I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 25 – Bird Vein

“…Special interest? Uncle Pang wants to take you as his disciple.”

Senior Sister Zhang seemed oblivious to his implication and simply explained.

“Take me as a disciple? Didn’t I already refuse?”

Zheng Fa frowned. This wasn’t the first time Uncle Pang’s faction had made this proposal.

Previously, Sun Daoyu had brought up the same thing.

He had refused back then.

His reason was simple—he belonged to a different faction. If he switched to Uncle Pang’s side, he’d be caught in an awkward position, neither fully accepted nor trusted.

“This time, when exchanging The Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Technique for the Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo Tears, Uncle Pang brought it up again.”

Zheng Fa replied firmly, “Senior Sister Zhang, I have no intention of becoming Uncle Pang’s disciple… You were the one who introduced me to the sect.”

His situation within Senior Sister Zhang’s faction was improving.

She valued him.

Senior Sister Yuan also had a good relationship with him.

He was thriving in the market district.

He had strong backing above and growing support below.

Only an idiot would switch sides now.

But what he didn’t expect was that Senior Sister Zhang actually shook her head and spoke up on behalf of Uncle Pang. “This time, Uncle Pang is making a very sincere offer.”

“Sincere?”

“Why have you refused him before?”

“I owe Senior Sister Zhang a great debt of gratitude.”

“The Five Elemental Sub-Talismans have already repaid that debt.” Her tone softened slightly. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“Senior Sister, everyone in the sect knows that Uncle Pang favors Senior Brother Zhou the most.” Zheng Fa thought for a moment and spoke honestly. “If I join his faction, I’ll just end up beneath Senior Brother Zhou.”

“Uncle Pang said that if you become his disciple, he will treat you as his sole personal disciple,” Senior Sister Zhang looked directly at him, speaking seriously. “That means all his resources will be directed toward you—including some materials that can help you reach the Nascent Soul stage.”

Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned.

Now he understood why Senior Sister Zhang said Uncle Pang was being sincere this time.

For a Nascent Soul cultivator to say something like this—it was no empty promise.

Even if he forgot, Senior Sister Zhang would certainly remember.

“Think it over carefully…”

“Senior Sister Zhang, are you saying…” Zheng Fa looked up, meeting her eyes.

“I won’t stop you.” She gazed at him meaningfully. “This is the sincerity of a Nascent Soul cultivator.”

Zheng Fa was silent for a moment, his expression gradually shifting into understanding.

As he walked away, Senior Sister Yuan emerged from behind the building.

“Senior Sister, are you really… willing to let Junior Brother Zheng leave for their faction?”

“It’s not about willingness. Uncle Pang is using an open scheme.” Senior Sister Zhang rubbed her temples, looking troubled.

“Huh?”

“Uncle Pang can provide Zheng Fa with resources that will directly allow him to reach the Nascent Soul stage. Can I?” She let out a wry smile. “I already begged Master, but Master refused.”

Senior Sister Yuan was silent.

“If I force him to stay now using personal loyalty, what about the future?” Senior Sister Zhang sighed. “Even if he stays, it might create a rift between us. When he reaches the stage of forming his Nascent Soul and finds himself lacking materials, he might end up resenting me.”

“But maybe Junior Brother Zheng is willing to stay?” Senior Sister Yuan suggested optimistically.

“This is the sincerity of a Nascent Soul cultivator,” Senior Sister Zhang repeated.

“Senior Sister…?”

“Junior Sister Yuan, if Uncle Pang is this sincere but still doesn’t get what he wants, don’t you think he might see Junior Brother Zheng as ungrateful?”

“You mean… Uncle Pang would suppress Zheng Fa?” Senior Sister Yuan finally understood.

“A Nascent Soul cultivator’s displeasure—even without actively suppressing him—how could Zheng Fa, just a Qi Refining disciple, possibly bear the consequences?” Senior Sister Zhang turned her gaze toward the Seventh Peak of Jiushan Sect, a rare look of frustration on her face.

What she didn’t notice was that Senior Sister Yuan was also looking toward Jiushan’s peaks, her expression thoughtful.

—

A few days later, Zheng Fa sat in his study, still pondering over the matter.

To be honest, he really didn’t want to join Uncle Pang’s faction.

Sure, they had spirit materials.

But that was the only advantage.

That faction wouldn’t truly welcome him.

The rivalry between the two factions had lasted this long—if he suddenly went from being their former opponent to Uncle Pang’s favorite disciple, how would his new “senior brothers” look at him?

Besides, no matter how well he and Senior Sister Zhang got along, once he formally became Uncle Pang’s disciple, their relationship would inevitably suffer. He had seen firsthand how strained the two factions were.

Senior Sister Zhang and Uncle Pang weren’t at the point of outright fighting each other, but they were certainly not on good terms. There was always some competition between them.

His comfortable, carefree life in Senior Sister Zhang’s faction had barely begun.

If he went to Uncle Pang’s faction, he’d surely get dragged into power struggles again.

Just the thought of it felt exhausting.

At heart, he would rather spend his time exploring the mysteries of cultivation than getting entangled in endless political battles.

But if he refused… did he really think a Nascent Soul cultivator would just let it slide?

Uncle Pang’s approach felt a little coercive.

To outsiders, it might seem like an incredible honor.

A Nascent Soul cultivator lowering himself to personally offer a disciple position? Most people would be flattered.

But Zheng Fa didn’t like the idea of having no choice just because a Nascent Soul cultivator said so.

Bang bang bang!

The courtyard gate was suddenly pounded on, accompanied by Senior Sister Yuan’s urgent voice.

“Junior Brother Zheng, open the door!”

“Senior Sister Yuan?”

“Come with me!”

She grabbed Zheng Fa and started pulling him outside.

“Senior Sister, what’s going on?”

“There’s something urgent!”

As they rushed forward, she suddenly transformed into a massive Qingluan.

“Senior Sister?”

“What are you waiting for? Get on!”

Zheng Fa climbed onto the Qingluan’s back. With a powerful flap of its wings, it soared into the sky, heading straight for Jiushan’s peaks.

“Where are we going, Senior Sister?”

“To see the Sect Master!”

“Sect Master?”

“I recommended you to the Sect Master!” Senior Sister Yuan sounded both proud and eager for credit. “I had to talk my mouth dry before he agreed to see you!”

Good heavens!

His Bird Vein was really something!

“Senior Sister… how many Nascent Soul cultivators does our Jiushan Sect have? Why are there only two main factions?”

“Nascent Soul cultivators? Just three.” While flying, Senior Sister Yuan explained, “Uncle Pang, Senior Sister Zhang’s master—Master Huang—and the Sect Master.”

“As for why there are only two factions… that’s because all of the Sect Master’s disciples are dead. There’s no one left in his faction!”

“…”

Zheng Fa’s eyes widened.

The Sect Master was that deadly to his disciples?!

“So, Senior Sister, what exactly did you recommend me for?”

“I told the Sect Master that you’d be the perfect disciple for him!”

That… didn’t sound like a good omen.

“Why would you say that?”

“Because you’re just like him—you’re a coward!”

“…”

Senior Sister Yuan flew at an incredible speed.

In no time, they arrived at the Ninth Peak of Jiushan Sect, where the Sect Master resided.

This place looked familiar—Zheng Fa had been here before when he first met the Jiushan Ancestor.

But this time, Senior Sister Yuan brought him to a location halfway up the Ninth Peak, a place he hadn’t been before.

“This is it?”

Zheng Fa stared at the simple grass hut in front of him.

The Sect Master of Jiushan Sect lived here?

This was way too modest.

Senior Sister Yuan nodded, then pointed to the slightly open door, signaling him to go in.

Zheng Fa walked up and gently knocked on the wooden door.

“Come in.”

Zheng Fa pushed the door open, and to his surprise, the inside was unexpectedly spacious—or rather, it was a whole different world.

In front of him were interwoven pathways and vast rice fields stretching endlessly.

Outside, it was still daytime, but in this world, the sky had already turned dark, speckled with starlight.

A carriage raced through the night, speeding along the road.

“Zheng Fa?”

A voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

He turned his head and saw an elderly man with white hair and beard, yet with a childlike face, standing behind him.

“Sect Master?” Zheng Fa bowed respectfully.

“What do you think of this place?”

The Sect Master gestured toward the scenery before them, a hint of pride in his tone.

“Is this all real?”

To be honest, Zheng Fa couldn’t detect any flaws. It felt real, yet he had the sense that it shouldn’t exist in this form.

“It’s fake.” The Sect Master waved his hand.

Suddenly, black-clad assassins emerged from the rice fields at his feet.

They completely ignored Zheng Fa and the Sect Master, rushing forward with drawn swords to attack the carriage.

The carriage driver, as if expecting the ambush, pulled out a blade and fought fiercely against the attackers. The battle erupted in an intense clash of steel, echoing through the fields.

Zheng Fa: …What in the world is happening?

When he turned his head, he saw that the Sect Master was watching with great enthusiasm.

“Sit.” The Sect Master pointed at a cushion at Zheng Fa’s feet, motioning for him to sit down and watch. “That noisy bird’s been giving me a headache these past few days. I haven’t even had time to properly enjoy my personal world.”

“Personal world?”

Zheng Fa was taken aback.

“Just wait and see! This story is thrilling! Those assassins will kill the carriage driver, then slaughter the woman inside, but they’ll overlook the baby hidden under the carriage! Twenty years later, that child will return for revenge!” The Sect Master gleefully spoiled the entire plot.

This story sounded… oddly familiar.

“I adapted it from one of the most popular novels in the mortal world right now!”

Good heavens… so you have a director’s dream too?!

“I’ve heard about you. You’ve done well.” The Sect Master suddenly said, his tone more serious. “Uncle Pang and Senior Niece Zhang are both pillars of Jiushan Sect. Since they value you, I also trust your ability and talent.”

“…The Sect Master overpraises me.”

“But I don’t want to take in any more disciples.”

The Sect Master suddenly declared.

“…”

Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned.

He had just been… rejected?

“All my previous disciples died one by one…” The Sect Master sighed.

“…My condolences.”

Zheng Fa thought he understood—after experiencing the pain of losing so many disciples, the Sect Master simply couldn’t bear to go through it again.

It was completely understandable.

“But after they all died, I finally got a thousand years of peace!”

“…Huh?”

Zheng Fa looked up in shock.

“Taking in disciples is a hassle! Whenever they cause trouble, I have to come out of seclusion to clean up their mess.”

“Every time I leave the sect, it’s terrifying. The Xuanwei Realm has always been chaotic, and now it’s worse than ever.”

Zheng Fa stared at the Sect Master, thinking—Where’s the grief?

This… wasn’t quite the reaction he had expected.

“When my master made me Sect Master, I kept saying I didn’t want the job. But Senior Sister Huang and Uncle Pang kept fighting over it, and if one of them took over, Jiushan Sect would’ve split in two. I was the only choice.

“So, I threw Administrative Hall to Senior Sister Huang, gave Disciplinary Hall to Uncle Pang, and let them do their own thing while I just sought peace and quiet.”

“Then they told me to take in disciples. For what? The world’s spiritual energy is already this bad—why bring in new disciples just to suffer? Haven’t we suffered enough?”

The Sect Master sighed. “I just want to stay in Jiushan Sect, go nowhere, and enjoy my private dream world. Why is that so difficult?!”

Zheng Fa looked at this pro-level hermit, this advocate for cultivation world birth control policies.

This old man… was meant to be his master!

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