Chapter 229: The Commoner’s Role Model
Hua Changxi sent a communication talisman to Tong Yao, and to her surprise, received an immediate reply. With that, she left the Medical Affairs Department and headed to the Imperial Guards’ South City office building.
As soon as she stepped onto the street where the Imperial Guards’ South City office building was located, Hua Changxi saw Tong Yao waiting at the street corner.
“Fellow Daoist Tong.”
Tong Yao looked at the red-robed female cultivator approaching him with a complex expression. Before this, he had always thought Hua Changxi was older than him, but he never expected she had only recently passed her coming-of-age ceremony.
“Should I call you Fellow Daoist Hua now, or Hall Master Hua?”
It was clear that Tong Yao had now figured out Hua Changxi’s true identity.
Hua Changxi smiled, “It’s just a title, whatever you prefer.”
Tong Yao also smiled, “Then Fellow Daoist Hua it is.” With that, he led Hua Changxi into a nearby restaurant.
The two sat down in a private room on the second floor of the restaurant, facing the street.
Tong Yao took out a tea set from his storage bag, controlled a spiritual fire with his right hand, and in the blink of an eye, brewed a pot of spiritual tea, pouring a cup for Hua Changxi.
“The spiritual tea I have can’t compare to that from the Dan Sheng Hall, please make do with it, Fellow Daoist Hua.”
Hua Changxi picked up the tea and took a sip, “Mm.”
Just as Tong Yao expected her to comment on the spiritual tea, Hua Changxi said, “I don’t know how to appreciate tea.”
Tong Yao: “…”
Hua Changxi looked at his astonished expression, “Is it strange that I don’t know how to appreciate tea?”
Tong Yao shook his head with a smile, “I forgot, Fellow Daoist Hua is still young.”
Hua Changxi was even more confused, “What does drinking tea have to do with my age?”
Tong Yao patiently explained, “Fellow Daoist Hua is young, in the stage of daring to venture and fight. At this time, one’s focus is on conquering the world. As for the appreciation of life, it might be somewhat neglected.”
Hua Changxi, “What does the appreciation of life have to do with drinking tea?”
Tong Yao smiled, “There are eight elegant pursuits in life: music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers, and tea. For us ordinary folks, even if we can’t master them all, we should learn at least one or two, so as not to waste this life.”
Hua Changxi chuckled, “If I don’t know the eight elegant pursuits you mentioned, then I’ve come to this world in vain?”
Tong Yao chuckled, “That’s not what I mean. I mean, setting aside fame and fortune, life should have some other pursuits. Otherwise, how dull and uninteresting would life be?”
“…”
Hua Changxi looked at Tong Yao with an inquisitive gaze, thinking to herself: Is this guy indirectly calling her dull and uninteresting?
But upon reflection, she realized that besides cultivation and alchemy, she had no other hobbies, and her life was indeed a bit boring and uninteresting.
Hua Changxi looked at Tong Yao, “Can you find joy in life by drinking tea?”
Tong Yao smiled, “Everyone’s appreciation of life is different. I drink tea daily to cultivate my character and constantly improve my virtue. The joy within it is difficult to describe in words.”
“One day, when Fellow Daoist Hua finds something she can persist in daily, something to anchor her body and mind, then we can sit down and discuss our insights and experiences.”
Hua Changxi understood Tong Yao’s implied meaning. He was looking down on her, afraid she wouldn’t understand his life philosophy of drinking tea, and that it would be like playing the lute to a cow.
Tong Yao didn’t continue talking about tea and changed the subject, “It’s the New Year, and you’re looking for me in such a hurry, Fellow Daoist Hua. Is there something urgent?”
Hua Changxi looked at him, “Did you hear about what happened at the Medical Affairs Department on Lunar New Year’s Eve?”
Tong Yao nodded, “The Guardian of the Dao appeared. Such a major event, it spread throughout the Capital City on Lunar New Year’s Eve. How could I not know?” He then looked at Hua Changxi.
“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Hua. I heard you are one of the only two people who obtained a high-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm.”
Hua Changxi, “Yes, I obtained a secret realm and want to cooperate with you.”
Tong Yao raised an eyebrow, “Cooperate? How?”
Hua Changxi, “You know artifact refining, and I know alchemy. We can exchange what we have.”
Tong Yao had already witnessed Hua Changxi’s alchemy skills. Xia Yang and Xia Xue were safe and sound thanks to the healing pills she had provided at the time.
He also had a certain understanding of her character.
Back then, at the formation eye of the Artifact Saint Palace, she had stepped in to save them during a crisis and didn’t seek repayment afterward, showing she was someone worth befriending.
Furthermore, the Five Great Sacred Lands were meant to support each other. If Fellow Daoist Hua obtained the Divine Wood Secret Realm, she was part of the Dan Sheng Hall, and cooperating with her would be beneficial and harmless to the Artifact Saint Palace.
“It is my honor to cooperate with Fellow Daoist Hua.”
Seeing that he agreed to cooperate, Hua Changxi smiled and said, “We’ll discuss the specific details of our cooperation later. Fellow Daoist Tong, has your array formation master friend returned to the Capital City?”
Tong Yao nodded, “Yes, he has. Even if Fellow Daoist Hua hadn’t looked for me, I would have notified you after the New Year.”
Hua Changxi quickly said, “Can you call him out now? I also want to cooperate with him.”
Tong Yao didn’t hesitate much. He took out a communication talisman and began to contact him. Soon, he said to Hua Changxi, “My friend is free, he’ll be here shortly.”
Hua Changxi’s expression brightened. She watched the communication talisman in Tong Yao’s hand burn out, her eyes flickering, “Communication talismans are useful, but they are consumed too quickly.”
Each communication talisman could generally only be used five times and was also limited by distance.
Hua Changxi thought of her phone from her past life and looked at Tong Yao, “Fellow Daoist Tong, I’ve conceived of a spiritual artifact specifically for communication. It can not only send messages but also make voice calls and face-to-face exchanges.”
Hua Changxi explained the composition and function of the mobile phone to Tong Yao in detail.
“Fellow Daoist Tong, what do you think? Isn’t my idea good?”
“Can you refine such a spiritual artifact?”
“With this spiritual artifact, our communication will be much more convenient.”
Tong Yao actually began to think seriously. Although the spiritual artifact Hua Changxi described would require sound recording stones and image stones, if it could truly be refined, it would be much more useful than communication talismans.
“I’ll try it when I get back.”
Hua Changxi, “If you really refine it, you have to give me some.”
Tong Yao smiled, “Don’t worry, if I really refine it, I’ll definitely give you some.”
After they talked for a while, there was a knock on the door.
Tong Yao got up to open the door and then exclaimed in surprise, “Jing Le, why are you here with Fellow Daoist Yan?”
Hua Changxi looked up and saw Jing Le walking into the room with a blue-robed female cultivator.
“I was just at Fellow Daoist Yan’s place. I heard you were looking for her, so I came along.”
Jing Le explained with a smile to Tong Yao, then looked at Hua Changxi, “Happy New Year, Fellow Daoist Hua.”
Hua Changxi stood up, “Happy New Year.”
Tong Yao closed the door and smiled, introducing, “Fellow Daoist Hua, this is the array formation master I told you about, Yan Zhenzhen, Fellow Daoist Yan.”
Hua Changxi smiled and nodded at the blue-robed female cultivator, “Fellow Daoist Yan.”
Tong Yao was about to introduce Hua Changxi to Yan Zhenzhen, but Yan Zhenzhen interrupted him.
“No need for introductions. Nowadays, which cultivator in the entire Capital City doesn’t know about Fellow Daoist Hua who obtained the high-grade Divine Wood Secret Realm?” Yan Zhenzhen smiled at Hua Changxi, her eyes filled with curiosity and inquiry.
Hua Changxi’s eyes flickered, and she smiled, “So I’ve become so famous.”
Yan Zhenzhen looked at her and nodded seriously, “You’ve surpassed the alchemy prodigy chosen by the Guardian of the Dao. Do you think you wouldn’t be famous?”
“On Lunar New Year’s Eve, the Guardian of the Dao appeared at the Medical Affairs Department and opened the Dan Sheng Hall’s Divine Wood Secret Realm. This matter has spread like wildfire among cultivators.”
“Do you know who the person everyone is talking about the most is?”
“It’s not Meng Qingyao, who ignited the pill fire on Second Street of the Medical Affairs Department, nor is it the younger generation of the Five Great Guardian Families. It’s you.”
Hua Changxi was puzzled, “Why would they talk about me?”
Yan Zhenzhen, “You’re a commoner. A commoner’s rise to success, what an inspiration! Do you know, your appearance has given hope to many commoner cultivators? They all look up to you as an example.”
“Moreover, you’re a young woman. You’ve broken many people’s preconceived notions.”
Hua Changxi: “.”
