Chapter 3: Modern

He came back to life!

For these past few days, he hadn’t eaten enough at the estate.

Zheng Fa felt ashamed too—after sampling all sorts of delicacies in this world, pigweed leaves became nearly impossible to swallow…

After all, it’s hard to go from luxury to frugality.

As for cured meats and other tasty foods, he always gave them to his sister and mother.

After all, he ate well in this world; if he took even a scrap of meat, his conscience wouldn’t allow it.

Five years ago, when his father passed away, he wept all night before falling into a drowsy sleep—only to open his eyes and find himself in this wondrous realm.

Ever since, every seven days he would dream himself into this world, then return to his original world after another seven days—much like the “crossing over” this world speaks of, except that he, an outsider from another realm, crossed into this one, and in body, not spirit.

From then on, he feasted for seven days in this world, then returned to Xuanwei Realm—what the people there called their world—where he would nearly starve for seven days.

Now he was used to it.

Zheng Fa patted his slightly swollen belly and walked out the door.

He lived in a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment in a teacher’s dormitory building at Qing Shui Middle School; the building had six floors and was built in the last century.

Thirty years of time had left the building outdated—no elevator, narrow and dim corridors, rusted iron railings, and even moss growing in the corners.

To others, the house seemed old and inferior to new housing complexes, but Zheng Fa was satisfied—he had spent his whole life in mud-brick homes mixed with straw; when he first arrived in this world, the white walls and clear glass windows made him think he’d entered paradise.

Not to mention electric lights, televisions, cars, and mobile phones—things ordinary people here took for granted.

After learning a little about this world, he once truly believed it was the paradise the storytellers described at the market—where iron birds flew through the sky, covering a thousand li in a single day.

A tiny screen could tell you what was happening a thousand li away.

After learning more, he realized the people of this world were all ordinary mortals, even weaker than those in his original world.

Zheng Fa’s family had been tenant farmers for the Zhao family for generations, with no outstanding talents—but the Zhao family was no ordinary clan; they were a prestigious lineage, and every blood relative trained in martial arts, with the most gifted even entering legendary immortal sects.

But in this world, people didn’t even speak of cultivation—martial training seemed to exist only in TV shows or absurd videos.

Zheng Fa never looked down on the people of this world; to achieve feats worthy of immortal legends with nothing but mortal bodies, he found them even more admirable.

His current identity was a senior at Qing Shui High School; the dormitory building stood behind the classroom building, just five minutes’ walk to his class.

As he reached the classroom door, the boy sitting in the front row near the entrance shouted at him: “Zheng Fa! Old Chen wants you!”

“Got it!” Zheng Fa called back, dropped his backpack on his seat, and heard the boy ask: “What did you do, Zheng Fa?”

Zheng Fa was wondering the same thing—his heart tightened.

Old Chen was their homeroom teacher and Chinese language instructor.

Being summoned to the office first thing in the morning was a student’s worst nightmare—even for a crosser.

He walked into the teacher’s office and pushed open the slightly faded yellow wooden door; beside the nearest desk, Old Chen’s bald head gleamed brightly in the morning light.

“Teacher Chen.”

“Zheng Fa, come, sit!”

Zheng Fa felt slightly relieved—Old Chen’s tone didn’t suggest trouble. He sat across from him, legs together, hands resting on his knees.

He looked as obedient as possible.

“Why so nervous?” Old Chen chuckled at his posture: “I just wanted to ask—you’re in senior year now. What university are you planning to apply to?”

“I…” Zheng Fa hadn’t expected this question and was momentarily speechless.

“Normally, teachers don’t interfere—this is your personal choice. Most students just discuss it with their families. But your situation is special…”

Old Chen didn’t finish, but Zheng Fa understood—he had crossed over at age twelve or thirteen, and in this world, he was already an orphan.

His original body’s parents had been teachers at Qing Shui Middle School, killed in a car accident—worse than in Xuanwei Realm—but this world’s social safety net was far better.

On one hand, Qing Shui Middle School, as his parents’ former employer, had always helped him—though only by waiving tuition, at least he could study without worry.

On the other hand, the community provided subsidies, and with the house and inheritance left by his parents, his life wasn’t rich, but food was never lacking.

Compared to the Zheng family’s life in the other world, this world was practically a paradise.

Including Old Chen, all the teachers knew Zheng Fa’s background—out of pity or collegial affection—they avoided mentioning parents or family around him.

Since he’d never lived with these parents, he felt gratitude but little emotion toward them—but he understood this small kindness.

Seeing he was silent, Old Chen continued: “Tell me your thoughts—I’ll give you some advice.”

Zheng Fa was deeply grateful.

Old Chen might seem rough, but he was always responsible; even now, before seven a.m., he was already in the office—and Zheng Fa knew he was there almost every morning.

“I want to study physics,” Zheng Fa had thought about university before.

Perhaps studying wasn’t enjoyable for teenagers in this world.

But Zheng Fa treasured it deeply.

He had attended one year of elementary school as a child—he hadn’t liked studying then, even preferring farm work.

But after his father died, he lost the chance to go to school—and then he began to miss it.

Only Wang Gui, the son of the estate manager Wang, had finished elementary school and later became a personal attendant to the Seventh Young Master.

Other children on the estate had no such opportunity.

So the other children envied Wang Gui for going to school.

Zheng Fa especially did.

Now that he had the chance to study—even to attend the highest institution of learning in this world—he naturally longed for it.

Studying physics… yes, his physics grades were the best.

And also because he had a deep, genuine curiosity about what they called science.

He had read this world’s history—hundreds of years ago, it was not much different from his original world.

Even without immortal arts or martial cultivation, it had seemed dull and lifeless.

In the past few centuries, this world had undergone a radical transformation—and in his view, the greatest reason was this thing called science.

He was filled with longing, reverence, even obsession for it.

“Physics? Going the academic route?” Old Chen thought for a moment; the boy came from a poor family—academia might be a solid path.

“Do you have a target university?”

“Jiangnan University.”

“Jiangda?” Old Chen glanced at Zheng Fa: “Jiangda is hard to get into. Your current grades… it’s difficult.”

He didn’t look optimistic about Zheng Fa’s chances.

But after speaking with him, as he watched the student walk away, his eyes softened with approval.

A female teacher sitting across from Old Chen asked curiously: “Is this the kid from Teacher Zheng’s family?”

“Yes,” Old Chen nodded.

The woman’s face showed sympathy mixed with surprise: “I heard this kid didn’t do well academically—he only got into our high school because he was a teacher’s orphan and got some grade leniency.”

“When he first came to school, his grades really were terrible,” Old Chen said with quiet pride: “No other homeroom teacher wanted him—he ended up in my class.”

“Then Jiangnan University really is a stretch!” the woman nodded.

Jiangnan University ranked among the top ten nationally; its physics department was one of its flagship programs.

“No, you don’t understand this kid. From freshman to senior year, his grades kept climbing. Freshman year, he was last in class; sophomore year, he rose to mid-tier; now in senior year, he sometimes cracks the top ten.”

The woman was surprised: “So much late growth? Then Jiangnan University might still be possible?”

Old Chen shook his head: “No, it’s too late. His current grades are still at least twenty points below Jiangnan’s cutoff… what a pity.”

…

Zheng Fa didn’t know Old Chen’s admiration or regret.

In this world, he had no family or connections—he knew too little.

All he could do was bury himself in hard work.

His lunch was always in the school cafeteria, where he sat across from his desk partner and close friend—Wang Chen.

Looking at the food before him, Wang Chen’s face was full of despair: “Does the cafeteria chef’s family sell eggplants? Why do we get eggplant with string beans every single day?”

He glanced at the other dishes.

Hollow vegetable lay limp at the bottom of the plate, as if beaten into submission.

A single strand of pork hair stood defiantly on the braised pork, taunting him.

“These kitchen staff must all be the principal’s relatives. These dishes have been the same since freshman year—and still taste this awful! They’re truly staying true to their roots!” He turned to Zheng Fa: “Come with me to the supermarket after lunch to buy some bread!”

Across from him, Zheng Fa had just poured the braised pork sauce over his rice, stirred it twice, then scooped up the last grain into his mouth.

His expression was one of bliss, almost reverent satisfaction.

Only after swallowing did he lift his head, as if just hearing Wang Chen, looking at him blankly: “Why aren’t you eating?”

Looking at Zheng Fa’s plate—cleaner than if washed—then at his own untouched meal, Wang Chen opened his mouth but couldn’t speak, even doubting himself.

Could it really be that good?

He picked up his chopsticks, closed his eyes, and shoveled in a few mouthfuls…

Ugh!