Chapter 135: Qihuang Hall is Targeted
As a Labor Steward in the Labor Department, Hua Changxi, despite having Eunuch Jia and three others covering for her, couldn’t take extended leave. After returning from Five Finger Mountain, she went directly back to the Medical Affairs Department.
Following the routine, she inspected the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Bureaus of the Third Department before heading straight to Number Six Qihuang Hall to continue alchemy.
Her current schedule was to practice alchemy in Qihuang Hall during the day, cultivate and refine her body in Lingguang Hall at night, and every few days, she would call Zhou Qiuyu and the others to Number Six Qihuang Hall to guide their alchemy.
After Hua Changxi stopped lecturing, the Labor Department suddenly fell silent.
Many who had been paying attention to her fell into deep thought upon seeing her actions.
In the Medical Affairs Department Building on First Street, Department Head Gu Qiming was flipping through the Compendium of Mortal Plants and Medicinal Herb Processing Canon compiled by Hua Changxi. After reviewing them, he called Mu Qingying over.
“You’ve attended Hua Changxi’s lectures at Qihuang Hall several times. Did you notice anything unusual?”
Mu Qingying shook her head. “Hua Changxi lectured earnestly every time. This disciple did not notice anything unusual.”
Gu Qiming frowned. “If what you say is true, then Hua Changxi lectures at Qihuang Hall because she enjoys it?”
Mu Qingying nodded. “This disciple truly believes so. When Hua Changxi lectures, she speaks eloquently and radiates with energy, sharing many details without reservation. This disciple can feel that she truly enjoys the process of imparting medical skills to others.”
After hearing this, Gu Qiming looked again at the Compendium of Mortal Plants and Medicinal Herb Processing Canon on his desk. The detailed categorization of medicinal herbs in these two books was rarely seen in market medical books, and even the Medical Affairs Department didn’t have such a comprehensive collection.
This was because they involved too many ‘new medicines’.
Among the physicians and pharmacists on Ninth Street, when they researched the medicinal efficacy of a ‘new medicine’, they would hoard it, only willing to share it in exchange for commensurate value.
Compared to them, Hua Changxi was indeed completely open.
However, Hua Changxi was just a young woman who had recently come of age. How did she understand and accumulate the medicinal efficacy of so many ‘new medicines’?
Hua Changxi must have received some kind of medical inheritance; this was absolute!
And it was very likely that this inheritance came from Qihuang Hall.
Gu Qiming looked at Mu Qingying. “When you attended Hua Changxi’s lectures, did you wear the wooden token?”
Mu Qingying nodded. “Yes, I did. Master, you said the wooden token might be a key to opening Dan Sheng Hall, so I’ve been wearing it constantly. Senior Brother Yuan is the same.”
Gu Qiming asked again, “Did you notice any anomalies with the wooden token?”
Mu Qingying shook her head in shame. “This disciple is dull-witted. The wooden token has shown no anomalies to date.”
Gu Qiming sighed. “Tonight, you and your Senior Brother should visit all eighteen Qihuang Halls.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Qingying seemed to understand something and exclaimed in surprise, “Eighteen wooden tokens, eighteen Qihuang Halls. Master, are you saying the wooden tokens are related to Qihuang Hall?”
Gu Qiming: “Hua Changxi insisted on lecturing to the laborers in Qihuang Hall, which was very unusual. Later, I learned she had a wooden token, so I went to investigate Qihuang Hall. Indeed, I discovered that the wooden token would flash with a green light when near Qihuang Hall.”
Mu Qingying: “But… but the wooden token didn’t react at all when I went to Qihuang Hall?”
Gu Qiming: “For the nine Qihuang Halls in the Labor Department, my wooden token had no reaction. However, for the nine Qihuang Halls in the Apprentice Hall, the wooden token did react.”
Mu Qingying quickly asked, “Did Master discover anything else?”
Hearing this question, Gu Qiming became somewhat dejected. “Besides the wooden token flashing green, I found nothing else.”
That was why he had remained silent and allowed Hua Changxi to openly lecture in the Labor Department; he wanted to see if she had already discovered the secret of Qihuang Hall.
“You and your Senior Brother will go explore Qihuang Hall tonight and report your findings to me.”
“Yes, Master.”
Mu Qingying immediately went to find Yuan Tianchou. That night, they went to the Labor Department and the Apprentice Hall respectively, visiting all eighteen Qihuang Halls.
After they left the Apprentice Hall, Zhu Qinghuan emerged from a dark corner. She watched their retreating figures with a somber expression.
It seemed they had also discovered the connection between Qihuang Hall and the wooden tokens.
Zhu Qinghuan stood outside Number Ten Qihuang Hall, watching the green light flash and disappear on the wooden token in her hand, her brow furrowed.
What was the connection between the wooden token and Qihuang Hall?
What exactly had Hua Changxi discovered?
Zhu Qinghuan showed a look of frustration. She had discovered the connection between the wooden token and Qihuang Hall on the very first day she obtained it, but after investigating for so long, she still hadn’t uncovered their secret.
Upon learning that Hua Changxi was lecturing in Qihuang Hall, she had even followed suit, secretly gathering a group of apprentices from the Apprentice Hall to help them with their regular studies in Qihuang Hall.
She had tried all nine Qihuang Halls in the Apprentice Hall, but unfortunately, apart from the green light flashing, the wooden token showed no other reaction.
Zhu Qinghuan put away the wooden token and looked again in the direction Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou had left. Now that the Department Head and others had also discovered the connection between the wooden token and Qihuang Hall, she wondered what they would find.
First Street, Medical Affairs Department Building, Department Head’s Office.
Gu Qiming saw his two disciples return and asked, “How was it? What did you discover?”
Yuan Tianchou: “The wooden tokens reacted at all nine Qihuang Halls in the Apprentice Hall, but at the nine Qihuang Halls in the Labor Department, the wooden tokens had no reaction.”
Gu Qiming looked at them. “What do you think this means?”
Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying exchanged glances and shook their heads simultaneously.
Gu Qiming looked at the wooden token in his hand. “Do you think the wooden token might be a key to Qihuang Hall?”
Upon hearing this, Yuan Tianchou immediately said, “But the wooden token also flashes green when passing through Ninth Street.”
It was precisely because the wooden token showed anomalies when passing through Ninth Street that they had focused all their energy there, never considering the dilapidated Qihuang Halls behind the Apprentice Hall and Labor Department.
Gu Qiming fell silent. To be honest, he initially believed the wooden token was related to Ninth Street, but now, he was increasingly leaning towards it being related to Qihuang Hall.
“Hua Changxi is no longer lecturing in Qihuang Hall, right? You two go and lecture.”
Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou both let out an “Ah.”
Gu Qiming: “Lecture in the Qihuang Halls of both the Labor Department and the Apprentice Hall. I refuse to believe that Hua Changxi would lecture in Qihuang Hall for no reason.”
Mu Qingying hesitated. “Master, actually, Hua Changxi had subtly hinted to me, Zhu Qinghuan, and Shen Qianfan that we should go and lecture.”
Gu Qiming heard this and said, “There was such a thing?”
Mu Qingying nodded.
Gu Qiming immediately made a decision. “Prepare yourselves. In two days, you will go and lecture in Qihuang Hall. If lecturing truly causes the wooden token to react, I will go too.”
Yuan Tianchou listened and seemed to want to say something but stopped.
Gu Qiming saw this and said, “Speak if you have something to say.”
Yuan Tianchou: “If my Junior Sister and I go to lecture, the commotion might be quite large. By then, people from Ninth Street Apothecary Shop, the Disciple Hall, and the Apprentice Hall will likely go. The laborers probably won’t be able to listen.”
Gu Qiming: “…There’s nothing that can be done about that.”
Mu Qingying, however, said, “It’s good that the laborers won’t be listening.”
Hearing this, Yuan Tianchou looked at her in surprise. “I thought Junior Sister would prefer to lecture to the laborers.”
Mu Qingying looked at him. “Many laborers have heard Hua Changxi lecture. If they come to listen to us, they will realize that we are not as good as Hua Changxi.”
Yuan Tianchou wanted to argue, but he had also carefully read the Compendium of Mortal Plants and Medicinal Herb Processing Canon, and indeed, he couldn’t explain it more thoroughly than Hua Changxi.
Gu Qiming could not tolerate his disciples being inferior to Hua Changxi, so he directly said, “Hua Changxi lectures on Mortal Plants; you two will lecture on Spiritual Plants.”
Upon hearing this, Yuan Tianchou’s eyes lit up, and he immediately gained confidence.
Mu Qingying’s expression was calm. Hua Changxi’s casual guidance on her elixir refining techniques could improve her alchemy quality, so her research into Spiritual Plants must be very deep.
The news that Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou would lecture in Qihuang Hall spread throughout the Medical Affairs Department the next day.
When Hua Changxi heard this, her first reaction was that someone was trying to steal her territory. But then she remembered that the Prayer Beads Bracelet had fallen into the hands of a Ghost Messenger on Ox Head Mountain, and the wooden token was no longer in her possession, so she deflated.
The Medical Affairs Department was now under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Court, and the Department Head had absolute control. If he wanted Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou to lecture in Qihuang Hall, she, a mere laborer, had no right to object.
She could, of course, use force to stop them, but doing so would be equivalent to opposing the entire Imperial Court.
The thought of the numerous troubles that opposing the Imperial Court might bring gave Hua Changxi a headache. She cultivated diligently for freedom, not to get entangled in trouble.
Using force was not the best strategy!
Hua Changxi was very agitated, but after a while, she calmed down again.
Anyway, she had already secured the nine Qihuang Halls in the Labor Department, and she wasn’t using them now, so it was fine for them to be empty. Even if Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou lectured there, they couldn’t take away these nine Qihuang Halls.
Thinking this way, Hua Changxi felt more stable. She just needed to focus on practicing alchemy in Number Six Qihuang Hall; as for the rest, they could do whatever they pleased.
“Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou are going to lecture in Qihuang Hall?”
Upon hearing this news, Gu Jin Fan looked at the Compendium of Mortal Plants and Medicinal Herb Processing Canon and also fell into thought.
Soon, she got up and went to find Department Head Gu Qiming, stating that she also wanted to lecture in Qihuang Hall.
Gu Qiming had always been unable to see through Gu Jin Fan. When she wanted to lecture, he didn’t make things difficult and readily agreed. After all, for him, having one more person join might help unravel the secret of Qihuang Hall more quickly.
After Gu Jin Fan left the Medical Affairs Department Building, cultivators from the Duke of Xin State’s Mansion came to find her.
Seeing the person who arrived, Gu Jin Fan’s eyes flickered, and she quickly walked over. “Uncle Chen, is there something?”
Uncle Chen said in a low voice, “Seventh Young Lady, Jingzhao Prefecture Prefect Cao Jun has been missing for almost a month. There are no clues from Jingzhao Prefecture. I fear he is no longer alive.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Jin Fan’s heart trembled. “The note I asked you to deliver to Cao Jun, are you sure he saw it?”
Uncle Chen nodded. “Yes, we are sure. Our people also discovered that Cao Jun had sent someone to investigate Hua Changxi.”
Gu Jin Fan took a deep breath after hearing this. It was Hua Changxi; it must have been Hua Changxi who killed Cao Jun.
Cao Jun was a Core Formation Mid-stage cultivator. If Hua Changxi could kill him, her cultivation must be even higher.
Gu Jin Fan truly did not expect Hua Changxi’s cultivation to be so high.
Even if the Vermilion Bird Divine Art was the best Fire Element Cultivation Method in the Four Spirit Realm, Hua Changxi had only obtained it for about two years. How could her cultivation have improved so rapidly?
“Uncle Chen, from now on, do not keep an eye on Hua Changxi.”
Uncle Chen looked at Gu Jin Fan in confusion. “Seventh Young Lady, didn’t you say before that you wanted to know everything about Hua Changxi?”
Gu Jin Fan: “…I misjudged some things before. Uncle Chen, recall the people I sent to watch Hua Changxi. If she discovers you, I fear I won’t have time to save you.”
Upon hearing this, Uncle Chen was shocked by Gu Jin Fan’s apprehension towards Hua Changxi. “Alright, I will recall the personnel.” He paused.
“Nanxiang County Magistrate Song Weimin is Cao Jun’s junior disciple. After Prince Fu’s people took over Nanxiang County, he was suspended and stayed at home. During this time, he has been busy searching for Cao Jun.”
“Song Weimin?”
Gu Jin Fan’s expression changed upon hearing this name.
In her previous life, it was this person who exposed Cao Jun’s atrocities of slaughtering villagers and sacrificing young boys and girls. As many matters involved Prince Shou, he eventually died tragically in prison.
Uncle Chen: “Does Seventh Young Lady know this person?”
Gu Jin Fan nodded. “I heard he is an official who gets things done.”
Uncle Chen: “He is indeed a good official. When he left Nanxiang County, many common people spontaneously saw him off. I thought with his achievements, he would directly be appointed to a vacant position, but the Ministry of Personnel told him to wait at home for notification.”
Gu Jin Fan sneered. “He won’t get a vacant position. Now, all factions are desperately trying to place their own people everywhere, led by the Royal Family. Unless Song Weimin pledges allegiance to some noble, he will wait at home until he dies without ever being reinstated.”
Uncle Chen showed a worried expression. “If this continues, I fear it will lead to chaos.”
Gu Jin Fan looked at him. “The chaos has already begun. Are there not many villages and towns whose ancestral lands were seized and disappeared inexplicably?”
Uncle Chen fell silent.
Gu Jin Fan was silent for a moment and then said, “The chaos will eventually pass, and everything will get better. It will definitely get better.”
On the tenth day of the seventh month, Mu Qingying, Yuan Tianchou, and Gu Jin Fan began lecturing in Qihuang Hall.
The three were all famous figures in the Medical Affairs Department. Their lectures immediately attracted widespread attention. On the first day of their lectures, the Qihuang Halls behind the Labor Department were packed.
At the entrance of Number Six Qihuang Hall, Hua Changxi looked at the crowded Number One, Number Two, and Number Three Qihuang Halls, feeling somewhat silent.
“Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou are the Department Head’s favored disciples, and Gu Jin Fan also comes from a renowned background. It’s natural for them to be popular. Hua Steward, please don’t be jealous.”
Hearing the teasing laughter from behind, Hua Changxi glanced indifferently at the Seventh Prince Chu Junhao and Duan Yuyan who were walking together.
Chu Junhao walked up to Hua Changxi and smiled. “Yuyan likes to joke. Steward Hua, please don’t take offense.”
Hua Changxi looked at him. “But I am taking offense. What can be done?”
Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across Chu Junhao’s face. He then chuckled and turned to Duan Yuyan. “Steward Hua has lectured to us before. Yuyan, you were presumptuous just now. Apologize.”
Duan Yuyan felt displeased. She admitted that Hua Changxi’s lectures were indeed good, but she was just a laborer. Why should she, a young lady from a Duke’s Mansion, apologize?
However, seeing the warning in Chu Junhao’s eyes, Duan Yuyan reluctantly spoke. “Steward Hua, I was rude just now.”
Hua Changxi smiled faintly. “I am petty-minded and cannot take jokes. Prince Chu and Miss Duan, please do not hold it against me.”
Duan Yuyan felt like rolling her eyes. Usually, others accommodated them. Now, this Hua Changxi actually expected them to accommodate her. Did she really think she could disregard hierarchy just because she knew some medicine?
Chu Junhao, seeing that she had directly revealed her identity, was not surprised. He smiled. “I have read the Compendium of Mortal Plants and Medicinal Herb Processing Canon. They are compiled very thoroughly. I heard Steward Hua occasionally guides people in alchemy at Number Six Qihuang Hall. May I ask if Yuyan and I could also attend as observers?”
Hua Changxi sized up Chu Junhao. A prince being so humble and courteous; if she refused, it would seem ungrateful. She immediately smiled. “Before, my lectures were like a communal meal. Guiding people in alchemy is like a private tutoring session.”
“A private tutoring session, naturally, is not something everyone can have. What do Prince Chu and Miss Duan intend to offer in exchange?”
Upon hearing this, Duan Yuyan was stunned. This was the first time she had seen someone so brazenly ask for benefits from a prince.
Chu Junhao, however, smiled. “What does Steward Hua need? As long as I can provide it, if you say it, I am willing to give it.”
Hua Changxi chuckled inwardly and threw the question back. “That depends on how much Prince Chu wants to attend my alchemy class. By the way, I am a cultivator, so mortal objects are unnecessary.”
Chu Junhao looked deeply at Hua Changxi. He flipped his wrist, and a set of cyan robes appeared in his hand. “Steward Hua is exceptionally beautiful. This set of magic robes, which can freely change size and are impervious to water and fire, is perfect for you.”
Duan Yuyan’s eyes flickered upon seeing the magic robes. She glanced at Hua Changxi and gave a meaningful smile.
Hua Changxi indeed needed magic robes and noticed Duan Yuyan’s expression, but she was not afraid of the Seventh Prince playing tricks. She directly accepted the magic robes. “In the future, when I hold alchemy classes at Number Six Qihuang Hall, I will send someone to notify Prince Chu and Miss Duan.”
