Chapter 50: The Shennong Cauldron

Chapter 50: The Shennong Cauldron

Hua Changxi returned to her dormitory with a splitting headache. As soon as she lay down on her bed, she began practicing the Little Bird Breathing Technique, continuously gathering spiritual energy toward her head.

Time slipped away quietly, and as the sky grew dark, people began returning to the dormitory.

Su Ruoli looked at the pale Hua Changxi lying on the bed. She called out to her twice tentatively; seeing no reaction, she quickly closed the door, walked to the bedside, lifted the quilt, and began groping around Hua Changxi's body.

Soon, she found a bottle of medicinal pills on Hua Changxi.

Su Ruoli’s expression brightened with joy. Just as she was about to take the pills, her hand was grabbed.

Startled by Hua Changxi opening her eyes and staring at her expressionlessly, Su Ruoli’s heart tightened. "Changxi, you're awake?"

Gripping Su Ruoli's wrist, Hua Changxi looked at her coldly. "What are you doing?"

Su Ruoli reacted quickly. "I saw you looking pale and thought you were sick, so I came to check on you."

Hua Changxi increased the pressure on her grip. "Checking on me involves taking the pills from my person?"

Su Ruoli felt as if her wrist were about to snap. She tried to break free from Hua Changxi's grip but couldn't move an inch. She could only cry, "No, I saw you carrying these pills with you and thought they might treat your illness, so I wanted to give them to you."

Hua Changxi sneered repeatedly. "Carrying pills on you means they are for treating illness? Do you not even use your brain when you lie?"

With a forceful movement, she waited until the pill bottle in Su Ruoli's hand fell onto the bed before flinging her away.

*Thud.*

Su Ruoli was thrown directly against the wall and collapsed painfully onto the floor.

By sheer coincidence, the door was opened at that exact moment.

As Wang Yunchu, Lu Qingluo, and the others entered, they saw Su Ruoli lying on the floor in agony while Hua Changxi sat on the bed, cold as ice.

Seeing that people had arrived, Su Ruoli immediately began to sob, letting out painful moans.

"Ruoli, what happened?"

Lu Qingluo rushed forward to help Su Ruoli up, but the moment her hand touched Su Ruoli, the latter let out an unbearable scream, casting a fearful glance at Hua Changxi in the process.

Her behavior made everyone present believe she had been beaten by Hua Changxi.

Wang Yunchu looked at Su Ruoli and then at Hua Changxi. "Changxi, did something happen?"

Su Ruoli spoke before Hua Changxi could. "It's my fault. I upset Changxi, so it's only right that she pushed me."

As she spoke, she feigned accidentally revealing the wrist Hua Changxi had grabbed.

Seeing Su Ruoli's bruised and swollen wrist, someone immediately stood up for her.

Auntie Lin looked at Hua Changxi disapprovingly. "Changxi, we all live in the same dormitory. Can you please stop resorting to violence every time something happens?"

Hua Changxi gave her a faint glance. "It's fine to be a little stupid, but to be stupid without knowing it and then insist on acting righteous to uphold justice for others—that is extremely obnoxious."

Having said that, ignoring the furious Auntie Lin, she looked at Su Ruoli with a half-smile.

"I don't think you should have come to the Labor Hall. People here use all their strength just to make a living. Since you're such a good performer, you should go find people who have nothing better to do and show off your acting skills there."

Su Ruoli lowered her head and leaned against Lu Qingluo, playing the part of the weak and pitiful victim to perfection. Noticing the changing expressions of the crowd, she suddenly looked up at Hua Changxi.

"Changxi, you offended Eunuch Yu and Eunuch Lu. They want to send you to work at the Sancha Medicinal Manor. I know you're angry, but you shouldn't take it out on me."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically.

Su Ruoli's intention was to let everyone know that Hua Changxi had offended two powerful eunuchs, thereby causing them to distance themselves from her. However, she hadn't expected that Wang Yunchu and the others would look worried instead.

Wang Yunchu looked at Hua Changxi anxiously. "Changxi, are you really being sent to work at the medicinal manor?"

Instead of showing the terror Su Ruoli expected, Hua Changxi actually seemed somewhat invigorated. "I don't know. No one has notified me."

She then looked at Su Ruoli. "How do you know something that even I, the person involved, am unaware of?"

"Are you one of Eunuch Yu's people? Or Eunuch Lu's? Did they send you to steal my pills?"

Hearing this, the crowd's perception of Su Ruoli shifted instantly.

Su Ruoli panicked. "Hua Changxi, don't make false accusations! When did I ever steal your pills?"

Wang Yunchu was also extremely anxious. "Forget the pills for now. Changxi, go find Manager Du immediately and beg her to intercede for you. You absolutely cannot go to the medicinal manor!"

Even Auntie Lin, setting aside her conflict with Hua Changxi, chimed in. "Exactly, go find Manager Du and plead your case!"

Hua Changxi looked at Wang Yunchu and the others, who were all worrying for her, and her expression softened significantly. "Su Ruoli is right. I did indeed offend the two eunuchs. If they punish me by sending me to the medicinal manor, I will simply accept it."

Wang Yunchu stepped forward quickly and whispered in her ear, "You can't go to the medicinal manor. It's a chaotic place; female laborers will suffer greatly there."

Unaccustomed to outsiders getting close, Hua Changxi shifted backward. "Don't worry, I'm not afraid."

Seeing her like this, Wang Yunchu didn't know how to persuade her further.

Knowing she meant well, Hua Changxi added, "Truly, don't worry about me. I can protect myself." She then rubbed her still-aching head.

"I'm feeling unwell and will sleep now. You all should rest early as well."

Seeing Hua Changxi lie down and close her eyes, Wang Yunchu had to swallow her remaining words.

Seeing that everyone's attention had been diverted to Hua Changxi, Su Ruoli clutched her seemingly broken wrist, leaned against the wall to stand up slowly, and then slipped out of the room while no one was looking.

Su Ruoli entered Manager Leng's room. After closing the door, she knelt on one knee. "Leader, that Hua Changxi's martial cultivation is definitely not low. I just searched her and found a Di Gang Pill."

Manager Leng sat lazily in his armchair, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, devoid of the fawning subservience he showed before Eunuch Lu. "A Di Gang Pill? That is a pill required by a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist."

Martial artist pills were difficult to refine; the higher the grade of the martial artist, the harder the pill was to make. This was because the medicinal efficacy within the herbs had to be activated using internal strength.

Therefore, a pharmacist refining pills for high-grade martial artists had to be more than just skilled in medicine and alchemy; they also had to be a martial artist of at least the Fourth Grade.

This was because only martial artists of the Fourth Grade or above could cultivate internal strength.

Manager Leng smiled. "It seems Hua Changxi caught the eyes of Eunuch Yu and Eunuch Lu because of her alchemy skills. Give me the Di Gang Pill to look at."

Su Ruoli's expression stiffened. "I was incompetent. Just as I found the pill, Hua Changxi woke up." She paused. "If the Leader wants the Di Gang Pill, you can send someone to search her belongings."

"A mere laborer carrying such a precious pill... we could even frame her for theft."

Manager Leng shook his head. "Doing that provides us with no benefit. Since Hua Changxi can refine Di Gang Pills, I want to recruit her for my own use."

Hearing this, Su Ruoli said hesitantly, "Hua Changxi might be difficult to subdue. Leader, you don't know—no matter how much I humble myself before her, she remains unmoved."

Manager Leng's fingers tapped lightly on the table. "Hua Changxi's temperament is indeed a bit difficult." He smiled. "What you said about searching her belongings sounds feasible."

"However, Eunuch Lu must be the one to do it."

"Wait until tomorrow. Eunuch Lu was called away by Eunuch Jia, so it's not a good time to seek him out. I will go to him first thing tomorrow morning and have him send someone to search her things."

"Once her crime of theft is solidified, I will step in to bail her out. Then, I won't have to worry about her not serving me."

"Now, go back and keep a close eye on her."

After Su Ruoli left, Manager Leng sat cross-legged on the bed. He then took out a black lotus jade piece, placed it in his palm, and closed his eyes.

The next day, when Hua Changxi woke up, the room was empty. Although her head no longer ached, her heart was heavy.

She didn't know why she had suffered such a sudden, agonizing headache.

Yesterday, although Eunuch Yu's arrest of her didn't involve life or death, what about next time? If she suffered a sudden headache during a fight with an enemy, wouldn't she be putting herself in grave danger?

Thinking about Su Ruoli searching her while she was cultivating yesterday made her expression even darker.

Hua Changxi took out the Di Gang Pill to look at it. Although she didn't know why Eunuch Yu had let her go yesterday, she still felt a lingering fear.

The Medical Department was, after all, a government office. Even if the medicinal herbs were provided by Eunuch Yu, if a Di Gang Pill were found on her, she wouldn't be able to clear her name.

"If only I had a storage treasure."

As the thought arose, Hua Changxi felt her head swell. In the next second, something burst out from her head.

Then, Hua Changxi was stunned.

A three-legged bronze cauldron, over a meter tall, stood steadily on the floor.

Staring at the bronze cauldron, Hua Changxi remained dazed for a long time before leaping off the bed.

Wasn't this the Shennong Cauldron she used to store small items in her previous life?

Compared to the dusty and tarnished version from her past life, the current Shennong Cauldron was radiant and lustrous, clearly a high-quality item.

"The Shennong Cauldron traveled with me?"

As her buried memories resurfaced, Hua Changxi recalled the reason for her transmigration.

Her uncle's family and her second uncle's family had come to seize the house her grandfather had left her. During the dispute, someone pushed her, and her head hit the Shennong Cauldron, killing her instantly.

Hua Changxi touched the Shennong Cauldron inch by inch. The events of her past life had become very blurry due to her deliberate attempts to forget.

Now, seeing the cauldron, many things surfaced in her mind.

In her previous life, her parents had died in a car accident when she was one year old, and she had lived with her grandfather ever since. When she was a sophomore in college, her grandfather passed away, and she had been alone from then until her death.

Hua Changxi shook her head, refusing to dwell on the past.

Her grandfather had told her that one must look forward and not live forever in the past.

She was now Hua Changxi, having restarted her life. She would face her life with a brand-new attitude and live actively in the present.

After composing herself, she began to ponder why the Shennong Cauldron had flown out of her head.

"Store!"

Hua Changxi placed both hands on the cauldron and thought of retrieving it. The cauldron instantly turned into a stream of light and entered her brow.

"Come out!"

The Shennong Cauldron reappeared in the room.

The repeated entering and exiting caused Hua Changxi's head to ache again, making her afraid to play with it recklessly.

Although the idea of a large bronze cauldron drilling into her head was somewhat terrifying, she felt relieved knowing she could now cultivate.

This was a fantasy world; there was no need to be shocked by strange occurrences.

Thinking of the medical inheritance she had gained, she finally had an epiphany.

The "Little Bird Breathing Technique" she obtained from the red stone must have been the cause. Through cultivation, she had absorbed spiritual energy, which activated the Shennong Cauldron, which in turn triggered the medical inheritance.

Looking back, being captured by that demonic priest had turned out to be a blessing in disguise; otherwise, she wouldn't know if the Shennong Cauldron could ever have been activated.

Recalling how she used to store trinkets and small objects in the cauldron in her past life, Hua Changxi quickly placed all the pills she had refined into it and tried to store the cauldron back in her mind.

The Shennong Cauldron entered her brow once more.

Seeing that the cauldron could truly store items, Hua Changxi was extremely excited. Just as she wanted to bring it out to see how much it could hold, a commotion erupted outside.

Then, the door was violently pushed open.

As a crowd swarmed in, Hua Changxi's gaze fell upon Eunuch Lu standing outside.

"Valuable medicinal materials were lost in the Labor Hall yesterday. Search the place thoroughly!"

Hua Changxi realized immediately that this was aimed at her. She felt immensely relieved that she had summoned the Shennong Cauldron in time and that it could store items.

The men sent by Eunuch Lu turned the room upside down, but aside from changes of clothes and daily necessities, they found nothing.

Standing beside Eunuch Lu, Manager Leng glanced at Su Ruoli.

Su Ruoli shook her head, indicating that Hua Changxi had not left the room.

Hua Changxi saw this clearly, but she quickly averted her eyes and looked at Eunuch Lu. To ensure she would be sent to the Sancha Medicinal Valley, she even gave him a provocative, mocking smirk.

Eunuch Lu was indeed furious. He said coldly, "Hua Changxi, you have assaulted others and performed your duties with negligence. This Eunuch punishes you by sending you to labor at the Sancha Medicinal Manor. You shall depart with the others the day after tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi's expression changed drastically, and she looked at Eunuch Lu with defiance.

Seeing this, Eunuch Lu felt somewhat satisfied. He flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

Once he was far away, Manager Leng looked at Hua Changxi disapprovingly. "Hua Changxi, what were you thinking? Why didn't you just bow your head and apologize to Eunuch Lu? The work at the medicinal manor is not something a young girl like you can handle."

Hua Changxi looked at Manager Leng without saying a word.

Seeing her silence, Manager Leng continued on his own. "Forget it. Since you are my subordinate, I'll try to plead for you once Eunuch Lu's anger subsides."

With that, he walked away, shaking his head helplessly.

As the onlookers dispersed, Du Ruo walked over with a cold face. "I told you before, don't be so ostentatious. Manager Leng is easy to talk to. I'll go with you to plead with her to ask Eunuch Lu not to send you to the manor."

As she spoke, she tried to pull Hua Changxi toward Manager Leng.

Not wanting to cause more trouble, Hua Changxi shook off Du Ruo and said stubbornly, "I won't go begging anyone. Manager Du, mind your own business."

Du Ruo's breathing grew heavy with anger. "Fine, fine, fine. It's my mistake for meddling. You'll have your day of weeping."

Manager Leng arrived at Eunuch Lu's courtyard, serving tea and massaging his shoulders. "Eunuch Lu, I heard Hua Changxi is a martial artist. Punishing her by sending her to the manor might not be much of a hardship for her."

Eunuch Lu sneered. "Don't worry. This time, I will definitely make sure Hua Changxi suffers enough that she comes crawling back to kneel before me."

Manager Leng looked puzzled. "Are there martial arts experts in the medicinal manor?"

Eunuch Lu smiled. "Every medicinal manor under the Medical Department is guarded by a Grandmaster."

Hearing this, Manager Leng's eyes flickered, and he feigned shock. "There are so many medicinal manors under the Medical Department, and all of them have Grandmasters?"

"Don't tease me, Eunuch. Though my knowledge is limited, I know Grandmasters are rare."

Eunuch Lu patted Manager Leng's smooth cheek. "To outsiders, Grandmasters are indeed incredibly rare. But what kind of place is this? The Medical Department."

"The Medical Department is one of the three major branches of the Heaven Department. The Heaven Department also manages the Martial Academy, which has existed for hundreds of years. They have produced countless martial arts experts. Whatever number of experts the Medical Department needs, the Heaven Department can provide."

"Hmph. Once Hua Changxi reaches the Sancha Medicinal Manor and faces a Grandmaster, let's see what kind of waves she can still make."