[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world":3,"chapter-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-13":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Cultivation: I Studied Abroad in the Modern World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2263739,4418,"Chapter 13: Fear","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-13",13,"\u003Cp>In the twilight, Zheng Fa could clearly see his younger sister Zheng Shan standing beneath the large elm tree at the village’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before her stood three boys, each at least a head taller than she was, with the one in the center clearly leading them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa instantly recognized the face of the boy in the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thin and tall, with a hooked nose, sparse eyebrows, and a face that looked dull and lifeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Wang Gui, the only son of the Wang steward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previous holder of my current position as a book attendant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days ago, Mother said he was beaten by the Lady and sent back home, still unconscious and unable to get out of bed when he arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet today he’s standing here bullying my little sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Gui’s complexion was indeed paler than usual, his face nearly devoid of color, making it look even more grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His posture was unnatural—he leaned one arm on the boy beside him, as if lacking strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Shan had just been speaking to these boys; the conflict between them was obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alone and small, she faced the older, outnumbering boys with her head held high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tiny frame was tense, fists clenched tightly, and in her right palm lay half a flatbread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other half of the flatbread had been torn and thrown on the ground, covered in dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa knew this flatbread was made by Mother—she’d given a bundle of them to the cart driver that morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one was probably Mother’s special treat, saved just for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the flatbread was cheap, for Zheng Shan, white flour bread like this wasn’t something she ate daily—it was a precious snack, and under normal circumstances, she’d never let half of it fall to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he knew his sister so well, Zheng Fa could see the fear hidden beneath her stubborn posture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickened his steps toward the four of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He heard Wang Gui’s hoarse voice say: “So what if your brother’s back? You think I’m afraid of him? Are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked the boy beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not afraid,” the boy grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My dad’s dead—who’s afraid of him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Gui laughed, clearly amused, but he clutched his neck as he did, still suffering from his wounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Shan couldn’t help speaking up: “When my brother comes back and sees you stealing my food, he’ll make the Lady beat you again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her mind, being beaten by the Lady was the worst punishment imaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pah! What’s your brother’s status? Who does he think he is, giving orders to the Lady?” At the mention of “Lady,” Wang Gui stopped laughing, but his anger burned brighter: “You really think just because I was sent back, your brother can become the Young Master’s book attendant?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your brother can’t even read all the characters! Why would the Lady pick him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Gui spoke with absolute certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa realized Wang Gui truly didn’t believe he could replace him as book attendant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today he was angrier than usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, he’d bully Zheng Shan, but only by ignoring her or occasionally mocking the Zheng family’s poverty to her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For him to ambush her at the village entrance like this was rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since Wang Gui’s body was clearly still unwell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa thought: He must have heard the Lady is choosing a book attendant for the Seventh Young Master, and realized he has no chance of returning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he took out his frustration on Zheng Fa, who now had a chance to enter the Zhao household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Zheng Fa’s little sister became even more unbearable to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why he deliberately came to harass her today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he drew closer, his footsteps made both groups turn to look at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Shan had been glaring defiantly at Wang Gui and the others, lips pressed tight, refusing to show weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment she saw Zheng Fa, her tears spilled over: “Brother, they stole my bread!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Gui and the other two showed a flicker of panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Zheng Fa was taller and bigger than all three of them, and his dark, approaching expression carried a quiet menace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Zheng Shan’s tear-streaked face, Zheng Fa ignored the three boys entirely—he pulled her into his arms and placed the cart driver’s food box before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look, what did your brother bring you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Shan sniffed, as if catching a scent, her blurry eyes fixed on the unfamiliar food box before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It smells so good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing she’d stopped crying, Zheng Fa lifted the lid of the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a three-tiered food box: the top layer held three small dishes—one shaped like petals, one like butterflies, and one like round balls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Food!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, these are snacks from Juxing Tower in the city—someone bought them specially for you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For me?” Zheng Shan extended her chubby hand and pointed to her own little nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her joy was so simple she didn’t even bother wiping the snot and tears from her face before beaming Shashadi  at Zheng Fa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s see what’s underneath.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa continued to soothe his sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay!” Zheng Shan leaned forward, holding her breath as Zheng Fa opened the next layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Meat! So much meat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second layer held just one dish—a large platter piled high with slices of meat, plain and unadorned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Zheng Shan, this was likely the first time she’d ever seen so much meat piled together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She even rubbed her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa lifted the third layer—it held another dish: a plump, greasy roasted chicken, lying there in all its glory, making Zheng Shan nearly spellbound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, all this is for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa nodded with a smile, thinking inwardly that the cart driver must truly understand people—compared to fancy, ornate dishes, simply placing large chunks of meat before his sister would bring her far greater joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All yours. But eat fast—don’t cry if it spoils.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Me, Mama, and Brother—we all have to eat fast!” Zheng Shan shook her head, beaming as she pointed to the box: “I’ll eat, Mama will eat, Brother will eat! We’ll finish it all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She suddenly patted her stomach with a worried frown: “Brother, my stomach’s growling—it says it can eat half of this all by itself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Shan had completely forgotten her earlier distress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the three boys behind Zheng Fa were suffering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Gui was better off—he’d seen more, his father’s household was wealthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the other two were ordinary village boys, whose families were only slightly better off than Zheng Fa’s, and they rarely saw so much good food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Brother, have you ever eaten from Juxing Tower?” one boy asked, swallowing hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like I haven’t! It’s not expensive! Next time I’ll bring some for you!” Wang Gui growled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was angrier still at Zheng Fa’s complete disregard for him—ever since childhood, Zheng Fa had never once shown anger toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d always just ignored him, treated him as if he didn’t exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was precisely this attitude that had always made Wang Gui uneasy around Zheng Fa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he reached the city and became the Young Master’s book attendant, he thought he’d seen the world, and found Zheng Fa’s demeanor laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, seeing Zheng Fa like this again, he felt the same fear he did when facing the adults of the Zhao household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s there to fear? Even if I’m back in the village and can’t be a book attendant, am I any worse than a boy with no father?” He comforted himself inwardly, took two steps forward, and opened his mouth to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the village, the sound of carriage wheels and hooves approached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A boy stood atop a carriage, shouting toward Zheng Fa: “Zheng Brother, I’ve come to see you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa turned—standing on the carriage’s yoke, waving at him, was none other than Huang Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside Huang Yu, a stout middle-aged man also smiled at Zheng Fa.\u003C\u002Fp>",1333,"2026-06-19T19:16:02.864Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8a2da191840d25293bbc690b151c2fc7a79e349a7b6521a0ca3f32a2e2fdd8f4","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-14","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-12",487,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cover.jpg"]