Chapter 101: The Sound of a Wooden Fish
Leaving the Old Plaza Courtyard, Hua Changxi returned to her own courtyard and placed the five wooden tokens in her hand on the desk one by one, gazing at them and falling into thought.
Taking the wooden tokens would certainly require a corresponding price.
“Is the price to ignite the Ninth Street’s pill fire?”
If it were only this, then Hua Changxi could still accept it, as she possessed the alchemy inheritance of the Shen Nong Cauldron and was confident she could achieve it.
However, she worried that the price was more than just this.
Hua Changxi picked up the wooden tokens for Number One Qihuang Hall and Number Nine Qihuang Hall. The sword patterns on these two tokens were the most profound, having transformed from flat patterns into ‘three-dimensional’ patterns.
The ‘three-dimensional’ sword patterns looked like miniature real swords, and the wooden tokens were merely containers for these ‘swords’.
Staring at the ‘swords’ for a long time, Hua Changxi had a strong feeling that the ‘swords’ within seemed ready to fly out at any moment.
If the Dan Sheng Hall was truly just a sacred land for alchemy, then the sword patterns carved on these wooden token keys that opened the Qihuang Halls seemed rather out of place.
Hua Changxi felt that these sword patterns must have another purpose, and it was very likely one of the prices she would have to pay.
Although she knew there would definitely be a price to pay, and it wouldn’t be small, Hua Changxi still had no intention of giving up on taking control of the Qihuang Halls first.
Firstly, imparting and sharing pharmaceutical knowledge in the Qihuang Halls gave her a sense of déjà vu, like being back in her previous life attending classes. She quite missed the feeling of being immersed in an ocean of knowledge, and doing so also made her feel it was very meaningful.
Secondly, unlocking the Qihuang Halls gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
Thirdly, each Qihuang Hall unlocked caused her cultivation speed to surge, and the sword patterns on the wooden tokens would become more profound, with her cultivation speed increasing accordingly.
The profound sword patterns on the ninth wooden token were due to the First Street’s pill fire being ignited, and the profound sword patterns on the first wooden token were because the most laborers attended her lectures on medicine at Number One Qihuang Hall.
After over a month of exploration, she had already deduced the pattern: the deeper the medical knowledge imparted in the Qihuang Halls and the more people attended the lectures, the more ‘three-dimensional’ the sword patterns on the wooden tokens would become.
Hua Changxi looked at the fifth wooden token she had just obtained and walked towards Number Four Qihuang Hall. On the way, she was constantly thinking about how to deal with Eunuch Jia and the other three.
As she neared Number Four Qihuang Hall, she saw Little Shouzi, Eunuch Jia’s attendant, leading a group of people out of Number Three Qihuang Hall.
“Steward Hua, Eunuch Jia knows you’ve cultivated a medicinal garden in Number Three Qihuang Hall, so he sent me and my people to help you tidy it up. It’s done now, see if it’s to your liking. If not, I’ll come back tomorrow to redo it.”
“Thank you, I appreciate your trouble.”
After seeing Little Shouzi and his group leave, Hua Changxi’s expression became somewhat serious. She walked to the courtyard gate of Number Three Qihuang Hall and looked at the sword patterns on the stone pillars.
The sword patterns marked on the stone pillars only prevented others with wooden tokens from marking them, but they did not stop others from entering or exiting the Qihuang Hall.
In this way, it couldn’t be considered that she had controlled the Qihuang Hall.
“Is this wooden token really a key? If it’s a key, shouldn’t it be able to restrict others’ entry and exit?”
Hua Changxi walked outside Number One Qihuang Hall, frowning as she looked at the sword patterns on the stone pillar. Soon, she noticed something she hadn’t paid attention to before: the sword patterns on the stone pillar were indented inwards.
Looking at the ‘three-dimensional’ sword patterns on the wooden token and then at the indented sword patterns on the stone pillar, Hua Changxi realized that the two seemed to fit together. She walked to the stone pillar, intending to align the wooden token with the indented sword pattern.
However, Hua Changxi quickly withdrew her hand.
She still remembered the commotion caused by the ignition of the First Street’s pill fire. Who knew what kind of reaction the Qihuang Hall would have when the sword patterns aligned?
It was better to be careful and come back to investigate tonight.
Hua Changxi went to Number Four Qihuang Hall to test the teaching content. As soon as it got dark, she returned to her courtyard to refine pills. In the middle of the night, after confirming that the people monitoring her from the shadows had withdrawn, she went to Number One Qihuang Hall.
Upon arrival, Hua Changxi walked to the stone pillar and took out the first wooden token. When the sword pattern on the wooden token aligned with the indentation on the stone pillar, the wooden token and the stone pillar snapped together like two ends of a magnet.
Then, a spiritual light emerged from within Number One Qihuang Hall.
Hua Changxi stood at the courtyard entrance and clearly saw the originally dilapidated courtyard instantly transform into a spacious and sacred hall, with a rich medicinal fragrance filling the air.
On the stone walls surrounding the hall, lifelike patterns appeared, depicting mortal plants, spiritual plants, divine plants, and Dao plants.
In the center of the hall, facing north, a colorful cushion materialized. Behind the cushion, a golden clock hung. Then, with the colorful cushion as the center, circles of cushions began to appear on the left, right, and directly opposite, radiating outwards as if without end.
Seeing this scene, Hua Changxi shivered, instantly regaining her senses, and quickly removed the wooden token.
The moment the wooden token was removed, the spiritual light vanished, and the Qihuang Hall reverted to its original dilapidated courtyard.
“This is how the Qihuang Hall is opened?”
Hua Changxi looked around. Although the commotion last night wasn’t huge, spiritual light was most conspicuous at night. She wondered if anyone had seen it. Fearing someone might come, she mounted her Somersault Cloud and swiftly departed.
In the Old Plaza Courtyard, Gu Xing, who was lying on a lounge chair with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, his gaze fixed in the direction of the Labor Department. “Someone has opened Number One Qihuang Hall!”
Hua Changxi knew that the commotion at Number One Qihuang Hall might be seen by others, but she didn’t expect someone to come knocking on her door so early the next morning.
Seeing Eunuch Jia and the other three standing at her courtyard gate, Hua Changxi was silent for a moment before letting them into the courtyard.
Eunuch Jia looked at Hua Changxi with burning eyes. “Changxi, there was a flash of light at Number One Qihuang Hall last night. Did you know about it?”
Hua Changxi shook her head. “I didn’t.”
Eunuch Zhao had not interacted with Hua Changxi before and did not want to beat around the bush with her. “Hua Changxi, give us a clear answer. Do you want to cooperate with us or not?”
Hua Changxi looked at him. “How do you wish to cooperate?”
Hearing her say this, Eunuch Jia and the other three exchanged glances. “If, one day, someone tries to make us leave the Labor Department, we hope you will protect us.”
“Also, we hope to participate in what you do in the Qihuang Halls.”
Hua Changxi looked at them. “I only lecture in the Qihuang Halls. If you want to attend, you can come anytime. As for protecting you, you are not my people, so why should I protect you?”
Eunuch Yu asked, “What must we do to become your people?”
Hua Changxi sized up the four, appearing reluctant to take them in. “You all already have masters. It wouldn’t be appropriate to recognize me as your master again, would it?”
Seeing that Hua Changxi actually wanted them to recognize her as their master, Eunuch Jia and the other two looked hesitant.
Hua Changxi saw that it was already bright daylight and said, “I need to go to the Qihuang Hall to lecture. You should go back and think it over carefully.”
Recalling the spiritual light that flashed from the Qihuang Hall last night, Eunuch Yu, while Eunuch Jia and the other two were still hesitating, spoke first. “No need to think. I recognize you as my master.”
Hua Changxi was a generous person. Whether it was directly letting Yu Hui manage ten apothecary shops or the distribution of profits from their previous alchemy cooperation, it was evident that she was a person who valued the exchange of benefits. As long as she was brought sufficient value, her rewards were not harsh.
He was a eunuch. If he wasn’t a servant to one person, he would be a servant to another. Finding a master like Hua Changxi was far better than those nobles in the palace who devoured people without spitting out bones.
Seeing that Eunuch Yu had agreed, Eunuch Jia and the other two hesitated for a moment before also expressing their stance.
Hua Changxi looked at the four. With a flip of her right hand, the Heart Demon Curse beast scroll appeared in her palm. “To recognize me as your master, you must swear a Heart Demon Oath. If you betray me, you will die without a burial place.”
Eunuch Yu had already sworn a Heart Demon Oath once. He proactively took the beast scroll and guided the other three in dripping blood to swear the oath.
After the four had sworn the Heart Demon Oath, Hua Changxi asked, “How many people saw the anomaly at Number One Qihuang Hall last night?”
Eunuch Jia’s role transformation was quite smooth. “Master, rest assured, we have already suppressed this matter. It will not spread for the time being.”
Even if it wasn’t for Hua Changxi, they would have to suppress the matter. Otherwise, if it attracted the attention of other nobles, none of them would be able to continue staying in the Labor Department.
Hua Changxi looked at him. “Notify everyone in the Labor Department to come and listen to my lecture.”
Watching Hua Changxi stride away, Eunuch Jia and the other three exchanged silent glances.
“Are we doing the right thing?”
“In the conflicts on First Street, few who get involved can escape unscathed. We are adding a protective charm for ourselves, so how can that be wrong?”
“The problem is, can Master Hua Changxi protect us?”
“The commotion at Number One Qihuang Hall last night was definitely caused by Master Hua. Following her is definitely the right choice. At least we can save our lives, right?”
After taking in Eunuch Jia and the other three, with their mobilization, more and more laborers went to the Qihuang Hall to listen to Hua Changxi’s lectures.
The sword patterns on the second and third wooden tokens became ‘three-dimensional’ at a visible speed.
On May 1st, Hua Changxi experimented and found that Number Four Qihuang Hall taught the meridians and composition of humans, animals, and plants, involving content such as anatomy, acupuncture, anesthesia, and massage.
On May 5th, after the sword patterns were marked on the stone pillar outside Number Four Qihuang Hall, Hua Changxi visited the Old Plaza Courtyard again and retrieved the sixth wooden token.
On May 6th, Hua Changxi experimented and found that Number Five Qihuang Hall taught content related to the decomposition, extraction, and fusion of plants, animals, and minerals.
On May 10th, after the sword patterns were marked on the stone pillar of Number Five Qihuang Hall, Hua Changxi went to the Old Plaza Courtyard to get the seventh wooden token.
On May 11th, Hua Changxi experimented and found that Number Six Qihuang Hall was a place for teaching alchemy.
On May 15th, after the sword patterns were marked on the stone pillar of Number Six Qihuang Hall, Hua Changxi retrieved the eighth wooden token from the Old Plaza Courtyard.
The teaching content of Number Seven Qihuang Hall stumped Hua Changxi.
The teaching content of the previous Qihuang Halls was completely deduced based on her alchemy inheritance. However, after alchemy, she had no direction.
Before Number Six Qihuang Hall, it could be considered a systematic explanation phase of alchemy knowledge. Number Nine Qihuang Hall taught the Four Diagnostic Methods. She truly couldn’t deduce what content would be taught in the intervening Number Seven and Number Eight Qihuang Halls.
Having been busy for over a month to unlock the Qihuang Halls, being stuck now allowed her to have some time to think about other matters.
She first returned to Feng’an Ward to check on Pu Cao and A Niu.
“What’s wrong with you two?”
Seeing that both Pu Cao and A Niu were listless, Hua Changxi was somewhat surprised, especially A Niu, whose eyes were bloodshot and whose condition was very poor.
Pu Cao glanced at A Niu. “A Niu has been hearing the sound of a wooden fish every night recently, which has been making him very agitated.”
Hua Changxi frowned. “The sound of a wooden fish? The neighbors are all ordinary people, so how could there be the sound of a wooden fish? Have you inquired?”
Pu Cao nodded. “I specifically asked the people at Zuo Ling You She, and no one has heard of anyone renting out their house to a monk.”
Upon hearing ‘monk’, Hua Changxi’s eyes flickered. She thought of the matter at Pharmacist Xu’s house.
Pharmacist Xu hadn’t contacted her during this time either. She wondered if Xu Ling had returned with that monk named Kong Hai.
Pu Cao hesitated to speak. “Changxi, I think A Niu seems possessed. Because of the sound of the wooden fish, only he can hear it; I can’t hear it at all.”
Hearing this, Hua Changxi’s expression immediately became serious. “Only A Niu can hear the sound of the wooden fish?” She then looked at A Niu. “Are you sure you really heard the sound of a wooden fish, and not just dreamt it?”
A Niu nodded affirmatively. “As soon as I fall asleep, the sound of a wooden fish rings in my ears, as if it’s calling me.”
Pu Cao quickly interjected. “Last month, A Niu got up several times in the middle of the night as if he had lost his soul and wanted to go out. Fortunately, Green Ox lives with A Niu and managed to pull him back in time.”
“I heard the commotion and got up, splashing A Niu with cold water to wake him up. Only then did he stop struggling to go out.”
Hua Changxi looked at A Niu. “You feel like someone is calling you?”
A Niu nodded. “Yes.”
