I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 50: Farewell

"Professor Bai, your Three-Sub-Talisman Law is pretty impressive!"

Two days later, when Zheng Fa visited Old Bai’s house again, he couldn't help but praise Bai Nascent Soul.

This old man had been secretly working on something big behind his back.

"Just a minor breakthrough, nothing much!"

Old Bai waved his hand, feigning humility, but his face was full of arrogance.

Looking at the smug old man, Zheng Fa suddenly pulled out his notebook from his backpack.

"Professor Bai, I didn’t quite understand some parts of the Three-Sub-Talisman Law in my notes—would you, the creator, be willing to enlighten me?"

Zheng Fa asked sincerely.

"In the Three-Sub-Talisman system, aside from the Five Elements Sub-Talismans, how many other types of sub-talismans are there?"

"…" Old Bai twitched his lips and fell into silence for a long while before answering, "...Not sure. More talisman diagrams need to be studied."

"Are these sub-talismans finite?"

"…Also not sure."

"What about the functions of the other two types of sub-talismans?"

"…Not sure either."

Zheng Fa slowly set down his notebook, his gaze deep as he stared at Old Bai.

Old Bai gradually sat up straight, the smug look on his face turning into an awkward expression.

"Uh… these are just results from algorithm calculations," Old Bai muttered in a small voice, almost like he was making a grievance-filled excuse. "In such a short time, I haven’t even interacted with real spiritual energy or talismans. How much could I possibly figure out?" 𝙍ἁꞐȎ𐌱ËṢ

Flipping through the notes, Zheng Fa realized that much of Old Bai’s wording was based on speculation.

After some hesitation, Old Bai suddenly added, "Actually, Lingwu had a theory before, and I think it’s quite interesting."

"Hmm?"

Zheng Fa turned to look at Tang Lingwu. Her face was a little flushed, as if embarrassed, and she muttered, "I was just making wild guesses."

"What theory? Let’s hear it."

Zheng Fa was curious. What kind of idea could even intrigue Old Bai?

"Since Lingwu studies computer science, she thought—at its core, talismans are a way for humans to communicate with the world, which is somewhat similar to how computers interact with hardware."

Zheng Fa had a moment of realization. He seemed to understand Tang Lingwu’s hypothesis.

"Code?"

He recalled a previous conversation with Senior Sister Zhang about the essence of talisman scripts—she believed they were the flow patterns of spiritual energy, but others referred to them as Dao Scripts.

"Exactly!" Old Bai clapped his hands. "Lingwu, how did you put it again?"

Tang Lingwu looked at Zheng Fa’s curious gaze and no longer seemed shy. She started explaining, "I’ve always wondered—what exactly enables talismans to take effect?"

"Based on your descriptions, I think talismans essentially use divine sense or spiritual power to control the world’s elements."

"So, I started wondering—could the Yuan Talisman be seen as a function?"

"The three types of sub-talismans might actually be three different types of statements. For example, the Five Elements Sub-Talismans could be call statements—telling the world what kind of spiritual energy is needed."

"The other two types of sub-talismans might serve different purposes—perhaps one handles logical operations, while the other acts as an output interface for interacting with the world…"

Tang Lingwu's voice trailed off as she seemed to lose confidence, and she quickly added, "I was just randomly speculating."

Zheng Fa and Old Bai both chuckled.

"That’s an interesting idea! If it holds up, this would be the Second Law of Tang’s Talisman Dao!" Old Bai laughed.

Zheng Fa nodded in agreement, his gaze carrying a hint of encouragement toward Tang Lingwu—of course, this idea was still immature and needed much refinement and verification.

But it wasn’t entirely impossible.

And both Zheng Fa and Old Bai knew that Tang Lingwu had always lacked confidence.

It was precisely this lack of confidence that made her work so hard.

In truth, both Zheng Fa and Old Bai felt that this girl had already contributed a lot.

Yet, Tang Lingwu herself didn’t seem fully aware of how much financial power she had backing her.

Seeing the amused yet encouraging looks on Zheng Fa and Old Bai’s faces, Tang Lingwu lowered her gaze, but her expression was filled with excitement and liveliness.

The Second Law of Tang’s Talisman Dao was still just a hypothesis.

But the First Law of Bai’s Talisman Dao had now been revised into the Three-Sub-Talisman Law (Incomplete Edition)—frankly, it was a bit of an unexpected surprise, yet at the same time, it led to even more mysteries.

However, after Old Bai’s explanation, Zheng Fa was no longer anxious.

At the very least, they were gradually uncovering the essence of the Talisman Dao.

"By the way, Professor Bai, about that terminally ill person you said you were going to visit in Jingcheng—how did that go?"

Old Bai had gone on that trip alone. After all, Zheng Fa didn’t know the person, and given the circumstances, a severely ill individual might not want too many visitors. It wasn’t appropriate to intrude.

"Didn’t get to see them," Old Bai said with a strange expression. "I even missed their self-hosted funeral."

"…A self-hosted funeral?"

Zheng Fa felt like he was suddenly unable to understand Chinese.

"Yeah, that person said they wanted to hold a funeral while they were still alive. Apparently, the scene was full of people crying their hearts out…"

"…"

"And now?"

Old Bai pulled out his phone, opened a short-video app, and tapped on one of the influencers in his follow list.

"Here."

Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu leaned in to take a look—on the screen, an elderly woman in a military-green jacket, wearing sunglasses, with windblown hair and a reckless smile, was riding a black motorcycle, roaring across the open wilderness.

"This is…"

"She’s traveling the world now."

Now Zheng Fa understood why Old Bai said he didn’t get to meet the person.

"Professor Bai, who is she?"@@novelbin@@

Tang Lingwu’s eyes sparkled as she watched the woman in the video, a hint of admiration in her expression—as if this was the kind of person she aspired to be.

"Didn’t Zheng Fa say he needed an agricultural expert?" Old Bai explained. "This woman spent her whole life researching agriculture—never married, never had kids, just dedicated herself to the fields."

"…Her vibe doesn’t match that at all?"

Zheng Fa glanced at the screen again, feeling skeptical.

"She said she’d been stuck in the dirt all her life, so if she was going to die soon, she might as well be stylish for once." Old Bai sighed. "Old rebel."

"…"

"Professor Bai, what’s your relationship with her?"

Considering their ages and looking at the charismatic old woman in the video, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but entertain some playful thoughts.

"I was in Jingcheng before, and I joined a high-intelligence senior dating group," Old Bai admitted, looking slightly embarrassed. "That’s where I met her."

"You liked her?"

"…A little."

"And she rejected you?" Zheng Fa pressed.

"…" Old Bai let out a long sigh. "She wasn’t even there to date! She said she never wanted to get married—her mother forced her to go, worried that she’d have no one to take care of her when she got old."

"How old was she at the time?"

"Fifty-eight."

Zheng Fa was speechless. Getting pressured into marriage at fifty-eight—no wonder she turned rebellious in her later years.

"She even said, ‘Well, at least now that I’m dying early, my mom doesn’t have to worry anymore.’" Old Bai sighed, as if he still had lingering emotions about this woman.

There was an air of unresolved emotions lingering between them.

"You two…"

"If we can’t be partners, can’t we at least be old friends? I’ve been in touch with her these past few days, but she’s on the road, so she replies slowly." Old Bai clicked on his chat list in the app. "Huh? She replied?"

He checked the message, then looked up at Zheng Fa. "She’s coming to the provincial capital next month."

He didn’t say anything more, but the look in his eyes was clear.

Zheng Fa glanced down at the notebook in his hands and said, "If I can help, I’ll give it a try."

In the Xuanyi Realm, today was the day Senior Sister Zhang was leaving the sect.

She wasn’t traveling alone.

This trip to Taiyang County included a group of disciples under her command.

If she had been traveling alone, she would have moved as quickly as possible. But since she was bringing disciples with her, safety was a priority. So, she chose to take the sect’s flying shuttle—a shuttle-shaped vessel commonly used by cultivators. It was five to six times faster than an escort ship, but it could carry far fewer people.

A group of people stood at the dock, with Senior Sister Zhang at the forefront.

The departure time had already passed.

Yet, she didn’t move. She merely frowned slightly, as if waiting for something.

Some of the disciples found it odd but didn’t dare ask questions. Instead, they exchanged glances with their fellow disciples, silently asking:

"Who is Senior Sister Zhang waiting for?"

After all, Senior Sister Zhang was known for her decisiveness—when she said she was leaving, she would leave immediately.

Who could—no, who dared to keep her waiting?

And yet, here she stood at the dock, waiting for hours without showing any impatience.

One of the disciples shifted their gaze toward the distance and gestured with their chin.

A trail of dust rose in the distance.

Zheng Fa’s figure appeared, rushing toward them at full speed.

A Warhorse Talisman was stuck to his leg, allowing him to move as swiftly as a galloping steed. When he finally reached the dock and saw Senior Sister Zhang and the others, he let out a breath of relief.

"Senior Sister!"

He called out to her.

Behind Zheng Fa, Seventh Young Master and his sister followed. They were also acquainted with Senior Sister Zhang, and upon hearing that she was heading to Taiyang County, they had come to see her off.

Senior Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa, whose clothes were slightly disheveled from his hurried journey, and couldn’t help but press her lips into a smile.

The disciples behind her exchanged glances, eyes full of knowing amusement.

"I’m late…"

Zheng Fa scratched his head awkwardly, as if about to explain.

Senior Sister Zhang waved a hand, cutting him off. "I know you."

Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned. Then, he smiled and handed her a book.

"The Three-Sub-Talisman Law? This is for me?"

Senior Sister Zhang glanced at the title, then looked up at Zheng Fa.

"Yes. It’s not fully developed yet, but it might be of some help to you," Zheng Fa said. "I was copying this book down, and nearly missed sending you off because of it."

Behind him, Seventh Young Master and his sister listened but didn’t dare interrupt.

Senior Sister Zhang had past ties with the Zhao family, but those were ties from the previous generation. She herself wasn’t particularly close to the Zhao family.

The siblings saw with their own eyes how the faint crease in Senior Sister Zhang’s brows gradually eased, and how her eyes shimmered—so bright they almost made her seem like a different person.

"You’re heading to Taiyang County too?"

She suddenly turned to Zhao Jinglan and asked.

"…Yes!"

"You’re staying at Zheng Fa’s place now?"

"…Yes!"

"Then come aboard."

She nodded at Zhao Jinglan.

Zhao Jinglan stood there, dumbfounded, taking a long moment before asking, "Uh… is that alright?"

"We’re old acquaintances. There’s no issue."

Senior Sister Zhang glanced briefly at Zheng Fa before replying with a tone of absolute authority.

"…Yes!"

Zhao Jinglan turned to look at Zheng Fa, deep in thought.

Traveling with Senior Sister Zhang was obviously the better choice—it ensured greater safety and provided a solid backing.

As they watched the flying shuttle gradually disappear into the sky, Seventh Young Master rubbed his chin and looked at Zheng Fa suspiciously.

"Did Senior Sister Zhang really take my sister with her because of our family ties?"

"…Senior Sister Zhang has a warm heart!" Zheng Fa replied with a straight face.

"…I just saw her smile so brightly when you handed her that book!" Seventh Young Master smirked. "What’s in it? Love poems?"

"…"

Zheng Fa immediately realized that Seventh Young Master thought the book was a love letter.

But…

The book’s first author was Old Bai, a man who struggled just to pursue a rebellious old lady. That hardly fit the love poem narrative.

And the second author… uh, that was Tang Lingwu.

…

On a small boat floating in the great river beside the dock, a young man in scholar’s robes watched the flying shuttle vanish into the horizon.

He turned to the two people beside him and said softly, "Zhang Wuyi has left. Let’s go probe that Zheng Fa."