The Wizard of Fairy Tale World-Chapter 48Book 2: : Gone with the Wind

Vol 2 Chapter 48: Gone with the Wind

Zheng Fa never expected Zhao Jinglan to come looking for him in the dead of night.

He was meditating in his chamber when he heard a soft knock on the door.

At first, he assumed it was Seventh Young Master, but when he opened the door, it was Zhao Jinglan.

Seeing that he was about to speak, she raised a finger to her lips in a silent gesture for silence.

Zheng Fa glanced toward the guest rooms and immediately understood—she didn’t want Seventh Young Master to hear this conversation.

Quietly, he stepped aside to let her in, then tossed a Silencing Talisman toward the doorway before asking, “Senior Sister Zhao, what brings you here?”

Only after glancing back toward her brother’s room and confirming there was no movement did Zhao Jinglan finally let out a breath and speak.

“When we talked about Taiyang Commandery yesterday, I noticed your reaction. You already know what’s happening there, don’t you?”

“I do. A spirit node has emerged.” Zheng Fa nodded.

Zhao Jinglan gave a small nod in return. “Then you also know why I’m going there, right?”

“…To fight over the spirit stone mine?”

Zheng Fa hesitated slightly, uncertain if that was the right answer.

Zhao Jinglan rolled her eyes. “Do I look like I have a death wish?”

Zheng Fa conceded the point.

Even Senior Sister Zhang, a Golden Core cultivator on par with Nascent Soul experts, had treated this matter with great caution.

Zhao Jinglan was only at the Foundation Establishment stage—she’d have to be insane to compete for a spirit stone mine.

“When a spirit node emerges, it doesn’t just produce spirit stones—there are also various rare materials,” she explained. “The truly valuable ones are out of my reach, but the lesser ones… I might have a shot at acquiring.”

“…You haven’t told Seventh Young Master about this, have you?”

Zhao Jinglan fell silent.

Both of them understood the glaring flaw in her reasoning.

Yes, the major players would be after the high-value materials…

But since they were already there, why wouldn’t they take the lower-value materials too?

Zheng Fa had read a modern article about a billionaire bending down to pick up a dropped coin—who was he to say that powerful cultivators wouldn’t do the same?

And spiritual plants were only becoming rarer.

Who wouldn’t hoard them if they had the chance?

“…Senior Brother Zheng, I’m not as lucky as you.”

After a long silence, Zhao Jinglan finally spoke again, her voice low.

“When you joined the sect, you had Senior Sister Zhang’s favor, and then you were taken in by the Sect Master himself.”

“I’ve been here for ten years, struggling just to barely reach Foundation Establishment. My talent in talismans isn’t as exceptional as yours, and my alchemy talent—the thing Qingmu Sect values most—is mediocre at best.”

“If I don’t take risks now… I might never advance beyond this point.”

Zheng Fa understood.

Compared to Han Qi, Zhao Jinglan was much luckier—despite the struggle, she had achieved Foundation Establishment.

But unlike Han Qi, she was close enough to hope, yet far enough that it felt impossible—sometimes, seeing the light but never reaching it was worse than being in the dark.

“If Jingfan wasn’t so promising, I wouldn’t be risking this…”

She suddenly brought up her brother.

“But now, with a Golden Core master protecting him, does it really matter whether he has a Foundation Establishment sister or not?”

“If the spirit node hadn’t emerged, I would’ve left the sect eventually anyway—to seek my own opportunities.”

Zhao Jinglan met Zheng Fa’s gaze.

“Senior Brother Zheng, in this world… the only thing I have to gamble with is my own life.”

Zheng Fa didn’t know what to say.

“…Then why did you come here?”

“Jingfan sees you as a close friend. I only ask one thing of you…”

“I will look after—”

“If I die in Taiyang Commandery, stop Jingfan from doing something reckless,” Zhao Jinglan cut him off, her tone heavier than he expected.

“I don’t think there are many people in this world who can stop him.”

“……”

Zheng Fa pressed his lips together.

“Is Taiyang Commandery really that dangerous?”

“I don’t know,” Zhao Jinglan admitted. “But there are rumors that members of the Grand Liberation Demon Sect have been spotted.”

Zheng Fa’s brows furrowed deeply.

Even Senior Sister Zhang hadn’t mentioned this to him.

Now he understood why even she seemed hesitant about this mission—

The Grand Liberation Demon Sect.

One of the oldest factions within the Demonic Path.

Just how old were they?

According to legends, the ancient cultivators who once slaughtered all sentient life in the world… were their predecessors.

In a way, every cultivator in Xuanwei Realm could be their descendants.

Of course, both sides looked down on each other.

Cultivators of Xuanwei Realm found their supposed "ancestry" distasteful.

The Grand Liberation Demon Sect thought that modern cultivators were weaklings unworthy of the connection.

No wonder Senior Sister Zhang was treading carefully.

“…Senior Sister Zhao, you…” Zheng Fa wanted to dissuade her.

But before he could, she cut him off again.

“Senior Brother Zheng, a spirit node is an opportunity too great to ignore.”

Zhao Jinglan’s eyes burned with determination, her pupils blazing like fire.

Zheng Fa fell silent.

Leaving the Zhao Estate, he had slowly begun to understand the nature of cultivators in Xuanwei Realm—

Throwing themselves into danger for opportunity.

Risking their lives to advance their cultivation.

Fighting tooth and nail for every resource, no matter the cost.

Zhao Jinglan had merely become the perfect embodiment of this reality after ten years of struggle.

Seeing that he understood, she smiled faintly and repeated herself.

“Senior Brother Zheng, not everyone is as lucky as you.”

Silence settled over the room.

Then—

Knock, knock.

The door was gently pushed open.

A suspiciously sneaky-looking Seventh Young Master poked his head in.

“Zheng Fa? Zheng Fa?”

“My sister has been acting weird all night, insisting that I go to bed early.”

“But I still have so much to talk to you about! Earlier, with my sister there, it wasn’t convenient!”

Seventh Young Master poked his head into the meditation room, only to find his sister and Zheng Fa staring at him.

“…Jie?” His expression grew strangely complex. “Are you also whispering secrets to Zheng Fa behind my back?”

—

After seeing the Zhao siblings off, Zheng Fa sat back down in his meditation chamber.

The candle flame flickered, casting shifting shadows across his face, making his already furrowed brow appear even deeper.

Zhao Jinglan's visit didn't trouble him much.

He didn’t like taking unnecessary risks, but everyone had their own ambitions—this was her choice. The most he could do was make sure that if things truly went south, he would keep Seventh Young Master in check and use his influence to protect him.

What really weighed on him was Senior Sister Zhang.

The Grand Liberation Demon Sect wasn't listed among Xuanwei Realm’s Five Great Sects—

Or rather, none of the Demonic Path sects were officially ranked anymore.

Years of relative peace had pushed them into obscurity, forcing them to lie low.

But that didn’t mean they weren’t powerful.

On the contrary—they had endured in silence for years, and their reappearance meant that the stability of the Xuanwei Realm was about to be shattered.

Senior Sister Yuan had once told him that Senior Sister Zhang had ways to escape even if she encountered a Nascent Soul cultivator.

At the time, she had seemed completely at ease.

Because in recent years, Nascent Soul cultivators rarely fought each other—there was an unspoken agreement among the great sects.

But unspoken agreements were never set in stone.

And the Demonic Path never followed the rules anyway.

If the Grand Liberation Demon Sect was really involved, then Senior Sister Zhang’s situation in Taiyang Commandery might be far more dangerous than he had originally thought.

Even putting aside her personal kindness to him—

Senior Sister Zhang was crucial to Jiushan Sect.

Zheng Fa could see it clearly—

Without Jiushan Sect and Senior Sister Zhang, he was nothing more than a Qi Refining cultivator, probably even worse off than Zhao Jinglan.

More importantly, if he wanted to leverage modern scientific methods in this world, he needed a solid foundation—

From research to application, everything required Jiushan Sect’s resources.

His fate was tied to Jiushan Sect.

And Senior Sister Zhang saw him the same way Zhao Jinglan saw Seventh Young Master—

A junior who was too weak to be burdened with the truth.

Right now, the only real way he could help her was by perfecting the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method.

Taking out a Condensing Yuan Pill, Zheng Fa swallowed it.

This would be his sixth Yuan Talisman—

And for this one, there wasn’t much choice.

It would be his first Yang-aligned talisman, corresponding to the Earth element.

In the modified version of the Lingshan Method—adjusted by the Sect Master himself—Zheng Fa had combined his knowledge of talisman formations with the original techniques of Jiushan Ancestor.

In other words, using the Lingshan Method required a talisman—

The Spirit Awakening Talisman.

On its own, this talisman wasn’t particularly useful.

It could infuse lifeless objects like grass, wood, mountains, and stones with a tiny amount of spiritual energy.

Most cultivators in Xuanwei Realm used it to mark locations—leaving hidden messages or guiding allies.

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But the Sect Master had found a way to incorporate it into formation arrays, completing the Lingshan Method.

The Spirit Awakening Talisman settled into his dantian, and within his spiritual vision, the previously faint lotus shadow finally displayed its full shape—

The newly condensed Yuan Talisman took its place atop the golden lotus.

After a long while, Zheng Fa opened his eyes, then picked up Master Pang’s jade scroll, carefully recording his insights.

—

Modern Era – Old Man Bai’s House

Tang Lingwu stood in the Pine Crane Stance, while Zheng Fa placed a steadying hand on her back, slowly channeling spiritual energy into her body.

For the past few days, Zheng Fa had been helping Tang Lingwu and Old Man Bai train in the Linghe Technique.

Being younger, Tang Lingwu had progressed far faster than Old Man Bai.

With one hand on her back, Zheng Fa’s mind drifted elsewhere—still worrying about Senior Sister Zhang.

Of course, he wanted to further analyze talisman diagrams, perfect them, and offer her the best possible support.

But could he do it in time?

He wasn’t sure.

The uncertainty weighed heavily on his mind, making his expression particularly grim.

From the side, Old Man Bai watched him closely.

Tang Lingwu was fully immersed in her practice, but Zheng Fa looked absent-minded and troubled.

“Zheng Fa?”

“Hm?” Zheng Fa blinked.

“You look like you’re thinking about something else.”

“…I was just realizing that our talisman research is progressing too slowly.”

Zheng Fa sighed.

“Too slow?” Old Man Bai was surprised. “I’ve never seen you impatient before.”

Zheng Fa shook his head.

He knew that research couldn’t be rushed—but right now, he couldn’t stay calm about it.

Seeing Old Man Bai’s confusion, Zheng Fa finally admitted, “I want to help someone.”

“…Someone important?” Old Man Bai asked.

“Yes. Very important to me.”

“…A man or a woman?”

Old Man Bai stroked his chin and suddenly threw out an unexpected question.

“…A woman.”

Zheng Fa frowned slightly. Why did that even matter?

Old Man Bai squinted at him, then glanced at Tang Lingwu—who was still pretending to focus on training, but whose ears were very obviously tilted toward their conversation.

Right then—

Tang Lingwu’s shoulder blades suddenly tensed, and her legs kicked off the ground—

Launching herself straight toward the ceiling.

Had it not been for Zheng Fa’s quick reflexes, grabbing her ankle at the last second, she would have tested the structural integrity of the old apartment’s ceiling with her skull.

“…Did she just fly out of jealousy?”

Old Man Bai muttered in shock as he stared at Tang Lingwu, who had just snapped out of her daze, blinking in confusion.