Chapter 202: Original Heart Dusted

Hua Changxi walked out of Dizang Temple with a stern face.

Tong Yao followed behind her, looking as if he wanted to say something but held back.

At the gate of Dizang Temple, Hua Changxi suddenly stopped and asked, "Fellow Daoist Tong, Master Jing Liao isn't very old, is he?"

Tong Yao nodded.

Hua Changxi's expression softened slightly: "That makes sense—if he's not old, his cultivation is probably average, and his understanding of Buddhist teachings is likely only superficial."

"..." Tong Yao glanced at Hua Changxi, wanting to say that she didn't look very old herself, yet her cultivation was quite astonishing.

Hua Changxi snorted and complained to Tong Yao, "Master Jing Liao couldn't help me ignite the white flame. I wouldn't have said anything to him about that, so why did he jump to conclusions about me? Does he know me well? Acting like he's seen right through me."

Actually, if Jing Liao had pointed out other issues with her, she might not have gotten angry, but saying she didn't believe in herself was outright nonsense.

Hua Changxi paused: "Do all monks like to say profound things and directly comment on and summarize other people's lives?"

Tong Yao quickly defended his friend: "Jing Liao definitely didn't mean to judge you. I know him—he only says what he sees."

"Of course, I'm not saying what he sees is necessarily right. But you know, we can't always listen to the same voices; sometimes we have to allow different voices to enter our ears. Don't you agree?"

Hua Changxi: "I agree with that. I'm not arrogant enough to think the world should only allow voices that are the same as mine. What bothers me is the certainty in Master Jing Liao's demeanor."

Tong Yao smiled and nodded: "Jing Liao can be a bit too stubborn sometimes."

Hua Changxi's expression calmed: "Fellow Daoist Tong, thank you for accompanying me to Dizang Temple today."

Tong Yao smiled: "You're too polite." He paused, "I'll ask Jing Liao again about the Yang Flame. If he thinks of another method, I'll let you know."

Hua Changxi nodded: "Then many thanks."

Afterward, Hua Changxi left. Tong Yao watched her walk away, then turned and went back into Dizang Temple.

Jing Liao was still thinking about Hua Changxi's inability to ignite the Yang Flame. Seeing Tong Yao return, he asked, "Wasn't Benefactor Hua very disappointed that she couldn't ignite the Yang Flame?"

Tong Yao shook his head: "I didn't see disappointment, but she was definitely a bit angry with you, that's for sure."

Jing Liao looked stunned: "Why would she be angry with me?"

Tong Yao looked at the confused Jing Liao and said irritably, "You made a rash judgment, saying Fellow Daoist Hua doesn't even believe in herself. Setting her aside, even I think you were talking nonsense."

Jing Liao suddenly understood: "So she's angry about that." He said with a smile, "If she's angry, it means my words did touch her. If she were truly unaware and unfeeling, she wouldn't have gotten angry over one sentence of mine."

Tong Yao thought about it—it seemed to make sense, but he wasn't sure: "But Fellow Daoist Hua appears so bright and carefree; how could she lack self-confidence?"

Jing Liao was silent for a moment: "Those are all appearances. To judge a person, you have to see what kind of world lives in their heart. Benefactor Hua must have gone through something very painful. Her lack of self-confidence comes from her not believing that the world will treat her well. Her true heart is clouded, cutting off love and goodwill from entering."

Tong Yao couldn't understand this at all. Someone actually repelled love and goodwill?

"That's not right. Fellow Daoist Hua willingly helped me stabilize the array center, helped me drive away the Yao, and helped me rescue Xiayang and Xia Xue. Doesn't that prove she's a kind person?"

Jing Liao: "What I mean is that her true heart is obscured by some bad things, but it's still the same heart. Human nature is inherently good. Even though the heart is obscured, it will still do good as much as it can."

Tong Yao: "I understand. So you're saying Fellow Daoist Hua is worth befriending, right?"

Jing Liao listened to his utilitarian words and silently shook his head, as if he didn't quite agree.

Tong Yao saw this and said dismissively, "Jing Liao, if you were just an ordinary monk at Dizang Temple, it would be fine for you to be detached from worldly desires and spotless. But you are the future Saint Lord of the Fuse Saint Pavilion. If you're going to manage a sacred ground, you have to learn to be utilitarian and weigh pros and cons."

"I am utilitarian, but I'm open and aboveboard about it. I have value that Fellow Daoist Hua needs, and Fellow Daoist Hua has something I want. We each take what we need; no one takes advantage of the other. We collaborate and develop together—what's wrong with that?"

Jing Liao: "...Nothing wrong, but I just think people like you are somewhat pitiable."

Tong Yao was momentarily speechless: "How are we pitiable?"

Jing Liao: "You only see what you need and what you seek, not the real person. There's only desire, no true feelings—isn't that pitiable? You both treat each other as tools to be used, cold and indifferent—isn't that pitiable?"

Tong Yao was silent for a moment: "Everything is for the sake of development; there's no other way. Besides, people have limited energy—how can they give true feelings to everyone?" After saying this, he quickly got up and slipped away.

Arguing with Jing Liao was definitely asking for trouble. Not only could he not win the argument, but in the end, he might even start doubting himself and feel guilty. It was much easier to deal with someone like Fellow Daoist Hua, who was clear about prices and traded on equal terms.

After leaving Dizang Temple, the more Hua Changxi thought about Jing Liao's words, the more unsettled she felt. Considering the spies at the Thirteenth Qihuang Hall, she lost all desire to return. She left the capital directly and flew to the Lingguang Hall.

On the red stone square, figures burning with lustful fire were struggling to move toward the Transmission Hall.

Hua Changxi glanced at them and went straight to the main hall. She sat cross-legged in the hall, closed her eyes, and began to recite the Purifying Heart Mantra.

Jing Liao's words echoed in her ears, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She didn't know what she was angry about. She only felt a stinging pain on the back of her hand. Looking into her dantian internally, she saw that the black flame on the heart of her Nascent Soul was threatening to reignite.

After reciting the Calming Heart Incantation for a long time, it was not until dark that Hua Changxi's heart finally calmed down completely.

An insignificant person, a self-righteous remark, actually made her waste a long time calming her emotions!

Hua Changxi took out the white jade lotus petal, her expression somewhat dark and unreadable.

Without the White Flame to counterbalance the Black Flame on the Nascent Soul heart, the Black Flame would devour more and more of the heart. It was obviously not feasible to rely solely on the Calming Heart Incantation to suppress the Black Flame—first, the Calming Heart Incantation took too long, and second, the Black Flame spread very rapidly. At critical moments, the Calming Heart Incantation might not be effective.

"I still need to find a way to ignite the White Flame..."

If one white jade lotus petal couldn't help her ignite the White Flame, then she would find more. She didn't believe she couldn't ignite it.

Hua Changxi, who had no intention of returning to the Medical Bureau, went back to Wuzhi Mountain once, collected a batch of third-grade spirit medicines, and transplanted some third-grade spirit medicines and spiritual plants into the Sumeru mustard seed space. After returning to Lingguang Hall, she stayed in the main hall of Lingguang Hall, concentrating on refining third-grade pills.

This time, while refining pills, she not only used divine sense assistance but also used the Shennong Cauldron for the first time.

The Shennong Cauldron gave her a huge surprise!

With an ordinary pill furnace, no matter how good the pill refining technique, one furnace could at most produce ten spirit pills. But with the Shennong Cauldron, one furnace could produce over a hundred spirit pills. This was still because her control over spiritual power was not delicate enough and her use of divine sense was not smooth.

She could sense that if her control over spiritual power and divine sense could go a step further, the yield per batch would be even higher!

Hua Changxi was immersed in the abundant harvest of pill refining with the Shennong Cauldron, until the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, when the communication talisman at her waist vibrated, only then did she stop refining pills.

"Jiuniang, Pharmacist Xu asks you to return to the Medical Bureau quickly. Prince Shou will summon all the heads of Qihuang Hall tomorrow."

After hearing Pucao's message, Hua Changxi frowned. Tomorrow was New Year's Eve. Summoning people on New Year's Eve, a time for family reunion—this Prince Shou was really annoying.

[Third-grade Pill Refiner (Highest-grade Pills): Pills refined 1,501 furnaces 1,501/]

After refining pills for over half a month, she had harvested over ten thousand third-grade highest-grade pills, but the number of furnaces used was much less than before—only a little over a hundred furnaces.

"It seems for leveling up, I still need to use an ordinary pill furnace. Once the level is up, then I'll use the Shennong Cauldron for pill refining."

Hua Changxi tidied up the main hall a bit, then prepared to leave. Before leaving, she turned her wrist and summoned the "Vermilion Bird Army Roster" to take a look. On the roster, one thousand five hundred Vermilion Bird Army soldiers had already been recorded.