I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 127Book 2: : Each One’s Choice, Zheng Fa’s Request

Vol 2 Chapter 127: Each One’s Choice, Zheng Fa’s Request

Everyone fell silent.

The Sect Master was sending even the remaining disciples to the Thunder Pool, which meant he had likely prepared for the worst.

Senior Sister Yuan pouted as she looked at the Sect Master, her expression showing a hint of tears. She muttered in a low voice, “Old man, if we can’t win, can’t we just give up Jiushan Sect?”

After all, she had been raised by the Sect Master. Though it wasn’t usually obvious, at this moment, she couldn’t help but reveal her true feelings—she was reluctant to leave.

The Sect Master sighed softly and said, “How could we abandon the Jiushan Spiritual Vein so easily? Since we haven’t secured the Heavenly Monument Realm, the Jiushan Spiritual Vein is still the foundation of our Jiushan Sect.”

Martial Uncle Pang opened his mouth and said, “Then maybe I should go back instead.”

“Martial Brother Pang, you and Junior Martial Sister Huang are still young. You can support Jiushan for a few more days.”

Martial Uncle Pang said nothing.

After speaking, the Sect Master turned his gaze toward Senior Sister Zhang.

“Martial Niece Zhang, since Zheng Fa has yet to grow into his full potential and you have already reached the Nascent Soul stage, you must now be the pillar of Jiushan Sect. It will be hard on you in the days to come.”

Senior Sister Zhang pursed her lips and gave the Sect Master a slight bow.

Then, he turned to Zheng Fa.

“Disciple.”

“Here.”

“Having you acknowledge me as your master, I don’t have much to offer you. I don’t have many spirit stones myself, and even the cultivation method I gave you turned out wrong.” The Sect Master chuckled. “Do you blame me?”

“No.” Zheng Fa answered sincerely. He thought for a moment before adding, “I have never regretted joining Jiushan Sect.”

The Sect Master smiled and nodded, as if that one sentence was the highest recognition he could receive as a teacher.

He didn’t say anything more, only addressing the few of them, “If Jiushan Sect is emptied out, those people might not even bother coming after an old man like me.”

Zheng Fa and the others nodded.

What the Sect Master said wasn’t unreasonable.

After all, whether it was the demon race or the demonic sect, their primary reason for attacking Jiushan Sect was certainly revenge.

Their second goal, naturally, was to see if they could tie down Jiushan Sect’s disciples at the Thunder Pool, thereby creating an opportunity for those trapped in the secret realm from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect to escape.

If Jiushan Sect was reduced to just the Sect Master and the Ancestor—two lone Nascent Soul cultivators—attacking it might not even be worth the effort…

“Remember, no matter what happens to Jiushan Sect or what news you hear,” the Sect Master said seriously, “you must not act rashly! If the Great Freedom Demonic Sect finds a chance to break free, that would truly determine Jiushan Sect’s fate.”

Everyone nodded.

The Sect Master glanced once more at the people in the grand hall, then turned and slowly walked out of the Five Dragons Heavenly Palace.

Zheng Fa couldn’t shake the feeling that he saw in his master’s back a sense of resolve—perhaps even a willingness to fight to the death.

…

As his figure disappeared beyond the doorway, Martial Uncle Pang was silent for a moment before suddenly turning to Zheng Fa.

“Martial Nephew, when are you holding your Sect Master inauguration ceremony? How many Nascent Soul cultivators should we invite?”

“Huh?”

“Not right.” Martial Uncle Pang shook his head. “Your cultivation level is too low. If you become the Sect Master now, it’ll attract too much attention. Maybe we should have Martial Niece Zhang manage Jiushan Sect for a while first? You two get along well, and you can switch back later.”

Before Zheng Fa could respond—

A voice came from outside, furious, “I’m not dead yet!”

Martial Uncle Pang was stunned, as if he had just noticed the Sect Master still lingering outside. He asked in surprise, “Huh? You’re still here?”

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The Sect Master outside gritted his teeth as he glared at Martial Uncle Pang.

“You’re practically at death’s door—why do you still care about this?” Martial Uncle Pang argued confidently.

“If you die, I still won’t!”

The Sect Master snorted coldly, as if he couldn’t be bothered to speak with his junior brother any longer, then flew off into the marketplace.

Martial Uncle Pang watched his departing figure and suddenly smiled.

“Martial Uncle?”

Zheng Fa called out softly.

“Zheng Fa, everyone says I care about Jiushan Sect. Do you know what I actually care about?” Martial Uncle Pang suddenly asked.

“What?”

“I joined the sect at twenty years old. Back then, your master was already a Golden Core true disciple… Now, I’ve known him for nine thousand years.”

“That woman named Huang—I’ve been arguing with her for over a thousand years.”

“I was just thinking… If those two were gone, if the Jiushan Spiritual Vein I’ve spent thousands of years in was gone, would Jiushan Sect still be Jiushan Sect to me?”

Zheng Fa understood what Martial Uncle Pang meant.

“Martial Uncle, are you going back?”

“When Junior Martial Sister Huang arrives and I’ve settled you all in, I will certainly return,” Martial Uncle Pang nodded.

…

After leaving the main hall of the Five Dragons Heavenly Palace, Zheng Fa and the other two fell into silence.

“What do you think?”

“Sending the ordinary disciples here was the right choice. Right now, the Thunder Pool is the safest place for them,” Zheng Fa said first. “As for the Sect Master and Martial Uncle Pang, unless a Soul Formation cultivator appears, Jiushan Sect’s three Nascent Soul combatants, combined with the mountain-protecting formation, should be enough that their lives won’t be so easily taken.”

Senior Sister Zhang nodded lightly at his words.

Senior Sister Yuan still had tear stains at the corners of her eyes. She murmured softly, “I want to go back too.”

Zheng Fa sighed and reached out to pat Senior Sister Yuan’s round head.

The aura of Fusang Wood on him made her squint her eyes slightly, and her head instinctively leaned into his palm, rubbing gently. A goofy smile even crept onto her lips.

“Still want to go back?”

“…No.”

Senior Sister Zhang watched this scene and shook her head but said nothing.

Instead, Zheng Fa spoke again. “Senior Sister Zhang, you have a promising future, while my cultivation is too weak. I’m afraid Martial Uncle Pang and the others wouldn’t allow us to return anyway…”

Senior Sister Zhang nodded lightly, seemingly agreeing with Zheng Fa’s judgment.

“For now, what we can do is first settle the disciples,” Zheng Fa said as they walked. “I was thinking—can we gather more intelligence on the Great Freedom Demonic Sect and the demon race’s movements?”

“Yes. Right now, the enemy is in the shadows while we are in the open. We’re at a great disadvantage,” Senior Sister Zhang agreed.

The two of them turned their gaze to the Golden Crow in Senior Sister Yuan’s hands.

“Gah?”

…

“I really don’t know the Great Freedom Demonic Sect’s plans!” The Golden Crow was aggrieved. “I’m just a Foundation Establishment cultivator! Those demonic women only lust after my body—why would they tell me anything else?”

Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang exchanged a glance and both nodded.

Zheng Fa asked again.

“Where did you escape from?”

“Where?” The Golden Crow thought for a moment and said, “The south, seems like some Fengcheng County.”

“Fengcheng County.”

Zheng Fa frowned and looked at Senior Sister Zhang beside him, noticing that her expression was also heavy.

They were no strangers to the name Fengcheng County—it was part of Taiyang Prefecture.

More importantly, the spiritual stone mine in the spirit cavern was located there.

Right now, the place was filled with all sorts of people, a mix of good and bad, making it extremely difficult to pinpoint the members of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect.

But whether it was Jiushan Sect or the Thunder Pool market, those people posed a huge threat.

Now that this Golden Crow had escaped, if those people were cautious, they might have already relocated.

It would be difficult to find them in the crowd.

As the two of them were troubled over this—

A Jiushan Sect disciple arrived outside the door and reported to Zheng Fa:

“Fairy Lingye has come to visit.”

Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned. The news brought by the Golden Crow had been too sudden, making him completely forget about the matter with Xiao Yuying.

“Please, invite her in!”

Xiao Yuying walked in, her gaze first sweeping over Senior Sister Zhang before landing on Zheng Fa. Seemingly mindful of Senior Sister Yuan’s presence, she only asked casually,

“Daoist Zheng, have you made your decision?”

She had a slight smile at the corner of her lips, as if she was already confident in his answer.

“I’m sorry, Fairy Xiao, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you.”

Zheng Fa directly refused Xiao Yuying.

He hadn’t planned on going in the first place.

Now, with the additional threat of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, he had even less desire to stir up trouble.

Xiao Yuying was stunned, looking at Zheng Fa for a long moment before finally saying,

“But… that belongs to him!”

Her tone was filled with disbelief, as if she couldn’t comprehend his response, or perhaps she thought she had misheard.

“Fairy Xiao, I appreciate your trust, but I truly have no interest.”

Zheng Fa refused again.

Xiao Yuying was silent for a while before suddenly asking,

“Do you think I would discard you once you’ve served your purpose?”

“Fairy Xiao, you misunderstand…”

“I can swear a soul contract with you.” Xiao Yuying interrupted.

Zheng Fa was momentarily taken aback and looked at Xiao Yuying.

A soul contract was no trivial matter.

It was essentially a temporary, two-way soul imprint—put simply, if one died, so did the other.

For Xiao Yuying to be this determined about him?

Seeing Zheng Fa’s confusion, Xiao Yuying shook her head and said,

“In this Xuanyi Realm, I only know of one person whose mastery of thunder techniques surpasses mine—you.”

“But that secret realm… my thunder techniques aren’t strong enough yet…”

Xiao Yuying’s explanation made Zheng Fa suddenly understand.

He pondered for a moment, then his mind stirred as he said,

“Fairy Xiao, I can agree to your request.”

Xiao Yuying’s eyes lit up.

“But I have a condition.”

“What condition?” Xiao Yuying frowned, seeming displeased with Zheng Fa’s bargaining.

Zheng Fa didn’t mind her expression at all and instead said,

“I want Fairy Xiao to do me a favor.”

Xiao Yuying was momentarily stunned. Zheng Fa glanced at Senior Sister Zhang, who nodded at him.

Zheng Fa then explained the collusion between the Great Freedom Demonic Sect and the demon race, as well as their possible plot against Jiushan Sect.

“What do you want me to do?”

Xiao Yuying didn’t immediately agree but asked instead.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment and said,

“Fairy Xiao, I’d like you to visit Fengcheng County and spread a rumor.”

“What rumor?”

“That you encountered the emergence of Emperor’s Nectar—right by the Thunder Pool.”

“That’s it?” Xiao Yuying was puzzled. “Will they even believe it?”

She quickly understood Zheng Fa’s intention—Emperor’s Nectar was considered a supreme treasure for bloodline evolution among the demon race.

Zheng Fa simply shook his head and said,

“I’m not certain… but given the demon race’s obsession with bloodline evolution and your reputation, Fairy Xiao, I think at least some of them will be tempted.”

Xiao Yuying nodded slightly and said,

“If I do this, you’ll come with me to that secret realm?”

“No second thoughts!”

“Alright! This is easy enough.” Xiao Yuying agreed readily. “Once we reach that secret realm, I won’t treat you unfairly either!”

“Fairy Xiao! I swear here and now that I won’t take a single thing from that secret realm!” Zheng Fa declared seriously.

To be honest, he didn’t just want to avoid taking anything—if he could avoid stepping foot inside, he absolutely would.

His main goal was to stay out of it entirely!

He had absolutely no fate with this so-called "New Dao"!

Xiao Yuying was momentarily stunned, looking at Zheng Fa and asking,

“I’m helping Jiushan Sect uncover the demon race and demonic sect members hiding in Fengcheng County—and you ask for nothing else?”

Zheng Fa nodded.

“I’ve been to countless secret realms and met at least eight to ten thousand cultivators,” Xiao Yuying said, her admiration entirely sincere. “A cultivator as selfless as Brother Zheng, who only cares about his sect with no personal motives—this is the first time I’ve ever seen one.”

Before Zheng Fa could say anything—

Senior Sister Zhang beside him was stunned for a moment, her expression saying just one thing:

Ancestor above, even I wouldn’t dare to praise him like that.