Chapter 48: Goodbye Gu Jin Fan
Eunuch Lu was eager to break through to the Fourth Rank and become a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist. Upon learning that Hua Changxi could refine pills, he directly told her to wait in the courtyard. He went out and soon returned with three sets of medicinal herbs for refining Meridian Opening Pills.
These medicinal herbs were not discarded waste but were already processed and intact.
Hua Changxi was not particularly surprised that Eunuch Yu could access some discarded medicinal herbs. After all, they were waste. Whether merchants took them for disposal or the stewards below misappropriated them, it did not harm the interests of those above, so they wouldn’t pay much attention.
However, Eunuch Lu could procure processed medicinal herbs, which were supposed to be handed over to the medicine storeroom.
Hua Changxi was somewhat surprised. Was a steward of the Labor Department, not even the head, that powerful?
Despite her surprise, Hua Changxi did not inquire about the source of the medicinal herbs. She wisely played her role as a mere laborer who followed orders and refined pills.
This was Eunuch Lu’s first time seeing Hua Changxi refine pills. Watching her skilled and fluid refining techniques, he felt even more regard for her.
Hua Changxi’s mastery of alchemy was even deeper than he had imagined.
She was knowledgeable about the properties of medicinal herbs, could detoxify, and refine pills. Not to mention the apprentices in the Apprentice Hall, even the probationary disciples in the Disciple Hall might not be her match.
For someone like her to be a laborer in the Labor Department must mean she had ulterior motives.
As Eunuch Lu pondered these thoughts, he decided that he must instruct Steward Leng to keep a closer eye on Hua Changxi in the future.
One set of medicinal herbs yielded 10 Meridian Opening Pills. With three sets, Hua Changxi refined 30 Meridian Opening Pills. Without waiting for Eunuch Lu to say anything, she took 12 pills for herself before handing the remaining 18 to him.
Seeing this, Eunuch Lu’s expression turned somewhat grim. However, observing that Hua Changxi used nearly half the amount of medicinal herbs compared to the Medical Affairs Department for refining pills, he ultimately said nothing.
“You may return to your duties. I will send someone to notify you when I need pills refined.”
Hua Changxi took the pills and left. Upon returning to the Sixth Bureau, she found Du Ruo. “Steward Du, Eunuch Lu has withdrawn his order to assign me extra duties. I will still be washing 500 medicinal herbs.”
Du Ruo knew Hua Changxi had gone to see Eunuch Lu earlier. Hearing her words, he simply responded with a faint “Mm.” “The Labor Department cannot accommodate overly clever people. You must look out for yourself.”
Hua Changxi did not agree with Du Ruo’s sentiment but knew he spoke out of good intentions, so she did not argue. She turned to head to the storeroom to collect medicinal herbs.
As she neared the storeroom, she saw several people emerging from it. Hua Changxi’s expression suddenly changed drastically, and she quickly ducked behind a nearby cart.
After those people had walked away, Hua Changxi emerged from behind the cart with a grave expression.
It was her!
The Young Woman who was competing with the red-robed Demonic Daoist for the Red Stone on the altar!
“Brother Yu!”
Hua Changxi walked towards Yu Hui and asked curiously, “Brother Yu, who were those people just now? The people in the storeroom seemed to be afraid of them.”
Yu Hui did not conceal anything. “They are from the Apothecary Shop on Second Street. The Young Woman leading them is Gu Jin Fan, the new disciple recently accepted by Pharmacist Tong. She is the Seventh Young Lady of the Duke of Xin State’s Mansion.”
Hua Changxi’s eyes flickered. “She’s a Young Lady from a Duke’s Mansion.”
The Hua Family and the Duke of Xin State’s Mansion were worlds apart. Why would Gu Jin Fan know her?
Yu Hui continued, “Changxi, I heard that Gu Jin Fan is also very skilled at alchemy. Pharmacist Tong is one of the most formidable pharmacists in the Medical Affairs Department, and all his disciples are masters of alchemy.”
Hua Changxi was not particularly interested in that. What concerned her was, “Brother Yu, isn’t there a dedicated team that delivers medicinal herbs to the various apothecary shops on Second Street? Why did they come to the storeroom themselves?”
Speaking of this, Yu Hui’s expression suddenly turned serious. “Sister Changxi, tell me honestly, what kind of medicine were those withered medicinal herbs you took previously?”
Hua Changxi countered, “Are they here looking for those withered herbs?”
Yu Hui looked at her and nodded. “Yes. Pharmacist Tong is the most enthusiastic about researching new medicines in the Medical Affairs Department. Any new medicine that arrives at the Medical Affairs Department must be sent to him.”
“Yesterday, didn’t the people from Sancha Medicine Farm deliver a batch of medicinal herbs? Among them were two baskets of the withered herbs you were looking for. I don’t know how they got the news, but as soon as they arrived today, they directly asked me for those withered herbs.”
“I was originally planning to give you those two baskets of withered herbs today, but now they’ve all been taken by them.”
“Oh, and Gu Jin Fan also asked me how the previous withered herbs were handled.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi’s expression tightened. “What did you tell her?”
Yu Hui replied, “Of course, I said they were disposed of as waste medicinal herbs.” He paused and probed again, “Sister, what exactly are those medicinal herbs?”
Hua Changxi looked at him. “It’s a new type of medicine with some miraculous effects.”
Yu Hui immediately pressed, “What miraculous effects?”
Hua Changxi: “If you consume it, you will explode and die.”
Even when withered, Spirit Grass still retained a small amount of Spiritual Energy. Spiritual Power was a force even more potent than Internal Energy. If an ordinary person consumed it without a Spiritual Meridian and without knowing how to absorb it, the Spiritual Energy would accumulate in their body, causing them to explode.
Yu Hui’s expression froze. “Is that true?”
Hua Changxi: “If you don’t believe me, you can try it next time Sancha Medicine Farm delivers withered herbs.”
Yu Hui quickly shook his head. “Let’s forget about that.”
Hua Changxi was silent for a moment. “Brother Yu, I have something to ask of you. Please don’t tell anyone that I took the withered herbs.”
Seeing her serious expression, Yu Hui wanted to ask why, but after a moment’s hesitation, he didn’t. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.”
Hua Changxi smiled. “Thank you.”
Afterward, Hua Changxi did not chat further with Yu Hui. She collected 500 medicinal herbs and returned to the Sixth Bureau.
As soon as she left, Yu Hui called Wan Xiaozhou and asked him to fetch a live chicken from the kitchen and bring it to his room.
“Brother Yu, what do you need a live chicken for?”
Yu Hui did not respond. Instead, he chopped up a half-withered Spirit Grass he had hidden and fed it to the chicken.
After eating, the chicken began to bleed from all seven orifices within moments. Then, its skin split open, and finally, with a ‘bang,’ it exploded and died.
“Ah~”
Looking at the chicken meat fragments splattered all over the room, both Yu Hui and Wan Xiaozhou were so frightened their faces turned pale.
“Brother Yu, what was that withered herb?”
Yu Hui swallowed. “What Sister Changxi said is actually true!”
When Hua Changxi had asked for withered medicinal herbs before, he hadn’t paid much attention. It wasn’t until today when Gu Jin Fan personally came to inquire about the withered herbs that he realized they were not ordinary.
When handing the withered herbs to Gu Jin Fan, he couldn’t help but secretly hide a few stalks.
He had thought it was some Precious Medicine, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a deadly medicinal herb.
On the other side, Hua Changxi, who had returned to the Sixth Bureau to wash medicinal herbs, was somewhat distracted.
She hadn’t expected the Young Woman who was competing with the red-robed Demonic Daoist for the Red Stone to be a Young Lady from a Duke’s Mansion, and now she was also in the Medical Affairs Department, just like her.
She had obtained the fortune of the Red Stone. She feared encountering Gu Jin Fan again and having her discover this fact.
For the sake of the Red Stone’s fortune, the red-robed Demonic Daoist had jumped into the lava, disregarding his life. If Gu Jin Fan were to find out that the fortune had fallen into her hands, her actions would be truly unpredictable.
Hua Changxi felt a strong sense of crisis.
Gu Jin Fan had taken the Spirit Grass, clearly knowing its medicinal efficacy.
“So, is Gu Jin Fan also a Cultivator?”
Hua Changxi glanced at her realm data: 『 Realm: Qi Sea Realm 15250/100000』.
Gu Jin Fan was a Young Lady from the Duke of Xin State’s Mansion, possessing power and influence. Now, she was also the disciple of the most formidable pharmacist in the Medical Affairs Department, possessing more knowledge of cultivation and greater Resources than her.
Hua Changxi felt that her realm must be inferior to Gu Jin Fan’s.
Although she knew some spells, they were all related to Alchemy Techniques. She did not know how to use Spiritual Power for actual combat.
She couldn’t win in a fight, nor did she have the same influence as Gu Jin Fan.
She could only avoid her!
Hua Changxi’s brow furrowed. Should she leave the Medical Affairs Department?
Gu Jin Fan’s understanding of cultivation was certainly superior to hers. The fact that she had come to the Medical Affairs Department indicated that there was something she desired here.
Pharmacist Tong researched new medicines. For a Young Lady from a Duke’s Mansion to become his disciple, she was clearly aiming for new medicines.
Therefore, her previous guess was correct: the Medical Affairs Department should indeed be collecting various Spiritual Plants.
Hua Changxi did not want to leave the Medical Affairs Department. Besides being the easiest place to access Spiritual Plants, it also provided a job, and this job was precisely in her area of interest.
A person’s abilities are ultimately limited. They need a suitable platform to exert their capabilities, and the Medical Affairs Department was clearly an excellent platform.
If she wasn’t leaving, then she could only temporarily evade her.
Simply improving her cultivation realm was too slow. Hua Changxi had always wanted to find an opportunity to go to Three Forked Medicine Valley to collect Spirit Grass.
It was now February, and the Labor Department would soon send laborers to help plant medicinal herbs in various Medicine Farms and Medicine Valleys. If she went to Three Forked Medicine Valley, she could not only avoid Gu Jin Fan but also use the opportunity to search for Spirit Grass.
“How can I get to Three Forked Medicine Valley?”
Just as Hua Changxi was contemplating how she could be assigned to help at Sancha Medicine Farm, Eunuch Lu, after consuming three Meridian Opening Pills refined by Hua Changxi, broke through to the Fourth Rank in just seven days.
After becoming a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist, Eunuch Lu was not grateful to Hua Changxi but was eager to control her and have her refine pills for him to earn more Silver.
To this end, Eunuch Lu approached Eunuch Yu, seeking to cooperate with him.
Eunuch Yu also did not want to give up a 40% share. “Hua Changxi is a Martial Artist. I can’t do anything to her.”
Eunuch Lu smiled. “Eunuch Yu, this is the Medical Affairs Department. When working in an official capacity, does one ever rely on a person’s Martial Force?”
Hearing this, Eunuch Yu’s expression shifted.
Eunuch Lu continued, “She is just a laborer. Whether she continues to stay in the Labor Department is a mere word from me. If Hua Changxi wants to remain in the Labor Department, she must listen to us.”
“Besides, we provide the medicinal herbs. Without medicinal herbs, what use is her excellent alchemy technique? We are already being generous by not charging her for practicing her skills with our medicinal herbs.”
In Eunuch Lu’s view, Hua Changxi, as a mere laborer, had no right to negotiate with them. If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t bypass the storeroom to procure medicinal herbs, he would have wanted to get rid of Eunuch Yu as well.
Eunuch Yu was persuaded and smiled at Eunuch Lu. “I will have someone summon Hua Changxi now. You can speak with her.”
Eunuch Lu: “Not yet. Let’s first finalize the profit sharing between you and me.”
When it came to profit sharing, Eunuch Yu immediately became serious. The two exchanged words several times, and in the end, he reluctantly accepted a 50/50 split.
After discussing the profit sharing, Eunuch Yu instructed Yu Hui to summon Hua Changxi.
When Yu Hui saw Eunuch Lu arrive, he already had a bad premonition, which now came true.
Sister Changxi, who provided the skills, received no share, let alone him.
At this moment, Yu Hui truly hated Eunuch Lu. Without the pills, how could he practice martial arts? But he had no power to object and could only brace himself to find Hua Changxi.
“Brother Yu, what’s wrong?”
Yu Hui angrily told Hua Changxi about Eunuch Lu approaching Eunuch Yu.
Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi was also somewhat surprised by the greed of these Eunuchs. The previous Eunuch Yu had tried to force her with Martial Force, and now Eunuch Lu wanted to force her with power.
Wanting a horse to run without giving it grass – was there such a good thing in the world?
Seeing Hua Changxi remain silent, Yu Hui thought for a moment and reminded her, “Sister, if you want to continue staying in the Labor Department, it’s best not to confront Eunuch Lu head-on.”
Hua Changxi was naturally angry, but not overwhelmingly so.
Female laborers were generally not sent to help in Medicine Farms or Medicine Valleys unless they offended a steward.
She had been agonizing over how to get to Three Forked Medicine Valley. Wasn’t this like a pillow appearing just as she was about to sleep?
“Brother Yu, I definitely don’t want to work for free. If I have a conflict with the two Eunuchs later, please don’t speak up for me.”
Hearing this, Yu Hui became anxious. “Sister, don’t do anything foolish.”
Hua Changxi: “Brother Yu, listen to me. Didn’t I tell you before that I wanted to visit the Medicine Farm? I was serious about that.”
Yu Hui was both anxious and confused. “Everyone avoids it, why do you insist on rushing into it?”
Hua Changxi did not explain. “Brother Yu, later, in front of the two Eunuchs, just mention my conflict with Mao Yong and Mao Wei. If they don’t punish me by sending me to Sancha Medicine Farm, I will be extremely grateful.”
“Let’s go. You’ve been out for quite some time. Don’t make Eunuch Yu angry.”
Seeing that Hua Changxi was serious about confronting the two Eunuchs head-on, Yu Hui tried to persuade her all the way.
Soon, the two arrived at Number Nine Qihuang Hall.
Eunuch Lu got straight to the point. “Hua Changxi, Eunuch Yu and I have discussed it. You are taking too much profit. From now on, we will give you one hundred taels of Silver per month, and you just need to refine pills for us with peace of mind.”
Hua Changxi looked at him. “Eunuch Lu, what if I refuse?”
Eunuch Lu smiled. “If you refuse, then you cannot continue to stay in the Labor Department.”
Hua Changxi: “I was recruited by Eunuch Jia. If you want to drive me away, I will go to Eunuch Jia to seek justice.”
Eunuch Lu feared no one except Eunuch Jia. As soon as Hua Changxi mentioned Eunuch Jia, his expression immediately turned grim. “Hua Changxi, you are just a laborer. One hundred taels of Silver per month is already a high income that many people can only dream of. Don’t be too greedy.”
Hua Changxi: “Since you think I’m greedy, then you should find other Pharmacists to refine pills.” Saying this, she turned to leave.
Eunuch Lu slammed his hand down, breaking the table. “Insolent! Do you think I really dare to expel you from the Labor Department?”
Hua Changxi’s expression turned cold. “Eunuch Lu, if you do not act according to the rules, you had best not leave the Medical Affairs Department, or an accident might occur.”
Seeing Hua Changxi directly threaten Eunuch Lu, Yu Hui’s legs trembled with fear.
Eunuch Lu was so enraged that his face turned ashen.
Eunuch Yu had anticipated that this matter would not go smoothly, but he had not expected Hua Changxi to be so resolute.
Fighting, she might not be able to win.
Using power to suppress others, but she was not afraid. How could this be resolved?
