Chapter 13: Serving as a Handyman

Hua Changxi stood at the corner of the square for a long time, ultimately not daring to go over and confront that Physician Sun. Just as she turned to leave, bursts of noise came from the neighboring courtyard.

"It's killing me with itch!"

"Help!"

Just now, Pharmacist Xu had instructed Hua Changxi not to wander around the Medicine Department. Hua Changxi initially planned to just walk away, but as she passed the courtyard gate, she heard Eunuch Jia's voice.

"All of you, quiet down. I have already sent someone to fetch a physician."

Hua Changxi stopped, standing at the courtyard gate and peering inside.

In the courtyard, more than twenty people were wailing incessantly. They were constantly scratching their hands and arms, not stopping even when their arms were scratched raw and bloody.

Hua Changxi swept her gaze over the medicinal herbs piled in the courtyard and immediately understood what was going on. Then she turned her eyes to Eunuch Jia.

Earlier on the square, Physician Sun had been completely suppressed when facing Eunuch Jia; even when mocked, Physician Sun dared not speak up. This showed that Eunuch Jia was no ordinary person.

Hua Changxi looked up at the plaque above the courtyard gate: "Miscellaneous Service Hall."

She probably wouldn't be able to become an apprentice. Outside, she couldn't access many medicinal herbs. She couldn't afford to waste a whole year waiting for the Medicine Department to recruit apprentices next year.

If she could enter the Miscellaneous Service Hall as a servant, that might also be an opportunity.

Since it was an opportunity, she couldn't miss it.

Thinking this, Hua Changxi stepped forward, cupped her hands toward Eunuch Jia, and said, "This humble girl pays respects to Eunuch Jia!"

Eunuch Jia was feeling very irritable at the moment. Suddenly hearing someone call him, he frowned and turned around, only to find it was someone he didn't know at all. His expression immediately darkened.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi quickly explained, "Eunuch Jia, please forgive me. I was passing by the Miscellaneous Service Hall and heard someone shouting, so I took a look."

Then, quickly pointing at those still screaming in agony, she said, "The problem with these people is easy to solve. Grind Mystic Ice Grass into powder and apply it to the arms; they will recover within a quarter of an hour."

Eunuch Jia had initially intended to send someone to arrest Hua Changxi, but after hearing her words, he changed his mind. "Oh? Do you know what's wrong with them?"

Hua Changxi nodded and pointed at the herbs in the courtyard. "Fire Crystal Grass contains fire poison and cannot be washed directly with water. If Fire Crystal Grass is placed in water, the toxicity will quickly spread. When people come into contact with it, the result is just like theirs."

Eunuch Jia raised an eyebrow. "You recognize the herbs in this courtyard?"

Hua Changxi nodded again. "In reply to Eunuch Jia, my family runs a pharmacy. I know some medicine merchants and dealers, and from them I have learned a lot of herbal knowledge."

To increase her own value, Hua Changxi added, "In this courtyard, not only Fire Crystal Grass cannot be washed with water, but Thunder Bamboo cannot be either."

Thunder Bamboo is not actually bamboo; it is a kind of herb that looks like bamboo.

"If Thunder Bamboo is placed in water, the person who touches it will suffer arm paralysis. In severe cases, the arms will become necrotic, ultimately leading to disability."

Hearing this, the people of the Miscellaneous Service Hall present all showed expressions of fear. If not for the accident with the Fire Crystal Grass handlers, they would have already started processing the Thunder Bamboo.

Anger surged in Eunuch Jia's eyes. He knew that the Miscellaneous Service Hall was being targeted.

A young eunuch beside him stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Godfather, probably because last time we supplied medicinal herbs to Pharmacist Ji on Fifth Street and not to him, Pharmacist Gong on Fourth Street is deliberately making things hard for us."

"He specifically demanded Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo, but didn't tell us how to handle these two herbs. He's trying to kill us off."

Eunuch Jia said nothing. Seeing the servant who had washed Fire Crystal Grass screaming miserably, he summoned a young eunuch: "Go to the storeroom and fetch some Mystic Ice Grass."

Mystic Ice Grass is a medicinal herb commonly used by martial artists. Its value is not low; outside, even if martial artists wanted to buy it, they might not be able to obtain it.

But this was the Medicine Department. The Miscellaneous Service Hall was responsible for the initial processing of all herbs entering the Medicine Department. There were several thousand catties of Mystic Ice Grass in the storeroom that had not yet been processed.

Although he could not freely use the herbs in the storeroom, taking a small amount to treat the injured servants was permissible.

After the young eunuch left, Eunuch Jia looked at Hua Changxi again. "If these two herbs cannot be washed with water, then how should they be handled?"

Hua Changxi said: "Use salt. Salt can quickly remove the dirt from Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo."

The "Commentary on the Hundred Herbs Classic" contains detailed records of the precautions for handling Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo.

Seeing that Hua Changxi spoke with certainty, Eunuch Jia hesitated only a moment, then decisively ordered someone to fetch salt.

When the salt was brought, they found that there weren't enough hands.

The servants of the Miscellaneous Service Hall each had their own duties. Now that more than twenty people were injured, naturally there was a shortage of manpower.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi immediately stepped forward and said, "Eunuch Jia, I happen to be free and am willing to serve you. I beg you to give me a chance to broaden my knowledge."

At this moment, Eunuch Jia had recalled that Hua Changxi was a candidate applying for the apprenticeship. Knowing the inside story of this apprentice recruitment, he seemed to understand what this young lady was up to.

[]

But how did she find out that all the slots for female medical apprentices had already been reserved behind the scenes?

Just then, the eunuch sent to fetch the physicians returned with two of them.

Eunuch Jia didn't respond to Hua Changxi—he neither agreed nor disagreed—and directly went to greet the two physicians.

Seeing Eunuch Jia like this, Hua Changxi simply took it as consent, strode quickly over to the laborers, and began working alongside them processing the Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo.

The laborers weren't sure whether salt could cleanse Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo, so they all watched Hua Changxi's movements in silence.

Only after confirming there was truly no danger did they start handling the medicinal materials according to Hua Changxi's method.

"What, we still need to apply acupuncture?"

The two physicians also said that the previous twenty-plus people had been burned by the medicinal herbs, and to treat them, they would need acupuncture and detoxifying medicine—they would need at least ten days or so to recover.

Eunuch Jia frowned: "I know quite well that many new medicines have been developed in the past couple of years. Isn't there some ointment that can just be applied and done with?"

The two physicians reiterated the injuries of those twenty laborers, saying the wounds were too severe for ordinary ointments to cure.

Eunuch Jia glanced at Hua Changxi, who was busy among the laborers. This young lady's method was far simpler than the treatment plan the two physicians had proposed.

Still, Eunuch Jia let the two physicians take the laborers into the rooms to treat them, but he kept a few laborers behind. After a young eunuch fetched Icy Grass from the storeroom, he had them crush it and test it.

"Your Excellency, the itching really stopped!"

After applying Icy Grass, the few remaining laborers felt the burning, crawling-ants sensation of itching and pain swiftly recede.

Seeing the improvement in those few laborers, Eunuch Jia then went to check on those being treated by the physicians. Those laborers were still scratching and moaning, which made him fall into deep thought.

Over the past two years, the Medical Department had discovered many new medicinal herbs, whose properties had yet to be fully tested. Even when they were tested, the physicians and pharmacists kept the results to themselves and didn't fully share them.

The Laborers' Hall had already suffered several injury accidents while handling and cleaning medicinal materials.

For instance, with this batch of Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo, the Laborers' Hall knew nothing about their toxicity.

Eunuch Jia returned to the courtyard and silently watched Hua Changxi, who was rapidly processing the herbs.

This young lady handled the herbs with speed, accuracy, and steadiness—she was even more skilled than the other laborers. And those laborers were all veterans who had been working for years.

At that moment, Hua Changxi was indeed working with great vigor.

[Purification Art (Beginner): Cleanse herbs 10/10]

After she had processed ten herbs, her mind suddenly filled with various methods for cleaning mortal plants. These methods felt as though she had repeated them countless times—they were etched into her very bones.

Now, whether she picked up Fire Crystal Grass or Thunder Bamboo, she instinctively knew how to clean them.

It felt as though, regarding the handling of martial artist herbs, she had clearly been a novice, but now she had become an experienced veteran who had processed countless martial artist herbs.

[Purification Art (Adept): Cleanse herbs 88/100]

[Purification Art (Adept): Cleanse herbs 89/100]

[Purification Art (Adept): Cleanse herbs 90/100]

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The Laborers' Hall had far too many herbs to process. As the numbers in her vision kept changing, Hua Changxi's expression grew more and more excited.

After processing 100 herbs, just as she had expected, her mind suddenly filled with various methods for cleaning spirit plants.

Eunuch Jia watched from the side for a while, and noticed that Hua Changxi truly was an old hand at processing herbs. After some thought, he summoned a young eunuch: "Xiao Luzi, go look into that young lady's family background, and also find out which areas of the Medical Department she visited today."

An hour later, when the several carts of Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo were nearly finished being processed, Xiao Luzi returned.

"Godfather, that young lady is named Hua Changxi. She lives at South Luo Lane, Xiuzheng Ward, is the ninth child in her family, and her father is a constable of the Six Doors..."

"Hua Changxi knows Pharmacist Xu on Ninth Street. Earlier, after leaving the square, she went to Ninth Street to find Pharmacist Xu. Pharmacist Xu is a good friend of Pharmacist Wang from the Apprentice Hall."

Xiao Luzi reported in detail all the information he had gathered to Eunuch Jia.

After hearing this, Eunuch Jia finally understood how Hua Changxi had found out that all the female medical apprentice slots had been reserved behind the scenes.

"Go, bring Hua Changxi over to me."

[Purification Art (Mastery): Cleanse herbs 250/1000]

Hua Changxi was working with great enthusiasm when Xiao Luzi came over.

Upon learning that Eunuch Jia wanted to see her, Hua Changxi reluctantly glanced at the unfinished medicinal herbs, then followed Xiaoluzi to present herself before Eunuch Jia.

"Eunuch Jia."

Eunuch Jia looked at Hua Changxi and dispensed with any intimidation tactics, going straight to the point: "You helped me solve a problem today, so speak—what do you want from me?"

Hearing this, Hua Changxi did not dawdle. She clasped her hands and bowed: "I wish to enter the Chores Hall. I beseech Eunuch Jia for your permission."

Eunuch Jia showed an expression of "just as I expected": "Although the Chores Hall, unlike the Apprentice Hall, does not require prior public announcements for recruitment, that does not mean anyone can just walk in. Why should I take you on?"

At this point, Hua Changxi could no longer afford to be modest: "Eunuch Jia, my memory is quite good. Any medicinal herb I have seen or heard mentioned, I can thoroughly commit to heart."

"As for handling medicinal materials, I have my own insights. To put it bluntly, even compared to an old hand who has processed herbs for decades, I dare say I am no worse."

Hearing this, Eunuch Jia laughed heartily: "You little girl, bragging like that—aren't you afraid of biting your tongue?"

Hua Changxi looked at Eunuch Jia with full confidence: "If you do not believe me, feel free to test me."

Eunuch Jia stared at Hua Changxi, and seeing that she did not flinch or evade, he did not test her. Instead, he continued: "The work in the Chores Hall is not easy. Not to mention that you are a young lady—even men here often find it overwhelming. Are you sure you want to enter the Chores Hall?"

Hua Changxi nodded firmly: "I am not afraid of hardship."

Eunuch Jia added: "As far as I know, you came today to apply for an apprenticeship. What, do you think you definitely won't be accepted?"

Hua Changxi thought for a moment and replied: "I feel I am better suited for the Chores Hall."

Eunuch Jia chuckled: "Are you truly not going to regret this? If I agree to it today, then you will be a member of the Chores Hall. Even if your name appears on the Apprentice Hall's admission list three days later, you will not be allowed to go."

Hua Changxi paused for a second, then nodded again with certainty: "I only wish to enter the Chores Hall."

Compared to an uncertain outcome, she preferred to seize the certainty before her.

Seeing Hua Changxi like this, Eunuch Jia showed a hint of approval: "Decisive enough. I do see that you have some skill, and the Chores Hall is indeed short-handed. I'll give you this chance today. Report to the Chores Hall tomorrow."

Hua Changxi's face lit up with joy. She bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle to Eunuch Jia: "I thank you for your kindness, Eunuch. In the future, I will surely work hard in the Chores Hall."

Eunuch Jia was noncommittal: "I don't need your thanks. I just hope you won't regret it after entering the Chores Hall. Xiaoluzi, see her out."