I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 59: Ambush

Chen Ting sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. His face was pale, and his eyes were dark with turmoil.

The voice in his mind spoke again, carrying an inexplicable hint of mockery:

"You swallowed my Holy Sect’s True Blood Pill and cultivated The Sutra of Freedom—do you really think I have no way to deal with you?"

Chen Ting remained silent, though his body trembled slightly.

"That was just a small warning. If you defy me again… I think you already know what will happen."

"……"

Still, Chen Ting did not respond.

"Relax. Cultivating you hasn’t been easy; you’re still valuable." The voice seemed to soften. "That Zheng Fa is merely at the Qi Refining stage. As long as you’re careful, with my protection, keeping you alive won’t be difficult."

After a long silence, Chen Ting finally muttered his response.

"That’s more like it." The voice sounded pleased. "Zheng Fa’s talent is impressive. If we capture him, you might just earn your true freedom in the future."

Chen Ting's expression flickered—he seemed genuinely tempted.

After a long pause, he spoke again. "Zheng Fa is too well-guarded. The sect values him highly. If I’m to capture him, I’ll need time."

Zheng Fa had just placed a simple white porcelain plate on the table when Lin Bufan, without hesitation, rolled up his sleeve and extended his arm—so obedient it was almost heartbreaking.

Zheng Fa glanced at him, momentarily speechless.

He activated a Blood Extraction Talisman, but the glowing symbol did not fall upon Lin Bufan.

Instead, it landed on Zheng Fa’s own arm.

As his blood gradually filled the porcelain plate, Lin Bufan stared in stunned silence.

"Young Master? You…"

"What?"

"Will I… still get my monthly allowance?"

Lin Bufan pondered for a long time before suddenly asking.

"……Relax." Zheng Fa wasn’t sure how to respond, so he could only reassure him. "I’m just studying my own blood. As for yours—Li Nuo likes it plenty."

According to Li Nuo, Lin Bufan’s blood was quite valuable.

He was currently attempting to create another talisman imprint from it.

"Oh."

Lin Bufan visibly relaxed.

Zheng Fa raised an eyebrow. "You’re attached to this now?"

Lin Bufan thought for a moment before answering, "It proves that I… have value to you, Young Master."

"……"

"People without value… can’t survive in the Holy Sect—the Demonic Sect."

Lin Bufan struggled to find the words before finally forcing the sentence out.

Zheng Fa nodded slightly, his eyes glinting silver as he focused on the blood in the porcelain plate.

Ever since discovering that The Sutra of Freedom

Could the talismans hidden within this blood be related to visualization?

More importantly—he himself had visualized before!

Linghe Body!

He had drawn his own blood in order to test whether his hypothesis was correct.

At first glance, Zheng Fa saw no signs of talismanic imprints in his blood.

It looked… completely normal.

There was spiritual energy within his blood, of course, but it flowed in no particular pattern.

It was like a bunch of ping-pong balls scattered on the ground, rolling around randomly.

But Zheng Fa didn’t give up. The silver glow in his eyes intensified as he examined every detail.

After a long time, he finally caught a subtle anomaly—

Roughly ten percent of the spiritual energy in his blood moved differently, forming patterns reminiscent of Five Elemental Sub-Talismans!

He lifted his head and looked at Lin Bufan, his expression one of dawning realization.

"Young Master?"

"Dao-infused martial arts, Dao bodies," Zheng Fa suddenly mused, "and your Demonic Sect’s bloodlines…"

"……?"

Lin Bufan looked even more confused.

"Your so-called Holy Ancestor must have found a method of genetic optimization, a way to mass-produce Dao bodies."

"…Huh?"

"Junior Brother Zheng!"

Senior Sister Yuan hurried over, her usual liveliness replaced with a heavy expression. "We didn’t find the traitor."

Zheng Fa nodded slightly, not looking disappointed in the least.

Ever since they suspected an infiltrator within the sect, both he and Senior Sister Yuan had been keeping their guard up.

The senior disciples held high status and wielded considerable influence. For now, they couldn’t be openly investigated, nor could they act too conspicuously. 𝑅Äℕó฿Ёŝ

However, they did have the authority to scrutinize those in the market district and the Administrative Hall.

For the past few days, the two of them had been conducting a covert investigation.

On one hand, they observed whether any disciples were behaving suspiciously.

On the other, they fed different disciples false information—then cross-checked the details against the responses from the supposed "Senior Sister Zhang" to narrow down the suspects.

Yet, after days of effort, they still had no leads.

After all, Jiushan Sect was a righteous sect, and soul-searching techniques were strictly forbidden.

At this point, they were at a dead end.

"Junior Brother Zheng, what if we just interrogate them one by one?"

"…" Zheng Fa shook his head. "That would work if we were certain the spy was in the Administrative Hall. But if we’re wrong, making too much noise might alert them."

Senior Sister Yuan nodded, looking a bit dejected.

Ever since Senior Sister Zhang’s disappearance, she had been visibly anxious.

"Senior Sister Yuan, the fact that we haven’t found them likely means they aren’t in the Administrative Hall." Zheng Fa comforted her. "If that’s the case, we need to speak with Master and conduct a broader investigation."

This matter was no less serious than Senior Sister Zhang’s safety.

Whoever this person was, they were far too familiar with Jiushan Sect.

Having such an individual lurking within the sect was a security risk for everyone.

Even Zheng Fa had been avoiding the market district lately.

Senior Sister Yuan gave a small nod.

Just then, another message talisman from "Senior Sister Zhang" flew in, landing between the three of them.

No one was surprised.

In fact, the reason Senior Sister Yuan had come to see Zheng Fa at this hour was precisely to check this latest message.

The wording of the message was as normal as ever, identical to the previous ones.

But after reading it, Zheng Fa suddenly turned to Senior Sister Yuan and asked:

"Senior Sister, has there ever been a Senior Brother named Zheng Ji in the Administrative Hall?"

"…Not in the past fifty years, at least."

Senior Sister Yuan frowned, thinking for a long time before answering.

"Then who is this 'Senior Brother Zheng Ji' mentioned in the letter?"

"…A mistake?"

"That’s unlikely…" Zheng Fa pondered. "The impersonator mimicked Senior Sister Zhang’s tone so flawlessly—it doesn’t seem like they’d be careless enough to make a simple typo."

"Then why?"

Zheng Fa shook his head. He had some thoughts but chose not to voice them just yet.

"This doesn’t add up."

After reading the latest message, Zheng Fa’s expression grew more certain.

"What’s wrong this time?"

"This message says that last month, Ice Soul Talismans were the best-selling item in the market district." Zheng Fa explained, "But in reality, Golden Armor Talismans have been the best-sellers for months."

"Another mistake?"

Senior Sister Yuan frowned.

"No—both letters were otherwise flawless, except for these two discrepancies…" Zheng Fa’s brows furrowed. "Almost as if it was done on purpose."

"Huh?"

"Zheng Ji, Ice Soul Talismans…"

Lin Bufan, who had been silently observing, suddenly reacted, his eyes flickering with recognition.

"Possession Talisman Technique."

"Hmm?"

"It’s a secret technique from The Sutra of Freedom," Lin Bufan explained. "I heard Lin Yangtian mention it before. It’s usually practiced by cultivators who don’t have long to live."

"What does it do?"

Zheng Fa pressed him for details.

"Well…" Seeing how serious Zheng Fa was, Lin Bufan did his best to recall. "Lin Yangtian told me that his master cultivated this technique."

"He said that the technique allows one’s spiritual consciousness to separate from their body. The original body is then refined into a True Blood Pill."

"True Blood Pill?"

"Yes. Those who cultivate this technique usually have little time left. Their consciousness possesses another cultivator, mentoring them while using True Blood Pills to gradually transform the host’s body."

"This sounds like… the classic 'Old Grandpa in My Head' trope."

Zheng Fa found the concept eerily familiar.

Lin Bufan continued, "When the time is right, they’ll forcibly seize control of the host’s body."

"Most of the time, Immortal Sect disciples are the best targets."

Lin Bufan added one final remark.

"…Huh?"

"Our Holy Sect—no, Demonic Sect—has many disciples who know of this technique." Lin Bufan elaborated, "But Immortal Sect disciples… well, they’re a bit naïve. Some of them might even think they’ve stumbled upon a miraculous fortune."

"……"

Zheng Fa looked down at the message talisman in his hand, nodding slightly.

"So this person is trying to tell us… they’ve been possessed by a demonic cultivator?"

"Are they… defecting to our side?"

Senior Sister Yuan perked up.

"……"

Zheng Fa shook his head. "I’d say… they’re running out of options."

Zhou Qianyuan and Zheng Fa were in deep conversation.

Even after chatting at Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard, they weren’t done—they decided to continue their talk while walking toward Zhou Qianyuan’s residence.

By now, the market district was quiet.

The streets leading to Zhou Qianyuan’s house were nearly empty, most disciples focusing on their nighttime cultivation.

As they walked down a side street, it seemed that only Zheng Fa and Zhou Qianyuan were present.

In the shadows of a street corner, Chen Ting stood, his body hidden by a Stealth Talisman.

"Wait until they’re a little closer—then strike!" The voice in his mind instructed. "Once you capture him, I’ll use the Heavenly Demon Phantom Technique. Even most Nascent Soul cultivators won’t be able to catch us."

"Mm."

Chen Ting’s voice carried a hint of nervousness.

"Relax. Zheng Fa and his companion are both mere Qi Refining cultivators. I’ve already concealed this street with my spiritual consciousness. You’ll only need a fraction of a second to subdue them—Jiushan Sect won’t even have time to react."

"Mm."

"Once you succeed, your contributions will be immense. You’ll officially be part of the Holy Sect. And since Zheng Fa has excellent potential, I won’t need to take over your body anymore."

Chen Ting didn’t respond this time—he merely nodded.

Zheng Fa and Zhou Qianyuan drew closer.

Darkness slowly enveloped the area.

The lanterns, the starlight overhead—all seemed to dim and blur.

"Strike now!"

Just as the voice in Chen Ting’s mind gave the command—

A blinding flash of lightning split the night.

Thunder roared through the mountains of Jiushan, shaking the heavens.@@novelbin@@

A massive bolt of lightning struck, forcefully expelling a shadowy figure from Chen Ting’s body.

The entity hovered in midair, illuminated by the flash of lightning.

It was a middle-aged man with long black hair, but only his head and upper body were visible—his lower half was nothing but an ethereal mist.

From the street corner, the Sect Master of Jiushan Sect strode forward, his entire body crackling with arcs of electricity.

"A fellow cultivator coming to Jiushan Sect—how could I possibly fail to offer a proper welcome?"

The black shadow spun around in alarm.

It looked at Chen Ting, who was now retreating backward, and hissed:

"You?!"

Chen Ting gave him a cold, mocking glance.

"You were the one who taught me that failing to adapt means death."