I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 144: The Master's Blessing

Senior Sister Zhang listened to Zheng Fa’s words, the confusion on her face not entirely dissipating, but she still nodded slowly.

Touching upon the fact that the Tianhe Venerable had crossed the river was a very convincing reason.

At first, Zheng Fa hadn’t had these thoughts about the Heavenly Monument Realm—back then, he had even considered it just a game.

Now, the main reason he wanted to promote education in the Heavenly Monument Realm was because of the lessons learned from the Tianhe Venerable.

In truth, the population of the Heavenly Monument Realm was extremely sparse compared to its vast land.

The population in Zheng Fa’s current territory was less than two million.

Based on his estimates of the realm’s size, if the population density was similar across the entire realm—there might not even be ten million people in total.

But on the other hand, as long as productivity increased and food production was sufficient, population growth had never been a problem…

“How do you plan to educate them?”

Senior Sister Zhang asked.

“I think it’s best to start with basic literacy,” Zheng Fa began. He already had some rough ideas and was ready to discuss them with Senior Sister Zhang. “We should only teach reading and mathematics at first while subtly nurturing their recognition of Jiushan Sect and the New Method.”

“Once they have a certain foundation of knowledge and emotional connection, we can then introduce cultivation-related teachings.”

“As you said, there’s no need to search for geniuses in the Heavenly Monument Realm. The Xuanyi Realm has a larger population… What we need are geniuses who will be useful to us.”

Senior Sister Zhang nodded, her gaze filled with clear approval. “I thought no one had implemented this in the Xuanyi Realm before and worried you wouldn’t have a clear direction. I didn’t expect you to have such a thorough plan.”

“But there is one thing I think you can improve.”

“What is it?”

“Your intentions are good, of course, but I think the people of the Heavenly Monument Realm may not understand the importance of literacy and mathematics.”

Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned but soon nodded in agreement.

He had always had a passion for learning.

Modern society, after all, greatly valued knowledge.

But the Heavenly Monument Realm… was a place where people struggled even to fill their stomachs.

…

Senior Sister Yuan, who had been listening, only half-understood but was quite curious about the Heavenly Monument Realm. She suddenly asked, “That little temple attendant you mentioned, is her name Xiao Qing?”

Zheng Fa nodded toward Senior Sister Yuan. “Yes. Senior Sister Yuan, are you interested in her?”

“I just feel a bit of a connection. I’m Qingluan, and she’s Xiao Qing…” Senior Sister Yuan mused. “From what you said, she sounds quite impressive?”

“Impressive? You could say that. The people of Half-Mountain City respect her a lot.”

By now, Xiao Qing was practically second only to the deity in Half-Mountain City.

Hearing this, Senior Sister Yuan’s expression turned a little envious.

As they walked into the Thunder Pool, Zheng Fa took out the bronze seal and glanced at Senior Sister Zhang and Senior Sister Yuan.

Senior Sister Zhang gave a slight nod. Zheng Fa gently infused his spiritual power into the bronze seal, and a misty gray portal appeared in the air, enveloping both Senior Sister Zhang and Senior Sister Yuan.

…

Heavenly Monument Realm, within the Heavenly Palace.

“Brother Yan, Fairy Xiao.”

As soon as Zheng Fa entered the Heavenly Monument Realm, he saw Yan Wushuang and Chu Tianque talking with Xiao Yuying.

The atmosphere between them seemed much better than before. It seemed that their adventure in the secret realm had brought them closer.

Seeing Zheng Fa arrive, Xiao Yuying waved him over.

“Zheng Fa, I was just talking to Yan Wushuang about you.”

“Oh?”

“We’ve agreed—there’s no need to compete. Yan Wushuang’s organization actually sounds pretty good,” Xiao Yuying said with a smile. “I’ve got plenty of treasures and materials from the secret realm that I don’t need, so I might as well sell them through him.”

Hearing this, one couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

Zheng Fa glanced at Xiao Yuying, then at Yan Wushuang. He understood that their cooperation was likely built on a shared recognition of the New Method—at the very least, after learning about the flaws of the Old Method, Xiao Yuying was probably inclined toward their side.

“So, Fairy Xiao, are you joining Brother Yan’s organization?”

“Just cooperating, just cooperating,” Xiao Yuying waved her hands frantically. “I wouldn’t want to offend the Tianhe Sect.”

“……”

“So, Brother Zheng, what about you?”

Yan Wushuang asked expectantly from the side.

Zheng Fa pondered for a moment before speaking, “Although I’m only at the Foundation Establishment stage right now, I’d still like to follow Fairy Xiao’s example. Besides, Brother Yan, haven’t we already been working together for a while?”

Yan Wushuang looked slightly disappointed, but he understood and nodded.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yuying’s smile grew even brighter. She patted Zheng Fa’s shoulder and said, “Then it’s settled. From now on, you’re with me! No demons, no magic sects—none of them will lay a finger on you!”

“…Fairy Xiao, I’m a disciple of Jiushan Sect.”

Zheng Fa reminded her, exasperated.

“I know, I know. I’m not asking you to betray Jiushan Sect—just saying, in the future… A wise bird chooses the best tree to roost in, right?”

Yan Wushuang, listening from the side, couldn’t help but show a speechless expression. This Xiao Yuying…

How should one put it? The way she spoke made it sound like she was cursing Jiushan Sect.

And clearly, others had misunderstood too…

“Our Jiushan Sect will only continue to grow stronger!”

Just then, Zheng Fa’s bronze seal flashed, and the figures of Senior Sister Zhang and Senior Sister Yuan appeared before them. Senior Sister Yuan’s face was still puffed up in frustration.

Xiao Yuying: “……”

No matter how bold she was with her words, even she felt a bit embarrassed at this moment.

“Brother Zheng… this…”

Yan Wushuang’s eyes widened as he pointed at Senior Sister Zhang and Senior Sister Yuan.

“My Investiture of the Gods has advanced again. Now I can bring people in.”

Zheng Fa explained lightly.

“Ahem, I’ll be going now!”

Xiao Yuying turned and bolted. Senior Sister Zhang narrowed her eyes as she watched her retreating figure.

“Senior Sister Zhang, I told you—both men and women out there are all eyeing Junior Brother Zheng!”

Yan Wushuang blinked, feeling like he should also take his leave, but he still couldn’t resist asking enviously, “Brother Zheng, how does your Investiture of the Gods allow you to bring people in?”

It was clear that he was very jealous of this new function of the bronze seal…

Which made sense, considering his extensive network and even the Sunset Sword Immortal as a bodyguard…

When it came to calling reinforcements, Yan Wushuang feared no one.

“It’s pretty simple.”

“I’d appreciate it if Brother Zheng could enlighten me.”

“You just need to earn ten thousand Heavenly Merit points, and the Heavenly Palace upgrades itself.” Zheng Fa replied sincerely. “No effort required on our part.”

Yan Wushuang’s expression crumbled. He was silent for a long time before finally speaking.

“Brother Zheng… Do you think I don’t have ten thousand Heavenly Merit points because I don’t like them?”

“……”

“Farewell!”

…

In the Heavenly Monument Realm.

Inside the temple, Xiao Qing was sorting through the offerings from the past few days, calculating how to distribute them among the elderly in the city.

Although Half-Mountain City didn’t have a large population, there were still hundreds of elderly people who met the criteria…

She couldn’t ask them directly about it either—after all, this concerned their well-being.

Suddenly, the temple trembled slightly.

Xiao Qing looked around in panic, only to see the statue in front of her shaking incessantly, as if there was an earthquake.

“Lord Thunder God?”

The statue did not respond.

Xiao Qing called out a few more times, but the only sound in the temple was her own voice, tinged with tears.

Seeing the continuously trembling statue, she threw herself at its feet, as if trying to use her small body to stabilize the massive idol.

Just as she was at a loss, two shadowy figures appeared beside her. The shadows gradually solidified into two statues—shorter than the Thunder God’s statue, dressed in feminine attire, and faceless. They stood before Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing stared blankly, not understanding what was happening. Then, a young woman’s voice echoed in the temple.

“So this is Half-Mountain City?”

Inside the temple, Senior Sister Yuan’s voice rang out, filled with pity. “The people here are so thin.”

“Lord Thunder God?”

“I’m here.” Zheng Fa spoke. “These two are my…”

He was still thinking about how to introduce Senior Sister Zhang and Senior Sister Yuan.

“Divine Attendants.”

Senior Sister Zhang’s voice interjected.

Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned but immediately understood what she meant—this fiefdom should only have one voice of authority, at least for now.

“Divine Attendants?” Xiao Qing’s eyes sparkled, and her expression brightened. “Lord Thunder God is getting more and more powerful!”

It seemed like, to Xiao Qing, the more people there were, the stronger he was…

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but chuckle internally, but she wasn’t exactly wrong.

Then, Xiao Qing continued, “Now that you have two Divine Ladies, Lord, can you find two more temple attendants?”

“Hm?”

Xiao Qing explained, “There’s more and more to take care of in the city, and… I’m not as smart as those grandfathers…”

“When the uncles and elders in the city argue, I don’t know how to mediate.”

“When distributing the offerings, I always have to count for ages…”

“I’m not good with words either. They listen to me only because of you, Lord Thunder God…”

Her expression made it clear that she was under a lot of pressure.

“Maybe you should just replace me, Lord Thunder God…”

As she spoke, she seemed on the verge of giving up, though there was deep reluctance in her expression.

Being a temple attendant was not only her ancestral duty but also the reason she was so respected now.

Zheng Fa understood—Xiao Qing had already been working very hard.

Half-Mountain City had no formal system of knowledge. Xiao Qing might have heard some old stories from her father and grandfather, but… the previous temple attendants were probably best at deceiving people and pocketing offerings.

Putting that aside, Xiao Qing was just a teenage girl—not a genius.

Now, suddenly tasked with managing tens of thousands of people, even with the help of the elderly, she must have been overwhelmed.

“How do you distribute the offerings?”

Senior Sister Zhang suddenly asked.

“Well…” Xiao Qing stammered as she explained Zheng Fa’s system.

Senior Sister Zhang didn’t even take a breath—she simply swept her divine sense across the temple.

The calculations Xiao Qing had struggled with for ages were instantly completed, and Senior Sister Zhang accurately listed out the distribution, down to the last person.

“Divine Lady… you’re amazing…”

Xiao Qing’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at Senior Sister Zhang’s statue with deep admiration.

“You can be just as amazing.”

A thought crossed Zheng Fa’s mind, and he suddenly spoke.

“M-Me? Can I?”

“You can.” Zheng Fa’s tone carried a hint of amusement. “You can become a capable and competent temple attendant. Do you want to?”

“Yes! Yes!”

Xiao Qing nodded so hard it looked like her head might fall off, her face flushed with excitement.

Zheng Fa focused his divine sense, and a sphere of light flew from the statue toward Xiao Qing. When the light dispersed, two books appeared in her hands.

《Elementary Grammar》—primarily based on the knowledge Zheng Fa had learned at the Zhao Estate, covering foundational education from the Xuanyi Realm.

《Elementary Mathematics》—largely composed of modern elementary school math.

Xiao Qing stared at the two books before her. Though she was illiterate, she understood that this was a divine gift from Lord Thunder God, and her expression was filled with exhilaration.

“Do temple attendants have to learn these?”

Senior Sister Yuan asked in a hushed voice.

“Maybe not in other temples, but in mine, they do.”

“This poor girl… I was jealous of her just a moment ago…”

“Senior Sister, don’t say that… Look at how happy she is?”

“Well, yeah, but if she knew how to read, she definitely wouldn’t be smiling right now…”