Chapter 84: Fire Lotus Fairy
Learning about the Black Flame from Steward Leng, Hua Changxi felt much more at ease, no longer feeling like a sword was hanging over her head.
Since the Black Flame was related to the seven emotions and six desires, she just needed to control her own desires.
She considered herself not a person of high desires, so she should be able to control the Black Flame.
Of course, she still needed to find the White Jade Lotus Petals.
After becoming a Third Steward, Hua Changxi had more free time than when she was a laborer. Besides cultivation and reading books from Old Daoist Jiang’s storage ring, she often went to the plaza.
The old courtyard facing the stone cauldron remained closed as always, giving her a sense of being sealed away, which reminded her again of the magnificent palace she had glimpsed.
Was that magnificent palace real?
Or was that the original appearance of the old courtyard?
Why was it projected for her to see?
If that palace truly existed, what immense power would be needed to seal it away.
On the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, Little New Year’s Day, Gu Jin Fan went to the old courtyard again. He came out after less than fifteen minutes.
Hua Changxi looked at Gu Jin Fan, whose expression was somewhat disappointed and frustrated, and her eyes flickered.
Was Gu Jin Fan trying to obtain something from the small courtyard?
Hua Changxi recalled what Granny Sun had told her: the hunched old man living in the courtyard was the original owner of the Medical Affairs Department, and the Medical Affairs Department was originally called the Dan Sheng Hall.
The Dan Sheng Hall and the stone cauldron both pointed to alchemy.
Could it be that Gu Jin Fan wanted to obtain the inheritance of alchemy from the Dan Sheng Hall from the hunched old man?
Hua Changxi felt this possibility was very high. Although she really wanted to know what secrets the small courtyard held, she did not rashly knock on its door. Gu Jin Fan was focused on it, and she did not want to get involved for now.
After observing the small courtyard for a while, Hua Changxi returned to the Sixth Bureau. As soon as she arrived, she saw Steward Leng, who rarely appeared in public, was actually there.
Steward Leng felt increasingly that the voice of the cultivator from that night sounded familiar. She must have heard it before and couldn’t help but want to investigate, which was why she came to the Sixth Bureau today.
“Where did you go?”
Steward Leng looked at Hua Changxi with a scrutinizing gaze. She had a deep impression of this girl, both her boldness and her alchemy skills comparable to a pharmacist made her want to probe further.
Someone like this, willing to stay in the Labor Department as a laborer, she was certain that this person, like herself, had ulterior motives.
Hua Changxi replied naturally, “I went to deliver medicinal herbs. Steward Leng, is there something you need?”
Steward Leng smiled, “Nothing much, I just wanted to ask if you’re getting used to being a steward.”
Hua Changxi nodded, “I am.”
Steward Leng looked at her, “That’s good. If you encounter any problems you can’t solve, feel free to come to me. Eunuch Lu just told me to take good care of you.”
Hua Changxi thought of Eunuch Lu being beaten and asked with concern, “Is Eunuch Lu alright?”
Steward Leng sighed, “His external injuries are not serious, but he’s feeling down. I see that Eunuch Jia values you highly. In the future, you should speak well of Eunuch Lu in front of Eunuch Jia.”
Hua Changxi looked surprised, “Steward Leng, did you make a mistake? I’ve only met Eunuch Jia twice. He appointed me as Third Steward, I thought it was Eunuch Lu who recommended me.”
Steward Leng’s eyes flickered, “Is that so? Then perhaps I was mistaken. I’m done here, you can go about your business.”
“Steward Leng, I’ll take my leave then.”
Watching Hua Changxi walk away, Steward Leng glanced at the Spirit Sensing Talisman in her sachet. It showed no reaction.
It wasn’t her!
She had basically interacted with all the female laborers in the Sixth Bureau, and the Spirit Sensing Talisman had no reaction.
“Could that cultivator not be from the Labor Department?”
Her usual social circle was not limited to the Labor Department; she occasionally visited the Apprentice Hall as well.
“Could it be someone from the Apprentice Hall?”
Many people in the Apprentice Hall had powerful backing from nobles, making it more likely for them to have access to cultivation paths.
However, wouldn’t it be a waste of talent to assign a cultivator above the Qi Sea Realm to the Apprentice Hall?
After Hua Changxi returned to her residence, her expression turned serious. Steward Leng was secretly searching for the cultivator from that night.
She wasn’t surprised by this. Judging by Steward Leng’s reaction just now, she hadn’t detected that she was a cultivator.
Hua Changxi recalled what the Green Ox Demon had said, that she had no spiritual energy fluctuations and was no different from a mortal. This was further confirmed by Steward Leng.
Although she didn’t know the specific reason, this was a good thing for her.
Knowing that Steward Leng was secretly watching the Labor Department, Hua Changxi had to be even more careful. She took out a round disk about two palms wide.
This was an Isolation Array disk, found in Old Daoist Jiang’s storage ring.
From now on, when she cultivated, she could isolate her spiritual energy fluctuations by setting up the array disk.
After finishing her duties and inspecting her subordinates, seeing that they were all working diligently and seriously, Hua Changxi returned to her room and began cultivating on her bed.
“Huh?”
An hour later, Hua Changxi suddenly opened her eyes, her face filled with surprise.
Her cultivation speed had increased!
Previously, she could gain 10,000 cultivation points in an hour, but now she could gain 11,000 points.
“What’s going on?”
In an environment with abundant spiritual energy, Hua Changxi knew that the ways to increase cultivation speed were: first, an increase in realm; with each realm advancement, cultivation speed would increase; second, her consciousness was constantly focused on her inner core.
But neither of these factors had changed. So why had her cultivation speed increased?
Hua Changxi remembered that when she was in the Qi Refining Realm, she had gone to help the First Department, and her cultivation speed had also increased once then.
She didn’t believe that cultivation speed would increase for no reason, yet both times she hadn’t done anything. What was going on?
Just as Hua Changxi was racking her brain for an answer, at Five Finger Mountain, outside the First Peak, two open stone houses had been repaired.
One stone house contained a stone vat, and inside the vat stood a fire lotus carved from red stone; the other stone house contained a stone pillar over a meter tall, shaped like five fingers.
At this moment, long queues had formed outside both stone houses, with everyone holding incense.
As soon as people entered the stone houses, they would light the incense in their hands and place it in the rectangular incense burners in front of the fire lotus or the stone.
“Five Finger Mountain is the dojo of the Fire Lotus Fairy. The Fairy is benevolent and allows people to enter Five Finger Mountain to seek opportunities.”
“All who wish to enter Five Finger Mountain must first enter the Fire Lotus Hall, offer incense and make a petition to the Fire Lotus Fairy, and obtain a pine needle before entering Five Finger Mountain. Those without a pine needle will be incinerated upon entry.”
“The First and Second Peaks of Five Finger Mountain are accessible. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Peaks are inaccessible.”
“There are many demonic beasts and demonic plants in the mountain. Please explore according to your own abilities, and do not be greedy and lose your lives.”
“Each person can stay in Five Finger Mountain for a maximum of one month. Exceeding one month will result in incineration by the fire lotus. For every five days over, the power of the fire lotus will double.”
“Before entering the mountain, if you are worried about getting lost, you can enter the Mountain Spirit Temple to offer incense and make a petition, and the Mountain Spirit will protect you.”
Outside the queue, An Ze, An Ran, and several young men from Thumb Village patiently explained the rules of Five Finger Mountain to everyone.
Because of the great commotion at Five Finger Mountain some time ago, many people came to investigate. After the Fire Lotus Hall and the Mountain Spirit Temple opened for business today, they immediately attracted countless onlookers.
Initially, it was just villagers from the vicinity of Five Finger Mountain. They did not enter the mountain, but they would go into the stone houses to pay respects to receive the blessings of the Fire Lotus Fairy and the Mountain Spirit.
Not long after, some bold cultivators entered the Fire Lotus Hall. After kowtowing, they were thrilled to actually receive a pine needle. Clutching the pine needle, they cautiously entered Five Finger Mountain.
After entering the mountain and finding that no fire lotus appeared, they finally believed that as long as they petitioned the Fire Lotus Fairy and obtained a pine needle, they could truly enter Five Finger Mountain.
With the initial testers paving the way, and seeing that they were unharmed, the subsequent people also eagerly joined the petition. In a short while, a long queue formed outside the stone houses.
On a giant tree behind the stone houses, the Mountain Spirit and Xiao Song sat side by side on a branch, smiling as they watched the queue below.
Especially the Mountain Spirit, after absorbing the incense and offerings from the believers, felt so comfortable as if it were about to float away.
“I wonder if the Fairy received the incense?”
“She definitely received it. I benefited from it, so the Master must have too.”
The Mountain Spirit looked at An Ze, An Ran, and their group busily working below, “When the Fairy returns, we must ask her to take them in.”
The Fire Lotus Hall and the Mountain Spirit Temple were built by An Ze, An Ran, and the people of Thumb Village. Their speed and craftsmanship greatly satisfied the Mountain Spirit.
Xiao Song: “It’s a pity they can’t eat the spiritual fruits in the mountain, otherwise we could give them some.”
Mountain Spirit: “They are humans, and their cultivation methods are different from ours. Otherwise, we could teach them cultivation methods, and as soon as they start cultivating, they could absorb the spiritual energy from the spiritual fruits.”
Xiao Song: “Yes.”
Mountain Spirit: “We can only wait for the Fairy to return and have her teach them cultivation.”
Xiao Song: “Will Master take them in?”
Mountain Spirit: “Why wouldn’t she? They are so good at working.”
As the sky gradually darkened, the number of people outside the stone houses gradually decreased. When it was completely dark and no one was offering incense and petitioning, An Ze and An Ran began to clean the houses.
This mainly involved wiping the fire lotus and the five-finger stone, and cleaning the ash from the incense burners.
After cleaning, the siblings returned to Thumb Village.
On the way, An Ran said to An Ze, “Brother, do you think we’ll get to see the Fire Lotus Fairy in the future?”
An Ze: “There will be an opportunity.”
An Ran: “Before, when those detestable cultivators were fighting over Five Finger Mountain, they disregarded the lives of the surrounding villagers. If not for the Fire Lotus Fairy’s timely intervention, Thumb Village would probably be gone.”
An Ze: “Speaking of which, the Fire Lotus Fairy has saved us twice.”
An Ran thought of how they were fed spiritual fruits by the Mountain Spirit and Xiao Song, almost exploding, and felt a mix of amusement and regret. “It’s such a pity we were unconscious and didn’t get to see the Fire Lotus Fairy’s true appearance.”
An Ze, however, saw a silhouette in a daze. “If we properly guard the Fire Lotus Hall and the Mountain Spirit Temple, the Fire Lotus Fairy will eventually come out to see us. Then we can thank her for saving our lives.”
An Ran: “Mm.”
The news that Five Finger Mountain was accessible spread quickly, immediately attracting more people to investigate. From then on, the incense offerings at the Fire Lotus Hall and the Mountain Spirit Temple never ceased.
At the same time, the title of Fire Lotus Fairy gradually spread. Whether it was cultivators or mortals, when they mentioned Qingzhou, they would immediately think of the Fire Lotus Fairy of Five Finger Mountain.
The opening of Five Finger Mountain could be said to have unveiled a fantastical scene in this world. For cultivators lacking cultivation resources and those who wished to embark on the path of cultivation, it was undoubtedly a good thing.
It also allowed ordinary people, who had been isolated from the news of the spiritual energy revival, to know that extraordinary beings truly existed in this world.
However, for some people, this was like a bolt from the blue.
Jiang Guanyun of the Jiang Family in Jizhou was so enraged upon learning this news that his injuries worsened.
How could this be?!
Wasn’t that wild girl from an unorthodox background? How did she think of opening Five Finger Mountain to win people’s hearts?
When a cultivator obtained a dojo, they would usually keep it hidden and provide resources to their own people. How could she, like that wild girl, open it to everyone directly?
Damn it, the competition for luck had started so quickly!
“Why is my cultivation speed still increasing?”
Hua Changxi was truly confused. For the past few days, her cultivation speed had been soaring. Now she could gain 15,000 cultivation points in an hour.
“Could the Medical Affairs Department be a blessed land suitable for cultivation?”
Just as Hua Changxi was pondering, Zhou Qiuyu came to the dormitory and said that Steward Leng was looking for her.
Hua Changxi went to the front courtyard and met Steward Leng.
Steward Leng asked curiously, “Why do you always stay in your room? Are you practicing martial arts?”
Hua Changxi glanced at her and smiled, “I’m reading medical books.”
Steward Leng didn’t believe her but didn’t press further. “There’s a batch of medicinal herbs here that need you and your subordinates to wash. After washing them, send them directly to Eighth Street.”
Hua Changxi was confused, “Don’t laborers only wash medicinal herbs? Delivering medicinal herbs isn’t our job, is it?”
Steward Leng smiled, “This matter was instructed by Eunuch Jia. I don’t know the specific reason.” Saying this, she had the people behind her unload several carts of medicinal herbs.
Hua Changxi looked at the medicinal herbs, her eyes flickering. They were all potent herbs, and ordinary people could get ‘poisoned’ if they handled them improperly.
What did Eunuch Jia mean by this?
These medicinal herbs were all required by high-grade Martial Artists. Was Eunuch Jia having her handle these herbs to test her ability or to make things difficult for her?
Seeing Zhou Qiuyu about to start moving the medicinal herbs, Hua Changxi quickly stopped her, “These medicinal herbs are potent and cannot be touched directly. I’ll teach you how to wash them later.”
Steward Leng heard this and smiled, “As expected of someone Eunuch Jia values. Your understanding of medicinal herbs is truly profound.”
Hua Changxi smiled faintly, “I’ve read many medical books, so I know more.”
Steward Leng: “But as far as I know, many of these medicinal herbs are newly discovered, and even the pharmacists in the Medical Affairs Department don’t know their properties.”
Hua Changxi looked surprised, “How can herbs I know be new herbs? If the pharmacists don’t know, perhaps their knowledge of medicinal herbs is insufficient?”
Hearing this, Steward Leng laughed heartily and looked at Hua Changxi, “Your personality, honestly, I really like it. I hope you can always remain this way.”
Hua Changxi smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
After Steward Leng turned and left, Hua Changxi began to teach Zhou Qiuyu and the others how to wash them.
At the entrance of the Sixth Bureau, Steward Leng suddenly stopped and turned to look at Hua Changxi, who was teaching her subordinates how to wash medicinal herbs. She now seemed to understand why Eunuch Jia had promoted this girl to steward.
Eunuch Sun of the First Department had died in a struggle, and Eunuch Jia also had many troubles.
The physicians and pharmacists on Ninth Street were all backed by other forces to varying degrees. Those in power wanted to use the pharmacists to deal with Eunuch Jia, and Hua Changxi was a shield that Eunuch Jia used to deal with the difficulties posed by the pharmacists.
However, she still couldn’t quite figure it out. This girl did have some real skills, but in the Medical Affairs Department, having skills alone was not enough. Why was Eunuch Jia so sure that she could safely extricate herself?
Was it just because she was bold?
