I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Chapter 57: The Luan Returns

Morning.

Zheng Fa walked into the Seventh Young Master’s study, arms laden with papers covered in talisman diagrams.

Bathed in the early sunlight, the Seventh Young Master sat slouched at his desk, disheveled and drowsy. His hair was a mess, his face unwashed, and his head nodded as he fought off sleep. Compared to the refined and tidy image he’d presented when they first met, he now looked utterly unkempt.

Hearing Zheng Fa’s footsteps, the Young Master remained oblivious, sleeping so soundly that a thin strand of drool was threatening to drop onto an open talisman diagram on the desk.

Zheng Fa placed the stack of papers in front of him with a soft thud.

The sound startled the Young Master awake. He slowly raised his head, squinting at Zheng Fa and the new pile of diagrams.

“What’s this?” he mumbled groggily.

“Today’s task,” Zheng Fa replied with a warm, almost angelic smile.

The Young Master nervously stretched out a hand, pinching the edge of the stack to gauge its thickness. His eyes widened in horror. “Why does this pile look even bigger than yesterday’s?”

“You were just starting out a few days ago, so I eased you into it with smaller tasks,” Zheng Fa explained gently. “But now it’s time for the real training to begin.”

“Eased me into it?” The Young Master’s voice was filled with disbelief. “I’ve been sleeping two hours a day, drowning in talisman diagrams the moment I open my eyes, and you call that easing into it? I’m about to collapse!”

Zheng Fa shook his head. The Sea of Diagrams tactic was undoubtedly harsh, especially for someone like the Young Master, who had never experienced rigorous study. But with only two months to prepare, there was no choice.

The diagrams weren’t randomly selected.

While Zheng Fa had no intention of sharing Old Bai’s notebook—a lesson learned from the trouble caused by Linghe Body—he couldn’t ignore the need to impart some of its methods to the Young Master. To bridge the gap, he studied the techniques in the notebook himself, then curated diagrams with similar traits to reinforce those techniques through practice.

This approach mirrored the concept of targeted training in modern education. Though more labor-intensive for Zheng Fa, it was safer and helped deepen his understanding of the material.

“I’m done! Not doing this anymore!” The Young Master pushed his desk away and stood up.

Zheng Fa wasn’t surprised. The fact that the Young Master had lasted this long was already impressive.

“Really not studying anymore?” Zheng Fa asked calmly.

“Not a chance!” The Young Master shook his head vehemently.

“Alright.” Zheng Fa turned to Gao Yuan. “Bring me the box.”

“Got it!” Gao Yuan exclaimed eagerly, scampering off and returning with a long, rectangular box.

“What’s that?” The Young Master blinked in confusion.

“Two days ago, Steward Wu delivered an artifact entrusted to me by the Madam,” Zheng Fa said in a grave tone as he accepted the box.

“An artifact?” The Young Master was utterly baffled.

Zheng Fa opened the box and pulled out a long rattan stick with a red silk ribbon tied around it.

“Why does that look so familiar?” The Young Master frowned in thought.

“The Madam bestowed this upon me and named it the Rattan of Royal Authority,” Zheng Fa said, his tone reverent. “Steward Wu told me that if the Young Master ever abandoned his studies, this rattan would serve as the Madam’s will.” His smile turned even gentler as he added, “I have her permission to strike first and question later.”

“I remember now!” The Young Master suddenly exclaimed. “That’s what my mother used to threaten me with when I was a kid!”

“Good memory, Young Master!”

As Zheng Fa approached with the rattan in hand, the Young Master’s expression grew increasingly panicked. “Stop! My mother only used it to scare me—she never actually hit me!”

“That’s correct,” Zheng Fa said with a nod. “The Madam did mention that she couldn’t bear to see you cry or hear your wails. That’s why she entrusted the rattan to me.” He swished the stick in the air. “She won’t hear or see a thing this time.”

The Young Master froze for a moment, then plopped back into his chair with a look of utter obedience. “Fine! I’ll study! Don’t hit me!”

...

Watching the Young Master bury his head in the diagrams, Gao Yuan sighed regretfully.

“What’s wrong?” Zheng Fa asked.

“The Young Master’s so spineless,” Gao Yuan muttered, clearly disappointed that the rattan hadn’t been used.

“I can hear you,” the Young Master growled, glaring at him.

Gao Yuan covered his mouth, looking sheepish.

The Young Master squinted at Gao Yuan for a moment before suddenly smirking. “You know, Gao Yuan, I think you’ve got some talent for talisman study too. How about joining me?”

“No thanks!” Gao Yuan waved his hands frantically. “I don’t need that kind of blessing!”

The Young Master looked between Gao Yuan and Zheng Fa, grumbling, “You’re all smug now, but with the lot of you conspiring against me, my days are doomed to darkness!”

Suddenly, the room dimmed.

“Huh?” The Young Master blinked, startled. “Did I just will that into existence? In that case, I demand instant enlightenment and mastery of talismans!”

“Look outside, Young Master!” Gao Yuan pointed to the window.

“What’s out there?”

Both the Young Master and Zheng Fa turned to look.

A massive bird, as large as the courtyard, soared overhead. Its expansive wings blocked out the sunlight, casting the room into shadow.

The bird’s body was covered in shimmering blue-green feathers, with streaks of fiery red plumage along the edges of its wings and tail, creating the illusion of a streak of flame slicing through the sky.

“A Qingluan!” The Young Master leaped to his feet. “My sister’s back!”

He began waving his arms frantically at the sky. “Sister! Sister! Save me! Please save me!”

...

On the Qingluan’s back, two girls stood—one in red at the front and the other in blue behind her.

The girl in red craned her neck, looking down at the sprawling Zhao family estate. She pointed excitedly. “That’s my home!”

“There’s my courtyard—it even has a little fish pond! I fell into it once when I was little.”

“That small building over there is my mother’s. She loves listening to those old-fashioned operas. I used to hate visiting her there.”

“And that yard we just passed? That’s my brother’s. It looks like it’s been renovated with a little garden now.”

The girl in blue, wearing a simple Daoist robe, listened to her companion’s animated chatter and asked softly, “You’ve been away for ten years, yet you remember everything so clearly?”

The girl in red smiled sheepishly. “When I first went to Qingmu Sect, I dreamed about home every night. Eventually, I drew it all out so I wouldn’t forget. I’d look at those drawings whenever I missed it. Not much has changed in ten years.”

The blue-robed girl smiled at her warmly. “Just now, someone was waving at us from that courtyard and shouting ‘Sister.’ Was that your brother?”

“No way!” the girl in red replied firmly. “That looked like an unkempt, haggard scholar—not my brother.”

Seeing her companion’s puzzled expression, she explained, “You don’t know what my brother’s like. He’s vain and lazy.

“One time, I gave him a light beating—it wasn’t even serious. He could’ve healed in a day, but he spent three months in bed just to avoid going to school. My mother spoiled him terribly. He’s probably even worse now!”

“...People can change in ten years,” the blue-robed girl suggested.

“Maybe—if he were possessed by some ancient monster. But what ancient monster would be so blind as to pick my brother?”

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