I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 57: Disconnected

Lin Bufan was fairly content with his life in Jiushan Sect.

No fleeing, no fighting for survival—just a peaceful existence with cheap Yellow Sprout Rice to eat.

Compared to his old life, this was practically luxury.

A New Routine

Early in the morning, Lin Bufan stepped out of his courtyard, making his way toward the valley.

His new master, Zheng Fa, currently lived at Senior Sister Zhang’s residence.

But because Lin Bufan was from the Demonic Path, it wasn’t appropriate for him to stay there—it would have caused too much controversy.

So, Zheng Fa had arranged for him to live in the original courtyard he once occupied.

Living alone was more comfortable anyway.

As he walked, he passed a few patrolling disciples—the same ones who had once chased him down.

Their expressions were strange—a mix of wariness and cautious respect.

The wariness made sense—after all, he was a former member of the Great Freedom Demon Sect.

But the respect?

Lin Bufan glanced toward Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard—

It was probably because of his new master.

A Powerful Patron

The longer he stayed in Jiushan Sect, the more he understood—

Zheng Fa’s name carried immense weight.

He had unknowingly latched onto a true powerhouse.

At the very least—

No one in Jiushan Sect dared to bully him openly anymore.

And as someone who had once been a prisoner, who had given up his Soul Seal, and whose life was no longer his own—

This was already the best outcome he could hope for.

Lin Bufan had only one real goal now—

Stay alive.

Train diligently.

Wait for an opportunity to avenge his uncle.

As for other ambitions?

Ever since his uncle died, and ever since he realized Jiushan Sect wasn’t some paradise, he had stopped expecting too much from life.

Especially when it came to Zheng Fa.

Inside the Study

When Lin Bufan arrived at Senior Sister Zhang’s residence, he found Zheng Fa inside the study, completely immersed in his work.

Atop the desk, he saw a small, shallow dish.

Inside—fresh blood.

Zheng Fa’s silver eyes glowed faintly, his entire focus locked on the blood within the dish.

Lin Bufan’s expression grew complicated.

After all…

That blood was his.

This was why he didn’t expect too much from Zheng Fa—

Because this man was more like a Demon Cultivator than he was.

Lin Bufan quietly stood in the corner of the study, saying nothing.

It wasn’t until a long while later that Zheng Fa finally looked up.

"You’re here?" Zheng Fa set his pen aside.

"Now that you’ve recovered, I finally have time to ask you—what exactly is the Great Freedom Demon Sect?"

Lin Bufan hesitated before replying,

"Honestly… I don’t really know."

A Limited Perspective

"Hm?"

"I grew up in a village where everyone’s surname was Lin," Lin Bufan explained.

"At the time, I had no idea we were even connected to the Great Freedom Demon Sect."

"You only joined later?"

"Yes. After I broke through to Foundation Establishment, someone from the sect came to the village and took my uncle and me to serve Lin Yangtian. That was when I first learned what we truly were." ꭆÁɴỗ𝖇Ёŝ

Zheng Fa nodded.

"So… you don’t even know where you grew up?"

"I was unconscious when I was taken away. Later, I heard that the place I grew up in was one of our clan’s secret locations."

Zheng Fa narrowed his eyes.

"…What about the sect’s strength?"

Lin Bufan shook his head again.

"I was too low-ranked to know the full picture. I haven’t even been to the true Great Freedom Demon Sect."

"But Lin Yangtian once said—only after reaching Golden Core can one be considered a true disciple of the Holy Sect."

The Sect’s Core Teachings

"What cultivation techniques did you practice?" Zheng Fa asked.

"I mainly cultivated ‘Dark Nether Technique’—a Water-Element technique."

"But in addition, everyone had to train in the sect’s sacred scripture—‘The Sutra of Freedom.’"

Zheng Fa glanced at the talisman diagrams on the desk, his expression thoughtful.

"So, ‘The Sutra of Freedom’ is the true foundation of the sect?"

"Yes," Lin Bufan nodded.

"They say it allows us to communicate with the Demon Ancestor and assist our cultivation.

"The deeper one’s bloodline, the more powerful the effects of ‘The Sutra of Freedom.’"

"It even contains various secret techniques—like ‘Heavenly Demon Shadowstep’."

Zheng Fa tapped his fingers on the desk, his mind working.

"Do you have a copy?"

"Of course," Lin Bufan bowed slightly.

"But I only have the sections before the Golden Core stage."

"That’s fine."

Before they could continue—

"Young Master!"

A voice interrupted.

Zheng Fa looked up to see Han Qi and two others entering the study.

Business Matters

Han Qi glanced at Lin Bufan but didn’t greet him.

Instead, he smirked slightly before turning back to Zheng Fa.

"We’re here to deliver this month’s spirit stones, Young Master—a total of twenty-five."

Lin Bufan could sense their hostility.

Among all of Zheng Fa’s subordinates, these three were the ones who disliked him the most.

They always kept their distance, treating him like an unwanted outsider.

Lin Bufan silently cursed them in his heart.

"As if I had a choice in this arrangement!"

"Who the hell would willingly submit to someone else?!"

But he knew better than to argue—his only concern was staying alive.

A Small Reward

Zheng Fa nodded and accepted the spirit stones.

Then, after a moment of thought, he handed three spirit stones back to Han Qi and his companions.

"You’ve worked hard," he said simply.

Han Qi and the others grinned and took the stones without hesitation—as if they were used to this treatment.

Meanwhile, Lin Bufan stood silently, lowering his gaze.

An Unexpected Gift

"By the way," Zheng Fa suddenly said.

He reached into his storage bag and pulled out a small object.

Then, he handed it to Han Qi.

"Here, take this."

"?"

Lin Bufan stared at the two spirit stones that Zheng Fa had handed him, his mind momentarily blank.

"Consider it payment for..." Zheng Fa paused, searching for the right word.

"Not blood-selling—uh, nutrition compensation."

Still feeling unsatisfied with his own phrasing, he finally settled on:

"Just think of it as your monthly allowance."

A First Time for Everything

Lin Bufan lifted his gaze toward Zheng Fa, his expression showing a trace of emotion.

He hesitated.

He didn’t reach out to take them—

As if he wasn’t sure if he should.

As if he wasn’t used to receiving kindness.

"You’ve never received a monthly allowance before?" Zheng Fa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"…No."

Lin Bufan’s voice was low.

"In the village, we had to farm, harvest spiritual plants, or mine—and still had to hand over most of what we produced to those above us…"

"Once I was assigned to Lin Yangtian, we lived by robbing other cultivators for resources."

"Well, now you have one."

Zheng Fa's tone was calm, but firm.

"And in Jiushan Sect, killing and looting others for treasure… I won’t tolerate it."

Lin Bufan lowered his head and slowly reached out.

He grasped the two spirit stones tightly, his fingers clenching around them.

For the first time, he felt like he understood why Han Qi and the others had been wary of him.

Just as he was processing his emotions, a sudden streak of light shot through the air.

A messaging talisman landed in front of Zheng Fa.

An Urgent Summons

Lin Bufan recognized the signature glow of the talisman—

It was from Senior Sister Zhang Wuyi.

Zheng Fa received messages from her every day.

He had no idea what they could possibly have so much to talk about.

Zheng Fa took the transmission talisman, closed his eyes briefly—

Then suddenly snapped them open and strode out of the study.

"Young Master?"

Lin Bufan exchanged glances with Han Qi and the others, sensing the urgency in Zheng Fa’s movements.

Without hesitation, they hurried after him.

A Desperate Rush

Zheng Fa moved quickly, his pace steadily increasing.

After only a few steps, he began slapping Horse Talisman Seals onto himself, enhancing his speed.

Lin Bufan and the others struggled to keep up, chasing him through the valley, down toward the marketplace.

They saw him barge into a small building, and without hesitation, they followed him inside.

Zheng Fa scanned the market disciples inside the building.

"All of you, leave."

The disciples exchanged confused glances.

Though they didn’t understand, they still quickly obeyed.

Soon, only Zheng Fa, Senior Sister Yuan, Lin Bufan, and Han Qi’s group remained.

"Junior Brother, what’s wrong?"

Senior Sister Yuan asked, sensing that something was seriously off.

Without answering, Zheng Fa tossed several illusion and soundproof talismans around the room.

Then, he turned to her and asked:

"Senior Sister, has Senior Sister Zhang been in regular contact with the market?"

"Yes. Every three days, I send her updates on the market and the administrative affairs. She always replies promptly."

"Let me see those messages."

Comparing the Messages

Senior Sister Yuan handed over several transmission talismans.

Zheng Fa pulled out his own stack of messages, placing them side by side.

As he carefully examined them, his expression darkened.

"Junior Brother?"

Senior Sister Yuan was growing more anxious by the second.

"Something happened to Senior Sister Zhang."

"What?!"

Even Lin Bufan was startled.

Everyone in Jiushan Sect understood—

Senior Sister Zhang was far too important to simply disappear.

"How do you know?"

"Because I message her every day."

"Wait, wait, every day?!"

Senior Sister Yuan raised her hand.

"Yes."

"Then why is it that when I message her, she barely responds? She told me she was busy and asked me not to bother her unless it was urgent!"

Senior Sister Yuan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The room fell into absolute silence.

"…Ahem."

Zheng Fa cleared his throat.

"Let’s focus on Senior Sister Zhang’s situation first?"

"Serves you right!"

Senior Sister Yuan huffed, crossing her arms.

"Fine. Speak."

A Flaw in the Pattern

"Every day, Senior Sister Zhang and I have a routine—"

"I send her a math problem, and the next day, she sends me the answer."

The room fell silent again.

"…You may continue," Senior Sister Yuan said dryly after a long pause.

"The past two days, I noticed something off in her responses."

"What do you mean?"

"She got the answers right," Zheng Fa explained.

"But her method was too inefficient—not at her usual level."

"…You mean someone is pretending to be her?"

Senior Sister Yuan sighed.

"Whoever it is, they must regret picking you two."

Lin Bufan, Han Qi, and the others nodded in agreement.

The Final Test

"I already suspected something was wrong two days ago," Zheng Fa continued.

"So yesterday, I sent her another math problem."

"And?"

"This time, her answer was better—she actually put more effort into it."@@novelbin@@

"But…"

Zheng Fa’s expression grew even more serious.

"It was a problem I had already given her before."

"Normally, she would have ignored it, or sent back a message scolding me for repeating questions."

Now, everyone was silent.

A Deeper Problem

"If the person sending messages is an impostor…"

Senior Sister Yuan muttered, her expression growing grim.

"Then how come their updates on the market and administration affairs have been accurate?"

"That’s exactly the problem."

Zheng Fa’s voice was heavy.

"Whoever it is… knows Jiushan Sect far too well."

Senior Sister Yuan’s expression darkened instantly.

"You’re saying… we have a spy in Jiushan Sect?"