I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 397Book 2: : Great Changes in the Hundred Immortals, Unintentional Success
Vol 2 Chapter 397: Great Changes in the Hundred Immortals, Unintentional Success
Old Man Xie sat inside his room. Outside the door, he heard his children and grandchildren whispering softly.
"Has the school in town been built?"
That was the voice of his eldest daughter-in-law.
"It's done," his eldest son replied. "The Jiushan Sect immortals specially came to build it. It only took an hour. It's a three-courtyard compound, very beautiful."
"Truly like immortals!"
"Keep your voice down, Dad doesn't like us talking about Jiushan Sect!"
Old Man Xie blinked but said nothing.
His eldest daughter-in-law paused for a moment, then instead of lowering her voice, she actually raised it by a bit:
"Doesn't like to hear? But everyone in the village loves to hear about it!"
"Without Jiushan Sect, how could we have our own fields at home?"
"Without Jiushan Sect, how could Little San have gone to school?"
His eldest son listened but seemed at a loss for a rebuttal. He only said helplessly, "I never said you can't talk, I just want you to keep your voice down..."
"I know Dad served immortals," his eldest daughter-in-law continued, "But has that young master ever come to see him in his whole life? Has he cared about us? Have you seen him?"
"The Jiushan Sect immortals come to town at least once every ten or fifteen days."
After she said that, his eldest son seemed speechless and finally could only mutter, "Don't say that in front of Dad."
Old Man Xie squinted his eyes, gazing at the red, round sun outside the window.
He had been watching this sun for decades, and it had never changed.
...
About ten more days passed.
Old Man Xie sat in front of the house, thinking about the young master who had grown more anxious in recent days, scolding him for being incompetent and even slapping him once, now with a blank look in his eyes.
Two little grandsons ran from outside the village toward the house.
"Grandpa!"
"Ah!" Old Man Xie laughed and asked, "Is school fun?"
"It's fun!" Little Four shouted. "Grandpa, I can write the character 'Xie' now!"
"Really?"
Old Man Xie felt a tremble in his heart.
Although he was born into an immortal clan, he was only a servant and had no right to attend the family's school.
When he came out to manage affairs, he was only a small leader. He had finally learned to use an abacus but still couldn't read or write.
"I'll write it for you to see!" Little Four grabbed a stick and spent a long time writing a character on the ground that looked somewhat familiar to him. "Grandpa, do you think I wrote it well?"
ŘἈNỌβĚṥ
"Good! Good!" Old Man Xie nodded with squinted eyes. "Square and neat, very pretty!"
"The teacher said I write well too!"
"The teacher from Jiushan Sect?"
Little San interrupted, "Yes! The teacher was very kind and said if we study well, and our grades are good, we can become immortals one day!"
After saying that, he hastily covered his mouth and looked at Old Man Xie. "I forgot, Grandpa doesn't like immortals!"
Old Man Xie reached out and touched the little grandson's forehead, thought for a moment, and said, "Grandpa has never seen immortals like that."
The two little grandsons blinked, half understanding.
Old Man Xie, however, seemed to be talking to himself rather than them:
"Grandpa has lived a lifetime and never seen immortals like that."
...
Things that Old Man Xie had never seen kept happening one after another.
"Building a factory?"
At the dinner table, his second son mentioned something new he had never heard before.
"What do you mean by building a factory?"
His second son seemed to have figured it out: "It's a big workshop! A really big workshop!"
"The Jiushan Sect immortals went around everywhere and said our fish and shrimp here are good, and they want to try farming fish and shrimp!"
Old Man Xie nodded and finally spoke: "It's true. Immortals all love to eat them and said they have spiritual bloodlines. They even want us to offer tributes."
"When I was outside, the fish and shrimp here sold the best. They are precious, and ordinary people couldn't get their hands on them."
His second son, hearing him continue, spoke louder: "Jiushan Sect immortals say our fish and shrimp are treasures. If we can farm them, life will be easier in the future."
"They said we can pickle them and sell them outside, make sauces, or even sell them fresh!"
"If we can't sell them, eating them ourselves is good too."
His eldest daughter-in-law was sharp and immediately said, "If a workshop opens, won't it need to hire workers?"
"Yes, but not many. The Jiushan Sect immortals said they want to try first and see if it works."
The eldest daughter-in-law looked a bit disappointed.
Old Man Xie nodded and said, "This is the right path. Trying first is the way to sustain it long-term."
The table fell silent. Everyone looked at Old Man Xie, seeming surprised he was speaking so favorably about Jiushan Sect.
Old Man Xie's face darkened, and his second son hurriedly laughed and flattered, "Dad's right! The immortals also said, if one thing doesn't work, we still have other treasures here. We can't stay poor forever."
Old Man Xie was stunned by these words. Around him, his children and grandchildren discussed:
"Why not let the eldest and second son try hiring workers?"
"Try it! We can still handle the farm work!"
"The little ones go to school, the older ones have wages. If we hold on for a few years, life at home will get better."
Listening to them, Old Man Xie didn't know when, but a smile crept to the corner of his mouth.
...
The Jiushan Sect immortals were truly very different from those Old Man Xie had seen, heard of, or heard legends about.
The immortals of old were lofty and hard to find in the mortal world. Even the young master he served, after entering the immortal gate, only returned two or three times in decades.
But the Jiushan Sect immortals often strolled around the county, didn't bully anyone, and were just investigating some industries.
Later, a group of literate people who seemed not to be immortals came to town.
They either taught students, helped build factories, or became town administrators.
Although they said they weren't immortals, everyone could read and write, and the townspeople boldly learned that in Jiushan Sect, mortals who couldn't become immortals could still practice martial arts.
Oh, it should be called Jiushan Realm.
Now everyone knew immortals all came from Jiushan Sect.
Those who didn't cultivate immortality came from Jiushan Realm. They weren't immortals but could read and write, do calculations, farm fish and shrimp, and knew more than the most learned teacher in town before.
They were all remarkable people.
"The teacher said they aren't stronger than us," every time the little grandson heard this, he would argue, "The teacher said they studied first to learn so much."
"We study and learn martial arts later;we can be that strong too."
Now the table was full of Jiushan Sect matters.
Jiushan Sect immortals.
Teachers from Jiushan Sect.
The family loved to talk about it, and Old Man Xie listened without returning to his room.
...
That night, Old Man Xie secretly called his eldest grandson.
"Grandpa?"
"Are you going to work tomorrow?"
"Yes!"
Old Man Xie hesitated for a long time but, fearing immortal methods, didn't dare speak directly. He only whispered, "It's nothing. Help me see when the Jiushan Sect immortals will come to town again."
...
The next day, the eldest grandson went to town, but an unexpected person arrived.
"Fairy Xiaoqing?"
Seeing Xiaoqing standing at the door, the whole family was stunned.
Xiaoqing was the leader among the Jiushan Sect disciples around here and very beautiful, extremely eye-catching.
The name Fairy Xiaoqing was known by many children at the school, who recited it daily.
Although she seemed very busy, running around several counties, everyone in the village recognized her.
"Is this Old Man Xie's family?"
Xiaoqing asked.
"Yes!"
Old Man Xie's heart trembled slightly, and fear appeared on his face.
Xiaoqing hurriedly said, "Don't be afraid! I just want to check on how Old Man Xie is doing."
The whole Xie family was stunned, seeming not to understand.
"My mission is done. In a while, I'll have to return to Jiushan Sect. There's nothing much. I'm just going around to check. Old Man Xie is old, so I came to help check his health."
Old Man Xie understood but still looked confused.
Seeing she couldn't explain clearly, Xiaoqing simply used her spiritual eye technique, her eyes glowing blue as she looked at Old Man Xie.
"Old Man Xie, your body is good... Huh?" She was stunned and suddenly looked up, asking, "Have you been hit in the face recently?"
Old Man Xie's face twitched. He mumbled, "I fell."
"Fell?"
Xiaoqing frowned, her gaze sweeping over his two sons with suspicion. She placed her right hand on his wrist.
Old Man Xie's hand trembled slightly.
Xiaoqing's expression darkened even more. Obviously, she sensed something wrong. "Old Man Xie, did you eat something you shouldn't have?"
"I..."
"My medical skills are shallow... I can only try to treat you first."
Old Man Xie looked at Xiaoqing's serious yet somewhat embarrassed face and suddenly knelt down, pounding the ground with his head.
...
When Shi Nandang saw Xiaoqing again, his expression was somewhat surprised.
This kid had just talked about earning merit points, and now he had earned a big one.
"This poison is not hard to cure," he said to Xiaoqing. "After all, this old man is just a mortal."
To be honest, even top-grade poison requires spirit stones...
Mortals don't have that luck.
"But according to Old Man Xie's description, the person who poisoned him is a long-term Nascent Soul cultivator named Old Man Li. He came to the Hundred Immortals Alliance some days ago and has recently disappeared. It turns out he is here."
Xiaoqing was shocked. "A Nascent Soul cultivator?"
"Heh... Now that Jiushan Sect has so many Divine Thunder Warships patrolling, ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators can barely hide, let alone show themselves."
Seeing Xiaoqing's slightly fearful face, Shi Nandang felt relaxed.
"Not to mention they have Tongjian. If he attacked a Jiushan Sect disciple, others would come immediately."
Seeing Xiaoqing confused, Shi Nandang shook his head. "Do you think the Sect Leader did nothing when you went out?"
"What arrangement?"
"Every state has at least three Nascent Souls patrolling, and Nascent Souls with profound spiritual power are stationed behind." Shi Nandang smiled. "Otherwise, he would fear those traitorous dogs jumping the fence."
"This place you are in is under my responsibility."
Xiaoqing finally understood and nodded repeatedly.
"But your merit is quite great."
Shi Nandang looked toward the valley. He hadn't noticed before, but now combining the clues Old Man Xie gave and Jiushan Sect's control over this area, after some investigation, these people had no place to hide.
Over a hundred cultivators.
Among them, three Nascent Souls.
That someone as low as Xiaoqing, still at foundation establishment stage, uncovered their whereabouts. Shi Nandang thought Old Man Li was truly unlucky.
It wasn't Old Man Li's carelessness but who would have expected Xiaoqing to find the problem like this...
"How did you notice Old Man Xie was off?" Shi Nandang asked curiously.
"Off?" Xiaoqing blinked and said confusedly, "I didn't think he was off."
"Then why did you go to see him?"
"Didn't the real person tell you? How I do my duties as temple attendant is how I execute missions." Xiaoqing's voice was low, as if lacking confidence. "In Banshan City, I just go see people and treat their illnesses every day..."
Shi Nandang was stunned. Looking at Xiaoqing, he couldn't hide his surprise. "You visit every village?"
"Yes."
"So many people, so many villages. Can you manage it all?"
Xiaoqing looked up at him, more puzzled: "Does it matter whether I can or not?"
Shi Nandang listened as Xiaoqing said, "Visiting one place means one more who likes the master and likes Jiushan Sect."
Looking at Xiaoqing's matter-of-fact expression, Shi Nandang was silent for a long time before sighing, "Old Man Li... really got what he deserved."
...
"Old Man Li, I feel my heart pounding. Is the person you found reliable?"
Inside the valley where the traitors hid, an old woman suddenly said.
"I've investigated. Recently, no trade caravans have left." Old Man Li frowned. "And it's not just one person we're looking for."
The old woman frowned. "Then you'd better be careful."
"I have Mirage Mirror;what are you afraid of!" Old Man Li sneered.
"Those people are all mortals. How could Jiushan Sect notice?"
"The people I picked are not reckless."
The old woman asked but had no more to say.
Old Man Li was not a reckless man.
But she still felt uneasy. She frowned. "No trade caravans now;how long do we wait?"
Old Man Li was silent for a moment, then transmitted to her by voice: "In another month, if we still can't find a trade caravan, we leave ourselves."
The old woman was stunned and looked at another middle-aged Nascent Soul.
This person was a sect elder of the Hundred Immortals Alliance who had now defected.
Several small sects of the Hundred Immortals Alliance had gathered around him.
"We want to find the trade caravan mainly because the target is too big. We can't abandon our disciples and apprentices."
He glanced at several disciples behind him with deep meaning in his eyes.
"You mean... escape alone?"
Old Man Li nodded.
"Then you came to me..."
The old woman's eyes grew stranger.
Old Man Li grinned: "Without the Mirage Mirror, these people will die anyway. Why not..."
The old woman was shocked inside, knowing he had murderous intent toward those in the cave.
Only three Nascent Souls were inside.
She was sought because of fear of the middle-aged Nascent Soul, wanting both to join forces and seize the treasures.
"Think about it. The treasures in their hands are the result of many years of accumulation by several sects."
The old woman's face flashed with temptation.
Old Man Li added, "If they live, they will surely expose our identities."
Hearing this, the old woman finally made up her mind and said, "You don't want disciples anymore?"
Old Man Li shook his head slightly and said, "Too conspicuous. Once we leave the Hundred Immortals Alliance, we will rebuild our foundation."
"With spirit stones in hand, who fears no disciples?"
The old woman understood. If only one or two people, disguises were easy. But with many, it was different.
She looked at the disciples beside her and felt reluctant—they were useful people cultivated for many years, and suddenly giving up was hard. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
After a long time, Old Man Li saw her nod slightly.
...
The next day.
A roar exploded from inside the cave.
"Old Man Li, how dare you betray me!"
The middle-aged cultivator's face was like gold and purple. Holding his abdomen, he glared at Old Man Li with bloodshot eyes.
He looked aside and saw the old woman standing at the cave entrance, blocking his way.
"You are sharp."
Old Man Li's face was also dark. He didn't expect this middle-aged Nascent Soul to dodge his sneak attack.
"You..."
Seeing the Nascent Soul conflict, the people in the cave were all terrified.
They wanted to escape but were blocked by the old woman at the entrance.
They could only shrink in the corner and watch the three confront each other.
The middle-aged Nascent Soul's gaze moved from Old Man Li to the old woman, seeming to notice their tacit understanding.
"As expected... you outsiders, traitorous without loyalty!"
Old Man Li suppressed his annoyance and calculated that with two against one, he was sure to win. Hearing the middle-aged cultivator scold him, he even smiled and said, "Loyalty? You are the traitors of the Hundred Immortals Alliance!"
"..."
"The alliance leader Zheng might have to thank me for cleaning house!"
The middle-aged cultivator's face turned pale and blue, speechless, gritting his teeth, "Do you want to wipe us all out?"
Old Man Li said nothing but produced a black chain in his hand.
The old woman also took out a green butterfly-shaped hairpin and gripped it.
Old Man Li said coldly, "The Mirage Mirror can't hide spiritual fluctuations. Quick fight, quick retreat."
The old woman also wore a stern face.
Old Man Li was afraid of attracting Jiushan Sect people by sneak attack but didn't expect this middle-aged Nascent Soul to be so vigilant, delaying them.
Although the middle-aged Nascent Soul dodged the fatal blow, he was severely injured and faced two Nascent Souls, knowing escape was impossible.
Hearing this, he sneered.
"Quick fight? Afraid Jiushan Sect will discover us?"
"I want to see where you can run!"
Old Man Li was shocked and shouted, "No!"
The middle-aged cultivator's Nascent Soul exploded from the top of his head, spiritual power like a giant wave.
The newly carved cave rumbled several times. Cracks in the rock deepened, and shafts of heavenly light shone through the fissures.
"Fellow cultivator! Why go so far?"
Old Man Li never expected this person to be so decisive and self-explode.
He fled while shouting, filled with deep regret.
The power of a Nascent Soul explosion cannot be hidden by the Mirage Mirror, and Jiushan Sect was not blind;they would definitely discover the problem.
After the explosion, those treasures would likely be damaged greatly.
More importantly...
He was too close!
When the middle-aged cultivator self-exploded, even his strongest defense couldn't block it. Even if he survived, he would be severely injured.
Escaping the Hundred Immortals Alliance in the future would be extremely difficult.
Facing death here, he was filled with regret and swore that if someone could stop this middle-aged cultivator, he would be forever indebted and serve them loyally.
...
Someone really did intervene.
But Old Man Li wished they hadn't and wished he could have endured it himself.
A golden figure slowly descended from the sky, spreading five fingers. The spiritual power that had just crashed like a raging storm in his hand was calmed with a palm.
Shi Nandang grabbed the middle-aged cultivator, turned to four Nascent Souls of Jiushan Sect behind him, and said, "Not bad, the injury is serious but treatable."
Treat?
Old Man Li was somewhat surprised.
Shi Nandang seemed to notice his expression and chuckled, "The Sect Leader said you people... better alive than dead."
Shi Nandang's expression was strange, as if about to laugh. "He said... good cattle and horses are a pity to lose."
Old Man Li bitterly regretted his words, swearing it was like nonsense, yet it came true so quickly!
"By the way, look at my eyes..." Shi Nandang looked at Old Man Li, furrowing his brow, suddenly asking, "Do you know me?"
"..."
Seeing his expression, Shi Nandang naturally understood the answer. He looked at Xiaoqing on the Divine Thunder Warship behind him and thought silently that this kid's unintentional success not only achieved great merit but might have saved his life.
