Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World-Chapter 17 - Ghost Talisman

Zheng Fa struggled to pretend he didn't see Mr. Xu's scowling face.

"You don't know shit!" Mr. Xu scolded Gao Yuan, "Those martial arts taught by the schools outside might seem powerful, but those who practice them will lose their edge after reaching their prime, and those who don't practice well could even have their lives shortened!"

Zheng Fa understood what Mr. Xu meant.

The same martial arts, if well-practiced, could improve one's abilities.

Therefore, a bonus like the Songhe Stance, which could increase one's lifespan, was naturally very precious.

And in his heart, he had another thought—Gao Yuan could extend his life by twenty years with thirty years of practice.

With his talent, which Mr. Xu deemed excellent when examining his bones, better than Gao Yuan's, did he not need thirty years?

More importantly: he could also travel to the modern world!

If he practiced in the modern world, that would mean having twice the time.

That meant, according to Gao Yuan's simple life arithmetic, he might not be at a loss.

...

Perhaps angered by Gao Yuan, Mr. Xu personally taught them for a while, then left them to their own devices and went back to his spear practice.

Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan continued to practice the posture of the Songhe Stance on the spot.

Even Gao Yuan, who was a bit disdainful before, practiced with great seriousness.

Sometimes Zheng Fa couldn't help comparing his peers in the Xuanwei Realm with those in the modern world; those classmates he encountered in modern schools would likely be more prone to slack off.

Peers in this world, like Gao Yuan—though born a servant, had a reputation and wealth in the family, and were not ordinary people in this world—would cherish opportunities even more.

After standing in the posture taught by Mr. Xu for a while, Zheng Fa felt a warm flow inside his body becoming more apparent, causing his bones to tingle and his breathing to gradually become smooth and drawn out.

Mr. Xu came over, saw Zheng Fa's state, and nodded in satisfaction: "I told you, you have good talent. You've grasped the basics quickly!"

Zheng Fa clearly saw Gao Yuan's movements stiffen a bit, as if he was growing anxious.

Mr. Xu seemed to have noticed his reaction too, but only glanced at him and, without praise or reproach, slowly walked away.

Watching Mr. Xu's retreating figure, Gao Yuan's face showed obvious disappointment.

For their first exposure to the Songhe Stance, Mr. Xu didn't have Zheng Fa and him practice for long; about less than half an hour later, he began to send them away:

"Progress step by step! The thing to avoid most in martial arts training is haste!"

Zheng Fa already couldn't stand it anymore, leaving the training field feeling his stomach thundering with hunger, seeing the stones on the ground like matcha cakes, wanting to take a bite.

Back in this world, he was already struggling to get enough food, and once he started training, he realized Mr. Xu's words—eating well is paramount to martial arts practice—were a profound truth.

Once back at their quarters, Zheng Fa sat on his bed, feeling his vision darken.

Gao Yuan saw his expression and knew what was up: "Hungry?"

"Yeah, how do we get food?"

"In the mansion's rules, we belong to Seventh Young Master, so his maids should dish out our food before we pick it up."

"Do you think they would have dished out food for us?"

Zheng Fa questioned Gao Yuan's soul.

"That's unlikely... they probably didn't, I'll go get it from the main kitchen!" Being the child of the second house's steward, Gao Yuan showed off his extensive connections: "The lady has given us a portion, they wouldn't dare not give it to me if I'm there!"

With that, Gao Yuan hurriedly stood up and walked out, shouting as he went: "You wait, I'll bring your food along with mine."

Watching Gao Yuan's departing back, Zheng Fa smiled to himself.

His roommate had some of the pettiness of ordinary people, but to be honest, he was a decent person.

...

It took almost half an hour for Gao Yuan to get the food. By the time he brought the food box back, Zheng Fa's stomach was in such pain from hunger.

"Those people in the main kitchen, claiming the lady didn't instruct them! They wanted to pocket our meal money!" Gao Yuan said indignantly, "It was only after I found my father that they told the truth!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa looked up to thank Gao Yuan: "Then I have to really thank your father, otherwise, I wouldn't even have had this meal."

"No problem! This is what we're entitled to!"

Gao Yuan waved his hand and spoke.

There was indeed quite a bit of food in the lunchbox.

The first layer contained two big bowls of meat and one big bowl of vegetables.

The middle layer was filled with rice.

It looked rather plain in taste, but the portions were generous.

Zheng Fa started wolfing down his food with his chopsticks.

While shoveling food into his mouth, his gaze unintentionally swept over the bottom layer of the lunchbox.

It was supposed to be empty, but he saw a piece of paper, or rather, a corner of a piece of paper, wedged between the gaps of the layers.

Gao Yuan seemed to notice his gaze too, his hand suddenly retracting as if he didn't want Zheng Fa to see.

That's when Zheng Fa realized, this guy had been away for so long, likely because, in addition to getting food, he had also dealt with some private affairs.

He lowered his head and stuffed another mouthful of rice into his mouth, pretending as if nothing had happened.

On the other hand, Gao Yuan seemed restless and distracted from his meal.

...

In the following two days, Zheng Fa lived a very routine life.

Early in the morning, he would be punished by standing in Seventh Young Master's courtyard, and also accompany Seventh Young Master to Mr. Shen's lessons.

In the afternoons, he would go learn the Songhe Stance from Mr. Xu.

Zheng Fa's learning speed was indeed faster than Gao Yuan's by a fair bit, but Mr. Xu also said to both of them that although Zheng Fa learned quickly, he had started late. Without a special opportunity, it would be difficult for him to achieve great success in Songhe Stance.

At night, after dinner, both of them would engage in their own activities.

Zheng Fa was very busy at night.

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Not only did he memorize the classics taught in Mr. Shen's lessons, but he also had to recall knowledge from modern textbooks.

He even spent half an hour every day practicing his calligraphy with a brush.

But Gao Yuan was different:

As soon as he returned to his room, he would hide and mysteriously look at something.

Zheng Fa occasionally caught a glimpse of him holding a few pieces of paper.

They looked like the pieces that were hidden in the lunchbox that day.

When Gao Yuan looked at those papers, he was wary of Zheng Fa, and as soon as Zheng Fa entered the room, he would tuck them into his chest.

But occasionally, when Gao Yuan was engrossed in them, Zheng Fa inadvertently saw what was written, or rather, drawn on the paper — all complicated lines with no distinct patterns to be seen.

Even with just a glance, Zheng Fa felt his eyes go blurry.

Gao Yuan, who stared at these papers all day, was obviously even more devastated.

That night, when Zheng Fa entered the room, he saw Gao Yuan lying on his bed like a salted fish, completely flattened.

Those precious papers were scattered on his quilt.

His whole being exuded an air of utter despair and resignation to fate.

"What's wrong?"

Gao Yuan's gaze was scattered, with an air of not wanting to speak.

After a long while, he suddenly sat up and shouted, "I just won't be an Attendant Student anymore, I won't look at these things ever again!"

Zheng Fa was startled, his gaze involuntarily shifting to those papers: "Looking at these can prevent you from being driven away?"

"You think the book that Seventh Young Master reads all day is what?" Gao Yuan pointed at the patterns on the paper: "They're all these ghost talismans!"

Zheng Fa picked up a piece of paper and looked at it. The patterns were chaotic and complex, with no discernible order.

"What's Seventh Young Master doing with this?"

"Talismans, these are the legendary talismans of the Immortal Sect!"

Zheng Fa couldn't help but feel reverence, and upon looking at these patterns that resembled children's doodles, he felt they were imbued with mystique.