I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2. Chapter 150: The Intentions of the Demon Race, Qianhe’s Secret Technique

Zheng Fa looked at Zhenren Qian in front of him.

In his memory, this person had a slightly chubby build, but now his face had thinned noticeably—it looked like things hadn’t been going well for him these past few days.

The disciples behind him didn’t show visible injuries, but their expressions were filled with panic. Clearly, they had been through some catastrophe.

He glanced around. Some Jiushan Sect disciples were already watching from a distance. These disciples didn’t know about the demon race attacking the mountain, so it clearly wasn’t appropriate to talk about this in public.

Zheng Fa helped Zhenren Qian up and said, “Zhenren Qian, let’s talk inside.”

The group walked into Zheng Fa’s courtyard.

After Zhenren Qian had freshened up, his expression looked a bit calmer.

Only then did Zheng Fa ask in detail, “The Qianhe Sect was attacked by the demon race? How come I never heard about this?”

Zheng Fa’s expression tensed slightly. He exchanged a glance with Senior Sister Zhang, and both of them saw the worry in each other’s eyes.

“When did this happen?”

“Just two days ago,” Zhenren Qian explained in detail, “the day before yesterday, Zhenren Fufeng of the Spirit Beast Sect came to visit, said he wanted to purchase some Yellow Sprout Rice…”

“Spirit Beast Sect?” Zheng Fa frowned slightly. “Didn’t you hear that the Spirit Beast Sect might be colluding with the Great Freedom Demonic Sect?”

“We heard… but no one did anything about it, right?” Zhenren Qian said bitterly. “Besides, the Spirit Beast Sect is a Nascent Soul-level sect. Our Qianhe Sect is just a small sect…”

Zheng Fa fell silent at that.

This was yet another flaw in the Hundred Immortals Alliance’s system—

Even though Jiushan Sect had already informed all sects that Profound Tortoise Elder of the Spirit Beast Sect was a spy from the Demonic Sect,

the Spirit Beast Sect immediately made a show of severing ties righteously—they claimed they were victims too!

Besides, spies from the Demonic Sect were everywhere, it’s just that the Spirit Beast Sect’s spy had gotten further.

Whether people believed it or not wasn’t the issue. The problem was no one wanted to offend the Spirit Beast Sect—after all, Profound Tortoise Elder only screwed over Jiushan Sect, right?

Ultimately, it was because Zhenren Tongming didn’t usually manage affairs, and each sect in the Hundred Immortals Alliance had its own agenda. No one wanted to be the one sticking their neck out.

“I actually… tried to warn the Sect Master,” Zhenren Qian said with another bitter smile, “but the Sect Master said our Qianhe Sect is just a small farming sect. We’re dirt poor, what could the Demonic Sect possibly want from us?”

“……”

Honestly, that even sounded somewhat reasonable.

“And then?”

“Later, Zhenren Fufeng somehow figured out the key point of our Qianhe Sect’s grand formation and collaborated with the demon race from within and without, attacking our sect…” at this point, Zhenren Qian let out another bitter laugh, “I’m not trying to belittle ourselves, but I actually saw a Nascent Soul demon king… Our Qianhe Sect’s highest cultivation is only at the Golden Core level. For them to go through all that effort… it’s just…”

“For what?”

Zheng Fa also felt some sympathy. This really was a meaningless death.

“What happened after that?”

“I’m only at Foundation Establishment. I could only escape with these disciples. We didn’t run into any major demons along the way…”

“How do you know there’s no one left from your sect?”

“Our Qianhe Sect has a few hidden spots. If disaster strikes, everyone is supposed to regroup there… I checked around and didn’t see a single person.”

Zheng Fa nodded lightly. He still had some doubts about the Qianhe Sect’s annihilation, but he didn’t ask further for now. Instead, he asked:

“So, Zhenren Qian, why have you come to me?”

Zhenren Qian dropped to his knees with a thud and knelt in front of Zheng Fa again, eyes red and voice choked with sobs as he said:

“My Qianhe Sect suffered such a catastrophe. I hope your sect, in the name of our alliance within the Hundred Immortals, will avenge the lives of our hundred-some people! Take back our sect’s land!”

As he spoke, two lines of tears streamed from Zhenren Qian’s eyes.

“Our Qianhe Sect has always been cautious, always afraid of offending powerful enemies. Who knew that in one day, only I and these disciples would be left… it’s just too…”

He seemed unable to go on and began to wail.

Zheng Fa couldn’t bear it. He also felt a pang of guilt—mainly because he suspected this might somehow be related to Jiushan Sect.

But…

“Zhenren Qian, this is no small matter. I can’t decide this on my own,” Zheng Fa said frankly. “Allow me to discuss with my senior sister and martial uncle. For now, rest in my courtyard for a while. Would that be alright with you?”

Zhenren Qian quickly replied, “Of course! As long as Zhenren Zheng doesn’t mind our intrusion.”

…

Zheng Fa led the group to the guest rooms to settle them in. He exchanged a glance with Senior Sister Zhang and Martial Uncle Huang, and the three silently walked into Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard.

Senior Sister Zhang threw out a few sound-isolation talismans, cutting off all noise between the inside and outside of the courtyard.

Martial Uncle Huang spoke up right away: “We can’t go! This was aimed at us.”

She wasn’t lacking in cleverness—she just didn’t understand all the new theories Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang were always talking about.

But she could clearly see something fishy was going on.

Zheng Fa nodded and said:

“Just as Zhenren Qian said, their Qianhe Sect wasn’t worth all this trouble. What the demon race did feels like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken.”

“Also, that group of people was always so cautious, yet they somehow didn’t realize these folks had escaped?”

Ever since Zheng Fa’s divine sense had advanced, he knew just how sharp the senses of a post-Golden Core cultivator could be.

Not to brag, but people like Zhenren Qian wouldn’t be able to escape him, even if they tried.

Not to mention, a Nascent Soul demon king?

What kind of joke was that?

“They probably knew that our Jiushan Sect and Qianhe Sect are close, and that Zhenren Qian was one of their key figures. If he was going to seek help, Jiushan Sect would be his first stop,” Zheng Fa said.

The other two nodded as well—they had clearly thought of this too.

“There’s something else,” Senior Sister Zhang said slowly, “two days ago, Zhenren Fufeng visited Qianhe Sect. That same day, was also when Martial Uncle Pang met with Zhenren Tongming.”

At those words, even Zheng Fa was speechless. After a long pause, he muttered angrily, “…this Hundred Immortals Alliance is like a sieve!”

Martial Uncle Huang was confused. “You two mean, this was targeting Zhenren Tongming?”

“Very likely…” Zheng Fa sighed. “Zhenren Tongming hadn’t even come down the mountain yet, and Qianhe Sect was already wiped out. There’s even the Spirit Beast Sect’s involvement… We went through so much trouble to secretly capture that demon race spy and kept it quiet for so long, and yet the news still leaked from Tongming Mountain…”

Senior Sister Zhang’s face didn’t look good either.

Before, they had a slight advantage: they’d caught a demon spy and learned that Great Sage Qingyun planned to attack the mountain.

The demon race and Demonic Sect likely didn’t know this.

But the moment Martial Uncle Pang went up Tongming Mountain, the enemy made a move.

That could only mean someone on Tongming Mountain wasn’t trustworthy. That someone could even access Zhenren Tongming…

“And besides, Zhenren Tongming belongs to the entire Hundred Immortals Alliance, not just Jiushan Sect…”

Martial Uncle Huang finally understood.

“You’re worried that the other sects will panic and also start asking Zhenren Tongming for help?”

“Say no more, just dealing with the Spirit Beast Sect is enough of a headache for Zhenren Tongming,” Zheng Fa shook his head.

He had a feeling… Jiushan Sect had pushed the Great Freedom Demonic Sect too far this time.

Not only did they bring out Great Sage Qingyun,

they even got the Spirit Beast Sect to openly turn traitor...

Whether or not the Spirit Beast Sect was a traitor, they were still a full-fledged Nascent Soul sect, one of the nine major sects in the Hundred Immortals Alliance, with countless entanglements within the alliance.

Their spirit beast business had been booming for years—who knows how many they’d sold, or how many connections they’d made through those beasts.

Everyone’s tolerance of them before probably had a lot to do with not wanting to risk hitting a rat for fear of breaking the dishes...

Now that they weren’t even pretending anymore, Zhenren Tongming must be having a hard time.

“An open scheme…” Senior Sister Zhang shook her head. “Whether we go to Qianhe Sect or not, this news can’t be hidden from Zhenren Tongming and the rest of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.”

Zheng Fa also felt helpless: “At the end of the day, it’s because Jiushan Sect isn’t strong enough—we don’t have a Soul Formation cultivator of our own.”

“That’s why we mustn’t let ourselves be led around by the nose!”

Senior Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa seriously.

“Senior Sister, I understand…” Zheng Fa gave a small laugh. “You’re giving me too much credit…”

“She’s just afraid you’ll do something stupid!”

Martial Uncle Huang rolled her eyes from the side.

…

“Zhenren Qian, on this matter, it is Jiushan Sect that owes your sect an apology!” As soon as he saw Zhenren Qian, Zheng Fa bowed deeply and said, “The catastrophe that befell your Qianhe Sect… I fear it may have been caused by our Jiushan Sect.”

“Huh?”

Zhenren Qian was stunned.

Zhenren Huang behind him rolled her eyes—it was clear her disciple had been right. This Zheng Fa really was a bit naive.

“This… what do you mean by that?”

Zhenren Qian looked a little lost.

Since Zheng Fa had spoken up, he didn’t hold anything back and told him about Great Sage Qingyun.

After hearing it, Zhenren Qian’s face turned pale: “We… were deliberately let go?”

“Very likely…” Zheng Fa said. “Those demons were probably aiming for Jiushan Sect all along.”

Zhenren Qian’s expression shifted as he processed it all.

Truthfully, the reason Zheng Fa was willing to be this honest was because there was no hiding it—what, were the demons going to keep secrets for Jiushan Sect?

As the conflict escalated, the truth would come out eventually.

Might as well lay it bare from the start.

“Then… what does your sect plan to do?”

Zhenren Qian’s tone had grown somber.

“I’m sorry… this isn’t just Qianhe Sect’s calamity—it’s also a life-or-death crisis for Jiushan Sect. I can’t act rashly,” Zheng Fa said. “But I will send a message to Martial Uncle Pang, and have him inform Zhenren Tongming.”

“Zhenren Tongming…” A glimmer of hope flashed across Zhenren Qian’s face, but then he shook his head again, looking discouraged. “I’m afraid Zhenren Tongming wouldn’t even spare us a glance…”

It sounded self-deprecating, but it wasn’t wrong.

Zhenren Qian mulled it over for a while, then suddenly knelt again, lifting a jade tube with both hands and offering it to Zheng Fa: “Inside are all of Qianhe Sect’s secret techniques for cultivating spiritual plants. I offer them to your sect!”

“Hmm?”

Zheng Fa was momentarily dazed, unsure of his intentions.

“I only ask that you find a place where I and my disciples can live and find stability.”

“You mean?”

“I hope your sect will take us in!”

Zheng Fa fell silent for a moment—he hadn’t expected such a request.

To be honest—he was quite interested in Qianhe Sect’s secret techniques, but the request from Zhenren Qian came off rather abrupt.

“That’s your only request?”

“There’s one more thing…” Zhenren Qian suddenly looked up and stared at Zheng Fa. “I know Zhenren Zheng, your talent is extraordinary. If you achieve the Dao in the future, could you avenge the entire Qianhe Sect on our behalf?”

That sounded much more reasonable.

…

Zhenren Qian and his group were arranged to stay next to the Jiushan Sect disciples’ lodgings. Since they had just escaped death and were still on edge, Zheng Fa simply had them stay in a single courtyard.

That night.

Zhenren Qian was cultivating to heal when one of his disciples finally couldn’t hold it in and asked,

“Master… we’re just handing over the secret techniques like that?”

“Hmm?”

Zhenren Qian looked up at the disciple, then glanced at the others. All of them wore confused expressions.

“You think I gave them up too easily?”

“And now, aren’t we basically Jiushan Sect’s…”

“Silence!” Zhenren Qian snapped angrily, his face cold. “If you still think that way, I might as well kill you myself before you get us all killed!”

“…But…”

“What has Jiushan Sect ever done to wrong us? It’s the demon race that wronged us!” Zhenren Qian shouted. “You don’t have the guts to fight demons, and you’re blaming Jiushan Sect?”

“…But…”

“What kind of people are we? Our sect’s been destroyed, and we hold secret techniques—others might think we’ve got some hidden treasure from the sect…”

“So that’s why you were avoiding everyone along the way?”

“Of course. I’m just a lowly Foundation Establishment cultivator. Who could I possibly know of importance… Zheng Fa is the highest branch I could reach…”

“If any of you think this place isn’t good, you’re free to leave!”

“We wouldn’t dare…”

Seeing them quiet down, Zhenren Qian’s tone eased slightly: “It’s not like I chose randomly. Ever since that Jiushan Sect ‘theatrical performance’ came out, I’d been thinking…”

“……”

“At that time, my heart was still conflicted—I still had the Sect Master, my seniors and juniors behind me…”

“……”

The disciples looked at each other. Was he really saying… they ought to thank the demon race?

“Now think about it. We might’ve lost our secret techniques, but in return, we’ve gone from being people of Qianhe Sect to people of Jiushan Sect! Only I, your master, had that connection—and it just so happens the demon race is an enemy of Jiushan Sect. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been this easy!”

After being scolded, the disciples did seem to understand a little better. One of them said, “Master, I understand. From now on, I’ll think of myself as part of Jiushan Sect!”

“No…” A look of disappointment flashed across Zhenren Qian’s face. “What you need to do is behave like a die-hard Jiushan disciple, but always remember to say you’re avenging Qianhe Sect—be as angry and tragic as possible…”

“Master?”

“Remember, a widow who can’t forget her late husband is the most alluring… cough, I mean, everyone loves someone loyal and righteous,” Zhenren Qian reminded them.

“…Understood, Master!”

…

“Do you like widows?”

“Huh?”

Zheng Fa jerked his head up. He’d been discussing the newly acquired Qianhe secret techniques with Senior Sister Zhang, when she suddenly asked that out of nowhere, leaving him completely baffled.

Senior Sister Zhang shook her head and said, “That guy named Qian has some little schemes, but they’re harmless.”

Only then did Zheng Fa understand—Senior Sister Zhang didn’t fully trust that group.

But what did that have to do with widows?

Were there still people from Qianhe Sect alive?

Was the widow rich? Did she have more secret techniques?