Chapter 109: Self-Important
“Senior Gu, we must have the local cultivators take charge of Dan Sheng Hall before the outer realm cultivators launch a full-scale invasion. Only then can Dan Sheng Hall avoid falling into the hands of outer realm cultivators.”
Gu Xing stared at the anxious Gu Jin Fan for a moment before looking away. “This old man doesn’t believe that outer realm cultivators can steal the luck of the Four Spirit Realm, nor does he believe that the cultivators of the Four Spirit Realm are so incompetent that they can’t even protect their own things.”
Hearing this, Gu Jin Fan became extremely anxious. The local cultivators of the Four Spirit Realm were suppressed by outer realm cultivators and couldn’t turn the tables – this was something she had personally experienced in her past life.
She couldn’t speak of her rebirth. Gu Jin Fan took a deep breath. “Senior, although the Four Spirit Realm has experienced a spiritual energy revival, the growth of local cultivators takes time. Outer realm cultivators have never lacked inheritance. Are you sure we can truly resist the invasion of outer realm cultivators?”
Gu Xing’s eyes flickered, and he remained silent.
Gu Jin Fan continued, “Senior, besides promoting medicine and spreading the Dao, have you forgotten Dan Sheng Hall’s other duty?”
Upon hearing this, Gu Xing’s gaze shot towards Gu Jin Fan sharply. “Who exactly are you, and how do you know so many things?”
Gu Jin Fan replied, “Senior need not be wary. I was just a bit luckier and encountered a few ruins, and read some books detailing the ancient events of the Four Spirit Realm.”
Gu Xing stared intently at Gu Jin Fan, remaining silent.
Gu Jin Fan continued, “The Four Spirit Realm is not only home to humans but also to the Demon Race. The spiritual energy revival is not just an opportunity for humans, but also for the Demon Race, isn’t it?”
“The cultivators of the Four Spirit Realm, in addition to resisting the invasion of outer realm cultivators, must also be wary of the revival of the Demon Race. In a situation of internal and external troubles, are you sure the local cultivators can handle it?”
Gu Xing’s chest rose and fell slightly as he stared at Gu Jin Fan. “What exactly are you trying to say?”
Gu Jin Fan said, “Senior, since we can foresee the dire situation the Four Spirit Realm will face in the future, why don’t we make arrangements in advance?”
Gu Xing narrowed his eyes. “Are the advance arrangements you speak of you becoming the Lord of Dan Sheng Hall?”
Gu Jin Fan shook her head. “The responsibility of the Lord of Dan Sheng Hall is too great; I cannot bear it.”
Gu Xing was somewhat surprised by this answer.
Gu Jin Fan looked at Gu Xing. “I cannot bear it, but someone else can.”
Hearing this, Gu Xing understood Gu Jin Fan’s meaning and chuckled. “You have someone in mind whom you wish to support as the Lord of Dan Sheng Hall?”
Gu Jin Fan nodded. “That person is…”
Gu Xing directly raised his hand to interrupt her. “Girl, you think too highly of this old man, and too highly of yourself. The next master of Dan Sheng Hall is not for me to choose, nor for you to choose.”
Gu Jin Fan became anxious. “Senior, haven’t you understood yet? Relying on local cultivators to grow naturally and take charge of Dan Sheng Hall is simply not enough time.”
Gu Xing shook his head, looking at her. “This old man doesn’t know what exactly you know, but I must remind you, do not be deluded by appearances.”
“Dan Sheng Hall bears the responsibility of stabilizing the Four Spirit Realm. It has its own conditions for choosing a master, which is by no means something you or I can control.”
Seeing Gu Xing’s stubbornness, Gu Jin Fan was filled with helplessness. She wanted to say more, but Gu Xing directly began to dismiss her.
“You may leave. This old man needs to rest.”
Seeing this, Gu Jin Fan became somewhat angry. She was wholeheartedly planning for Dan Sheng Hall, not wanting it to fall into the hands of outer realm cultivators, yet Gu Xing was so uncooperative.
“Eighteen wooden tokens have fallen into the hands of eighteen people. Senior, do you truly intend to select the Lord of Dan Sheng Hall one by one from these eighteen people?”
Gu Xing frowned and looked at her. “Who told you that those who receive a wooden token will become the Lord of Dan Sheng Hall?”
Gu Jin Fan was stunned. “They won’t?”
Gu Xing sighed. “As I said, Dan Sheng Hall will choose its own master. As for the wooden tokens…” He shook his head, looking at Gu Jin Fan. “You haven’t even figured out the true purpose of the wooden tokens. How can you be so confident that you can choose the next master for Dan Sheng Hall?”
Gu Jin Fan was truly taken aback. In her past life, she had personally heard the Jiang family say that the wooden token was the token of control for Dan Sheng Hall.
Gu Xing did not wish to say more to Gu Jin Fan and closed his eyes. “You may return.”
The understanding from her past life was actually wrong, which made Gu Jin Fan’s heart unsettled. She no longer had the desire to persuade him and turned to leave. However, after a few steps, she abruptly turned back to look at Gu Xing.
As the pill fire of First Street was ignited, and the Qihuang Halls from one to nine were successively opened, Gu Xing absorbed more and more vital energy. His body improved significantly, and his senses became even sharper.
Sensing Gu Jin Fan’s gaze fixed on him, Gu Xing had to open his eyes. “Do you have something else?”
Gu Jin Fan looked at him. “The twilight aura on Senior seems to have weakened considerably, and your complexion is much better than when I last visited.”
Gu Xing raised an eyebrow. This girl has some ability. She is the second person, after Wei Zhenjie, to notice the fading of the twilight aura on him.
Gu Jin Fan turned to look at the open courtyard gate. Gu Xing’s fortune and longevity were tied to Dan Sheng Hall. His body was improving, which indicated what?
It indicated that Dan Sheng Hall had quietly revived at a time she was unaware of.
Was this why he wasn’t anxious about the future of Dan Sheng Hall?
“Senior, you actually already have a candidate for the next master of Dan Sheng Hall, don’t you?”
Seeing that Gu Jin Fan was still fixated on this issue and hadn’t taken his words to heart at all, Gu Xing truly couldn’t be bothered to talk to her anymore and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
Seeing him like this, Gu Jin Fan fell silent for a moment, then left with large strides.
After Hua Changxi took the tenth wooden token from the Old Plaza Courtyard, she returned to the Labor Department and went to Number Six Qihuang Hall.
She had already occupied the nine Qihuang Halls. For the next period, she planned to attend classes in the morning, refine pills in the afternoon, and cultivate at night.
『First-Rank Alchemist （Supreme-grade Pill ）: Pill Refining 7521 Furnaces 7521/10000』
Hua Changxi glanced at her pill refining data and decided to focus her efforts on improving her alchemist rank.
After refining thousands of First-Rank pills, she had long since memorized the techniques and procedures for pill refining, forming muscle memory. In an afternoon, she had refined dozens of Supreme-grade pills.
After putting away the pills, Hua Changxi saw that it was getting dark and prepared to go for dinner. As she exited the courtyard, she saw Eunuch Jia and Eunuch Zhou waiting outside.
“Why are you here? Do you need something from me?”
Eunuch Jia quickly replied, “Master, the Department Head has issued an order to register everyone who has visited the Old Plaza Courtyard in the past few months.”
Eunuch Zhou cautiously looked at Hua Changxi and reminded her, “Master, on March 29th, I was ordered to have Old Master Gu leave the old courtyard. Many people saw you enter the old courtyard that day. We had no choice but to report you.”
Hua Changxi frowned. “Do you know why the Department Head wants to register this?”
Eunuch Jia and Eunuch Zhou both shook their heads.
Hua Changxi fell silent, guessing it might be related to the wooden tokens.
Eunuch Zhou looked at Hua Changxi. “Master, the Department Head may question everyone who went to the old courtyard one by one these days.”
“I know about this.”
Hua Changxi dismissed the two and, after some thought, turned and went to the Old Plaza Courtyard.
Every time she went to the Old Plaza Courtyard, she avoided people. Now, the only person who knew she had taken ten wooden tokens was Gu Xing. She was unsure if Gu Xing would tell anyone else.
Soon, she reached the plaza.
Hua Changxi stood in a corner, not approaching the old courtyard. The reason was that she sensed several groups of people hidden around the plaza, all watching the old courtyard.
The conflict on First Street was rumored to have ended. Now it was the Old Plaza Courtyard’s turn?
Hua Changxi frowned and returned to her courtyard, thinking that every time she saw Gu Xing, he would act as if he knew nothing. Her expression eased slightly.
Since he didn’t tell her anything, he probably wouldn’t tell others much either.
Hua Changxi thought the Department Head wouldn’t be so quick, and that it would take a few more days for any questioning. To her surprise, the very next morning, Eunuch Jia came to inform her to go to the Medical Affairs Department Building on First Street to see the Department Head.
Seeing the Department Head summon people so quickly, Hua Changxi sensed his importance placed on the old courtyard and went to First Street with full preparedness.
This time, she directly took the Pilgrimage Road in the center of Ninth Street.
Along the way, every time she passed an intersection where the streets met the Pilgrimage Road, she would slow down.
She had transformed the storage prayer beads of the white-robed monk into a bracelet that the Young Woman liked and wore it on her hand. The ten wooden tokens were all placed inside the prayer beads. Every time she passed an intersection, she could sense the ten wooden tokens flashing with white light.
Hua Changxi’s eyes flickered. The wooden tokens would react and flash white light when passing through the intersections of Ninth Street, which was easily discovered. One only needed to walk along the Pilgrimage Road.
However, the Qihuang Halls were located behind the Labor Department and Apprentice Hall. The people who entered and exited the courtyards the most were either laborers or apprentices. If she were not from the Labor Department, she might not have noticed these dilapidated courtyards.
As for the other eight people who obtained wooden tokens, as long as they were not from the Labor Department or Apprentice Hall, their gaze would likely only fall on Ninth Street.
This deduction eased Hua Changxi’s mood slightly. She didn’t want various factions to target the Qihuang Halls; power struggles were too draining, and she didn’t have the leisure for that.
The further she walked towards First Street, the more people there were on the road.
When she reached the intersection of Second Street, Hua Changxi stopped. Looking at the two pill fires on either side of the First Street intersection, she changed her path and took the alleyway of the apothecary shop on the right to First Street.
The reason was simple: she sensed that if she passed under the two pill fires, the pill fires would intensify.
Although most of her energy had been spent on unlocking the Qihuang Halls during this period, she still made time to refine a few batches of pills. She must have accumulated quite a bit of pill sheen on her body.
If the pill fire intensified, it would surely attract attention.
Hua Changxi emerged from the apothecary shop alley and arrived at First Street.
At this moment, First Street was bustling with people, especially in front of the Medical Affairs Department Building, where hundreds of people were already gathered.
So many people had visited the Old Plaza Courtyard!
Looking at the scene, Hua Changxi’s expression became somewhat serious. If she could notice the Old Plaza Courtyard, others naturally could too. There were too many intelligent people in this world.
A rough estimate showed that about twenty people from the Labor Department had visited the old courtyard, fifty from the Apprentice Hall, nearly a hundred from the Disciple Hall, and several hundred from Ninth Street.
Looking at the changes in the number of people from Ninth Street, the Disciple Hall, the Apprentice Hall, and the Labor Department who had visited the old courtyard, Hua Changxi felt a pang of emotion.
The Labor Department had the largest number of people and was adjacent to the plaza, yet the fewest people noticed the old courtyard. Although people from Ninth Street rarely went to the plaza behind, those who did were the most numerous.
What did this indicate?
It indicated that the higher one’s status, the more information they obtained.
With hundreds of people summoned simultaneously and gathered together, their status and hierarchy were immediately apparent.
The people from Ninth Street formed nine groups outside the Medical Affairs Department Building according to their streets, chatting and laughing. The groups would also move and converse with each other.
The people from the Disciple Hall gathered in an area close to Ninth Street. A few of them could even converse with people from Ninth Street, their expressions and demeanor relatively calm.
The people from the Apprentice Hall and the Labor Department stood in corner positions to the left and right outside the Medical Affairs Department Building, silent. They were mere background figures, and if more people arrived, they had to quickly step aside.
Hua Changxi walked towards the area where the laborers were gathered. At this moment, Gu Qiming, along with several people, walked out of the main hall on the third floor of the Medical Affairs Department Building and was about to go downstairs.
“Steward Hua, we are here.”
Hearing the loud commotion downstairs, several people looked down in unison.
The next moment, Gu Jin Fan, standing behind Gu Qiming, disregarded etiquette and directly pushed Gu Qiming aside, rushing to the railing. She looked at Hua Changxi, who was walking quickly towards the laborers, with a shocked expression.
“Gu Jin Fan, you are too arrogant, being so disrespectful to the Department Head.”
Mu Qingying greatly admired Gu Qiming and couldn’t stand Gu Jin Fan’s rudeness, so she couldn’t help but question her.
Unexpectedly, Gu Jin Fan completely ignored her and only stared intently at the person below.
Mu Qingying was about to say more but was stopped by Gu Qiming.
Gu Qiming followed Gu Jin Fan’s gaze downwards and also saw Hua Changxi. He raised an eyebrow. Judging by Gu Jin Fan’s reaction, it seemed she didn’t know that Hua Changxin had a sister?
“Has Hua Changxin returned to the capital?”
No, that’s not right. When she returned from Kunlun, the people from Taisu Palace were still trapped in the Secret Realm of Yaochi and couldn’t get out.
It wasn’t Hua Changxin. Then who was the person below?
The laborers from the Labor Department loudly called out to Hua Changxi, but it didn’t attract much attention. Those who heard it merely glanced indifferently before looking away, and everyone continued to chat and laugh as usual.
However, the next moment, someone flew down from the Medical Affairs Department Building. The people below quickly made way, and then another urgent cry was heard.
“Hua Changxin!”
Hua Changxi had just reached the group of laborers when she heard a shout from behind her, the voice filled with undisguised shock and inquiry. Thinking of something, her body couldn’t help but pause.
This pause drew everyone’s attention. They all looked at Gu Jin Fan and Hua Changxi in surprise.
Hua Changxi fell silent for a moment, then forced a smile and turned around. She looked at Gu Jin Fan, who was standing a few meters away, and smiled. “Seventh Daughter Gu, long time no see. I’m very happy to see you again.”
Gu Jin Fan stared blankly at Hua Changxi, her eyes widening. “You’re not Hua Changxin. You’re Hua… Jiu… Niang.”
Hua Changxi did not deny that she was Hua Jiuniang. Her smile remained unchanged as she asked, “Is Seventh Daughter Gu very familiar with my Tenth Daughter?”
Gu Jin Fan shook her head in disbelief. “How could this be?”
Hua Jiuniang clearly died on the Vermilion Bird Transmission Platform in her past life. In this life, she had also personally seen her jump off the transmission platform.
Gu Jin Fan recalled the scene at the time. She had fallen into the lava river due to the Vermilion Bird Transmission Stone and was filled with despair, not even bothering to check if Hua Jiuniang had truly fallen into the lava river.
Hua Jiuniang was sacrificed by a Demonic Daoist, so there was indeed no possibility of survival. It was only because she had been reborn and freed her from the binding that she gained the ability to save herself.
Gu Jin Fan smiled. So, it was because of her rebirth that Hua Jiuniang’s fate of an early death was changed.
Her return was meaningful. Since she could change people’s destinies, she could also change the fate of the Four Spirit Realm being invaded by outer realm cultivators.
“Hua Jiuniang, I am very happy to see you again, very, very happy.”
Hua Changxi looked at her changing expression and smiled with a frown. “Me too.”
