I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Chapter 47: Favor

Zheng Fa quickly understood why Gao Yuan had said the Seventh Young Master was starting to resemble him.

That morning, as the first rays of sunlight illuminated the eaves and dew glistened on the grass, Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan arrived at the study to find the Seventh Young Master sitting upright. He held a copy of Comprehensive Guide to Symbol Diagrams and was diligently studying, marking the pages with a brush. His intense concentration was unlike anything they had seen before.

Zheng Fa turned to Gao Yuan, who nodded solemnly.

“How long has he been like this?”

“Two days,” Gao Yuan replied.

“He must have had a major shock!”

Zheng Fa frowned. This behavior was completely out of character. Of the three of them, it was hard to say whether Zheng Fa or Gao Yuan was the more diligent, but the laziest by far had always been the Seventh Young Master. Usually, when they arrived in the morning, he was still in bed, let alone sitting at a desk studying so earnestly.

Gao Yuan’s description of him as "becoming like me" was fitting. Zheng Fa preferred to memorize first and understand later, often appearing to be daydreaming. Gao Yuan, on the other hand, loved to pore over books, muttering to himself and scratching his head in frustration—exactly like the Seventh Young Master, who was currently pulling at his hair in exasperation.

With a loud bang, the Young Master threw his brush onto the desk and stood up, glaring at the open book in front of him as though it had wronged him. After fuming for a moment, he noticed Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan at the door.

“Young Master, what’s going on?” Zheng Fa asked.

The Young Master exhaled heavily. “My mother told me that my elder sister is coming back.”

“The Eldest Young Lady? Isn’t she with the Immortal Sect?” Zheng Fa asked, surprised.

Having grown up on the estate, Zheng Fa wasn’t as familiar with the Zhao family dynamics as Gao Yuan, who now explained that the legendary Eldest Young Lady was the Seventh Young Master’s sister and the most gifted cultivator of their generation.

“But what does the Eldest Young Lady’s return have to do with you suddenly working so hard?” Zheng Fa asked, still puzzled.

“She writes to my mother every ten days, urging her to make sure I study the ways of symbols. She said she’ll test me when she gets back,” the Young Master groaned.

Ah, so this was a classic case of pre-test anxiety.

“But if she wants to test you, just let her. Why does it bother you so much?” Gao Yuan asked.

Zheng Fa understood what Gao Yuan meant. The Seventh Young Master had never shown much shame about his poor academic performance—enough so that Mr. Shen had stopped mentioning him as a disciple.

“You don’t know my sister,” the Young Master replied, shuddering as he recalled, “When I was little, I used to fool around with my half-brothers in the front courtyard. She once showed up with a stick and beat them so badly they couldn’t get out of bed for three days.”

“She was only ten years old at the time.”

Zheng Fa had heard bits and pieces about the Zhao family dynamics. While Madam held significant power in the back courtyard, the front courtyard was under the control of the family patriarch, the Seventh Young Master’s father, who was notorious for his indulgence in wine, women, and leisure. The “brothers” the Young Master mentioned were likely his father’s illegitimate children.

Gao Yuan, more familiar with the estate’s affairs, nodded thoughtfully. “The Eldest Young Lady truly cares for you. She’s like a second mother.”

The Young Master grimaced. “She came back to the back courtyard afterward and beat me too. I couldn’t get out of bed for three months. If she finds out how… relaxed I’ve been these past ten years…”

Zheng Fa: …No wonder you’re so nervous. She’s more like a tiger mom.

…

At lunchtime, Zheng Fa left the study to return home. Ever since his mother and sister had moved to the Zhao estate, he almost always ate with them.

Watching Zheng Fa walk away, the Young Master leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh of relief.

“Young Master?” Gao Yuan asked, glancing between him and Zheng Fa’s retreating figure.

“Gao Yuan…” The Young Master stood and patted Gao Yuan’s shoulder. “I’ve been too harsh on you in the past.”

Hearing such uncharacteristic words, Gao Yuan was startled. “Young Master, if the Eldest Young Lady wants to beat you, I won’t be able to stop her!”

“Get lost!”

As he watched Zheng Fa disappear into the distance, the Young Master recalled his mother’s words.

If Zheng Fa isn’t backed by a Nascent Soul cultivator, how could he possibly have mastered the Linghe Body?

His mother had also explained why Zheng Fa hadn’t revealed the truth: He’s just a mere mortal, born a servant. How could he dare expose the presence of a Nascent Soul cultivator?

The Young Master wasn’t too worried about this supposed cultivator scheming against their family. The Zhao estate had nothing of value that would warrant such elaborate plotting. If there were any ill intent, a Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn’t need to go through so much trouble.

The most plausible explanation was that Zheng Fa’s extraordinary talent had caught the cultivator’s eye, and he was being groomed as a disciple.

“Back then, I thought you were petty and overly competitive, full of schemes and grudges,” the Young Master said to Gao Yuan, his tone reflective. “Frankly, I looked down on you.”

Gao Yuan: “…”

“But now I get it. It’s perfectly natural to be a little scheming when you’re around someone like Zheng Fa.”

“Young Master, I’m not like that…” Gao Yuan tried to argue.

“Don’t bother. I understand!” The Young Master cut him off with a sigh. “Now that Zheng Fa’s being… valued, I feel so uncomfortable around him.”

“In the past, I could always look down on him. No matter how talented he was, he was still my study attendant. Even if he had the potential to join the Immortal Sect, he’d need the Zhao family’s support to get there.”

“But now… he could easily ascend to the Immortal Sect without us. Just thinking about it makes me feel useless.” The Young Master rubbed his temples. “If my sister’s already in the Immortal Sect and Zheng Fa joins her, what’ll I be left with? I’ve barely slept these past two days!”

Gao Yuan didn’t entirely understand but grasped one thing: Zheng Fa’s talent wasn’t just motivating the Young Master—it was making him miserable.

And now, Gao Yuan could feel a shift in the Young Master’s attitude toward himself. The trust and camaraderie between them had grown unexpectedly.

His spirits lifted. Zheng Fa, let your brilliance shine! You may outmatch me in talent, but from now on, I alone will bask in the Young Master’s favor!

“Young Master! I’ll…” Gao Yuan began, ready to pledge his loyalty.

“Whenever Zheng Fa’s around, I feel utterly inadequate, like a failure,” the Young Master interrupted. He then turned to Gao Yuan, his gaze softening.

“But when I see you, I feel so much better. You’re worse than him in everything—your academic talent is mediocre, your martial arts are terrible, and you’ve got no aptitude for symbols. The only thing you had over him was fairer skin, and now even that’s gone.”

The smile on Gao Yuan’s face froze.

“Seeing you reminds me that no matter how bad things get, at least I’m still a Young Master. You’re proof that I’m not the worst. Gao Yuan, I can’t do without you,” the Young Master declared with heartfelt sincerity.

Gao Yuan: …This “favor” is way too painful to bear!

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