Chapter 28: The Golden Phoenix

The Hua Family.

After Lady Yao pulled her daughter back into the room, she brought out the braised meats, desserts, and fruits she had prepared early: "I knew you would come back once you heard your fifth sister was leaving. These were all prepared for you by your father, your third brother, and your sixth brother."

Hua Changxi picked up a braised pig trotter and began to gnaw on it: "Mother, you have no idea how terrible the food in the Labor Hall is. Look, I've even become thin from hunger."

Looking at her daughter, whose complexion was actually more radiant than when she was at home, Lady Yao found it somewhat amusing: "Since the Labor Hall is so bad, then just come home."

Hua Changxi shook her head hurriedly: "I don't want to. One must see things through to the end. Since I have entered the Labor Hall, I must make a name for myself there."

"I want to show Grandfather and Grandmother that it's not just the boys who can achieve greatness; girls can do it too."

Lady Yao never discouraged her children's enthusiasm. Sitting down beside her daughter, she looked at her with concern: "The Labor Hall is very hard work, isn't it?"

Hua Changxi shook her head: "It's not hard. In the Labor Hall, I am responsible for cleaning medicinal herbs; that isn't hard for me at all."

Those working as laborers performed physical tasks; how could it not be hard? Lady Yao felt her daughter simply didn't want to complain in front of her. Knowing her daughter was strong-willed, she didn't press further.

Not seeing Hua Minghe, Hua Changxi asked, "Mother, where is Father? Why don't I see him?"

A look of worry appeared on Lady Yao's face: "Your father has taken an assignment and left the capital to handle a case."

Hua Changxi frowned and put down the pig trotter: "Why is he leaving the capital for a case again? How long will it take this time?"

Lady Yao shook her head: "Your father didn't say; he only said he would return once the case is closed."

At that moment, Hua Liulang entered. He first asked Hua Changxi how she was faring in the Labor Hall before saying, "Mother, Grandfather is calling you all to the main hall."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi's face fell: "Grandfather and Grandmother are going to scold and reprimand me in public again."

Lady Yao fell silent for a moment, then pushed the half-eaten pig trotter back toward her: "Eat first. We'll go after you've finished."

Hua Changxi ate leisurely, dawdling for over fifteen minutes before following Lady Yao and Hua Liulang to the main hall.

In the main hall, the entire Hua family was present.

Old Master Hua looked at Hua Changxi, appearing hesitant to speak. Finally, he glanced at Old Madam Hua, signaling her to speak.

Old Madam Hua: "...How are you doing in the Medical Bureau's Labor Hall?"

Hua Changxi immediately began to complain: "Grandmother, I've been suffering so much in the Labor Hall! Look, haven't I become thinner and darker?"

Looking at her ninth granddaughter's fair and rosy face, Old Madam Hua truly wanted to spit in her face. Gritting her teeth, she said, "You have indeed suffered great hardships."

Hua Changxi nodded like a pounding garlic: "Exactly, it's a hardship! But Grandfather, Grandmother, please rest assured. For the sake of the Hua family, I can endure hardship. I will surely achieve success in the Labor Hall."

"When I return successful, I will surely bring glory to our family and honor our ancestors."

"So, Grandfather and Grandmother, could you please stop focusing only on the boys in the family and allocate some resources to the girls? Perhaps while the family might not produce a 'Qilin Son,' it might produce a 'Golden Phoenix.'"

Old Madam Hua was amused: "A Golden Phoenix? Are you talking about yourself?"

Hua Changxi said sheepishly, "Maybe it is me."

She was a transmigrator, after all. Even if she hadn't obtained a chance for cultivation, now that she could cultivate, it wasn't too much to dream of becoming a Golden Phoenix, was it?

"So, Grandmother, you can invest in me in advance. Have Third Brother and Sixth Brother visit me in the Labor Hall more often, and bring me some delicious food and drinks. If I truly strike it rich in the future, I can help the family as well."

Old Madam Hua snorted: "If your third and sixth brothers don't visit you, you won't help the family?"

Hua Changxi replied righteously: "Of course. Grandmother, you were also born into a merchant family, so you should understand the principle that one must give to receive. If you want a share of the profits without investing, isn't that just freeloading?"

Old Madam Hua's hands began to itch: "Hua Ninth Lady, you have truly grown quite bold. After only one month in the Labor Hall, your skin is getting thicker—no, not just your skin, your mouth is getting more poisonous too."

"Tell me, was what you said to your Great Uncle today appropriate?"

Hua Changxi's expression remained indifferent: "Why wouldn't it be? Everything I said was the truth."

Seeing her "dead pig not afraid of boiling water" attitude, Old Madam Hua was furious: "That mouth of yours will bring trouble to this family sooner or later."

"Your eleventh brother is going to attend the Martial Academy with several grandsons from your Great Uncle's house; we are counting on them to look after him."

"And your fifth sister is also counting on the Marquis's estate for support. We cannot speak directly to the Marquis's estate, so we can only beg your Great Uncle to mediate."

"But you, instead, went out of your way to offend them. Do you realize that by doing this, you are harming Fifth Lady?"

Hearing this, Hua Changxi became angry: "I am harming Fifth Sister? Who exactly is harming Fifth Sister? Who is forcing Fifth Sister to become a concubine?"

"If the Great Clan Elder's family is the culprit, then you all are the accomplices."

"If you hadn't forced Fifth Sister to become a concubine, she wouldn't have suffered the humiliation of the Marquis's estate's manager and nannies today, and she wouldn't be standing there unable to utter a single word."

These words hit Old Master Hua's sore spot. His face turned ashen as he slammed his teacup onto the table. His chest heaved, and he glared at Hua Changxi with intense fury.

Seeing this, Lady Yao quickly gave Hua Liulang a meaningful look.

Hua Liulang, forced by the situation, stepped forward to grab Hua Changxi and pulled her straight out of the main hall.

Just as they were about to exit, Hua Changxi turned back and shouted one last thing.

"Do you believe it? With your attitude of leaving everything to the Hua Tai couple to handle, if something happens to Fifth Sister in the Marquis's estate, they will only notify the Hua Tai couple. By the time they inform us, it will be far too late!"

Seeing his sister still fanning the flames, Hua Liulang used every ounce of his strength to drag her away: "Ninth Lady, how did you get so strong? I can barely pull you!"

Hua Changxi paused: "Maybe it's because I've done too much manual labor."

Hua Liulang: "Didn't they say those in the Labor Hall get bullied? Why is it that instead of learning to be obedient, your temper has only grown larger?"

Hua Changxi replied meaningfully: "People are different."

Why was she so confident today?

It was because her realm points had broken 1,000, and her combat power had increased significantly. Once her realm improved further, even if the Marquis's estate had high-ranking martial guards, she would dare to fight her way to their door.

Speaking of martial artists, Hua Changxi pulled Hua Liulang: "Sixth Brother, let's go to your room."

Hua Liulang was puzzled: "What for?"

Hua Changxi: "The family's martial arts manuals are all with you. I want to take a look."

Hua Liulang laughed: "What, you want to practice martial arts now?"

"Is that not allowed?"

Upon reaching the room shared by Hua Sanlang and Hua Liulang, Hua Changxi pushed the door open directly: "Sixth Brother, don't underestimate me. Watch out, one day I might become a martial arts master and scare you to death."

Hua Liulang didn't take her words seriously. Laughing, he went to fetch the books and soon pulled three from the bookcase: *Anecdotes of the Capital Martial Academy*, *Lingbo Microsteps*, and *Five Finger Mountain*.

"*Five Finger Mountain*?"

Hua Changxi first flipped through *Five Finger Mountain*: "The name of this technique is quite domineering."

Hua Liulang looked confused: "How is it domineering? It looks quite ordinary to me."

Hua Changxi gave an "oh" and said casually, "I read a story once where a monkey was suppressed by the Buddha's Five Finger Mountain."

"Sixth Brother, the technique you practice in the courtyard every day isn't actually this Five Finger Mountain, is it?"

Hua Liulang: "That's right, I practice Five Finger Mountain."

Hua Changxi looked disappointed: "Then the power of Five Finger Mountain is a bit weak. I see you practicing in the courtyard, but you haven't really achieved anything."

Hua Liulang was speechless: "Five Finger Mountain is very powerful. This was even copied from the Ministry of Justice's library because Father achieved merit. It is said that when a Grandmaster uses Five Finger Mountain, they can kill anyone within fifty meters."

"Your sixth brother is currently only a First-Rank martial artist in the Blood-Refining stage, so of course I can't exert the power of the Cloud-Splitting Palm."

After finishing *Five Finger Mountain* and *Lingbo Microsteps*, Hua Changxi turned to *Anecdotes of the Capital Martial Academy*.

"A martial artist's ranks: First Rank refines blood, Second Rank refines bone, Third Rank refines organs, Fourth Rank clears meridians, Fifth Rank cleans marrow, Sixth Rank breaks shackles, Seventh Rank converts internal strength into Astral Qi, Eighth Rank projects Astral Qi externally, and Ninth Rank Grandmasters can borrow the power of Heaven and Earth."

"Ninth Rank can borrow the power of Heaven and Earth..."

What did that mean?

Borrowing the power of Heaven and Earth—was it like her ability to cultivate?

Hua Changxi looked thoughtfully at the introduction to martial artists at the beginning of *Anecdotes of the Capital Martial Academy*.

Seeing his sister standing motionless, Hua Liulang waved a hand in front of her face: "Stunned into silence?"

Hua Changxi snapped out of it and smiled at him: "Sixth Brother, this *Anecdotes of the Capital Martial Academy* was brought back by Eldest Brother, wasn't it?"

Hua Liulang looked at the book with some disdain: "I begged Eldest Brother for a long time to bring back more martial arts manuals, but he just brought back this *Anecdotes* to brush me off."

Hua Changxi flipped through it: "The stories in here are quite good."

Hua Liulang snorted: "What's good about them? They're just stories about people in the Martial Academy brawling. I'm not a child who likes stories; I want to practice martial arts."

Hua Changxi smiled at him: "Sixth Brother, I have a way to help you increase your combat power quickly."

Hua Liulang's eyes widened instantly: "Really? How?"

Hua Changxi: "By taking medicinal pills."

Upon hearing this, Hua Liulang's face fell: "I know medicine can quickly increase combat power, but the problem is, do I have the silver to buy it?"

"Do you know that a single Blood-Qi Pill used by a First-Rank martial artist costs five taels of silver? Given our family's current situation, can we afford it?"

Hua Changxi didn't say much more. She could manufacture any pill up to the Sixth Rank, but she currently had no medicinal herbs available: "Sixth Brother, you have to treat me well. Maybe I really can get pills for you."

Hearing his sister say this, Hua Liulang felt a glimmer of hope: "Am I not already good to you?"

Hua Changxi shook her head: "Not really. I've been in the Labor Hall for a month, and you haven't even visited me."

Hua Liulang scratched the back of his head: "Grandfather and Grandmother wouldn't allow it."

Hua Changxi snorted: "If they wouldn't allow it, you shouldn't have just listened. And here I was, actually looking forward to you visiting me."

How could Hua Liulang not know his sister's intentions? "You were looking forward to me bringing you delicious food, weren't you?"

Hua Changxi: "Just tell me, are you going to visit me or not?"

Hua Liulang nodded hurriedly: "I will, I will! I'll definitely go."