[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin":3,"chapter-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-165":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The First Iron Rice Bowl of Great Jin",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},151851,261,"Chapter 165: Cooperative Mine Suspended","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-165",165,"\u003Cp>Because her first trip to the Ghost Market had been so disastrous, Hua Changxi dared not be careless when going down the second time. Apart from refining a batch of third-grade spirit pills, on the last day of October she also made a trip to the Three Fork Herb Valley, intending to bring more top-grade Fire Spirit Stones with her just in case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The location of the Fire Spirit Mine was too close to the Three Fork Herb Valley under imperial jurisdiction. To avoid detection by the court, the outer perimeter was patrolled by Old You and his three men. Further inside, Hua Changxi had specially set up concealment arrays and maze arrays.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, when it came to formations, Hua Changxi only set them up by rote imitation. The concealment and maze arrays around the Fire Spirit Mine were quite rudimentary, utterly incapable of blocking high-level cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like now—as soon as Hua Changxi, a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, arrived, she saw through the arrays around the mine at a glance. She could enter the Fire Spirit Mine without alerting anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Drawing talismans, setting up formations...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before, because she couldn't inscribe runes, she couldn't set up teleportation arrays; now, because she didn't understand how to arrange advanced formations, she couldn't conceal the spirit mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi realized once again that the path of cultivation required learning many things beyond just cultivation itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, limited by her energy, she had no time to delve into other subjects, but she needed spirit talismans, formation plates, and spirit tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since she couldn't do it herself, she would have to befriend some cultivators who could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first time she went to the Ghost Market, she had gone with the intention of breaking into the circle of cultivators, but she had returned empty-handed. She hoped this time she would gain something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi rarely visited the Fire Spirit Mine. The Fire Spirit Stones mined each month were stored directly in an underground stone cave connected to the mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without alerting the patrolling cultivators or the miners digging the spirit stones, Hua Changxi silently slipped into the stone cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the cave, chests of Fire Spirit Stones were neatly arranged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi didn't bother with the low-grade, medium-grade, or high-grade Fire Spirit Stones. She went straight for the top-grade ones, but when she reached the top-grade area, she found only a meager three chests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One chest could hold ten thousand spirit stones. Three chests meant only thirty thousand top-grade Fire Spirit Stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi had never withdrawn any of the spirit stones from here. After two or three years of mining, only this much top-grade Fire Spirit Stone had been produced—far less than she had budgeted for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi knew that Old You and his three men, who were guarding the mine, would certainly embezzle some. As long as it wasn't excessive, she didn't care. But looking at the three chests before her, she was genuinely angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn't planned to disturb Old You and his men this time, nor had she intended to see Hua Liulang. But now, she decided to go meet them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After taking away the three chests of top-grade Fire Spirit Stones and all the high-grade ones, Hua Changxi left the mine tunnel. As she emerged, she noticed that dozens of stone caves had been carved into the cliffs on both sides of the mine valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, people were sitting in meditation and cultivating inside those caves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi released her divine sense to scan the area and found that more than a dozen of those people were already Qi Sea realm cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, these cultivators were undoubtedly all Old You's people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Hua Changxi narrowed her eyes and suddenly realized that even though she had sent Hua Liulang to supervise, with Old You and his men's control over the mine, in a few more years she would likely be completely sidelined by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a slightly larger cave in the valley, she 'saw' Hua Liulang waving his arms and gesturing animatedly. Opposite him, You Lin, Yang Chuan, Zhuo Fan, and Jiang Ye were sitting comfortably, watching him as if enjoying a show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this scene, Hua Changxi's expression instantly darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, instead of rushing over to investigate, she turned around and slipped back into the depths of the mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A quarter of an hour later, a seven-meter-long, red-glowing mine spirit that looked like a fire snake was absorbed by Hua Changxi into the Sumeru mustard seed hanging around her neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the mine spirit was taken, this Fire Spirit Mine became a dead mine; it would no longer automatically condense new spirit stones, and once it was fully mined, it would be exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this trip, she realized that managing the Fire Spirit Mine was not easy. She had no one of her own; using outsiders could easily lead to being sidelined; using her own family would inevitably lead to conflicts of interest later on—that was what she least wanted to face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn't the first time Old You and his three men had done things behind her back. She didn't want to be the kind of person who drained the pond to catch all the fish, but extracting the mine spirit had ruined this mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet she had no energy to manage it, and Old You and his men were not people for long-term cooperation. Under these circumstances, she could only terminate the 'cooperative fire spirit mining project' here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You've already opened up so many stone caves—no more can be dug.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Liulang was very dissatisfied that Old You and his men kept adding more stone caves around the mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old You laughed. \"The spirit qi around the mine is dense. It would be a pity to waste it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Hua Liulang was furious. \"Don't act like I know nothing! The spirit qi that leaks from the mine is limited. By bringing so many people here to cultivate, are you trying to drain the mine dry?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye didn't want Hua Liulang to take this matter to Hua Changxi, so he smiled and tried to soothe him. \"Liulang, the four of us are Hua Changxi's people, so naturally our clansmen are also hers. I believe Changxi is willing to train her own subordinates.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Hua Liulang felt extremely stifled. Every time something came up, Old You and his men had a ready excuse to fob him off, leaving him speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sixth Brother!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi's voice sounded from outside the cave, startling everyone. Old You and his men shot to their feet, exchanging nervous glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Liulang, however, beamed with joy and strode quickly out of the cave. \"Ninth Sister, why are you here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi: \"I'm here to collect a batch of spirit stones. Sixth Brother, the Fire Spirit Mine is something I put under your management. If you're too busy to handle it alone, you can find helpers. But one thing you must remember: whoever you bring in, you're responsible for managing them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Liulang immediately asked: \"Then can I have family members come over to help?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi: \"You can, but if conflicts of interest arise among the family members later, you'll have to resolve them yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Liulang thought that rather than letting the four of Old You take advantage, it would be better to let the Hua family profit: \"Don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Changxi, you're here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old You and the other three also came out, all smiling at Hua Changxi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi nodded to the four. Since the cooperation had already been terminated, she had nothing more to say to them. When she had chosen her partners before, she had been too hasty and picked people who didn't meet her expectations. Now that the project had failed, she would have to bear the consequences herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the remaining Fire Spirit Mine, she would use it to temper her Sixth Brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have things to do, so I'll be going now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Hua Changxi suddenly appear and then suddenly leave, without saying anything to them or asking them anything, Old You and the other three felt uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was she too trusting of them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Old You, Old Yang, Old Zhuo, Old Jiang, I'll be having some Hua family members come over to help me from now on. I hope you'll give them plenty of guidance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that the Hua family was going to get involved, Old You and the other three were naturally unwilling, but they couldn't stop it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What was bound to come has come.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Actually, having the Hua family join in isn't completely a bad thing. As long as we blend in with the Hua family, our bond with Hua Changxi will be even deeper.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well said. Did you notice? Hua Changxi's aura is getting more and more formidable. I almost dare not look her in the eye. I wonder how high her cultivation level is now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Regardless, we can't afford to offend Hua Changxi. Now that the Hua family is involved, we'll have to be more restrained with the spirit stones we mine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Yang Chuan and the other two were discussing, Old You remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi had come by but paid them no attention and asked nothing, leaving him feeling very uncertain. He felt that Hua Changxi no longer seemed to care about this spirit mine.\u003C\u002Fp>",1565,"2026-05-29T04:10:26.746Z","2026-06-01T04:29:08.487Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","4d9ecec84c9e2ad4df064f4b6d67d73b66d7cb3799d0357670e340a56f332481","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-166","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-164",547,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-cover.jpg"]