I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 519Book 2: : Lingering Spring, An Uninvited Guest

Book 2: Chapter 519: Lingering Spring, An Uninvited Guest

Vol 2 Chapter 519: Lingering Spring, An Uninvited Guest

The atmosphere at the table was quite lively, and soon, Zhao Jingfan and Yan Wushuang were drunk.

"Let me tell you, that so-called Zao Hua Demon Ancestor was just one sword strike away!" Yan Wushuang glared with wide eyes, laughing heartily, "The revenge my father couldn't take, I've taken it!"

Zhao Jingfan's eyes were hazy, his tone disdainful: "Was this revenge you took? Wasn't it just the sword formation being powerful?"

After saying this, he turned to Zheng Fa, extending two fingers: "Zheng Fa, there are two things about you that I... most admire."

Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned. Zhao Jingfan was quite a tsundere person, so getting him to clearly say the word "admire" wasn't easy—it carried high value.

He estimated this guy wouldn't admit to saying this when sober.

"First..." Zhao Jingfan pointed at Senior Sister Zhang, "Back when I first met Senior Sister Zhang, I was worried inside. How dare you..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but revealed a smile everyone understood.

Now Zheng Fa believed Zhao Jingfan was truly drunk.

"Second... is... is the Jiushan Sect." Zhao Jingfan slumped on the table, murmuring, "Jiushan Sect, your Jiushan Sect, our Jiushan Sect, how wonderful it is."

"Why can't everyone just get along properly, letting you do what you love?"

"Leiyin Temple, Lu Mo..."

Zhao Jingfan seemed deeply drunk, speaking incoherently, but Zheng Fa could understand what he wanted to say.

He took a sip of wine, gazing into the distance, and before he knew it, he too had passed out drunk.

When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on Senior Sister Zhang's bed, with plain white curtains and warm bedding.

"Awake?"

Senior Sister Zhang's voice came through. Zheng Fa turned his head and saw her sitting on a low couch, cultivating, unsure how long she had been keeping him company here.

Zheng Fa sat up, feet dangling by the bedside, hands propped on the bedding, smiling: "Haven't felt this relaxed in a long time."

"Tired?"

In front of Senior Sister Zhang, Zheng Fa never hid anything, smiling wryly: "A bit."

His personality wasn't the competitive, aggressive type—he was even somewhat homebody, preferring to do his own thing.

Others only saw him leading the Jiushan Sect to conquer the formerly mighty Haori Mountain and seize the Hongmeng Purple Qi, probably feeling shocked or even envious.

But for him personally, weariness indeed outweighed pride—Zhao Jingfan understood him well.

That's why he later completely let go, simply seeking to get drunk.

Coming back to his senses, Senior Sister Zhang looked at him quietly, not speaking, yet seeming to say many things.

Zheng Fa smiled briefly, emerging from his somewhat low spirits, looking at Senior Sister Zhang: "Senior Sister, how far are you from reaching Dao Fruit?"

"Soon." Senior Sister Zhang replied, "I plan to merge the Innate Eight Trigrams and Nine Chapters Calculation Array. I've already made some progress, but it's meticulous work that can't be rushed."

"However, I can use Tongjian to complete the ritual ceremony."

Zheng Fa's kind of opportunity was rare and couldn't be sought; they couldn't wreak havoc across the entire Xuanwei like Lu Mo did.

But Tongjian's coverage was already extensive, and the Talisman Foundation Establishment Technique improved by Senior Sister Zhang was practiced by everyone in the Jiushan Sect. If you added the mortals within Jiushan Sect's territory, Senior Sister Zhang's audience was exceptionally large, unprecedented in history.

Over the past century, the Jiushan Sect had been promoting education, with mathematics being the most fundamental. Strictly speaking, as the mother of mathematics in the Jiushan Sect, almost every educated mortal could be considered part of her audience.

"Starting with Senior Sister, the audience for Jiushan Sect cultivators includes both practitioners of the methods they created and mortals whose lives were changed because of them."

Zheng Fa also attached great importance to Senior Sister Zhang's proving the Dao. Besides their relationship, Senior Sister Zhang was more representative than himself. Her success would better prove that the Jiushan Sect's path was viable.

"This way, once cultivators create superior methods, other cultivators can also switch to them through the Yellow Court Scripture, naturally making it easier to achieve the Dao in the future."

Put this way, it resembled the materialization of impact factors...

Senior Sister Zhang nodded gently, adding: "These two are actually different. Those with more mortal audiences lean toward the Divine Path method. Those leaning toward cultivators belong to the Immortal Dao."

Zheng Fa found this reasonable but felt too lazy to ponder deeply, not even wanting to cultivate.

After reaching Dao Fruit, cultivation's usefulness for improving one's cultivation level truly wasn't that significant anymore.

He wandered around the courtyard for a while, then sent messages to his two disciples, asking them to come.

When Gu Chang and Mu Qingyan arrived together, Yuan Xiaoniao was already in the courtyard chattering with Senior Sister Zhang.

Zheng Fa sat to the side, smiling when he saw his two disciples, his tone not without guilt: "I've been too busy lately to teach you properly. I've really been negligent..."

From his heart, he might prefer being a teacher.

"We have already received great kindness from our master..."

Gu Chang quickly said.

Mu Qingyan nodded repeatedly but couldn't speak. Whether in her "past life memories" or in the Qingmu Sect, she had never seen a teacher apologize to disciples.

"The victory in the Haori Mountain battle and obtaining the Hongmeng Purple Qi couldn't have happened without your contributions."

Zheng Fa looked at these two disciples with considerable pride.

Mu Qingyan's research allowed the Jiushan Sect to withstand the Gu God.

Gu Chang was even more remarkable—his spiritual intelligence network structure became the most crucial part of that creation thesis.

Under Zheng Fa's admiring gaze, both Gu Chang and Mu Qingyan couldn't help but smile.

"I've achieved Dao Fruit and have some time recently." Zheng Fa's words carried a compensatory tone, "If you have any cultivation doubts, this is a good time to answer them."

"Yes!"

Gu Chang and Mu Qingyan expressed gratitude, but what puzzled them was that Yuan Xiaoniao, hearing this, immediately flew out of the courtyard.

Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang also stood up, leisurely walking toward the courtyard exit.

The two exchanged glances, confused, and followed along.

Zheng Fa and the others seemed to have planned this earlier, flying out of Ziwei Yuan and landing on a grassland in the mortal realm of Jiushan Realm.

Clear river water flowed down from the mountains, splashing against rocks with gentle pitter-patter and tinkling sounds.

The mountains were in full bloom, with orioles singing and butterflies dancing, looking like a colorful oil painting from afar.

Zheng Fa sat cross-legged on the green grass, so lightly that not even the grass tips bent.

He nodded to Gu Chang and the others, signaling them to sit.

Gu Chang and the others felt somewhat novel, sitting opposite Zheng Fa, unable to resist looking around.

Yuan Xiaoniao took a barbecue grill from her storage pouch, setting it up by the river, holding a fishing rod, apparently planning to catch and grill fish on the spot.

Senior Sister Zhang leaned against a riverside rock, smiling as she watched Zheng Fa, taking out a jade flute and placing it to her lips.

Amid the jade flute's melody, Gu Chang and the others felt their minds relax, unconsciously voicing the doubts accumulated over these days.

Zheng Fa answered what he knew, and when he didn't know, he would look toward Senior Sister Zhang.

Sometimes Yuan Xiaoniao would interject a few words.

Gu Chang and Mu Qingyan often deduced other things from one instance, generating their own inspirations, and Zheng Fa listened attentively.

Though called guidance, Zheng Fa intentionally turned it into discussion.

Unconsciously, Gu Chang and the others felt all their previous doubts disappear, gaining many new inspirations, with substantial gains.

Seeing their satisfied expressions, Zheng Fa couldn't help but smile, as if remembering something, asking: "Since taking you as disciples, I haven't properly chatted with you."

Gu Chang and Mu Qingyan looked at Zheng Fa, somewhat puzzled.

"You've both reached Nascent Soul stage. What are your thoughts about your future Dao paths?"

Seeing their hesitant expressions, as if unsure how to speak, Zheng Fa simply asked Senior Sister Yuan: "Senior Sister Yuan, what do you think?"

Senior Sister Yuan, who was grilling fish, looked up, wiped her drool, and chuckled: "Dao path? What Dao path?"

"I mean, what wishes and aspirations do you have."

"Wishes." Senior Sister Yuan put down the grilled fish, expression serious, falling into deep thought, looking quite solemn.

Everyone waited quietly, even Senior Sister Zhang put down her jade flute.

Senior Sister Yuan's gaze was firm: "I wish that in the future, I can still go fishing and playing with Senior Sister and Junior Brother!"

Everyone fell silent. Senior Sister Yuan slowly lowered her head.

Zheng Fa then looked at Gu Chang and Mu Qingyan.

Gu Chang pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and said: "I want to continue researching the spiritual intelligence system."

Zheng Fa nodded slightly.

"I want to know what differences exist between people, to understand how intelligence truly arises." Gu Chang seemed to have thought about this for a long time, "I enjoy staying in the laboratory, simulating various spiritual intelligence networks, observing different possibilities."

Zheng Fa smiled with approval, then looked at Mu Qingyan.

Mu Qingyan looked somewhat embarrassed, speaking softly: "I... I also enjoy pharmaceutical research."

"Also enjoy?"

"I... I'm not as steadfast in my Dao heart as Senior Brother."

Mu Qingyan's expression showed some shame, but Zheng Fa understood. Mu Qingyan's experiences were somewhat bizarre, her thoughts more complex. Compared to Gu Chang, she found it harder to settle down as a researcher.

Zheng Fa felt somewhat surprised: "You want to become the Jiushan Sect Leader?"

"Disciple wouldn't dare! Senior Brother should inherit it." Mu Qingyan quickly said, "Disciple originally comes from Qingmu Sect, wouldn't dare aspire to the Sect Leader position. I just... want to do more for the sect."

She glanced at Zheng Fa, seemingly afraid he wouldn't believe her, explaining further: "Disciple... fears Xuanwei might become like in my dream."

Gu Chang laughed: "If Master lets Junior Sister become Sect Leader, I'd actually feel relieved."

Mu Qingyan was stunned, turning to look at Gu Chang, seeing sincere expression on her senior brother's face, as if he truly didn't want to take over the Sect Leader position.

Seeing her surprise, Gu Chang said earnestly: "Junior Sister, the Sect Leader position is truly too heavy for me. My mental fortitude isn't as strong as yours..."

Only then did Mu Qingyan believe him, after all, the current Jiushan Sect Leader held immense power.

Seeing their relative harmony, Zheng Fa smiled and shook his head: "I won't unilaterally decide the next Sect Leader position."

Mu Qingyan was stunned.

"Qingyan, your origins in Qingmu Sect don't matter. Wanting to become Sect Leader isn't something that can be achieved just by being my disciple."

"Yes!"

Mu Qingyan beamed with joy, and Gu Chang added beside her: "I'll help Junior Sister."

Zheng Fa was noncommittal. He already had some plans for the sect's next generation inheritance—

On one hand, he wouldn't follow complete master-disciple inheritance, forcibly keeping the Sect Leader position within his lineage.

On the other hand, he wouldn't block Mu Qingyan's ambitions for some notion of absolute selflessness, even encouraging her aspirations.

Understanding Zheng Fa's meaning, Mu Qingyan's expression became even more animated. She boldly asked: "Then what about you, Master?"

"Me?"

"What are your wishes for the future?"

"Me?" Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Right now, I think the same as Senior Sister Yuan."

"Huh?"

Senior Sister Yuan, who had been gloomily grilling fish nearby, suddenly looked up, eyes shining brightly as she stared at Zheng Fa.

"A few close friends, disciples by my side, spring days lingering slowly, with no other idle matters."

...

But Zheng Fa's wish remained just a wish.

He didn't get to rest for long before Glazed Buddha's visiting card flew into his hands.

In the Heavenly Palace Hall, the Jiushan Sect's senior members looked at a name card shimmering with Buddha light, their expressions quite solemn.

"An unexpected guest..." Uncle Pang sighed.

Everyone's expressions weren't very bright either.

Everyone knew Leiyin Temple wanted the Hongmeng Purple Qi. This Da Luo Dharma Assembly was actually quite troublesome for the Jiushan Sect.

Yun Wuji in the hall looked particularly apprehensive—he was probably the most unwilling to see Leiyin Temple visit.

Zheng Fa held the visiting card, looking at the worried people in the hall, setting aside his recent leisure, his expression resolute:

"Let's meet them first before deciding."

Gu Chang and the others felt somewhat novel, sitting opposite Zheng Fa, unable to resist looking around.

After two days, Glazed Buddha and his entourage finally arrived in the Jiushan Realm.

The group consisted of eleven people: one Glazed Buddha, two True Immortal Bodhisattvas, and eight arhats. Standing together, their Buddha light was vast and mighty.

Even the mortal realm of Jiushan Realm could see golden light covering half the sky.

Never before had so many powerful cultivators come to the Jiushan Realm—even the realm's boundaries became somewhat transparent.

"Sect Leader Zheng."

Glazed Buddha clasped his hands toward Zheng Fa from afar, greeting him, his eyes faintly golden as if assessing Zheng Fa's capabilities.

"Welcome, Glazed Buddha, to our humble sect." Zheng Fa clasped his hands from afar, welcoming Glazed Buddha's group into the Heavenly Palace Hall of Ziwei Yuan.

After exchanging some empty pleasantries about long admiration, Glazed Buddha finally stated his purpose.

"I presume Sect Leader Zheng already knows that this humble monk comes by order of Great Ascension Buddha, inviting you to Leiyin Temple to participate in the Da Luo Dharma Assembly."

"Why invite me?"

Although Zheng Fa had some conjectures, he asked directly.

"Great Ascension Buddha once said the Da Luo Dharma Assembly is to establish the heart of heaven and earth, to establish laws for the Immortal Dao."

"Firstly, this concerns the entire Xuanwei Immortal Dao. Since the Jiushan Sect is a major power in Xuanwei, how can you be absent?"

"Secondly, this also requires the Hongmeng Purple Qi..."

"The Hongmeng Purple Qi belongs to the Jiushan Sect." Uncle Huang, with his explosive temper, angrily retorted, "Whether it's needed or given isn't for you to decide."

Unconsciously, Gu Chang and the others felt all their previous doubts disappear, gaining many new inspirations, with substantial gains.

"What request?"

"The Future Buddha of our Leiyin Temple, White Lotus Bodhisattva, was killed by an evil person." Glazed Buddha turned, staring at Yun Wuji seated below, "This person, I ask Sect Leader Zheng to hand over to me to bring back to Leiyin Temple for proper punishment according to law."

Yun Wuji, stared at by Glazed Buddha, a Golden Immortal, turned pale, restless and uneasy.