I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 124: Not in the Mood

The chimneys of Half-Mountain City puffed out wisps of smoke as the scent of fish and meat drifted through the mid-mountain breeze.

Children’s laughter rang out from the river valley to the mountaintop.

Humming a tune, Xiao Qing happily stepped into the temple, knelt on the meditation cushion, and respectfully bowed three times to the deity statue before standing up to sweep the temple. As she cleaned, she chattered away as if making casual conversation:

“Lord Thunder God, it’s been ages since everyone caught this much fish.”

“They can’t even finish it all! They’re drying it to store for later.”

“Our Half-Mountain City hasn’t been this happy in so long!”

“……”

She was clearly in a great mood, talking nonstop.

Then, she talked about how a neighborhood kid had just stuffed two pieces of meat into her hands—it was sticky, but delicious.

Her words jumped around without any clear focus.

Meanwhile, Zheng Fa was checking the Heavenly Merit Points on the Investiture of the Gods Register.

In just three days, his points had risen significantly, now exceeding three thousand.

One reason was that he had followed the register’s "weather forecast" and granted the river valley three days of clear skies.

Another was that many of Half-Mountain City's elderly had been on the brink of starvation—weak, frail, and barely hanging on.

The fish caught during these three days might have saved many lives.

Between the two factors, his merit points had increased even faster than when he used Heavenly Tribulation Lightning to strike people down.

As he did the calculations, he listened to Xiao Qing’s chatter, feeling a sense of quiet satisfaction.

Then, she continued:

“But no one dares to eat too much. Sister Hong said they’re drying the fish to store it, stretching it out to last at least half a year.”

Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned, suddenly reminded of the cured meat at home.

The kind that was preserved for the New Year, where a single strip could last half a year…

Xiao Qing kept chattering away:

“They said once the fish is ready, they’ll bring some to you first.”

Zheng Fa was at a loss for words. “Didn’t I say I don’t want offerings?”

“I told them that.” Xiao Qing was a little frustrated. “But if they don’t offer this, what else could they possibly bring?”

“……”

Outside, the sound of many footsteps approached.

A group of over ten people arrived at the temple, each carrying a large bamboo basket filled to the brim with dried fish.

Whether out of respect for Zheng Fa’s solitude or fear of Xiao Qing rejecting them,

they simply set the baskets down, bowed twice at the temple entrance, and ran off.

They didn’t even give Xiao Qing a chance to speak.

“Lord Thunder God…”

Xiao Qing stared blankly at the stacked baskets, her mouth agape.

She stepped forward, inspecting the dried fish inside.

“They sent you the biggest fish…”

“This is at least thirty percent of everything they caught in the last three days…”

“…Lord, should I distribute this to the elders again?”

Zheng Fa pondered for a moment before saying, “Give part of it to them, and with the rest, I need you to do something for me.”

“What do you need, Lord?”

“Find me a few people who know the mountain’s mushrooms best—I have some questions for them.”

Xiao Qing, still confused, obediently went off.

Zheng Fa watched her leave, considering his plan—

To earn Heavenly Merit Points, aside from mastering the remaining two thunder techniques, he could nurture and sustain the people.

Most cultivators would focus solely on Immortal Techniques.

But Zheng Fa had long realized:

Aside from cultivation, directly improving productivity could dramatically transform people's lives.

At the moment, he desperately needed Heavenly Merit Points. Learning Thunder Techniques was a must.

But he wasn’t about to abandon this other approach.

In the modern world, he had consulted Teacher Tian about Half-Mountain City’s geography.

Rainy, humid, with little sunlight.

Not ideal for traditional farming.

The city’s foundations were too weak for any industry that required high costs.

And as for his other feudal territories, they were even worse off than Half-Mountain City.

But there was one industry that could thrive under such conditions—

Mushroom cultivation.

Growing edible fungi wasn’t a new idea. Even ancient texts recorded the practice, though yields were historically low.

Soon, Xiao Qing returned with several men from the city—

experienced gatherers who were deeply familiar with the local fungi.

After asking them a few questions, Zheng Fa had them collect rotting logs with mushrooms, as well as sawdust and straw.

Xiao Qing and the others had no idea what Lord Thunder God was trying to do, but they followed his instructions without question.

Zheng Fa recalled Teacher Tian’s lessons.

The biggest differences between ancient and modern mushroom cultivation came down to two things:

Purifying fungal strains.

Maintaining a sterile environment.

If either factor was poorly controlled, contaminants would ruin yields.

Zheng Fa had them pack the sawdust and straw into ten clay jars, each prepared with different materials.

He then arranged them before the deity statue.

This was the most basic culture medium Teacher Tian had taught him.

Zheng Fa instructed Xiao Qing and the others to leave the temple.

Then, channeling his spiritual energy, he mimicked the path of Cloud Rain Thunder—

And released a beam of ultraviolet light onto the jars.

Because Half-Mountain City had no sterilization techniques…

But Cloud Rain Thunder could produce lasers!

Purifying fungal strains usually required high-tech methods—

But at its core, the process relied on microscopic selection of the best strains.

Conveniently, Zheng Fa had the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes.

Even if contaminants appeared, he could eliminate them immediately.

“You guys divide up the fish. Xiao Qing, stay away from this area from now on.”

For now, his focus was identifying the best culture medium and selecting the highest-yielding mushroom strain.

Xiao Qing and the others left the temple, still confused.

“Xiao Qing, what’s Lord Thunder God… trying to do?”

Xiao Qing didn’t understand either. She racked her brain for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands together.

“My grandpa once said, Lord Thunder God can bless things!”

“…Bless mushrooms?” The others were stunned. “For what?”

“How should I know?”

“But where’s the light?”

“That light—mortals can’t see it!”

Xiao Qing declared with absolute conviction.

The others were speechless.

Even Zheng Fa… felt like her explanation actually made a lot of sense.

……

These past few days, Hundred Treasures Hall had seen a noticeable increase in cultivators.

Many stood before the jade stele, examining the list of available spiritual materials while chatting amongst themselves.

“If it weren’t for this place letting us exchange merit points for materials, I would’ve left the Heavenly Monument Realm already.”

“Right? With those two around, do we even have a place here anymore?”

“Forget about us—haven’t you noticed that Yan Wushuang didn’t even show up this time? He must’ve been completely demoralized by Fairy Lingye and Zheng Fa.”

Hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.

Ever since this cycle of the Heavenly Monument Realm opened, those paying attention quickly realized Yan Wushuang hadn’t entered at all.

Rumors even spread that he had given up on the Heavenly Monument altogether.

“What do those geniuses have to do with us? I spent months grinding to save up a hundred Heavenly Merit Points. Exchanging it for a ten-year-old Purple Lightning Flower isn’t a bad deal.”

“I have a bit more—one hundred twenty. I can trade it for a piece of Lightning-Struck Wood.”

“That stuff’s overpriced. Junior Brother, if you need materials for artifact refining, I recommend this one instead—it’ll save you ten merit points.”

With no direct competition between them, the atmosphere among these cultivators had actually become surprisingly harmonious.

They exchanged advice on maximizing their merit points, trying to get the most materials for their effort.

Just then, a figure stepped into the hall.

The conversations came to an abrupt halt.

All eyes turned toward the newcomer.

Who else could it be but Xiao Yuying?

Fairy Xiao didn’t cut the line—

She simply stood quietly at the back, patiently waiting for the others to finish their exchanges before making her turn.

But… she was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and her reputation preceded her.

The people in front didn’t dare to linger—

Within moments, they hurriedly completed their exchanges and stepped aside, clearing the way for her.

Xiao Yuying nodded at them in thanks, then approached the jade stele.

She began browsing the available materials, seemingly deliberating on what to exchange her Heavenly Merit Points for.

The other cultivators watched in silence, their curiosity piqued.

She didn’t mind the attention.

Her fingertip glided across the stele, stopping briefly on one material, then moving to another.

At times, she lingered on an item for a while, clearly deep in thought.

She looked like she was struggling with choice paralysis.

Yet, strangely enough—

She also seemed to enjoy this process.

It was as if she were carefully savoring each selection, meticulously calculating how to spend each Heavenly Merit Point to maximum effect.

Because she had so many points and was taking her time, she ended up spending a considerable amount of time choosing.

The nearby cultivators, still watching her, couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy—

All of them combined couldn’t even exchange for half the materials that Xiao Yuying alone could afford…

When Zheng Fa entered Hundred Treasures Hall,

Xiao Yuying was still hesitating between two materials.

Zheng Fa took one glance at her,

Then another at the several cultivators watching her struggle,

Before casually cupping his hands in greeting and taking his place behind her in line.

He recognized that expression on her face all too well.

It was the exact same look women had when they spent hours scrolling through shopping apps, browsing through hundreds of outfits,

Only to end up buying nothing in the end.

They probably just enjoyed the process itself…

Half an hour later—

Xiao Yuying still hadn’t made a decision.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she turned to Zheng Fa and said,

“You go first.”

“No rush. I can wait.”

“I still need to think about it,” Xiao Yuying insisted. “I don’t want to hold you up.”

Zheng Fa gave her a grateful nod and said,

“Then I’ll make it quick.”

As the other cultivators watched, Zheng Fa stepped up to the jade stele.

First, he selected two key materials needed to practice the Divine Lightning True Law of Shenxiao.

Then—

He flipped to the very first page, where the cheapest materials were listed.

And without hesitation,

His finger tapped down the entire list, selecting everything.

Not a single material was left out.

Right now, Zheng Fa needed to nurture his Fusang Tree and expand his Thunder Fields, both of which required a massive amount of resources.

So he wasn’t picky at all—

Whatever was abundant and affordable, he bought in bulk.

His movements had the same energy as a man walking into a restaurant and telling the waiter,

“Just make me one of everything on the menu.”

Behind him, Xiao Yuying watched this unfold,

Her lips gradually pressing into a thin line.

The surrounding cultivators were stunned into silence, their mouths slightly open.

Then, seeing Xiao Yuying’s face turn slightly sour, they exchanged glances—

And suddenly, their mood improved dramatically.

We feel envious…

But so does Fairy Lingye!

That means… doesn’t that put us on the same level as her?!

Zheng Fa swiftly completed his selections and turned back to Xiao Yuying with a smile.

“I’m done, Fairy Xiao. Your turn.”

Xiao Yuying gave him a silent look, then, without hesitation,

randomly tapped on the jade stele.

As she confirmed the selection, she muttered,

“…Not in the mood anymore.”