Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World-Chapter 4 - Country Folk

The day to select the Attendant Student came swiftly. On the third day after the news reached the village, the ox-cart to take Zheng Fa to the Zhao Mansion arrived.

"I want to go to the city too!" Little sister Zheng Shan clung to Zheng Fa's sleeve, all sticky and clingy.

The Zhao Family's main residence is located in the inner city of Jingzhou, and even Zheng Fa, let alone his six-year-old little sister Zheng Shan, had never been there.

"Shan'er!" Before Zheng Fa could respond, Mrs. Zheng already reprimanded by lifting her little ear: "Your brother is going to the main house, so many people are watching. It's not a trip for fun. Why are you causing more trouble?"

Looking at his little sister with tearful eyes, holding her bright red little ears, Zheng Fa touched her chubby head: "If there's time, I'll bring you some tasty treats from the city."

...

"Mother, I'm leaving."

Standing next to the ox-cart, Zheng Fa bid farewell to his mother.

Mrs. Zheng didn't speak but took out a clean coarse cloth bundle, unwrapped it, revealing pancakes and a few slices of cured meat inside. She handed them to the old man driving the cart: "Sir, it's hard work travelling. I've made some food. There's nothing much at home, just something to fill the stomach on the road."

The old man took off the pipe from his mouth and received it with a pleased smile.

After seeing him accept the bundle, Mrs. Zheng pleaded, "It's my child's first time going to the city, he's young, I hope you'd take good care of him and avoid any offence to the important people."

"Sure thing." The old man glanced at Zheng Fa and said, "This boy looks obedient; nothing bad will happen. Maybe he could even secure a future for himself."

Mrs. Zheng looked at Zheng Fa, whispering, "I don't expect any grand future, I just wish for him to come back safe and sound..."

...

The ox-cart moved farther from Zheng Fa's home. Looking back, he could still see his mother and little sister watching the cart from afar.

"Sit tight!"

The old man driving the cart suddenly shouted loudly, his black whip slashing through the air and striking the ox.

The cart sped up suddenly; Zheng Fa, unprepared, leaned back and had to stabilize himself by grasping the side railing.

The wind whistled by his ears, and the rice fields beside the road flashed by.

The speed of the ox-cart was beyond Zheng Fa's expectations.

He found it hard to estimate the current speed, but it felt as fast as the buses he had ridden in another world.

The cart was an ordinary one, the flat bed type used for transporting vegetables, with wood planks at the bottom and railings on the sides.

But the ox driving it was not ordinary; it was different from any he had seen before – the ox's body was huge, almost three to four meters long.

Most noticeable was a lump on the ox's spine; when running, the veins on the lump bulged, and one could even see the surging red blood within.

What astonished Zheng Fa more was that despite the ox's massive body and great speed, its hooves landed silently and smoothly, almost as if it were treading through the air.

"Surprised, huh?" The old man chuckled.

"This ox?"

"This isn't any ordinary ox; it's called a Dan Zhu Bull, said to have a trace of spirit beast blood, capable of traveling thousands of miles in a day! Moreover, this precious ox, it's not only fast but also stable!"

"Spirit beast? A trace of bloodline and it's so miraculous..."

"Our Zhao Family isn't ordinary, there are only a few such oxen in Jingzhou!"

"The Zhao Family is that powerful?"

"Powerful? It's more than powerful! Our Zhao Family has Immortals!" The old man said with a bit of pride, "Since our ancestors multiplied in Jingzhou a thousand years ago, generation after generation of our Zhao Family have been able to join the Immortal Sect and gain fortune from Immortals!"

"Immortal Sect? I've always heard that the Zhao Family is supported by the Immortal Sect, is it true?"

Zheng Fa's spirits lifted; after all, he was born in the village, and his understanding of this world might even be lesser than that of another world.

Although he had heard many legends about Immortals before, none were as certain as the old man's words.

"In Jingzhou, among the three major noble families, which one doesn't have an Immortal background?" The old man took out a slice of cured meat, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed, and looked at him, "Do you desire such a connection with Immortals?"

Zheng Fa nodded.

"Considering this piece of cured meat, I'd kindly advise you, those connections aren't something we can aspire to. I've been with the Zhao Family half my life and haven't even seen a hair of an Immortal."

Zheng Fa pursed his lips and said nothing, only accompanied by the cracking whip sounds along the silent journey.

At noon, the ox cart stopped in front of another Zhao Family's farmstead, a young boy around Zheng Fa's age boarded the cart.

Upon seeing Zheng Fa, a look of discomfort appeared on his face, slightly tinged with hostility, he asked: "Are you also aspiring to be the Seventh Young Master's Attendant Student?"

Before Zheng Fa could respond, the old man driving the cart lazily said, "It's not just you two; there are nearly a few dozen qualifying by age in the Zhao Mansion in Jingzhou, none missing except yourselves because you live far away, requiring me to fetch you."

Zheng Fa was taken aback; he knew the Seventh Young Master was favored but never thought a minor position of an Attendant Student would have such fierce competition?

The newly boarded young boy seemed to grasp the old man's meaning too. His expression slightly controlled, yet he still chose a corner far from Zheng Fa to sit.

Zheng Fa could feel that, along the way, the boy's gaze occasionally glanced over at him.

After a while, the boy finally spoke, "My name is Huang Yu, what's yours?"

"Zheng Fa."

"Have you attended elementary school?"

"I have."

Huang Yu's face looked a bit displeased again.

Zheng Fa added, "But I only attended for one year."

"I attended elementary school for five years!" Huang Yu said spiritedly; he moved and sat next to Zheng Fa, "If I weren't too old, I would have gone when the Seventh Young Master was previously selecting Attendant Students."

Zheng Fa snickered inwardly; this guy probably didn't see him as a threat, so he was being quite friendly.

"Five years of elementary school, then this time you are surely set to succeed," Zheng Fa said, following his cue.

As expected, despite trying hard to mask it, Huang Yu's eyes sparkled, showing a flush of pride.

However, the old man driving the cart chuckled disdainfully.

"I don't know what identity this Seventh Young Master actually holds for the position of an Attendant Student to trigger competition among dozens, even from someone as talented as you, Huang."

"You don't know?"

"I've long resided on the farmstead, kept away from the broader developments..."

Huang Yu assessed him from head to toe, noting his clean but old clothes, and his sleeves washed till they were almost translucent, his wariness towards Zheng Fa lessened.

After pondering for a while, he decided to keep secret and not respond.

Zheng Fa knew this man likely did not want to give away any additional information about himself.

But it was the old cart driver who spoke up, answering Zheng Fa's question: "Our Zhao Family is divided into three branches, with the main branch being that of the Family Head."

"This Seventh Young Master couldn't be..."

"That's correct, the Seventh Young Master is the main branch's only legitimate son. The lady has only one daughter and one son, hence though the Seventh Young Master is young, he will be the future Family Head. It's said that the current manager of the main branch used to be an Attendant Student of the Family Head when young, a prestigious position."

Zheng Fa instantly understood.

The position of an Attendant Student surely wasn't powerful, but it was akin to what the historical books in another world described as old servants of a king's secret palace and Favor of the Dragon.

He was competing for a future.

"And, I heard..." the old man looked back at Huang Yu, "the Seventh Young Master's sister, she is the Immortal Seed of this generation in the Zhao Family, long chosen by the Immortal Sect! Not just you guys, even children from prominent managing families in the city are competing! Hey, what good is a few years of elementary school then?"

Now Zheng Fa truly understood the value of the Attendant Student position of the Seventh Young Master.

The only legitimate son of the Family Head's lineage.

And his elder sister even fortunate to have received an Immortal opportunity.

The status of this Seventh Young Master could be described as solid as Mount Tai.

Zheng Fa glanced at Huang Yu next to him, seeing his face flushed red, probably realizing that the old man was hinting at him:

Even though you've attended more years of school than Zheng Fa, compared to those manager's children in the city,

You still come from the countryside.

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