assistirfilmes Chapter 55: Comfort
Chapter 55: Comfort
Chapter 55: Comfort
After the monthly exam results were released, Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu visited Old Bai’s home once again.
“I heard you did well this time?” Old Bai asked, his tone more smug than congratulatory.
“It’s all thanks to your teaching, sir,” Zheng Fa replied smoothly.
Hearing this, Old Bai’s face crinkled into a radiant grin.
“I have a friend who struggles with studying too...” Zheng Fa began cautiously while the old man was in a good mood.
“Stop right there!” Old Bai raised his hand, frowning slightly. “I refuse.”
Zheng Fa hadn’t expected Old Bai to be so guarded, shutting him down before he could even finish. He wasn’t flustered, though; he simply stared at the old man, waiting.
Sure enough, the silence got to Old Bai first. “You’re really not going to say it?”
“But you told me to stop,” Zheng Fa replied innocently.
“Couldn’t you at least plead a little?”
Taking the cue, Zheng Fa asked, “Do you have a quick and easy method for solving talisman diagrams?”
“Quick and easy? What kind of shortcut are you thinking?”@@@@
Zheng Fa hesitated, unsure how to phrase it. Tang Lingwu stepped in, helpfully providing an explanation: “You know, things like ‘three long lines, choose the shortest; three short lines, choose the longest.’”
Old Bai’s face darkened. “You dare bring this nonsense to me, a professor at Jingcheng University? You insult my craft with such trickery!”
Zheng Fa had asked for these shortcuts with someone else in mind—none other than the Seventh Young Master. With just two months left before his entry into the Immortal Sect, starting him on Elementary Mathematics was out of the question. The only feasible option was to rely on probability, or as Zheng Fa preferred to frame it, the great science of probability theory.
Predictably, Old Bai shook his head violently, his curly hair flailing as if expressing its own indignation.
Zheng Fa gave Tang Lingwu a knowing look, and she immediately struck a Pine Crane Stance.
Placing his hand on her back, Zheng Fa said, “I’ve thought of a shortcut to speed up her progress.”
“How fast?” Old Bai blinked in curiosity.
“Based on my calculations, she should be able to master the stance in about half a month,” Zheng Fa replied thoughtfully.
Old Bai’s eyes widened slightly. He remembered Zheng Fa estimating that Tang Lingwu, being young and physically fit, might take two to three months to reach this stage.
“Half a month, you say...” Old Bai rubbed his hands together hesitantly. “Uh, could I... maybe try that method too?”
“No, you don’t,” Old Bai said with a shake of his head. “We academics are, at best, a league of failures. The world is vast, science has no end, and tomorrow’s truths may become tomorrow’s lies. Humanity may never uncover the ultimate truths of the universe. Failure is inevitable.”
He paused, his tone softening. “So we must embrace failure and support each other. There’s a saying that applies perfectly to us: ‘If you want to go far, go together.’”
“I’ll remember that,” Zheng Fa replied earnestly.
“No, you still don’t get it,” Old Bai said, suddenly flashing a mischievous grin. “All that was just fluff. The real point is—if failure is inevitable, don’t let it get you down.”
Zheng Fa froze. “How did you know?”
He realized Old Bai had seen through him. Ever since meeting the Madam, a weight had been on his mind. Though he prided himself on concealing his emotions, it seemed Old Bai had noticed.
The notebook, the lecture on failure—they were all subtle ways of comforting him.
Old Bai smirked and pointed behind Zheng Fa. “This little girl told me.”
Turning, Zheng Fa saw Tang Lingwu standing there with a milk tea in hand. She extended it toward him, her face expressionless. “Here, drink this.”
After a moment of silence, Zheng Fa accepted the drink, took a sip, and said, “It’s sweet.”
Behind him, Old Bai muttered, “I told you teaching students is a hassle. So much effort, and they haven’t even mastered martial arts yet. What a loss!”
“Grandpa Bai,” Tang Lingwu said, puzzled by his earlier remarks. “Wasn’t your view a bit idealistic? I’ve seen plenty of news about plagiarism and academic fraud.”
She and Zheng Fa both understood that Old Bai’s earlier words weren’t just “fluff.” Despite his grumblings, his constant guidance revealed his high hopes for them.
Old Bai pointed at Zheng Fa and said, “What’s his martial prowess for? Decoration?”
Zheng Fa translated silently: In academia, most people are decent. For those who aren’t, you’ll make them decent.
...
When Zheng Fa woke up in the Xuanyi Realm, Gao Yuan eyed him curiously. “Zheng Fa, why do you seem so much cheerier today?”
“I was in a bad mood before, but I’ve decided to do something fun today,” Zheng Fa replied.
“What’s that?” Gao Yuan asked.
“You’ve all been studying math for a while. I think it’s time for a pop quiz to celebrate!”
Gao Yuan whipped his head toward Zheng Fa.
Seeing the genuine joy on Zheng Fa’s face, Gao Yuan’s expression turned into a slow, confused frown. “You’re giving us a quiz... for fun?”
“No,” Zheng Fa replied earnestly. “I’m giving you a quiz for my fun.”