Chapter 24: Pushing One's Luck

The news of Hua Changxi getting into a physical altercation in the warehouse spread throughout the Servants' Hall in less than a day.

Working in the Servants' Hall meant repeating heavy manual labor every day. With no entertainment available, everyone lived in a constant state of tension. A simple fight could become the focal point of everyone's attention, serving as a topic of conversation in their otherwise dull lives.

"Hua Changxi, you didn't take a single word of my previous warning to heart, did you? Not only did you start a fight in the Sixth Bureau, but you even went and picked a fight in the warehouse."

Du Ruo had come to find Hua Changxi, her face flushed with anger after learning of the incident.

Hua Changxi did not believe she had done anything wrong. "Manager Du, I didn't want to fight. It was the people in the warehouse who were mocking me. I couldn't stand it."

Infuriated, Du Ruo blurted out, "Why don't they mock anyone else? It's because you carry yourself improperly!"

Hua Changxi's expression instantly turned cold. "Manager Du, I am the victim here. I don't expect any sympathy from you, but is it not going too far for you to turn around and blame me?"

"You are a veteran of the Servants' Hall and a woman. You should know very well the kind of humiliation I have endured. When faced with such things, you could have chosen to keep the peace. What is wrong with me for fighting back?"

Du Ruo was left speechless. After a moment of silence, she spoke up, "That Mao Wei you hit has an older brother who is a martial artist and a minor manager in the medicinal manor. Watch yourself."

Hua Changxi heard Du Ruo's warning, but she didn't take it to heart.

She had already hit the man, and she had no regrets. As for what came next, she would deal with it when it happened.

For Hua Changxi, the most important things right now were her cultivation and obtaining the medical inheritance; everything else could wait.

Since she could no longer sleep in, Hua Changxi began using her mornings to clean medicinal herbs, leaving her afternoons and evenings entirely for cultivation.

Thanks to the Spirit Essence Powder, her cultivation speed had increased significantly.

Initially, she thought she could only refine and absorb 10 grams of Spirit Essence Powder per night, but after several attempts, she discovered she could refine and absorb it once every two hours.

As a result, she could refine and absorb 40 grams of Spirit Essence Powder a day, increasing her realm points by 80 every single day.

Immersed in the sense of achievement from her rapid progress, time flew by, and it was soon mid-October.

By this time, the Spirit Essence Powder had been exhausted, and Hua Changxi had successfully broken through the 1,000 realm point mark.

[Realm: Qi Refining Stage 1055/1000]

For some reason, even after breaking through 1,000 realm points, her realm did not advance.

Hua Changxi was very puzzled by this, but no one was there to enlighten her. With the Spirit Essence Powder gone, she could only return to the slow, step-by-step process of cultivation.

"Hua Changxi, someone is looking for you."

A shout came from outside the room. Hua Changxi stepped out to find an unfamiliar woman calling her name.

The woman greeted her warmly as soon as she saw her. "Little Miss Hua, Pharmacist Xu from Ninth Street is looking for you. He's waiting outside the Sixth Bureau."

"Thank you, Auntie."

After thanking her, Hua Changxi hurried toward the front courtyard.

"Uncle Xu!"

Pharmacist Xu had not entered the Sixth Bureau but was waiting outside the courtyard. Seeing Hua Changxi emerge, his face immediately lit up with a smile. As she approached, he studied her carefully for a moment and asked with concern, "Jiu Niang, are you doing alright in the Servants' Hall?"

Hua Changxi smiled. "Uncle Xu, I am doing very well."

Seeing that Hua Changxi's complexion was rosy and she showed no signs of exhaustion from overwork, Pharmacist Xu felt much more relieved.

Hua Changxi asked, "Uncle Xu, what brings you here?"

Pharmacist Xu replied, "Your sixth brother came to my house last night to tell me to let you know that your fifth sister is getting married on the twentieth of October. He wanted you to go back and see her off."

The smile on Hua Changxi's face froze. "Fifth Sister is getting married so soon?"

Pharmacist Xu knew that Hua Wuniang was going to become a concubine, so he didn't say much about it. He pulled a porcelain bottle from his robe and pressed it into Hua Changxi's hand. "These are the Body Strengthening Pills I refine. The work in the Servants' Hall is heavy, and you are still growing. Take one every day and take good care of yourself."

Holding the porcelain bottle, Hua Changxi said with emotion, "Thank you, Uncle Xu. I will take good care of myself."

Pharmacist Xu said, "I have things to attend to, so I must go. Remember, if you run into any trouble, come find me at Ninth Street."

Hua Changxi nodded. "I will. Safe travels, Uncle Xu."

She watched Pharmacist Xu depart, and only after his figure had disappeared did she turn back to the Sixth Bureau courtyard.

On her way back to her sleeping quarters, she noticed many people watching her.

Hua Changxi understood perfectly well why. Pharmacist Xu's appearance served to confirm that she indeed had a patron within the Medical Bureau. With this connection, she might face fewer troubles in the future.

Lu Qingluo was quite puzzled. "Since Hua Changxi knows a pharmacist from Ninth Street, why did she come to the Servants' Hall to work as a servant?"

Wang Yunchu snorted. "What else could it be? Either her relationship with that pharmacist isn't that good, or that pharmacist doesn't have much say in the Medical Bureau."

Because of the news that Hua Wuniang would be carried into the Marquis's manor as a concubine in a few days, even the joy of breaking through 1,000 realm points had faded for Hua Changxi.

Regardless, they were sisters; she had to go back to see her off.

When evening arrived and Du Ruo had finished her work, Hua Changxi approached her. "Manager Du, I have been here for nearly a month. I would like to take a day off on the twentieth of October to go home."

Du Ruo shook her head. "The twentieth won't work. In our group, there are no specific restrictions on the one day of monthly leave, but only one person can take it per day. Usually, whoever has business on a certain day takes it then."

"Shi Yu reported to me a few days ago that she has business to attend to at home on the twentieth. To avoid disrupting the work, you will have to choose another day for your leave."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi grew anxious. "Can I swap? My sister is getting married on the twentieth, and I must go see her off."

Du Ruo replied, "You'll have to talk to Shi Yu about that yourself."

Hua Changxi said, "Alright, I'll go find Sister Shi right now."

Shi Yu, Lu Qingluo, and the others were still cleaning medicinal herbs. They were somewhat surprised to see Hua Changxi approaching.

Hua Changxi walked up to Shi Yu. "Sister-in-law Shi, I'm sorry to bother you, but I have something I'd like to discuss."

Shi Yu straightened up and asked curiously, "What is it?"

Hua Changxi said, "I want to take my leave on the twentieth. I was wondering if we could swap."

Shi Yu shook her head immediately. "No, I have things to do on the twentieth."

Hua Changxi added, "...I won't ask for nothing in return. If you agree to swap with me, I will help you clean the herbs for a day. That way, combined with your monthly leave, you can take two days off together. How does that sound?"

Shi Yu was tempted and almost agreed immediately, but after seeing the look given to her by the woman beside her, she thought for a moment and raised her price. "One day isn't enough. You'll have to help me clean the herbs for two days."

Hua Changxi fell silent for a moment but ultimately agreed. "Fine, I will help you clean the herbs for two days. Then it's a deal—I take the leave on the twentieth."

Shi Yu agreed with a smile. By having Hua Changxi clean two days' worth of herbs in addition to her own monthly leave, she could go home for three days this month.

After Hua Changxi left, Shi Yu was still rejoicing over the extra two days of rest, but at that moment, the women in her group, Mrs. Lin and Mrs. Zhao, began to feel sorry for her.

Mrs. Lin said, "Shi Yu, you're too honest."

Mrs. Zhao added, "Exactly. Hua Changxi cleans herbs so quickly. Now that she's asking a favor, how could you let her only do two days for you?"

Shi Yu was stunned. "Aren't two days enough?"

Mrs. Zhao snorted. "If I were you, I would definitely make Hua Changxi clean three days' worth for me."

Mrs. Lin chimed in, "Three days? You're underestimating Hua Changxi's ability. If you ask me, make her do at least five days."

"Five days!" Shi Yu cried out in shock. "Isn't that too much?"

Mrs. Zhao replied, "For others, it might be. But Hua Changxi can clean 500 herbs in half a day. Five days' worth is only 2,500 herbs; she could finish that in two and a half days. For her, it's nothing."

"This..." Shi Yu hesitated, but she was tempted.

Nearby, Wang Yunchu, Lu Qingluo, and the other young ladies listened silently to the conversation, exchanging unspoken glances.

When they saw Shi Yu actually leave the ditch to find Hua Changxi in the backyard, Wang Yunchu whispered, "She's really pushing her luck. Do you think Hua Changxi will agree?"

Lu Qingluo replied, "...She probably will. Changxi looked quite anxious just now; she must really have something important on the twentieth."

However, Wang Yunchu shook her head. "I don't think Hua Changxi will agree."

In her sleeping quarters, Hua Changxi was examining the Body Strengthening Pills given to her by Pharmacist Xu.

The small porcelain bottle, about half a palm high, contained ten pills. Hua Changxi poured one out and tasted it, quickly identifying the ingredients.

The pills had the effects of nourishing Qi and blood and strengthening the foundation. Furthermore, several herbs used by martial artists had been included to make the medicinal effect even more potent.

If these pills were sold on the market, they would fetch at least five taels of silver each.

Since this was a gift worth fifty taels, Hua Changxi was moved by Pharmacist Xu's care for her.

In truth, her acquaintance with Pharmacist Xu was thanks to her knowledge of Western medicine from her previous life.

During a chance consultation, Hua Changxi had been explaining Western medical theories to the head physician of the Hua Family Pharmacy when Pharmacist Xu, who was there to buy medicine, overheard her.

Some of the Western medical theories were eye-opening for him, which led him to frequently visit the Hua Family Pharmacy to discuss medicine with Hua Changxi.

Through these exchanges, their relationship had grown.

Hua Changxi carefully put the bottle away. With Wuniang getting married, as her sister, she ought to present a gift, but she had no money, and her monthly wages as a servant wouldn't be paid until the end of the month.

This bottle of Body Strengthening Pills from Pharmacist Xu was perfectly timed; she could use them as a gift for Wuniang.

"Changxi..."

Shi Yu walked into the room.

Hua Changxi looked up at her. "Sister-in-law Shi, is something wrong?"

Shi Yu said with a smile, "Changxi, I've thought about it. I have very important business to attend to on the twentieth, and if I'm delayed, it will take at least five days to get everything sorted. So, if you want to swap leave with me, you'll have to help me clean five days' worth of herbs."

Seeing Hua Changxi looking at her expressionlessly, Shi Yu added quickly, "I know this request is a bit much, but cleaning 2,500 herbs isn't exactly difficult for you..."

Hua Changxi was so angered by Shi Yu's greed that she laughed. "Sister Shi, I'll have to think about it. Once I've decided, I'll let you know."

Seeing that Hua Changxi didn't agree immediately, Shi Yu felt a bit uneasy. "Alright, I'll get back to work then."

As soon as she left, Hua Changxi went out to find Du Ruo. "Manager Du, I will wake up early on the twentieth to clean the herbs. After I'm finished, may I go home?"

Du Ruo was surprised. "Shi Yu refused to swap with you?"

Hua Changxi smiled. "Sister Shi wants me to clean five days' worth of herbs before she'll agree to the swap."

Hearing this, Du Ruo frowned and thought for a moment. "The warehouse opens at the fourth quarter of the Mao hour (6:00 AM). By the time you collect the herbs and finish cleaning them, will you still have time to go home?"

Hua Changxi nodded. "I can make it."

With that, Du Ruo said no more. "Fine. As long as you finish your duties for the day on the twentieth, you may go home."

Hua Changxi smiled. "Thank you, Manager Du."

Leaving Du Ruo's office, Hua Changxi went to the ditch and said to Shi Yu, "Sister Shi, I've thought about it. I won't be swapping leave with you after all." Having said that, she turned and left without looking back.

Shi Yu was stunned, looking at Mrs. Lin and Mrs. Zhao in confusion. "Why isn't she swapping?"

Mrs. Lin and Mrs. Zhao exchanged a glance but said nothing.

Wang Yunchu chuckled softly. "I told you. Someone as tough as Hua Changxi wouldn't possibly agree to Sister Shi's outrageous conditions."