Chapter 121: Heavenly Realm

Hua Changxi left the Hua family home, took out the Ghost Market token given by Eunuch Lin from her storage buddha beads, placed it in the pouch at her waist, and then, on the way back to the Medical Office, paid attention to whether the Ghost Market token had any reaction.

Along the way, she also made a trip to the Shennong Medicine Shop in Feng’an Ward.

Unfortunately, the Ghost Market token showed no reaction throughout the entire journey.

"The capital is so vast. If I need the Ghost Market token to react, wouldn't that mean I have to wander all over the capital aimlessly?"

Anxious to set up the teleportation array so she could cultivate quickly, Hua Changxi returned to the Medical Office and went straight to No. 8 Qi Huang Hall to find Lin Sheng: "Have you ever been to the Ghost Market with Eunuch Lin?"

Lin Sheng shook his head: "Only cultivators can enter the Ghost Market." He paused, "Master, my godfather said that the entrance to the Ghost Market changes randomly; the entry point is different every time."

Hua Changxi: "It seems I really have to wander all over the capital."

Hearing this, Lin Sheng thought of something and quickly said, "Master, I recall that whenever my godfather went to the Ghost Market, he would wander around the boundary area between the inner and outer city. That might be where the Ghost Market entrance often appears."

Hua Changxi's expression lit up with joy: "Really? Then I'll go for a stroll this afternoon."

At that moment, she saw Wang Yunchu appear at the courtyard gate, knowing it was time for class, she left No. 8 Qi Huang Hall.

Hua Changxi saw Lin Sheng following her out and said, "You don't need to follow me. If something comes up, I'll call for you."

Lin Sheng nodded in agreement, prepared to watch Hua Changxi leave, but when his eyes looked ahead, he suddenly let out an "Eh?"

Hua Changxi had already gone two or three meters when she heard the sound, stopped, turned to look at Lin Sheng, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Sheng stepped forward two paces and lowered his voice: "Master, I think I just saw the Seventh Prince."

Hua Changxi's spirits lifted: The Seventh Prince?

The Great Jin dynasty's imperial surname is Chu; she immediately thought of that Young Master Chu.

Because she often saw Mu Qingying greeting Young Master Chu, she had guessed that Young Master Chu's status was not ordinary, but she hadn't expected it to be this extraordinary—a prince.

Hua Changxi looked at Lin Sheng: "How do you know the Seventh Prince?"

Lin Sheng: "The Eastern Depot serves the Emperor exclusively and often enters the palace. With my godfather looking after me, I have had quite a few opportunities to enter the palace and have seen many noble figures within."

Hua Changxi nodded. Since class was about to start soon, she didn't ask more about the palace and let Lin Sheng leave first.

Today it was her turn to teach at No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 Qi Huang Halls. During the lesson, she suddenly realized that teaching three consecutive classes in one morning was too much.

Previously, she had been rushing through classes in order to quickly take over all the Qi Huang Halls. Now that the wooden token keys to all nine Qi Huang Halls of the Servants' Hall were in her possession, there was no need for her to rush like that anymore.

Hua Changxi immediately decided that from now on, she would only teach one hour-long class in one Qi Huang Hall each morning. She informed the attendees in class and asked them to help spread the word to the other servants who hadn't attended.

For those servants who desperately wanted to learn more medical skills but had no other way to study, Hua Changxi's decision was too sudden and left them at a loss.

Shen Qianfan had been coming to Hua Changxi's classes every day recently, and each time he gained something. He also wanted to listen to more of her lectures, so he directly asked, "Manager Hua, didn't you used to teach three classes? Why the change?"

Sensing the servants' disappointment, Hua Changxi glanced at Shen Qianfan, then at Mu Qingying and Zhu Qinghuan in the classroom, and said, "Because I have other things to do."

"I can't teach for long periods, so what everyone learns is indeed limited. It would be great if other doctors and pharmacists in the Medical Office were willing to teach as well."

Hearing this, the servants' eyes lit up at first, but soon dimmed again.

How could the doctors and pharmacists of Ninth Street possibly be willing to teach servants like them?

Mu Qingying sensed that Hua Changxi's gaze had fallen on her. She vaguely guessed that Hua Changxi wanted her to step up, take the lead in teaching the servants, and thereby encourage the other doctors and pharmacists of Ninth Street.

However, she chose not to respond to Hua Changxi.

Time was precious; she now not only had to cultivate and refine pills, but also handle some tasks assigned by her master. Teaching the servants would certainly encroach on her other time.

For the sake of a group of unfamiliar servants to spend her precious time, she... could not bring herself to do it.

Seeing Mu Qingying avoid her gaze, Hua Changxi then turned her eyes to Shen Qianfan.

Among all the people who came to listen to her lectures, aside from Mu Qingying, Shen Qianfan had the highest medical skills. The questions he raised in class could also stimulate her thinking.

Shen Qianfan saw Hua Changxi looking at him, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Hua Changxi then looked at Zhu Qinghuan, who simply lowered her head, busying herself with organizing her belongings.

At that moment, Hua Changxi seemed to understand why no one had ever opened the wooden tokens before her.

Mu Qingying, Shen Qianfan, and Zhu Qinghuan were all wooden token holders. Looking at other wooden token holders through them, she guessed they all acted the same way.

As for her coming to teach at Qi Huang Hall, that was also the result of many coincidental factors coming together.

To activate the wooden token, one must have a heart filled with great selfless love.

Hua Changxi asked herself honestly: if she hadn't known that teaching at the Qihuang Hall could improve her cultivation, would she have been willing to give free lessons to the menial laborers?

Even if she were willing, how long could she keep it up?

Hua Changxi smiled—in the end, she was just a worldly person driven by utility.

"Class dismissed!"

Chu Junhao watched Hua Changxi's retreating figure, his eyes flickering: "Just as naive, it seems."

Eager to find a talisman master to set up a teleportation array, Hua Changxi left the Medical Department with Lin Sheng after class and headed straight for the boundary between the inner city and the outer city.

On the way, Hua Changxi asked about the imperial family: "How many sons does the current emperor have?"

Lin Sheng: "The emperor has over twenty princes and over thirty princesses."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi's eyes widened: "So many?"

Lin Sheng: "That's not counting the dragon sons and dragon daughters still in the wombs of the noble consorts who haven't been born yet."

Hua Changxi was shocked: "How can there be so many children? Isn't the struggle among the imperial concubines supposed to be fierce?"

Lin Sheng: "That's because during the reign of the Grand Supreme, an imperial decree was issued: the imperial concubines could vie for favor, but they were absolutely forbidden to harm any prince or princess. Otherwise, regardless of who it was, they would be cast into the Cold Palace, and their natal families would have their property confiscated and be exiled."

"The Grand Supreme's first wife, Empress Su, was not only stripped of her title for poisoning an imperial heir, but also implicated the Su family, who were subjected to property confiscation and exile."

"If even an empress could be deposed, it goes without saying for other consorts."

"With Empress Su's precedent, the harem concubines no longer dared to harm the imperial heirs. The Grand Supreme had thirteen sons and twenty daughters."

Upon hearing that both the Grand Supreme and the current emperor had so many children, Hua Changxi's eyes flickered, and she asked again: "Did the Grand Supreme abdicate voluntarily?"

Lin Sheng nodded: "Yes."

Hua Changxi then asked: "After abdicating, did the Grand Supreme cling to power and refuse to let go?"

Lin Sheng shook his head: "The Grand Supreme let go very decisively. He handed all court affairs over to the emperor and never inquired about governance again."

Hua Changxi's expression shifted slightly—would a person standing at the pinnacle of power give up that authority so easily?

"Is the Grand Supreme in poor health, unable to handle state affairs?"

Lin Sheng: "I've never met the Grand Supreme, but he enjoys Buddhist meditation and Taoist cultivation, so his health should be quite good."

After hearing this, Hua Changxi understood why the Grand Supreme had so readily passed the throne to the emperor: though power was important, immortality was clearly more enticing.

The imperial family must have known about the revival of spiritual energy long ago. Having so many children increased the odds that some would possess spiritual veins, and it also served as preparation for whatever impact the imperial family might face in the coming tides.

All under heaven is the king's land. In the eyes of the royal family, the entire territory of Great Jin belonged to them. Only with many princes could the family's estate be protected.

"Is the Seventh Prince favored in the palace?"

"Yes, he is. The Seventh Prince is the second son of Consort Duan. He has an older full brother, the First Prince, and an older full sister, the Fourth Princess. Protected by the consort and the First Prince, the Seventh Prince is one of the few princes in the palace who can live relatively freely."

As they spoke, the city wall marking the boundary between the inner city and outer city came into view.

Hua Changxi treated the tales of the imperial family as mere stories; upon seeing the wall, her attention shifted.

"Do you know what place that is?"

Hua Changxi pointed to a majestic complex of pavilions and halls surrounded by city walls.

The buildings were not only tall but also occupied an extremely vast area. From a distance, they seemed even more overwhelmingly imposing than the imperial palace.

She had been here before, and every time she came, she was awed.

Lin Sheng looked at it with a fearful expression: "That is the Heavenly Department."

"So it's the Heavenly Department."

Soldiers patrolled around the buildings, strictly forbidding commoners from approaching. Hua Changxi had known it was some government office, but she never imagined it was the famous Heavenly Department.

Lin Sheng was also gazing at the Heavenly Department: "I once read a biography in the Eastern Depot's library that recorded events from the time of the founding emperor."

"Following the guidance of the Divine Lamp, the founding emperor established the capital at the capital city. After entering the city, he was also awed by what is now the Heavenly Department and wanted to set the imperial palace there."

"However, the Imperial Observatory at the time dissuaded him, saying that this site was unfavorable for the imperial lineage's succession. In the end, the imperial palace was built at the northernmost end of the capital city."

"I've seen the map of the capital. The capital is actually circular in shape, with Tianbu standing at the very center. This location is clearly the best in the capital."

Lin Sheng's words revealed quite a lot of information, and Hua Changxi pondered them carefully.

The Great Jin Dynasty was a miraculous dynasty. The founding emperor relied on a Divine Lamp to establish the nation, and the choice of the capital was also guided by the Divine Lamp. This was widely rumored among the people.

At that moment, she recalled what Steward Leng had said—that the imperial family had seized the Black-White Lotus Lamp, the Shura Gate's treasured artifact, sparking a great war between the two sides, during which the Divine Lamp was shattered.

Hua Changxi looked at Lin Sheng: "Does the imperial family really have a Divine Lamp?"

Lin Sheng nodded: "Yes, but the Divine Lamp is no longer intact. It is said that over four hundred years ago, a group of heretic Daoists coveted the lamp, causing it to shatter. The fragments scattered everywhere, and to this day the imperial family has not been able to collect them all."

Hua Changxi asked again: "Is the Divine Lamp shaped like a lotus?"

Lin Sheng nodded: "Mm. The lamp burns with black and white flames, said to be incredibly miraculous."

Hua Changxi confirmed that the Shura Gate's treasured Divine Lamp mentioned by Steward Leng and the founding emperor's Divine Lamp were one and the same.

Both sides claimed the other coveted their own Divine Lamp. So whose lamp was it really?

The founding emperor established the dynasty over nine hundred years ago, while the Shura Gate was founded only a few hundred years ago.

From this perspective, it seemed that the Shura Gate must have coveted the imperial family's Divine Lamp.

But how could a single sect dare to challenge the imperial family?

Hua Changxi asked again: "Does the book say how the founding emperor obtained the Divine Lamp?"

Lin Sheng: "The book says the Divine Lamp fell from the heavens, landing right in front of the founding emperor. The author exclaimed that the founding emperor was the chosen one of Heaven."

"Fell from the heavens?"

Hua Changxi fell into thought, recalling the outsider cultivator, Elder Jiang. If outsiders could infiltrate, could the Divine Lamp also be from the outside world?

If the Divine Lamp was from the outside, then the person who founded the Shura Gate was likely an outsider as well.

Hua Changxi furrowed her brow. It seemed there were quite a few outsider cultivators infiltrating the Four Realms. Then, she stopped dwelling on the matter of the Divine Lamp and turned her attention to Tianbu.

"You noticed that Tianbu is the best location in the capital. The imperial family couldn't have missed that. Why didn't they ever consider moving the palace?"

"They did move it, but it never came to anything."

"Why?"

"Whenever the palace was moved to Tianbu, a large number of people in the imperial family would die. During one attempt, even an emperor died."

"That eerie?"

"Mm."

"Then why was Tianbu established here?"

Lin Sheng shook his head: "I don't know about that."

Hua Changxi walked toward Tianbu. Soon, she saw two towers standing to the east and west of Tianbu, each no lower than the tallest pavilion there.

"What government departments are those two towers?"

"The east tower is the Qintian Tower, where the Imperial Observatory works. The west tower is the Time Tower, where the historians compile records."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi let out a 'hah.' The Imperial Observatory advised the imperial family not to move the palace here, yet they had set up their own office in this very spot.

Soon, Hua Changxi's attention shifted away from the two towers.

Simply put, she felt the Ghost Market Token vibrating, as an invisible force was pulling at it.

"Lin Sheng, you go back first. I'll wander around on my own."

After sending Lin Sheng away, Hua Changxi followed the pulling force on the token. Soon, she arrived at an Earth God Temple shrouded in incense smoke.

Seeing the commoners burning incense before the Earth God Temple, Hua Changxi hesitated for a moment, then walked into the alley beside the temple.

Almost instantly, the scene before Hua Changxi changed. The sunlit alley turned into a pitch-black, misty, eerie long path.

The clamor of voices disappeared, and the surroundings were frighteningly silent.

Hua Changxi looked around, but visibility was less than ten meters. She could see nothing, and it felt as if she was the only one left in the world.

To be honest, Hua Changxi was a little scared now, her heart beginning to pound. She hadn't expected the Ghost Market to be so bizarre; she felt as though she had crossed into another dimension.

The only thing in sight was the eerily long path under his feet. Hua Changxi braced himself and walked forward, feeling as if he were treading the road to the underworld.