Chapter 151: The Cage
Hua Changxi had long forgotten about the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, Cao Jun. Looking at the middle-aged man before her who called himself Song Weimin, she asked in surprise, “I’ve met the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture. It was people from Jingzhao Prefecture who saved me when I was captured by the Demonic Daoist.”
Song Weimin looked at Hua Changxi and asked again, “Did he go to find you?”
Hua Changxi chuckled, “The Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture holds a Third Rank official position. How could such an important figure come looking for a nobody like me? Did you make a mistake?”
Song Weimin looked at Hua Changxi, who was barely of age, and didn’t believe that her scheming Senior Brother’s disappearance was related to her. This young woman shouldn’t have that capability.
However, the steward of the Cao family did say that before his Senior Brother disappeared, he had investigated the case from two years ago where the red-robed Demonic Daoist performed a Blood Sacrifice of young men and women on the lava stone cliff where Lingguang Hall now stood.
And the young woman before him was one of the few survivors, and also a Cultivator.
“A young woman is not a nobody. A nobody cannot establish connections with the Imperial Guards.”
Song Weimin had been waiting in the Tea Stall opposite the Apothecary Shop for a long time and had witnessed the entire exchange between Hua Changxi and Pang Shaoyu.
Hua Changxi smiled, “This shouldn’t have anything to do with you, right?”
Song Weimin couldn’t find any flaws in Hua Changxi’s expression or extract any useful information from her words. He could only give up, saying, “Apologies for the intrusion.”
With that, he turned and left without any hesitation.
Watching Song Weimin’s receding back, Hua Changxi frowned. This man seemed to be easily dismissed by her words, but his demeanor suggested he wouldn’t give up so easily.
Although she wasn’t afraid of trouble, she disliked it.
Just as Hua Changxi was feeling annoyed by Song Weimin’s sudden appearance, Hua Minghe arrived.
“Jiu Niang.”
“Father.” Hua Changxi was a little surprised but quickly stepped forward, inviting him into the Apothecary Shop, and introduced Pu Cao and A Niu to Hua Minghe.
Hua Minghe had been to Shennong Apothecary Shop several times before, but Hua Changxi wasn’t there on those occasions. He would just stand in the shop for a while and leave, never having had a proper look around.
“Your shop is quite good, just a bit out of the way.”
Hua Minghe carefully examined the shop and the Backyard, as it was an Industry his Daughter had acquired herself.
Hua Changxi smiled, “Good wine needs no bush. Your daughter, my Medical Skills are superb, and my Alchemy is excellent. People will come to me on their own.”
Looking at the smile on his Daughter’s face, Hua Minghe suddenly realized how dazzling the confidence radiating from her was.
After accompanying Hua Minghe on a tour, Hua Changxi led him into the Main Hall of the Backyard. Just as the father and daughter were about to have a heart-to-heart talk, A Niu entered.
“Changxi, Great Merchant Zhuo has arrived.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi said to Hua Minghe, “Father, please sit for a while. This is a major client, and I need to see them.”
Hua Minghe nodded, “You go ahead and be busy.”
After Hua Changxi and A Niu went to the front Apothecary Shop, Hua Minghe wandered around the Backyard again. Finally, he discovered the Green Ox Demon in A Niu’s Room.
With the Spirit Stones, Elixirs, various Spiritual Plants and Spiritual Fruits, and the Spirit Gathering Array provided by Hua Changxi, Hua Minghe’s Cultivation path had been smooth, and he was now a Cultivator at the Mid Qi Sea Realm.
Although he had little Experience, he still recognized the Green Ox in the Room as a Demonic Beast. Judging by the Spiritual Pressure it emitted, its Strength was even greater than his.
The Demonic Beasts his Daughter had subdued were stronger than him, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Hua Minghe.
He also felt pressured by A Niu, a Laborer at the Apothecary Shop. Although Steward Pu Cao posed no threat, she could not be underestimated.
Raising Demonic Beasts and hiring Cultivators to handle affairs, his Daughter had already soared so high.
Hua Minghe thought of the clients his Daughter was currently dealing with. He walked to the back door of the Apothecary Shop, lifted a corner, and looked at Hua Changxi, who was chatting and laughing with outsiders, with a complex expression. Although he felt deeply gratified, he also felt a sense of loss.
“Boss Hua, besides ordering one hundred thousand taels of pills for Martial Artists, I also want to purchase a batch of Elixirs this time.”
“I know Boss Hua’s rules. Elixirs are not purchased with Silver.”
Great Merchant Zhuo carefully took out a Porcelain Bottle from his Storage Bag and pushed it towards Hua Changxi.
Hua Changxi picked up the Porcelain Bottle, opened the stopper, and immediately a very rich and pure Spiritual Energy rushed towards her.
Seeing this, Hua Changxi quickly closed the stopper, her expression filled with surprise as she looked at Great Merchant Zhuo, shocked that the Zhuo family could obtain Ten-Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk.
Great Merchant Zhuo saw that Hua Changxi was only surprised and didn’t ask what was in the Porcelain Bottle, so he guessed that she knew it was Ten-Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk. “These are ten drops of Spiritual Milk aged over ten thousand years. Each drop of Spiritual Milk contains a large amount of Spiritual Energy. I would like to exchange them for a batch of Second Rank Elixirs for healing.”
Hua Changxi: “What kind of pills do you want to exchange for?”
Great Merchant Zhuo had a few desired pills in mind, but he didn’t say them. Instead, he smiled and said, “To be honest, I don’t know much about pills. Boss Hua, please help me prepare them.”
Hua Changxi looked at him, was silent for a moment, then waved her hand, and ten bottles of Supreme-grade Second Rank Pills appeared on the table.
Condensing Sea Pill （ condenses the Spiritual Energy in the Qi Sea; the more solid the Qi Sea, the more Spiritual Energy it can hold ）, Vitality Restoration Pill （ restores physical strength ）, Life Extension Pill （ keeps one alive, delaying medical treatment ）, Bone Strengthening Pill （ strengthens bones and tendons, healing fractures and injuries ）, Ice Heart Pill （ a pill to treat Fire Poison and Heat Poison ）, Blood-Restoring Pill, Serenity Pill （ calms the mind and pacifies the spirit ）, Muscle Regeneration Pill （ promotes wound healing and restores damaged skin ）, Detoxification Pill （ can detoxify all second-order poisons ）.
Great Merchant Zhuo inspected the pills one bottle at a time, and with each inspection, his heart trembled.
Supreme-grade pills, and they were all Supreme-grade Second Rank pills!
He had indeed judged correctly. Boss Hua had not taken advantage of him; the pills she produced were worth those ten drops of Ten-Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk!
Hua Changxi obtained ten drops of Ten-Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk. Each drop of Spiritual Milk contained about one million points of Spiritual Energy, which was a bit little for her to replenish her Spiritual Energy. However, adding Spiritual Milk when refining pills could definitely improve the quality of the pills.
She was very satisfied with this transaction.
Great Merchant Zhuo received pills that exceeded his expectations and was also very satisfied with the transaction. He promptly paid one hundred thousand taels of Silver, took the voucher for Mortal Pills issued by Pu Cao, and went to the other ten Apothecary Shops to collect the pills.
Currently, Shennong Apothecary Shop in Feng’an Ward is considered the main store by Hua Changxi. Although the Apothecary Shops here also sell pills, they do so in small quantities.
The other ten shops managed by Yu Hui have recruited a group of alchemists who refine Mortal Pills. People like Great Merchant Zhuo, who purchase Mortal Pills in large quantities, collect their pills from Yu Hui.
Zhou Qiuyu, Wang Yun Chu, and others have resigned from their positions as Laborers in the Labor Department. With their addition, Hua Changxi plans to include Elixirs in the Apothecary Shop’s sales list in the future.
Hua Minghe silently watched the entire transaction process. Seeing his Daughter’s transactions worth one hundred thousand taels of Silver, he truly felt for the first time that the Hua Family Courtyard was truly a cage limiting his Daughter’s ability to soar.
Leaving the cage, she could actually fly higher and farther.
