Chapter 199: Trouble Within and Without

Hua Changxi still had no idea what subjects were taught in the Ten to Eighteen Qihuang Halls on the apprentice side; now that the wooden token wasn't on her, she couldn't verify it either, so she lingered in the Thirteen Qihuang Hall with little to do.

However, after she returned to the hall, she saw the medicine boys coming and going several times, and Hua Changxi grew somewhat thoughtful.

In this Medical Department where various forces converged, the wooden token was merely her stepping stone to the title of master of the Thirteen Qihuang Hall.

Outwardly, the imperial family and the high-ranking officials of the Medical Department probably didn't take her seriously either; making her the hall master was just using her. Inwardly, among the eight medicine boys, except for Xu Yaoshi, who had some rapport with her, the other seven were planted eyes for their own purposes.

She wanted to be the hall master, yet both inside and outside, everything was against her!

Faced with such a situation, Hua Changxi felt aggrieved inside. She had always believed that as long as she was strong enough, she could do as she pleased, but the reality once again made her realize that strength couldn't solve everything.

Just like before, when Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou wanted to give a lecture at the Six Qihuang Hall, a single word sent over forced her to vacate the Six Qihuang Hall. Back then, she had also felt wronged.

That time, Gu Xing had asked her if she had found her place in the Medical Department. Now she had found her position, but she still hadn't figured out what to do next.

Should she be a hall master with only an empty title, commanding not a single soldier? Or should she forge the Thirteen Qihuang Hall into a fortress and become the true ruler?

The former was easy—just do nothing, since all she wanted was the title of master of a Qihuang Hall in the Medical Department. The latter, however, would require her to put in some thought.

Xu Yaoshi saw Hua Changxi sitting blankly in the courtyard. Thinking of how he had watched her grow up—practically an elder to her—he felt like offering some guidance. Smiling, he walked over: "Jiu Niang, how about you go pay a visit to the masters of the other halls?"

Hua Changxi snapped back from her thoughts and looked at Xu Yaoshi: "Is that necessary?"

Xu Yaoshi: "Of course! In the future, everyone will need to interact. You never know when you might need something from another hall master. Build a good relationship in advance, so it'll be easier to ask for favors later."

Hua Changxi found Xu Yaoshi's words a bit grating, as if he assumed she would definitely be the one begging. "You certainly think far ahead." She paused. "Before I came, how did the other hall masters interact with each other?"

Xu Yaoshi: "They naturally paid visits to each other's doors."

Hua Changxi: "Since it's mutual visits, let the other hall masters come see me first."

"Uh..."

Xu Yaoshi looked at Hua Changxi, who thought this was only natural, and his expression turned awkward. He didn't know how to respond.

Seeing him hesitate, Hua Changxi smiled: "Uncle Xu, just say whatever you want to say."

Xu Yaoshi hesitated for a moment, then ventured: "Well, if I say it, don't get angry."

Hua Changxi: "Go ahead."

Xu Yaoshi: "...The other hall masters are all people of status."

"So that means I should be the one to go and pay respects to them?" Hua Changxi's tone wasn't very pleasant.

Xu Yaoshi: "You said you wouldn't get angry."

Hua Changxi: "...I'm not angry. I just don't feel it's fair."

Xu Yaoshi looked at her: "Jiu Niang, we have to admit that our background and status aren't as good as theirs. If you want to build good relations, you have to lower your posture. That's nothing to be ashamed of. The truly capable are those who can bend and stretch."

Hua Changxi: "I'm not a 'truly capable man.'"

Seeing that she was impervious to advice, Xu Yaoshi grew a bit anxious: "Jiu Niang, if you want to be a good hall master, you need to unite the people around you. You want to wait for the other hall masters to come visit you first, but... their status is too high. They only proactively visit those of equal standing."

"I know you've always been proud since you were little, but now we're the ones who want to befriend them, so we have to make the first move. That's just reality."

Hua Changxi looked at him: "Uncle Xu, you're wrong. I don't want to befriend anyone."

Xu Yaoshi was a bit exasperated: "Working in government office, one person alone cannot accomplish great things. No—not just in government, anywhere, you can't fight alone."

Hua Changxi fell silent. Just as Xu Yaoshi was about to say something more, a vibration came from her waist.

It was Tong Yao's transmission talisman!

Hua Changxi stood up directly: "Uncle Xu, it's getting late. I'll head back to the medicine shop first." With that, she walked away without looking back, leaving only Xu Yaoshi standing in the courtyard sighing.

In the Fourteen Qihuang Hall, Duan Yuyan learned that Hua Changxi had left again. She smiled at Chu Junhao: "Cousin, it seems your earlier goodwill gesture was wasted. That Hua Changxi doesn't regard you at all. She came back to the Qihuang Hall but never even came to pay her respects to you."

Chu Junhao's expression didn't change. He smiled faintly: "Those with real skill are always somewhat proud."

Duan Yuyan let out a "hmph": "The world is full of skilled people, but they still bow and bend when needed. I think she just doesn't know who she is or where she stands. Does she think she's Hua Changxin, with the Taixu Sect backing her?"

Chu Junhao gave Duan Yuyan a cool glance, his smile fading: "Even so, you have to give her time and opportunity to learn who she is."

Sensing Chu Junhao's displeasure, Duan Yuyan dropped her head, pursed her lips, then smiled sheepishly: "I hope this time Hua Changxi doesn't do the same as last time—show up once and then disappear. Otherwise, the prince will be angry again."

Chu Junhao thought about Hua Changxi's completely unpredictable way of doing things and found it quite a headache as well.

The secrets hidden in the Qihuang Halls—they had nearly turned every Qihuang Hall upside down but found nothing. Hua Changxi was the only one who had cracked the secrets of the Qihuang Halls. They had to rely on her to unravel all the Qihuang Halls, thereby gradually gaining control of the Dan Saint Hall.

Duan Yuyan: "If you ask me, Cousin, you're still too soft-hearted."

Chu Junhao glanced at her: "The situation is restless on all sides. It won't be solved by relying solely on power and coercion."

Duan Yuyan sneered: "For those with power and influence, force isn't the solution. But Hua Changxi has nothing, and the Hua family is just a small household. If we really wanted to do something to them, it would be a matter of a single word."

Chu Junhao rubbed his forehead and sighed: "Then what do you think is the reason that no one has stepped up to make a move against the Hua family so far?"

Duan Yuyan snorted: "Isn't it just because the Hua family produced a Hua Changxin?"

Chu Junhao: "Not only that. There's also Hua Changxi. The wooden plaque in Gu Xing's courtyard—its exact purpose is still unknown, but it is definitely a token of the Dan Saint Hall, and not an ordinary one at that."

"To put it this way: among all the people in the Medicine Department now, only those who have obtained the wooden plaque are considered members of the Dan Saint Hall. As for us, whether we can become people of the Holy Land is still unknown."

"If we become enemies of Hua Changxi and fail to kill her, then she becomes a mortal enemy. She will certainly become an obstacle to our control over the Dan Saint Hall in the future."

Duan Yuyan curled her lips. Although what Chu Junhao said sounded reasonable, she knew that this was not the real reason he held back from dealing with Hua Changxi: "Cousin, sometimes you are too stubborn." After saying that, she turned and left.

Watching Duan Yuyan's retreating figure, Chu Junhao smiled and continued flipping through the prescription in his hand.