Chapter 37: Saving People

Chapter 37: Saving a Life

With the Yuanling Pill in hand, most of Hua Changxi's energy was devoted to advancing her cultivation realm. To the others in her dormitory, she appeared to be resting almost all the time, except for spending about an hour each morning cleaning medicinal herbs.

Time flew by, and seven days passed.

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Hua Changxi handed over the cleaned herbs to the Second Bureau as usual and prepared to return to her room to cultivate.

However, as she passed the drainage ditch, she noticed that the laborers of the Sixth Bureau had set down their tools and were gathered around their respective third-in-command managers, who seemed to be assigning tasks.

Seeing that Du Ruo was also speaking with Lu Qingluo and the others, Hua Changxi thought for a moment and walked over quickly.

Seeing Hua Changxi approach, Du Ruo said nothing and continued: "The First Bureau has a batch of medicinal herbs that must be processed before the New Year. They are short-handed right now and need to dispatch some laborers from our side to help. Who is willing to go?"

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi immediately raised her hand eagerly. "Manager Du, I am willing to go!"

Wang Yunchu snorted. "Who wouldn't want to go? You can learn the techniques of processing herbs and earn extra income."

Since entering the twelfth month, the amount of herbs sent to the Medical Bureau had decreased by more than half compared to previous months; they only had to clean 200 plants a day. While the work had become easier, their monthly stipends had decreased accordingly.

Helping the First Bureau wasn't for nothing. Every year at the end of the year, the First and Second Bureaus would seek help from the Third Bureau's laborers, and those who assisted would receive a subsidy. Such a good opportunity was tempting to anyone.

Sister Shi chimed in, "Yes, I'm willing to go too."

Sister Lin and Auntie Zhao immediately followed, "We are willing as well."

Others echoed their sentiments one after another.

Du Ruo said, "There are only two slots per group."

At these words, the crowd immediately began to discuss.

Wang Yunchu was the first to speak. "Manager Du, Qingluo's sister is an apprentice in the Apprentice Hall and has taught Qingluo quite a bit of pharmacology. She will certainly have no problem processing the herbs."

Du Ruo nodded in agreement. "Qingluo is steady and reliable. We'll count her as one for the First Bureau. But who will be the other?"

Hua Changxi spoke up again. "Manager Du, I also understand pharmacology and know how to process medicinal herbs."

Upon hearing this, Du Ruo showed no reaction, instead continuing to look at the others.

Wang Yunchu and the others exchanged glances. Finally, Sister Lin spoke with a smile, "Let Yunchu go. Although Yunchu can be a bit sharp-tongued, she has stood up for us many times, and she is clever. Together with Qingluo, she certainly won't let our group down."

Du Ruo glanced at Hua Changxi and nodded in agreement. "Fine, our group will send Qingluo and Yunchu." Having said that, she turned and left.

Once the manager left, the others went back to cleaning herbs, leaving Hua Changxi standing alone on the spot.

"Phew—"

After standing for a while, Hua Changxi let out a heavy breath and turned back toward her dormitory.

Watching her walk away, Wang Yunchu immediately began winking at Lu Qingluo. "Sister Qingling was right; someone like Hua Changxi can never establish a foothold in the Medical Bureau."

"I admit she is very capable. Nowadays, no one in the Laborer Hall dares to provoke her, but likewise, no one dares to get close to her either."

Lu Qingluo nodded. "Changxi's temperament is just too solitary." Fighting alone simply doesn't work anywhere.

After returning to her room, Hua Changxi tried her best not to dwell on the scene of being excluded just now. She forced herself to calm down and begin cultivating, but her spiritual energy circulation remained unsteady.

Hua Changxi had no choice but to stop. She was still susceptible to the influence of others.

She asked herself: *Have I done anything excessive? Why is the hostility from outsiders so great?*

"Did I... do something wrong?"

At home, aside from her sixth brother, her relationship with her other siblings hadn't been very harmonious either. Now that she was in the Laborer Hall, she was also unwelcome.

With many siblings at home, conflicts were inevitable, but she set that aside for now.

Hua Changxi carefully recalled her experiences since entering the Laborer Hall.

She hadn't helped Wang Yunchu clean herbs, nor had she swapped shifts with Sister Shi. She was merely guarding her own boundaries. Even if she was capable, there was no reason to allow others to exploit her.

Was she wrong?

Of course not. If she hadn't done that, she would have been making a massive mistake.

As for proactively befriending Yu Gui and cooperating with Eunuch Yu to refine medicine, that was even more correct.

"I am not wrong!"

She shouldn't doubt herself. So what if people didn't like her?

Her purpose for entering the Laborer Hall was to upgrade her data to obtain her inheritance and to increase her cultivation. Those goals were gradually being achieved. As for expanding her social network, it was good if it happened, but there was no need to force it.

After comforting herself, Hua Changxi felt much better, and she was able to settle her mind to cultivate once more.

The next day, Lu Qingluo and Wang Yunchu went to help at the First Bureau. When they returned in the evening, both were happily sharing what they had seen and heard.

The second and third days were the same. However, on the fourth day, just as Hua Changxi returned from delivering the cleaned herbs to the Second Bureau, she saw the two of them returning.

It wasn't just them; all twenty female laborers from the Sixth Bureau who had gone to help had returned.

Every single one of them had a pale face and an expression of suppressed pain.

Hua Changxi glanced at their complexions. Without even needing to ask, she guessed that something must have gone wrong during the herb processing.

They were just like the laborers she had encountered on the day of the apprentice exams—those who had been contaminated by fire poison while cleaning Fire Crystal Grass.

Seeing Du Ruo and the other managers inviting Manager Leng over, Hua Changxi didn't watch any further. She figured that given Manager Leng's relationship with Eunuch Lu, treating Lu Qingluo and the others shouldn't be a major problem.

Manager Leng indeed did not ignore them. She went to plead with Eunuch Lu and brought back a bottle of pills, which she gave to the twenty female laborers.

Afterward, Lu Qingluo and Wang Yunchu went to their rooms to rest.

Everyone assumed that after taking the pills from Eunuch Lu, Lu Qingluo and the others would recover. To their surprise, in the middle of the night, the dormitory was filled with the painful groans of Lu Qingluo and Wang Yunchu.

"Qingluo!"

"Yunchu!"

"What's wrong with them?"

Sister Shi and the others lit the oil lamps. Seeing Lu Qingluo and Wang Yunchu sweating profusely from pain, they were startled.

"Why are they so cold to the touch?"

"Look, they are shivering uncontrollably."

"Something is wrong with Qingluo and Yunchu. We must tell Manager Du."

Soon, the people in the dormitory summoned Du Ruo.

After seeing the condition of Lu Qingluo and Wang Yunchu, Du Ruo ran to find Manager Leng without a word.

"Manager Leng has quite a temper. Is it wise to disturb her this late? I wonder if she'll be displeased?"

"Who cares about that now? Qingluo and Yunchu's condition clearly cannot be delayed!"

"I hope Manager Du returns quickly."

After about half an hour, Du Ruo returned, holding two packets of medicine. "Quickly, decoct this medicine and give it to Qingluo and Yunchu."

After taking the medicine, Lu Qingluo and Wang Yunchu's condition improved, and they grew quiet.

Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

However, by the next morning, the two began shivering and breaking out in cold sweats again.

"Why haven't they recovered yet?"

Sister Shi and the others summoned Du Ruo again. Seeing that Lu Qingluo and Wang Yunchu's symptoms were recurring, Du Ruo had no choice but to steel herself and go to Manager Leng again.

When Du Ruo arrived, several other managers had already gathered in Manager Leng's room, all there to beg for medicine.

Manager Leng had not slept well all night, and her complexion was poor. "Don't be anxious. I've asked Eunuch Lu. He said those female laborers are fine; they just have to endure some hardship for a few days. It will pass if they bear it."

Du Ruo said urgently, "But they are shivering uncontrollably. Is it truly nothing?"

Manager Leng glanced at Du Ruo. "If Eunuch Lu says it's nothing, then it's nothing. If something truly happens, it's due to their own physical constitutions."

Du Ruo fell silent. After a long pause, she mustered her courage again. "Manager Leng, the medicine you gave last night was very effective. Could you please give us more..."

Manager Leng interrupted her directly. "There is no more. Do you have any idea? I had to plead repeatedly with Eunuch Lu to get those medicines. Each dose costs several taels of silver. I have done my part for those laborers."

"Enough. My head is spinning. All of you, go back."

"As for those female laborers, those who can endure it should rest in their rooms. Those who cannot, let them go home. They can return whenever they have recovered."

Du Ruo and the other managers exchanged looks and left, faces full of helplessness.

To Hua Changxi, the problem with Lu Qingluo and Wang Yunchu did not seem like a major issue. After finishing her cultivation in the morning, she saw Du Ruo heading off to find Manager Leng again and went to eat breakfast.

After breakfast, as Hua Changxi walked out of the dining hall, she saw Sister Shi calling Lu Qingling, Lu Qingluo's sister, over.

"Qingluo!"

Lu Qingling looked anxious, but she did not lose her composure. She immediately began checking Lu Qingluo's condition. Once finished, she requested Sister Shi and the others to look after Lu Qingluo, then hurried out of the Sixth Bureau.

Looking at her, Hua Changxi assumed she had gone back to the Apprentice Hall to beg for medicine.

Without further attention, Hua Changxi went to the warehouse to collect medicinal herbs.

"Sister Changxi."

As soon as Hua Changxi arrived at the warehouse, Yu Gui waved at her.

"Sister Changxi, my godfather has stockpiled some discarded herbs over at the Qihuang Pavilion. Remember to head over there after you finish your tasks today."

Hua Changxi gave an "Mm," pushed her herbs back to clean them, and went straight to the Qihuang Pavilion once they were ready.

By the time she returned from the Qihuang Pavilion, it was already dark.

Upon entering the Sixth Bureau, she heard the sound of pleading cries coming from the backyard.

"Manager Ling, please don't drive me away. I cannot lose this job."

"No one is driving you away. We are only asking you to go home and recuperate. Once you are well, you can return to the Laborer Hall."

"I won't go back. I'll stay here in the Sixth Bureau."

"Don't you know your own body? Whining over every little scratch and bruise... people need to rest at night. You'll affect others. Listen to me, go home, recover, and then come back."

"But if I go back, my family won't hire a doctor for me. Manager Ling, I will endure it. I promise I won't make any noise at night so I won't disturb anyone else."

Walking into the backyard, Hua Changxi saw a female laborer kneeling before Manager Lingxiao in pain, clutching her legs and pleading bitterly.

In the dormitories further away, similar situations were occurring.

And in her own dormitory, someone was also crying.

"Qingluo, why don't you go find your sister again? See if she can help Yunchu? You know Yunchu's family situation; if she goes home sick, her stepmother will surely mistreat her."

Although Lu Qingluo was still very weak, she was no longer breaking out in cold sweats, and her complexion had improved significantly.

Clearly, Lu Qingling had successfully obtained medicine from the Apprentice Hall that morning, easing Lu Qingluo's pain.

Lu Qingluo looked troubled. "Manager Du, my sister knows Yunchu. If she can help, she certainly won't ignore her."

Du Ruo sighed, looking at the others in the room. "Please be more patient tonight. If Yunchu doesn't want to go home, don't force her."

As soon as she spoke, Wang Yunchu's crying grew louder, laced with suppressed sounds of agony.

Hua Changxi frowned deeply. By driving the injured female laborers home, was the Laborer Hall planning to simply not treat them?

Just as Hua Changxi was about to enter her room, a scream suddenly erupted from the adjacent room.

"Sister Zhuang!"

"Someone, help! Sister Zhuang can't breathe!"

Hearing this, Hua Changxi immediately turned and ran toward the next room.

"Move aside!"

Hua Changxi rushed into the room and saw that Sister Zhuang's face had turned purple from suffocation. She jumped onto the bed and immediately began performing emergency resuscitation.

The people in the room were already panicking; seeing Hua Changxi suddenly appear, they didn't stop her. It wasn't until Sister Zhuang let out an "Ah" and her breathing cleared that they regained their senses.

Upon realizing that the person who had saved her was actually the rumor-ridden Hua Changxi, the expressions of the crowd became complicated.

Once Sister Zhuang could breathe again, Hua Changxi checked her body. After determining the cause of her ailment, she got off the bed and returned to her own room.

In her room, Du Ruo, Sister Shi, and the others looked at Hua Changxi with unnatural expressions.

They had seen Hua Changxi's rescue of Sister Zhuang from outside the room.

Hua Changxi didn't care what they thought. She looked at Du Ruo. "Manager Du, Lu Qingluo and the others were poisoned because they were helping the First Bureau process herbs. The First Bureau should be held responsible."

Because of Hua Changxi's association with Eunuch Yu from the warehouse, Du Ruo disliked her very much. However, seeing her eagerness to save a life just now, that dislike had lessened slightly.

"The pills Qingluo and the others took last night were provided by the First Bureau. The people from the First Bureau said their laborers often encounter this situation, and they all recover by taking these pills."

"Our people took them and it didn't work. They say it has nothing to do with them and is just due to our own bodies."

Hua Changxi thought for a moment, took out her brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from her cabinet, quickly wrote down three types of herbs, and handed them to Du Ruo. "Tell Manager Leng that these three herbs can neutralize the poison in the female laborers. One dose will cure them completely."

Du Ruo took the prescription, looking hesitant.

Hua Changxi added, "Manager Du, if the First Bureau truly encounters this frequently, you just need to give the prescription to Manager Leng."

Du Ruo looked at Hua Changxi and then left the room with the prescription.

"Cure them completely?"

Hearing Du Ruo's words, Manager Leng's eyes flickered, and her expression shifted from impatience to curiosity.

Du Ruo nodded. "That is what Hua Changxi said."

Manager Leng paused. "I remember now. This Hua Changxi seems to have been personally recruited into the Laborer Hall by Eunuch Jia." As she spoke, she stood up.

"I am, after all, a manager of the Sixth Bureau. I cannot simply watch my subordinates suffer. I will make one more trip for them."

Seeing Manager Leng actually go to find Eunuch Lu, Du Ruo felt an immediate sense of relief—both happy that Wang Yunchu and the others might be saved, and feeling somewhat conflicted because the prescription had come from Hua Changxi.

Du Ruo had originally intended to wait for Manager Leng to return with definitive results before heading back, but after waiting for half an hour, Manager Leng had not returned, so she had no choice but to return to the Sixth Bureau first.

Upon returning to the Sixth Bureau, she saw Eunuch Lu and Manager Leng directing people to decoct medicine, which left Du Ruo somewhat stunned.