I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 1: Brawl

Zheng Fa never expected that his first lesson at the Jiushan Sect would be learning how to brawl.

This situation was beyond his comprehension—it far exceeded his expectations of the intensity of competition between the two factions of Jiushan Sect. He also couldn’t understand why the sect’s leadership would allow such a thing to happen.

He had heard of some discord between the two factions, but he never imagined it would escalate to the point of physical altercations on sight.

Even Senior Brother Zhuang couldn't stand outside for a moment without getting into a fight.

Han Qi, on the other hand, seemed accustomed to this.

Standing in front of the hall, he raised his right arm and waved it in the air, enthusiastically addressing the others inside:

“We are all of the same faction. Can we just stand by and watch Senior Brother Zhuang fight alone?”

“No!”

With that, he charged toward the battlefield where Senior Brother Zhuang was fighting, full of vigor and high spirits.

As he charged forward, about half the people in the room followed him. The older disciples, in particular, moved swiftly, pulling talismans out as they went, with excitement written all over their faces.

On the other side, it seemed some disciples had also gathered. Their expressions could only be described as the satisfaction of attending class for this very moment.

Zheng Fa didn’t move. Instead, he stayed in the room to observe the intensity of the fight.

If things truly got out of hand, he’d have no choice but to ask Senior Sister Zhang for reinforcements.

But after observing for a while, Zheng Fa realized it was a heated yet coordinated duel.

How could one describe it?

The effects were dazzling, but the damage was minimal.

The noise was deafening, but the power was unimpressive.

The two senior brothers fought with all their techniques but knew when to stop. They ensured the match was thrilling without causing harm to the participants.

It dawned on Zheng Fa that group brawls were likely a tradition in the Talisman Hall. These disciples seemed almost proficient enough to brawl for sport and camaraderie.

Most importantly, they didn’t use any harmful talismans.

The disciples who stayed behind were all new recruits, unprepared for such an event. They looked a bit bewildered. A more critical reason for their inaction was simple: they weren’t foolish. They knew their meager cultivation would make them a liability in the chaos.

Zheng Fa contemplated for a moment, took out a talisman paper, and began drawing.

He completed a Water Prison Talisman, but the effort drained all his spiritual energy.

His weak reserves of spiritual power had already been depleted from earlier practice with Golden Armor Talismans.

Placing the Water Prison Talisman into his sleeve, Zheng Fa sat down and began meditating to recover.

Seeing this, the others exchanged glances and also started hastily preparing talismans.

After restoring about ten percent of his spiritual power, Zheng Fa walked out the door toward the battlefield.

Above the Talisman Hall, streaks of light from flying talismans crisscrossed, while shadows below darted and clashed fiercely.

Looking closer, Zheng Fa saw Senior Brother Zhuang being beaten.

He was, indeed, taking hits. Zheng Fa had noticed earlier that, in terms of proficiency in talisman combat, Senior Brother Zhuang was on par with the opposing senior brother.

However, Senior Brother Zhuang had a significant disadvantage—his allies were utterly useless.

The primary culprits were the new recruits who had rushed out with Han Qi.

Zheng Fa had counted earlier—about twenty new disciples, or more than half of this year’s intake, had sided with Senior Brother Zhuang.

This was expected; Senior Sister Zhang’s reputation naturally drew many new disciples.

Under normal circumstances, more people would be an advantage. However, in this case, it was not.

Riled up by Han Qi’s rallying cries, the group charged forward with enthusiasm only to discover their complete uselessness beyond acting as targets.

Instead of aiding Senior Brother Zhuang, they became a burden.

In contrast, the opposing side, though slightly outnumbered, had fewer new disciples and two additional experienced ones.

This disparity tipped the scales further against Senior Brother Zhuang.

Zheng Fa saw Senior Brother Zhuang, reinforced with a Golden Armor Talisman, shielding a bewildered new disciple while taking a hit from a Withering Vine Talisman.

If that wasn’t enough, he also cast another Golden Armor Talisman to protect another stunned new recruit.

Both attacking and defending, Senior Brother Zhuang was overwhelmed.

Zheng Fa shouted, “If you don’t have any talismans, move to the back!”

The confused new disciples finally snapped out of it and began retreating.

At this moment, the other new disciples who had finished preparing talismans joined the fray. While their hastily drawn talismans were few and weak, they still bolstered Senior Brother Zhuang’s side enough to stabilize the fight.

Zheng Fa, however, didn’t rush forward. He crouched at the back of the group, watching the scene unfold.

It was then he spotted a familiar, sly figure crouched ahead of him, peering into the fight.

“…Weren’t you charging forward earlier?” Zheng Fa asked Han Qi, puzzled.

Han Qi, who had shouted so loudly and led the charge so boldly, was now crouched here?

“Ahem…” Han Qi straightened up, his face slightly red. “You don’t understand, junior brother. This is strategy! Clearly, we’re at a disadvantage, so I’m waiting for an opportunity to exploit their mistakes and turn the tide!”

“Really?” Zheng Fa looked at him doubtfully.

“Of course!” Han Qi said with a straight face. Then, noticing Zheng Fa’s position, he added, “Wait, why are you here?”

“I’m waiting for an opening to exploit their mistakes and turn the tide.”

“…”

Zheng Fa wasn’t mocking Han Qi. With only one talisman in hand, he had to wait for the right moment to use it.

At this point, Senior Brother Zhuang had barely clawed back a sliver of momentum but was still on the defensive.

Zheng Fa noticed the problem: Senior Brother Zhuang was out of talismans.

Especially defensive talismans like the Golden Armor Talisman—he had used several to protect the new disciples earlier, leaving his reserves depleted.

Without sufficient defense, Senior Brother Zhuang was forced into a passive position.

In contrast, the opposing senior brother, with his talisman reserves intact, gained the upper hand and fought with ease.

Watching this unfold, Zheng Fa felt a bitter truth: being poor equates to being powerless—an undeniable reality in any world.

As the talisman reserves dwindled, Zheng Fa saw the inevitable: Senior Brother Zhuang was about to lose. The opposing senior brother threw out a Water Prison Talisman, and Senior Brother Zhuang had no talisman left to counter it.

Sure enough, Senior Brother Zhuang was enveloped by a massive water pillar that coiled around him, immobilizing him completely. He struggled futilely as his strength ebbed away.

The opposing senior brother grinned, loosening his grip on his talismans. The Golden Armor Talisman protecting him also dissipated—those weren’t cheap, after all.

He glanced smugly at the exhausted Senior Brother Zhuang and asked,

“Junior brother, how does the Water Prison Talisman feel?”

A similar water pillar answered him.

When it dissipated, he was lying on the ground, looking around in shock. “Which senior brother launched a sneak attack?”

Hearing no response, he glared at Senior Brother Zhuang. “Zhuang, how dare you outnumber me?”

Senior Brother Zhuang, still dazed, stammered, “I… I didn’t…”

“Hypocrite! Stooping to such underhanded tactics. Disgusting!”

“I really didn’t!”

“Then who threw the Mysterious Grade Water Prison Talisman?”

“…”

“Junior brother,” Han Qi asked with a strange expression, “aren’t you going to answer?”

“He didn’t call me.”

“?”

“He addressed senior brothers. I’m a junior brother; let’s not blur the hierarchy.”

“…”

Han Qi pursed his lips and dryly remarked, “Junior brother, I admit, I may have acted a bit recklessly on the boat…”

“What are you all doing?”

A streak of light flashed across the sky, and a middle-aged Daoist in black robes landed before them, followed by several panting senior brothers rushing through the courtyard gate.

“Crap! It’s the Disciplinary Hall’s elder!” Han Qi muttered softly.

“Disciplinary Hall?” Zheng Fa blinked. “Is fighting forbidden in Jiushan Sect?”

That seemed absurd. Everyone here was so skilled at it. Could it all be illegal?

“Not really. As long as no one’s injured, it doesn’t violate the rules,” Han Qi explained. “But the head of the Disciplinary Hall is Elder Pang, so we often get the short end of the stick.”

Ah, so the opposition called reinforcements.

“And us?” Zheng Fa asked.

“Senior Sister Zhang’s master, Elder Huang, oversees the Administrative Hall.”

Zheng Fa recalled the polite middle-aged man he met in the Administrative Hall.

Finally, he understood—the elder was one of their own.

The Daoist inspected the disciples for injuries. One disciple on Zheng Fa’s side had sprained an ankle from overexcitement. But thanks to the experienced senior disciples and the new recruits’ weak talisman skills, the fight ended relatively harmlessly—essentially a no-cost skirmish.

“Who will explain why you two started fighting?” The elder’s stern tone broke the silence. “These new disciples have just joined the sect. They need proper guidance, yet you, as senior brothers, set such an example?”

Senior Brother Zhuang lowered his head in silence, but the opposing senior brother spoke up,

“I didn’t say much. I just asked about a junior brother’s situation, and Zhuang scolded me.”

“And then you started fighting?”

“Yes, I said a few more words, and Zhuang attacked me.”

“Elder,” Senior Brother Zhuang interrupted, “Senior Brother Li spoke and acted inappropriately, insinuating things that insulted Senior Sister Zhang and the junior brother’s integrity…”

“That doesn’t justify your actions!” The elder cut him off. “Which junior brother made you so protective?”

Senior Brother Zhuang pressed his lips together, remaining silent.

But Senior Brother Li interjected, “It was Junior Brother Zheng Fa.”

“The Zheng Fa?” Recognition flashed across the elder’s face.

Zheng Fa froze. He glanced at Senior Brother Zhuang, surprised that he had acted on his behalf.

The elder’s expression turned stern as he looked at Zheng Fa, who couldn’t discern whether the elder’s attitude stemmed from faction disputes, the fight, or his reputation for talent.

Before the elder could speak, a familiar voice interrupted,

“I’d like to hear exactly what was said about me.”

Zheng Fa turned to see Senior Sister Zhang’s graceful figure standing behind him, her presence effectively silencing the elder.

Judging by the elder’s strained expression, he seemed at a loss for words.

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