I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Chapter 35 Empathy

In the study, Zheng Fa opened the cover of Ling He Shen (The Body of the Spirit Crane), and it seemed as though the words of Instructor Xu, said with a tone that conveyed no particular emotion, were still echoing in his ears:

“Don’t follow my path.”

In fact, even if he hadn’t heard Xu's personal experiences, Zheng Fa felt that he wouldn’t waste half his life over this Ling He Shen.

He already had a better option to enter the immortal sect: becoming a talisman master.

For Xu, Ling He Shen was his only chance to transcend the ordinary, and naturally, he found it hard to let go.

But according to the Young Master, becoming a talisman master also offered a chance to enter the immortal sect.

The bigger reason why Zheng Fa didn’t value Ling He Shen the way Xu did was because of the way the lady (his mother) treated him—after demonstrating a bit of talent in talisman-making and even deciphering the two simplest basic talismans, the lady had given him Ling He Shen as a reward. This subtly indicated that in her eyes, Ling He Shen, a martial art that aimed to enter the Dao through martial prowess, was nowhere near as important as Zheng Fa’s talent as a talisman master, and was even less significant than the two basic talismans he had already learned.

Another thought made Zheng Fa even more doubtful about the so-called martial path to the Dao: If practicing Ling He Shen could grant entry to the immortal sect, why was the Young Master painstakingly researching talisman diagrams?

However, these thoughts didn’t diminish Zheng Fa’s interest in the martial art itself, which had become a legendary part of the Jianghu (the martial arts world).

Meanwhile, the Young Master leaned in beside him and began flipping through Ling He Shen.

After a quick glance, the Young Master frowned. "This guy really talks too much."

Zheng Fa nodded. He still couldn’t tell the effectiveness of the martial art, but he certainly understood the author’s self-obsession.

This Ling He Shen was a four-volume book. Zheng Fa had originally thought it was all about martial arts, but the first book, the thickest one, was entirely the author’s self-preface!

The author rambled on, writing every trivial detail of his life. He claimed to have been a martial artist who later entered the immortal sect but remained passionate about martial arts, so he created Ling He Shen, hoping that future generations would carry on his legacy.

Most of the book was filled with boasting about how strong his martial arts were, how much the immortal sect valued him, and how exquisite the methods he created were...

“Did he create this whole martial art just to hear people listen to him boast?” The Young Master scratched his chin.

Zheng Fa actually found this interpretation somewhat reasonable…

He flipped through the remaining books. Surprisingly, the second book recorded a martial art that Zheng Fa was already familiar with: Song He Zhuang (Pine Crane Stance). Was this the reason the lady had asked him to learn Ling He Shen?

Because he had shown some talent in Song He Zhuang?

He skipped the second book and looked at the third and fourth books. The fourth book was a martial technique, Ling He Chuan Yun Shou (Spirit Crane Through Cloud Hand), which seemed to be very powerful, though it wasn’t the core of Ling He Shen.

The third book, however, with the title Ling He Jing Xin (The Spirit Crane Heart Sutra), was the essence of the entire method.

But as soon as Zheng Fa opened the third book, he couldn’t help but frown, and the Young Master, standing beside him, also looked confused, muttering, "What’s this supposed to be?"

On the page was a figure with a human head and body, but with wings growing from the shoulder blades and crane feet below, covered in feathers. It struck strange, incomprehensible poses with no explanations or annotations.

Zheng Fa stared at it for a while, but could not make sense of it. He didn’t get frustrated, though; after all, if Xu hadn’t been able to grasp this martial art for twenty years, it was normal for him to struggle too.

At the lady’s small building, the Young Master opened the curtain and strode in.

“Oh? Who’s here?” The lady looked at him with a mocking smile. “A rare guest!”

The Young Master’s face flushed. “Shouldn’t I come to visit my mother?”

“Should you? Who’s been avoiding me for the past few years?”

“I wasn’t…”

“Alright, you never come without a reason, so just get to the point.”

“I’ve been wanting to learn Ling He Shen, but I can’t understand it at all. Mother, do you know any secret method?”

“You want to learn?” The lady raised her eyebrow at her son. “Didn’t I already give Ling He Shen to Zheng Fa?”

“I’m the Young Master. If I want to look at it and learn it, who can stop me?” The Young Master said arrogantly.

“Is that so?”

“I was thinking, this fool Zheng Fa can’t seem to learn it no matter how hard he tries. If there’s a secret method, I’ll learn it and drive him mad!” The Young Master cleared his throat.

“Hmm…” The lady nodded, seeming convinced by his words.

“Mother? What’s the secret method?”

“Secret method?” The lady tapped her forehead. “I think I’ve heard someone say that the creator of this technique once mentioned that to master Ling He Shen, the secret is all in the first volume.”

“Really?”

“Do you think I’m lying to you?”

The Young Master rushed off, and the lady watched him leave, her face showing a smile that was neither sincere nor mocking.

“Zheng Fa! My mother said that to master Ling He Shen, you have to read the first volume of the book!”

The Young Master rushed in, unable to wait to share the news.

“You went to ask Mother?” Zheng Fa was surprised.

“Just a casual chat, and it came up.” The Young Master waved his hand. “Quick, get the first volume out, and let’s study it properly.”

Zheng Fa gave him a glance and took out the first volume of Ling He Shen.

Gao Yuan stood off to the side, keeping his distance, not looking at the book but still curiously glancing over.

Zheng Fa and the Young Master flipped through the first volume carefully, both frowning.

It was just a regular autobiography, and because the author had been a martial artist, he probably hadn’t received any formal education, so the writing was cliché and tedious.

“Is there some hidden code?” The Young Master speculated.

Zheng Fa shook his head. “It’s not impossible, but for a code to work, we’d have to know the rules first.”

The Young Master didn’t give up, pulling the book back and forth, trying to find some pattern.

After a long time, the Young Master threw the book down angrily and began attacking the author of Ling He Shen personally:

“What a terrible book! It’s worse than a cheap novelette!”

“I’m about to throw up from reading this!”

“Is this person just bored out of their mind? If they have the time to climb mountains and observe cranes to come up with some grand skill, why not go to school and learn how to write a proper book?”

Zheng Fa shook his head and flattened the book on the table, but he had to admit—he couldn’t find any real cultivation methods in it either.

Gao Yuan, watching the two, unconsciously smiled at their dejection.

The Young Master noticed his expression and asked, “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.” Gao Yuan shook his head.

“You think it’s funny that me, the Young Master, and Zheng Fa, who has more talent than you, can’t understand this?” The Young Master sneered.

Gao Yuan blushed and muttered, “I’ve not been doing well with my martial arts training lately. Now that I see it, we all seem about the same…”

Zheng Fa understood Gao Yuan quite well. Gao Yuan was the kind of person who liked to compare himself with others, easily influenced and prone to anxiety. He probably didn’t mean anything bad, and Zheng Fa didn’t think he was jealous.

But Zheng Fa observed that when someone failed a test, no consolation was as effective as a friend’s failing grade...

“About the same?” The Young Master gave Gao Yuan a look. “Did you master Song He Zhuang?”

“Not quite yet.”

“Then, if you haven’t mastered Song He Zhuang, and Zheng Fa hasn’t mastered Ling He Shen, isn’t that like failing to pass the elementary school exam or not becoming a top scholar?” The Young Master asked, a genuine and cutting question on his face. “Do you… empathize with him?”

The smile slowly faded from Gao Yuan’s face and appeared on the Young Master’s smug one.

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