Xiuxian: I studied abroad in modern times

Chapter 600 Modern Experience, The Mystery of Purple Qi

Hearing Zheng Fa's heartfelt and shameless flattery, Hongjun Daoist glanced at him, said nothing, but pointed to the city below and said, "Was this built by the human race here?"

Zheng Fa nodded in agreement.

Hongjun Daoist seemed to take an interest and, with Zheng Fa, descended towards the tall building below.

"Dao Ancestor, let me change my appearance first," Zheng Fa said.

"Ok?"

"I have some reputation here." Zheng Fa saw that Hongjun Daoist seemed to be unfamiliar with modern times and was about to introduce him when Hongjun Daoist suddenly stretched out his palm, in which a ball of chaotic energy was constantly rotating.

The chaotic energy spun faster and faster, shrinking smaller and smaller until it finally became a black dot that even Zheng Fa couldn't see clearly. Then, a blinding light shone forth.

Zheng Fa squinted, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw what looked like a universe in Hongjun's palm!
The singularity exploded, the first stars appeared, and galaxies were born.

Life begins to emerge on an unremarkable planet in a spiral arm of a galaxy.

Algae, dinosaurs, humans, civilization...

The past of the universe was replayed in the palm of Hongjun Daoren's hand, and Zheng Fa even seemed to see his own face.

Obviously, there's no need for Zheng Fa to explain further.

Master Hongjun seems to have a great interest in modern life.

Zheng Fabian transformed into a young man dressed in modern clothes, while Hongjun remained unchanged, wearing a Taoist robe. The two walked beside an eight-lane road.

The pairing of the two was rather odd, but with the recent rise of the Confederate Immortal Path, more and more people were wearing Taoist robes, and Hongjun Daoist did not attract much attention.

He looked around with great curiosity.

Zheng Fa, unaware of his intentions, looked around as well. The road was bustling with traffic, and every now and then one or two disc-shaped flying objects would fly by in the sky—these were gadgets developed by the Confederate Research Institute, essentially low-altitude electromagnetic aircraft that used the city's external energy source to achieve passage within the city.

This type of aircraft is quiet, highly sensitive, and faster, making it ideal for urban travel. However, modern magical materials are scarce and expensive, limiting its use to only a few individuals and specialized departments.

Hongjun Daoist first glanced at the cars on the street, then looked up at the flying machine flying overhead, seemingly finding it somewhat interesting, and chuckled, "That's quite ingenious."

The two turned right from the main road and entered a much narrower street, which seemed to be a restaurant street, lined with restaurants on both sides. It was lunchtime, and the aroma of food wafted from both sides.

Zheng Fa could tell from the smell that the rice and vegetables used in many stores were gradually improved by the Agricultural College. Unlike the aircraft, these things had always been a key project promoted by the Confederation.

Hongjun Daoist glanced at him, then at the diners in the restaurant, and his aura suddenly changed... making him seem like an ordinary person.

He pointed to the most popular restaurant by the roadside, and Zheng Fa suddenly understood that this old man wanted to enjoy the culinary desires of a mortal!

The two entered the restaurant and ordered a table full of about ten signature dishes, much to the delight of the proprietress, who treated them with great hospitality.

Hongjun Daoist was truly unpretentious; he picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

Of all the dishes, Zheng Fa only ate one-fifth; the remaining eighty percent went into the old man's stomach.

This action startled the customers nearby, who all stopped eating.

The chefs in the kitchen all rushed out, holding rice scoops and staring at Hongjun Daoist with a mixture of joy and worry.

To his delight, it felt like he had met a kindred spirit.

The worry is that this close friend looks quite old; I hope she doesn't overindulge herself.

Fortunately, Master Hongjun seemed to be fine. He took a tissue and slowly wiped his mouth while chatting with the diners and chefs next to him, asking about their income, life and other trivial matters.

This was supposed to be a private matter, but when he asked, everyone else answered without hesitation, without any concealment.

It was only then that Zheng Fa realized that Hongjun Daoist had somehow mastered modern language.

“Life is so much better now.” Seeing them discussing so enthusiastically, the proprietress peeked out from behind the counter and sighed, “These young people don’t know how hard life used to be.”

“Take my childhood for example. Although we had enough to eat and wear, my grandfather was in poor health and had to go to the hospital every week. I also needed money to go to school. My father worked every day and couldn’t save much money all year round. By the time he was in his thirties or forties, half of his hair had turned white.”

"it's good now?"

"Of course it's good now!" the proprietress shook her head and said, "Although we're not destined to cultivate immortality, at least we're not worried about food and clothing. My father is eating that kind of spiritual food now, you probably never imagined that..."

"What are you thinking about?"

"He's in his seventies or eighties, and his hair has turned black again!" the proprietress chuckled. "He practices calisthenics at home every day, he's healthier than me, and he's always running around, saying the world is so big..."

Hongjun Daoist glanced at Zheng Fa but didn't speak, only listening to the proprietress's incessant chatter:
"I opened this shop hoping to earn some money for my two children." As she said this, an expectant smile appeared on her face. "Both children have good aptitude. I heard from their teacher that they can both pursue the path of immortality in the future."

After chatting for a while, the two left the restaurant, and Zheng Fa spoke first: "I didn't hire any shills."

In truth, he didn't do much; at most, he raised the bar for modern society—high-yield crops and low-cost energy, enough to ensure that almost everyone has enough to eat and wear.

Neither of these achievements is entirely due to Zheng Fa; Waidan also made some contributions, and the high-yield crops are mostly attributed to the Agricultural College.

Hongjun Daoist nodded, then suddenly spoke: "Your role is to ensure that these people, these people without the opportunity to cultivate immortality, are not left behind."

Zheng Fa was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Hongjun, whose gaze was extremely insightful.

Hongjun Daoist nodded to him, then took Zheng Fa and strolled around leisurely.

Zheng Fa remained in a daze.

That statement was quite correct. In essence, if it weren't for Zheng Fa's will, the products of the nursing home would hardly benefit the vast majority of people—for example, high-yield crops have always been researched and promoted by the will of the higher authorities.

For most people in nursing homes, this thing is meaningless or even useless.

But what exactly is Hongjun Daoren doing?
Seemingly having heard his question, Hongjun Daoist said slowly as he walked, "I am somewhat interested in this human world."

"With your omniscience and omnipotence, Dao Ancestor..."

Zheng Fa was still puzzled. The scene of the universe in the palm of his hand had left a very deep impression on him.

Why would Hongjun Daoist need to resort to this undercover mission?

"What one sees as a saint is different from what one sees as an ordinary person."

Hongjun Daoist's words gave Zheng Fa a slight jolt. What he said was quite true. When faced with the same thing, different positions and identities lead to different feelings. This Dao Ancestor was more practical than he had imagined; he was an experiential thinker.

"go to school?"

Isn't that incredibly practical?
At this time, Hongjun Daoist was only up to Zheng Fa's waist. He had a youthful face but a serious expression. He pointed to a primary school and nodded solemnly.

"Then... I'll find someone to handle the formalities."

"Need not!"

Hongjun Daoist swaggered into the school gate, went straight into a classroom, conjured up a desk, and sat down.

Along the way, no one—security guards, teachers, or classmates—noticed anything amiss; it was as if he were simply a member of the class.

In the evening, Zheng Facai received Hongjun Daoren from his teacher after school.

To be honest, looking at the naive Hongjun Daoist, Zheng Fa felt much less pressured. In a moment of folly, he even asked with a smile, "What did you learn today?"

“One math class, one Chinese class,” Hongjun Daoist glanced at him and honestly replied, “and one more class, a class on the philosophy of immortality.”

"Oh, this has only appeared in recent years."

Zheng Fa nodded. To put it simply, this course was about instilling some moral norms and Taoist concepts into the children.

"I know."

Zheng Fa sensed something was off about the tone and turned to look at Hongjun Daoist. Hongjun Daoist said unhurriedly, "The first chapter of the textbook is called, 'The Dao Ancestor Descends to Earth'."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Zheng Facai said dryly, "I said, Dao Ancestor, you are my role model!" "Heh."

By the time Zheng Fa led Hongjun on his journey and they arrived at Hongshan, more than three months had passed.

Hongjun Daoist was indeed very experiential; he even went and found a job and worked for a day.

He later developed an interest in computers and sneaked into the computer science department of Renmin University, where he secretly studied for half a day.

Overall, they are not difficult to please.

Only...

"This is the place where Master Zheng cultivates in seclusion? It truly is a blessed land of immortals."

Hongjun Daoist stood at the entrance of the nursing home, looked around in amazement, and said to Zheng Fa.

Old hermaphrodite.

Zheng Fa was almost numb from being called by him all the way.

Tang Lingwu came out, looked at Zheng Fa with a puzzled expression, and asked, "When did you go out?"

Zheng Fa was stunned for a moment, and before he could speak, Tang Lingwu looked at Hongjun Daoist again and asked, "Who is this?"

Zheng Fa couldn't reveal Hongjun Daoist's real name—this name was much more well-known in modern times than in the Xuanwei Realm—so he could only give Tang Lingwu a wink and say, "He is a fellow Daoist I met."

Tang Lingwu looked enlightened, glanced at Hongjun Daoist a couple more times, and then accompanied the two of them into the nursing home.

She apologized and went out first. Only then did Hongjun Daoist turn to look at Zheng Fa and ask, "Don't understand?"

Zheng Fa nodded slightly.

He truly had no idea what Hongjun Daoren was doing.

"Now that you've sat on the futon, you're qualified to obtain the Primordial Purple Qi."

"Dao Ancestor, this Primordial Purple Qi..."

"Do not want?"

Zheng Fa nodded silently.

I really want it, but the problem is fate.

Now the other side is eyeing it covetously, just waiting for the Primordial Purple Qi.

With the method of transforming Qi into the Three Pure Ones available, Zheng Fa is not afraid of death. The problem is, who knows if he can take the Primordial Purple Qi with him? If it falls into the hands of the Creation Daoist, then it will be troublesome.

This person is too dangerous. He is an enemy of the Nine Mountains Sect, not a friend. He possesses the Primordial Purple Qi, which is a great threat to the Nine Mountains Sect.

Hongjun Daoist looked at him, seemingly somewhat displeased, and the atmosphere between them became a bit tense.

"Time for tea!"

Tang Lingwu walked in gracefully, carrying a tray. She seemed to sense the awkward atmosphere, glanced at the two of them, and asked, "Did Zheng Fa make you angry?"

Hongjun Daoist glanced at Zheng Fa.

Tang Lingwu placed the teacup next to Hongjun Daoist, squatted down, opened her eyes wide, and said, "Grandpa, don't pay attention to him."

"..."

Zheng Fa was completely bewildered. Why did he suddenly call him "Grandpa"?

But Hongjun didn't speak, and he didn't dare to speak either.

“Zheng Fa is stupid.” Tang Lingwu said, then glared at Zheng Fa, seemingly with some resentment.

You're saying he's stupid?

"Yeah, I can't see anything! She's always making me angry," Tang Lingwu said, chattering as if she were accusing someone.

Zheng Fa watched from the side.

Hongjun Daoist glanced at the two faces, as if he had seen something, smiled, and then began to speak sarcastically again: "He is already a Dao Ancestor, and you still speak of him like that?"

"What Dao Ancestor? He himself is embarrassed." Tang Lingwu scoffed. "He often says that he was just lucky to inherit some of the wisdom of his predecessors and only wants to carry it forward and prevent the teachings of the ancient sages from being tarnished."

Did I say that?

Zheng Fa looked at the smiling Hongjun Daoist and felt certain in his heart, "He said it!"
Tang Lingwu is her own mouth double!

"Does he really think that way?"

“That’s right,” Tang Lingwu said decisively. “Otherwise, how could so many people on Rainbow Mountain be willing to help someone as stupid as him?”

"..."

"You keep saying he's stupid, but I think he's very smart."

Tang Lingwu glared at Zheng Fa again and said:

"Tell me, he's so capable, yet he hasn't enjoyed much of a life of luxury or acted like a tyrant. On the contrary, he's busier than any of us. Isn't that stupid?"

"..."

"Others who cultivate immortality wish they could lock themselves in and cultivate in seclusion, afraid that others would learn from them. But he's the opposite; he's afraid that others won't be able to learn it. Isn't that even more foolish?"

"..."

Hongjun Daoist's expression grew increasingly strange.

Tang Lingwu continued, "His biggest weakness is his mouth. He values ​​Hongshan highly, and the fact that he invited you here shows that he respects and values ​​you greatly. But before he could even say two words, he made you angry again."

“I’m not angry.” Hongjun Daoist smiled and shook his head, then glanced at Tang Lingwu. “It’s you who’s more anxious than this kid.”

Tang Lingwu blushed, lowered her head, and remained silent.

But Hongjun Daoist's expression was quite gentle.

Zheng Fa watched from the side, thinking to himself that Tang Lingwu really was an old man killer...

Hongjun Daoist looked at Zheng Fa and asked, "She said you're the dumbest, so tell me, why don't you want the Primordial Purple Qi?"

Zheng Fa didn't hide anything and said, "Of course I want it, but if I take it and that Creation Daoist snatches it away, that would be even more troublesome."

"Are you afraid that he will leave the Nine Luminaries Heaven and become your enemy?"

"Yes."

Hongjun Daoist nodded, as if he understood, and asked to confirm, "Really don't want it?"

Zheng Fagang was about to speak when he suddenly saw Tang Lingwu winking at him. He was startled and turned to look at Hongjun Daoist.

Then they saw that Master Hongjun had a smile on his face, as if he was watching a good show.

Zheng Fa immediately stopped.

"He is a bit slow, not as clever as a young girl," Hongjun Daoist commented calmly. "Without the Primordial Purple Qi, what will you use to protect this world?"

"..."

Zheng Fa's eyes widened suddenly.

"Why do you think I was able to come here?" Hongjun Daoist's words exploded in Zheng Fa's ears. "This place is also the Nine Luminaries Heaven."

(End of this chapter)