I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 11: Value

Tang Lingwu looked at Zheng Fa, her eyes filled with both pleading and stubbornness.

Zheng Fa shook his head slightly and said to her, “It’s not that I won’t agree—it’s that I can’t right now.”

Aside from the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Technique, what he cared about most was the Lingshan Method.

But the minimum requirement for the Lingshan Method was the seventh level of Qi Refining.

At its core, this technique was about self-sacrifice—it allowed others to cultivate, but only if the practitioner had an abundance of spiritual energy themselves.

Reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining was merely the starting point.

This method essentially proved one thing: if you wanted to save the world, you at least had to be Buddha first…

“…I have money,” Tang Lingwu pointed at the bank card on the table. She didn’t ask whether he believed her; instead, she stubbornly continued, “If it’s not enough, I’ll ask my dad for more…”

“I just don’t want to live under my mother’s constant surveillance,” Tang Lingwu suddenly said. “Even if it’s just a fleeting moment of freedom, I’ll be satisfied.”

“…”

Zheng Fa was silent for a moment before finally saying, “When I can, I will help you.”

Tang Lingwu stared into his eyes and slowly nodded, as if she believed his promise.

A heavy silence filled the room.

To break the tension, Old Bai shook his head and said, “Speaking of which, even without exposing the secrets of cultivation, those talisman diagrams could still be analyzed by someone who understands computers.”

Zheng Fa smacked his forehead—he just remembered someone.

He opened his social app and searched his contacts for a profile picture of a small white dog…

Nothing.

Scrolling through his phone contacts, he finally found the name Han Xiaobai.

The guy had changed his profile picture—it was now a lone wolf walking through the desert.

"Han-ge, you there?" Zheng Fa sent a message.

"What’s up?"

The reply was short, making it clear Han Xiaobai wasn’t in the mood for chatting.

"I need some advice."

"Go on."

At least he wasn’t outright rejecting him.

Zheng Fa briefly described the core concepts of the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Technique.

"So you’re saying, you’ve found a way to categorize these talisman diagrams, but you don’t understand the underlying patterns?"

After a long conversation, Han Xiaobai finally understood what he was asking.

"Pretty much."

Senior Sister Zhang had already categorized some talisman diagrams based on Yin-Yang and the Five Elements.

But there were just too many symbols—she had only been able to test a small portion of them.

"That’s not easy… It’s mostly a game of luck. The only thing I can think of is using a machine learning algorithm for image recognition," Han Xiaobai typed out rapidly. "We’d use the classified diagrams as a training dataset and let the computer extract patterns to determine the categories of the rest."

Zheng Fa took a moment to process this.

So, basically, since I can’t figure out the patterns, I’ll let the computer find them.

As for whether those patterns were correct…

That would have to be tested later.

"But I can’t guarantee accuracy," Han Xiaobai continued. "It’s a brute-force approach at best."

Old Bai nodded as he read the messages. “It’s a start. We can analyze the results later.”

Zheng Fa sent another message. "Han-ge, can you do this?"

"I can. It’s not that hard…"

"How much would it cost this time?"

"I don’t want to do it. Find someone else."

"?"

Zheng Fa was stunned by the abrupt refusal.

Just as he was thinking of how to respond, a small hand suddenly reached out.

He looked up—it was Tang Lingwu.

She extended her hand and softly said, “Let me handle this.”

Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then handed her the phone.

He watched as Tang Lingwu typed four simple words: "We can pay more."

"I just don’t want to do it."

"Ten thousand."

Zheng Fa’s eyebrows twitched. Hold on, is this her way of negotiating?

"Fifty thousand."

"It’s really not about the money!"

"A hundred thousand."

Zheng Fa watched in awe as Tang Lingwu raised the price with a blank expression.

Had he been talking too casually in front of this rich girl before?

"Dude, weren’t you an orphan? Since when did you start throwing money around? Were you lying to me?" Han Xiaobai finally broke down. "I only needed money before because I had a girlfriend."

"?"

Tang Lingwu blinked and glanced at Zheng Fa, confused by the logic.

"Now she’s gone, so money means nothing to me!" Han Xiaobai declared. "I may be broke, but I’m free! Money is worthless to me now!"

Zheng Fa remembered—Han Xiaobai used to take jobs just to buy his girlfriend a phone.

Looks like… she dumped him?

"I’m embracing solitude now. I might as well become a monk," Han Xiaobai continued. "Find someone else."

Old Bai sighed. “This is why men should get married. Otherwise, life is too easy—there’s no motivation to work.”

“…”

Tang Lingwu furrowed her brows, then suddenly opened the camera and sent a selfie.

Zheng Fa and Old Bai were dumbfounded.

"You’re a girl?" Han Xiaobai was clearly shocked.

"I’m his girlfriend."

"…You’re trying to scam me with a random internet beauty?"

Tang Lingwu directly started a video call.

After a long hesitation, Han Xiaobai finally picked up.

On the screen appeared a man with a receding hairline, looking utterly exhausted from late-night gaming sessions.

No wonder he has trouble dating.

"Holy sh*t!" Han Xiaobai screamed when he saw Tang Lingwu. "You’re real?!"

"I wasn’t lying."

"…"

Clearly, Han Xiaobai wasn’t used to talking to girls. He stammered for a while before finally asking, "Were you the one throwing money around earlier?"

"Yes. He never lied to you." Tang Lingwu glanced at Zheng Fa. "I’ll pay for it."

"He has a girlfriend like you, and you’re paying for his work?!" Han Xiaobai was devastated. "You expect me to work for a guy like this? I refuse!"

"I’ll have him teach you how to get a girlfriend."

"I’LL DO IT!"

Han Xiaobai’s attitude did a complete 180. "I’ll finish it quickly, with top quality!"

It was clear—he had a strong thirst for knowledge.

After ending the call, Tang Lingwu handed the phone back to Zheng Fa.

Her face practically radiated confidence: "Handled."

Zheng Fa reached for his phone, but Tang Lingwu suddenly said, “I can help you in a lot of ways too.”

Zheng Fa froze. Looking at her, he finally understood why she had gone through all this trouble.

In her mind, Zheng Fa needed Old Bai for his math skills.

Compared to that, Tang Lingwu’s math abilities were lacking.

This was her way of proving she was valuable.

But honestly, she didn’t need to.

Her wealth alone was enough to make Zheng Fa submit.

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