Chapter 106: Bloodline Ancestral Return
After leaving Xu’s Apothecary Shop, Hua Changxi rode her Somersault Cloud directly to Five Finger Mountain.
She now had the medicinal bath formula to activate her bloodline totem power and wanted to see if she could gather all the spiritual medicines on the formula from Five Finger Mountain.
“Fairy!”
“Master!”
Upon arriving at Thumb Mountain Peak, the Mountain Spirit and the Welcoming Pine sensed Hua Changxi’s return and immediately came to greet her.
Hua Changxi smiled at the two little ones, “How have you two been during this time?”
The Mountain Spirit chuckled, “We’re doing great.” Then he began to boast, “Fairy, Xiao Song and I have been helping An Ze and An Ran plant spirit rice. It will be ready for harvest in just over a month.”
Xiao Song chimed in, “Master, it was the Mountain Spirit and I who helped set up the Spirit Gathering Array and the Spiritual Energy Shield, and we’ve been casting the Spirit Rain Technique in the fields every few days.”
Hua Changxi praised them generously, “You’ve done wonderfully, thank you for your hard work. With you two watching over things, I’ve been much more relaxed.”
The Mountain Spirit and Xiao Song beamed, their bodies swaying as they jumped and hopped with joy.
Hua Changxi took the Mountain Spirit and Xiao Song to the fields where the spirit rice was being planted. They happened to encounter An Ze and An Ran, who were guiding villagers in pest control.
“Fairy, you’re here!”
Seeing Hua Changxi, the siblings quickly stepped forward.
Hua Changxi smiled at them, “Your cultivation speed is quite fast; you’re already Late Qi Refining cultivators.”
An Ran quickly replied with a smile, “Our cultivation has been so fast because, firstly, the cultivation method you gave us is excellent, secondly, the Mountain Spirit and Xiao Song guide us, and thirdly, the spiritual energy on Five Finger Mountain is incredibly dense.”
An Ze nodded, “Our cultivation conditions are far better than those of cultivators outside.”
Speaking of cultivators, Hua Changxi asked, “Have there been many cultivators entering and leaving Five Finger Mountain recently?”
Since unlocking Qihuang Hall and starting to teach medicine in the Labor Department, her cultivation speed had been increasing daily. She couldn’t determine if the increase was due to the incense from Five Finger Mountain or the spreading of the Dao in the Labor Department.
An Ran replied, “Yes, the number of cultivators has significantly increased in the past two months.”
Hua Changxi asked again, “Has anyone caused trouble?”
The Fire Lotus only deterred those entering Five Finger Mountain; those who stayed outside the mountain needed An Ze and An Ran to maintain stability.
Upon her arrival this time, she noticed that many places outside Five Finger Mountain were under construction.
An Ran responded, “There have been some incidents, but my brother and I are cultivators, so we can handle them.”
An Ze added, “Fairy, there’s something I need to report to you. Because more and more people are coming to Five Finger Mountain, my brother and I, along with the village chiefs of the surrounding villages, have discussed building some inns.”
“This will not only increase the villagers’ income but also provide a place for visitors to Five Finger Mountain to rest.”
Hua Changxi affirmed, “You’ve done the right thing. I haven’t been staying here, so I’m unaware of many things regarding maintaining stability outside Five Finger Mountain, and there are many matters I wouldn’t have thought of. Thank you for keeping a closer eye on things.”
As she spoke, she took out four Communication Talismans and gave them to the Mountain Spirit, Xiao Song, An Ze, and An Ran.
“From now on, you can use these Communication Talismans to contact me if anything comes up.”
The Mountain Spirit happily accepted the talisman, “Fairy, you can make Spirit Talismans? There’s a large area of talisman paper trees in the Nameless Finger Peak of Five Finger Mountain.”
Hua Changxi shook her head, “I have too many things to do every day; I don’t have time to learn talisman making.”
She had spent too much time unlocking Qihuang Hall recently, and her Alchemist level was still stuck at First Rank, let alone learning other skills.
Hua Changxi looked at An Ze and An Ran and took out a handwritten copy of 《Four Arts Beginner》 for them, “This book is an introductory guide to Alchemy, Talisman Crafting, Artifact Refining, and Array Formations. Please take it and read it.”
An Ran and An Ze joyfully accepted the 《Four Arts Beginner》, “Thank you, Fairy. We will study it diligently.”
Led by An Ran and An Ze, Hua Changxi inspected all the spirit rice. During this time, she also saw some other villagers.
The dense spiritual energy of Five Finger Mountain, when it overflowed, could nourish the surrounding land. With a little tidying up, many fields could become Spirit Fields.
Hua Changxi pondered for a moment and then said to An Ze and An Ran, “Do you have any spare energy to teach the surrounding villagers how to plant spirit rice?”
Upon hearing this, An Ze and An Ran were both delighted, “We have the energy.”
After becoming cultivators, their lives had improved significantly, but the villagers in the village were still in the same situation. The siblings felt a strong desire to help the villagers, but this was their personal wish, and they felt awkward mentioning it to the Fairy.
Hua Changxi continued, “If you have the capacity, you can teach the surrounding villagers how to plant spirit rice.” She paused, “The harvested spirit rice can be sold uniformly in the shops.”
She then looked at An Ze and An Ran, “Take some time to go into the city and see if there are any suitable shops. If you find any, buy them directly. I want to open a grain shop that specializes in selling spirit rice and spirit grains.”
Hua Changxi directly gave An Ze and An Ran five thousand taels of banknotes and asked them to keep good records.
“Teaching how to plant spirit rice and spirit grains, opening shops, and maintaining stability outside Five Finger Mountain all require manpower.”
Hua Changxi looked at An Ze and An Ran, “Do you have anyone in particular you trust who would be suitable to help us with these tasks?”
An Ran nodded, “The villagers here are not afraid of hard work. They are all very grateful to the Fairy and wish to do things for her.”
Hua Changxi thought for a moment, took out a Spirit Testing Stone, and handed it to Xiao Song. She then said to An Ze and An Ran, “Please go and call over the villagers who can work around here and test their spiritual meridians.”
An Ze and An Ran understood that Hua Changxi was going to recruit more people, so they quickly returned to the village to call them.
Hua Changxi looked at Xiao Song, “Xiao Song, you’ll be responsible for overseeing the villagers’ spirit meridian testing later. The Mountain Spirit and I need to go into the mountains to gather herbs.”
Xiao Song had already become familiar with the people in the surrounding areas. Although a little disappointed that she couldn’t accompany Hua Changxi, she was still happy to help, “Master, don’t worry, I will complete the task.”
Hua Changxi ruffled her head, and then she and the Mountain Spirit entered Five Finger Mountain.
The medicinal bath formula to activate bloodline totem power required over twenty types of spiritual medicines. The Mountain Spirit was most familiar with Five Finger Mountain, and to save time searching, Hua Changxi needed him to lead the way.
“I wonder if I can collect all the spiritual medicines needed to brew the medicinal bath?”
“Fairy, please rest assured. Five Finger Mountain has another name: Five Elements Mountain. All things in the world originate from the Five Elements, and Five Elements Mountain has the most diverse range of spiritual medicines.”
Hua Changxi’s expression brightened upon hearing the Mountain Spirit’s words, “Really?”
The Mountain Spirit nodded affirmatively and led Hua Changxi around the mountain until nightfall. Indeed, they managed to collect all the spiritual medicines required for the medicinal bath formula.
Although the variety of spiritual medicines in Five Elements Mountain was rich, their quantities varied. Some spiritual medicines were found everywhere, while others were scarce.
Hua Changxi only managed to gather about five hundred portions of the medicinal bath ingredients. She had previously thought that since few people were born with spiritual meridians, others could still pursue the path of activating their bloodline power.
Now, it seemed this path was also difficult.
Seeing that the collected spiritual medicines were not abundant, the Mountain Spirit comforted her, “Fairy, the Spiritual Energy Revival has just begun. There will be more and more spiritual medicines in the mountains in the future.”
Hua Changxi smiled, “If you encounter any of the spiritual medicines I collected today in the future, please help me gather them.”
The Mountain Spirit nodded, “I will.”
Afterward, Hua Changxi took the Mountain Spirit back to Thumb Village.
The spirit meridian testing had already concluded. An Ze and An Ran brought over a thousand villagers, and in the end, fifty-five people were found to have spiritual meridians.
Hua Changxi felt this number was quite substantial.
The Mountain Spirit, however, was somewhat dissatisfied, “Five Finger Mountain has a deep foundation; why are there so few people with spiritual meridians?”
Hua Changxi smiled, “There are so many people in the surrounding villages, and many haven’t been tested yet.”
The Mountain Spirit thought about it and agreed, “Fairy, why don’t you leave the Spirit Testing Stone here? I’ll go and test the other villagers.”
Hua Changxi shook her head, “I don’t need that many people working for me.”
The Mountain Spirit was confused, “Isn’t it better to have more subordinates?”
Hua Changxi chuckled, “What would I do with so many subordinates?”
The Mountain Spirit directly replied, “To conquer the world.”
Hua Changxi burst into laughter, “I don’t have such grand ambitions. I just want to live my life well and enjoy it.”
The Mountain Spirit shook his head, “Fairy, in the struggle of the general trend, no one can remain aloof.”
Hua Changxi disagreed, “If I become the most powerful person, who can force me?”
The Mountain Spirit’s little face creased, “Fairy, you’re thinking about it the wrong way. Someone who only cares about themselves can never become the most powerful person.”
Hua Changxi was taken aback, “What kind of twisted logic is that?”
The Mountain Spirit’s eyes widened, “This is the law of the Heavenly Dao’s operation.”
Hua Changxi was dismissive, “You’re talking nonsense. You’ve only recently been born, how can you know the laws of the Heavenly Dao’s operation?”
Seeing that she didn’t believe him, the Mountain Spirit pouted. However, he couldn’t produce any evidence to prove himself, so he crossed his arms and turned away from Hua Changxi.
Hua Changxi found it amusing and didn’t say much more to him. She looked at the fifty-five people standing behind An Ze and An Ran.
Afterward, Hua Changxi asked these fifty-five people if they were willing to work for her. If they were willing, she would give them cultivation methods, but they would have to take a Heart Demon Oath and never betray her.
She would not interfere with their lives, but they must diligently complete the tasks she assigned.
The surrounding villagers had no opportunity to come into contact with cultivation. They had long been envious of An Ze and An Ran, who worked for the Fire Lotus Fairy. Now that the Fire Lotus Fairy was willing to accept them, naturally, none of them refused.
The cultivation methods obtained from Old Daoist Jiang and the white-robed Monk covered all attribute spiritual meridians. Hua Changxi gave the cultivation methods to An Ze and An Ran, asking them to either make copies or hand-copy them, produce a batch of cultivation methods, and then distribute them to those who had tested positive for spiritual meridians today.
Shennong Apothecary Shop was still being monitored by the Imperial Guards. After giving instructions, Hua Changxi returned to the Capital City overnight.
Seeing Hua Changxi leave, Xiao Song went to comfort the Mountain Spirit, who was still angry, “Master is already gone; she won’t see you being angry.”
The Mountain Spirit sighed and pointed to his head, “Fairy’s thinking is flawed, which is detrimental to her cultivation. She only cares about herself, and on the path of cultivation, she won’t be able to go far.”
Xiao Song was confused, “Is it that serious?”
The Mountain Spirit nodded heavily, “Yes.”
Xiao Song became anxious, “Then we should remind Master more often.”
The Mountain Spirit frowned, “Some things require self-realization. No matter how much outsiders remind her, if the Fairy doesn’t take it to heart, it’s useless.”
After returning from Five Finger Mountain, Hua Changxi went directly to the Feng’an Ward Apothecary Shop. She learned from Pu Cao that the Imperial Guards had not come to the apothecary shop to cause trouble.
Apart from Pang Shaoyu leading people there once in the morning, no one else had come since.
Hua Changxi was unsure of the Imperial Guards’ intentions, so she could only instruct Pu Cao and A Niu to be cautious and notify her immediately if anything happened.
She did not stay overnight at the apothecary shop but returned to Number Seven Qihuang Hall.
Hua Changxi was eager to test the effects of the Ancestral Return medicinal bath. Upon returning to Number Seven Qihuang Hall, she immediately set up an Isolation Array and began brewing the Ancestral Return medicinal soup.
Once the medicinal soup was ready, Hua Changxi immersed herself in it.
As soon as she entered the medicinal soup, Hua Changxi felt her blood boiling. After a short while, she felt two forces within her slowly awakening.
One was a burning force that annihilated everything, and the other was a flexible and firm defensive force.
“Hoo~”
Flames ignited around Hua Changxi, and within the flames, radiant firebirds circled.
After some time, a rich lotus fragrance wafted through the courtyard. Amidst the roaring flames, lotuses bloomed, and Hua Changxi sat cross-legged within a lotus.
At this moment, Hua Changxi was in great discomfort, her face showing signs of pain. The two forces within her were incompatible and fiercely vying for control of her body.
Before long, the two forces began to merge, slowly intertwining, and finally fused into one power, which rapidly converged at Hua Changxi’s brow.
Hua Changxi felt her brow begin to burn and swell, her head feeling as if it would explode. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, something broke through the surface at her brow.
The flames disappeared, and the lotuses receded. Hua Changxi leaned back in the bathtub and fell asleep.
The next day, Hua Changxi woke up when the sky was bright.
Upon waking, she found her entire body felt as if it had been reassembled, causing immense pain. However, amidst the pain, she could clearly feel the powerful strength contained within her body.
Hua Changxi gritted her teeth, enduring the pain, and got out of the bathtub, putting on her clothes.
Recalling the two forces that had awakened within her body during the medicinal bath, Hua Changxi flipped her right hand, and a Fire Lotus instantly took shape.
This Fire Lotus was no longer the Fire Lotus of the past.
The previous Fire Lotus had only thirty-six petals, but the current Fire Lotus had a full seventy-two petals. Furthermore, in the center of the lotus, a miniature firebird was circling.
Bloodline Ancestral Return, gaining ancestral divine abilities.
She had gained two divine abilities last night: one was the Lotus Domain, where the Fire Lotus could expand continuously as her strength increased. Anyone trapped within the area covered by the Fire Lotus would find it impossible to escape.
The other divine ability was Divine Annihilation, which meant the annihilation of the Primordial Spirit. Previously, the Fire Lotus could only burn the physical body, but now, the firebird within the Fire Lotus could burn the cultivator’s Primordial Spirit.
Having gained two more divine abilities and her strength enhanced, Hua Changxi was very happy. She then noticed that the Sword Pattern on the Number Seven Wooden Token placed in the Main Hall was becoming increasingly ‘three-dimensional,’ and the smile on her face deepened.
However, her smile didn’t last long before it froze.
On the stone wall, another pattern appeared.
This pattern depicted a Blood Sacrifice. Countless humans and demons had their blood drained, and their blood, purified to be rich in totem power, was then consumed by others.
Those who drank the blood could gain ancestral divine abilities.
Looking at this pattern, Hua Changxi frowned, recalling her previous experience of being kidnapped by a Demonic Daoist and having her blood drawn. It was strikingly similar to the depiction in this pattern.
If she could encounter such a thing, what about others?
In other parts of Great Jin, were there also people suffering from blood sacrifices?
Hua Changxi’s joy from gaining divine abilities through Bloodline Ancestral Return diminished significantly. She put away the Number Seven Wooden Token and prepared to go to class.
Yesterday, she had lectured in Number One, Number Two, and Number Three Qihuang Halls. Today, she was scheduled to lecture in Number Four, Number Five, and Number Six Qihuang Halls.
“Good morning, Steward Hua.”
In Number Four Qihuang Hall, many people were already waiting.
As soon as Hua Changxi arrived, everyone greeted her.
“Steward Hua, the floral hairpin on your forehead is so beautiful, it looks like a red lotus has grown there.”
Hua Changxi was stunned by this remark. She asked everyone to wait a moment and then went into the East Wing Room, took out a mirror from her Storage Ring, and looked at herself.
In the mirror, a lifelike red lotus had indeed appeared on her forehead.
