tang Lingwu standing at the entrance of the nursing home, looking at them.
The two women stared at each other from a distance, their expressions calm. The old man watched from the side, but he felt as if sparks were flying and crackling in the air between them.
...
"This is our nursing home's Forget-Me-Not Tea." Old Man Bai brought over three cups of tea and placed them in front of Senior Sister Zhang and Tang Lingwu, forcing a smile to break the awkward atmosphere between them. "This is a tea variety that the Agricultural College has improved. Even Zheng Fa hasn't tried it!"
Senior Sister Zhang stood up, took the teacup with both hands, took a sip, and refused to look at Tang Lingwu.
Tang Lingwu didn't say anything, but just lowered her eyes and drank her tea, looking like she had no appetite.
Old Man Bai cursed inwardly:
...Damn it!
Where did all these people from the nursing home go?
Why am I the only one left to keep these two rascals company?
"Perhaps it's because I'm used to the Nine Mountains Sect's tea, but this Forget-Me-Not Tea doesn't quite suit my taste." Senior Sister Zhang slowly put down her teacup, smiling somewhat apologetically. "Junior Brother's taste is similar to mine."
“Then Master Zhang is mistaken.” Tang Lingwu lowered her eyes. “Zheng Fa’s favorite tea is Forget-Me-Not Tea, which is one of the varieties he cultivated himself.”
Upon hearing the words "personally nurtured," Old Man Bai suddenly shuddered, even stopping his breathing. Were these two talking about tea?
When did Xiao Lingwu become so assertive?
"Cultivated by yourself? Then when I drink it, it just seems so-so."
Senior Sister Zhang seemed surprised that Tang Lingwu would refute her, narrowed her eyes, and finally looked at Tang Lingwu.
Tang Lingwu remained meek and submissive, but her words made Senior Sister Zhang's face tighten: "I'm afraid there's something wrong with the person who made the tea."
Old man Bai: ...Are you talking about me?
"Zheng Fa's favorite drink is the one I brewed. Should I brew another cup for Master Zhang?"
Tang Lingwu finally raised her face, smiling shyly at Senior Sister Zhang, but her words were like the sharpest daggers, piercingly hurtful.
Old Man Bai straightened up, his hands unconsciously resting on his knees, not daring to move—Little Lingwu was as hard as a diamond today!
...
Senior Sister Zhang seemed to finally take Tang Lingwu seriously.
"You've got some nerve. Do you know that I was the one who guided my junior brother into the Dao?" she said coldly. "I've faced life and death with him countless times. How could you possibly understand?"
Old Bai was now itching to take out a bag of sunflower seeds and start cracking them open.
He also figured it out. Whatever, it was all Zheng Fa's fault. One of them was a corpse-dissolving being, and the other was a loose immortal. How could a mere Nascent Soul cultivator like him stop them?
Go ahead and fight, you can't kill anyone, can you?
After listening, Tang Lingwu remained silent for a moment, then laughed: "What a coincidence, I was personally guided into the Dao by Zheng Fa, and the spiritual energy I cultivate even originated from Zheng Fa..."
Senior Sister Zhang's face grew even colder. This modern spiritual energy all came from Zheng Fa, which was fine in itself, but Tang Lingwu's words always carried a kind of depressing ambiguity.
"As for sharing life and death, I truly envy you, Master Zhang..." Tang Lingwu's voice held a hint of disappointment, "But Zheng Fa never lets me take any risks. Even now, he only wants us to cultivate diligently and doesn't want us to enter the Profound Mystery..."
Old Bai looked down at the Forget-Me-Not Tea in his hand, then at Tang Lingwu. No wonder little Lingwu disliked his tea-making skills; she was the real tea!
What do you mean by envying Master Zhang? What you're really implying is just one sentence: Zheng Fa feels sorry for me!
To be honest, Zheng Fa's words were not just an instruction to Tang Lingwu, but also addressed to the modern world. If anyone felt sorry for someone, it was Zheng Fa for the entire modern world, and he didn't want the people of this world to take risks.
But when Tang Lingwu said that, it was extremely damaging. Didn't you see that this real person looked like they were about to explode?
Old Man Bai was starting to think about running away; if this continued, someone might really die!
"You're very brave..."
Senior Sister Zhang looked at Tang Lingwu, a smirk playing on her lips, and suddenly laughed, "Based on my understanding of Junior Brother, he should have never done anything out of line with you, right?"
"..."
"And he and I have long since become Daoist partners, a fact known throughout the entire Nine Mountains Sect."
Old Man Bai really wanted to applaud this Master Zhang.
This person really understands Zheng Fa...
That move was a total knockout!
Tang Lingwu pursed her lips, seemingly speechless, and felt a pang of sympathy for the old man.
After a long while, Tang Lingwu finally said, "We cultivators pursue longevity and immortality. What does a moment's passing matter?"
The firmness in her tone moved even Senior Sister Zhang.
"Who his current Daoist partner is is not important. What's most important is who will accompany him on his long journey of cultivation." Tang Lingwu looked up at Senior Sister Zhang, her expression resolute. "I think it's me."
"Moreover, in terms of the past, it seems that I knew Zheng Fa even before Master Zhang did?"
"..."
Senior Sister Zhang looked at Tang Lingwu with a much more serious expression, as if she truly knew that this was a formidable enemy.
Tang Lingwu was equally unyielding, her face bearing a composed smile as she met Senior Sister Zhang's scrutiny.
The old man in white, watching from the side, couldn't bear it any longer and spoke up to advise, "It's all Zheng Fa's fault. He's just a man, why did he have to..."
Before he could finish speaking, he felt four cold gazes pierce his head like sharp arrows.
He felt only depression.
I am your Master Bai!
I'm your Grandpa Bai!
That's how you see me?
...
"I came here for my junior brother," Senior Sister Zhang said, seemingly changing the subject. "He said I could come and ask you for guidance."
"What happened to Zheng Fa?" Tang Lingwu asked anxiously. "He's been so quiet lately, has something happened to him?"
"You're not in any life-threatening danger." Seeing her so anxious, Senior Sister Zhang's eyes flickered slightly, and her tone softened unconsciously, even carrying a hint of comfort. "It's just that it's difficult to escape; it's like being trapped in chaos."
She recounted in detail the stories of Zheng Fa, the Evil Water Mother, and the Moon Fairy, among others. The old man and the other man's expressions changed repeatedly, and finally Tang Lingwu concluded:
"In other words, Zheng Fa is currently helpless against that evil jellyfish, and that evil jellyfish has already attained the essence of a Great Luo, so perhaps it has even more powerful methods?"
"That's what I'm worried about too," Senior Sister Zhang said solemnly. "No one knows how much power the Evil Jellyfish can unleash when it's fighting desperately, so I want to refine stars to complete the Zhou Tian Star Array. If we have 108 stars, the Zhou Tian Star Array can reach the strength of a Great Luo Golden Immortal... At that time, even if the Evil Jellyfish still has trump cards, it will be helpless against Junior Brother."
"One hundred and eight stars, so you still need to create seventy-two more?" Tang Lingwu asked with concern, "Are the resources sufficient?"
"Not enough." Senior Sister Zhang was quite frank in front of the two of them. "I've calculated it. Even if we have more spirit stones than other sects, the Nine Mountains Sect is still far from being able to refine so many stars."
This Zhou Tian Star Array was created by the ancient demon court by gathering resources from the primordial world.
Given the current state of the Xuanwei Realm, its resources are nowhere near what they were in the primordial era.
Even though the Nine Mountains Sect is one of the three major powers in Xuanwei, it is still far from enough to refine so many stars.
"I have decided to use the full strength of the sect to attack the Northern Continent." Senior Sister Zhang's eyes were bright. "There are four Golden Immortals behind the Northern Continent. Therefore, as long as we conquer the Northern Continent, there are four Golden Immortal worlds where we can collect resources."
"Is that enough to create seventy-two stars?"
Tang Lingwu remained silent for a while before asking.
"I don't know," Senior Sister Zhang shook her head and said, "but as long as we can make one more, Junior Brother will be one step safer."
Tang Lingwu lowered her eyes and said, "Zheng Fa doesn't want me to go out and fight with modern cultivators, and we're not good at that either."
In the modern world, there has never been any war. Tang Lingwu has the cultivation of corpse liberation, but she has never even killed a few chickens.
"But as long as it's something I can help with, Master Zhang, I'll be at your beck and call." Tang Lingwu lowered her head again, her tone devoid of any grievance. "What resources do you need? What scholars do you need? Master Zhang, just ask. We are your subordinates. Until Zheng Fa returns, I will listen to you completely."
Senior Sister Zhang looked at Tang Lingwu with increasingly complicated eyes, and after a long while, she slowly nodded.
Seeing the two men temporarily cease hostilities and raise the white flag of truce, Old Man Bai sighed deeply and cursed inwardly—that bastard Zheng Fa deserves to die!
(End of this chapter)
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