I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 142Book 2: : Mu Dao

Vol 2 Chapter 142: Mu Dao

Zheng Fa had to admit that he was somewhat judging people by their appearance.

From the first moment he saw Tang Mu Dao, he didn’t feel much of anything—not because of looks, of course. After all, Old Man Bai wasn’t exactly handsome either.

It was just that Zheng Fa preferred to be around simpler people.

And Tang Mu Dao…

This man always had a smile on his face. When he met Zheng Fa’s gaze, his sense of propriety was impeccable—neither looking down on Zheng Fa for his youth nor glancing around with unnecessary curiosity.

This wasn’t a bad thing, of course, just not how Zheng Fa imagined a scholar to be.

"Mu Dao, what’s with these truckloads of equipment?"

"Old Bai, you know I’m the president of some Taoist association overseas." Tang Mu Dao explained, "I have partnerships with companies that deal with this kind of equipment. These machines..."

He gestured to the trucks outside the nursing home.

"They really didn’t cost anything."

"Why?"

Tang Mu Dao shrugged. "Our association has some influence abroad, especially when it comes to traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, that sort of thing. These companies mainly want to advertise and expand their reach… To put it bluntly, giving it away for free is still a way to make more money."

"Then why send it to our nursing home?"

"Well…" Tang Mu Dao smiled sheepishly, "I need a favor."

Old Man Bai and Zheng Fa exchanged a look.

Tang Mu Dao looked at the two of them, a thoughtful expression appearing in his eyes as well.

Old Man Bai asked, "What is it?"

"Brother…" Though his words were directed at Old Man Bai, Tang Mu Dao’s eyes were fixed on Zheng Fa. "You know, I’ve been abroad for a long time in a land of barbarians, so forgive me if I’m being too direct."

"…"

"You… have received a true transmission of something, haven’t you?"

"…"

Old Man Bai fell silent.

Then Tang Mu Dao continued, "I won’t hide it, Brother. After we last met, I went to visit Jingcheng University."

"Jingcheng University?"

"I visited some of your old colleagues… and saw some of your old photos."

"You…"

Old Man Bai pointed at him.

"Brother, I know, I know, that was wrong of me! I was wrong!" Tang Mu Dao quickly apologized. "But you know, I’ve always had this obsession…"

Old Man Bai snorted and shook his head, but he couldn’t really say anything.

What Tang Mu Dao had done did border on invading privacy.

But given Old Man Bai’s status in his field, there were plenty of photos of him out there, some even still online—strictly speaking, it was hard to call it a privacy violation.

"Brother, you could maybe still explain your muscles as the result of training." Tang Mu Dao pointed at Old Man Bai’s face. "But looking twenty years younger…"

"…"

Something like this was impossible to hide from someone who was actively searching for answers.

And clearly, Tang Mu Dao was one of those people.

"So what are you trying to…"

Thud!

Zheng Fa was completely caught off guard when Tang Mu Dao dropped to his knees without hesitation.

He prostrated himself on the ground, forehead touching the floor.

"From my youth, I have devoted myself to seeking the Dao! I humbly ask for the Immortal’s mercy!"

Zheng Fa quickly pulled him up.

"Uh… Professor Tang, how are you so sure there’s an Immortal here?"

"I… did some digging."

Tang Mu Dao looked slightly embarrassed.

"What did you find out?"

"In the past six months, the Rainbow Mountain Goddess has manifested twice."

"…"

"But both times… just so happened to start when you all arrived at Rainbow Mountain."

Zheng Fa could only shake his head.

Like he’d said before—the things happening at the nursing home weren’t exactly being publicized, but they weren’t deliberately hidden either.

To an ordinary person, these two ‘manifestations’ alone wouldn’t be enough to confirm anything. They might even lead to other theories.

But to a devout seeker like Tang Mu Dao…

He really had guessed right.

Seeing that neither Zheng Fa nor Old Man Bai were saying anything, Tang Mu Dao pressed on.

"Immortal! I sincerely seek the Dao!"

"Those machines were my offering!"

He pointed at the entrance of the nursing home.

"I can also bring in partnerships for the nursing home!"

"Partnerships?" Old Man Bai was curious. "What kind of partnerships?"

"I have connections with some foreign hospitals… Getting the nursing home some official affiliations wouldn’t be a problem!"

Zheng Fa understood now.

It was basically about getting the nursing home linked to prestigious international hospitals to attract clients.

"I can even introduce some high-end clients!" Seeing that Zheng Fa’s expression remained neutral, Tang Mu Dao added, "People who aren’t stupid, but do have a lot of money."

"…"

To be honest, Zheng Fa could see that Tang Mu Dao was making a genuine effort.

But he was also growing more and more curious.

"Professor Tang… You studied experimental physics, right?"

"Uh, technically, I specialize in astronomy."

"Then you…"

Zheng Fa didn’t even know how to phrase what he was thinking.

Tang Mu Dao blinked, not seeming to understand Zheng Fa’s confusion either.

Old Man Bai, on the other hand, clearly got it.

"This kid thinks you don’t act like a scholar."

Tang Mu Dao glanced down at his beer belly and looked puzzled. "I don’t consider myself a scholar."

"…"

"I do research because I’m good at it. It’s just my way of making a living—it’s not because I like it."

Zheng Fa twitched the corners of his mouth. "But this… is a research-based nursing home."

"A nursing home…" Tang Mu Dao froze. "And research-based?"

He seemed to have a hard time understanding how these two words could go together.

Zheng Fa nodded at him.

He then turned to Old Man Bai, who also nodded.

Tang Mu Dao opened his mouth. "I thought... you guys started this nursing home to make money..."

It was a reasonable assumption—

Opening a nursing home for the purpose of researching immortal arts? Now that was unusual.

If Zheng Fa had been purely profit-driven, then the equipment and connections Tang Mu Dao brought would actually be quite useful.

It wasn’t that his efforts were meaningless.

It’s just that...

"You’d be better off bringing us two of your research papers instead of these machines."

Old Man Bai sighed from the side.

Tang Mu Dao looked a bit frustrated. "How was I supposed to know that getting into this would be like applying for a PhD?"

"..."

Papers wouldn’t be an issue, though.

Tang Mu Dao might not have an overwhelming number of publications, but he certainly wasn’t an unknown figure in the academic world.

Zheng Fa didn’t know much about his specific research, but based on the ranking of the journals, impact factors, and citation counts, it was clear that his tenure as a professor wasn’t thanks to some mystical ‘Eastern magic.’

The four of them—Zheng Fa, Old Man Bai, Tang Lingwu, and Teacher Tian—discussed in the back courtyard.

Tang Mu Dao, meanwhile, waited inside the main building of the nursing home.

"What do you all think?"

"His academic ability shouldn’t be a problem." Old Man Bai was the first to speak.

"I just feel like he..." Tang Lingwu shook her head. "Doesn’t quite fit our personalities. A little..."

"A little too slick." Teacher Tian finished the sentence.

Tang Lingwu nodded in agreement.

That was Zheng Fa’s impression as well.

This man was intelligent, meticulous, and incredibly determined.

Old Man Bai had only appeared once in a livestream run by some local guesthouse owner, yet Tang Mu Dao had managed to gather so much information.

Zheng Fa didn’t doubt his intelligence or resolve.

"I’ve been thinking about this too," Zheng Fa shared his thoughts. "First, do we actually need an astronomer? Second, if he joins us, what impact will he have on the nursing home?"

"My biggest concern is that he might take what he learns here and use it for personal gain in the mundane world."

"His Taoist association..." Zheng Fa thought for a moment. "Already seems to lean in that direction."

Hearing this, Tang Lingwu and Teacher Tian both nodded.

But Old Man Bai stroked his chin and said, "Actually, I think, aside from academic ability, we do need someone like him."

"Hmm?"

Zheng Fa looked at Old Man Bai, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Our nursing home is about to officially open, right?"

"Right."

"And we will attract some attention."

Zheng Fa began to understand what he was getting at. "You’re saying... have him handle outsiders?"

"Exactly. Out of the four of us, none of us are suited for that role." Old Man Bai continued, "Just like how sects in novels have inner and outer disciples—we focus on research, but mundane matters still need handling."

Zheng Fa found this perspective interesting.

At first, he had thought of Tang Mu Dao’s slick personality as a flaw.

But hearing Old Man Bai’s reasoning, maybe it was actually an advantage.

"The most important question is whether we can control him."

Zheng Fa nodded slowly. He already had an idea in mind.

...

"A test?" Tang Mu Dao blinked. "What kind of test?"

"You know the tale of Nan Ke's Dream, right?"

Tang Mu Dao seemed to get it. "You’re testing my Dao Heart?"

Zheng Fa nodded. His approach was always straightforward—since they were going to use the Great Dream Talisman on him, he had no reason to hide it.

"I accept!"

Tang Mu Dao seemed to realize that this was an opportunity given by Zheng Fa, and he immediately agreed.

Zheng Fa tapped the back of his head, sending the Great Dream Talisman into his mind.

The four of them watched as a black mist slowly rose from Tang Mu Dao’s head. Within the mist, an illusion took shape—

He was wearing a Taoist robe, walking through a small town that looked incredibly impoverished.

The townspeople clasped their hands and greeted him as "Immortal Elder."

He nodded to them and walked toward a modest brick house.

The red-brick walls of the house were rare in this day and age.

He pushed open the door and stepped into the hall.

Inside, there was an offering table with three incense sticks burning, their smoke curling around a black-and-white photograph on the wall.

The person in the photograph looked younger than him, wearing the same Taoist robe.

Tang Mu Dao gazed at the photo and suddenly spoke:

"Father."

"When I started learning qigong at twenty, I knew my master was a fraud."

"At forty, when I visited temples and shrines, I knew those priests were frauds."

"At fifty, when I became the president of the association, I knew I was a fraud. The people coming to me probably knew too… We were all just playing along."

"But like you said—Taoist arts aren’t a fraud."

"I finally found them."

...

Old Man Bai was stunned.

He turned to the others and said, "So it’s not just superstition—this is family inheritance?"

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But Teacher Tian shook his head. "No, it’s not inheritance… Given his age, if his father had been obsessed with this, things might not have gone well for him back then."

Old Man Bai hesitated, then nodded in silence.

"What he calls ‘seeking the Dao’…" Teacher Tian continued, "Might just be something he couldn’t let go of. Just two generations of foolish men chasing the same dream."