Chapter 137: Name and Position
The Department Head’s two apprentices were going to lecture at Number Six Qihuang Hall, and Hua Changxi naturally didn’t want to give it up. However, with her status as a Laborer in the Labor Department, she had no right to refuse.
Although Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou’s attitudes were acceptable, they were merely informing her, not seeking her opinion.
Moreover, she had lost the Wooden Token.
Hua Changxi left the Qihuang Hall feeling somewhat aggrieved. As she walked, she found herself on the plaza. Seeing the open doors of the Old Courtyard, she thought for a moment and walked in.
Gu Xing was somewhat surprised to see Hua Changxi. It was quite lively here now, with people coming and going every day, looking like treasure hunters. As for this girl, apart from the time she came to get her Wooden Token, she hadn’t visited much since.
“Judging by your expression, you’ve run into some trouble?”
Hua Changxi stood before the wall in the courtyard where the Wooden Token had been hung and asked doubtfully, “I clearly matched all nine Qihuang Halls of the Labor Department with their nine Wooden Tokens, so why are Mu Qingying and the others’ Wooden Tokens still reacting?”
Gu Xing likely knew what she was referring to and said with a smile, “If this old man guesses correctly, you’ve only unlocked the lecturing content of the nine Qihuang Halls. Except for Number One Qihuang Hall, you haven’t bound the other Qihuang Halls with Wooden Tokens.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi’s spirits lifted. “Are you referring to binding by aligning the small sword on the Wooden Token with the sword slot on the stone pillar at the entrance of the Qihuang Hall?”
Gu Xing smiled without speaking.
Hua Changxi regretfully patted her head. Previously, she had been worried about causing a big commotion and attracting attention, so she hadn’t aligned the three-dimensional small swords on the Wooden Tokens with the stone pillar sword slots for any Qihuang Hall other than Number One.
“Then, if other people’s Wooden Tokens condense small swords, can they also bind Qihuang Halls?”
Gu Xing smiled and said nothing, implicitly agreeing.
Hua Changxi thought of Gu Jin Fan and Yuan Tianchou’s influence and immediately felt a headache coming on. With so many people coming to listen to their lectures, they would be able to condense Sword Patterns in no time.
Seeing her expression change, Gu Xing thought for a moment and asked, “Why haven’t you been attending classes recently?”
Hua Changxi replied, “My time is limited, and I have other matters to attend to.”
Gu Xing said, “Qihuang Halls are originally places for spreading the Dao. Since you don’t have the energy to lecture, it’s normal for others to take over the lectures.”
Hua Changxi remained silent. The nine Qihuang Halls of the Apprentice Hall aside, she had occupied the nine Qihuang Halls of the Labor Department first. How could she be willing to hand them over now?
Gu Xing looked at her and asked, “Are you angry that others are lecturing at the Qihuang Halls, or are you angry that you can’t hold onto them yourself?”
Hua Changxi asked, “Is there a difference?”
Gu Xing smiled and said, “There’s a big difference.”
Hua Changxi frowned, pondered for a while, then walked to the stone table and sat down. “I just feel so stifled. Why, even now, am I still subject to others?”
Hearing her tone, Gu Xing raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, “Do you dare to kill people?”
Hua Changxi glanced at him. “Of course.”
Gu Xing asked again, “You dare to kill, but are you willing to turn yourself into a murderer?”
Hua Changxi fell silent.
Gu Xing said with a smile, “If you’re unwilling, then even if you possess extremely high Martial Force, you won’t have much deterrent power against others, especially against bureaucratic agencies like the Medical Affairs Department.”
“Do you know why many martial arts experts wander the world alone?”
Hua Changxi replied, “Because they cherish freedom.”
Gu Xing chuckled. “Then why do you think many experts live in poverty?”
Hua Changxi answered, “Because they are not good at managing their finances.”
Gu Xing smiled, and as he smiled, he sighed again. “Child, you still have much to learn.”
Hua Changxi listened, utterly bewildered. “Senior Gu, what exactly are you trying to say?”
Gu Xing said seriously, “From your tone, your Cultivation should not be low. However, this Strength only benefits yourself, meaning it only gives you a certain degree of self-preservation. You haven’t gained the ability to influence others because of it.”
Hearing this, Hua Changxi was stunned.
Gu Xing continued, “The Imperial Court established the Medical Affairs Department hundreds of years ago. Over these centuries, the Medical Affairs Department has developed a set of effective and smoothly operating rules and regulations.”
“Under these rules and regulations, every department within the Medical Affairs Department has its place, and every person within each department also has their place.”
“Child, have you found your place? Do you think you have a foothold in the Medical Affairs Department in your current state?”
Hua Changxi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found herself unable to utter a word.
She had no foothold in the Medical Affairs Department. Let alone the Department Head, even a Sixth Rank Department Official could find an excuse to make her pack her bags and leave.
Gu Xing said, “Actually, lecturing to laborers at the Qihuang Hall is an excellent way to gain fame.”
“Once you gain fame, you will gain a certain reputation, and with reputation, you will have a certain status within the Labor Department.”
“However, the Labor Department is the lowest department in the Medical Affairs Department, and your reputation hasn’t spread beyond it. Even if it has, it hasn’t reached the point of influencing others. Therefore, to the Apprentice Hall, the Disciple Hall, and the Ninth Street Apothecary Shop, you are nothing.”
“If you truly want to have a place in the Medical Affairs Department, you must find a way to gain fame throughout the entire Medical Affairs Department. Only then can you have a place and possess the ability to make others wary.”
“Currently, you neither have enough reputation to influence others nor anything that commands fear, so you can only be arbitrarily dealt with and manipulated.”
Gu Xing’s words deeply shook Hua Changxi. These were things she had never considered.
Everything she had done before was solely to improve her Strength, to avoid being bullied, and to have control over her own life. She had never thought about influencing others.
After a long while, Hua Changxi finally spoke, “Can’t I just mind my own business? Must I strive for fame and position?”
Gu Xing replied, “Of course you can. Lone wanderers who roam the world are not uncommon throughout history. However, if you wish to remain in the Medical Affairs Department and interact with people, you must consider how to establish yourself.”
Hua Changxi thought for a moment and then said, “As you said, the Medical Affairs Department has been established for hundreds of years, and its rules are already set. Everyone in their positions has connections. In such a situation, how can I establish myself?”
Gu Xing smiled and said, “Rules are not immutable.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi was shocked and looked at Gu Xing in astonishment.
Gu Xing’s smile did not diminish. “You can either follow the rules or break them.”
Hua Changxi was silent for a moment. “Senior, I feel like you are trying to instigate me to do something.”
Gu Xing smiled. “If you are truly instigated by this old man, it’s because you want to be instigated. The choice is always in your hands, isn’t it?”
Hua Changxi looked at him. “Senior, you are truly good at manipulating people. You should be lecturing at a Qihuang Hall.”
Gu Xing shook his head with a smile. “This old man is just a gatekeeper; I can’t teach anything.”
Hua Changxi said, “Making you a gatekeeper is truly a waste of your talent.” Her emotions somewhat stirred, she didn’t want to stay in the Old Courtyard any longer. “Senior, I’ve troubled you today. Please rest well.”
By the time she left the Old Courtyard, it was already dark.
On the way back to her own courtyard, Hua Changxi’s mind was filled with Gu Xing’s words.
She had to admit that much of what he said was true.
She indeed had no standing in the Medical Affairs Department, which was why Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou only needed to notify her when they planned to lecture at Number Six Qihuang Hall.
However, Gu Xing hadn’t fully explained everything. Having a foothold in the Medical Affairs Department was not simply about securing a position.
A position would grant her a certain amount of power, but power came with responsibility. In other words, in that position, she would have to bear its responsibilities.
But the very thing she resisted the most was taking on responsibility.
Taking on responsibility meant trouble, and trouble was what she disliked the most.
Hua Changxi sighed. She was already cultivating immortality, so why was she still entangled in the struggle for power and profit?
