Chapter 46: Revenge
The last time Hua Changxi coincidentally met Lu Qingluo and her sister discussing personal matters, she waited for them to leave to avoid awkwardness. This time, Hua Changxi didn’t want to wait and walked directly past them from behind.
“Changxi.”
Seeing Hua Changxi, Lu Qingluo was startled, and even Lu Qingling’s expression became a bit unnatural.
It was quite awkward to gossip about someone behind their back and then be overheard by the person themselves.
Hua Changxi smiled at Lu Qingluo, then turned her gaze to Lu Qingling: “Although your analysis was thorough and sounded reasonable at first glance, have you ever interacted with me? Have you ever dealt with me?”
“We haven’t even spoken a few words to each other. Are you sure you’re analyzing Hua Changxi as a person?”
Lu Qingling never expected Hua Changxi to so directly expose her gossiping and then question her face-to-face.
Whether in the Lu family or in the Apprentice Hall, everyone tried to avoid direct conflict. Someone like Hua Changxi, who confronted issues head-on, truly caught her off guard.
Seeing Lu Qingling’s reaction, Hua Changxi sneered, “What you analyzed were just rumors. What do you call someone who takes rumors as truth – smart, or foolish?”
After speaking, without regard for Lu Qingling’s wide-eyed glare of anger, she strode directly into the Sixth Bureau.
Who doesn’t talk about others behind their back? Who isn’t talked about behind their back?
Hua Changxi could accept being gossiped about behind her back, but she didn’t want to encounter it. Encountering it once was one thing, but encountering it twice or thrice, and all of it badmouthing her, then of course she had to step forward and reclaim her dignity.
“She…”
Lu Qingling pointed at Hua Changxi, her face flushed red, whether from anger or shame.
Lu Qingluo knew Hua Changxi’s combat prowess well and quickly comforted her sister, “Sister, don’t be angry. Changxi’s mouth is just like that; she often puts people in difficult positions.”
Lu Qingling quickly calmed her emotions and, after a moment of silence, said, “This Hua Changxi is truly a person of character.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Qingluo was surprised and let out an “Ah,” seeing that her sister wasn’t scolding Hua Changxi but instead spoke with a hint of admiration.
Lu Qingling looked at her sister, feeling a bit uncomfortable, “Hua Changxi didn’t say anything wrong. My view of her was indeed biased.”
“Someone like Hua Changxi, who says what she means directly to your face, is much easier to get along with than those who are one way to your face and another behind your back.”
“Although she can make people uncomfortable, it’s still much better than scheming behind someone’s back.”
Lu Qingluo nodded in agreement, “Actually, as long as you don’t provoke Changxi, Changxi is very reasonable.”
Lu Qingling didn’t want to talk about Hua Changxi anymore. She took out the notes she had recorded in the Apprentice Hall and was about to instruct Lu Qingluo to study them carefully when she saw a group of people running towards the storeroom.
“What happened?”
Lu Qingluo stopped someone from the Sixth Bureau and asked.
“There’s a fight at the storeroom. It’s quite fierce. I heard Martial Artists are involved.”
After hearing this, Lu Qingluo and Lu Qingling exchanged a look. Both sisters were curious about what a fight between Martial Artists would look like.
“Sister, shall we go take a look?”
“Let’s just watch from a distance.”
By the time the sisters arrived at the storeroom, it was already surrounded three layers deep.
“Who is fighting whom?”
“It’s people from Sancha Medicine Farm looking for trouble with the occupants of Storeroom Number Five.”
“What’s going on?”
“You know Mao Wei from Storeroom Number Five? Last year, Mao Wei had a few teeth knocked out, and he left Storeroom Number Five. Now, Mao Wei has returned with his brother, Mao Yong, to seek justice.”
The incident of Mao Wei being beaten had caused a brief stir in the Labor Department. Lu Qingluo and Lu Qingling both remembered it.
“Who beat Mao Wei?”
“I heard it was a Female Laborer.”
“How could a Female Laborer dare to make a move?”
“That Female Laborer has an unusual background. She’s the favored junior of Steward Yu Hui from Storeroom Number Five.”
Listening to the crowd’s discussion, Lu Qingling’s previous change of heart towards Hua Changxi, thinking she was a person of character and that her sister could interact with her more, vanished instantly.
People who are always entangled in gossip, no matter how capable or decent, are not suitable for friendship.
Within the crowd’s encirclement, Yu Hui looked at the arrogant Mao Yong and his group with a grim expression. He quietly said to Wan Xiaozhou, “Hurry and tell Godfather that someone is causing trouble at the storeroom.”
Upon hearing this, Wan Xiaozhou immediately went to find Eunuch Yu.
Yu Hui looked at Mao Yong beside Mao Wei. Mao Yong was a steward at Sancha Medicine Farm. He had come to the Medical Affairs Department today to deliver a batch of medicinal herbs. After the herbs were unloaded, he started causing trouble.
“Steward Mao, are you sure you want to cause trouble in the storeroom?”
Mao Yong: “I heard the person who injured my brother is your woman, Yu Hui. For Eunuch Yu’s sake, I won’t make things difficult for you. Hand over the person. My brother lost a few teeth, so she has to lose a few too.”
Yu Hui’s face darkened. He looked at Mao Wei, “Mao Wei, why were you beaten back then? Didn’t you tell your brother?”
Mao Wei was about to say something when Mao Yong raised his hand to interrupt him, “Second Brother has already told me what happened. But even if he said a few jokes, your woman shouldn’t have laid a hand on him.”
Yu Hui frowned, “Are you not going to reason with me anymore?”
Mao Wei was furious, “I’ve lost my teeth, and I can’t even enjoy eating meat now. What kind of damn reason are we talking about?”
Seeing more and more people gathering, Mao Yong didn’t want to escalate the situation. He walked directly towards Yu Hui, intending to force Yu Hui to hand over the person with martial force.
Seeing that he was about to make a move, Yu Hui’s expression changed drastically. Although he had been taking pills and practicing martial arts for the past two months, his foundation was too poor. He was only a Third-Rank Martial Artist now.
Fortunately, Mao Yong was only a Fourth-Rank Martial Artist. Despite the gap, Yu Hui could still block a few of his moves.
Watching Yu Hui and Mao Yong, who started fighting as soon as they disagreed, the onlookers quickly retreated several meters.
At first, Yu Hui fought cautiously, anxiously hoping Eunuch Yu would arrive quickly. But as he fought, he realized that Mao Yong couldn’t completely suppress him.
As a Fourth-Rank Martial Artist, Mao Yong had developed Internal Energy, but Yu Hui’s strength was a notch above his. He used brute force to withstand Mao Wei’s unleashed Internal Energy.
Yu Hui was surprised and quickly thought of the pills he had been taking.
He had long discovered that the medicinal efficacy of the pills refined by Hua Changxi was much stronger than those sold on the market, but he didn’t know how much stronger. However, after this sparring match, he knew.
Yu Hui fought with increasing vigor, even showing signs of pushing Mao Yong back.
The onlookers only thought Yu Hui was formidable, but the one-armed middle-aged man accompanying Mao Yong frowned deeply.
A Third-Rank suppressing a Fourth-Rank! The Medical Affairs Department truly had hidden talents!
“Bang!”
Yu Hui and Mao Yong exchanged a punch. Mao Yong took two steps back and stabilized himself, but Yu Hui was hit by the impact of Internal Energy and retreated several meters before regaining his balance.
Even so, it made Mao Yong a little apprehensive. He quickly glanced at Mao Wei.
Second Brother told him that Yu Hui was only a Second-Rank Martial Artist.
Was this a Second-Rank Martial Artist? Clearly, he was Third-Rank, and on the verge of breaking through to Fourth-Rank.
Mao Wei was also dumbfounded. When he left, Yu Hui was already a Second-Rank Martial Artist.
Mao Yong looked at Yu Hui coldly, “Yu Hui, I don’t want to escalate this. Are you sure you want to protect that Female Laborer?”
Seeing that he could actually push Mao Yong back, Yu Hui became more confident and retorted without yielding, “The fault lies with Mao Wei. If you truly want to be reasonable, Mao Yong, you shouldn’t have come here to cause trouble.”
Mao Yong’s face darkened, “It seems I can’t reason with you.” He then glanced at the one-armed man beside him.
The one-armed man nodded, and instantly, a crushing gravity like Mount Tai pressed down directly on Yu Hui. The surrounding onlookers also held their breath, feeling immense pressure.
Martial Artist’s pressure!
The moment the pressure hit, Yu Hui’s legs could barely stand straight, but he still bore it with great effort. Soon, his face turned red, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Seeing this, Lu Qingling tightly gripped Lu Qingluo’s hand, “Hua Changxi is too much of a troublemaker. And after she causes trouble, she might be fine, but those around her could suffer.”
“You watch, if this Yu Hui doesn’t hand over Hua Changxi, he’ll definitely be in trouble. But if he hands Hua Changxi over, he’ll feel guilty and be criticized by others.”
“Therefore, to avoid being in a dilemma, the best course of action is to have no involvement with Hua Changxi.”
Lu Qingluo was also frightened by the Martial Artist’s pressure and nodded repeatedly.
Lu Qingling was about to give her sister a few more instructions when a clear, cold female voice suddenly sounded from behind.
“I heard you were looking for me?”
Everyone turned to look and saw Hua Changxi walking over with a faint smile. The onlookers quickly made way for her.
Hua Changxi, unfazed by the Martial Artist’s pressure, calmly walked to Yu Hui’s front, pulled him behind her, and the mountain-like pressure in the air instantly vanished.
Seeing this, Mao Yong’s expression changed, and the one-armed man also showed a look of apprehension.
Hua Changxi looked at Yu Hui, “Brother Yu, are you alright?”
Yu Hui breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, wiping the sweat from his forehead, “I’m fine.”
Hua Changxi then turned to Mao Yong, “I was the one who hit your brother. If you want revenge, you should come to me. What’s the meaning of coming to the storeroom to cause trouble?”
She said this while looking at Mao Wei.
“It seems I didn’t scare you enough last time. Not only did you not realize your mistake, but you actually want to come back for revenge.”
Mao Wei shivered and quickly hid behind Mao Yong.
Mao Yong was about to say something when the one-armed man stopped him.
The one-armed man looked at Hua Changxi, “We were presumptuous today. We’ll leave now.”
Hua Changxi chuckled, “You come when you want and leave when you want?” She then sized up the one-armed man, “You’re a martial artist, aren’t you? Is this how the martial world operates?”
The one-armed man’s expression turned serious, “What do you want?”
Hua Changxi looked at Yu Hui.
Yu Hui was stunned for a moment and said in a low voice, “It’s best not to escalate things.”
Hearing this, Hua Changxi also didn’t want to escalate things. She looked at Mao Yong, “You came to the storeroom to cause trouble. You should at least apologize to Brother Yu, right?”
Upon hearing this, Yu Hui immediately wanted to say it wasn’t necessary to apologize to him, but meeting Hua Changxi’s gaze, he knew she was standing up for him, so he silently swallowed his words.
With a light cough from the one-armed man, Mao Yong, his face grim, pulled Mao Wei out and said to Steward Yu, “Steward Yu, my brother and I have offended you today.”
Yu Hui smiled and waved his hand, “It’s nothing. We’re not acquainted until we fight. Steward Mao, your martial arts are impressive. It’s my fortune to have sparred with you.”
Mao Yong glanced at Hua Changxi. Seeing that she remained silent, he pulled Mao Wei and was about to leave. As he turned, he heard Hua Changxi’s voice again.
“Is this matter over?”
The one-armed man answered for Mao Yong, “It’s over.”
Hua Changxi: “Good, since it’s over, I’ll turn the page. Don’t let anyone bring this up again in the future.”
The one-armed man: “We won’t.”
Hua Changxi smiled and looked at the grim Mao Yong and Mao Wei brothers, “If you still want revenge, you’re welcome. But remember, my name is Hua Changxi. Don’t mistake the person again.”
Mao Yong looked at her, “Since it’s over, we won’t bring it up again.” With that, he led Mao Wei, the one-armed man, and the other laborers who had delivered the medicinal herbs away.
After exiting the back door of the Medical Affairs Department, Mao Yong immediately looked at the one-armed man, “What rank Martial Artist is that Hua Changxi?”
The one-armed man shook his head, “She could instantly break my pressure. Her martial arts cultivation is definitely above mine.”
Mao Yong was shocked, “Brother Yu, you are a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist.”
The one-armed man looked at him, “Don’t underestimate anyone. At the Capital Martial Academy, the Martial Artists above Seventh-Rank are getting younger and younger. Didn’t a fifteen-year-old Eighth-Rank Martial Artist appear last year?”
“In the past, practicing martial arts required tempering the body bit by bit. But now, with the increasing number of miraculous medicines, some people take them and break through their shackles in a single day, directly becoming a Seventh-Rank acquired Martial Artist.”
Mao Yong listened with longing, “Are there really such miraculous medicines?”
The one-armed man shook his head, “I don’t know. But if there are such rumors, they can’t be completely baseless, right?”
Mao Yong looked at Mao Wei, “That Hua Changxi matter is over.”
Mao Wei saw that even the one-armed man dared not confront Hua Changxi directly, so how could he dare to say anything? “Brother, what about my job?”
Mao Yong: “From now on, you’ll follow me and work at Sancha Medicine Farm.”
At the storeroom, after Mao Yong and his group left, the others also dispersed.
Lu Qingluo watched Hua Changxi talking with Yu Hui and said to Lu Qingling, “Sister, although Changxi can cause trouble, she can also handle it.”
“And she’s so amazing. As soon as she came out, she didn’t do anything, just said a few words, and the people from the medicine farm had to apologize obediently.”
Lu Qingling had nothing to refute.
Lu Qingluo: “Sister, some of what you said is right, but not entirely. Look at Steward Yu, I think he’s very willing to interact with Changxi.”
Lu Qingling: “Alright, that’s their business. Let’s mind our own and go back quickly.”
Lu Qingluo glanced back at Hua Changxi one more time and silently followed Lu Qingling away.
Meanwhile, Hua Changxi performed the four diagnostic methods on Yu Hui and, seeing that he was indeed fine, prepared to leave the Medical Affairs Department to check on her rooms.
Seeing that Wan Xiaozhou hadn’t returned yet, Yu Hui decided to go see Eunuch Yu himself to discuss today’s events. They happened to be going the same way.
Halfway there, they encountered Wan Xiaozhou, who was returning.
Yu Hui: “I asked you to call Godfather, where did you take him?”
Wan Xiaozhou quickly glanced at Hua Changxi, then vaguely replied, “Eunuch Yu is busy and is currently entertaining Great Merchant Zhuo.”
Yu Hui’s expression paused, “Great Merchant Zhuo is here?”
Hua Changxi curiously interjected, “Who is Great Merchant Zhuo?”
Yu Hui whispered, “My Godfather can handle a batch of discarded medicinal herbs, right? He used to hand them over to this Great Merchant Zhuo.”
“Since you started refining medicine at Qihuang Hall, the amount of discarded medicinal herbs given to Great Merchant Zhuo must have decreased. He’s probably here to ask about this.”
Hua Changxi let out an “Oh” and didn’t ask further. Seeing that Wan Xiaozhou seemed to have something more to say, she parted ways with Yu Hui.
Watching Hua Changxi walk away, Yu Hui patted Wan Xiaozhou’s head, “What were you being so vague about just now?”
Wan Xiaozhou said with a wry smile, “Eunuch Yu deliberately didn’t go to the storeroom. He said this matter was caused by Sister Changxi, so she should resolve it herself.”
Yu Hui frowned, “Godfather still doesn’t consider Sister Changxi as one of his own.”
Wan Xiaozhou: “Isn’t that the truth? A few days ago, I saw Pharmacist Zhou again. Eunuch Yu was even thinking of having Pharmacist Zhou replace Sister Changxi.”
Yu Hui sighed, his head aching, “Sister Changxi takes forty percent of the profit, and Godfather has always been uncomfortable about it. But Sister Changxi provides the prescriptions and the technology, so it’s hard to justify giving her less.”
Wan Xiaozhou also sighed, “Isn’t that the truth?”
There’s no solution to the problem between Eunuch Yu and Sister Changxi. I hope the two of them don’t fall out, as many of us still rely on Sister Changxi’s pills for our cultivation.
