I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Chapter 18 Young people should believe in science!

Zheng Fa looked at the patterns repeatedly but couldn't discern any clues. The papers were filled with chaotic, irregular lines, as though drawn casually. If Gao Yuan hadn’t said these were related to the Immortal Sect, Zheng Fa would have believed his sister had drawn them.

“Where did you get this from?” he asked, setting the papers down and looking at Gao Yuan.

“My father gave it to me,” Gao Yuan replied, gazing at the ceiling with a dejected expression.

“Your father said this is a talisman?”

“It’s not my father who said so. Didn’t I tell you before? The seventh young master used to have five study attendants,” Gao Yuan explained. “This was drawn by the first of those attendants.”

“How did he know about it?”

“My father said it’s not really a secret in the estate. It’s known that for some reason, despite having cultivation aptitude, the seventh young master cannot cultivate.” Gao Yuan lowered his voice instinctively, even though only the two of them were in the room.

Zheng Fa recalled that Chief Instructor Xu had once mentioned something similar.

Zheng Fa pointed at the patterns on the paper. “These?”

“Exactly! This was secretly copied down by one of the study attendants. But he was harshly expelled by Madam because of it,” Gao Yuan frowned. “If you ask me, this stuff is useless. Who can make sense of it?”

Zheng Fa nodded in agreement.

Even though he was beginning to believe these seemingly random scrawls were indeed related to talismans, he couldn’t see anything special about the patterns, no matter how he looked.

“Your father managed to get his hands on this?”

“How many people in the Zhao Estate are eager to curry favor with the seventh young master? Flatter him, and there’s always a way. Besides, it’s not much of a secret—no one understands it anyway!”

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but sigh again. The Zhao Estate truly lived up to its rumored Immortal Sect connections. Though Gao Yuan made it sound easy, outside the estate, these few sheets of paper might be treasures most ordinary people could never dream of seeing in their lifetime.

He stared at the patterns again, quietly committing them to memory.

---

That evening, Zheng Fa noticed Gao Yuan still pondering over the papers.

“I thought you gave up?”

“If I give up, I can kiss my position as a study attendant goodbye!” Gao Yuan gritted his teeth. Zheng Fa nodded and lay on his bed, falling into a dream-filled sleep under the dim light.

---

When he woke up, he was back in the modern world.

The sky outside was still dark, just past 5 a.m. Zheng Fa quickly filled his stomach, grabbed nothing but his keys, and headed out. The streets were nearly empty, except for a few sanitation workers in orange vests sweeping fallen leaves.

A small park lay about 500 meters from Qingshui High School. Zheng Fa entered to find a few elderly men and women exercising. His presence, as a teenager, attracted curious glances.

He found a patch of empty ground and assumed the Pine Crane Stance posture. With each breath, a familiar warmth surged within him.

It worked!

Zheng Fa nearly lost his rhythm in excitement. He had always wondered whether practicing cultivation techniques in the modern world would work, fearing differences in the world’s rules might prevent it. He had gotten up early just to test this, and to his delight, it went smoothly.

Suppressing his excitement, he immersed himself in guiding the flow of energy within his body. After completing his daily practice, his stomach growled with hunger, and he let out a soft, clear crane cry as he exhaled.

Opening his eyes, he found a wrinkled face just inches from his own, the old man’s gaze filled with curiosity. The elderly man, in a white undershirt, backed up awkwardly upon meeting Zheng Fa’s eyes.

“Were you... warming up your voice? Are you training to sing?” the old man asked, clearly perplexed by the sound Zheng Fa had made.@@novelbin@@

“Uh... just exercising,” Zheng Fa replied.

“Exercising?” The man chuckled and mimicked Zheng Fa’s stance. “This will keep you fit?”

“I don’t really know. Just something I picked up,” Zheng Fa replied awkwardly. Explaining Pine Crane Stance’s purpose—or anything about the other world—would likely get him sent to a psychiatric hospital.

“You youngsters watch too many short videos,” the old man said knowingly. “All this ancient martial arts and internal-external energy stuff is just nonsense. If you want to exercise, running is best! If only the authorities cracked down harder, those ‘masters’ would all be in jail!” He scrutinized Zheng Fa. “You live nearby? A student at Qingshui High?”

The question made Zheng Fa wary. This man sounded like someone from the school. “I’m from the neighboring city, just visiting!” He hastily walked out of the park.

“Exercising is good, but don’t try everything you see online!” the old man called after him. “Trust science, young man!”

Wiping sweat from his forehead, Zheng Fa resolved never to return to that park.

---

After morning self-study, Zheng Fa sat in the cafeteria with a meat bun in one hand and a pen in the other, sketching the patterns on a scrap of paper. Before long, several designs resembling balls of yarn took shape—those so-called “talismans” Gao Yuan had studied.

At the time, Zheng Fa hadn’t delved deeper because he’d noticed Gao Yuan’s tension. Lately, Zheng Fa had been progressing slightly faster in martial arts, and while Gao Yuan tried to hide it, a subtle distance had emerged. Additionally, Zheng Fa remained cautious of the Zhao Estate’s people, including Gao Yuan.

He understood that talismans from the Immortal Sect were tempting but clearly not for everyone to see. Why else would Gao Yuan’s father sneak these papers in a food box? While Gao Yuan could study them openly thanks to his steward father’s backing, Zheng Fa wasn’t sure what showing excessive interest might lead to. So, he brought the study to this world.

His memory served him well—just a glance had etched the patterns into his mind. However, the more he looked, the more he sympathized with Gao Yuan’s frustration. These things made no sense.

“What are you looking at?” Wang Chen suddenly popped his head over, frowning at the scrap paper. “What’s this? Are you preparing for a math competition?”

“Math competition?”

“Yeah, if not, why are you drawing geometric shapes?”

Zheng Fa’s interest was piqued. “You think these are related to math competitions?”

“Maybe. I’ve never attended competition training, but I’ve seen practice problems. They give you a headache just looking at them.” Wang Chen examined the patterns again and added, “Yep, this kind of stuff that makes you want to throw up and question if your brain is missing something.”