Chapter 299: Are They One of Us?
After seeing the newcomers, Hua Changxi returned to her bamboo house and then summoned Zhou Shou from the Mission Hall and Jia Lu from the Law Enforcement Hall.
“Master.”
Hua Changxi handed the resumes of Ye Lingxuan and the other eight people to the two men: “Keep a close eye on these nine people and see who they associate with.”
Zhou Shou and Jia Lu took the resumes and their expressions showed surprise.
“Third-grade Alchemist!”
“Third-rank Preparer!”
“Third-rank Spiritual Plant Master!”
“These people’s talent is so high!”
Hua Changxi pondered for a moment and said, “For these nine people, all their tasks will be to pick and clean spiritual medicine and cultivate medicine fields.”
She wanted to see what these people were planning to do by joining Dan Yuan Peak, and if they could endure the first wave of hardship.
Zhou Shou and Jia Lu immediately agreed, “Master, rest assured, we will keep a good watch on these people.”
Hua Changxi thought of Ye Lingxuan, Jiang Henian, and Dugu Lie’s Nascent Soul cultivation. If she were not at Dan Yuan Peak, Yu Fu and the others’ cultivation was too low to suppress them.
“Tonight, summon Yu Fu and Zhao Xi, and my third brother.”
After hesitating, Hua Changxi ultimately did not summon Pharmacist Xu. Firstly, Pharmacist Xu’s path to cultivation had nothing to do with her; secondly, Pharmacist Xu and Wan Feng were both in the Personnel Department, making it difficult to conceal their actions.
“Tonight, all five of you come to the bamboo house. I have something to say.”
After Zhou Shou and Jia Lu agreed, they went to attend to their respective duties.
Hua Changxi then began preparing the spiritual medicines needed for the Body Refining medicinal bath and the Bloodline Ancestral Return medicinal bath. By the time night fell, in the row of rooms to the right of the bamboo house, each room had a wooden tub filled with a vibrant green medicinal bath liquid.
The higher one ascended Dan Yuan Peak, the denser the Spiritual Energy became. However, apprentices could only choose locations below the mountain waist to open their Cave Dwellings, and they strictly followed the principle of first come, first served.
As Hua Sanlang was not among the first batch of people to join the Dan Yuan Secret Realm, the location of his Cave Dwelling was somewhat remote, and the soil quality of the Spirit Field outside his Cave Dwelling was not very good.
Every time he returned to his Cave Dwelling, it was a moment of frustration for Hua Sanlang.
It was nothing else; every time he passed by the Cave Dwellings of the first batch of apprentices, feeling the dense Spiritual Energy in the air and seeing the vibrant Spiritual Plants and Spiritual Medicine outside their Cave Dwellings, he felt both regret and annoyance.
He regretted not joining the Dan Yuan Secret Realm in the first batch, and he was annoyed that Hua Changxi, his own sister, treated him, her legitimate third brother, the same as other apprentices.
Hua Sanlang arrived outside his Cave Dwelling and first checked the Spiritual Medicine he had planted. After confirming it was growing well, he prepared to return to his Cave Dwelling.
“Sanlang.”
Yu Fu found him, “Master is looking for you. Come with me quickly to see her.”
Hua Sanlang looked surprised. He had been at Dan Yuan Peak for so long, and this was the first time Jiu Niang had actively sought him out. “Steward Yu, what does Jiu Niang want with me?”
Yu Fu smiled, “You’ll know when you get there.”
Hua Sanlang said no more and followed Yu Fu towards the bamboo house at the peak.
After the two left, a graceful figure emerged from a patch of lush spiritual rice nearby.
Zhu Qinghuan watched the receding figures of Hua Sanlang and Yu Fu, her gaze distant. “I almost thought Hua Changxi had no regard for family ties at all.”
Although Yu Fu came to find Hua Sanlang after nightfall, there were too many people paying attention to Hua Sanlang. Not only Zhu Qinghuan, but Chu Junhao, Hua Hongrui, Hua Shuran, and others also saw the two heading towards the peak.
Although he went to the peak of Dan Yuan Peak every day to enter and exit the Secret Realm, this was Hua Sanlang’s first time visiting Hua Changxi’s bamboo house. Seeing Yu Fu navigate the path with such familiarity, he felt a pang of unease.
“Sanlang and Old Yu are here!”
Jia Lu, Zhao Xi, and Zhou Shou had already arrived. Seeing Yu Fu and Hua Sanlang arrive, they greeted them with smiles.
After the five exchanged greetings, Hua Changxi also emerged from the bamboo house.
“Master!”
Hearing the address from Yu Fu and the other four, Hua Sanlang’s heart stirred. Looking at his sister, who was becoming increasingly ethereal and refined, his expression was somewhat complex. “Jiu Niang.”
Hua Changxi walked to the stone table and sat down, then motioned for Hua Sanlang and the other four to sit. Only then did she say, “Dan Yuan Peak has recruited quite a few apprentices recently. What are your thoughts on this?”
Yu Fu and the other three exchanged glances, thinking Hua Changxi had summoned them to discuss how to manage the apprentices.
Hua Sanlang, however, was inwardly delighted, believing that with more people on Dan Yuan Peak, Yu Fu and the others couldn’t manage them all, and Hua Changxi was going to assign him a position.
Yu Fu spoke first, “As the number of apprentices grows, each department will likely need to recruit more stewards and laborers.”
Hua Sanlang quickly stated, “Jiu Niang, if there’s anything you need from your third brother, just ask.”
Hua Changxi: “…What about the others? Do you have anything else to say?”
Jia Lu hesitated, “Master, with more apprentices, the Law Enforcement Hall’s enforcement team will need to expand, and significantly so, to ensure the stability of Dan Yuan Peak and the Secret Realm.”
Hua Changxi nodded, “Finally, you’re getting to the point.” She paused.
“Among the apprentices recruited in the past two months, there are many with profound cultivation. As stewards, do you have any means to control them?”
Upon hearing this, the expressions of Yu Fu and the other three immediately turned serious and solemn. Even Hua Sanlang fell silent.
Hua Changxi asked again, “In the future, the number of people on Dan Yuan Peak will only increase. Can you all maintain your positions as stewards?”
After exchanging glances, Yu Fu and the other three rose in unison and bowed, stating, “Master, rest assured, we will strive to improve our cultivation and diligently study Medical Skills and the Pill Dao.”
Hua Sanlang was a beat slower and followed suit, “I will also work hard.”
Hua Changxi looked at Yu Fu and the other three, “You do not have Spiritual Roots and can only practice Body Refining. In the stages up to and including the Nascent Soul Realm, Body Cultivators are not weaker than Law Cultivators.”
“However, after entering the Spiritual Platform Realm, Law Cultivators develop Spiritual Sense, and Body Cultivators begin to be suppressed by Law Cultivators. To have a fighting chance, Body Cultivators must strengthen themselves in other ways.”
“Fortunately, all four of you have a certain degree of Bloodline Ancestral Return. As long as the degree of Bloodline Ancestral Return is high enough, there is a possibility of obtaining Ancestral Return Divine Abilities.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Fu and the other four showed joy.
However, Hua Changxi shook her head, “I can see that all four of you are diligent in Body Refining, but your aptitudes are not considered good. Therefore, you have only reached the second chapter of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique so far.”
“Currently, the apprentices on Dan Yuan Peak have just joined and are unfamiliar with everything, and are still obedient. You, whose strength is comparable to Qi Sea Realm cultivators, can still suppress them. But in a few years, you with your low strength will certainly not be able to command respect.”
Hearing this, Yu Fu and the other four became anxious.
“Master, aptitude is predetermined. We can do nothing about it!”
Hua Changxi: “Aptitude is not unchangeable. It depends on whether you can endure it.”
Yu Fu and the other four nodded vigorously, “We can endure it!”
Hua Sanlang, however, exclaimed in surprise, “Aptitude can be improved?”
Hua Changxi looked at him, “When you achieve mastery in Medical Skills and the Pill Dao, you will know that anything is possible.” After speaking, she looked at Yu Fu and the other three.
“From now on, every other day, you will come to the bamboo house to soak in medicinal baths. You will alternate between the Body Refining medicinal bath and the Bloodline Ancestral Return medicinal bath. I will give you acupuncture to help clear your meridians and enhance the absorption of medicinal properties.”
“The medicinal baths in bamboo houses number one to four are ready. Go in and soak.”
After thanking her repeatedly, Yu Fu and the other four solemnly and respectfully entered the bamboo house.
Watching the four enter the bamboo house, Hua Sanlang impatiently asked, “Jiu Niang, since there is a way to improve aptitude, why don’t you help our family members?”
Here we go again!
A flicker of annoyance crossed Hua Changxi’s eyes, and her expression turned cold. “If I told my family how to improve their aptitude, can you guarantee they wouldn’t spread it around?”
Hua Sanlang opened his mouth to say ‘yes,’ but the words caught in his throat as he suddenly remembered that when Jiu Niang had taught them Body Refining Cultivation Methods, their grandfather had handed them over to the clan not long after.
Hua Changxi continued with a cold laugh, “Improving aptitude is not easy and requires a large consumption of Resources. Will you supply these Resources, or will I?”
Hua Sanlang opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. Finally, he stubbornly said, “Yu Fu and the other four are outsiders. In your heart, are your family members less important than outsiders?”
Hua Changxi, too lazy to argue with Hua Sanlang any further, directly spoke her mind, “Yes, in my heart, the Hua family members are not as important as those four.”
Hua Sanlang looked at Hua Changxi in disbelief, “How can you be so…”
Hua Changxi: “What about me? I help Yu Fu and the others because I can receive equivalent returns. They can help me manage Dan Yuan Peak.”
Hua Sanlang retorted, “Family members can also help you.”
Hua Changxi let out a scoff, “Help me? Your so-called help is to use the guise of ‘for your own good’ to make all sorts of demands and requests from me, ultimately realizing your own ambitions and goals.”
“Before the Dan Yuan Secret Realm recruited apprentices, I said I wanted to give an opportunity to all cultivators who wished to learn Medical Skills and Alchemy. At that time, what did you and your family do?”
“You first dismissed my idea with disdain, then pointed fingers and told me to take care of the Hua Clan members.”
“Is this what you call helping me?”
“Is this helping me, or is it fulfilling your own ambitions and goals?”
Hua Changxi became increasingly angry as she spoke, “Dan Yuan Peak carries my ideals. With Yu Fu and the others, they can act entirely according to my thoughts and requirements. The Dan Yuan Peak of today is the shape I want to create.”
Hua Sanlang was still refuting, “We can too. It’s you who looked at us with cold eyes first. If you had spoken nicely, how could we have…”
“You can leave.”
Hua Changxi did not want to continue talking and directly told him to leave.
Hua Sanlang was stunned.
Hua Changxi looked at him, “When I first joined the Medical Affairs Department, I was very unconvinced by the people in power favoring their cronies.”
“But after I started managing Dan Yuan Peak, I realized I was no different from them. I couldn’t help but want to place my confidantes in core positions.”
“You are my elder brother. I thought, no matter what, we are our own people. But I realized I was wrong. Blood relation is not enough to determine if someone is one of our own.”
“Third Brother, from now on, I will not interfere with how long you can stay at Dan Yuan Peak or what position you can reach. Everything depends on you.”
After speaking, Hua Changxi entered the bamboo house, leaving Hua Sanlang standing foolishly outside.
