Chapter 256: The Mover of Eras
Early on the second day of the second lunar month, Hua Minghe went to the Medical Affairs Department.
He knew that his own family could not provide his daughter with any help or support. With the Royal Family and nobles joining forces to deal with his daughter, the clan would not intervene either.
Out of concern for his daughter, he decided to follow Old Master Hua’s advice and persuade Hua Changxi not to oppose the Royal Family and nobles.
Upon arriving at the Medical Affairs Department, Hua Minghe spoke to the gatekeeper and was easily allowed in.
According to regulations, outsiders were not allowed in or out of the Medical Affairs Department. The reason Hua Minghe was able to enter so easily was mainly because the Royal Family and nobles expected the Hua family members to persuade Hua Changxi to willingly back down.
Unfortunately, upon reaching Number Thirteen Qihuang Hall, Hua Minghe couldn’t find Hua Changxi at all.
“Pharmacist Xu, do you know where Jiu Niang has gone?”
Pharmacist Xu smiled wryly, “The Hall Master is always elusive, like a dragon seen but never its tail. Unless she appears, we have no way to contact her.”
He also wanted to see Hua Changxi quickly to inform her that the higher-ups had stopped them from recruiting apprentices.
Hua Minghe waited at the hall until noon. Seeing that Hua Changxi hadn’t returned, he could only leave for now. “Pharmacist Xu, when Jiu Niang returns, please ask her to come home for a visit.”
Pharmacist Xu nodded in agreement. He guessed Hua Minghe’s purpose for seeking Hua Changxi and sighed as he watched his departing back.
Zhu Yu walked up to Pharmacist Xu and said worriedly, “Where has the Hall Master gone? I hope she doesn’t disappear for months like she did before.”
Pharmacist Xu glanced at him, “She won’t. The Hall Master instructed us to recruit apprentices, so she will definitely pay attention to the recruitment progress.”
Zhu Yu frowned, “But the higher-ups don’t want us to recruit. What should we do?”
Pharmacist Xu fell silent.
Not far away, Hua Shuran, Hua Wanyue, along with He Sirong and He Siqi, all wore troubled expressions.
Hua Shuran looked at the He sisters and asked, “Will you be among the first batch to swear allegiance to the Dan Yuan Secret Realm?”
He Sirong retorted, “Will you?”
Hua Shuran didn’t speak. The Earl’s Mansion had already sent word that unless Hua Changxi was willing to offer the Hua clan preferential treatment far above ordinary apprentices, the Earl’s Mansion would not intervene.
Seeing Hua Shuran’s silence, He Sirong guessed the Dingyuan Earl’s Mansion’s decision. However, she said nothing. The Marquis Wu Yi’s Mansion had the same stance.
She actually disagreed with the Marquis’s Mansion’s decision.
From her understanding of Hua Changxi, it would be very difficult for her to bow down to the Royal Family and nobles.
Although Hua Changxi was fighting against all parties single-handedly, with almost no chance of winning, what if?
If Hua Changxi won, the Marquis’s Mansion would miss the best opportunity to get closer to her.
After Hua Shuran left with Hua Wanyue, He Siqi saw He Sirong still frowning and said, “Second Sister, don’t worry anymore. The Marquis’s Mansion is right to follow the Dingyuan Earl.”
He Sirong shook her head, “It’s different. Even if Hua Changxi dislikes the Dingyuan Earl’s Mansion, she is still a member of the Hua clan. Their relationship is unbreakable.”
“But our Marquis’s Mansion is only connected to Hua Changxi through Third Aunt.”
“Originally, because of marrying Third Aunt, Hua Changxi already had a lot of dissatisfaction with the Marquis’s Mansion. If we do everything according to the Earl’s Mansion, we will never be able to get close to Hua Changxi.”
He Siqi said, “What you’re saying is right, but it’s too risky for the Marquis’s Mansion to stand up and support Hua Changxi now.”
He Sirong’s eyes flickered, “High risk, high reward.”
He Siqi disagreed with this approach, “Hua Changxi is very popular right now, but she is too ostentatious and doesn’t know how to cooperate with others. Her future is uncertain. Grandfather will not gamble the future of the Marquis’s Mansion.”
He Sirong knew this too, which was why she felt so helpless.
He Siqi continued, “I don’t think Hua Changxi is very concerned about the secret realm. After handing over the matter of recruiting apprentices to Pharmacist Xu, she disappeared. I’ve never seen a superior like her.”
Regarding the fact that they often couldn’t see Hua Changxi, He Sirong didn’t know what to say.
Where was Hua Changxi at this moment?
At Lingguang Hall.
Yesterday, after the teleportation array at Five Finger Mountain was set up, it was already late. She directly teleported back to Lingguang Hall to cultivate for the night and return to the Medical Affairs Department early in the morning.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she started cultivating, she discovered that her cultivation speed had increased again.
Now, in one hour of cultivation, she could increase her Spiritual Energy Points by five million.
『 Realm: Nascent Soul Realm 3.1 billion/1 billion; Spiritual Sense: （100+100） million』
Hua Changxi silently looked at her cultivation data.
Based on her previous advancement, to break through the Nascent Soul Realm and advance to the next realm, Spiritual Platform Realm, her Spiritual Energy Points would need to reach 10 billion.
With her current cultivation speed, if she cultivated for twelve hours a day, she could break through to the Spiritual Platform Realm in three to four months!
Her cultivation speed had increased again, and she could break through to the next realm in a few months. This made Hua Changxi very happy. Coupled with the sufficiently dense Fire Spiritual Energy in Lingguang Hall, Hua Changxi unknowingly became completely immersed in the joy of cultivation.
She was so engrossed in cultivation that she didn’t feel the passage of time. When she finished cultivating, a month had already passed.
『 Realm: Nascent Soul Realm 4.9 billion/1 billion; Spiritual Sense: （100+100） million』
Hua Changxi enjoyed watching her cultivation level increase bit by bit, but she also knew she couldn’t just focus on cultivation. There were many matters waiting for her in the secret realm.
Stopping her cultivation, Hua Changxi stepped into the teleportation array in Lingguang Hall. After a moment of dizziness, she appeared on the fourth level of the Dan Yuan Secret Realm.
Thanks to the Divine Wood Leaf, Hua Changxi could exit the secret realm at any location within the Sacred Land.
When she appeared silently at Number Thirteen Qihuang Hall, Pharmacist Xu and the others were startled.
“Hall Master, you’ve finally appeared.”
Seeing Hua Changxi, Pharmacist Xu and the others were overjoyed.
Hua Changxi called everyone into the hall and listened to their reports.
Although she had guessed that Pharmacist Xu and the others would not have a smooth time recruiting apprentices, she hadn’t expected that in a month, they wouldn’t have recruited a single person.
Soon, she learned the reason from Pharmacist Xu and the others: she was being boycotted by all the nobles, led by the Royal Family!
Hua Changxi did not want various parties to interfere in the affairs of the Dan Yuan Secret Realm, and she had anticipated that some nobles might target her. She was mentally prepared for this.
However, she hadn’t expected the nobles’ reaction to be so strong, uniting to deal with her.
“I know about this. You all go about your business.”
With that, Hua Changxi left Number Thirteen Qihuang Hall. Her appearance immediately drew everyone’s attention.
“Hall Master Hua is finally back.”
“Do you think she will bow down to Prince Shou?”
“I hope she bows down quickly, otherwise Prince Shou will not allow her to recruit apprentices, and we won’t be able to join the Dan Yuan Secret Realm.”
Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Hua Changxi walked into Gu Xing’s Old Courtyard.
Seeing Hua Changxi, Gu Xing was a little surprised, “Why are you here?”
Hua Changxi didn’t exchange pleasantries with him and got straight to the point, “Prince Shou and the others don’t want me to recruit apprentices. Are you not going to do anything about this?”
Gu Xing’s expression paused, “I can’t do anything about this.”
Hua Changxi glared, “You are the gatekeeper of the Sacred Land, you represent the Sacred Land the most. If you don’t intervene, who will?”
Gu Xing looked at her, “But the Sacred Land is not yet the Sacred Land. The Medical Affairs Department is under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Court.”
Hua Changxi was very dissatisfied with this answer, “The apprentices I recruit are intended to cultivate Alchemists for the Sacred Land. Prince Shou and the others won’t let me recruit people, and you won’t even help me.”
Gu Xing asked, “How do you want me to help? Do you think Prince Shou and the others will listen to me?”
Hua Changxi was speechless, “According to you, you’re going to let Prince Shou and the others have their way?”
Gu Xing was silent for a moment, “The only ones who can contend with the Royal Family and nobles are those from the Spiritual Realm Pavilion.”
Hua Changxi frowned, “What do you mean?”
Gu Xing said, “You should go to the Spiritual Realm Pavilion. Let the Spiritual Realm Pavilion negotiate with the Royal Family.”
Hua Changxi’s face lengthened, “You clearly know I haven’t joined the Spiritual Realm Pavilion at all.”
Gu Xing shook his head, “You are the Secret Realm Master, which makes you a member of the Spiritual Realm Pavilion.”
Hua Changxi crossed her arms, her attitude resistant, “The Spiritual Realm Pavilion was initiated by the Guardian Family, the Xia Family. They deliberately excluded me from the first meeting. If I go to the Spiritual Realm Pavilion now, wouldn’t that be equivalent to bowing down to the Xia Family?”
“Even if that were the case, are you sure the Guardian Family will help me? They might be watching my downfall, and going to them would be like walking into a trap to be humiliated!”
Gu Xing’s expression was serious, “When a person walks in this world, they must bow their head when it’s time to bow.”
Hua Changxi said sternly, “But I don’t want to bow!”
“Everything I do is for the Sacred Land. I haven’t done anything wrong, so why should I compromise and back down?”
Gu Xing sighed upon hearing this, “This is how the world is. You are currently at the mercy of others. If you want to achieve something, you must abide by their rules.”
Hua Changxi declared, “I won’t! The Sacred Land isn’t mine alone, and cultivating Alchemists isn’t my sole responsibility. If you don’t let me recruit people, I won’t open the secret realm.”
With that, she left without looking back.
Gu Xing sighed when he saw this.
When will this temperament be tempered?
