I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 399Book 2: : Lady Nishang, Two Days Later
Vol 2 Chapter 399: Lady Nishang, Two Days Later
“Are these all people from the Hundred Immortals Alliance?”
A clear and cold voice descended from the heavens. The speaker stood in the void, looking down at an island below.
Above the coastal reefs floated a giant ship. This ship had no oars or sails, its body shimmering with purple-blue electric light, with a strange shape.
The island originally had no signs of human presence, but now there was a row of single-story houses. About ten cultivators moved busily on and off the ship, inside and outside the houses.
“Reporting to Your Grace, they are indeed from the Hundred Immortals Alliance,” Lady Nishang replied, accompanied by several dozen disciples from Yaochi. Among them, a woman in green robes spoke. “That is the Divine Thunder Warship unique to the Jiushan Sect. It is said that one ship alone is equivalent to a Golden Core Zhenren.”
Lady Nishang nodded slightly, lifting her eyes to the eastern sea. “I didn’t expect their people to have already reached the edge of the Western Continent.”
Their group had departed from Yaochi, and as soon as they entered the sea area, they encountered people from Jiushan Sect. Upon seeing them, she could not help but feel a bit surprised.
“Your Grace, they have come before,” the green-robed woman, who seemed to be in charge of affairs at Yaochi, answered again. “The disciples of Jiushan Sect even came to visit some time ago.”
“Oh?”
“They wanted to do business with our Yaochi and came to pay respects to the sect.”
“That’s quite polite. Did you agree to it?”
The green-robed woman lowered her head. “No. The Lady Celestial did not meet them. She said it was unwise for the mere Jiushan Sect to provoke Leiyin Temple.”
Lady Nishang was silent for a moment, then sighed, shaking her head slightly. “The Heavenly River is changing. Our sect cannot unite as one;everyone has their own intentions. It is truly a troublesome time...”
Her tone was full of worry, but the others remained silent, clearly unwilling to speak further on this matter.
After a moment, the green-robed woman broke the silence. “Your Grace, should we go to Jiushan first?”
Lady Nishang did not seem willing to say more and replied, “Zheng Fa of Jiushan is now cultivating the Tongtian Method. Taishang Dao entrusted me to give him some guidance.”
The green-robed disciple did not expect that reason and smiled. “It seems Taishang Dao also knows that our Yaochi is the number one among the Xuanshi Divine Path.”
There was no smile in Lady Nishang’s eyes;she only sighed quietly. “Divine Path... Yaochi rose because of the Divine Path, but now, I fear it will also collapse because of it.”
“Your Grace!”
Hearing the disciple’s low exclamation, Lady Nishang looked toward the direction of Jiushan Sect, smiled, and said, “I just didn’t expect that Zheng Fa of Jiushan would also take this path. What a pity...”
Curious, the female disciple asked, “If the Divine Path is flawed, why does Taishang Dao still entrust you to guide him?”
“And why does Taishang Dao care so much about him? To the point of putting personal feelings aside and entrusting it to you...”
Lady Nishang looked back and glanced toward the Western Continent. “Leiyin Temple has schemed for three eras just to help Lu Yao achieve the Dao. This matter is a catastrophe for Yaochi and extremely difficult for Taishang Dao.”
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“If Zheng Fa can stop Lu Yao’s Dao attainment, then naturally Taishang Dao will give their full support. What is one personal favor?”
The female disciple asked again, “Has Taishang Dao placed their treasure on Zheng Fa?”
Lady Nishang gently nodded.
“But... then we shouldn’t let him cultivate the Divine Path, right?”
Lady Nishang smiled, and her tone was somewhat sarcastic. “The path of the Divine is full of flaws, but it has one advantage—speed!”
“The faster Zheng Fa cultivates, the more chances he has to resist Lu Yao. As for what happens afterward...”
Lady Nishang smiled and stopped speaking.
But everyone understood the implication:
As for what happens afterward, Zheng Fa is not one of Taishang Dao’s own. No matter how difficult it gets, it is none of their concern.
“So, are we also betting alongside Taishang Dao on him?”
Lady Nishang turned to look ahead and said,
“This time it is mainly to deal with Lu Yao, but the main reason is Taishang Dao’s request.”
“Though Lu Yao’s Dao attainment is a big matter, internal disputes within Yaochi have not ceased. Sooner or later, it will become a conflict of water and fire. Maybe it won’t even last until then...”
“This isn’t something Zheng Fa alone can solve. How can we just bet on it?”
The green-robed disciple nodded slightly, her expression thoughtful.
“If we can settle the Tianhe Sect matter early and then return to mediate, perhaps there is still hope...” Lady Nishang shook her head firmly and said, “We will stay at Jiushan Sect for two days.”
As she spoke, the East Continent’s coast was already in sight from a distance.
...
Zheng Fa stood by the Liang Prefecture coast with Senior Sister Zhang, gazing westward.
Lady Nishang’s visit was from a true immortal, and very courteous, so he did not want to treat her coldly. He also guessed some of her intentions:
From what he knew, Yaochi and Haori Mountain were both rulers during the Divine Dao Era.
At that time, Dao Venerable had just created the Yang Spirit Method;the Dharmakaya and Heavenly River Methods had not appeared yet. It was clear Yaochi also rose because of the Divine Path.
But Haori Mountain was a special case;it later ceased to be a Divine Path sect, while Yaochi might not have completely left it behind...
Zheng Fa always remembered Mu Qingyan once said in her "memory" that Yaochi’s future power would be called the Divine Court.
He had not paid much attention before, but now it seemed Yaochi had not entirely separated from the Divine Path.
According to Immortal Li, Yaochi and Haori Mountain did not get along and could be considered like grasshoppers on the same rope now.
“Junior Brother... something seems off inside Yaochi,” Senior Sister Zhang suddenly said. “My Jiushan Sect disciples were previously coldly rejected.”
Hearing this, Zheng Fa nodded, understanding Senior Sister’s warning that Yaochi might not be trustworthy.
The Western Continent was too far from Jiushan Sect. Even at Zheng Fa’s speed, going there was not easy.
He could not fully grasp the situations of Leiyin Temple and Yaochi on the Western Continent;information was scarce.
Actually, he knew a bit more about Leiyin Temple, but they were no friends.
Yaochi’s attitude confused him even more.
Yaochi was the most mysterious sect among the four.
It seemed to be composed entirely of female cultivators and rarely interacted with the outside world unless for major Xuanshi events.
One thing impressed Zheng Fa deeply:
Yaochi’s pillar industry seemed to overlap with Jiushan Sect’s—they excelled in cultivating various spiritual plants.
However, there was little trade conflict between them:
On one hand, Jiushan Sect’s internal spiritual plant supply was insufficient, so they had not thought of exporting yet, and had no plans for short-term exports.
On the other hand, both sects had distinct spiritual plant varieties, with large differences in species, so there was no overlap.
Moreover, Yaochi was closed off and somewhat self-sufficient, and the two sects were far apart, so they coexisted peacefully.
The problem was their attitude toward Jiushan Sect was vaguely contradictory.
Lady Nishang came all this way seemingly with goodwill, or at least as a form of goodwill.
But previously, Jiushan Sect disciples were coldly treated at Yaochi... it was too fickle.
He glanced at Senior Sister Zhang and nodded slightly, indicating he understood. Suddenly, he noticed something in the distance.
At the distant horizon, countless colorful light spots appeared.
After a moment, Zheng Fa recognized the spots—they were spiritual birds.
Dozens of them, various kinds, colorful birds rising from the sea surface.
Peacocks and white cranes flew side by side, magpies followed by thrushes, their colorful tail feathers swaying in the blue sea and sky like rainbows.
Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang flew up to meet the Yaochi disciples.
Even from a hundred miles away, Zheng Fa’s nose caught a strange fragrance, causing his spirit to waver.
Looking up, he saw a female immortal. Her treasure robes were like seven-colored clouds;her face radiated golden light, combining solemnity and beauty.
Meeting her gaze, Zheng Fa felt infinite admiration and joy, wanting to kneel and kowtow.
Inside him, the Yellow Court Scripture in his body stirred, and the Creation Jade Slip trembled slightly, releasing a refreshing sensation that flooded his mind.
In an instant, Zheng Fa’s eyes became clear, but his heart still stirred: This Lady Nishang seemed not to cultivate any enchantment technique but was even more irresistible than demonic charm arts—
Even the Yin Yang Fish Jade Pendant in his mind had no reaction. If he had not cultivated the Yellow Court Scripture, he feared he would have shown signs of embarrassment.
Seeing Zheng Fa sober up so quickly, a flash of surprise passed through Lady Nishang’s beautiful eyes. She lightly tapped the back of a crane, blinked, and appeared before Zheng Fa, leading with a bow: “Leader Zheng, I have long admired you.”
Zheng Fa cupped his hands and said, “Greetings, Your Grace. Are these fairies all esteemed disciples of your sect?”
Lady Nishang smiled and nodded. “They are going with me to set formations at the Tianhe Sect.”
Zheng Fa quickly glanced over and saw she brought more than thirty disciples, including about ten Nascent Soul cultivators and nearly twenty Nascent Souls, giving him a better estimate of Yaochi’s strength.
After greetings, Lady Nishang seemed somewhat anxious and immediately said:
“I heard from Taishang Dao that you have cultivated the Tongtian Method?”
Zheng Fa had nothing to hide and nodded in response.
“Our Yaochi has some insights into Divine Path cultivation. Taishang Dao entrusted me to come and exchange the essentials of Divine Path cultivation with you.”
Zheng Fa was stunned.
He guessed some of Lady Nishang’s intentions, but...
“Immortal Li said it was your Grace who wanted to visit and asked him to inform me first.”
Lady Nishang was also confused for a moment, then suddenly laughed. “It must be because of Xuanding.”
“Immortal Xuanding?”
“He probably didn’t say it.”
Zheng Fa secretly grumbled. Could it be that this Xuanding Ancestor also had a poor memory?
Lady Nishang seemed to read his thoughts, shaking her head to explain: “He probably thought it was better for me to come. One matter doesn’t need repeating, so he didn’t want to waste words with Immortal Li.”
What kind of people are these Taishang Dao folks?
...
Though she said it was an exchange, Zheng Fa already knew:
In Divine Path cultivation, he was just a beginner, while Yaochi was nearly a scholarly hegemon.
They were polite, calling it an exchange, but he naturally couldn’t take it seriously.
He led the Yaochi group into Jiushan Realm and smiled at Lady Nishang and the others:
“I have prepared guest quarters. I hope Your Grace does not mind our sect’s simplicity.”
Unexpectedly, Lady Nishang stopped in her tracks and said to Zheng Fa:
“No need for guest quarters.”
Zheng Fa was surprised, then Lady Nishang added: “The Heavenly River matter is urgent. I don’t have much time to waste.”
She was so eager that Zheng Fa did not know how to respond.
Lady Nishang seemed to want to leave quickly and asked, “How long have you cultivated the Tongtian Method?”
Zheng Fa thought for a moment and answered, “Eight years.”
Upon hearing this, Lady Nishang said, “That is still short and simple. You only need to know some beginner taboos. Today I will teach you the basics. If you have questions later, you can send me a message talisman.”
She looked very confident, like a college student solving an elementary math problem. But she was responsible and added:
“I will also take a look at your Jiushan Realm’s Tongtian treasure, then discuss other matters.”
Zheng Fa was surprised by her decisiveness but understood that Lady Nishang was probably here only because of Taishang Dao’s favor.
Clearly, Lady Nishang did not value him as much as Taishang Dao did.
Honestly, Zheng Fa was somewhat relieved.
Their attention was certainly a good thing, but it did not quite suit his wishes—he wanted to be quiet and develop slowly when unnoticed, but strength did not allow it.
Following Lady Nishang’s request, Zheng Fa led the Yaochi immortals toward the medicine garden. Before crossing the Rainbow Bridge, Lady Nishang suddenly stopped, gazing at the incense fire power in the garden.
“Your Grace?”
Lady Nishang squinted, looking at the beautiful, splendid, multicolored clouds of incense fire, silent for a moment, then asked again, “You said you have cultivated the Tongtian Method for how long?”
“Eight years.”
Lady Nishang turned her head, looking at Zheng Fa and repeated, “Eight years?”
Zheng Fa whispered, “Seven years and four months.”
“...”
Lady Nishang’s expression changed repeatedly, then she glanced at the blackened incense fire power beside the Sun and Moon Bell. Her confidence quietly faded.
Her expression was like someone facing a new type of problem.
She paused there for a moment, then resumed walking with Zheng Fa.
When they reached the medicine garden, she smiled and said, “I have long heard that Jiushan Sect is unrivaled in secret spiritual farming techniques, even cultivating the Tranquility Bamboo. Now seeing it, it is almost like our Yaochi.”
“Hm?”
Zheng Fa looked at Lady Nishang, confused, unsure what she meant by ‘almost like’.
“The Tongtian treasure can manipulate space and time, making it ideal for cultivating spiritual plants.”
Zheng Fa thought for a moment and suddenly understood.
Before he took charge of Jiushan Realm, the Heavenly Venerate had also used the Sun and Moon Bell to cultivate spiritual plants.
This was the traditional use of the Tongtian treasure.
Now Lady Nishang was probably praising Jiushan Sect’s medicine garden.
But from her tone, she still took pride in Yaochi’s spiritual plant cultivation methods.
Lady Nishang continued, “But our Yaochi has the essence of Ren Water and the Yaochi Tongtian, making us better at cultivating spiritual plants and heavenly spiritual roots...”
Her words were tinged with obvious pride.
Zheng Fa also felt envious. If he had these things, he wouldn’t have to shuttle between the two places to transfer techniques, and yet modern times still hadn’t produced usable spiritual plants.
Seeing his expression, Lady Nishang laughed and praised, “Looking at this medicine garden now, I feel a bit of familiarity and a hint of the divine charm of our Yaochi Tongtian.”
“For example, this Yunyang Plum has five more points of medicinal power than other varieties.”
“This Falling Star Grass... is it also a rare species?”
“This Chaos Heart Fruit... why is the yield of this Chaos Heart Fruit so high?”
Zheng Fa was full of admiration.
It was clear that Yaochi truly excelled in spiritual plant cultivation, and Lady Nishang was a master of it.
Just one glance at many spiritual plants allowed her to identify the species, and even their superiority clearly in a short time.
Judging by her tone, she was deeply obsessed with this path, talking endlessly and forgetting even the Tongtian Method.
But Lady Nishang’s voice gradually grew softer and lower, until she looked at the garden full of strange flowers and plants, falling into silence.
“Your Grace?”
Lady Nishang looked at Zheng Fa and asked in confusion, “Do you also have the essence of Ren Water?”
“...No.”
“Then how does this medicine garden have so many rare species?”
Zheng Fa pointed to Zhenren Qian stepping forward and said, “I have him.”
This medicine garden was now almost Jiushan Realm’s agricultural experimental field. Because the incense fire power of the Sun and Moon Bell was extremely strong, the scale of experiments grew larger.
After years of development, only extremely excellent species or rare Xuanshi treasures remained in the garden.
As for something as impressive-sounding as the essence of Ren Water, Zheng Fa truly did not have it.
But Zhenren Qian, the agricultural expert he personally cultivated, was not inferior to any rare treasure in Zheng Fa’s mind.
Lady Nishang, with her high cultivation, could not help but notice this middle-aged cultivator was only in late Golden Core stage, at most about to form a Nascent Soul.
Looking at the spiritual plants dazzling her, she could not believe Zheng Fa’s words.
But seeing Zheng Fa’s serious expression, Lady Nishang understood he was not lying.
Lady Nishang took a deep breath, looked at Zhenren Qian, and actually cupped his hands, asking, “May I know this Zhenren’s honorable name?”
Zhenren Qian responded with a confused cupped-hand salute and then looked at Zheng Fa with a puzzled gaze.
“This is Lady Nishang, a True Immortal of Yaochi.”
“Tr-True Immortal?”
Zhenren Qian’s calves trembled, and seeing Lady Nishang’s slightly respectful look at him, he felt a chill down his spine.
...
One month later.
The green-robed female disciple pushed open the courtyard door, holding a message talisman and reported, “Your Grace, a letter from Taishang Dao.”
Lady Nishang was looking at a pot of spiritual plum and did not lift her head, asking, “What does it say?”
“Taishang Dao is asking when we will arrive.”
“No rush.”
“They asked when we can depart for the Tianhe Sect.”
Lady Nishang tapped the leaves of the spiritual plum absentmindedly and said, “In two days.”
The green-robed disciple could not hold back and said, “Your Grace, you’ve already said this three times!”
Seeing Lady Nishang still ignoring her, the disciple said again, “Didn’t you say the Tianhe Sect matter is troublesome, and the sect is in a precarious state?”
Lady Nishang suddenly stood up.
The green-robed disciple was delighted. “Your Grace, shall we go?”
“Go where?” Lady Nishang glanced at her with a puzzled expression. “I’m going to ask Zhenren Qian how the rare Cold Moon Plum was cultivated and exchange some spiritual plant techniques.”
“...”
Your Grace, did you not hear a word I said?
Seeing Lady Nishang hurriedly walk out the courtyard, the green-robed disciple knew this exchange was genuine.
...
Zheng Fa was pondering the Tongtian Method secrets Lady Nishang taught him when Zhenren Qian hurried over.
“Sect Leader!”
“What is it?”
Zheng Fa looked at Zhenren Qian, whose face was full of joy and surprise, a bit puzzled.
Zhenren Qian exclaimed, “This morning I discussed spiritual plant cultivation with Your Grace. When I mentioned that we needed spiritual plants that could restore spiritual roots, she said she knew of some!”
Zheng Fa rose from the stone bench, both surprised and delighted.
“She knows?”
“Yes, Yaochi has cultivated several spiritual plants that can restore spiritual roots!”
