Chapter 2
Five years ago, when his father passed away, he cried the whole night before finally drifting into a restless sleep. When he closed his eyes, he found himself in this wondrous realm.
From that day on, every seven days, he would visit this world in his dreams. After another seven days, he would return to his original world. It was much like what they called "time travel" here, except he was an outsider crossing over into this realm, and it was more like he was "wearing" a new body.
From then on, he would feast for seven days in this world before returning to the Xuanwei Realm—what the people of that world called their home—where he would nearly starve for the next seven days.
By now, he had grown accustomed to it.
Zheng Fa patted his slightly protruding belly as he stepped out of his apartment.
He lived in a two-bedroom unit in a teacher's dormitory at Qingshui High School, a six-story building constructed in the last century.
Three decades had left the building feeling somewhat outdated. There was no elevator, and the stairwell was narrow and dim, with rusty iron railings and even some moss growing around the corners.
To others, this place might seem old and uninviting compared to the new developments, but Zheng Fa was quite satisfied. He had grown up in houses made of mud bricks mixed with straw, and when he first arrived in this world, the pristine white walls and clear glass made him feel as if he had stepped into a fairyland.
Not to mention the electric lights, televisions, cars, and smartphones—things that people here took for granted.
After learning a bit about this world, he had once thought it was indeed the paradise described by the storytellers during market days—where iron birds flew through the sky at incredible speeds.
A small screen could show you what was happening miles away.
As he learned more, he realized that the people here were merely mortals, their bodies even weaker than those from his original world.
Zheng Fa's family had been tenant farmers for generations, with nothing particularly remarkable about them. However, the Zhao family, for whom they worked, was no ordinary household; they were a prestigious clan, and every male relative trained in martial arts, with the most gifted even able to enter the legendary gates of immortality.
But in this world, the idea of cultivating immortality seemed to exist only in television shows or absurd videos.
Zheng Fa, however, did not look down on the people of this world. Despite being mere mortals, they had achieved feats that resembled the tales of immortals, and he found that even more admirable.
Now, he was a senior at Qingshui High School, living in an apartment just five minutes from the classroom.
As he reached the classroom door, he heard a boy sitting in the front row near the entrance call out, "Zheng Fa, Mr. Chen wants to see you!"
"Got it!" Zheng Fa replied, placing his backpack on his seat. He could hear the boy asking, "What did you do?"
Zheng Fa was wondering the same thing, feeling a knot of anxiety in his stomach.
Mr. Chen was their homeroom teacher and Chinese language instructor.
Being summoned to the office first thing in the morning was definitely a terrifying event in a student's life, even for a time traveler.
He walked to the teacher's office and pushed open the slightly worn yellow wooden door. The bald head of Mr. Chen shone brightly in the morning light as he sat at the nearest desk.
"Mr. Chen."
"Zheng Fa, come in, have a seat!"
Zheng Fa felt a bit relieved; Mr. Chen's demeanor suggested it wasn't anything bad. He sat down in front of Mr. Chen, legs together, hands resting on his knees.
He was trying to appear obedient.
"What are you so nervous about?" Mr. Chen chuckled at his posture. "I just wanted to ask you, now that you're a senior, what university are you planning to apply to?"
"I..." Zheng Fa hadn't expected Mr. Chen to ask him this and was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Usually, this isn't something teachers get involved in; it depends on your personal wishes. Regular students just discuss it with their families. But your situation is a bit special..."
Mr. Chen's sentence trailed off, but Zheng Fa understood what he meant—when he crossed over, he was only twelve or thirteen, and in this world, he was already an orphan.
The original Zheng Fa's parents had been teachers at Qingshui High School, dying in a car accident that was even more tragic than in the Xuanwei Realm. However, the support in this world was significantly better.
On one hand, as the child of his parents' former workplace, Qingshui High School had continued to help him, waiving his tuition fees, so at least he didn't have to worry about studying.
On the other hand, the community provided various subsidies, and with the house and inheritance left by his parents, while life wasn't exactly luxurious, he didn't have to worry about food.
Compared to the Zheng family's life in the other world, this place was practically a paradise.
Including Mr. Chen, the teachers in his class were aware of Zheng Fa's background. Whether out of pity or camaraderie, they tried not to mention his parents or family in front of him.
Having never interacted with the parents of this world, he felt gratitude towards them but no deep emotional connection. Still, he understood the small kindness they showed him.
Seeing him silent, Mr. Chen continued, "If you have any thoughts, share them with me, and I can give you some advice."
Zheng Fa felt grateful.
Though Mr. Chen appeared a bit rough around the edges, he was responsible. It wasn't even seven yet, and he was already in the office, and Zheng Fa knew he was there almost every morning.
"I want to study physics," Zheng Fa said, having thought about university.
For the youth of this world, studying might not seem like a joy.
But Zheng Fa cherished it deeply.
He had attended a year of primary education when he was younger, but back then, he wasn't particularly fond of studying, even preferring to work in the fields.
However, after his father's accident, he no longer had the opportunity to attend school, and he began to miss it.
In his village, only Wang Gui, the son of the steward, had completed his primary education and was later chosen to be a servant to the Seventh Young Master.
The other children in the village didn't have that opportunity.
So, the other kids were envious of Wang Gui's education.
Zheng Fa felt the same way.
Now that he had the chance to study, even to attend university—the highest institution in this world—he naturally longed for it.
Studying physics... yes, that was his best subject.
Moreover, he had a genuine curiosity about what they called science.
He had read about this world's history, and hundreds of years ago, the situation here was not much different from that of his original world.
In fact, the absence of immortality and martial arts made it seem even more lifeless.
Over the centuries, this world had undergone tremendous changes, and in his view, the greatest reason for that was the knowledge known as science.
He was filled with longing, admiration, and even fascination for it.
"Physics? Planning to pursue an academic path?" Mr. Chen pondered. Given Zheng Fa's family situation, academia might be a viable route.
"Do you have a university in mind?"
"Jiangnan University."
"Jiang University?" Mr. Chen glanced at Zheng Fa. "That's not easy to get into. With your current grades... it's tough!"
He seemed skeptical about Zheng Fa's chances.
But after their conversation, as he watched Zheng Fa's retreating figure, a satisfied look crossed his face.
A female teacher sitting across from Mr. Chen curiously asked, "Is this the child from Mr. Zheng's family?"
"Yes," Mr. Chen nodded.
The female teacher's face showed a hint of sympathy, mixed with surprise. "Wasn't it said that this child doesn't perform very well academically? He got into our high school because he was the teacher's orphan, and his scores were somewhat adjusted."
"True, when he first entered school, his grades were quite poor," Mr. Chen said, a hint of pride in his smile. "Other homeroom teachers didn't want him, but he ended up in my class."
"Getting into Jiangnan University is indeed difficult!" the female teacher nodded.
Jiangnan University ranked among the top ten in the country, and its physics department was one of its flagship programs.
"No, you don't understand this child. From freshman to senior year, his grades have been steadily improving. He started at the bottom of the class in freshman year, but by sophomore year, he was in the middle. Now, in senior year, he occasionally ranks in the top ten."
The female teacher was a bit surprised. "Such strong momentum? Then he might really have a chance at Jiangnan University?"
Mr. Chen shook his head. "No, it's a bit late. His current grades are at least twenty points short of Jiangnan University... what a pity."
...
Zheng Fa was unaware of Mr. Chen's praise and regret.
In this world, he had no relatives or friends, and the information he could access was too limited.
All he could do was bury himself in hard work.
As usual, he had lunch in the school cafeteria, sitting across from his desk mate and friend—Wang Chen.
Looking at the food in front of him, Wang Chen wore a face of utter despair. "Is the cafeteria chef selling eggplants at home? Why is this eggplant and green bean dish served every single day?"
He glanced at the other dishes.
The water spinach lay limp at the bottom of the plate, looking utterly battered.
A single pig hair stood defiantly on the braised pork, as if to taunt him.
"These kitchen staff must be relatives of the principal, right? These dishes have been terrible from freshman to senior year! They really haven't forgotten their roots!" He turned to Zheng Fa. "Come with me to the supermarket later to buy some bread!"
Across from him, Zheng Fa had just poured the braised pork sauce over his rice, stirred it a couple of times with his chopsticks, and then shoveled the last bite into his mouth.
The expression on his face was one of pure enjoyment, satisfaction bordering on reverence.
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