Chapter 202: Original Heart Tarnished
Hua Changxi walked out of Di Xiu Temple with a grim expression.
Tong Yao followed behind her, looking as if he had something to say but couldn’t.
Upon reaching the main gate of Di Xiu Temple, Hua Changxi suddenly stopped and asked, “Fellow Daoist Tong, Master Jing Le isn’t very old, is he?”
Tong Yao nodded.
Hua Changxi’s expression softened slightly. “That’s right. If he’s not old, his cultivation is probably just average, and his understanding of Buddhist teachings is likely only superficial.”
“…” Tong Yao looked at Hua Changxi, wanting to say that she didn’t look old either, yet her cultivation was somewhat terrifying.
Hua Changxi snorted and complained to Tong Yao, “Master Jing Le couldn’t help me ignite the White Flame, and I didn’t say anything to him. Why did he jump to conclusions about me? Does he know me that well? He acted as if he had me all figured out.”
Actually, if Jing Le had spoken about other issues she had, she might not have been angry, but for him to say she didn’t believe in herself was simply preposterous.
Hua Changxi paused. “Do monks all like to say profound, unfathomable things and directly pass judgment and summarize other people’s lives?”
Tong Yao quickly explained a couple of things for his friend. “Jing Le definitely didn’t mean to judge you. I know him; he always says what he sees.”
“Of course, I’m not saying what he sees is always correct. It’s just that we can’t always listen to the same voices. Sometimes, we have to allow different voices to enter our ears, don’t you agree?”
Hua Changxi: “I agree with what you said. I’m not so arrogant as to demand that the world only allow voices similar to mine to exist. What bothers me is Master Jing Le’s certainty.”
Tong Yao nodded with a smile. “Jing Le can be a bit too set in his ways sometimes.”
Hua Changxi’s expression calmed. “Fellow Daoist Tong, regardless, thank you for accompanying me to Di Xiu Temple today.”
Tong Yao smiled. “You’re too polite.” He paused. “I’ll ask Jing Le about the Yang Flame again. If he thinks of any other methods, I’ll let you know.”
Hua Changxi nodded. “Then thank you.”
Afterward, Hua Changxi left. Tong Yao watched her go before turning back into Di Xiu Temple.
Jing Le was still contemplating Hua Changxi’s inability to ignite the Yang Flame. Seeing Tong Yao return, he asked, “Is Benefactor Hua very disappointed that she couldn’t ignite the Yang Flame?”
Tong Yao shook his head. “I didn’t see any disappointment, but she was indeed quite angry with you.”
Jing Le looked surprised. “Why would she be angry with me?”
Tong Yao looked at the bewildered and confused Jing Le and said irritably, “You made a rash judgment, saying that Fellow Daoist Hua doesn’t even believe in herself. If you say that to her, even I think you’re talking nonsense.”
Jing Le looked enlightened. “So that’s what she’s angry about.” He smiled. “Her being angry means my words did touch her. If she were truly indifferent, she wouldn’t get angry over a single sentence from me.”
Tong Yao thought about it and it seemed to make sense, but he was still unsure. “But Fellow Daoist Hua appears so bright and unrestrained, how could she lack self-confidence?”
Jing Le was silent for a moment. “Those are just appearances. To understand a person, you must look at the world they harbor within their heart. Benefactor Hua must have experienced very painful things. Her lack of self-confidence stems from her disbelief that this world would treat her kindly. Her true heart is clouded, blocking love and kindness from entering.”
Tong Yao couldn’t understand this at all. Someone would actually reject love and kindness?
“That’s not right. Didn’t Benefactor Hua willingly help me stabilize the center of the formation eye, help me drive away the Demon Race, and help me save Xia Yang and Xia Xue? Don’t these things prove she is a kind person?”
Jing Le: “What I mean is, her true heart is obscured by some negative things, but her heart is still the same heart. Human nature is inherently good. Even if the heart is obscured, it will still do good to the best of its ability.”
Tong Yao: “I understand. So, Fellow Daoist Hua is still worth befriending, right?”
Jing Le listened to his utilitarian words and shook his head silently, seemingly not in agreement.
Seeing this, Tong Yao was dismissive. “Jing Le, if you were just an ordinary monk at Di Xiu Temple, you could be detached and uninvolved. But you are the future Holy Lord of the Talisman Saint Pavilion. You have to manage a Sacred Land, so you must learn to be utilitarian and weigh the pros and cons.”
“I am utilitarian, but I am openly utilitarian. I have value that Fellow Daoist Hua needs, and Fellow Daoist Hua has something I want. We each get what we need, neither taking advantage of the other, cooperating and developing together. What’s wrong with that?”
Jing Le: “…There’s nothing wrong with it, I just feel that you two are somewhat pitiful.”
Tong Yao was speechless. “How are we pitiful?”
Jing Le: “You only see what you need and what you seek, not the real person. You only have desires, no true feelings. Isn’t that pitiful? You both treat each other as tools for your own use, cold and indifferent. Isn’t that pitiful?”
Tong Yao was silent for a moment. “Everything is for development; there’s no other way. Besides, a person’s energy is limited; how can one give true feelings to everyone?” After saying that, he quickly got up and slipped away.
Arguing with Jing Le was definitely asking for trouble. Even if he couldn’t win the argument, he might end up doubting himself and feeling guilty. It was much more relaxing to interact with people like Hua Changxi, where exchanges were clearly priced and equivalent.
After leaving Di Xiu Temple, Hua Changxi’s mood grew more unsettled the more she thought about Jing Le’s words. Thinking of the informants at Number Thirteen Qihuang Hall, she lost the desire to return and left the Capital City directly, flying to Lingguang Hall.
On the Red Stone Plaza of Lingguang Hall, figures consumed by lust were struggling to move towards the Transmission Hall.
After a glance, Hua Changxi went directly to the main hall, sat down, and began to silently chant the Heart Cleansing Mantra with her eyes closed.
Jing Le’s words echoed in her ears, and she grew more and more angry. She didn’t know what she was angry about, only that the back of her hand felt a stinging pain. When she looked inward at her Dantian, she saw the Black Flame on her Nascent Soul’s heart showing signs of igniting.
After chanting the Heart Cleansing Mantra for a long time, until nightfall, Hua Changxi’s heart finally calmed completely, and she opened her eyes with a solemn expression.
An insignificant person, a self-righteous judgment, had caused her to waste half a day to calm her emotions.
Hua Changxi took out a White Jade Lotus Petal, her expression somewhat dark and unreadable.
Without the White Flame to counteract the Black Flame on her Nascent Soul’s heart, the Black Flame would continue to consume more of the heart. Relying solely on the Heart Cleansing Mantra to suppress the Black Flame was clearly unrealistic. Firstly, the Heart Cleansing Mantra required a long time to use, and secondly, the Black Flame spread very rapidly. At a critical moment, the Heart Cleansing Mantra might not be effective.
“I still need to find a way to ignite the White Flame.”
If one White Jade Lotus Petal couldn’t help her ignite the White Flame, then she would find more. She refused to believe she couldn’t ignite it.
Without the intention to return to the Medical Affairs Department, Hua Changxi went back to Five Finger Mountain, collected a batch of Third Rank spiritual medicine, and transplanted some Third Rank spiritual medicine and spiritual plants into her Mustard Seed Space. Upon returning to Lingguang Hall, she stayed in the main hall of Lingguang Hall, focusing on refining Third Rank Pills.
For this alchemy, she not only used her Spiritual Sense to assist but also used the Shen Nong Cauldron for the first time.
The Shen Nong Cauldron gave her a big surprise!
With ordinary alchemy furnaces, even with excellent alchemy techniques, one batch could refine at most ten Elixirs. However, the Shen Nong Cauldron could refine hundreds of Elixirs in one batch. This was still because her control over Spiritual Power was not precise enough, and her Spiritual Sense was not used smoothly.
She could sense that if her control over Spiritual Power and Spiritual Sense improved further, the pill output rate would be even higher!
Hua Changxi was engrossed in the abundant harvest from refining with the Shen Nong Cauldron until the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, when the Communication Talisman at her waist vibrated, and she stopped refining.
“Jiu Niang, Pharmacist Xu wants you to return to the Medical Affairs Department quickly. Prince Shou wants to summon all the Qihuang Hall Masters tomorrow.”
Hua Changxi frowned upon hearing Pu Cao’s message. Tomorrow was Lunar New Year’s Eve. Summoning people on Lunar New Year’s Eve, the day for family reunions, made Prince Shou quite detestable.
Third-grade Alchemist Supreme-grade Pill: Alchemy 1501 furnaces 1501/10000
After refining pills for half a month, she had obtained nearly twenty thousand Third Rank Supreme-grade Pills, but the number of alchemy furnaces used was much less than before, only able to refine a little over ten furnaces per day.
“It seems that for upgrades, I still need to use ordinary alchemy furnaces. Once the level is raised, then I’ll use the Shen Nong Cauldron for alchemy.”
Hua Changxi tidied up the main hall, preparing to return to the Medical Affairs Department the next morning. Before leaving, she flipped her wrist, summoned the Vermilion Bird Army Roster, and looked at it. The roster already recorded fifteen hundred Vermilion Bird Army soldiers.
