Chapter 48: Meeting Gu Jinfan Again

Chapter 48: Meeting Gu Jinfan Again

Eager to break through to the fourth rank and become a fifth-rank martial artist, Eunuch Lu, upon learning that Hua Changxi could refine medicine, instructed her to wait in the courtyard. He stepped out for a short while and soon returned with three sets of medicinal ingredients for refining Pulse-Connecting Pills.

These were not discarded scraps, but intact, properly processed medicinal materials.

Hua Changxi wasn't particularly surprised that Eunuch Yu could mobilize some discarded materials. Since they were waste, whether they were hauled away by merchants or misappropriated by lower-level managers, it wouldn't harm the interests of the higher-ups, so they wouldn't care much.

However, the fact that Eunuch Lu could mobilize properly processed materials—which were supposed to be handed over to the medicinal warehouse—was different.

Hua Changxi was somewhat astonished. He was merely a manager of the Servants' Hall, not even the person in charge; how could his power be this great?

Despite her alarm, Hua Changxi did not inquire about the source of the materials. She tactfully played her role, acting as nothing more than a lowly medicinal refining servant following orders.

This was Eunuch Lu's first time seeing Hua Changxi refine medicine. Watching her skilled and fluid techniques, his respect for her grew even more.

This Hua Changxi's proficiency in medicinal refining was even deeper than he had imagined.

She knew the properties of herbs intimately, could neutralize poisons, and could refine medicine. Even putting aside the apprentices in the Apprentice Hall, even the preparatory disciples in the Disciple Hall might not be able to match her.

A person like this coming to the Servants' Hall to work as a mere servant must certainly have an ulterior motive.

As Eunuch Lu pondered this, he decided in his heart that he must have Manager Leng keep a closer eye on Hua Changxi in the future.

One set of ingredients yielded ten Pulse-Connecting Pills. With three sets, Hua Changxi refined thirty pills. Without waiting for Eunuch Lu to say anything, she took twelve for herself and then handed the remaining eighteen to him.

Seeing this, Eunuch Lu's expression soured, but seeing that the ingredients Hua Changxi used were nearly half less than those used by the Medical Bureau, he ultimately said nothing.

"Go back to your duties. When medicine needs to be refined, I will send someone to notify you."

Hua Changxi took the pills and left. Upon returning to the Sixth Bureau, she went to find Du Ruo. "Manager Du, Eunuch Lu has rescinded his offer to increase my duties. In the future, I will stick to cleaning five hundred medicinal plants."

Du Ruo knew that Hua Changxi had gone to Eunuch Lu early that morning. Hearing this, she merely gave a faint "Mhm." "The Servants' Hall cannot accommodate people who are too clever. Watch yourself."

Hua Changxi did not agree with Du Ruo's perspective, but knowing it came from a place of goodwill, she did not argue. She turned and went to the warehouse to collect her medicinal plants.

As she approached the warehouse, she saw several people walking out. Her expression changed instantly, and she quickly ducked behind a nearby cart.

Only after the group had walked far away did Hua Changxi emerge from behind the cart with a heavy expression.

It was her!

That young lady who had fought the red-robed demonic Taoist for the red stone on the sacrificial altar!

"Brother Yu!"

Hua Changxi walked toward Yu Hui and asked curiously, "Brother Yu, who were those people just now? It seemed like the warehouse staff were somewhat afraid of them."

Yu Hui did not hide it. "They are from the No. 1 Apothecary on the Second Street. The young lady leading them is Gu Jinfan, the new disciple recently taken in by Pharmacist Tong. She is the Seventh Lady of the Duke of Xin's estate."

Hua Changxi's eyes flickered. "So she is a lady from the Duke's estate."

The Hua family and the Duke of Xin's estate had nothing to do with each other. Why did Gu Jinfan know her?

Yu Hui continued, "Changxi, I heard that Gu Jinfan is also very skilled at refining medicine. Pharmacist Tong is one of the most powerful pharmacists in the Medical Bureau; every disciple he takes in is a master of medicinal refining."

Hua Changxi wasn't particularly interested in that. What she cared about was: "Brother Yu, aren't there specialized people to deliver ingredients to the various apothecaries on the Second Street? Why did they come to the warehouse themselves?"

At this, Yu Hui's expression suddenly turned serious. "Sister Changxi, tell me the truth. What kind of medicine were those withered plants you took before?"

Instead of answering, Hua Changxi asked, "Are they here looking for those withered herbs?"

Yu Hui looked at her and nodded. "Yes. Pharmacist Tong is the most enthusiastic researcher of new medicines in the Medical Bureau. Whenever new medicine arrives at the Bureau, a portion must be sent to him."

"Yesterday, the people from Sancha Medicinal Manor escorted a batch of ingredients over, and among them were two baskets of the kind of withered herbs you wanted. I don't know where they got the news, but as soon as they arrived today, they asked me directly for them."

"I had originally planned to give those two baskets to you today, but they've all been taken by them now."

"By the way, that Gu Jinfan also asked me how the old withered herbs were usually disposed of."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi's expression tightened. "And how did you answer?"

Yu Hui: "I naturally said they were treated as waste." He paused, testing her again, "Sister, what kind of medicine is it, really?"

Hua Changxi looked at him. "It's a type of new medicine with some extraordinary effects."

Yu Hui immediately pressed, "What kind of effects?"

Hua Changxi: "If you eat it, your body will explode."

Even when withered, the Primordial Spirit Grass retained a small amount of spiritual energy. Since spiritual energy is a force far more potent than internal strength, if an ordinary person consumed it without having spiritual meridians or knowing how to absorb it, the stagnant energy would cause their body to burst.

Yu Hui's face froze. "Is that for real?"

Hua Changxi: "If you don't believe me, the next time Sancha Medicinal Manor sends withered herbs, you can try it."

Yu Hui shook his head hurriedly. "Better not."

Hua Changxi fell silent for a moment. "Brother Yu, I want to ask a favor. Do not tell anyone that I took those withered herbs."

Seeing her serious face, Yu Hui wanted to ask why, but after hesitating, he refrained. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul."

Hua Changxi smiled. "Thank you."

Afterward, Hua Changxi did not chat with Yu Hui any longer. She collected her five hundred medicinal plants and returned to the Sixth Bureau.

As soon as she left, Yu Hui called Wan Xiaozhou and told him to fetch a live chicken from the kitchen to his room.

"Brother Yu, what do you want a live chicken for?"

Yu Hui did not respond. Instead, he chopped up a semi-withered stalk of Primordial Spirit Grass he had hidden and fed it to the chicken.

A few breaths after eating it, the chicken began to bleed from its facial orifices. Then, its skin and flesh tore apart, and finally, with a loud *bang*, it exploded.

"Ah!"

Looking at the chicken meat fragments scattered all over the room, both Yu Hui and Wan Xiaozhou turned pale with fright.

"Brother Yu, what kind of medicine was that?"

Yu Hui swallowed hard. "What Sister Changxi said was actually true!"

When Hua Changxi had asked for the withered herbs before, he hadn't paid much attention. It wasn't until Gu Jinfan came to ask about them today that he realized they were not ordinary.

When handing the withered herbs to Gu Jinfan, he couldn't help but secretly hide a few stalks.

He had thought they were precious medicines, but he never expected they were lethal.

***

On the other side, back at the Sixth Bureau cleaning medicinal plants, Hua Changxi was somewhat distracted.

She hadn't expected that the young lady who fought the red-robed Taoist for the red stone would be a lady from the Duke's estate, and that she was now in the Medical Bureau just like her.

She had obtained the opportunity of the red stone; she feared that if she encountered Gu Jinfan again, the lady would discover it.

To obtain the opportunity of the red stone, the red-robed Taoist had jumped directly into the magma, discarding his very life. It was truly unpredictable what Gu Jinfan would do if she found out the opportunity had been taken by her.

A profound sense of crisis grew in Hua Changxi's heart.

Gu Jinfan had taken the Primordial Spirit Grass, which meant she clearly knew its medicinal properties.

"So, is Gu Jinfan also a cultivator?"

Hua Changxi glanced at her own cultivation data: [Realm: Qi Sea Realm 15,250/100,000].

Gu Jinfan was a lady of the Duke of Xin's estate, powerful and influential, and now the disciple of the most capable pharmacist in the Medical Bureau. She would know more about cultivation knowledge and possess more resources than her.

Hua Changxi felt that her realm likely could not compete with Gu Jinfan's.

Although she knew some spells, they were mostly medicinal refining techniques; she did not know how to use spiritual energy for actual combat.

In a fight, she couldn't win, nor did she have the same power or status.

She could only avoid her!

Hua Changxi's brow furrowed. Should she leave the Medical Bureau?

Gu Jinfan's understanding of cultivation was certainly higher than hers. The fact that she had come to the Medical Bureau meant there were things here she wanted.

Pharmacist Tong researched new medicines. For a lady of a Duke's estate to become a pharmacist's disciple, she was clearly aiming for those new medicines.

Therefore, her previous guess was correct: the Medical Bureau was indeed collecting various spiritual plants.

Hua Changxi did not want to leave the Medical Bureau. Aside from it being the easiest place to encounter spiritual plants, it was also a job—and one that happened to align with her interests.

Human ability is ultimately limited; one needs a suitable platform to exert that ability, and the Medical Bureau was clearly an excellent platform.

If she wouldn't leave, she could only temporarily avoid her.

Purely increasing her cultivation realm was too slow. Hua Changxi had been looking for an opportunity to go to Sancha Medicinal Valley to collect Primordial Spirit Grass.

Now that it was February, the Servants' Hall would soon be sending servants to various medicinal manors and valleys to help with planting. If she went to Sancha Medicinal Valley, she could not only avoid Gu Jinfan but also take the chance to search for Primordial Spirit Grass.

"How can I get assigned to Sancha Medicinal Valley?"

Just as Hua Changxi was contemplating how to be assigned to help at Sancha Medicinal Manor, Eunuch Lu, after consuming three of the Pulse-Connecting Pills refined by Hua Changxi, successfully broke through to the fourth rank in just seven days.

After becoming a fifth-rank martial artist, Eunuch Lu felt no gratitude toward Hua Changxi; instead, he was desperate to bring her under his control so she could refine pills for him to earn more money.

To this end, Eunuch Lu approached Eunuch Yu to propose a partnership.

Eunuch Yu did not want to give up forty percent of the profits. "Hua Changxi is a martial artist; even I cannot do anything to her."

Eunuch Lu laughed. "Eunuch Yu, this is the Medical Bureau. When working in the government offices, since when did one rely solely on individual martial strength?"

Hearing this, Eunuch Yu's expression shifted.

Eunuch Lu continued, "She is merely a servant. Whether she is allowed to stay in the Servants' Hall or not is a matter of a single word from me. If Hua Changxi wants to stay, she must listen to us."

"Furthermore, we are the ones providing the ingredients. Without ingredients, no matter how good her refining skills are, what use is she? We are already being generous by not charging her for using our materials to practice her craft."

In Eunuch Lu's view, as a servant, Hua Changxi had no power to bargain with them. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't bypass the warehouse to get ingredients, he would have even wanted to kick Eunuch Yu aside.

Eunuch Yu was swayed. He smiled at Eunuch Lu. "I will have someone call Hua Changxi over right now, and you can speak to her."

Eunuch Lu: "No rush. Let us first settle our profit split."

When it came to profits, Eunuch Yu immediately became serious. The two went back and forth several times before finally, reluctantly, accepting a fifty-fifty split.

Once the profit split was settled, Eunuch Yu sent Yu Hui to fetch Hua Changxi.

When Yu Hui saw Eunuch Lu coming to their door, he had a bad feeling, and now that feeling had come true.

If even the person providing the technical skill, Changxi, had no profit, then he would have even less.

At this moment, Yu Hui truly hated Eunuch Lu. Without the pills, how could he practice his martial arts? But he had no right to object, so he could only brace himself and go find Hua Changxi.

"Brother Yu, what's wrong?"

In a fit of anger, Yu Hui told Hua Changxi about Eunuch Lu approaching Eunuch Yu.

After hearing this, Hua Changxi was also somewhat surprised by the greed of these eunuchs. Previously, Eunuch Yu had wanted to use force to coerce her, and now Eunuch Lu wanted to use power.

To want the horse to run but refuse to feed it grass—there was no such good thing in this world.

Seeing Hua Changxi's silence, Yu Hui thought for a moment and reminded her, "Sister, if you want to stay in the Servants' Hall, it's best not to go head-to-head with Eunuch Lu."

Hua Changxi was certainly angry, but not excessively so.

Female servants were generally not sent to help at medicinal manors or valleys unless they had offended a manager.

She had been agonizing over how to get to Sancha Medicinal Valley; wasn't this like stumbling upon a pillow while sleepy?

"Brother Yu, I certainly won't work for nothing. If I get into a conflict with the two eunuchs later, don't speak up for me."

Hearing this, Yu Hui grew anxious. "Sister, don't do anything foolish!"

Hua Changxi: "Brother Yu, listen to me. Didn't I tell you before that I wanted to go see the medicinal manors? I was serious."

Yu Hui was both anxious and confused. "Everyone else is avoiding them like the plague, why are you insisting on charging straight in?"

Hua Changxi did not explain. "Brother Yu, when we are in front of the two eunuchs, just mention my conflicts with Mao Yong and Mao Wei as much as possible. As long as they don't punish me by sending me to Sancha Medicinal Valley, I will be eternally grateful."

"Let's go. You've been out for quite a while; don't let Eunuch Yu get angry with you."

Seeing that Hua Changxi was serious about going head-to-head with the two eunuchs, Yu Hui spent the whole way trying to persuade her.

Soon, the two arrived at the No. 9 Qihuang Hall.

Eunuch Lu got straight to the point. "Hua Changxi, Eunuch Yu and I have discussed it. You are taking too large a share of the profits. From now on, we will give you one hundred taels of silver per month. You only need to focus on refining medicine for us."

Hua Changxi looked at him. "Eunuch Lu, what if I don't agree?"

Eunuch Lu smiled. "If you don't agree, then you can no longer stay in the Servants' Hall."

Hua Changxi: "I was hired by Eunuch Jia. If you want to kick me out, I will go to Eunuch Jia to seek justice."

Eunuch Lu feared no one except Eunuch Jia. Upon hearing Hua Changxi mention him, his face instantly darkened. "Hua Changxi, you are just a servant. One hundred taels a month is a high income that many can only dream of. Do not be so insatiable."

Hua Changxi: "Since you think I am greedy, then go find other pharmacists to refine medicine." Having said that, she turned to leave.

With a loud *smack*, Eunuch Lu struck the table. "Presumptuous! Do you think our house truly wouldn't dare to kick you out of the Servants' Hall?"

Hua Changxi's expression turned cold. "Eunuch Lu, if you do not follow the rules, you had better not leave the Medical Bureau, otherwise, an accident might occur."

Seeing Hua Changxi directly threaten Eunuch Lu, Yu Hui's legs trembled with fear.

Eunuch Lu's face turned ashen with rage.

Eunuch Yu had anticipated that things would not go smoothly, but he hadn't expected Hua Changxi to be so defiant.

In a fight, they might not win.

If they used power to suppress her and she showed no fear, how could they manage this?