Chapter 155: Within Reach
After Hua Changxi had a look around Number Thirteen Qihuang Hall, she prepared to leave. Without a wooden token, she couldn’t decipher the teaching content of Number Thirteen Qihuang Hall.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she exited the courtyard gate, she ran into the Seventh Prince.
“Steward Hua.”
Hua Changxi looked at the Seventh Prince and smiled, “I am no longer a steward. Your Highness, please don’t call me Steward Hua anymore.”
The Seventh Prince immediately asked with a smile, his expression gentle and refined, “Then what should I call you now?”
Hua Changxi: “My name is Hua Changxi.”
Seeing her serious expression, the Seventh Prince didn’t deliberately try to get closer by just calling her Changxi. Instead, he cooperatively said her full name, “Hua Changxi.”
“Uncle Wang asked me to manage Number Fourteen Qihuang Hall. Now we are neighbors. Hua Changxi, I will have to ask for your guidance in the future.”
After speaking, the Seventh Prince smiled, cupped his fists, and bowed to Hua Changxi. His attitude was extremely humble and polite, showing no trace of royal arrogance.
Seeing him like this, Hua Changxi became more vigilant. No one is kind to another without reason. She smiled and said, “If anyone needs guidance, it should be me asking for Your Highness’s guidance.”
The Seventh Prince heard this and didn’t feign modesty. Instead, he smiled and said, “Then we will guide each other in the future.”
Hua Changxi smiled and said nothing.
Seeing this, the Seventh Prince didn’t say much more. He quickly changed the subject, “By the way, there’s something I need to tell you. Each Qihuang Hall will be assigned eight medicine children. In the next few days, the medicine children will gradually enter the various Qihuang Halls.”
Hua Changxi frowned upon hearing this, “I don’t need medicine children.”
The Seventh Prince smiled, “This is Uncle Wang’s request. Every Qihuang Hall must have them.” He paused, “Although, in principle, the medicine children are uniformly assigned by the Medical Affairs Department, Uncle Wang has entrusted this matter to me. How about this, you can decide the list of medicine children yourself, as long as they are from the Medical Affairs Department.”
A look of disgust flashed in Hua Changxi’s eyes. First, the monthly submission of thirty bottles of First Rank Elixir, and now the assignment of medicine children. Submitting elixirs meant they were being treated as alchemists. Assigning medicine children meant sending people to monitor them, thus placing their every move under the Royal Family’s watchful eye.
Their taking over the Qihuang Halls was a pretense; the Royal Family’s true objective was for them to decipher the secrets of the Qihuang Halls, wasn’t it?
Hua Changxi didn’t want to chat any longer, so she said, “Your Highness, I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave.”
The Seventh Prince nodded with a smile and watched Hua Changxi leave.
After she had gone quite a distance, Little Li Zi, who was behind the Seventh Prince, spoke, “Your Highness, Hua Changxi is indeed as the investigation suggested, somewhat aloof, proud, and unapproachable.”
The Seventh Prince was unconcerned and smiled, “Sincerity can move mountains. I genuinely want to be friends with her. In time, I believe she will feel my sincerity.”
After Hua Changxi came out of the Apprentice Hall, she returned to the Labor Department. She had intended to go back to her courtyard to refine elixirs, but upon entering the Labor Department, she noticed quite a few cultivators.
Recalling the ordinary laborers who had been dismissed earlier, Hua Changxi’s heart trembled. The fact that cultivators were being transferred to do labor work indicated that the Royal Family controlled far more cultivators than she could have imagined.
Soon, Hua Changxi saw rows of people in the central courtyard of the Labor Department. As she got closer, she realized that the new steward of the Labor Department was testing the spiritual roots of the laborers.
Laborers with spiritual roots would stay, and those without would be dismissed.
There were several thousand people in the Labor Department, all of whom were strong and healthy. The number of people detected with spiritual roots was not small. Hua Changxi stood by and watched for a while. In less than an hour, twenty to thirty people were found to have spiritual roots.
“No wonder the Royal Family has so many cultivators. With such large-scale spiritual root testing conducted multiple times, the accumulated number must be considerable.”
Hua Changxi didn’t stay long. Thinking about the many personnel changes in the Labor Department recently, she went around to various parts of the department. She discovered that in addition to the increased number of cultivator laborers in various areas, the storeroom was also piled high with spiritual medicine, spiritual plants, and spiritual fruits.
“Has the Royal Family truly taken the Dan Sheng Hall as their own?”
With so many more cultivators in the Labor Department, Hua Changxi dared not return to her residence to refine elixirs. She left the Medical Affairs Department directly and returned to Shennong Apothecary Shop in Feng’an Ward.
In the following days, as Mu Qingying and others successively moved into the Qihuang Halls, Hua Changxi focused on refining elixirs and cultivating in the apothecary shop.
『Realm: Nascent Soul Realm 999,900,000/1,000,000,000; Spiritual Sense: 110,000+』
While cultivating, Hua Changxi discovered that she had hit a bottleneck. Her cultivation could not break through ten billion points no matter what. She tried many methods but could not resolve it. Helpless, she could only spend her time on alchemy and body refining.
On October 22nd, after Hua Changxi had lunch, she was hesitating whether to return to the Hua Family early when Hua Da Lang arrived.
“Eldest Brother.”
Hua Da Lang looked at Hua Changxi, “Tomorrow is my engagement banquet as the eldest brother. Are you really going to show up tomorrow as if you were just a guest?”
“Third Aunt and Second Mother, Fifth Mother, and the others have all returned. Among the brothers and sisters in the family, only Shi Niang is missing.”
“Let’s go, come home with me.”
Seeing that Hua Da Lang had personally come to fetch her, Hua Changxi did not refuse and followed him back to the Hua Family.
“Jiu Niang is back!”
Hua Changxi followed Hua Da Lang back to the Hua Family Courtyard. As soon as they entered, the Hua Family members, who had been chatting and laughing, suddenly fell silent.
Seeing everyone looking at her as if she were a rare visitor, Hua Changxi felt a bit uncomfortable.
At this moment, Madam Yao, who was busy in the kitchen, came out and looked at Hua Changxi, “It’s good that you’re back.”
After Hua Changxi greeted everyone, Hua Da Lang said, “Jiu Niang, come with me to pay respects to Grandfather and Grandmother.”
Hua Changxi paused for a moment, then followed Hua Da Lang into the main hall.
In the main hall, Old Master Hua and Old Madam Hua sat in the main seats. On the chairs to their left and right sat Hua Minghe and his two brothers, along with their respective husbands, Uncle Shen, Brother-in-law Cao Er, and Third Master He.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, I’m back.”
Hua Changxi stepped forward to pay her respects.
Old Madam Hua immediately smiled, “It’s good that you’re back. Except for Shi Niang who cannot come home, all the brothers and sisters of your generation are here. With Da Lang’s engagement, everyone can gather and get to know each other better.”
After speaking, she quickly gave Old Master Hua a look.
Old Master Hua responded with a neither light nor heavy “Mm.” “It’s good that you’re back. Your mother is busy, go and help her.”
Hua Changxi: “Okay.”
After greeting the others in the room, Hua Changxi left the main hall.
Seeing that the two were getting along, everyone in the main hall secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Jiu Niang.”
As Hua Changxi came out of the main hall, Hua Liulang sidled up to her, looking like he had done something wrong, “Jiu Niang, the Sheng Family’s status is much higher than ours. I was worried that the Sheng Family’s relatives would look down on our family tomorrow, so I took it upon myself to bring back a batch of spirit rice and spiritual fruits grown around the spirit mine. Please don’t be angry with me.”
Seeing him like this, Hua Changxi frowned, “Sixth Brother, it’s just some spirit rice and spiritual fruits. Do I seem that petty to you?”
Hua Liulang shook his head, “I didn’t think that. I just acted without permission.”
Hua Changxi knew this was a repercussion from her previous argument with the Old Master. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Sixth Brother, regarding the spirit mine in Three Forked Medicine Valley, you can discuss the disposal of everything except the spirit stones with Elder You and the others. Just make sure you don’t get tricked by Elder You and the others.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Liulang immediately grinned, “Okay, I know what to do now.” Then, his expression turned serious, “How could I be tricked? I’m not stupid.”
Hua Changxi chuckled, “Elder You and the others are old foxes, and you’re just a greenhorn. Learn well.”
Hua Liulang promised to study hard and then went to the backyard to help tidy up the rooms.
Hua Changxi was puzzled, “Tidy up what rooms?”
Hua Liulang gestured towards the main hall with his mouth, “Third Uncle-in-law, Second Brother-in-law, and Third Master He are all staying at our house tonight.”
Hearing this, Hua Changxi quickly glanced at Hua Wuniang in the courtyard, who was playing with her child. Seeing that her complexion was rosy and her eyes were bright, she could tell that her life was indeed comfortable.
“A Marquis’s Mansion Young Master is actually willing to stay at our house.”
Hua Liulang also found Third Master He staying over a bit strange. If he were truly Fifth Sister’s husband, it would be normal for him to stay, but Fifth Sister was merely his concubine.
“Jiu Niang, Third Master He is the son-in-law of the Fourth Branch. Our First Branch should not meddle in other people’s affairs.”
Hua Changxi looked over, “Do I look like someone who meddles in other people’s affairs?” She paused, “As long as he doesn’t provoke me, he can do whatever he wants.”
