A pure heart

"Teacher, please explain. Who did Lele hit? Is he all right?"

Zhang Hongxing flew toward the school while taking the call. Fortunately, he still remembered to use a concealment technique as he flew. Otherwise, there was no telling how the people of Shimen County would react.

"Mr. Zhang, please calm down. Lele is fine. He hit another child, and now... Hello? Mr. Zhang? Hello... Mr... Mr. Zhang, when did you get here?"

Before Ms. Liu had even ended the call, Zhang Hongxing was standing before her. She had not even noticed which direction he had come from.

"Oh, I happened to be nearby."

"Grandpa!"

"Great, my grandpa is here! Grandpa, hurry and tell them I wasn't bragging or lying. We really did go to the moon."

No one was happier to see Zhang Hongxing than Lele.

At Lele's words, the other children immediately turned their eyes toward Zhang Hongxing.

"Of course we went to the moon, and we took a spaceship there. Actually, I'm an astronaut. If you children want to go to the moon too, study hard and become astronauts when you grow up. Once you're astronauts, you'll all be able to go to the moon."

"Mr. Zhang is absolutely right. You should all learn from his example."

Ms. Liu immediately backed him up.

"Wow, Lele's grandpa is an astronaut! That's so cool!"

"I wish I had an astronaut grandpa too."

"I'm going to be an astronaut when I grow up."

The children all cheered. Those who had suspected Lele of bragging now mostly chose to believe him.

With both Zhang Hongxing and their teacher "bearing witness," they found his claim to be an astronaut especially convincing.

While the children were cheering, Zhang Hongxing walked over to the child whose nose Lele had bloodied and released a strand of immortal energy to heal his injury.

"You can take the tissue out now. I've healed your nose."

"Really?"

"Of course."

The child cautiously pulled the wad of tissue out of his nose, tried sniffing, then touched the tip of his nose, which had been hurting terribly just moments before.

"It really is better! Lele's grandpa, are you actually an immortal?"

"Hahaha... An immortal? I just know a little medicine." Zhang Hongxing laughed, then turned to Lele. "Lele, come here and apologize to your classmate."

"Grandpa, he didn't believe me, so I..."

"Does someone not believing you give you the right to hit them? If everyone acted like you, what would this world become?"

"I... I'm sorry."

"It's fine, it's fine. For your grandpa's sake, I forgive you."

The child deliberately put on the air of a little grown-up.

Zhang Hongxing smiled at him, then led Lele and Wenwen out of the classroom.

Ms. Liu did not stop him.

"Grandpa, why did you lie just now?"

Before Zhang Hongxing could speak, Lele asked his question.

"Lele, Wenwen, sometimes there are things you can't tell other people. It was Grandpa's fault for not explaining that clearly before. But now I need to tell you: you mustn't tell anyone outside our family about things like Grandpa taking you to the moon.

"If you do, it might lead to bad consequences, just like what happened today."

"But Grandpa, doesn't our teacher tell us we mustn't lie?"

Wenwen looked at Zhang Hongxing in confusion.

"Wenwen, your teacher is certainly right, but our family is different from other families. If you tell people about some of the unusual things in our family, they'll only think you're lying. In the end, that might lead to something like what happened today. If that's the case, would you still want to tell the truth?"

"I..."

"I'll still tell the truth, but I won't hit anyone again. If other people don't believe me, that's their business. As long as I know I'm telling the truth, that's enough."

While Wenwen was still hesitating, Lele spoke with conviction. His answer made Zhang Hongxing's eyes light up.

He had never expected his grandson to possess such a pure heart.

If someone like that embarked on the path of cultivation, his achievements would surely be immeasurable.

Even if he never took up cultivation, his future accomplishments would certainly be far from ordinary.

"Good, Lele. You truly are my wonderful grandson."

"Grandpa, didn't you say we sometimes shouldn't tell the truth?"

Seeing Lele praised only made Wenwen more confused.

"Sweet Wenwen, even Grandpa doesn't know how to explain that question to you. When you're a little older, you'll understand.

"But there's one thing you must always remember. Whatever problems you face in the future, you can always come to Grandpa. Grandpa will always stand firmly behind you.

"All right, that's enough for today. Hurry back to class."

"Okay. Goodbye, Grandpa."

"Goodbye, Grandpa!"

Lele and Wenwen headed toward the classroom one after the other, while Ms. Liu came over alone.

"Mr. Zhang, forgive me for asking, but are the things Lele and Wenwen said really true?"

"Since you already have your suspicions, Ms. Liu, why ask?"

"Then, Mr. Zhang, doesn't that mean you're..."

"Ah, some things are best kept to yourself, Ms. Liu. I'm sorry for the trouble, but I'll have to ask you to keep looking after Lele and Wenwen."

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Hongxing nodded, turned, and left. Behind him, Ms. Liu's gaze lingered for a long time. At that moment, she felt deeply conflicted.

As a teacher, she too did not believe in anything beyond science.

Yet Zhang Hongxing's appearance had shattered her understanding of the world.

The Maglev Research Center, Xinzhou City.

Pan Qiwu gathered all the researchers involved in maglev technology together.

"Everyone, most of us were trained by Professor Yang. Even those who weren't worked alongside the professor for over a year. We all know how much effort Professor Yang put into keeping this research center afloat.

"Now, a group led by Huang Sheng wants to hand the research center over to someone who knows absolutely nothing about scientific research.

"How can we possibly agree to that?"

"Exactly. We can't agree to this."

"Right. We have to fight back."

"This is already causing an uproar online. As long as we unite and issue a joint statement, I believe the higher-ups won't dare take forceful action against us."

Looking at the outraged crowd, Pan Qiwu felt a surge of excitement.

With so many researchers working together toward the same goal, he believed the outcome would surely go the way he wanted.

But just as he was about to raise his arm and rally everyone to sign their names and record a protest video, a deeply familiar figure suddenly walked in.

"P-Professor Yang!"

"Professor Yang, what brings you here?"

"Professor Yang, you must be here to join our protest too, right?"

Professor Yang's appearance surprised everyone. Pan Qiwu, standing at the front, widened his eyes in particular. He had not informed the professor about today's gathering.

Somehow, he even felt a faint sense of foreboding.

"Xiao Wu, oh, Xiao Wu. Only today have I finally realized that I've underestimated you all along!"