I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 96: The Younger Generation

Zheng Fa wasn’t mistaken.

This Sunset Sword Immortal had a truly strange attitude toward him.

“This is…”

Looking at the jade boxes in front of him, Zheng Fa turned to the two people beside him.

Yan Wushuang sighed helplessly and gestured toward the old man named Han.

The elder Han chuckled, eyes narrowing. “It’s my first time visiting, and I can’t show up empty-handed. Just some small gifts.”

Uncle Pang scratched his head, looking both puzzled and troubled.

He couldn't shake the feeling that this kind and amiable old man in front of him was not the same person as the one who once couldn’t even be bothered to draw his sword a second time to save him…

“Senior Han…” Zheng Fa was also confused. “You have done a great service for our Jiushan Sect. We should be the ones visiting you to pay our respects. We only refrained from doing so earlier because we didn’t want to disturb your cultivation.”

“Great service?” Han Zhenren froze for a moment, then seemed to realize something. He glanced at Uncle Pang and said, “Oh, saving him? It was nothing. His life isn’t worth much—I just swung my sword on a whim.”

The wariness on Uncle Pang’s face slowly faded, even giving way to a sense of relief—now this was the way that old man was supposed to talk!

“Go ahead, take a look,” Han Zhenren pointed at the jade boxes.

Unable to refuse any longer, Zheng Fa opened them and glanced inside.

His expression grew even more peculiar.

“Senior Han… this is too generous.”

There were only three jade boxes.

Two contained medicinal pills, and the third held rare spiritual materials.

Zheng Fa couldn’t recognize everything inside, but the ones he did recognize were all highly valuable.

“Generous? Not at all.” Han Zhenren waved dismissively. “I heard you practice lightning-based techniques and wanted to buy some lightning-element spiritual materials for you, but…”

He turned his head slightly toward Uncle Pang, hesitated, then continued, “I don’t know who it was, but someone seems to have bought out the entire market’s supply of lightning-element materials…”

“Senior Han, I really can’t accept this,” Zheng Fa hesitated for a moment before firmly refusing. “Your visit to our Jiushan Sect is already a great honor. Not to mention, we still owe you a debt of gratitude—how could we take gifts from you?”

Truthfully, he had no idea what this Sunset Sword Immortal was up to.

And more importantly—gifts always came with strings attached.

A Nascent Soul stage cultivator actively trying to forge ties with him? That was unnerving.

Han Zhenren seemed a little disappointed by Zheng Fa’s refusal, but he still obediently put the jade boxes away. He sat to the side, frowning in thought, his small figure oddly giving off an air of grievance.

Meanwhile, Yan Wushuang took the opportunity to discuss another matter with Zheng Fa.

“Talisman imprints?” Zheng Fa, upon hearing the topic, temporarily put the bizarre Sunset Sword Immortal out of his mind. He nodded slightly. “Yan, what kind of collaboration do you have in mind?”

He had already promised Yan Wushuang before and had no intention of going back on his word.

“I’ve thought it over, and it’s the same plan I mentioned before. I can provide the talisman paper and spiritual ink, even supply demonic blood, and help with distribution. You only need to focus on production…” Yan Wushuang spoke confidently. “We split the profits fifty-fifty!”

Zheng Fa nodded slightly.

The deal was fair. Yan Wushuang wasn’t trying to take advantage.

With this arrangement, Jiushan Sect would be running a business with almost no upfront costs.

Previously, they earned around ten spirit stones per talisman imprint.

Now, that profit would be halved, reduced to a few spirit stones per imprint.

But the key point was—they had no financial risk.

There were no initial investments.

It was essentially a technology-based partnership.

Zheng Fa also considered another angle—

This collaboration would establish a preliminary connection between Jiushan Sect and Tianhe Sect.

After this recent turmoil, his confidence in the Hundred Immortals Alliance had all but vanished.

That so-called alliance was less reliable than just relying on himself.

Now, forging ties with Tianhe Sect—whether useful or not—was like draping themselves in a tiger’s skin for protection. Realistically, with their respective strengths, a true collaboration should have looked more like the relationship between Changchun Sect and Jiushan Sect.

That wasn’t a partnership—it was a protection racket.

Thinking of it that way, this deal was even more favorable.

He exchanged a glance with Senior Sister Zhang, who simply said, “It’s your decision.”

Uncle Pang also nodded from the side.

Zheng Fa made up his mind and turned to Yan Wushuang. “I agree to these terms.”

Yan Wushuang smiled knowingly, as if he had expected that answer.

With the basic agreement reached, the remaining details could be handled by their subordinates.

Yan Wushuang then brought up another question. “Zheng, how many types of talisman imprints do you currently have?”

Now that they were partners, Zheng Fa saw no need for secrecy. “We can reliably produce fourteen different types.”

“All related to the divine soul?”

“Yes.” Zheng Fa was surprised at how observant Yan Wushuang was.

“I have an idea…” Yan Wushuang’s eyes gleamed. “Soul-related talisman imprints are in high demand, but we could expand into other types.”

“That… would be difficult with just the blood of Great Freedom Demonic Sect disciples.”

Zheng Fa felt a bit helpless.

The disciples of Great Freedom Demonic Sect were simply too disappointing!

“You mean…” Yan Wushuang’s eyes lit up. “We could try using blood from other demonic sects?”

Uncle Pang’s face instantly turned pale.

He stiffly looked around at their Five Dragons Palace, as if estimating how many demonic sects they could handle before getting crushed.

“Yan!” Zheng Fa hurriedly intervened. “One Great Freedom Demonic Sect is already enough of a headache for Jiushan Sect!”

Truth be told, if not for the fact that Great Freedom Demonic Sect was deeply entrenched in Taiyang County and there was no room for reconciliation, he wouldn’t have dared to play around with talisman imprints so openly.

“What’s there to be afraid of? Those people—”

“We should be cautious,” the long-silent Sunset Sword Immortal suddenly spoke up. “The demonic sects are not so simple.”

The moment he said this, everyone in the room fell silent.

With his status, his words carried immense weight.

Han Zhenren frowned and said, “The Ancestral Master… indeed slew several Demon Ancestors in the past, but now, their legacies have resurfaced in this calamity.”

“……”

The implications of this were terrifying.

“Furthermore, the secret realms of the demonic sects,” Han Zhenren warned, “do not follow the same rules as the Xuanyi Realm. A demonic sect disciple’s performance in the Xuanyi Realm is not at all indicative of how they would fare in their own secret realms.”

“Never underestimate the demonic sects.”

Zheng Fa couldn’t shake the feeling that this man was specifically warning him.

“…Why does this sound so much like the Heavenly Monument?” Yan Wushuang muttered.

“…You’re not the only one who thinks so.” The Sunset Sword Immortal gave a strange smile. “Even the Ancestral Master thought so.”

“The Ancestral Master once left behind a single remark.”

“What was it?”

“At least one among the Demon Ancestors was also a Dao-founding master—just that their path was not one the Ancestral Master chose to follow.”

“……”

Zheng Fa felt a headache coming on.

Thinking about his own Reverse Five Elements Divine Light technique…

According to this logic, he was suddenly ranked as Xuanyi’s number three? And temporarily, at that?

“Remember this—until you reach Nascent Soul, do not set foot in a demonic sect’s secret realm! Even for a Nascent Soul cultivator, it’s only a guarantee of survival, nothing more.” The Sunset Sword Immortal repeated himself.

This time, Zheng Fa was certain—this old man was looking directly at him when he said it.

Uncle Pang and the others wore heavy expressions.

Right now, they had the Great Freedom Demonic Sect suppressed within the secret realm, and Senior Sister Zhang had advanced to Nascent Soul. It was natural for them to feel a bit complacent.

But now, hearing the Sunset Sword Immortal’s words…

And considering that this secret realm was right next to Jiushan Sect…

They couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of unease.

“I can’t fully explain the true nature of a demonic sect’s secret realm,” the Sunset Sword Immortal continued. “If you want to understand it better, you should observe the Heavenly Monument.”

The Heavenly Monument.

Zheng Fa exchanged glances with Senior Sister Zhang.

They both had the same thought.

They had to go see it.

For one, it seemed to have a deep connection to the demonic sects’ secret realms.

And more importantly—there was the matter of the Thunder Pool.

If something went wrong with the Thunder Pool because of the Heavenly Monument, and the Great Freedom Demonic Sect suddenly broke free…

It was better to know in advance—so they could run.

…

Yan Wushuang stayed to chat with Zheng Fa a little longer before finally leaving with the Sunset Sword Immortal.

After exiting the Thunder Pool Market, both men wore thoughtful expressions, as if they were struggling to understand something.

It was the Sunset Sword Immortal who spoke first.

“What do you think…” He furrowed his brows. “If you wanted to befriend someone, what would be the best way to go about it?”

Yan Wushuang’s face twitched slightly. He replied, “Han… in Tianhe Sect, you’re famous for not thinking much of anyone. Now, at your age, are you really just now learning the ways of human relationships?”

“……”

“Today, you gave Zheng a gift.”

“You warned him not to enter the demonic sect’s secret realm.”

“You even advised him to check out the Heavenly Monument.” Yan Wushuang’s words picked up speed. “You must have told him about the Heavenly Monument because it would be particularly beneficial to his lightning cultivation, right?”

“…” The Sunset Sword Immortal hesitated. “Was it that obvious?”

“…Zheng is only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and yet you’re being so secretive. How could people not be suspicious?” Yan Wushuang sighed. “But Han, I understand—it’s not something that can be rushed.”

“…Hmm?”

“Zheng must be your descendant, right? How many generations down the line?” Yan Wushuang stroked his chin, convinced his reasoning was solid. “Did you abandon your wife and child back then? Now you’re feeling guilty?”

“……”

“But why is his surname Zheng?” Yan Wushuang’s gaze turned slightly disdainful. “You didn’t even leave him your real surname?”

“…Be his elder?” The Sunset Sword Immortal’s eyes widened. “That kind of good fortune—I wouldn’t dare dream of it!”

“Huh?”

…

Zheng Fa had just stepped out of his room when he saw Teacher Tian frowning as she examined a few plants.

She seemed puzzled by something.

Old Man Bai was standing beside her as well.

As Zheng Fa walked closer, he saw Teacher Tian pluck a leaf from one of the plants and hand it to Old Man Bai.

To his mouth.

Zheng Fa watched, wide-eyed, as Old Man Bai chewed the leaf twice, then spat it out with a loud “ptooey” before shaking his head.

“…Teacher Tian… what exactly are you two doing?”

Zheng Fa was completely baffled.

“I’m trying to figure something out,” Teacher Tian said, standing up and clapping her hands confidently. “Although spiritual energy has made these plants grow stronger and taller, they’re still vastly different from what you described as spiritual herbs.”

“…So these plants don’t contain any spiritual energy?”

“Exactly. And it’s not just this one—none of them do.” She pointed to the rows of wheat seedlings. “They’re all the same.”

“Teacher Tian, I get your point. But I have just one question… If you wanted to check for spiritual energy, you could have just used the Spirit Eye technique. Why did you make Old Man Bai eat the grass?”

“…He wanted to.”

“Huh?”

Old Man Bai grinned smugly. “If Little Tian picks the grass, it’s sweet!”

“……”

Zheng Fa looked at the expression on Old Man Bai’s face and couldn’t shake the feeling that, written all over it, were the words:

Now you know how it feels!