I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 175: The New Jiushan Sect Favorite

Jingzhou City.

“Shan’er,” Zheng’s mother called out, “come quick, your brother’s sent another letter!”

In the courtyard, Zheng Fa’s little sister Zheng Shan took off running.

“Miss,” Huang Yu stood at the doorway, smiling as he looked at her, “have you finished the homework your brother gave you?”

“……”

Zheng Shan glanced up at the sky outside the door, eyes full of reluctance as if bidding farewell to her happiness. Head down, she slowly shuffled back into the courtyard.

Zheng Fa had left Jingzhou City for nearly two years now. Zheng Shan was almost eight, a full head taller than before. Her little round face was plump and healthy—it was obvious she’d been eating well.

“Why are you running? Later you’re writing back to your brother, and you’ll send the homework from the last letter along with it.”

Zheng Shan pouted, her gaze falling on the thick envelope in her mother’s hand, despair all over her face.

When her brother first left, she was truly heartbroken... cried for half a month straight.

He must’ve missed them too—he sent a letter less than a month after leaving. That first letter was given to Madam Zhao, who passed it on to their mother.

At first, she had been so happy to receive her brother’s letter...

But the happiness didn’t last long.

Inside the letter, her brother had included a test—just for her—and told her to send the answers back in the next reply.

She cried for another half a month...

From then on, she began what her brother called her correspondence course.

She never looked forward to his letters again.

“This letter’s thin.”

Probably sensing her resistance, Zheng’s mother said with a smile, “But Madam said she got one too. Here, read it to me.”

Zheng Shan took the letter, opened it, read it silently once through, and suddenly exclaimed, “Mom, Brother says he’s going to bring us to Jiushan Sect!”

“Huh?” Zheng’s mother lit up with joy, quickly asked, “Your brother said that? He’s coming to bring us?”

Zheng Shan nodded, “He said someone from Jiushan Sect will come soon.”

“Don’t get it wrong—read it from the beginning!”

Zheng’s mother was a bit overwhelmed with excitement.

Zheng Shan read the whole letter out loud, and only then did her mother fully believe it, her face bursting with happiness.

Zheng’s mother counted on her fingers, then said, “It’s been five hundred and fifty-three days since your brother left…”

Zheng Shan was stunned—she hadn’t expected her mother to remember so clearly.

“Finally, we’ll see your brother. I wonder if he’s lost weight, how he’s doing at Jiushan Sect…”

Listening to her mother murmur on, Zheng Shan’s expression shifted. She dropped the letter and bolted out the door.

“Where are you going?”

“To the academy!” Zheng Shan ran like the wind, not even turning her head. “My brother’s definitely going to test me when he sees me!”

“……”

The Zhao family had money. Their academy was large and well-staffed with many students.

Because Zheng Shan was a girl and still young, she only had to attend morning classes.

Older students also had afternoon lessons.

Her sudden dash into the academy drew quite a bit of attention—

Boys and girls studied different subjects at the Zhao academy, and etiquette demanded they be taught separately.

So all of Zheng Shan’s classmates were girls.

When the other girls saw her arrive, a few of the older ones gave her a look—cold and unfriendly.

Zheng Shan didn’t care about their stares. She pulled out her arithmetic book, circled the questions she got wrong, and headed toward the arithmetic teacher’s office.

As she walked past those girls, she heard a soft snort.

Zheng Shan was used to it by now—

Ever since she started at the academy, she had sensed the other girls subtly excluding her.

At first, she didn’t understand why.

Later, steward Huang Yu found out—those girls were all daughters of Zhao Family’s concubines, and they had always been at odds with the Seventh Young Master.

Since her brother was friends with the Seventh Young Master, of course she got lumped in with him.

Zheng Shan had been worried she might get bullied.

But eventually, she realized they only dared to whisper behind her back. Especially after Madam Zhao invited her mother to tea every month, those girls didn’t even dare talk anymore—they could only snort.

She studied hard every day just to finish her brother’s homework.

And yet those girls accused her of trying to suck up to the teacher, pretending to work hard for show.

She felt so wronged...

If she even dared slack on the homework, never mind her mother—Madam Zhao herself would go ask the teacher about it...

Who could survive that?!

Honestly, if she weren’t so busy, she might have cared what they thought.

But she really had no time...

…

Coming out of the teacher’s office, Zheng Shan noticed the academy was much more crowded than before—

All the students and teachers had come out.

They stood together, heads bowed respectfully, not a sound among them.

Zheng Shan blinked in surprise, then looked toward the front—

She was even more shocked.

All the masters of the Zhao household were present.

Madam Zhao stood at the front, beside a pale-faced man—probably the head of the Zhao family?

Zheng Shan had never seen him outside before.

Behind them stood the masters from the Second and Third branches, whom she had seen occasionally.

Standing in front of Madam Zhao was a stern-faced middle-aged man.

Zheng Shan recognized him—he was the regional governor who managed the area within a thousand-mile radius of Jingzhou City. Supposedly, he was also a disciple of an Immortal Sect.

The biggest big shot in all of Jingzhou City!

Could it be that the governor came to visit the Zhao family, so everyone was here to greet him?

That would make sense...

But Zheng Shan quickly dismissed that thought.

Even the governor had his head bowed, not daring to look ahead, his posture almost groveling.

Ahead of him stood a woman with a solemn expression, one who didn’t seem to know how to smile.

Her face was actually very beautiful—but her expression, the look in her eyes, made people afraid to even think about her looks.

“Zhenren, thank you for your visit. I’ve prepared some humble food and tea…”

Zheng Shan heard the governor say, his tone full of flattery and enthusiasm.

“No need. I’m from Jiushan Sect, and you’re from the Hundred Immortals Alliance…”

The governor’s face stiffened, but he didn’t dare say another word.

Everyone nearby could tell—this woman wasn’t someone easy to please, and she clearly had very high status. No one dared raise their heads.

The governor continued with a few more polite suggestions—

All flattery.

But the woman didn’t respond to any of it. After a while, her face even showed a trace of impatience, and the governor dared not say another word.

Everyone else held their breath, even their breathing was barely audible.

Zheng Shan was clever—it was obvious to her that this woman held an incredibly high status and didn’t seem all that friendly.

Ever since her brother left, their mother had repeatedly warned her not to cause trouble outside.

So now, she didn’t dare get close.

She hugged her book, lowered her head, and quietly tried to slip around the crowd and leave unnoticed.

But she had barely taken two steps when she felt several gazes fall on her. Her body stiffened.

Looking up, she found that the high-ranking woman was staring straight at her, her eyes full of thought.

Those girls who always had issues with her were now glancing sideways, grinning with schadenfreude, as if certain that she was in trouble.

“You’re surnamed Zheng?”

The woman suddenly spoke.

“Yes…”

Zheng Shan blinked. She had a hunch, then quickly answered.

Then, the woman who hadn’t cracked a smile even once while the governor groveled before her, suddenly smiled gently.

Everyone heard her say in a warm voice, “My surname is Huang. I’m your brother’s Martial Aunt. I’ve come to take you.”

The entire courtyard fell silent. All eyes were now fixed on Zheng Shan, though the meanings behind their gazes were too complicated for her young mind to understand.

The governor began sizing her up, his expression showing… a hint of fear?

Martial Aunt Huang stepped up to Zheng Shan, glanced at the book in her hands, and twitched her mouth slightly, as if remembering something.

She said coldly, “Your brother has no idea how cruel the world can be, leaving you and your mother here... Have you suffered any grievances these past two years? I’ll make it right for you!”

Her tone grew sharp by the end.

The governor, along with the entire Zhao family, turned deathly pale.

Zheng Shan looked toward those few girls—

They all had their heads lowered now, trying to shrink into the crowd.

“No matter who wronged me, you’d help me?”

Zheng Shan thought for a while, then asked.

The Zhao family head trembled and nearly lost his footing.

Martial Aunt Huang glanced at them coldly and nodded.

“My brother!”

“Hmm?”

“You’re my brother’s Martial Aunt… Could you please tell him to stop giving me tests…” Zheng Shan held up her arithmetic book with a pitiful face. “I can’t finish them all…”

“……”

“Your brother is the exception…”

Martial Aunt Huang was silent for a moment, then recalled the reports from Jiushan Sect. She muttered,

“The entire Jiushan Sect is practically being driven mad by your brother…”

“I can’t do anything about it…”

“……”

…

Martial Aunt Huang held Zheng Shan’s hand and led the group to join up with Martial Uncle Pang and the disciples he had brought.

Martial Uncle Pang had received several thousand disciples.

She, meanwhile, had brought tens of thousands who were related to the Jiushan Sect.

“Huang Junior Sister!”

Martial Uncle Pang looked at her, his gaze falling on Zheng Shan’s face with clear excitement.

“What did you just call me?”

Martial Aunt Huang’s lips curled into a half-smile.

“…Senior Sister Huang! And this is…”

“Zheng Fa’s younger sister.”

Martial Aunt Huang pointed at Martial Uncle Pang and said to Zheng Shan, “This is also your brother’s Martial Uncle. Hmm… a sly one, but treats disciples well.”

Perhaps because of the “Senior Sister,” Martial Aunt Huang actually offered a rare compliment.

Martial Uncle Pang looked a bit touched and turned his gaze toward the still-confused Zheng Shan.

He rummaged around in his robes and pulled out a crystal-clear treasure pearl, smiling broadly as he handed it to her.

Zheng Shan looked up at Martial Uncle Pang’s beaming face, unsure what to do.

“A little meeting gift, not worth much,” Martial Uncle Pang said with a grin. “Just take it and play with it.”

The Jiushan disciples behind them twitched their mouths.

Their gazes toward that pearl were burning with desire—

That thing was a real magical artifact!

One that stabilized the mind and aided in cultivation.

You wouldn’t get it for less than 300 spirit stones at the market!

Zheng Shan looked to Martial Aunt Huang.

Martial Aunt Huang nodded.

Only then did Zheng Shan take the pearl and thank Martial Uncle Pang sweetly.

…

“This child doesn’t have a Dao Body, but she has a single Wood Spiritual Root—good aptitude.”

Martial Aunt Huang transmitted via voice as she watched Zheng Shan playing with the pearl.

“And I asked along the way—Zheng Fa has been personally teaching her these past two years. Her foundations are excellent…”

As Martial Uncle Pang listened, his mouth couldn’t help curling up higher and higher, like he was trying not to burst out laughing.

“If it weren’t for Wuyi, there’s no way this child would’ve gone to you...”

“Senior Sister!” Martial Uncle Pang said, “In the future, when Jiushan has three Nascent Souls, you’ll be the Senior Sister among us!”

“What about the Sect Master?”

“That guy steals disciples—how can he compare to you, who actually gives them? Peh!”

“……”