Chapter 14: Stepping Out of the House

Because she had spent some time in the Labor Hall, by the time Hua Changxi left the Medical Bureau, it was already getting late. When she returned to the Hua residence, Hua Minghe and his two brothers had already returned from their duties.

Although Hua Minghe and Lady Yao had used various excuses to soothe Old Madam Hua and the rest of the family, the Old Madam still harbored resentment over the fact that Hua Changxi had not informed the family about her application to the Medical Bureau.

After waiting all day, she finally saw her ninth granddaughter return. Just as Old Madam Hua was preparing to throw a few sarcastic remarks her way, she saw the girl dash straight to her room and slam the door shut.

Seeing that Hua Changxi had returned without even greeting her, Old Madam Hua was furious. Pointing at Lady Yao, she snapped, "Look at the daughter you've raised! Does she have even a shred of a young lady's decorum left?"

Second Aunt Hua stood to the side and smiled. "Mother, please calm your anger. In my view, Ninth Lady probably realized she wouldn't make it into the Medical Bureau and has retreated to her room to cry."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Hua's expression faltered, and the anger on her face slowly subsided, while Lady Yao showed a look of worry.

Hua Liulang quickly spoke up, "Dinner is almost ready. I'll go call Ninth Lady to eat." With that, he dashed off to knock on Hua Changxi's door.

"Ninth Lady, come out and eat!"

*Clatter!*

The sound of a water basin hitting the floor echoed from inside the room.

Then, the door creaked open.

Looking at the puddle on the floor, Hua Liulang asked in confusion, "Ninth Lady, what are you doing?"

Hua Changxi crouched down to pick up the basin. "My hand slipped."

Hua Liulang gave an "oh" and then lowered his voice. "Grandfather and Grandmother seem to have a lot of grievances regarding your application to the Medical Bureau. Be careful during dinner later."

Hua Changxi nodded. "I understand, Sixth Brother. Go back to the main hall first; I'll sweep up the water in here and then come over."

Not suspecting anything, Hua Liulang returned to the main hall.

Once he was gone, Hua Changxi closed the door again, clenched her fists, and jumped around the room in excitement.

Now that the conditions for achieving minor mastery of the "Immaculate Art" had been met, Hua Changxi's mind was filled with various methods for cleaning spiritual plants and spiritual beasts.

There were methods for controlling water, wind, and fire.

Just now, Hua Changxi had reached into the water basin and manipulated the water according to the instructions in the "Immaculate Art." Soon, the water in the basin began to swirl according to her will.

When a vortex appeared in the center of the basin, Hua Liulang's knocking had startled her, causing the basin to fall.

Looking at the puddle on the floor, Hua Changxi pointed her right hand toward it. In the next instant, a gust of wind swept over the spill, and in less than a minute, the floor was half-dry.

Hua Changxi had intended to dry the floor completely, but...

[Realm: Qi Refining Stage 0/1000]

The line of text that popped up in her vision indicated that the energy stored in her body had been completely exhausted.

Even though she would have to start accumulating energy from scratch, Hua Changxi was still incredibly exhilarated.

She finally knew how to use the power she had cultivated!

This "Immaculate Art" could not only be used to clean medicinal herbs but could also be applied to various aspects of daily life.

In the future, as her cultivation realm grew higher, would she be able to use it for self-defense?

"Ninth Lady, come out and eat!"

Lady Yao's voice drifted in. Hua Changxi quickly composed herself, opened the door, and walked out.

In the main hall, the food had already been served, and the Hua family members were all seated.

"Ninth Lady, you sit at the main table tonight."

Hua Changxi was walking toward the table where the juniors ate when she was called out by Old Master Hua.

Because of the matter regarding Fifth Lady becoming a concubine for the He family, the atmosphere in the house had been strange for several days. The Old Master had decided to use the incident of his ninth granddaughter's private examination for the Medical Bureau to rectify the family's conduct.

Hua Changxi walked to the main table and sat beside Hua Minghe and Lady Yao.

The main hall fell silent. No one picked up their chopsticks; everyone was watching Old Master Hua and Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi looked at Old Madam Hua, who sat with a stony face, and then at Old Master Hua, who was frowning while smoking his pipe. Not wanting to be lectured on rules, she decided to strike first: "I am going to report to the Medical Bureau tomorrow."

"Ah—"

"What?!"

The silence in the hall was instantly shattered.

Hua Liulang even walked straight to the main table. "Ninth Lady, wasn't the list of apprentice recruits supposed to be announced in three days?"

Hua Minghe also spoke, looking at Hua Changxi seriously. "Ninth Lady, what exactly is going on?"

Hua Changxi briefly explained what had happened at the Medical Bureau today. "Pharmacist Xu told me that all the slots for the female medical apprentices have already been pre-assigned."

"I was lucky and ran into Eunuch Jia from the Labor Hall. I helped him with a small task, and he promised to let me join the Labor Hall."

"The Labor Hall?!"

Lady Yao cried out in surprise, looking at Hua Changxi in disbelief. She had never imagined her daughter would make such a decision.

"Heh."

Old Madam Hua let out a sneer, looking at Hua Changxi. "And here I thought you were something special. After all that fuss, you're just going to be a laborer for someone else!"

"I think you've had it too easy. You look down on the light work of embroidery and weaving, and now you insist on seeking hardship outside. Why don't you go to the docks and carry heavy sacks instead!"

What did a laborer do?

They did manual labor.

Even if it was at the Medical Bureau, once you were in, you would be doing the most exhausting and miscellaneous tasks.

Hua Minghe looked at Hua Changxi. "Ninth Lady, tomorrow I will go to the Medical Bureau with you to decline the position in the Labor Hall."

Hua Changxi looked directly at Hua Minghe. "Father, I am thirteen. I know exactly what I am doing. Since I have made this decision, I will take responsibility for my actions. Whether it turns out well or poorly in the future, I will accept it."

Lady Yao grew anxious and said hurriedly, "Ninth Lady, have you forgotten why you entered the Medical Bureau? You went there to learn medicine, not to do manual labor. How will being a laborer help you learn medicine?"

Hua Changxi smiled. "Mother, one can learn medicine even as a laborer. Let me tell you, today in the Labor Hall, I saw many herbs that I've never seen on the market."

"Father, Mother, please believe me. If I wouldn't have gained anything from the Labor Hall, I certainly wouldn't have gone. Your daughter isn't that foolish."

Hua Minghe rubbed his temples in a headache, and Lady Yao looked helpless.

Old Madam Hua's mocking voice rang out again. "Hua Ninth Lady, just keep being difficult. You'll realize it when it comes time for your marriage prospects. What respectable family would marry their daughter off to a laborer!"

A laborer! That was no different from being a servant!

Old Master Hua took a slow drag of his pipe. Looking at this ninth granddaughter who had been unruly since childhood, he asked in a heavy voice, "Are you determined to go to the Medical Bureau as a laborer?"

Hua Changxi: "Yes. I must go."

Old Master Hua fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Even if you cannot marry into a good family in the future, you will still go?"

Hua Changxi nodded firmly. "Yes."

Old Master Hua took two more puffs of smoke. "If the family does not allow you to go, what do you plan to do?"

Having lived in the Hua family for thirteen years, Hua Changxi understood Old Master Hua's temperament well.

From the way he spoke, she knew he intended to use his authority as the head of the household to forcefully suppress her.

Hua Changxi understood that today, she would either persuade the family or be suppressed by them, so she stopped holding back. "Grandfather, I want to learn skills. I want to earn money. I do not want to face the same situation as Fifth Sister one day."

As soon as these words were spoken, Old Master Hua's face darkened instantly, and the expressions of Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt also became very grim.

No matter how much they tried to hide it or how grand their excuses were, they could not mask the fact that the Hua family had sold their daughter for their son's future.

Second Uncle and Second Aunt watched the drama from the sidelines, while the Hua juniors all looked as if they were thinking, *'Ninth Lady is so bold to actually defy Grandfather.'*

Hua Minghe and Lady Yao exchanged a glance. Their original firm resolve to prevent Hua Changxi from going to the Labor Hall wavered slightly.

With Fifth Lady becoming a concubine, it seemed as though the Hua family had the power of choice, but in reality, they did not.

The clan appeared easy to deal with, but that was on the condition that their family cooperated. Once they refused to follow the clan's arrangements, what awaited them might be more than just social exclusion.

Hua Changxi continued, "Grandfather, since the family cannot arrange a future for every son and grandchild, perhaps letting go and allowing us to find our own way might lead to unexpected rewards."

Old Master Hua lifted his eyelids to look at Hua Changxi, his expression very unpleasant. "Fine, very fine. Our family has produced quite an extraordinary young lady."

"It is not easy for a man to make a living, yet your mouth is even bigger than a man's."

"A laborer in the Medical Bureau's Labor Hall is someone the entire Medical Bureau can command at will. Do you think you can hold your ground there just by relying on a bit of medical knowledge?"

"I will say this clearly today: if you dare to bring trouble to this family or lose our family's face, I will personally kick you out of this house."

Seeing that Old Master Hua was no longer stopping her from entering the Labor Hall, Hua Changxi said no more. As for his threats and intimidation, she did not take them to heart.

Early the next morning, Hua Changxi took the steamed buns handed to her by Lady Yao and smiled. "Mother, don't worry about how the world views laborers. You must believe in me. Perhaps I can make a name for myself in the Labor Hall."

Lady Yao smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but she instructed, "Take good care of yourself. If you find you cannot get used to the Labor Hall, come home."

Hua Changxi smiled and said, "I know. I'm off!"

The rest of the Hua family, some sitting in the main hall and others standing in the courtyard, simply watched as Hua Changxi walked out of the house. No one spoke.

After walking out of the Hua family gates, Hua Changxi turned back to look at the Hua residence, her eyes shining with a bright light.

From this day forward, her world would no longer be limited to the Hua family courtyard.

Hua Seventh Lady and Hua Twelfth Lady stood at the door, watching the happy, briskly walking Hua Changxi with complex expressions.

Hua Twelfth Lady muttered, "Being a laborer is bitter and exhausting. Grandmother was right; Ninth Sister is truly too much trouble."

However, Hua Seventh Lady said, "But... being a laborer also allows one to earn money." With money, one could do many things and wouldn't have to listen to the family for everything.

Hua Twelfth Lady looked shocked. "Seventh Sister, why do I feel like you are actually quite supportive of Ninth Sister becoming a laborer?"

Hua Seventh Lady fell silent for a moment. "Whenever we want to buy something, we have to ask the family for money. Do you think the feeling of begging for money is pleasant?"

Hua Twelfth Lady fell silent.

Hua Seventh Lady added one more thing, "Ninth Lady found a job for herself; I think it's quite good. Just watch, in the future, Ninth Lady's confidence within this house will only grow stronger."