Chapter 195: Meng Po’s Tea
“Jiu Niang, you’re back!”
Hua Changxi returned to the Feng’an Ward apothecary shop, only to find Pharmacist Xu there.
“Uncle Xu, is there something from the Medical Affairs Department?”
Pharmacist Xu observed Hua Changxi’s expression. Seeing that she was not in high spirits, he said, “This isn’t an urgent matter. You just got back from outside, why don’t you go to the backyard and rest first.”
Hearing him say this, Hua Changxi didn’t ask further. At this moment, she indeed wanted some quiet. After greeting Pu Cao and A Niu, she went to the backyard.
Back in her bedroom in the backyard, Hua Changxi activated the prohibition. Then, she sat cross-legged on the bed, closed her eyes, and silently recited the ‘Heart Cleansing Mantra’. It wasn’t until dark that the negative emotions that had arisen from her argument with her father and brother finally dissipated.
Hua Changxi opened her eyes with a grave expression. The Black Flame’s influence on her was more severe than she had imagined.
During the Core Formation Realm, even if the Black Flame devoured her Golden Core, it could only burn the surface of the Golden Core. During this period, the Black Flame’s effect was at most to amplify her negative emotions.
But now, the Black Flame was parasitic on the heart of her Nascent Soul, and it had devoured half of her heart. She could clearly feel that the Black Flame not only amplified her negative emotions but also caused her to subconsciously generate negative thoughts.
Today, when she saw her father and brother, their inquiries were just ordinary greetings between family members. Yet, all she heard was their exploitation and demands from her, instinctively making her feel hostile towards them.
“Is it the Black Flame’s influence, or is there truly a dark world residing in my heart?”
Hua Changxi shook her head and took out the white jade lotus petal.
Afterward, whether she dripped blood to recognize it as a treasure, injected spiritual energy, or even summoned the Fire Lotus and the Great Sun Divine Flame to bake it, the white jade lotus petal showed no reaction.
“How can I ignite the Yang Flame?”
The Black Flame in her body was ignited by someone from the Asura Gate. She didn’t understand the Asura Gate and didn’t know where to find their people. If she tried to ignite the Yang Flame through the Asura Gate, it would take a very long time.
Although Tong Yao said he knew someone who could ignite the white jade lotus petal, she had only met this person once, and she didn’t even know if he could arrange a meeting. Hua Changxi didn’t want to place all her hopes on him. After pondering for a moment, she decided to find time to visit Xiangguo Temple.
The Awakening Pool at Xiangguo Temple contained lotus lanterns burning with Black Flame and White Flame, so they would surely know how to ignite the White Flame.
Having decided to go to Xiangguo Temple, Hua Changxi put away the white jade lotus petal and began to review the gains from her Nine Netherworlds trip.
『 Realm: Nascent Soul Realm 2.15 billion/1 billion; Spiritual Sense: （100+100） million』
Although the trip to the Nine Netherworlds was perilous, the gains were also substantial.
Firstly, her realm broke through the bottleneck of one billion points. As her cultivation speed increased, her realm was also steadily improving.
Secondly, her spiritual sense also grew significantly. However, after absorbing a large amount of Soul Power in the Divine Wood Space, her spiritual sense reached two million and then stagnated again.
Hua Changxi guessed that this was likely because her current body strength could only withstand two million points of Soul Power. To continue increasing her spiritual sense, she still needed to focus on Body Refining.
In addition to the growth in her realm, the Shen Nong Cauldron also became brand new after absorbing a large amount of water from the Soul River. Now, the Shen Nong Cauldron was surrounded by an aura of divine charm, making it impossible to look at directly; gazing at it for too long would cause dizziness and a swollen head.
Furthermore, she had also subdued an Exotic Fire and synthesized the Great Sun Divine Flame. Her connection with the Floating Light Sword had also become closer, and her comprehension of the Floating Light Sword Art had improved. Although she still couldn’t draw the Floating Light Sword, she could now manifest one or two points of Sword Intent.
Five tails of the Nine-tailed Fox, two black and white jade lotus petals, and over ten Fusang Divine Wood roots could definitely be considered a great harvest.
Despite the abundant harvest, the price she paid was also significant.
The Black Flame had devoured half of her Nascent Soul’s heart, hanging over her like a sharp sword.
Dealing with the Black Flame had become an urgent matter.
The thought of the Black Flame made Hua Changxi unable to calm down and focus on cultivation. She decided to go to the kitchen and brew a pot of Body Refining medicinal soup, then began cultivating the fourth chapter of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique—the Tendon Refining Chapter.
By the time the Body Refining medicinal soup turned from deep green to colorless, it was already noon the next day.
Hua Changxi discovered that after soaking in the medicinal bath, her body’s repair ability had improved by several levels. Although soaking in the medicinal bath still involved dismembering pain, the repair process had become faster, which undoubtedly accelerated the speed of Body Refining.
“Knock, knock, knock~”
“Changxi, are you awake?”
Hearing the knock, Hua Changxi got out of the bathtub, put on her magic robe, and opened the door.
Pu Cao looked at her with concern, “Changxi, are you alright?”
Hua Changxi smiled, “I’m fine.”
Pu Cao looked at her, “Yesterday, I saw that your complexion was a bit off. If you have something on your mind, you must tell me. A Niu and I might not be able to help you much, but even three ordinary people can strategize like Zhuge Liang. Even if we just listen, we can help you vent.”
Hua Changxi smiled and nodded, “You and A Niu watching the apothecary shop has already helped me a lot. I was just tired yesterday. Is there any food left? I want to eat the wontons you made.”
Pu Cao smiled, “Yes, I’ll go make them for you right away. Oh, Pharmacist Xu came again. He’s helping A Niu out front. Although he said he wasn’t in a hurry to see you, he’s been coming every day for the past few days. I think he really has something important.”
Hua Changxi nodded, “Go and call him in.”
Pu Cao called Pharmacist Xu to the backyard and then went to the kitchen to make food.
Hua Changxi looked at Pharmacist Xu, “Uncle Xu, is there something at Qihuang Hall?”
Pharmacist Xu smiled and walked up to Hua Changxi. He took out a bamboo jar, a pot of Spirit Spring water, and a tea stove from his storage bag. “This is the Forget Worry Tea I specifically saved for you.” As he spoke, he began to brew the tea.
“Forget Worry Tea?”
Hua Changxi smelled the tea aroma and indeed felt her mood lighten.
Pharmacist Xu smiled, “I saw you were in a bad mood yesterday and didn’t know what you were going through. I couldn’t help, so I could only brew you a pot of Forget Worry Tea. After drinking this tea, you won’t have any more worries.”
Hearing his words, Hua Changxi’s gaze softened. She picked up the bamboo jar containing the tea and looked at the pale yellow-patterned tea leaves inside. Her expression immediately changed.
“Uncle Xu, such good tea, where did you get it from?”
Pharmacist Xu smiled and said, “A friend gave it to me.” Seeing Hua Changxi’s changed expression, he quickly asked, “Is there a problem?”
Hua Changxi shook her head, “No problem. It’s just that Forget Worry Tea has another name: Meng Po Tea. After drinking it, one can indeed temporarily forget their troubles, but one cannot drink too much, or they might lose their memory.”
Pharmacist Xu’s face changed drastically, “I thought this was a good thing, so I specifically saved it for you.”
Hua Changxi smiled, “Uncle Xu, this is indeed good tea. Just don’t drink too much of it.”
Hearing this, Pharmacist Xu breathed a sigh of relief, “Fortunately, you recognize this tea. Otherwise, if you drank too much and lost your memory, it would be my fault.”
Seeing that Pharmacist Xu had stopped brewing the tea, Hua Changxi knew he had reservations. She took over the task and continued brewing. When the tea was ready, she poured a cup for herself and one for Pharmacist Xu. She picked up her cup, first smelled the aroma, then took a sip, and continued, “Meng Po Tea grows in the Nine Netherworlds. Uncle Xu, your friend is quite capable.”
Pharmacist Xu waved his hands, “My friend is just an ordinary pharmacist in the Medical Affairs Department, how could he be considered capable? I suspect this Forget Worry Tea was also given to him by someone else.”
Hua Changxi looked at Pharmacist Xu, “Uncle Xu, times have changed. After the Spiritual Energy Revival, all sorts of demons and monsters have appeared. A moment of carelessness can endanger your life. In the future, when interacting with people, you must be more vigilant. I can guarantee that your friend is definitely not ordinary.”
Seeing Pharmacist Xu about to retort, Hua Changxi raised her hand to stop him, “I’ve been to the Nine Netherworlds, and I almost didn’t make it back each time. Meng Po Tea grows by the Forgetfulness River, and the Forgetfulness River is in the heart of the Nine Netherworlds.”
“Uncle Xu, do you know? I can’t even get past the outer reaches of the Nine Netherworlds. Someone who can venture deep into the heart of the Nine Netherworlds must have strength superior to mine. Even if his tea was given to him by someone else, the fact that he can associate with people who enter and exit the heart of the Nine Netherworlds shows he is no ordinary person.”
Listening to this, Pharmacist Xu’s expression changed rapidly.
Hua Changxi looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then reminded him, “Uncle Xu, if you encounter something you can’t resolve, you can come to me. I will help if I can.”
First, Pharmacist Xu became a cultivator, and now he produced a specialty from the Nine Netherworlds. Her intuition told her that this was not simple. What worried her most was Xu Ling.
Xu Ling was a person with an ancestral bloodline who was suspected of being targeted by the Demon Race!
After his expression shifted, Pharmacist Xu chuckled, “Jiu Niang, you’re overthinking it. I’m in the Medical Affairs Department, so I won’t encounter any danger. However, I appreciate your good intentions. If I really encounter trouble, I will definitely bother you.”
