Chapter 91: Human Seed Fruit
On the eighteenth of February, the shop’s plaque was completed, and amidst a burst of firecrackers, the Shen Nong Hall Apothecary Shop officially opened.
Inside the shop, there were only Hua Changxi, A Niu, and Pu Cao, along with a green ox peeking from the back door.
Because the shop was located in a rather remote area, apart from the neighbors who heard the firecrackers and came to take a look, no one else arrived.
Looking at the deserted street, Pu Cao and A Niu exchanged glances, somewhat at a loss.
Seeing that there was no one in the shop, Pu Cao looked at Hua Changxi with concern, “Changxi, should I go out and try to attract some customers?”
Hua Changxi shook her head, “No need. I never intended to do retail anyway. If someone comes to buy medicine in the future, you can sell it to them. If no one comes, it doesn’t matter.”
Pu Cao: “But if that’s the case, can we make money?”
Hua Changxi: “We can. Don’t worry, someone will come soon.”
An hour later, Yu Hui arrived with Wan Xiaozhou and Li Meng.
Looking at the quiet and deserted shop, Yu Hui chuckled, “Sister, it’s your opening day, why didn’t you invite more people? It would create more of a lively atmosphere.”
Hua Changxi glanced at him. Was it that she didn’t want to invite people? The problem was, she didn’t know any medicine merchants or dealers.
“Brother Yu, if you know any medicine merchants, please introduce them to me.”
Yu Hui gave a sheepish smile, “I’m just a storeroom steward, I don’t know many people. However, if I get to know any in the future, I’ll definitely introduce them to you.”
Hua Changxi smiled, “That would be great. If you really bring me a major customer, I’ll give you a discount.” With that, she led him to the medicine cabinet where Pu Cao was, and introduced Pu Cao to him.
“Brother Yu, this is the steward of the apothecary shop. When I’m not here, she will be responsible for the shop’s business. As you know, I still have duties in the Labor Department and won’t always be here. If you come to purchase medicine and I’m not around, you can completely find her.”
“Pu Cao, this is Steward Yu Hui, our shop’s first major customer.”
Pu Cao quickly greeted him and expressed that she would definitely host Yu Hui well in the future. She then nodded towards Li Meng and Wan Xiaozhou standing behind him.
Yu Hui smiled and accepted, looking at Hua Changxi with emotion, “Sister, I truly didn’t expect Eunuch Jia to let you take over Eunuch Lu’s duties. When I heard about it, I thought everyone was joking.”
Hua Changxi didn’t want to elaborate on the matter, and perfunctorily replied, “It’s all due to Eunuch Jia’s favor.” She pointed to the pills behind the counter, “Brother Yu, the Martial Artist Pills openly sold in the shop are only from First Rank to Fifth Rank.”
“But since we’re all insiders, I have Sixth Rank, Seventh Rank, and Eighth Rank pills available for you. How much medicine are you planning to purchase this time?”
Upon hearing that there were even Sixth and Seventh Rank pills, Yu Hui’s heart trembled. He directly took out ten thousand taels of silver from his embrace, “Sister, I’m about to break through to Fifth Rank. I want to buy a lot of Fifth Rank pills, and also some Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Rank pills.”
Hua Changxi took the silver and smiled, “It seems Brother Yu has been earning quite a bit of silver lately.”
Yu Hui chuckled, “Thanks to your guidance, sister.”
Hua Changxi handed the silver to Pu Cao, letting her handle the transaction with Yu Hui throughout. She merely watched from the side. Seeing that Pu Cao handled it well, she didn’t interfere.
After Yu Hui bought the pills and chatted with Hua Changxi for a while, he left with Wan Xiaozhou and Li Meng.
As soon as the three of them left, Hua Changxi looked at Pu Cao and A Niu, “You can rest assured now. Our apothecary shop will definitely be able to operate for a long, long time.”
One customer purchasing ten thousand taels of silver worth of pills completely put Pu Cao and A Niu at ease.
Previously, when Hua Changxi mentioned that the apothecary shop would focus on wholesale, they had some concerns, but now they had none at all.
Afterward, Hua Changxi watched Pu Cao record the account book. Seeing that there was nothing else to do at the shop, she prepared to return to the Medical Affairs Department.
Not long after leaving the apothecary shop, she saw people fighting in a restaurant on the street, smashing tables, chairs, and plates, while the shop owner was on the verge of tears from anxiety.
Seeing this scene, Hua Changxi thought for a moment, turned back to the apothecary shop, and set up a First-Tier Defense Formation in both the shop and the backyard.
Thanks to the 《Four Arts Beginner》 in Old Daoist Jiang’s storage ring, it contained a simple explanation of how to refine pills, make talismans, refine artifacts, and set up formations. Low-level formations were easy to learn, just follow the steps in the book.
Afterward, Hua Changxi gave Pu Cao some Spirit Stones and told her the formation eye of the Defense Formation, instructing her to replenish Spirit Stones regularly to ensure the continuous operation of the Defense Formation.
On the other side, Yu Hui took the pills and returned to the Medical Affairs Department first. Upon arrival, he went to find Eunuch Yu and handed him the Eighth Rank pill that Eunuch Yu needed.
He had indeed earned some silver by selling pills, but he couldn’t afford to take out ten thousand taels at once. The money for buying pills this time was given to him by Eunuch Yu.
Eunuch Yu took the pill and asked, “Is the apothecary shop’s business good?”
Yu Hui shook his head, “It’s very quiet. Today is the opening day, and I might be the only customer.”
Eunuch Yu was silent for a moment, “Find an opportunity to introduce Great Merchant Zhuo to Hua Changxi.”
Yu Hui looked at Eunuch Yu in surprise. Ever since the Imperial Guards searched the Labor Department half a month ago, he had clearly felt a change in his godfather’s attitude towards Hua Changxi.
Before, when Hua Changxi returned from the Medicine Farm, even after learning that she was valued by a Grandmaster, his godfather had shown no reaction. But today, he, who was always stingy, actually gave him ten thousand taels of silver and told him to patronize Hua Changxi’s business.
And now he wanted to introduce Great Merchant Zhuo to her.
Eunuch Yu sighed, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so greedy when cooperating with Hua Changxi for alchemy. He looked at Yu Hui, “Fortunately, you still have some acquaintance with her. Make sure to interact with her well in the future.”
Seeing Yu Hui’s confused look, as if he didn’t understand why he was doing this, Eunuch Yu had to explain clearly, “Do you know that on the day the Imperial Guards searched the Labor Department, if Hua Changxi hadn’t stepped forward, how many people in the Labor Department would have died?”
Facing the Imperial Guards, not only were the laborers terrified, but even stewards with some background like Eunuch Yu were very afraid.
Xiao Luzi was the best proof. It was said that he was gone the day after entering the Imperial Prison.
“Many people in high positions are targeting the Medical Affairs Department. Since Ninth Street is difficult to infiltrate, they set their sights on the Labor Department.”
“Eunuch Sun of the First Department had no background and was the first to be eliminated.”
“Eunuch Zhao of the Second Department and Eunuch Jia of the Third Department have some connections in the palace, which is why they can barely hold onto their positions.”
“During this period, the Labor Department has been in turmoil, with one scheme after another targeting Eunuch Zhao and Eunuch Jia.”
“The two of them managed to withstand it, but then the incident of stolen medicine occurred, and the thief left traces, which led the Imperial Guards to the Labor Department.”
“If Hua Changxi hadn’t stepped forward and forced Leng Xiangru out, the entire Labor Department would have undergone a major reshuffling. Even the storeroom would have been affected.”
Listening to Eunuch Yu’s analysis, Yu Hui was filled with lingering fear.
The Imperial Guards do not adhere to evidence when investigating cases. Since the thief’s last traces appeared in the Labor Department, according to the Imperial Guards’ methods, everyone in the Labor Department was a suspect, and they had the right to arrest any suspect.
Being arrested by the Imperial Guards and thrown into the Imperial Prison was equivalent to being sentenced to death.
Eunuch Yu looked at Yu Hui, “The Imperial Guards don’t even care about high-ranking officials in the court, yet they didn’t touch Hua Changxi, even though she fought against them. Do you know why?”
Yu Hui scratched his head, unable to figure it out, “Sister Changxi doesn’t have any background either.”
Eunuch Yu stated directly, “Because she is a Cultivator.”
Although the events of the Sixth Bureau that day were ordered to be kept secret by Eunuch Jia, he still had to expend great effort and even lose face to get Eunuch Jia to relent.
Water droplets suspended in the air and transformed into water arrows – that was the method of a Cultivator, yet Hua Changxi blocked it.
What did this indicate?
It indicated that Hua Changxi was also a Cultivator.
Cultivator.
If not for the earth-shattering Great Battle that erupted at Five Finger Mountain last September, he wouldn’t have known for so long that there were even more powerful Cultivators above Martial Artists.
Before that, the existence of Cultivators was only known to the Royal Family and some top Nobles.
In the past few months, he had used all the connections he could, making inquiries from various sources, and only managed to learn a little about Cultivators.
He never expected that there was a true Cultivator right beside him.
Unfortunately, he had offended her.
Eunuch Yu was truly regretting it immensely. In the past half month, he had investigated the Hua Family’s background again. To his surprise, one of the Hua Family’s daughters was a direct disciple of the Sect Leader of Taisu Palace.
Only then did he understand why Eunuch Jia could still remain in the Labor Department unharmed.
“Eunuch Jia is fortunate. Without Hua Changxi, he would have been the first to die in the stolen medicine incident. Even if he didn’t die in the Imperial Prison, those coveting his position would have killed him.”
“Only Xiao Luzi died, but his life was spared, and the Third Department is still under his control, without any fundamental damage.”
Yu Hui truly hadn’t expected so many things to be involved. However, what he wanted to know most at this moment was: “Godfather, what is a Cultivator?”
Being ill-informed, even though the commotion at Five Finger Mountain was significant, he didn’t pay attention to the few rumors he heard.
Eunuch Yu looked at Yu Hui with an unusually gentle tone, “I’m not sure myself. If you want to know, go ask Hua Changxi.”
Yu Hui was unsure if Hua Changxi would tell him, “Then I’ll interact more with Sister Changxi in the future.”
Eunuch Yu showed a smile of a promising disciple, “Hui’er, if you can find out about Cultivators from Hua Changxi, I will give you half of my accumulated wealth over the years.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Hui couldn’t help but swallow. He knew how much Eunuch Yu loved to save money; half of his wealth would be a considerable sum.
Eunuch Yu didn’t say anything about Yu Hui’s reaction. When he learned that Grandmasters were like fish on a chopping block when facing Cultivators, he desperately wanted to become a Cultivator himself.
Now, he could only rely on Yu Hui to try and mend his relationship with Hua Changxi.
After Hua Changxi returned to the Medical Affairs Department, she first visited the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Bureaus.
Perhaps because her “big stick” was quite formidable, and her “carrots” genuinely took care of the laborers, there were no major disturbances after she took over Eunuch Lu’s position.
Even the Imperial Guards didn’t come looking for trouble again.
Of course, she didn’t know if the Imperial Guards had communicated with Eunuch Jia.
Thinking about this, Hua Changxi returned to her courtyard and took out the pill box that Steward Leng had wanted to frame her with. It contained three Body Transformation Pills.
Body Transformation Pill means shedding the mortal body.
When combined with Wood Spirit Pill, Fire Spirit Pill, Water Spirit Pill, Earth Spirit Pill, and Metal Spirit Pill, Body Transformation Pills can shape Spiritual Meridians. The ones Shi Niang gave to the family were three Body Transformation Pills and three Wood Spirit Pills.
Items that can shape Spiritual Meridians are naturally extremely scarce. Refining Body Transformation Pills requires a type of innate spiritual fruit – the Human Seed Fruit.
Although Human Seed Fruit is not like Creation Fruit, which is destroyed by heavenly lightning upon its appearance, it is extremely difficult to grow and mature. It must undergo heavenly tribulation once every hundred years.
It doesn’t bear many fruits, only one every hundred years.
Since these Body Transformation Pills are refined by the Medical Affairs Department, it is evident that the Royal Family possesses Human Seed Fruit trees.
However, with the current Spiritual Energy Revival, the spiritual fruits under the stone cliffs of Three Forked Medicine Valley and the spiritual fruits of Five Finger Mountain are growing at an astonishing rate. Hua Changxi speculated that the Royal Family should have accumulated a batch of Human Seed Fruits.
Hua Changxi looked at the somewhat crudely refined three Body Transformation Pills with disdain. The quality of the Spiritual Meridians shaped by taking such pills would not be very good. She directly put the Body Transformation Pills back into the Shen Nong Cauldron.
The pills sold in the shop were stocked up and could last for some time. Now, she needed to prepare to start refining Elixirs.
『First-Rank Alchemist（Supreme-grade Pill）: Alchemy 2267 furnaces 2267/10000』
Seeing that she still needed to refine over seven thousand more furnaces of pills to reach Second-Rank Alchemist, Hua Changxi took a deep breath and began taking out the required Spiritual Plants, Spiritual Medicines, and Spiritual Fruits from the Shen Nong Cauldron, then threw herself into alchemy.
Located on the left side of the center of First Street in the Medical Affairs Department stood a nine-story pavilion, with a plaque bearing the three gilded characters ‘Medical Affairs Department’.
Ding Peng, a Tongzhi of the Imperial Guards, visiting the Medical Affairs Department for the first time, stood before the pavilion and said to Gu Qiming, the Department Head of the Medical Affairs Department, beside him, “Is the location of this pavilion not built correctly?”
Gu Qiming smiled, “When this pavilion was originally constructed, the official in charge intended to build it in the very center of First Street. However, as soon as construction began, strange incidents occurred frequently.”
Ding Peng looked curious, “What strange incidents?”
Gu Qiming said, “As long as a pavilion was built in the center, no matter how sturdy it was, it would collapse the next day.”
“That is indeed a strange occurrence.”
Ding Peng looked at the pavilion and then walked forward.
To the right of the pavilion was a T-shaped intersection that ran through Ninth Street and led to the plaza behind.
“Behind Ninth Street are the Labor Department and the Apprentice Hall?”
“Yes.”
Afterward, the two said nothing more, and Gu Qiming led Ding Peng to his office.
Ding Peng’s visit this time was regarding the incident of ten Body Transformation Pills being stolen from Second Street half a month ago.
Ten Body Transformation Pills were lost. The Imperial Guards, using Spirit Detecting Devices, found four in the Apprentice Hall. Combined with the three found in the Sixth Bureau of the Labor Department, a total of seven were recovered.
“Leng Xiangru is a member of the Asura Gate.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qiming took out a wooden box from a cabinet on his desk and handed it to Ding Peng.
Ding Peng opened it and saw a Wood Spirit Pill inside, “Department Head Gu, what do you mean by this?”
Gu Qiming said, “The remaining three pills were taken by Leng Xiangru. Let’s close the case with this.”
“You arrested quite a few people from the Apprentice Hall, which is enough to satisfy the higher-ups. The people in the Labor Department are all poor commoners. They have no channels to know about Cultivators, so there’s no need to investigate further.”
Ding Peng’s eyes flickered, and he smiled, “I heard from Yin Jianxiong that there is a Cultivator hidden in the Labor Department. Aren’t you curious about her origins?”
Gu Qiming smiled, “I believe the Imperial Guards have already thoroughly investigated her origins.”
Otherwise, given the Imperial Guards’ investigative style, they would have already arrested Hua Changxi.
Ding Peng thought of Hua Changxin of Taisu Palace and her relationship with the Fifth Prince, and fell silent, “. Do you think the remaining three Body Transformation Pills might be in Hua Changxi’s possession?”
Gu Qiming: “Based on common sense, they shouldn’t be. If she had really taken the Body Transformation Pills, she would have been somewhat guilty facing the Imperial Guards, right? How could she dare to step forward and confront you directly.”
Ding Peng fell silent again. After a moment, he asked, “The situation at Kunlun Mountain should be nearing a conclusion, right?”
Gu Qiming paused, “As long as a high-level Cultivator doesn’t suddenly appear like at Five Finger Mountain, the results should be out soon. If nothing unexpected happens, the palace will choose to cooperate with Taisu Palace.”
Upon hearing this, Ding Peng looked at the pill box in his hand and decisively put it into the storage bag at his waist.
